This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Title: This Monstrous Thing
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: September 22nd 2015
Source: eARC from Publisher (thanks HarperCollins!)

Summary from Goodreads:

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Review

Steam-punk, moody, gothic-ly picturesque. 

This Frankenstein re-telling captures the classic from its origin, This Monstrous Thing tells the story that inspired Mary Shelly to write her world famous Frankenstein.  The characters in this book parallel the lives of both the creator and the inspiration of the classic novel.  The setting was one of my favorite aspects; I loved all the steam-punk technology within a Gothic Europe.  I could visualize the dark blues and blacks, cloudy skies, and soot covered buildings.

The technology was a huge area of political unrest.  Alasdair is a Shadow Boy, he repairs humans with steam punk body parts.  Even though he is helping people, many townspeople believe that to do such a thing would be to go against God's will.  There is a moral debate that follows the plot as an under lying theme.  Adding a subtle but interesting facet to the story.

The character development was very well done, each character was well rounded with a multi-dimensional personality and moral compass.  My one reservation was the pacing of the plot.  The plot just seemed to fall flat for me, even though I enjoyed the characters, I did not feel a strong pull towards the actual story and action.  I was not jumping to finish it nor did it leave lasting emotions. This Monstrous Thing was engaging enough with some added danger and mystery to make it an enjoyable, middle of the road,  read!

In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

Title:In a Handful of Dust
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date:September 23rd 2014
Pages: Hardcover, 384 pages
Source: ARC, traded through YA Book Exchange

Summary from Goodreads:
The only thing bigger than the world is fear.

Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

In this companion to Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis thrillingly combines the heart-swelling hope of a journey, the challenges of establishing your own place in the world, and the gripping physical danger of nature in a futuristic frontier.

Review

WOW, McGinnis did not disappoint, I really enjoyed Not a Drop to Drink and was thrilled to hear she was writing a companion novel.  In a Handful of Dust brought all the intensity, fear, and strong characters from the first book and added a life threatening adventure.

Lucy and Lynn had to embark on a cross country trek to run from disease and to find a safer water source. The two strong willed and independent women headed to California on foot.  Just thinking about it is stressful; the two had all the water, food, and supplies they could carry,  I think one of my favorite aspects of the story is the strength of both Lynn and Lucy.  The character development for not only the two main characters but also the secondary characters was fantastic.  As reader I could feel the worry and stress that they faced while holding my breathe and rooting for their success.

Romance takes another back seat in this companion novel, even though there are hints of some romance it fades rather quickly.  The focus of the plot is the survival and overall journey to a better place.  Similar to Not a Drop to Drink, the entire premise of having no safe drinking water is a scary futuristic thought; In a Handful of Dust does not hide the dark depths individuals will go for survival.

The author is not afraid to take risks and make some hard/tough decisions.  While I cannot say that I was happy about all the choices made, I can respect and appreciate the unexpected plot points.  If you enjoyed the first book or are interested in reading a brutal story of survival, I highly recommend this book!

Renegade (MILA 2.0 #2) by Debra Driza

Title: Renegade
Series: MILA 2.0 #2
Author: Debra Driza
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Pages: 448
Source: ARC, ALA

Summary from Goodreads:
There is no one left for Mila to trust. Except for a boy she barely knows.

But Hunter has no idea who—and what—Mila really is. She can’t bear to reveal her secret, even though he’s unwittingly joined her search for Richard Grady, a man who may know more details of Mila’s complicated past.

Yet the road to the truth is more dangerous than ever. With General Holland and the Vita Obscura scouring the earth for her whereabouts, Mila must rely on her newfound android abilities to protect herself and Hunter from imminent harm. Still, embracing her identity as a machine leads her to question the state of her humanity—as well as Hunter’s real motives.Perfect for fans of I Am Number Four and Divergent, this action-packed and heart-wrenching second installment of MILA 2.0 will leave readers breathlessly awaiting the series conclusion.

Review

I really enjoyed Mila 2.0 because of the nonstop action and because of the internal struggle Mila had over finding out she was an android, neither of which are present in this latest installment. This sequel was a total snoozefest. And for a 448 page book, that is a lot of snooze. Talk about middle-book-syndrome. 

The first 300 pages are pretty much uneventful and full of annoying thoughts circulating around  Hunter. If you had a problem with the “relationship” in the first book, you will have a problem with it in this book. I can almost guarantee it. I never want to hear the name Hunter again. Do yourself a favor and start reading at page 305.

The last 133ish pages are where things pick up and why I gave this book two stars. The story from this point forward is more exciting and interesting and reminiscent of the first book. Not quite as good, yet still a vast improvement over the first 2/3 of this book. If only it came sooner.

But then the ending came and the cliffhanger almost undid all the progress that was made. It was SO STUPID. I am so disappointed. I am really not sure if I am going to read the final book because I don't see it being any better than this one. I will most likely wait for others to review it and make my decision then.

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Title: Dear Killer
Author: Katherine Ewell
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Pages: 368
Source: EW

Summary from Goodreads:
Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

Review

"Rule one. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
That is the most important guideline, and the hardest one for most people to understand - but I have understood it my entire life, from the moment I laid my hands on that first victim's neck to this very moment as I think about the blood under my fingernails and the body I have so recently left behind."

To be honest, this book kind of baffled me. I do not mind books in which the MC kills. In fact, I enjoy these kinds of books for their change of pace. But there is always some reason or situation that justifies the killing. Dear Killer is the first book I have read in which the MC kills by choice and likes it. This is the first book I read in which the MC is a moral nihilist.

There were some things I liked about this book and some things I could've done without.

Kit lives by a code. She doesn't pass judgement. She kills who the letters tell her to kill. Until recently. She gets too close to her latest victim and starts breaking her own rules, starts making mistakes. In some ways her mistakes were predictable, a little exasperating. But in other ways, her actions were unexpected, a little surprising. The ending surprised me.

The story itself kept my attention. I was really into the discussion on moral nihilism, that 'nothing is inherently wrong or inherently right, because morality is only a set of rules created by society and not based on any greater truth.' I like exploring beliefs different than my own. And since Kit thought this way her actions were a bit foreign to me. I wasn't always sure who, when or why she would kill. She kept me guessing. And I had fun with the story because of this.

But I didn't connect with the characters in the story quite as much as I would have liked. It was hard for me to connect with Kit because of how she thought and behaved. And I think my lack of connection with Kit kept me from really feeling Kit's connections to the other characters. I didn't really get her relationship with Alex or Maggie. The characters, the relationships, just felt a little bit off to me.

And I can't finish this review without admitting that, yes, a lot of what happens in this book is a little hard to believe. But I was able to look past it and enjoy the story for what it was.

Overall, Dear Killer is an unusual read. I encourage others to read if anything because it is so different.  It's not without flaws, so critical readers beware, but it is thought-provoking and interesting for sure. 

REVIEW: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant

Series: Divergent #3
Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: October 22, 2013

Pages: 526, Hardcover
Source: Library, Audiobook

Summary from Goodreads:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

I am struggling to put my thoughts into words so I am not going to break up my review like I have been. 

I started Allegiant with really low expectations. I was prepared to hate it. And when I didn't hate it, it knocked me off kilter. On the surface, I am not as disappointed in this book as I thought I would be. I did not get bored. I was always interested in what was to come. But if I were to be critical, this book has many flaws. It is not a great book, or a great series ender. But it's not terrible either. 

This book was no where near as action packed as Divergent, but was more so than Insurgent. And instead of filling the pages with Tris's relationship woes, Allegiant focuses more on the world 'beyond the fence' and introduces new players. I don't know if I buy all the answers/ explanations given for everything but it definitely kept my attention. 

I like the ending and I don't like the ending. But my reasons for like and dislike are probably opposite those of many readers. My main reason why I didn't like the ending was because it didn't actually end anything. The world is as it was. I don't feel like I have closure. I had a similar problem with Requiem. But the reason why everyone disliked the ending, I didn't mind at all. Call me crazy but it seemed rather fitting. 

I could care less about Tris and Four's relationship now that I think about it. Or, I hate to say it but, even Tris and Four as characters. Tris redeemed herself a little from the Insurgent debacle but Four dimmed significantly. His POV didn't help matters any. But their feelings for each other were so not convincing. 

Ultimately, Divergent was the shinning star in this series. It was a fantastic book but then kind of lost direction in Insurgent and now Allegiant. But Allegiant is definitely a better book than Insurgent and I think it still has some good to offer fans.