Review: The Hunt

Title: The Hunt 

Author: Stacey Kade

Series: Project Paper Doll #2

Pages: 400

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: April 22nd 2014

 

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life.

But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.

Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

 

 

REVIEW:

 I LOVED the first book in The Project Paper Doll series, The Rules. In other words I was super excited for The Hunt to hit bookstores. And very sadly it did not live up to the expectations I had from the first book at all.

I do not have that much to say about the book actually so this will probably be a short review. This is one of the books that I have read and did not like but cannot pinpoint what actually went wrong. I had really liked the atmosphere from the first book and in the second book Ariane and Zane are on the run. So do not go into the book expecting the same atmosphere and feel like I did. Since they are on the run I thought that it would feel more high stakes but I actually did not find it to be very action packed or exciting at all. A majority of the book just dragged on for me. A lot of the decisions that Ariane made also frustrated me in this book.

I did find some of the storylines that Kade added in interesting though. I did like learning more about GTX's rivals and the trials. The only real reason I stayed with the book is because I really do like the characters Ariane and Zane. I like them as individual characters and I also really like seeing them together. I will read the next installment though so I can finish Ariane and Zane's story. I kind of have to read it now also because of that huge, oh my gosh, what??, cliffhanger Kade threw in at the end. Well played Kade, well played.

The Hunt fell flat for me as a sequel but I still have an investment in the great characters so I still have to stay with the series. I may not have liked the second book but I do have to point out that the first book, The Rules, was absolutely phenomenal. I just wish the sequel had been like that.

Review: The Originals

Title: The Originals

Author: Cat Patrick

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 304

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Publication Date: May 7th 2013

 

Review:

The Originals is a short and enjoyable science fiction tale about three triplets who are actually hidden clones. The Originals follows the story of three sisters who have been hidden away by their mom to keep them safe from being discovered by the rest of the world. In order to keep them a secret the world thinks their mother has only one child. Only one of them is enrolled in school and each one of them is assigned a certain part of the day that is theirs, one of them goes out in the morning, o...more The Originals is a short and enjoyable science fiction tale about three triplets who are actually hidden clones. The Originals follows the story of three sisters who have been hidden away by their mom to keep them safe from being discovered by the rest of the world because they are stolen clones. In order to keep them a secret the world thinks their mother has only one child. Only one of them is enrolled in school and each one of them is assigned a certain part of the day that is theirs, one of them goes out in the morning, one has afternoon, and one has evening. This system works fine until Lizzie meets Sean. Sean and Lizzie fall for each other instantly. Soon Lizzie and her sisters want freedom from their frustrating routine and rebel against it. But then they discover that their mom lied about her job and they catch her going in and out of a secret locked office. What has their mom been hiding from them? You may have noticed from my earlier reviews this year that I have started to get into more science fiction type books, so when I heard of this one I decided to give it a try. The Originals is overall a good book but I just did not find anything special about it. Their wasn't much action till the end of the book and even then it was brief and not as action packed as one may hope. I felt the pacing of the book was a little off and since the plot wasn't extraordinary the story didn't really have anything propelling it forward. Some parts of it were dry and did not catch my attention. The characters were also a little dry for me. The three sisters/clones did not have much personality to me so they did not add much flare to the book. I also thought the ending was rushed which is a big pet peeve of mine. The Originals was a fun read but it just did not have anything special abut it that made it stand out. The upside of the book though was that Patrick writes very well. The writing style was very easy and fluid and that was the part of the book that kept me turning the page. One reason I have started getting more into science fiction books is because I find the content can be rather interesting so even if it is not suspenseful the content can still keep you intrigued enough till the last page. My favorite plot line of the story was the complexity of the three sisters pretending to be one person. That was the unique part of the book for me. The Originals was a quick, easy, interesting sci-fi read that is a great starter book for anyone trying to ease their way into the sci-fi genre.

 

Waiting on Wednesday (8/21/13)

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

 

This week I am eagerly anticipating...



        

Title: Blackout

Author: Robison Wells

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 432

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: October 1st 2013

Synopsis (from goodreads):

Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

 

Check out more about this book here

Waiting on Wednesday (8/14/13)

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

 

The book I am eagerly anticipating this week is....

Title: Frozen

Author(s): Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston

Genre: Dystopia/Science Fiction

Publisher: Putnam 

Expected Publication Date: September 17th 2013

Synopsis (via goodreads): 

From New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston comes this remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all

 

Check out more about this book over at its Goodreads page. 

Review: The Rules

Title: The Rules

Author: Stacey Kade

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 416

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

 

“The trouble with rules, though, is that you'll always be tempted to break one- for the right reasons, due to unavoidable circumstances, because it feels as if there's no other choice. And once you break one, the rest seem like so much broken glass. The damage is already done.”
― Stacey Kade, The Rules

 

Review:

    The Rules written by Stacey Kade really caught me by surprise. I'm usually not very into books in the sci-fi genre but I will admit something about this one made me love it.

    The Rules follows the story of Ariane Tucker. Ariane was an experiment (half alien, half human) at a company called GTX. She was held captive there for years until a security guard helped her escape. Now in present day she is living with the security guard who saved her from GTX and going to high school like any normal teenage girl. But what Ariane has to go through is far from normal. She has a set of rules she always goes by to make sure to stay under the radar and not get discovered by GTX. This all works perfectly for Ariane until Zane Bradshaw steps into her life. Zane and Ariane originally team up together to get back at the mean girl at school. But along the way they fall head over heels for each other. As a result Ariane starts to break all her rules. And before she knows it things will be revealed that will make Ariane realize that nothing is at it seems and that she is in danger more than ever before.

    I was hesitant to read this book at first since I don't usually read sci-fi but I am so glad I took a chance on it because I ended getting completely engrossed in this book. One of the things that I think pulled me in was the main character, Ariane. She was a strong female heroine but at the same time she had inner turmoil. I liked this about her because she could be a badass chick but then you could also relate to her. Zane was also a great factor in this book. He showed that on the outside somebody may look like they have the best life possible but on the inside they still have troubles, just like everyone else. Zane was a tough but somewhat shy guy at points and I liked that about him. I also loved that this book was written in alternating point of views. It allowed you to see the story from all aspects and helped you get a better grasp on the world the book took place in.

    I thought that Stacey Kade wrote the book brilliantly too. There was a lot of stuff going on in this book and a lot of crazy scenarios but she wrote it in a way that was not over the top. She also wrote it so it was a real page turner but not in a way that the plot moved too fast or was overwhelming. Her way of writing made it intriguing but easy to follow.

    This book was a perfect dose of every thing. It is a mixture of sci-fi but also coming of age, and it had a complicated romance with intrigue and action weaving it all together. This book kept me turning the page non stop till the end and now I'm so mad I have to wait to read more. I will be counting down the days till the next book, so I can read what happens next!

    Stacey Kade has now converted me into reading more Sci-fi because of how good this book was. I highly recommend it to any reader out there no matter what genres you prefer. You will love it, I guarantee.

 

4 Stars ****