A Girl Called Fearless

Extra Points for a cool cover :)

Written by: Catherine Linka

Eat some granola bars on the go while you read about Avie's fast paced escape!

Avie Reveare lives in a Paternalist society, where her every move is controlled by the men that surround her. She must adhere to the strict rules that govern her and all the women, and she never has a moment of privacy (really, never). When Avie's father arranges her marriage to a vile Paternalist billionaire, Avie realizes that maybe it's time for her to run away to Canada, where women are free and treated equally. With the help of her long-time love interest Ronan, and a network of friends, she is spirited away in the night. On her way to freedom though, she slowly realizes just how oppressive the Paternalists are. She deals with romance, betrayal, and lots of action.

I liked this book! The plot/setting was really original and definitely was an interesting commentary on the society we live in today. A lot of books that I read these days just seem like a repeat of the same plot over and over again (vampires and werewolves anybody?), so I appreciate the originals! The book was written well, and the sequence of events was interesting. All the supporting characters are dynamic, and their personal stories really add to the book as a whole. I liked this especially because the story wasn't 100% focused on one single character.

Ok, now for the not so fun part. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Avie herself. Several times I found myself thinking that she was unrealistically thick. It took her chapters for her to figure out what I already had, and she made mistakes that nobody in their right mind would think of doing. She was just a little unrealistically lacking in forward thinking.

On the whole, the book was a success, and there were a few moments where I was very impressed. I would give this book a thumbs up, but maybe not recommend for your first choice.

3/5 stars

Parched

Written by: Georgia Clark
Gulp down a tall glass of H2O and some water crackers for this one!

Yay for sci-fi/adventure/romance/dystopian original novels! Seriously, I really liked this book. Clark is a charismatic writer, and her characters are complex and fun to get to know.

Tessendra Rockwood is a spoiled rich girl who (for reasons initially unknown) leaves the protective dome of her city, Eden, to camp out in the Badlands. The contrast is horrifying; people in Eden live clean, happy lives and have an abundance of precious water, while in the Badlands children fight over the smallest sip of muddy liquid. Tessendra is eventually found by a member of the rebel group Kudzu, who are intent on ending the growing inequality. She returns home and lives with her uncle, who she thinks may be helping Eden keep the water in and the Badlanders out. She works undercover with the Kudzu, and eventually hatches a plan to help free the water, all while balancing her time studying at home with her Uncle's assistant, a handsome but odd boy who seems just a little off.

I can't say more without revealing too much, but I can say that this is a really good novel. To quote from the back of the book, "robots, renewable resources, and romance get tangled together in this thrilling futuristic adventure." It's true! The plot is just complicated enough to be interesting, and the setting is full of possibilities and a possible commentary on the current global situation. There is no stagnancy in this novel (in so many others I feel like I just want to get on with it already!), in fact the plot keeps twisting and turning so I was never bored. The villain is thoroughly evil, and the heroes are satisfyingly daring.

There are only two things that I wasn't quite happy with. First, I found it difficult to like the beginning of the book. It was a little confusing, and I wasn't sure what was going on. My advice is just to get through it, Chapter 3 is where it starts to pick up, and that's only page 26 so it's really not that hard. Second, occasionally Clark fell into the trap of making her main character a little too slow. I understood key plot points chapters before Tessendra did, which was fairly frustrating. This was my biggest qualm, and besides that, the book was awesome!

If you like futuristic adventure romances, I absolutely recommend this one.

4/5 stars!

The Geography of You and Me

Written by: Jennifer E. Smith
A big bag of Sweethearts would go well with this sweet novel!

This novel follows the life of Lucy, the daughter of wealthy but detached and barely-ever-there parents, and Owen, who struggles daily with the recent death of his mother and caring for his desolate father. One night during a NYC blackout, Lucy and Owen are trapped in an elevator together, and slowly realize that they have found their soul mates. They fall in love, but cruel fate separates them when they both end up moving away from the city, and from each other. The reader follows their up and down relationship over continents and through time zones, and watches as they eventually figure out how to deal with their complicated romance.

This book was... pretty average, actually. It certainly wasn't bad, and I'm all for a good romance, but the way the novel was written was just a tad too unorganized. Something just didn't quite click.

Lucy and Owen are both adorable people, romantics with a knack for witty banter (something we all wish we had), but unfortunately I thought they were just a little too similar. Their backgrounds were different, but their voices were the same. The dialogue was almost like reading the same person having a conversation with him/herself. I found it difficult to believe in these two people who had 100% compatibility.

Furthermore, the timeline was a little weird. Owen and Lucy spent too much time apart, brooding about how much they miss each other, and not enough time actually together. I don't disbelieve in love at first sight, but there wasn't enough of that kind of thing to make me remember why the pair actually wanted to be together.

All in all, this book certainly wasn't bad, it was just not satisfying. There was no suspense, no doubt in my mind about what would happen, no heartbreak that I felt I could relate to. Lucy and Owen weren't desperately in love enough for me to believe they could survive their geographical separation, and there wasn't enough together-ness to keep me interested.

I don't want to trash this book though, it's not that bad. I was on the edge of liking it, and just happened to fall on the not-so-much side. Smith is a very appealing writer, and I was impressed with her use of metaphor in a number of places. The scenery is beautiful, and the subplots of Owen and Lucy learning how to deal with their parents were really good. Their relationships were perhaps the ones I was most invested in.

So, if you're bored and have this book lying around, The Geography of You and Me is still a decent quick read.

2.25/5 stars