UnSouled

UnSouled (Unwind #3)

Neal Shusterman, 2013

After the destruction of the Graveyard - the safe haven for runaway unwinds - Connor and Lev are trying to find answers. Answers about the man who created unwinding. And about why Proactive Citizenry is so scared of him that they tried to erase him from history. At the same time, Cam - the first "rewound", a person created wholly from unwound parts - is determined to bring down the people who created him. But can they really succeed against such a powerful organization as Proactive Citizenry?

This book was quite fun. I didn't love all the storylines - the Argent story kind of bored me, although I loved the addition of Grace - but there was a lot of great action and drama. Also, I thought the solution that Sonia showed them is actually quite plausible (as far as this world is concerned) - I was a little worried that they would come up with someone outrageous as the solution to unwinding. Very much looking forward to the final book coming out...

Speaking of which, I thought this was going to be the final book! What happened there? Seems they decided to split the final book into two, meaning that Undivided, expected publication October 2014, will be the final book, and will hopefully wrap up all the storylines left hanging at the end of this book. I didn't know this when I started reading UnSouled, so I was actually really annoyed with the ending, thinking that it was the final ending. But once I figured out it wasn't, I decided that the ending was okay after all. I'm just hoping that they are able to wrap everything up in one more book, because I think dragging it out longer than that will actually hurt the story.

The Taste of Night

The Taste of Night (Signs of the Zodiac #2)

Vicki Pettersson, 2007

Every major city has a Zodiac - forces for good and forces for evil, fighting for balance (Light) or supremacy (Shadow). In Las Vegas, Joanna Archer is an anomaly - half Light and half Shadow - who currently fights for the side of Light. But there are those of the Light who don't trust her and want her gone. And there are those of the Shadow who want to lure her to the other side. So when a deadly virus strikes the city, Joanna must decide not only how to fight it, but who she can trust... if she can trust anybody.

I find myself really enjoying this series. This second book wasn't as good for me as The Scent of Shadows, but I did like the way this one ended, giving me a lot of hope that the rest of the series should really pick up. Not that this book didn't have a fair amount going for it - there was a lot of action and drama, and some really cool reveals (I really liked the concept of the changelings). 

Overall, a quick, fun read that really left me looking forward to the next book.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 7

The Walking Dead, Vol. 7: The Calm Before

Robert Kirkman, 2007

In this volume of the comic book series, Lori's pregnancy comes to term and the others do what they can to prepare for what might be coming.

This volume was good, but - as the title indicates - not all that thrilling. It can be good to have a break between high-action volumes, though, and this one did a lot to progress character development. Also,there were definitely important events in this book. It just wasn't as awesome for me as some of the others have been. Next volume looks to be pretty intense, though, so I'm looking forward to reading that one.

The Tao of Martha

The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off the Dog

Jen Lancaster, 2013

Jen Lancaster's newest project is to organize and improve her life, using her idol, Martha Stewart, as a guideline. 

I'm so glad I gave Jen Lancaster a second chance. I read Bitter is the New Black last year, and while I mostly enjoyed it, I was a bit underwhelmed. But it was her first book, and it was about her transformation from rich bitch to normal, amusingly crazy person, so the part of the book where she was a rich bitch made me kind of hate her. But something told me that I would like the person she became, so I didn't hesitate to pick up some of her other nonfiction stuff. 

I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed this one. I found her funny, but also liked her honesty and personality. I listened to this one on audiobook, which she read herself, and it was a fun way to pass the time while cleaning the house and working out at the gym. I'll definitely be reading and/or listening to the rest of her books soon.

Life After Life

Life After Life

Kate Atkinson, 2013

Ursula Todd is a unique individual. On a snowy night in 1910, with the doctor unable to get there in time, Ursula enters this world stillborn. But let's try again. On a snowy night in 1910, Ursula enters this world not breathing, but is brought back from the brink of death, only to die as a young child. But let's try again. On a snowy night in 1910... And on and on and on. Every time she dies, Ursula Todd is born once again, given the chance to make different choices and see where it takes her. While she might not know exactly what is going on, her previous lives hit her like a particularly strong sense of deja vu. This scenario leaves us with the question: what could you accomplish if you were given the chance to start over until you got it right?

When I started this book I wasn't sure what to think of it. It was actually a little confusing at first, and then was just a lot of stories about Ursula being a kid with not a whole lot of stuff happening. Not that it wasn't good or interesting, but it wasn't exactly knocking my socks off. Once Ursula survived to reach World War II, though, it really picked up for me and I was sucked right in. 

There are still a few things that left me a little confused, and it's definitely a book that will stay on my mind for a long time. Not only in a "what just happened?" kind of way, but also because it's a topic that really leaves you questioning your own life. If you had the chance to go back and make different choices, would you take it? And is the idea of re-living your life over and over again, making different decisions, something that excites you or chills you to the bone? This is one of those books that, while not perfect, will certainly stick with me.

Messenger

Messenger (The Giver Quartet #3)

Lois Lowry, 2004

In a dystopian world, Village is set up as a utopian haven for misfits and those shunned from other communities. But things are happening in Village. People are turning against the open welcome and vote to close the borders to any new refugees. The forest surrounding Village tends to be hostile to anyone who travels it more than once, except for Matt (first seen in Gathering Blue), who has a talent for traveling the inhospitable terrain over and over. Because of this, Matt is sent to the outlying communities to relay the message of Village's closing, and also to try to convince Kira - the daughter of one of Village's leaders - to return with him. But when the forest turns hostile against Matt, can he get himself and Kira back to Village safely? And can anyone help what is happening to the people of Village?

Okay, I didn't remember this book at all. I'm so glad that I read it again. 

I'm also really glad that I didn't read this book when I was young and first discovered (and fell in love with) The Giver - this book didn't actually come out until 2004, more than ten years later. Not only because it completely shatters my ideas my original idea about what happened at the end of The Giver (to tell you would spoil that book, so I won't say... let's just say that I thought the ending was sadder than it actually was), but because this book is really, really dark. Granted, the previous two books weren't exactly light-hearted, but this one is dark even compared to them. Still, this is an excellent, amazing story that anyone who loves The Giver should read. But dark. Just a warning.

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue (The Giver Quartet #2)

Lois Lowry, 2000

In this sequel to The Giver, we are introduced to another dystopian community, that shuns the weak to the point of leaving the sick or injured to die in a field. Kira, physically disabled, was allowed to live because her mother was important to the community. But after her mother dies, Kira is left with one choice - to use her special gift with a needle and thread to repair the storyteller's cloak. She is taught the knowledge of color dying, but the community has long since lost the ability to create blue threads. When her only friend disappears and returns later with a sample of the mysterious blue, Kira sets off on quest that will end up teaching her more than just how to find the missing color blue.

It had been so long since I had read this book, I really didn't remember anything about it. I can't say that it's on par with the brilliance of The Giver, but that is one of my favorite books of all time...

I really enjoyed this book, though. Kira is a really well-written character, and I thought that her development through the book was really interesting to follow. I also adored the character of Matt, who starts out just kind of fun in this book, but develops in the next (review to follow). I am so glad I picked this one up again. Not a perfect story, but a really good transition between The Giver and The Messenger.