While I always enjoy a dystopian romance, this sequel to Under the Never Sky was a bit formulaic for me. "Let's just get to the ending already" is not a good feeling to have when this is only the second of a planned trilogy. It would be refreshing if authors were brave enough these days to complete a story in one book. However, I'm still invested in finding out what happens to the main characters as they struggle to find safety in an increasingly hostile world (re: Aether storms, cannibals, etc). Language, vocabulary, and pacing are more suitable to younger (i.e. not almost 30 year olds). :)

A sequel to Divergent. The story picks up with the aftermath of the Dauntless invasion and massacre of the pacifist Abnegation faction. Tris is still coming to terms with her "divergence" and her budding romance with Four (Tobias) and what it means to live in a city at war. The different plot movers didn't really hold my attention, and I felt myself skimming to get to the end, which ended up in a cliff hanger (of course). This series still seems a bit like a shallow version of the Hunger Games.

Poignant tale of a 5th grader's search for acceptance amongst his peers. Auggie (August) has a facial deformity that he nimself tells the reader is worse then can be imagined. Due to the many surgeries and the obvious social implications caused by his birth defect, Auggie has never attended regular school, until now. How will he be accepted? Can people look beyond physical appearance to see the charming, shy boy underneath?

Told from various points of view, this story captivates and lifts your spirit. I highly recommend for anyone even though this is technically a children's novel. If you have small kids, read it with them. Far from a black and white tale, the various viewpoints help young readers see that no one has it easy, and everyone has daily struggles.

Love!

A reimagined HG Well's "The Island of Dr. Moreau" with a female lead, "The Madman's Daughter" tries but ultimately falls flat as a gothic tale with the expected love triangle. In Shepherd's story Dr. Moreau has a 16 year old daughter who he abandoned after being banned from London society. She ultimately finds out he is still alive and living on an island somewhere in the South Pacific, living there so he can continue performing the medical procedures that got him in trouble with both the moral and legal authorities of his time.
To the detriment of the story, Juliet is a flat character who is quickly described as shockingly beautiful and interested in anatomy (unheard of for females of her time) but truly only serves as a someone who can react to the various events that happen around her.
The two male leads are enthralled with her (one her father's assistant, the other a castaway recovered on the voyage to the island)for reasons not readily apparent to the reader, and she of course struggles to decide which one she wants to be with. While the reader also understands the novel is set in Victorian times, the constant bosom heaving is distracting and pops up at awkward times. For example, when one of the male leads is comforting Juliet with an embrace after they find an eviscerated murder victim, her thoughts do not lie with the awful situation but instead on how turned on she gets by the embrace. Yikes.
Thankfully interesting philosophical questions are brought up in the story - What makes a man? Should man play God, even if he can? - which kept me reading. Still disappointed this is a planned trilogy. I didn't feel there was hardly enough to flesh out this volume, let alone two more.

"The Storyteller" is Jodi Picoult's attempt to draw out the tropes of the Holocaust. Who is guilty? Can someone who perpetrated atrocity be forgiven?
This novel is typical Picoult in that she uses various POVs to navigate difficult subjects and questions which really have no 'right' answer. Generally I enjoy her style, but in this story she completely drowns the atually intriguing part of her tale. I wish Picoult would have spent much more time with Sage Singer, baker, granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and an accidental 'friend' to an ex-Nazi SS officer who wants her to forgive him for his 'sins' and help him die. Instead Picoult spends the majority of the book with Minka, Sage's grandmother, and her recounting of what happened to her during WWII. While this tale is heart rending and devestating, it merely felt like a regurgitation of every horror tale you've already heard. Of course Minka was involved with every historical aspect of the Nazi genocide machine (Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, death march). It felt contrived, and overly lengthy. I've read Eli Weisl's "Night," I don't need to have it retold from a woman's POV here. I wish Picoult would have instead focused her energy on the more unique aspects of her story - including the present day struggle Sage goes through when she learns her friend is in fact a monster. Worth a read if you are a WII newbie.

The first in a set of three 'prequels' to Clare's Mortal Instrument series. Set in Victorian London, Clockwork Angel introduces us to a new set of young characters who are striving to learn where they fit in a world full of mystical creatures, magic, and mayhem.

I had a bit of trouble settling in to the series, as it is very reminiscent of Mortal Instruments, but as I continued to read I ended up loving Clare's take on Victorian London. I also enjoyed the gothic romanticism in regards to the relationshp between the leads Tessa, a girl who is not sure of her exact heritage (she can shapeshift, but does not know if she is a Shadowhunter, a Warlock, or what exactly), Will, and Jem. I do enjoy a good period piece, and this one smacks of Steam Punk but does not get too bogged down into the picky details of how automatons work.

Even better than the first title in the series, Clockwork Prince picks up the story of Tessa, Will, and Jem, who we soon find out are in a rather twisted love triange (while also dealing with the main struggle in the book - finding the evil Magister who is trying to marry Tessa and take over the British Empire with an army of automatons). We finally find out why Will is so rude and horrid to everyone, and we also find out Jem (Will's battle buddy) is in love with Tessa and has no problems showing it. Also, we finally have a heroine who isn't willing to pine away for an unrequited love. Woo hoo!

Loving this series and time period. I wish this one was the movie coming out in the Fall.