Partials by Dan Wells

For some reason I randomly decided to take a two-week break from Partials by Dan Wells when I was fifty pages away from finishing it… I’m not really sure why, but I guess life just got in the way and I didn’t have enough time to read…. Anyway, this book took me about a month to get through, but that doesn’t mean that it was bad! On the contrary, I really liked it!

            Partials: humanoid robots that the US created to use in the Isolation War, but they didn’t think that the Partials would rebel against the government due to poor working conditions; the world was then decimated by RM, a disease that the humans believe the Partials created to kill them. It’s been eleven years since the Partial War and the release of RM and the human population is under 40,000, all of them living on New York’s Long Island in a town called East Meadow. With all of the newborns dying from RM, only those with the resistance survived, but none of the newborns now seem to be born with this trait. Trying to remedy this, the Senate established the Hope Act, which says that every woman aged eighteen and older must get pregnant as often as possible. There is talk of lowering the age to sixteen, which makes even more people angry and defect to the Voice, the rebel organization that fights against the Hope Act.

Kira works in the maternity ward and she’s tired of watching babies die. Convinced that the Partials are the key to curing RM, she goes to the mainland, captures a Partial, and brings him back to East Meadow, all without the consent of the Senate. Upon her return, she is punished by being the one to study the Partial. Upon regaining consciousness, the Partial tells her that his name is Samm and that the Partials were not the ones to create RM. He also tells her that the Partials are dying (for they can’t reproduce and the humans put a “time limit” on their existence when they created them). Both humanity and the Partials must work together to solve their problems. Will the decade-long enemies be able to work together? Or will both species go extinct before they finally agree to peace?

Whoo, sorry for that lengthy description! This book is just really super complicated, so I felt that it needed a long explanation or you just wouldn’t get it. Not because you’re stupid, just because it was a really complicated book. Anyway, the characters:

Kira was a really strong character, maybe not so much physically, but mentally and emotionally. Throughout the entirety of the book, she was willing to give up her life for what she believed in and when she made a promise, she kept it. Even though all of he other people in the community were saying “We need to save humanity and cure RM!” no one would actually go out and do it. Their only solution was to have a billion kids, but clearly that wasn’t working; Kira was the only one brave enough to put her life on the line for the rest of humanity and I really respect her for that. Overall, she was a really great character!

Marcus was the funniest person that I have ever met or read about in my entire life. The things he says are just so hilarious that I legitimately laugh out loud. He was hands-down the best character in the book. However, I don’t think that he’s right for Kira romantically; she’s destined to lead a crazy life full of danger, but he just wants a quiet life with a family, so I think that the Partial, Samm, is much more suited for Kira because he can take so much more of what life is going to throw at her because he’s kinda a robot… but also still human-ish… it’s complicated.

All of the other supporting characters, like Samm, Jayden (so much love for him), and Xochi were AMAZING. Except for Haru. I hated his guts and I just wanted him to go away; he was SO ANNOYING and he bothered me A LOT. I was secretly hoping for his untimely death the entire time… :/ oops I’m a bad person…

So the first quarter of the book completely bored me, almost to the point where I was dying a slow, torturous death. Literally NOTHING happened. NOTHING AT ALL. The only reason I kept reading was because of Marcus; he was SO HILARIOUS! He was definitely my favorite part of the book. The things that he said and the jokes that he made were so funny I was actually laughing out loud. I seriously wish that he was a real person because we would be best friends J However, after the first quarter of the book, it became COMPLETELY AMAZING. I got so caught up in the story and the characters that I couldn’t put it down! It’s actually the introduction of Samm that made the story so exciting. The characters ran into so many obstacles that it was really interesting to see how they dealt with them and got around them. There were points when I thought, “There is NO WAY they will be able to get out of this one!” but they would end up getting out of it in a completely believable, and surprising way. The ending was awesome and makes me want to read the next one SO BAD! It made me cry a little bit because *semi-spoiler alert, but not really*one of my favorite characters died and it completely devastated me. Like, completely L

It’s like you pay for the amazingness in the book with the near-death experience of reading the first part of it. After reading the whole thing I would say that it’s definitely worth it! I am SO EXCITED to read the second book, Fragments, after that cliffhanger ending!

I loved this book, but the beginning was equivalent to dying. 4 Smileys!

Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre

         I read Outpost by Ann Aguirre about three weeks ago (which is forever ago in my brain) so this review might be a little rusty. Just a bit. 

        Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Tegan have just arrived at Salvation, a small community protected from the Freaks by a huge wooden wall. Fade and Tegan seem to fit in perfectly, but Deuce and Stalker have a bit more trouble assimilating; Deuce because of the community's strict gender roles and Stalker just because he's difficult and slightly feral. Fade has begun to... well, fade away (THAT PUN Haha) from Deuce and become more distant. With the summer quickly approaching, Deuce, Fade, and Stalker all sign up for the summer patrol to protect the farmlands outside of the city walls. They quickly discover that the Freaks are getting smarter, plus they have yet to find the most terrifying thing of all. Will Deuce and her friends survive outside of the city walls? Or will the ever-developing Freaks finally conquer them once and for all?

         From what I remember, Deuce was an okay character. She didn't blow me out of the water, but I didn't hate her, either. Once again, Deuce has an obsession with her being a Huntress (or lack of being one, I guess). However, in the first book it says the word "Huntress" about 300 times per page, but in this one it was only, like, 100. Much more manageable. I must admit, though, she is an incredibly strong and brave character and she never caves under the pressure of the gender role that was expected of her. 

        Fade was, of course, once again amazing. He is so sweet and more loyal than a dog. That's pretty dang loyal. The only thing about him that annoyed me was that *semi-spoiler alert, but not really* when his adopted father whipped him all the time, he didn't tell anyone about it. I mean, maybe that shows his strength or maybe that shows his weakness, I'm not really sure which. 

      The story was sometimes a bit boring, but other times it was full of action and suspense. When Deuce is in the town, it's kind of boring because she doesn't really do anything. She pretty much goes to school, eats, spars, then sleeps. Not that exciting. But then when everything happens with the Freaks, it was really exciting, so it kind of balanced itself out. Like in the first book, the writing wasn't very flowery, which was actually a good thing. The narrator (Deuce) is not very well-educated and she basically ate violence and suffering for breakfast, so it would make sense that she wouldn't have a fancy mindset; it would be much more harsh and brutal, which was definitely what the writing portrayed. 

This book had a good story and a fairly good set of characters, though at some points it was a tad slow.

I liked this book! 4 Smileys!!

Siege and Storm (The Grisha Trilogy #2) by Leigh Bardugo

          

        The Grisha Trilogy is one of my favorite series of all time, and as such I will probably die of anticipation in the year that I have to wait for the third book, Ruin and Rising (which is horribly named) to come out. That being said, let’s continue…

            Alina has escaped from the Darkling’s clutches with her childhood friend and true love, Mal. Living in a new country with the hopes of disappearing, the two don’t get much of a reprieve; the Darkling soon capture them once again. With the help of the sly foxlike captain, Sturmhond, and the rest of his crew, they escape from the Darkling and all of the Grisha that defected to his side when he tried to overthrow the King. With the King sick, the Apparat missing and raising a cult to follow “Sankta Alina,” and the Darkling all but abandoning his control of Ravka, the country has little leadership. It’s up to Alina and her friends to control the Second Army and mount an attack against the Darkling, who has showed an interesting, and frightening, new power. Meanwhile, Alina must fight against her growing internal corruption as her power grows stronger and she feels more and more alienated from humanity. Will Alina be able to defeat the Darkling and save all of Ravka? When the time comes, will she even want to?

            Told from the point-of-view of Alina, as was the first book, you can’t help but feel attached to her. She has an amazing power, she can fight pretty well, and she always means well. Well, most of the time, anyway. What was most impressive about her character though, was something that Bardugo did extraordinarily well. She showed Alina’s slow descent into corruptness in a way that wasn’t obvious. It wasn’t like there was a single dark statement thrown into a bunch of cheery sentiments that blatantly stated “oh, look how what she wants to think now is so different from what she normally thinks.” No, none of that. It was subtle, but I could still pick it up while I was reading it, and it was really skillfully done and awesome.

            Mal kind of annoyed me in this book. Like to the point where I wanted Alina to be with the Darkling and love him forever. I mean, I’ve actually been thinking that the whole time, but who hasn’t, honestly? It’s obvious Alina and the Darkling are perfect for each other, but I digress… Right, Mal. He was really possessive and cranky, but I guess I’ll let him off the hook considering the number of times he was almost killed and his entire life destroyed, but still. Sometimes, I just did not appreciate his attitude, but I think the point of him acting so annoyingly was so that it would show just how different Alina is becoming from the rest of human kind. Not that all human kind are annoying and cranky, but… I don’t know I’m just going to stop there before I dig myself a deeper hole.

            Sturmhond/Nikolai was my favorite character, perhaps of all time. He was absolutely AMAZING. He was hilarious all the time, to the point where I would actually burst out laughing. He was wise even though he was young (and gave great advice on how to be a leader, honestly), slightly ruthless and slightly sweet, just an awesome character all around. Plus, he’s a prince and a mighty good one, at that. However, he was a bit deceptive and sneaky for my taste, but everyone has their flaws, right? I say Alina should forget Mal and just become a queen with Nikolai… At least that’s what I’d do if the whole Darkling thing didn’t work out.

            Both the story and the writing were phenomenal. Bardugo can write anything and I would love it. Her humor is so similar to my own that I can’t help but laugh out loud at some of the jokes she makes and the things she says. I want to be best friends with her; I think we’d get along really well. Anyway, the story had just the right balance between action and dialogue, just as Shadow and Bone did. Her diction brought the book to life before my very eyes and I absolutely loved the Russian influence in the book. I really have nothing bad to say about this book. AMAZING!!

SO MUCH LOVE!! 5 Smileys!!

Enclave (Razorland #1) by Ann Aguirre

This is my second time reading Enclave by Ann Aguirre and I have to say that I didn’t enjoy it as much the second time through as I did the first. I read it for the first time over two years ago, so I had not been exposed to as many books as I have now. That being said, I still really enjoyed it, just not as much as the first time.

            Deuce lives in an underground society and the tunnels of the New York City subway are all that she has ever known. The world above them is fraught with danger where the rain burns your skin clean off your body. Or at least that’s what she’s always been told by her enclave’s elders. Deuce has spent her entire life preparing to become a Huntress, one who hunts for food and fights Freaks, mindless monsters that ramble through the tunnels. But then, she gets stuck with Fade as her partner, a boy with a mysterious origin that appeared at the enclave out of the blue. As the two grow closer, Fade shows Deuce all of the corruption that exists in the enclave’s governing body. When they are wrongly accused and exiled for a crime that they did not commit, Deuce and Fade must escape to the surface. There, they find that it is livable, but gangs and Freaks run rampant through the streets. The two then attempt to find the safe haven that Fade’s father always talked about and they are joined by more “friends” on their journey. Will the pair successfully make it to the place of their dreams? Or will they get overrun by Freaks and gangbangers before they can glimpse their paradise?

            Deuce is a hard, determined person. She’s a strong female protagonist, there’s no doubt about that. In the beginning of the story, I thought she was just a little too obsessed with becoming a Huntress. I think the word “Huntress” may appear over 100 times in the first two chapters, I kid you not. Also, Deuce has this “Huntress voice” in her head that tells her what to do to survive, but it only ever tells her to do awful things, like killing her best friend or leaving a poor, defenseless child alone in the Freak-infested tunnels. Sometimes, I just wanted to smack the Huntress voice and tell it to just shut up because there is really no need to kill your best friend, okay? Even though I just spent that whole time bashing Deuce, I didn’t really think she was that bad of a character. She was strong and independent. She cared about others, but didn’t know how to express it. Overall, a good character with some annoying qualities, but not so annoying that I disliked her.

            Fade, on the other hand, is amazing. He may be a Hunter, but he doesn’t only do what he needs to survive. He cares about other people and puts others before himself. He’s one of those people that are hard to warm up to, but then are amazing friends once they like you and his compassion and strength are apparent in every action he performs. If you can’t tell, I think Fade is wonderful. Enough said. J

            The story line was interesting and it kept me engaged from beginning to end. It was an interesting idea to have people living below the ground and people living above the ground, yet they know nothing about each other. The writing was an interesting style. Because Deuce was not exactly a scholar, I can understand why the narration is a bit choppy and most of the times it made sense, but then there were other times when it just… didn’t. Good thing they were few and far between! The writing was not too flowery, which matched the action-packed story line perfectly. Overall, Enclave was a good read, but it didn’t exactly blow me out of the water. Next I shall read the sequel, Outpost, so look out for that review in the next couple of days!

This book was really entertaining! 4 Smileys!

Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

Let me start off by saying that the Legend series is one of my favorite series of all time. I love it so much and it’s so amazingly awesome. The first book in the series, Legend, was, of course, spectacular, and Lu did not disappoint AT ALL with her second book, Prodigy!

            After June and Day escape from the military center of Los Angeles and narrowly avoid Day’s execution at the expense of his brother’s life, the two flee to Las Vegas in the hopes of meeting up with the Patriots, the rebel group opposing the Republic, and Tess, Day’s childhood friend. Meanwhile, the Elector Primo dies from his long-term illness and his son, Anden, assumes the position of Elector. When they arrive, the Patriots want June and Day to aid in a plot to assassinate the new Elector. June goes undercover and gets close with the new, young Elector and she discovers that he may not be the bad guy that the Patriots make him out to be. Will June and Day be able to kill what may be the Republic’s only hope for change? Or will they stop the plot before it’s too late and find out who the real enemy of the State is? Find out by reading it! Seriously, do it NOW. You won’t regret it, I assure you!

            Once again, Lu has astonished me with her amazing characters. Both June and Day have such depth and there was a lot of character development in this book, considering that it was a sequel. June is still as fierce and determined as ever. Day is kind-hearted and enthusiastic. I love both June and Day because they are so amazing and I wish that I could do half of the stuff that they can do. They can scale buildings like it’s nobody’s business. I want to be able to do that so bad! I mean, they have an otherwise rough life, but the physical feats they are capable is astounding and I wish I cold be as cool of them. Oh, jealousy. (See my Legend review for more reasons why I love June and Day)  As a last note on the characters, let me just mention that Kaede is really awesome. Okay, that is all.

            The story Lu wrote was full of twists and turns and there were a lot of things that happened that I could not guess beforehand. I didn’t even know who the actual evil person was until June figured it out. It’s awesome when the reader figures things out at the same time as the character does because then you get so caught up in the story, and that is how Prodigy was. It was SO AMAZING. Lu also once again did a phenomenal job with the multiple points of view. As it switched back and forth from June to Day, I could tell which character was talking because the two narrations were written so differently. It’s not often that I like books with multiple points of view, but I love this one! The only criticism that I have of the plot is that there was one unnecessary death, but that could just be my grief talking because I’m still not over it. People who have read the book, you know who I mean. So many tears! Also, the ending? The people who haven’t read this book yet, prepare yourselves for that because preparing definitely needs to be done before reading this ending. My heart broke a little and only the next book will be able to heal it. Write quickly, Marie Lu!

With amazing characters, an awesome storyline, and dynamic narrations, Prodigy was probably one of the best sequels I have ever read. I am so looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Champion, but I have to wait until November to read it! The wait shall be painful, but I shall carry on!

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! 5 Smileys!