Book Review: Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson

Book Title: Ice Dogs

Author: Terry Lynn Johnson

Publish Date: February 4, 2014

Genre: Young Adult, Survival

Plot (from Goodreads):  

Victoria Secord, a 14-year-old Alaskan dogsled racer, loses her way on a routine outing with her dogs. With food gone and temperatures dropping, her survival, and that of her dogs and the mysterious boy she meets in the woods, is entirely up to her.

Author Terry Lynn Johnson is a musher herself and her crackling writing puts readers at the reins as Victoria and Chris experience setbacks, mistakes, and small triumphs in their wilderness adventure.

Why I Read this Book: I saw this book in the new release section of my library and I thought it looked really interesting.  I have been interested in reading realistic survival stories lately.

 

Review 

This is a great survival story!  The author owns her own sled dog team, so this story seems really accurate to real life situations.  The adventure and the risk of surviving seemed real and kept me reading.  I needed to know what happened to Vicky and if they survived.

I feel in love not only with the human characters in this book, but also with the sled dogs.  I loved the writing style.  This book is marketed as a Children's Fiction novel, but it is written with elevated language and I feel it is more suited to a Young Adult audience.

I think this book would be great for fans of the Hatchet series by Gary Paulsen.  Although I have not read this book in a really long time, Ice Dogs reminds me of this novel.

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 16+ for some sexual inuendos

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Graphic Novel Review of Uglies: Shay's Perspective by Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson

Book Title: Uglies: Shay's Story

Author: Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson

Illustrator: Steven Cummings

Publish Date: March 6, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia Graphic Novel

Series Name: Uglies (Graphic Novel #1)

Plot (from Goodreads):  

Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost.

A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.

Why I Read this Book: I saw this at my library and decided to check it out.  I have read the first three books in the Uglies book series, but this was the first graphic novel that I have read in this series.

 

Review 

I was really disappointed in this graphic novel.  It was no where near as good as the novels.  If you have not read the novel series, I do no think that you would fully understand everything that happens in this graphic novel.

There are very few world-building aspects.  There is not any character building.  There were some events that I did not fully understand.

The Uglies and the Pretties looked exactly the same in the graphic novel.  Appearances are an important part of the series and as such I did not think that this was accurate to the novel series.

Also, I do not remember there being any references to adult situations in the novel series and there were some references to this in the graphic novels.

I will continue with the series, but I hope that the others are more in depth and true to the novel series.

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 16+ for sexual references and references to nudity (you cannot see anything, but you know that they are nude)

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Book Review and Free Book Offer: The Exile by Eric Buffington

Book Title: The Exile

Author: Eric Buffington

Publish Date:October 11, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series Name: Stones of Power (#1)

Plot (from Goodreads):  

In a world where each person is born with a magic ability, the island of Denall is on the verge of an attack from a power hungry sorcerer, Mordyar, as he scours the world in search of the Stones of Power. While the stones are gathering and their power begins to be revealed, four boys leave their village on a rite of passage into adulthood and are swept into an adventure that will make men and heroes of them, if they can survive.

Why I Read this Book: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

Review 

I really loved this book.  It is full of action and amazing fantasy elements.  The touch of romance that was included was perfect!

My favorite part was the writing style.  Eric Buffington used the perfect amount of description.  I felt like I was in the story, but I was not bogged down by details.  I was so engrossed in the story that I wanted to read it in all of my free time and I easily lost track of time. 

In this story, everyone is born with a special power.  Some people are born with better hearing and others have increased sight.  There are also other special powers that are introduced throughout the book.  These powers are indicated by special marks that are present at birth.  If your special power is sight, than you will have marks above your eye.  If it is hearing, than you will have marks near your ear.  The Stones of Power, rare stones that enhance a special power, are being sought out by a powerful sorcerer who wants to use them for evil.

The main characters are seeking their rightful place in the world during their rite to manhood.  The rite to manhood for the town that they are from is that you are exiled from the city for a year when they turn a certain age.  During that year, you have to survive on your own.  The characters learn many lessons during their exile and face many hardships.


The elements of survival mixed with fantasy makes this a perfect read for any reader.

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 13+ for intense action scenes

Overall Rating: 5/5

  
Free Book Offer

Eric Buffington is offering free ebook copies of his book The Exile (book 1 in the Stones of Power series) on Smashwords.  All you have to do is follow this link and use the code: sw69s.

Even better is that he is also offering 33% off of ebook copies of the second book of the series, The Invasion.  Follow this link and use the code: uk44j.

His goal is to give away 10,000 free copies of Exile in the month of June.

Throwback Thursdays Book Edition #2: The Hunger Games Trilogy

This weeks "Throwback Thursday:Book Edition" will be for the Hunger Games trilogy.

General Analysis

Series Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publish Date: May 1st, 2011 (Kindle Edition with all  three books)

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

In Depth Analysis

I originally read this book in high school.  I read the  first book as part of a group that I was involved in known as the Helen Ruffin reading bowl.  The Hunger Games was nominated for the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers in 2009 and won this award.  I read the first book as part of the Helen Ruffin reading bowl team.  I read the second book soon after and I read the third book shortly after it came out in 2010.  I recently bought all three books for my Kindle and have since reread the whole series.

My Original Thoughts:  I really enjoyed the first book.  I thought that the plot was so unique and I really enjoyed the plot twists.  The love triangle in the book was excellently placed and I was eager to find out who Katniss would choose.  As the series continued, I found that I was disappointed with how the series progressed.  The series became kind of predictable and never ending.

My Thoughts After Rereading The Series:  After I reread the series, I enjoyed the last two books much more than the first time that I had read them.  When I reread the books, I noticed more details than I did the first time and that really amplified how much I enjoyed the books.  Suzanne Collins developed a wonderful story that I will be happy to read once again.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: I would recommend this book to mature teenagers and older as there is a good bit of violence.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

General Analysis

Book Title: The Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Publish Date:  February 8, 2005

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

  

Plot:   In a society that makes you get a surgery that makes you “pretty” when you turn sixteen, Tally Youngblood is really excited about her 16^th birthday.  Until you have this surgery, you are considered "Ugly".  It is a “perfect” plan that is intended to prevent people for judging others.  Just before she turns sixteen and after her friend Peris has had the surgery, Tally meets Shay, a girl that almost never lives by the rules of the government.  Will Shay convince Tally that it is not worth turning pretty and that it is better to run away in hopes of finding a secret society?

Overall Thoughts: This is the second time that I have read this book and I enjoyed it as much, if not more, than the first time that I read it.I really enjoyed the plot and the characters in this book.  I also really enjoy the writing style.

In Depth Analysis

To me, this book is a mix of YA contemporary and dystopia.  It is a classic dystopian in the sense that the story is set in a futuristic society that is supposedly better than societies of the past, but the society has flaws that the government is trying to hide.  It also has a very contemporary feel to it.  It has a substantial amount of romance and “girlyness” to it that just makes it feel very contemporary.  It is a great mix of both of these genres that would seem not to mix well with each other but go very well together in this book.

My favorite part of this series is the intricate plot that Westerfeld presents.  The plot is full of so many new concepts and plot twists that are relatable to the reader and this makes the story an exciting journey.  Everything in this book is unexpected.

My second favorite part about Uglies is how well developed each of the characters are.  The reader knows little about the characters when he or she begins the book, but the reader quickly falls in love with each of the characters.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age:  13+

Overall Rating: 5/5

Future Reviews and Reads

I am currently reading The Reason by William Sirls.  I received this in a giveaway as part of the GoodReads group, Christian Fiction Devourers.  It is a Christian Fiction novel.  I am thoroughly enjoying this book and hope to be finished with it before the end of the week.

I am also reading a devotional/inspirational type Christian book entitled A Woman’s Heart for God: Drawing Closer to the Lover of Your Soul by Sheila Cragg.  It is also very good and gives great tips on how to become closer to God.  I hope to be finished with this book by the end of the next week.

Divergent

General Analysis

Book Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publish Date: February 12, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia, Science Fiction

Similar Author/Books:  This book is very similar to the Hunger Games series.  The writing style is similar to that of Suzanne Collins (see Writing Style below).  It is a dystopian novel that has factions that are meant to make the world a better place.  Each faction is meant to have a different type of person, each type seeking to reduce the risk of war.  That being said, the plot and writing style is still very original and unique.

Plot:  At the age of sixteen, every teenager must choose which of the five factions they wish to join.  Each faction values one virtue (honesty, selflessness, courage, peace, or intelligence).  Up until this point, each child has been raised in one of these factions.  To leave their faction is seen as betrayal.  Will Beatrice chose to stay with her family in Abnegation, known for their selflessness, or will she leave her faction and join another?

Overall Thoughts: This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time.  It is full of action and has a tinge of romance.  It has a wonderful writing style and an amazing plot.

In Depth Analysis

Characters: The characters are each unique and very complex.  Some characters you love to love and other characters you will love to hate.

Writing Style: I believe that the writing style is one of the best that I have read.  Each word is carefully placed to leave you with a little curiosity, but with enough knowledge as to not be confused to what is happening.  The action in this book keeps you reading long past the time that you decided that you wanted to go to bed.

Likes:  The plot, characters and suspense are carefully planned.  The romance leaves you delighted.

Dislikes:  In one section of the book, there was a reference to sex outside of marriage.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age:  Because of the violence and the mention of sex, I believe that this book is best for mature teenagers and adults (14-15+).

Overall Rating:  5/5

Future Reviews and Reads

I am currently reading two really good Christian Nonfiction books, The Language of God by Francis S. Collins and Jesus Freaks by dc Talk.  The Language of God is a wonderful book by a leading Human Genome Project scientist that seeks to show how someone can believe in a benevolent God that wants to be involved in our daily lives and also believe in science.  Jesus Freaks is a compilation of martyrs that have died for Jesus Christ.  So far, both books are getting a 5/5 from me.

I also intend to start another YA book soon.  I may start the second book in the Divergent series.  I can borrow the ebook version from my library for my Kindle.  I really enjoy that you can get not just hard copies of books from libraries but also get Kindle (or other ebook reader) versions also.

Maze Runner

General Analysis

Book Title: Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

Similar Author/Books:  This book is very similar to the Hunger Games series because of the fact that is Young Adult Dystopia and also because it is a survival type book that is filled with mystery and suspense.

Plot:  A boy wakes up in a box.  He does not know where he is, where he came from, or even his age.  The only thing that he remembers is his name: Thomas.  Thomas is not the only boy in this new society that he is placed into that has a loss of memory.  Thomas is the new kid in the Glade, a society full of young boys, and is frustrated that no one is explaining who he is or how he got to the Glade.  All he knows is that the boys around him are unhappy that the moment Thomas comes to the Glade things begin to change.