Cress : @marissa_meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3) | BookTalk w/ @sslluvsbooks

Rating: 67%

Series: Lunar Chronicles #3

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction,

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: February 4, 2014

Page Count: 550 

Format: Audiobook

Source: Overdrive via Library

Goodreads ~ The Book Depository ~ Amazon ~ B & N

Synopsis : In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for the events that have taken place in the series previous novels - Cinder and Scarlet. On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" refers to a thorough review including a clearly marked spoiler free and spoiler filled section.

Background & Backstory?

In my August 2015 Reading Wrap-Up, I expressed my distress having to do with the Lunar Chronicles. Besides Queen of Shadows, Winter is a many people's most anticipated release for 2015. I marathoned Cinder and Scarlet back in Summer 2013 and I actually purchased Cress upon its release last year. The first two books in the series never impressed me, both earning a 3.5/5 stars and I consider it pretty average. Everyone insists Cress changes everything in terms of reader's opinions but despite the hype from the bookish community, I never got around to reading it. Until last month when I started feeling left out because everyone wants to read Winter.

What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?

I can see why everybody said Cress changes everything. Why isn't Winter here!?

Even though I had expectations for this novel, I don't think those are what hindered my enjoyment of Cress, and I'm sad to say this but my opinion of the series overall didn't change with the addition.

Something I didn't expect to enjoy was the third person point of view throughout the story. Often, I wish for first so as to get a more intense glimpse into their minds - I don't sound like an evil mastermind at all. However, there are simply too many characters to accomplish a 1st person POV and so many places to be simultaneously. I enjoyed seeing the opposing forces and the tension knowing I was powerless as a reader to do anything for them. Plus it was extremely funny to see confusion from two different characters on the same matter - you know what I'm talking about with that android escort body *winks*.

I suppose the largest factor established in Cress that we hadn't seen previously was the huge scope of the universe. I've got to admit at times it was difficult to distinguish Cress's voice from little Cress or even Iko. She seemed so justifiably innocent and naive. Of course the fact that the audiobook's narrator's intonations weren't that different for the two characters impacted that. It was interesting to see her discover the Earthen world as we see it as "the future," but from the perspective of someone not Earthen but not Lunar either. 

***Spoiler Alert***

Scarlet Benoit had obviously been tested before but I personally recognized her strength as a character throughout the Lunar interrogations and torture sessions as she was used as no more than a play thing. 

I finally know what everyone was talking about when they fangirled over Captain Carswell Thorn. I couldn't help but see him from Cress' admiring perspective even if he annoyed me to no end when I was reading Scarlet, and that admiration was multiple further when he protested against Cress' attempts in finding some shred of goodness in him. Plus, when he gave her a kiss to remember on the roof of the palace... that was just icing on the cake.  

Emperor Kaito has always been a favorite of mine and his stale mate situation tugged at my feels - especially because of the serious Heir of Fire vibes, if you catch my drift. It's obvious that all he wants is peace and good for the commonwealth but in many ways he's stronger than his father because of his desire to stay true to his values. Even though a huge issue I had was not being invested enough in the characters, I HAD to fangirl when he finally kissed Cinder and it seemed that they were united against Levana for the good of the universe.

I couldn't help but feel frustrated most of the time with Cinder because of the serious middle-of-the-series syndrome she was suffering from in terms of character development. It's clear she's ready to undertake the responsibility as queen but at the same time, she has understandable albeit aggravating doubts about her own moral compass as her lunar powers increase.

Our glimpse of Princess Winter is brief when she asks for Scarlet as a plaything but it's enough to know that she is seriously off her rocker. Obviously Winter is the final retelling of Snow White but I always assumed she would be sane. Whether it's merely because of living her entire life on Luna or being the daughter of someone as power hungry as Levana, she is clearly not. I am extremely intrigued to see where her arc goes.

Despite severely disliking Dr. Erland I understood him and was heartbroken at the scene where Cress learned he was her father and the one after that where he was tortured by Levana and died. He played a crucial role throughout the series and I'm a bit nervous to see how the characters will cope without him.

How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?

75% | With everything said, I begrudgingly have to admit I will probably read Winter because the last chapter of Cress was too enticing not to continue with the series.

Conclusion: Even though my thoughts on the series as a whole are still extremely mixed, Cress was hands down the best addition to the series and set up the series for a hopefully stunning arc to be completed in Winter.

{BookTalk Response} Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2): Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 8/10
Series: Shatter Me #8
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction,
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 5, 2014
Page Count: 461
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

Goodreads Synopsis: tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Disclaimer: In this review, there will be spoilers for both Shatter Me and Unravel Me. I am also trying out a new-ish review format where I respond to things said in a BookTalk done by Christine @ polandbananasBOOKS. If you don't know, a BookTalk (commonly posted on BookTube) is a spoiler-filled review in a style that feels more like the YouTuber is having a Talk about a Book, rather than meticulously critiquing aspects of the story. It's almost as if the YouTuber was just sitting down for coffee with their friends (us viewers) and discuss the book. In my response to Christine's BookTalk, I will agree/disagree with Christine, answer her questions, and basically ramble on whatever comes to mind in response to what she says. The reason I'm trying out this new format is because I want to know what other people think, and it is just so awesome having other people (such as BookTubers) discuss books and spark conversations.

Backstory: I thought I finished Shatter Me fast. *claps hands slowly for self* Boy, was I wrong. While reading Unravel Me, I broke ALL TIME reading records (because people totally record those) in terms of pace. Let me walk you through it: I borrow the book from the library around 2:30 in the afternoon. I run a few errands, talk to the folks, etcetera until 4:30 which is when I start the book. In an hour and a half, I fly through 150 pages of the book. This would mean that I was averaging around 35 seconds for each page. Even though I would normally consider myself a fast reader, I am never THAT fast. After a run (which went great), dinner (with fries that were waaay too salty), and chores, I picked the book up again at 10:15 and finished it by 12:15. In TWO FREAKING HOURS, I read over 300 pages. Don't ask me how I did it, and I know I will never do it again (except maybe for Ignite Me), I don't have a clue as to how I absorbed everything that went on in the story. All I know is that my brain had this rabid, feral hunger to read the book.... so I read.

0:35 ~ XTINE: I definitely enjoyed [Unravel Me] more than Shatter Me.
 

Sofia: I have to be honest, I was kind of on the fence after I had just finished Unravel Me, as to which novel was better. Twenty-four hours later, however, I agree with Xtine that Unravel Me me was better, but the reason I was so on the fence was because there were definitely some aspects *cough* Juliette's whining/moaning *cough* that made me dislike the book.

0:55 ~ XTINE: You have to read Destroy Me, which is the novella, which comes in between Unravel Me and Shatter Me. 

Sofia: Guess who failed at that? *points thumbs at self* This girl! I wanted to read Destroy Me, I really did. I wanted to get inside Warner's psychotic head, and try to understand him more. (Remember, he's ANDEN on steroids). But when I went to the library yesterday, I wasn't even sure if they had Unravel Me, but when I found at that they did (and it was checked in) I borrowed it and immediately read it. Going back, I really would have liked to read Destroy Me, because of the way Xtine describes it, and everything that had gone on -like character development. Tonight, I may actually buckle down and buy it, with that hefty $2.99 price, even though I had wanted to purchase the bind-up of Destroy Me and Fracture Me.

1:42 ~ Xtine: We open back with Juliette being frustrating again.

Sofia: Frustrating? Frustrating is an understatement. Juliette is a whining, moaning and groaning b*tch for so long in Unravel Me and the levels of self pity that go on during a majority of the book make me want to slap her so she can return to reality. Thankfully, Kenji does that for me. Thanks Kenji! I owe you big time.

2:12 ~ Xtine: It's really frustrating to see a character with so much potential to be strong, act so helpless, and weak, and irritating. It's so frustrating, when in the beginning of the second book, one person in the couple will be hiding something from the other, and the other person is just like, "Oh, I'll ask later." 

Sofia: Get your freaking act together Juliette. You're in a world where you could be killed any moment just because you are who you are. Aint nobody got time for you dragging your feet. As Xtine so eloquently states, "Hold him down until he tells me."

3:04 ~ Xtine: She purposefully made these names unshippable.

Sofia: Heck to the yeah! When I have an OTP I want a ship name so I don't have to spend the extra time saying both their names. Yet both Juliette and Adam AND Juliette and Warner have names that CANNOT be shipped. Do you know how frustrating that was?

3:26 ~ Xtine: He's been hardened into this creature by his father. 

Sofia: Pumps fist! While Xtine goes off on a tangent comparing Warner to Sebastian and Jace from the TMI series, it gives me a chance to go off on my tangent with the parallels with Anden from the Legend Trilogy. Anden isn't a hardened creature, but he has been taught to hold back all emotion (as politicians have to do), and I just love how both June and Juliette have to break down walls in order to find out who the real person is.

4:56 ~ Xtine: Juliette is weaker with Adam. 

Sofia: Xtine goes off on a long spiel, better than I can, on how Juliette is when she is with Adam. Now, I never liked him in the first place. For some reason, I didn't trust him, and he seemed too "pretty boy" to me. When he flips out because of multiple people, on multiple occasions, he becomes his possessive jerk that I want to punch in the face. I never liked the two of them together, and they are SOOO bad together on so many levels.

5:00-6:00 ~ Xtine: [She basically talks about how Juliette and Warner challenge each other, and make each other better people when they are together]

Sofia: Hell yes! I love the two of them together. They're basically a dynamic comedic duo. They play off of, and buffer off of each other, being better when they're together versus when they're apart. They play to each other's strengths and weaknesses, and create one heck of a show for us.

6:15 ~ Xtine: Do we think Adam will learn to control his abilities and they will get back together in the final book.

Sofia: If Adam does, I will throw a hissy fit. The whole reason he is out of control (besides it being an interesting factor in the plot), is so that Juliette can end up with Warner. I don't ask for much in this world, but Tahereh, "PLEEEEASE don't make that d****e learn to control his abilities."

7:30 ~ Xtine: Anderson is a really attractive psychopath. 

Sofia: I'm beginning to question my taste in men, but I oddly liked Anderson. I don't know how to describe it, but I almost respect and admire Anderson for what he's done and created in such a short time. The way he seems so calm, cool, collected, and in control of the situation even when everyone else is running around, saying things have gone to hell. He's a villain that I adore to hate, he's also, as Tahereh describes, quite attractive in the 45 year-old-man kind of way, sort of like George Clooney.

7:56 ~ Xtine: Adam comes in and says, "That's my dad."

Sofia: I have to admit, I was a bad girl, I read to the synopses of the books ahead while I was in the middle of Shatter Me. *holds up hands to shield face* I had to add them to my Goodreads TBR. In the process, I already knew that Adam and Warner were half brothers, so I didn't drop the book and gasp, wondering what my life had come to. In fact, I was surprised at how understated Mafi made the scene. I expected some mystery, some intense process showdown of a scene where we find out that they are half brothers. In no way am I saying that the scene was bad, it is actually quite shocking and abrupt for someone who didn't know. Yet, for me, as someone who did know the spoiler, it seemed so blatant, and the information was just lain on the table all at once.

8:43 ~ Xtine: Both [Anderson's] kids have abilities.

Sofia: I wanna know *rocks on balls of feet* Just like Xtine, I wanna know if Anderson has some subtle ability that had helped him take over. There has to be something -like reading other people's minds- that help him, or maybe he has some way to detect emotion like Warner. Whatever it is, I NEED to know what other secrets that attractive man is hiding.

9:10 ~ Xtine: Murderer on my lap!

Sofia: LOL

9:40 ~ Xtine: Warner's real name is Aaron.

Sofia: I have NO idea what I expected. What I did expect was something more. Warner is such a strong, bold character, and for his name to be Aaron? What the heck! Aaron Warner doesn't quite flow in my mind - I think it's the two "n's." Aaron Anderson also sounds like he is a goody two shoes, so I don't know what to think.

11:06 ~ Xtine: She says the wrong name. He's spilling his soul and the one girl who he opens up to, calls him the wrong name.

Sofia: I didn't understand what the heck went on with Juliette in this scene. Tahereh might have just inserted it to make us all go batsh*t crazy, but seriously. Why call him Adam? It's not like Juliette thought Warner was Adam, or mistook him for Adam. Why did she have to screw everything up like she always does? 

12:21 ~ Xtine: I want her to run away with Warner

Sofia: Yes! Yes! Yes! Life would be so much easier, if the two of them ditched everything, and ran away together to live happily ever after. If they can just forget about the war, Anderson, Adam, and everything else. Now that, would be a good ending to their trilogy!

12:40 ~ Xtine: I don't want the whole focus to be on war. That's not what's interesting in this story - it's really these messed up characters and how they interact. 

Sofia: Xtine is so right. I don't actually find that much appeal, at least in Unravel Me, in the whole war and government aspect. That is not what I'm coming back to read, I'm coming back for the astounding characters and their interactions. Tahereh Mafi has spent two books, and two novellas, creating and developing these characters. I don't want to say that this book is a romance novel. I really don't want to say that, but it's the relationships between Juliette, Adam, and Warner that truly drive the plot make it a good story. 

13:08 ~ Now Juliette is strong and she knows how to use her abilities

The number one thing that people have said, and it's actually gotten annoying, is that Juliette develops as a character. I for one, haven't seen that much of her growth and development, but she sure as heck is better than she was the beginning of the book, and I can't wait to see who she and what she does as the new Juliette in Ignite Me. 

Quotes 10/10: 

“On the darkest days you have to search for a spot of brightness, on the coldest days you have to seek out a spot of warmth; on the bleakest days you have to keep your eyes onward and upward and on the saddest days you have to leave them open to let them cry. To then let them dry. To give them a chance to wash out the pain in order to see fresh and clear once again.”

I could spend all day talking about Tahereh Mafi's writing style. There are certain passages, such as the one above, that sound like poetry, beautiful threads woven into an even more glorious tapestry.  Despite Juliette's whiny and overal b*tchiness, the kinds of quotes above and below are the ones that I was read ing Unravel Me for. 

"Do you like Shakespeare?" he asks me.

An odd segue.

I shake my head. "All I know about him is that he stole him name and spelled it wrong." 

When Warner and Juliette have some alone time together in Warner's prison cell, and I nearly laughed out loud when they started talking about William Shakespeare and how he stole Juliette's name and spelled it incorrectly. The literary reference was just priceless, and hilarious especially in the situation they were in

Random Comment: The whole [insert verb here] Me thing: SHATTER. DESTROY. UNRAVEL. FRACTURE. IGNITE. 

I think the only reason this was an issue for me was because I was conscious of the the [insert verb] Me thing that went on with all five works. At times, especially in Shatter Me, it felt like Tahereh was inserting as many "Shatter Me...." and in this book's case "Unravel Me...." sentences/phrases as possible to a point that it was overkill. This was just minor pet peeve that bothered me during both Shatter Me, and Unravel Me, and absolutely did not distract from my enjoyment of the book. 

Continuation 100%: Ignite Me is already on hold my library, and I think I may burst, because it isn't due back until around the 30th. I have the two novellas to satisfy me, but I need a satisfying conclusion, and closure on these characters. I have also heard from everyone, that it is the best book in the series because of how much Juliette has changed and developed into a kickass character. 

Conclusion: Unravel Me is a strong sequel with complex characters, an intense love triangle, and a heart stopping plot. 

{Blog Tour+Giveaway+Review} The Silver Sickle: Ellie Ann

Rating: 6/10
Series: None
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Stonehouse Ink
Publication Date: July 2013
Page Count: 289
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Format: eBook

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N

Synopsis: The end of humanity will come through the Silver Sickle . . .

Farissa lives every moment with reckless abandon, for it may be her last. Any day now, the alien goddesses will harvest her and take her to the mysterious Silver Sickle, never to return. She’s accepted that. What she can’t accept is this new idea of freedom Zel has planted in her head. She’d give almost anything to be with Zel, but how can she run from her destiny if it means putting the whole kingdom in danger?

Everyone in the desert kingdom believes the goddesses are immortal, but Zel has invented a way to kill them. Now all he has to do is convince Farissa to run away with him and plant a seed of hope in her heart that she’s not destined to die. Little does he know that one seed of hope could change the course of the future.

About the Author: Goodreads ~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Ellie Ann is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of science fiction, comics, and thrillers.

I was born in the jungles of Thailand, was raised in a small farming village in Iowa, lived in the middle of a Texan desert, and now abide in the Ozarks.
I like writing fairy tales, tall tales, thrillers, science fiction, and am seriously interested in transmedia storytelling.

I’m a creative editor for Stonehouse Ink. I’m a producer of interactive books at Noble Beast.

Come say hi! I don’t bite. Unless I’ve been turned into a zombie.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. 

While I was quite confused in the beginning of The Silver Sickle, I am so glad that I stuck with the book because of it's unique Sci-Fi feel, multiple points of view, and all the unique beings present in the novel. 

Sci-Fi Feel: when people ask me what my favorite genre to read is, I usually respond Science Fiction - because I know it's an umbrella term for Post-Apocalyptic stories and Dystopian novels. Yet, now when I think ant it, there are so few genuine Science Fiction novels I have read. The Silver Sickle is one of them, and it makes me want to read more like it. The best part about it, is that there was a unique premise and plot. I cannot tell you how many times I have come across a novel -that I will label as "Sci-fi"- and then wanted to slap the characters silly because of their cliche lines and actions, as well as the plot because it was like "Been there. Done that" *Hair Flip* The Silver Sickle was so refreshing because I haven't ever read anything like it. Sure, there have been aliens and a protagonist wanting to get away from them, but I simply adored the way Ellie Ann put her own spin into it. 

Multiple Points of View: I had so many issues with this in the beginning. Usually I enjoy them because of the inside looks I get into characters heads, but with so many to keep track of.... it can definitely get confusing. I tend to feel like my connections with them aren't very strong, and I don't get to see them progress and grow. I felt all of these emotions until about 25% because, by then, I had gone through several "cycles" so to speak of each character narrating the story. And when I finished The Silver Sickle, I loved the way it was told, and couldn't have imagined it any other way. 

Unique Beings: This is an aspect that only comes into play with those science fiction novels I was talking ant. The weird, wonderful, crazy, and insane are all in this book. The Cogsmen were so unique - beings that's brains were made from synthetic DNA. They're supposed to be emotionless machines, which kind of reminds me of the movie iRobot. But then they go all A-Wall and start rebelling, and acting totally unlike hat their purpose was for. The aliens were also an interesting aspect of the novel, being around 7 feet tall, with long appendages, antennae, and more. On that note, did I mention the insanely cool sickles that enhanced the battle sequences?

I'm not going to go into detail about the other elements I enjoyed, but I would like potential readers to know that the Silver Sickle is unlike anything else I have ever read with spectacular worldbuilding, with an odd steampunk feel thrown into the mix, and the best part of all was the ending. Without spoiling anything, I wid like to point out how refreshing it was. For once, it didn't feel like there needed to be a sequel. I was of course, like to dive further into this rich world Ellie Ann had created (maybe with a spinoff novel) but everything was wrapped into a lovely package. 

{ARC Review} The Here and Now: Ann Brashares

Rating: 3/10

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Time Travel, Science Fiction,

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: April 8, 2014

Page Count: 288

Format: eARC

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Nobles ~ The Book Depository

Goodreads Synopsis: An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. 

From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley which does not in the slightest effect my honest review of the book.

*My reviews, while they normally do not have spoilers, there are always exceptions when I NEED to get my feelings out about a book in a way that I don't have to feel like censoring them. Normally, I would compose separate posts, spoiler and non-spoiler versions, but in this case, I will just establish when there are spoilers*

*If this is your first time visiting Loving the Language of Literacy, I would like you to know that I don't actually sound like this (hashtags & sarcasm) usually in reviews but this book is unusual for me*

Before You Read: This book got a lot of bad pre-publication press, as in I was seeing review after review on my Bloglovin feed about it. Let's say I read 10 reviews of the book, eight of ten of those reviews were negative, at a 2.5 star rating or less. 

There was also one overall complaint on every single one of the reviews, even the positive ones: the mention of sex. There is a rule of the time travelers that states that time travelers cannot be 'intimate' with people that did not travel with them for fear of spreading the epidemic, because even though the time travelers themselves were immune, it was not certain if the people they might make out with had that immunity as well. So, the second Ethan and Prenna admit their feelings for each other, Prenna tells Ethan that they can't have sex.  

I, personally, did not have a problem with the whole "I just kissed you, but I need to establish that we can't have sex now." thing, but what I did have was numerous issues with the book itself in all aspects of the book. I am also aware that The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is an extremely well-regarded series, and is what established Brashare's merit as an author. I do think the numerous negative reviews I read of this novel impacted my opinion and low rating, but at the same time, if I had picked this book up knowing NOTHING about it, I would have still had complaints about it. 

My biggest complaint of all was that it seemed like a carbon copy of a book I read for a blog tour in February which was Unite by Jamie Campbell which I highly suggest you check out in order to understand my frustrations with The Here and Now, if not that, then at least to read the synopsis of it so you can recognize the parallels as well. 

While THAN has humans that time traveled to escape a pandemic, and UNITE has aliens from another planet that have come to this one in order to save the population, the idea of it is the same. 

DON'T REVEAL WHERE YOU'RE FROM

I hate to say it, but neither is very original. Time traveling to now may be creative, but the wide spread epidemic people had to escape from was not. Aliens trying to save the human race sounds very I Am Number Four. 

Another aspect that the two books have in common is KIDNAPPING (I feel like that word should be flashing in neon colors, what about you?). While it was Amery's best friend Lola in UNITE and Prenna herself in THAN, the girls still had to be saved by their boyfriends/best friend's boyfriend and the best friend. 

YOUR GOVERNMENT WAS LYING TO YOU

This is a pretty universal theme in dystopian novels, and it appears in both of them. 

***Spoiler Alert***

Another similarity with another book, which wasn't annoying, just a little confusing, and a "Why was that needed?" kind of factor was with the weird time traveling guy that serves as a HUGE plot twist for the story. In When You Reach Me it was Sal's older self that protected current Marcus and Miranda. In THAN, it was the very first time traveler that killed the #evil_scientist. I never understood why the older Sal was needed in WYRM and I don't understand now why having the killer as THE FIRST time traveler made such a huge difference in THAN.  
***End Spoiler Alert***

Characters: #It's_Honesty_Time The characters were such a deal breaker for me. Prenna and Ethan felt so unreal, and not even in the supernatural being unreal way, but the "Are people that boring?" kind of way. I hate to sound so uncompassionate, but they probably could have been kidnapped and murdered by Prenna's fellow time natives and I would have routed for the people killing them. My feelings towards the characters were a lot like my feelings towards America Singer, Prince Maxon, and Aspen from the Selection Trilogy. (I'm bringing up every review I've ever wrote practically in this one) When I was reading The Elite, I brought up Prince Maxon's dictator father was the saving grace of the story, and was also similar to Uther from the BBC show, Merlin. The actual point of all this sidetracking is to say that I didn't care about the main characters at all because they seemed like plot devices, and the villains of The Here and Now seemed more realistic.

***Spoiler Alert***
Ending: Do I even remember the ending at this point? Now I remember.....Prenna and Ethan blackmailed the authorities in the community of time travelers. Good overcame evil. The virus hopefully won't spread now. Oh my gosh, everything is right with the world now. It was completely expected, and didn't leave a window for a sequel.
***End Spoiler Alert***

Conclusion: I was extremely disappointed with The Here and Now because of its cliche plot, stone-like characters, Oh-so-evil government, and overused ending. 

{Blog Tour+Giveaway+Excerpt} Plus One: Elizabeth Fama

Genre: Young Adult, Science  Fiction, Romance, Thriller,
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)
Page Count: 373

Goodreads ~ The Book Despository ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Nobles 

Synopsis: Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.

Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece—a day dweller, or Ray—she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.

Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.

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About the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr

Elizabeth Fama is the author of Plus One (FSG, 2014), Monstrous Beauty (FSG, 2012), a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection and Odyssey Award honor winner, and Overboard (Cricket Books, 2002), an ALA Best Books for Young Adults. She is represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, Inc.

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Excerpt:

Stardust

One night when I was still a freshman I came to class and there was a new drawing on the desk: an exquisitely rendered human heart. It was not the kind of heart that little kids draw and cut out to make valentines, with two plump cheeks at the top and a pointy V at the bottom. It was an anatomically perfect sketch, tipped slightly as real hearts are, showing the aorta, the pulmonary artery and veins, and the vena cava—although I wouldn’t have remembered the location of any of those if they hadn’t been carefully labeled. My desk partner had drawn the heart as if it had been sliced almost all the way in two by a sharp knife, which was no small feat since the drawing was three-dimensional and looked like real muscle tissue. Below it was a poem. But it wasn’t one I would have ridiculed, or forced Poppu to dissect to expose its pretentiousness. It was raw, an open wound, and it brought tears to my eyes.

I am empty

I am released from a ship

In space

I am unmoored

Vast nothingness

Aching for what was lost

Wanting what will never be

And suddenly

The after-moment of now versus then

The paradigm shift

The world in too sharp relief

The past and future overlap

In front of my eyes

Death and life

Love and its mysterious absence

A knowledge

I am not a player

I am a spectator

I read it again and again until I had it by heart. I heard nothing my teacher said the entire period, not a word. I had no com-fort to offer my friend, even though it’s what I most wanted to do, and in that way I felt an impotence that matched the tone of the poem itself.

A worry forced its way into my mind. Was it a girl he was talking about? Wasn’t that a broken heart he had drawn? Had he fallen in love with someone? Wanting what was lost. Love and its mysterious absence.

I felt socked in the chest, and I didn’t know why. He was the equivalent of a pen pal, after all; a confidant at most. Nothing had changed: if our paths crossed in the hall I still wouldn’t recognize him. If he saw me, I would seem a stranger. He wouldn’t wrap his arms around me, his beloved friend.

The bell rang, and every other student got up to leave, scraping chairs, laughing, stuffing books in backpacks, drop-ping papers. My time to help him was up, and I felt a rising panic that I would fail him.

I was no poet, I had no right to even try. But I hastily added these four lines, and I left the room without allowing myself to reconsider.

Powerless

But for the stardust

Unknowing

I trail through her heart