Across the Universe

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Sixteen year old Amy and her parents are about to embark on a 300 year journey. They are leaving everything and everyone behind to start over on Centurion Earth. In order to make the journey they must be put into a cryogenic sleep, everything is in place for their trip but Amy is woken from her frozen slumber 50 years to soon. She is alone amongst the 2500 inhabitants of Godspeed. I say alone because Amy is nothing like the others. They are human but they have lost their individuality. They are drones with no emotions. As the story unfolds Amy finds out that the others are also being woken from their slumber but they are not as fortunate as Amy, as soon as they are awake  they are killed. Amy must figure out who and why before her parents fall victim. Godspeed is governed by Eldest who explains that the people on board Godspeed are the descendents of the original crew. But Eldest has been keeping secrets from the citizens and Amy and her new friend, Elder, must expose him before it is to late.

I usually stay clear of science fiction but I really liked this book. There are some slow spots like when Amy is first frozen she dreams of the life she left behind. Yawn, but once she is awake the action is nonstop with  a little romance thrown in.

Insignia

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
Earth is in the middle of World War III but it's not fought by men on the ground it is fought in space with drones controlled by men. We are not fighting over religion or politics but real estate. In fact the generals in this war are CEO's of powerful corporations not the military. Tom Rains and his father, Neil, are grifters. They travel from town to town conning people out of their hard earned money. Tom is tired of his ordinary life and wants to do something extraordinary, so he spends all of his free time playing virtual reality games and he is good. He is so good that he gets the attention of Dalton Prestwick who offers him a spot at the prestigious military school, Pentagonal Spire where he will train to become a soldier in the war. Tom's father is dead set against it. He doesn't trust Dalton and we find out later he was right not to. 

Does this sound familiar? Enders Game. Ready Player One. Insignia is non-stop action, full of corporate greed with a definite anti-government feel. Science fiction fans rejoice you are going to love this book. Almost forgot this is book 1 in a trilogy.
  

Quarantine

Quarantine by Lex Thomas
McKinley High is just like any other high school with one big difference, it is next door to a company that manufactures illegal biological weapons. They kidnap and do experiments on local teenagers. The government finds out about it and decides to to shut them down. During the raid one of the infected teenagers escapes and hides in the high school. The adults are all killed and the students become carries of this deadly virus. In order to contain the virus the government decides to quarantine the school and all of its occupants. With all the adults dead, the students are left to survive on their own. This sets the stage for absolute chaos. It is the ultimate battle for survival.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies on steroids. Is it a literary marvel? No, but it is action packed and entertaining. There are some slow spots but this gives you a chance to catch your breath. This book is not for everyone. There is a lot of violence and there is some offensive language but if you can get past it  and you like survival stories this one won't disappoint.

The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
If you thought this book was about alien invasions then you would be right. Cassie Sullivan has survived 4 waves of alien attacks but will she survive the 5th. In this the 5th and final wave the aliens intend to kill every remaining human being. She has already lost  her parent but believes that her younger brother, Sammie, is still be alive. She won't give up until she finds him. In a world where it is kill or be killed and trust no one, she must learn to trust if she is to find her brother and survive.

As far a science fiction goes I am usually not a fan but this book blew me away. I liked that it is told by different characters, each having a strong and distinct  personality. If you like fast paced action I highly recommend this book.

                                                                                

BZRK

BZRK by Michael Grant
The Armstrong brothers, Charles and Ben, are twins but they are no ordinary twins, they are conjoined. They own the Armstrong Fancy Gift Corporation (AFGC). Charles and Ben had such a horrible life they  wanted to spare the rest of the world the pain, so they invented nanobots that control human emotion. Their intention were good, no emotions no pain, but sometimes the worst experiences come from the best intentions. Enter Sadie Mclure, her father and brother also work for AFGC and are killed in a horrible accident. As the details of the accident unravel so does the secret they were keeping and Sadie is pulled into a war to save free will.

This is definitely science fiction and not for the squeamish. Grant goes into great detail about the way the nanobots enter the brain and control their host. I am not a big sci-fi fan but I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book in a series.

                                                                      

Pure

Pure by Julia Baggot
First let me start off by saying this is the first book in a trilogy, so if you are expecting a nice clean ending it doesn't happen. I really liked this book but I found the relationship between Pressia and El Captain a little hard to swallow.

Pressia is a 16 year old girl who lives with her grandfather. They have survived the "Detonations", which happened 9 years earlier and totally changed the world. If you were outside the dome when the detonations happened you where fused to your surroundings; if you were lucky enough to be inside the dome then you escaped unscathed and you were "Pure".  It is Pressia's birthday and she must choose, become a heartless solider or die. Today is the day she starts fighting for her life.

Legend

Legend by Marie Lu

The United States no longer exists. It is called the Republic and is made up of the west coast of the United States. Sound familiar well. If you liked The Hunger Games you will absolutely love this book. It is non-stop action from the first page to the end and there’s even a little romance.

The Republic is a country always at war with its neighbors. June is a 15 year old rich girl who is being trained for the Republic’s military elite. Day the Republic’s most wanted criminal, fights for his family’s right just to survive. June’s brother Metias is murdered and Day is the number one suspect. June vows to bring her brother’s killer to justice. As June hunts down Day she finds out that things are not as the Republic would like everyone to think.

The Eleventh Plague

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch.

Twenty years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, fifteen-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

I see a movie in the making.

Starters

Starters  by Lisa Price

A genocide spore kills everyone in Callie's family except for her brother. In fact, everyone who was not vaccinated died. Alone and homeless Callie has to support herself and her brother. She has found a way. She rents her body to seniors who want to be young again. Something goes wrong and she is trapped in both her world and her renters.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

The Kill Order

The Kill Order by James Dashner.
 Normally I am disappointed with prequels but this was not the case. The Kill Order grabs you from the beginning and never lets go. The Maze was a means to an end. The Kill Order was the beginning. Before Thomas and even before WICKED there was Mark and Trina this is their story and what happened to them and to mankind after the flares.