Cornerfolds Dystopian Reading Challenge 2016 - Book 8: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Publication Date: November 15th, 2011

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 338

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. - Book Details Courtesy of Goodreads, INC. 2016.

Like woah people.  What a grab you and pull you in kind of book.

Readers meet Juliette, a 17-year old girl in jail for something she had no control over doing.  They claimed she murdered someone and has been in basically solitary confinement for hundreds of days.  Then one day her cell opens and she gets a roommate...not just any roommate, but a man.  This man is a test, a test Juliette thinks is cruel...like they are trying to get rid of her.

But Juliette has a power, a very dangerous power.  So dangerous in fact that no one can touch her, or at least she thinks so.  She is pulled from her cell and cleaned up to meet Warner, a military madman who is set on using her powers to create fear among the public.  The plans go wrong when she escapes with the man that was sent to test her, her roommate.

Can she escape the crazed plans and be free? Maybe.

I love the character of Juliette, she is so misunderstood.  They see her power as terror and no one wants to even make her feel human until Adam.  He befriends her and I guess you could say saves her sanity.  Warner, he is the typical villan of the book.  There is some connection between Adam and Warner I have yet to figure out.  The cause of the stain between their relationship.  I cannot wait to see where the story and the plot goes with this series.

Cannot wait to dive into book #2!

Cornerfolds Dystopian Reading Challenge 2016 - Book 5: Champion by Marie Lu

  

Title: Champion (Legend #3)

Author: Marie Lu

Publication Date: November 5th, 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 369

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion? 

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. 

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. 

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

- Book Details Courtesy of Goodreads, INC 2016.

What an absolute crazy ride this whole series has been.  Kind of sad that I've finished this series.

Readers meet up with Day and June and the Republic as they continue to fight against the colonies.  Day is growing weaker from his condition and it is finally revealed to June of how serious his condition also is.  The colonies are now wanting a cure to a plague they claim the Republic gave to them.  That if they do not produce it they will revolt against them.  Little do they know the colonies are not exactly being honest with how the "plague" truly got its form.

The colonies are now invading and it's up to June, Day and Anden to find a cure, which could be linked to Day's brother Eden. Could he actually hold the cure?  

The book's ending, to me is just heartbreaking.  If you want to read the book, then I suggest you not read this any further because it is a spoiler. I actually cried at the end when Day is dying and then again when he wakes up months later and cannot remember anything about June.  I wanted to scream "Why let them have all of that and then not remember her!!!"  Though I also feel like there was an opening left at the end.

Such a great series.

Cornerfolds Dystopian Reading Challenge 2016 - Book 4: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched (Matched #1)

Author: Ally Condie

Publication Date: November 30, 2010

Publisher: Dutton Books For Young Readers

Pages: 369

In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic. -Book Details courtesy of Goodreads, INC. 2016

This book really ended with a bang.  I felt like, for me, it was a slow start.  I actually became very interested in the book more towards the end.  I felt like it was slow getting to the point.

Readers meet a girl named Cassia, who lives in Maple Tree Borough in a futuristic society.  They have their whole lives controlled...where they live, what they do, who they marry, what they eat (which is the same thing for everyone).  No one is allowed "independent thinking" because that causes a disturbance and earns you a citation.

Cassia is 17 and heading to her match ball where she will be matched with a male who she will get to know and eventually "marry."  The whole world starts changing for her the next morning when her chip malfunctions to reveal a face that should not be there.  Readers will follow along as Cassia begins to realize the horrifying truth of her society and starts to think on her own.  The book ends with a disappearance and banishment.

The end of this book has made me interested to see what happens in the rest of the series.

Cornerfolds Dystopian Reading Challenge 2016 - Book 3: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Title: Prodigy by Marie Lu (Legend #2)

Author: Marie Lu

Publication Date: January 29th, 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 371

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games? - Book details courtesy of Goodreads, Inc. 2016

What a thrilling ride!  I was so excited to get started on this book after reading Legend (book 1 of the Legend trilogy).  I loved how at the end of Legend it left it open for the character development between June and Day.  And lets all admit we were interested to see where Marie Lu would take their characters as the trilogy progressed.

I always deem a book good when it brings out my emotions, whether it makes me mad, frustrates me, gets me excited, etc.  This book did exactly that.  As you see a lot of people say these days, it had all the feels.

Again, the story is told from dual viewpoints, Day and June taking turns.You join up with June and Day as they continue to flee the republic after June saves Day from his execution.  They finally make it to Las Vegas where they are trying to locate the patriots so Day can find his brother and rescue him. Will they find the patriots? Will the patriots finally convince Day to join their cause against the Republic? 

The book really picks up in intensity about halfway to three-quarters through.  The twist in the plot she throws will leave you grasping your seat.

Cornerfolds Dystopian Challenge 2016 - Book 2: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1)

Author: Rick Yancey

Publication Date: May 7th, 2013

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Pages: 457

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. - Book Details courtesy of Goodreads Inc. 2016

What an crazy read...crazy in a good way.  This book was a page turner from the start.  I planned on reading this book already, but really moved the book up on my list after seeing a movie preview for it recently.

The Earth has been invaded by aliens and you do not know who is human and who is an "other."  You get a little bit of a pre-story before really diving into the main part of the book.  Cassie is seen as the books heroine, fighting against the others after her brother is taken to a camp.  Readers are also introduced to a few other main characters, two of them being Zombie (Ben) and Evan Walker.  Throughout the whole book you jump back and forth between Cassie and Zombie mainly, with other characters joining the story.

The story gets intense in the second half of the book when Cassie starts to figure out who is not really who they are pretending to be.  Zombie will come to a huge realization that will forever change how he thinks the order of the world is setting up to be.

Will they survive the 5th Wave, well read it and find out.  Such a great read.  Also, don't forget, the movie version of the book is set for release on January 22nd, 2016.

Cornerfolds Dystopian Challenge 2016 - Book 1: Legend by Marie Lu

Title: Legend - Legend Trilogy #1

Author: Marie Lu

Publication Date: November 29th, 2011

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 305

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets. - Book Details courtesy of Goodreads Inc. 2016

I have been meaning to read this book for awhile.  I just always had so many other "to-reads" in front.  My interest in Dystopian books keeps growing.  I really like this genre.  Though, often enough, they are all similar in the story.  I was curious to see where this book would go once I started it.  This book definitely became action-packed. 

I read legend via audio book.  I like to listen to them when I walk in the mornings.  In this audiobook, you have two different people reading.  A guy reads the part of Day and a female reads the part of June.  I really grew to like both of these characters as the book progressed.  June is a young, aspiring officer in the Republic and Day is the Republic's number one most wanted.  

Their paths originally cross when June is undercover hunting Day for a crime she thought he committed.  The plot thickens when she is rescued by Day and then feelings develop.  They cross paths again later on in the book when she essentially returns the favor.

I love the development of June and Days characters towards the end of the book.  The second book I think will be just as good as the first.  If you like dystopian books with a little bit of a love aspect, you should definitely read this book.

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!

So I'm writing this a bit early since I'm not going to be online any tomorrow.  What a crazy fast year 2015 was, hard to believe we are entering a new year.  I must say that the end of 2015 was beyond amazing.  In July I met my bf J and he is the absolute best thing to ever happen to me and I am more and more thankful for him everyday.  You know you here people say "I cannot imagine life without you" and you sometimes think yeah ok, but seriously J is such a big part of my life now I really wouldn't know what to do without him.

 

October was J and I's first official vacation to New Mexico, you can read about the two blog posts on the blog also.  This was where I fell in love with him.  It was also an amazing vacation and we have talked about going back.  I hardly doubt he would complain about going home for a visit.

Now we look towards 2016, and let me tell you my friends, it is going to be out of this world. We are looking to take our next vacation and we are heading to San Diego.  This might actually be a dual trip because we might be making that a honeymoon trip (fingers crossed).  There are so many things I want to accomplish and see and do (typical resolutions, etc).

I thought I would share a few of mine with you and maybe you will get inspired to create some of your own.

Lose Weight

Travel

Visit a New National Part

Be Generous

10,000 steps a day

Be a Blessing to Others

So guys and gals, what are your resolutions?

Welcome 2016. Be good to all of us.

2016 Reading Challenges - On Deck: Cornerfolds 2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge

                                                           

Hey Everyone.  Sorry it's been awhile since I checked-in with life and goings on.  The end of the year is always a crazy crazy time.

With that said, I'm excited to start looking forward to 2016 and the challenges ahead (no pun intended).  I already have around 3 challenges printed and they are being added to my notebook I keep of all the books I read.  When you read so much then you kind of need a reminder of what you read.

The challenge I am most excited about is Cornerfolds 2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge.  This challenge has 4 levels: Recruit, Rebel, Revolutionist and Leader.  It's based on how many books you want to read and review that have the genre of Dystopia (think Hunger Games).  Since I like a good challenge, I'm going for Leader.  This means I have to read and review 16+ dsytopia books.  Not a problem.

I am very excited to explore and conquer this challenge.  Check by here on my blog regularly to see what I am up to with this challenge and get some good book suggestions.

Here's to 2016 and "May the Odds be Ever in your Favor."