October Reviews 2013

  Inhuman
               Grade: C
America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plant life has gone feral. Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—until he is caught.- GoodReads

Although it is action packed and there are some funny conversations, there is little to no character development. Again we have characters thrown in to a crazy circumstance who just happen to have combat/ninja skills. This only really works when the author provides a bit more of a back story with world building. Having said that, it is a quick read and fairly enjoyable if you are looking for a reality-suspended adventure. It is the first in a series/trilogy.

 Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer
              Grade: D
Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She’ll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family’s French roots. But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.-GoodReads
 
Here is where judging a book by it's title can go so horribly wrong! We were really excited when we heard about this one. Title=A+, Cover=B+, Concept=A.... and then we read it- ugh. Colette is a push-over, her two rich friends are just awful, and her new-perfectly nice friends- are completely forgotten after a few pages. The ghost was appropriately creepy. The settings were pretty cool, and the idea about the Order of the Key was certainly intriguing, but the author couldn't pull it all together. How about we all sit down and re-write this one?

 Steelheart
             Grade: B-
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will. Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.-GoodReads

If you are an Agents of Shield, Avengers, or a Brandon Sanderson fan- you will love Steelheart. We thought the storyline was good, the action was well done (if extensive), but we have seen these characters before. It's still an entertaining read and something to tied everyone over until the next Stormlight Archive novel.

 All The Truth That's In Me
             Grade: A
Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.-GoodReads

Absolutely FANTASTIC! You've got a real original here with well crafted writing and characters to root for. Although a specific time and place are not named, it feels like historical fiction. You'll find yourself turning pages as fast as you can in order to solve the mystery and to see if Judith will triumph in the end.