Tag: 4.5 stars

Book Review: The Blast by Sarah Perlmutter

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

The Blast by Sarah Perlmutter

Genre: Young Adult, Apocalypse, Dystopia, Science-Fiction

Publishing Info: Self-published, Amazon Kindle edition

Pages: 154

Star Rating: 4.5/5

 

Back Cover Summary:

After a series of blasts force Beatrice Hicks and her family into their prepper bunker, they emerge to discover they are among the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse. Fighting against rogue groups and coping with deaths are just some of the adjustments Beatrice must make to survive, but how will she maintain her humanity after the blast?

 

The Blast is a self-published novel by Sarah Perlmutter which shows a family’s attempt to survive the apocalypse. I’ve read a lot of books about what happens when society has been rebuilt after an apocalypse, but not one which is actually set at the time the apocalypse happens, so this was an interesting new read for me. I found it really refreshing to read and it is written very well, in a style which pulls you in.

The plot is somewhat typical of an apocalypse story – it is about survival. But what makes it great is the way the characters are handled and how they change and develop through the course of the novel. There was plenty of action and lots of unexpected turns which kept me glued to the page. It is quite short, more of a novella than a novel, but I like that. I think a lot of the time authors force stories into a novel length when there isn’t enough substance to make it that long. I think the length of The Blast is right for the content which is great.

The narrator, Beatrice, is forced to grow up before she has much chance to be a child. Her characterisation is great and her inner conflicts are shown really well. Over the course of the book she changes an awful lot as a character. Importantly, she isn’t without flaws, and is a really rounded, well thought-out character. The main characters are equally well depicted and they are all likable. There are many emotional and tragic moments made more so by the attachment one feels for the characters. However, it would have been good to see more development of the minor characters, particularly Mr and Mrs Becker and Mr and Mrs Smith. It felt like they were just shadows in the background. Just one scene with them would have allowed the reader to gain a better picture of them.

Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves apocalypse and dystopian stories. But I also think people who don’t usually go for the genre would like it, as the topic and issues are dealt with so well. I gave it 4.5 stars, as is wasn’t quite perfect for me (though I am quite hard to please), but it was a really awesome book which I urge you to read.

Book Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

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Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Genre: Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Dystopia/Utopia

Publishing Info: Wattpad serialisation September 2014 (originally published October 16, 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Pages: 400

Star Rating: 4/5

Back Cover Summary:

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

Crewel is the first book in Gennifer Albin’s gripping young adult series.

 

 

I read this book for free when it was posted as a serialisation on the writing website Wattpad, but I would have gladly bought it. The world Albin has created blew me away. This book stands out from many of the other dystopia/utopia young adults books because it has such a unique, original, and imaginative world and concept. The idea is that particular girls can manipulate ‘the weave’ and use it to manipulate the events in Arras. I can’t find the words to explain it right but Albin explains it very clearly and beautifully. Even if you don’t understand the concept right away it becomes more clear as the chapters go on.

Adelice is a strong character who wants to protect the people she cares about as much as she wants to get out of the Guild’s controlling hands. I like how she doesn’t lap up the lavish lifestyle the Guild provides for the Spinsters, not really caring for all the beauty treatments and expensive clothes. It shows she has an independent mind. I also like that she isn’t inherently rebellious like many other protagonists in the dystopia/utopia genre. Her parents drive her to rebel and hide her gifts to protect her from the Guild controlling her, which propels her into a path away from the rules.

The ‘villains’ of the story aren’t necessarily completely evil, and have their own motivations for their actions. They help move the book along as they continually attempt to push Adelice into a mould of the perfectly behaved and obedient Spinster.

The one thing that let the book down (and why I only gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars) is that the love triangle sneaks into it. This crops up in so many young adult books that I find it incredibly annoying. In most books it isn’t necessary for the plot and if it is then it is a very weak plot device. However, it isn’t too bad in Crewel as Adelice’s whole world doesn’t revolve around her decision between these boys. It’s very much a side plot which comes up occasionally but which isn’t constantly being shoved in your face. The two ‘love interests’ have good personalities and they actually have a past which very much influences their actions, emotions and personality.

At first I wondered where the plot was going to go as at the start it is mostly about Adelice being at the academy. Then there are twists and turns and the plot begins to build up and get very exciting. I found myself unable to stop reading once I got into it. There are a few slow parts but mostly there is lots going on and it kept my attention.

Overall I was sad when it was finished and itching to get my hands on the next book. I was also disappointed to not be able to give it the stunning five stars I wanted to due to the love triangle issue. What makes this book special is how fresh and original it is and how amazing and imaginative the concept of the book is. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone interested in dystopia/utopia and is looking for something mind-blowingly unique and exciting.

Book Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

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Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Publishing Info: Marion Lloyd Books; 1 edition (4 Jan 2012)

Pages: 417

Star Rating: 4.5/5

Back Cover Summary:

Saba lives in Silverlake, a wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms where her family scavenge from landfills left by the long-gone Wrecker civilization. After four cloaked horsemen kidnap her beloved twin brother Lugh, she teams up with daredevil Jack and the Free Hawks, a girl gang of Revolutionaries.

Saba learns that she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Saba and her new friends stage a showdown that change the course of her civilization.

I’m going to start off by saying this is one of the best young adult dystopias I have read (so far). Young’s writing style is fresh and enjoyable to read and really makes Saba’s voice very strong. The plot itself is full of action and twists and turns – it’s one of those books that just keeps you turning the pages.

The book is written in first person from Saba’s perspective with colloquial language, which makes Saba’s character even more real. There are no speech marks which initially is a little confusing as to who is speaking but it was something I got used to quite quickly. It is fairly easy to understand who is speaking once you have adjusted, as the way the characters speak is very individual to them.

Saba was a great heroine who had a very clear personality. And she wasn’t perfect. She can be quick tempered and cruel to her younger sister. But we can understand why and so we don’t hate her for it, because she also has very redeeming qualities. One of the strengths of the novel is character development – Saba clearly changed as a character due to her experiences (something many young adult novels seem to be lacking lately). The other characters were also strong although Saba definitely dominated.

The post-apocalyptic setting was well thought out. I got a real sense of how small the world felt to Saba since she hadn’t set foot outside of her home, Silverlake, before. I really believed in the world – there were no holes or slip-ups where something seemed out of place.

The plot was exciting and new, unlike so many other of the hundreds of dystopias on the shelves at the moment. I cared for the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I really felt I was on a journey with them. At no point did I know how it was going to end, or even what would happen in the next chapter. There were so many unexpected twists and turns. It was such a thrilling read.

I don’t often give five stars. It has to completely blow me away. This didn’t quite do it but was incredibly close so I gave it 4.5 stars. I would heartily recommend this to everyone, especially people who like dystopia and want to read an excellent, well written novel with an exciting plot and great characters.