Altered by Jennifer Rush

Altered by Jennifer Rush
Release Date – January 1, 2013
Publisher Website - Little Brown and Company
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  336 pages
My Rating- 3.5/5
**Received from publisher for review via BEA**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe? 

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.  

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities. 

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

When I originally read this was like Dollhouse meets Prison Break I knew I had to read it. Hot guys? Secret agencies? Genetic modification? Secrets? All the elements needed to make me very eager to get my hands on this. This story delivers what the synopsis promises, but the potential for it to be much deeper left me feeling like something was missing.

Nick, Cas, Trev Sam are the young men being held as experiments for a secret project. They’ve been genetically altered, and as a result don’t remember anything of their time prior to being part of this experiment. I enjoyed each of the boys. Cas with his positive outlook, and ability to make everyone smile. Nick with his attitude, and sarcasm. Trav with his love of quotes, and friendship. Sam, the leader, and most reserved of the guys. You easily love their camaraderie, and  see what the draw is for Anna.  Each of these boys is interesting in their own right, and I feel that more of the story should have been devoted to their back stories. I can only hope that the questions I have about them will be answered in subsequent novels. The biggest being what made each of these boys sign up for this experiment in the first place.

Anna is an interesting character herself. I loved that she wasn’t a damsel in distress or clueless about anything. She is fully capable when things start happening and is not a bystander while the boys always save the day. Her story is the one that is followed the most closely, and we learn the most about her, so it was nice to be invested in her story outside of the boys as well.

I found myself wanting more from the plot, more from the characters, and just more in general. At times I felt like the characters did things that were opposite of what I would expect of them, especially towards the end. Sam is a guy that is presented as a leader, and someone who goes in with a plan. I don’t see him, at a crucial moment, deciding to do something major without planning out the attack first.

I found myself continuously surprised by the plot. Certain things I predicted to happen actually ended up going in a different direction all together. It’s almost like the author took normal formulaic story points and deliberately teases them only to have them veer off into something else.

This novel is a quick paced, action packed read that left me turning the pages. While I was left wishing the story had delved a little deeper, I do have hopes that this series will end up being a great one. The build up of the plot, especially the ending, and the author’s ability to surprise leave me hopeful that the sequel will deliver.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Release Date –  December 18, 2012
Publisher Website -  Disney/Hyperion
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 496 pages
My Rating- 3.5/5
**Received from publisher for review via BEA**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. 

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. 

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. 

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

The Darkest Minds seemed to have anything I would love in a novel ; teenagers with super powers, rebel groups, and creepy sounding rehabilitation camps. It easily sounded like an action packed, engrossing read that I was eager to pick up. While this novel had it’s moments, and starts off (and ends) strong, I found myself struggling with the middle of the novel.

It wasn't until I had finished that I realized why I didn't connect with it. The plot at the beginning and end is quick paced, and filled with urgency. It is uneven with the much slower middle that this bookends. The middle feels like you’re experiencing the same thing over and over, with little modifications. It makes for a strangely paced read that didn't hold my attention the way it could have.

The world that Alexandra Bracken has created is scarily easy to imagine in terms of the decimated landscape. Even though teenagers are dying, others are being sent off to camps, and the world is crumbling, the population is trying to keep it together. It’s not a fully destroyed society which to me felt more logical. Goods and services are insanely priced, and things aren’t kept in proper condition but there are still some jobs, and things are struggling to be as normal as possible under the circumstances. It’s this that infuses some hope in an otherwise bleak story.

Sadly, as strong as this world is built, it’s the main component to the story that felt underdeveloped to me. The reason these teenagers are dying, and the why behind these new abilities. It’s never hinted at, discussed, or clarified. It felt strange to me to not have the why be a major plot point in a story like this, or at least part of the back story if it was going to focus on something else.

The novel is filled with political propaganda, rebel groups, and plots. It’s easy to see where these very strong and dangerous teens could strike fear into the government, and why people would want to use them for their own desires. Determining what is the right coarse of action, even if it may not directly benefit yourself, is something these characters are having to figure out while navigating this unfamiliar world. This aspect is beautifully done, and one of the most strong points in the writing.
The characters are what made me stick with the story, even when the plot didn’t captivate me. The main character, Ruby, was hit and miss for me. The enigma that is Ruby frustrated me as much as I sympathized with her.. A young girl who barely knows herself, and as a reader we aren’t really let in either. Her character development is fantastic in the second half, but it takes patience to get there. I understood her loneliness and need to keep people at arms length because of what she could do.

The easy mannered Liam, the adorable Zu, and the fiercely loyal Chubs come into Ruby’s life suddenly and like an explosion, turn her life upside down. Liam with his easy smile, heart, and leadership qualities will make many girls swoon. I appreciated that he was developed, and that the attraction that grows between he and Ruby fault authentic. Zu and Chubs were hands down my favourite. The damaged little girl who doesn’t talk, and the intelligent young man who sees more than he lets on. These two characters helped save the novel for me.

The ‘mysterious leader’ of East River is as intriguing as the synopsis hints at. Powers that rival Ruby’s own, and motivations that are shrouded in hidden agendas. It quickly becomes clear that Ruby and her friends are in over their heads, and this is where the story starts to pick up the pace. Barreling towards a much more dynamic ending filled with action, twists, and much needed character development. It leaves the story off on a high note, and one that insures I will be back for the sequel.

I can see a lot of people LOVING this but I, sadly, wished for more. A promising start to a series that failed to completely win me over in book one. A strong second half has left me eager to find out more and pick up the sequel.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

I received a few bookish things as gifts this year and freaked out about all of them.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (goodreads)

This made my Best of 2012 list, and I had borrowed the copy I read from a fellow blogger (Thanks Meaghan) and am very happy to have my own copy now.

Kobo Mini

I have resisted getting an e-reader for so long. I much prefer to read the actual book. I pretty much relented due to having to read eARCs on my computer (very uncomfortable). Also, with all these novellas that are only being released in electronic format, it gave me the perfect excuse to jump in. I so far love it, but can't see myself giving up purchasing physical copies.

Book Expo America pass (not pictured)

I got this a little early but it was a Christmas gift. Very excited to be going again in 2013!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub

The Goodreads synopsis reads

Romeo and Juliet are gone. Will love live on? Despite the glooming peace that's settled on Verona after the recent tragedy, Montagues and Capulets are brawling in the streets. Faced with more bloody battles, Prince Escalus concludes that the only way to truly marry the fortunes of these two families is to literally marry them together. Everyone is skeptical, but none more so than the pair selected, for the most eligible Montague bachelor is Benvolio, Romeo's best friend, still anguished by the loss of his companions, and the chosen Capulet maid is Juliet's older cousin Rosaline, the girl Romeo first loved and whose refusal of Romeo's affection paved the way for bloodshed. Contrary to their late cousins, there's no love lost between Benvolio and Rosaline, yet they forge a bond to end the renewed feud not only to escape their forced betrothal, but to save their lives and the city of Verona itself.

I love the sound of this. I always wondered what came next after finishing Romeo and Juliet. I was always curious about how each of the families reacted and what resulted out of the tragic ending. I love the idea of a sequel of sorts, and can't wait to get my hands on this.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer Paperback Edition

I received an email just before Christmas notifying me that my blog name would be in the paperback edition of Cinder! Major fangirling happened. Here is the image sent to me by the lovely people at Macmillian. I have added a helpful red arrow to show where my blog name appears. Super excited to eventually have a copy of this and very happy to be included.

OTHER

Kobo Mini 

I received an awesome Christmas present this year, an e-reader. It's a Kobo Mini and I LOVE it. So far I've only browsed the features and such, but I am looking forward to reading a book on it next week. Nothing beats the feel of a real book, but it'll come in handy for my eARCs.

David's Tea

If you haven't tried any tea from David's Tea yet, you are MISSING OUT! They have really awesome flavours. I am currently addicted to Cocomint Cream, and just fell in love with Santa's Secret.

Book Expo America

So one of my gifts this Christmas was my pass to BEA in 2013. I got it a little early, but I am SO EXCITED to be going again this year. Let the countdown begin.

So what are you obsessed with this week?

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends. This weeks question is:

Q: What book do you think everyone should read? If you could gift the entire population with one book?

I am going to have to cheat and say a series. Harry Potter. It's one of those series that literally has something for everyone, and is just magical.

Happy Weekend!

Ottawa Book Blogger Mix and Mingle 2013 Sign Up

Last year some of the Ottawa bloggers got together for a little networking, book talk, and fun. We are doing the same thing this year, and this is the official announcement and sign up.

It's a fun afternoon of book chat, and a great chance to meet some fellow bloggers, so I hope anyone in the area will join us.

Planning is underway and we do need final numbers for a reservation, and there may be some prizes, and fun little games.

If you would like to join us the date is February 10th, 2013 and we're meeting at 1 pm! The place is to be determined as we have to wait to see what numbers we have first, but we are thinking of a restaurant so we can grab lunch.

Please email aglassofwineblog@gmail.com with OTTAWA BLOGGER MIX AND MINGLE in the subject line (so I can find it easily) by January 15. Please include your name, your blog name and a link to your blog.

The date of January 15th is firm as we will be planning and booking things at that point. Unfortunately we will not able to accommodate late sign ups. Please be sure to email by the cut off!

Looking forward to meeting everyone, and hope you can make it!

Waiting on Wednesday.......Still Star-Crossed

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Romeo and Juliet are gone. Will love live on? Despite the glooming peace that's settled on Verona after the recent tragedy, Montagues and Capulets are brawling in the streets. Faced with more bloody battles, Prince Escalus concludes that the only way to truly marry the fortunes of these two families is to literally marry them together. Everyone is skeptical, but none more so than the pair selected, for the most eligible Montague bachelor is Benvolio, Romeo's best friend, still anguished by the loss of his companions, and the chosen Capulet maid is Juliet's older cousin Rosaline, the girl Romeo first loved and whose refusal of Romeo's affection paved the way for bloodshed. Contrary to their late cousins, there's no love lost between Benvolio and Rosaline, yet they forge a bond to end the renewed feud not only to escape their forced betrothal, but to save their lives and the city of Verona itself.

This sounds awesome. I love Romeo and Juliet retellings, and this isn't so much that as a sequel. Who hasn't wondered what came after Romeo and Juliet's tragic ending. I love the thought of Rosaline and Benvolio not exactly being smitten with each other. This has some serious potentional, and I can't wait to read it.

Expected release date July 9, 2013