Ahoy there me mateys. A girl in a dystopian society of the future with amnesia and a need to know her past. This is a book that reminds me of my introduction to this type of novel as a younger human: The Giver, a must have if you haven’t picked it up yet. Other more recent novels that have the same feel include Uglies books, and The Hunger Games Trilogy to name a few. These societies have a strange blend of technology and primitiveness. There are a lot of rules that favor conformity. The land outside the safe zones is damaged and dangerous and forbidden. A small minority controls. Survival at almost any cost, except at the expense of loved ones if possible. All three recent series contain strong female characters, which is wonderful, but should appeal to readers regardless of gender.

The difference between Arclight and the other books is that is that the spin on this type of tale actually surprised me. I just honestly can say that the philosophical and psychological questions were unexpected enough that I found myself happily pondering the various possibilities and histories with much interest when I was done. Now mind you, I stayed up all night to finish this book and at 3:00 in the morning still delved into such thoughts though my brain was demanding sleep. And I LOVE to sleep.

I cannot say this novel takes the top spot in my Dystopian novel reading. Some of the world’s internal logic seemed off when dealing with specifics of how the individuals versus the group mindset worked. However, it was worth missing sleep over. I loved the main character Marina. I loved the world the author created. The second novel came out February 2, 2016. I want it.

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Ahoy there me mateys! I don’t know about you, but I am always up for reading sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novels written by non-American writers. The problem? I can only read English translations because I am horrible at foreign languages. Cannot conjugate verbs to save me life. Sucks. So usually I only get to read Canadians, Australians, or British novels. Not that they make it over the great pond often but that’s a whole nother story.

So somewhere I learned about this novel written by a Finnish author who writes in both English and Finnish. And it sounded awesome and it has been on my radar for quite a while. So I finally got a copy of this novel and yes it was awesome.

The main character, Noria, is fantastic. The world does not have enough fresh water for its population and what it does have is strictly controlled by the military. Noria’s world is changing. Her father is in control of a spring the military does not control and they have come to Noria’s village. Noria is left to deal with the consequences.

How she deals with it is part of the beauty of the novel. Add in lyrical stirring language. Simply lovely. The plot is not fast paced but is thoughtful and well written. The friendship between Noria and her best friend Sanja is sweet and was a highlight for me. They have a subplot that was intriguing. The novel does end with a twist but one that makes the story more poignant. I loved every moment of reading it. The author apparently has a new novel coming out in May 2016. It is called the weaver. I will be reading a copy when I can.

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Ahoy there me mateys! So, I first heard about this author when I read his book love minus eighty, which you should read if you haven’t. This novel is the author’s first foray into young adult novels. This one is a sci-fi novel set in a time extremely similar to the present with a twist. The twist is that there are mysterious colored spheres that if used will enhance traits like singing ability or ability to sleep.

The novel was a quick read for me. I loved the two main sphere hunters, Sully and Hunter. Sully is a good chap who is caring, a good friend, and enterprising. Hunter is my favorite type of girl – badass yet with a softer side. Their relationship, while predictable, was sweet.

I loved the entire idea of the different spheres, their abilities, the sphere market, the colors, etc. That part of the story made me happy. And I loved about the first 2/3 of the plot. I have to admit that overall I did not love the rest. I certainly enjoyed some of it but the bad guy in the book and the overall resolution of the plot just didn’t do it for me. Unlike his others novels, this ending seemed rushed and too simple. I am not sure if it was just because it’s his first young adult novel or what. But this is certainly not my favorite novel of his. Liked it though. Definitely worth reading.

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