The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publiser via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book- 

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

My thoughts-

I went through a period where all I wanted to read were dystopian novels, but they became so popular that they started coming out in droves and the qualilty of work was not as high as some of my favorite dystopian novels, so I stopped reading them all together afer a few disappointing series. The Grace Year

 sounded like it wasn't going to be the exact same book as so many other dystopian books over the last decade have been so I reluctantly picked it up. I am so glad I did. This was a breath of fresh air in the dystopian world. I absolutely couldn't put it down. It reminded me of a cross between The Giver and The Hunger Games. There were some interesting twists that I enjoyed being revealed and I thought the cliff hanger was excellent although now I can't wait for whatever is next in what will hopefully be a series! I absolutely recommend The Grace Year to anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction. 

Perfect by Cecilia Ahern (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.

About the book-

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured--all her freedoms gone.
Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick--the only person she can trust.
But Celestine has a secret--one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.
Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people.
And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?

My thoughts-

I have been a long time fan of Cecilia Ahern. In fact, one of her first books, Love, Rosie, is one of my favorite books of all time. YA dystopia is a new genre for her, but Perfect is the second book in the Flawed series. I read Flawed in a day, maybe two, I was so into it. The book was about a society of people who are branded in places on their body depending on the crimes they commit, which is what supposedly keeps their society in line. Celestine bucks the system, and it's up with a special 6th brand that was never given before and given by someone who wasn't supposed to give it. Perfect is the continuation of that story and about Celestine trying to fight for justice for what was done to her and the other "flawed" people in her society. I found this book to be the same as many second books in dystopian series...wordy and descriptive and not as compelling as the first. It was still an intriguing book and had a resolution at the end, which makes me wonder if another book is necessary or on the horizon, but these types of series usually happen in threes and #3 is usually a little more action packed than #2 so we can only hope that we will get a conclusion to this book. I think Ahern's foray into YA has been a successful one thus for and I would love to see more from her in this genre.

The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

"If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous."

Tess Eckhart has always felt things nobody else can feel. Then the Ouija board incident happens at a high school party. Her complete freakout sends her family across the country—next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill. Worried that Tess suffers from the same illness that tormented her grandmother, her parents insist she see a psychiatrist.

But Tess is more concerned about fitting in at her new school, and hiding the fact that she’s seeing a therapist at the Edward Brooks Facility. She’s used to whispers and stares, but when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she’s unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something—that he might somehow be responsible.

But what if she’s wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom? 

My thoughts-

Katie Ganshert has written several beautiful books in the contemporary Christian fiction world, but young adult novels are new territory for her. I am impressed at how effortlessly Ganshert can be a voice in both genres, it's like she's two completely different authors. Not only is she a fresh voice in the YA genre, she has woven in other favorite sub-genres (dystopian and paranormal themes) giving the book a bit of extra depth and more meat on it's bones. I am so excited that The Gifting is the first book of a trilogy and even more excited that the second book, The Awakening,  will be available in July! If you like ya and/or paranormal fiction, you will enjoy The Gifting. To me it felt like a cross between the Angel Eyes series by Shannon Dittemore and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer (only because Luka reminds me of Edward, but in a really good way! There are no vampires or werewolves to be found here). I am excited to see whats in store for Tess in The Awakening!

Revolutionary (Anomaly #3) by Krista McGee Blog Tour & Book Review + Enter to Win All 3 Books in the Series!

Disclosure- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book- 

All her life Thalli thought she was an anomaly. Now she must use her gifts to fulfill the role she was called to play: Revolutionary. Back in the underground State against her will, Thalli is no longer the anomaly she was before. She has proven herself to be a powerful leader aboveground and returns with information that Dr. Loudin needs to complete his plan of uniting the world under one leader: himself. But he, too, has information. A secret he has kept from Thalli her entire life. A secret that, once revealed, changes everything about the person Thalli thought she was. Hoping to help Thalli rise up against the Scientists, both Berk and Alex join her underground, but their presence only brings more trouble for her. Now Dr. Loudin knows just the leverage to use on his captive, and she is forced to choose between the two of them. Is her first love her true love? Or does Alex ultimately claim her heart? Unsure of everything around her, including her own identity, Thalli doesn't know where to turn. She knows she needs the Designer, but he seems further away than ever. What she does know, though, is that if she doesn't do something to stop Loudin, the fragile world above ground will be lost once and for all.

Revolutionary is the 3rd book in the Anomaly trilogy. Check out my review for the first two books by clicking on the titles- Anomaly #1, Luminary #2. You will want to read the first two books before you set out to read Revolutionary.

My thoughts-

Revolutionary picks up right where Luminary left off. We found out what has become of Thalli and her friends and some intense action scenes take place throughout this book. Thalli is still trying to figure out how she feels about both Alex and Berk in the midst of trying to figure out what she can do to fix the dystopian world that she lives in. There is a great plot twist involving Dr. Loudin and Thalli and Thalli also gets to know James better. Throughout the book I wonder which side James is on, Mcgee definitely keeps us guessing where his heart lies. As it's two predecessors, this novel is centered around faith in God. I enjoyed this aspect of the novel and thought it was a different take on a dystopian trilogy. It was done well. I was just as into this novel as I was the first two books in the trilogy. Revolutionary was definitely edge of your seat reading. I was left wondering many times who might get out alive and if Thalli and company would be able to stop the evil Dr. Loudin. As far as this book ending the trilogy, I was left somehow feeling a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this was a great book and everything was concluded and wrapped up nicely, but I felt like something was missing. I guess I expected the book to go out with a bigger bang since it was the end to a series, but I would absolutely still recommend the Anomaly trilogy to anyone who is interested in dystopian fiction, christian fiction or ya fiction.


About the author-

Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.

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Revolutionary is now available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books & The Book Depository

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Luminary (Anomaly #2) by Krista McGee Blog Tour and Book Review + Win a copy of both books!

Disclosure- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.


This is the second book in a series. For more information on the Anomaly see the summary on Goodreads.
About the book:

She was an anomaly with a death sentence. Now she's free.

Thalli was scheduled for annihilation. She was considered an anomaly--able to experience emotions that should have been eradicated by genetic modification. The Scientists running the State couldn't allow her to bring undue chaos to their peaceful, ordered world. But seconds before her death, she is rescued.

Now Thalli is above ground in a world she thought was destroyed. A world where not even the air is safe to breathe. She and her three friends must journey across this unknown land, their destination a hidden civilization. It's their only chance of survival.

Broken and exhausted after an arduous journey, they arrive in New Hope, a town that survived the nuclear holocaust. When Thalli meets the people there--people actually "born" to "families"--her small world is blown wide open.

Soon after their arrival to New Hope, the town comes under attack. She has escaped imminent death, but now Thalli is thrust into a new fight--a fight to save her new home. Does she know enough about this world of emotions, this world of chaos, to save not only herself, but the people she has come to love?

My thoughts:

*Warning* Spoilers to the first book Anomaly appear in the below text...

I have been counting down the days since I first finished Anomaly for the release of Luminary and not surprisingly I devoured it in just a few short days. Anomaly introduced us to the dystopian Chicago that Thalli and company live in. In this future version of Chicago, babies are created in labs and are bred for certain tasks within their community. Thalli is her pod's musician. Emotions or questions are not tolerated and these very things are a huge part of who Thalli is, so it gets her into big trouble, schedule for "annihlation". With the help of her former podmate turned Scientist Berk and an old man who lived in previous times "above ground" and full of insightful knowledge of "the Designer", she escapes. That is where Anomaly leaves off and Luminary picks up.Thalli and friends have escaped and set off for the world  "above ground." What they find are two communities that don't get along and Thalli gets right in the middle of it. I really liked that the second book in this series, while it definitely ties into the first novel, is almost completely different from. Many times middle books are just filler to hold us over until the next book in the series comes out. That was not the case with Luminary. It has my attention at the beginning and it still held it at the end. There are new characters introduced and conflicts with old characters and new ones alike. It is frustrating to deal with the teenage drama that seems to happen in every trilogy's middle book, when the two love interests seem come up with odd reasons, typically all in their heads, as to why the other person doesn't love the one thinking about it. That gets old, but there is an interesting twist in this book that made it not bother me as much as it usually does. It seems Thalli has found a new home, but what will she have to do to save it? I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult or dystopian novels. Once again, the book ended on an intense cliffhanger! I will definitely be counting down the days until the last book, Revolutionary, is released (July 15, 2014)!

About the Author:

Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.




Connect with Krista McGee on Facebook
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http://www.kristamcgeebooks.com
Purchase Luminary:
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Purchase Anomaly
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Book Depository
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