Elizabeth Miles is very good at writing YA lit. She obviously remembers what it felt like to be in high school, have a special best friend with whom sElizabeth Miles is very good at writing YA lit. She obviously remembers what it felt like to be in high school, have a special best friend with whom she shares nearly aspect of her life, and she has a good handle on all the insecurities that go with being that age. This forms the basis for Fury . The story centers on two people: Emily, who is attracted to her best friend's boyfriend and from whom she feels a similar reaction; and Chase who becomes involved with a mysterious girl with two equally mysterious cousins. While Emily and Chase do know each other from school, they don't hang out with the same people and don't expect their lives will become entangled.
Chase is going through an unsettled time in his life, so he is vulnerable to the charm and beauty of a mysterious girl who shows up unexpectedly in his life and from the start turns his life upside down. Emily, meanwhile, becomes more and more attracted to a boy she knows is off limits to her, but when he starts indicating he returns her feelings, she can't help herself from spending more and more time with him. Both Emily and Chase both betray people close to them, and throughout the story they begin to find out what that betrayal will cost them. For each of them it is a dear price to pay, but there is no way out of what they've each done. As the book suggests, "sometimes sorry isn't enough".
Fury is the first book in a Trilogy that explores the price to be paid when revenge is the motivation, and those who pass judgment are unwilling to reconsider the decision to right the wrongs they believe have been committed.elizabeth Miles writes with the skills necessary to keep the reader wondering what will happen next, and she includes some twists that take this story to unexpected places.
Although this book is categorized as YA Lit, I enjoyed it very much and want to read the next book in the series to find out what happens from the chain of events started in Fury.
I don't hate many books, but without a doubt I loathed everything about this one. I like to enjoy my reading experiences even though they may seem sloI don't hate many books, but without a doubt I loathed everything about this one. I like to enjoy my reading experiences even though they may seem slow or dull to others, or my thing just isn't their thing. But THIS monstrosity failed the able-to-read test on every one of my levels. A synopsis of the story has already been given, so there's no need for me to expound further on meaningless details of plot or writing ability. A reading group to which I belong is reading this book as a selection for August. I won't be participating even though it might be kind of fun to verbally destroy this book. That, however won't help any of the poor souls who did agree to read and join in conversation with the group. This author came highly recommended to me. I have no idea why since I never found either the plot nor the writing noteworthy. I think this was supposed to be the kind of book I'd receive some kind of symbolic message from. I didn't. I threw it out when I finished it just like I would any other piece of useless garbage....more
I read this book at Pulseit.com. When Rosie's first love dumps her in favor of someone else, she feels humiliated, betrayed, and furious. What she doesI read this book at Pulseit.com. When Rosie's first love dumps her in favor of someone else, she feels humiliated, betrayed, and furious. What she does in retaliation gets her into some serious trouble when the former boyfriend accuses her of stalking him and gets a Temporary Restraining Order against her. To remove Rosie from this volatile situation, her parents agree to allow Rosie to take a cross-country road trip with her friend Matty and two of his friends. She will return just in time to attend her court date at which time a judge will decide if the TRO will be made permanent and what, if any, Rosie's punishment under the law will be. Rosie isn't happy with being banished from her home in New Jersey for part of her summer, but she doesn't have much say in the matter. What begins as a trip Rosie knows she's going to hate turns into an eye opening experience as Rosie finally takes the time to evaluate her behavior and decide what she's going to do about her situation. In the beginning, Rosie is a typical teenager -- irresponsible, selfish, and far too impulsive for her own good. As the trip progresses, Rosie begins to see matters in a whole new light. It is both interesting and fun to watch Rosie become more self-aware as she opens herself up to new experiences and new people. I thought at times this book read more like a travel log than a YA novel, but overall it was a good read with interesting characters, good writing, and good plot development. This may be labeled as YA Lit, but I think women of all ages would enjoy this story of a teenager who reminds us what it was like dealing with confusing and heartfelt emotions. ...more
This one is definitely a keeper. When Lissa's story begins, it's puzzling. Why is she having such pain? How is she getting such awful bruises? Why canThis one is definitely a keeper. When Lissa's story begins, it's puzzling. Why is she having such pain? How is she getting such awful bruises? Why can't doctors give her a definitive diagnosis? As the story progresses and the facts of Lissa's condition reveal themselves, it becomes more and more difficult to stop reading this very intriguing story. I didn't think I was a fan of sci-fi lit, but "Linked" keeps the advanced future technology easy to understand as well as plausible. What impressed me most was the writing. Howson has a knack for giving her readers some pretty hairy white-knuckle moments while the story progresses at a good pace. There was never a dull moment, and I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future....more
I was given a free copy of Casting Shadows Everywhere by LTVargas in return for which I agreed to do a review.
CSE is Jake's story. He is 15 years old,I was given a free copy of Casting Shadows Everywhere by LTVargas in return for which I agreed to do a review.
CSE is Jake's story. He is 15 years old, and, for me, he is a mash-up between Holden Caufield and Lenny from Of Mice and Men. When Jake decides to keep a written journal, we become aware of all his thoughts which become influenced by his cousin, Nick.
Nick has a somewhat twisted notion of life. Kind of an, "is that all there is" spin, and no matter what the subject or issue, for Nick it's just a load of crap. Jake begins his journal by telling us, "killing someone is a lot harder than you'd imagine." He got to reach that conclusion from his association with Nick. When Jake is in trouble because he won't stand up for himself during some bullying from his classmates, Nick is there coaching him on how to rise above life's problems and be the one in control.
Jake is fixated on pondering the meaning of life and how it all fits together. In his black and white world, if he can just get a handle on how and why everything works the way it does, he can then move on to the next big thing. He analyzes everything from how the right and left sides of the brain process information so differently to why McDonald's has successful marketing campaigns. But in the end, he only manages to see that nothing really matters because it's all a load of crap. I loved L T Vargas' descriptions of Jake's thought processes. By the time he finishes one of his explanations for how he arrives at the conclusions he reaches, I'm almost convinced that he does present a certain amount of logic to his arguments. This is what reminded me of Holden Caufield. Both these boys could reduce any subject to its simplest components and almost convince me they saw the subject rationally.
Rationality left Jake when he began what Nick thought of as Jake's training sessions. Nick believes all Jake needs is a little coaching in how life really is, and Nick is the perfect mentor for him. This is where the story really takes off. There is an underlying sense of dread each time Nick wants to meet with Jake to further his lessons.
L T Vargas has very good insight into what a teenaged boy thinks about by really getting into his head with nothing held back. That is not a place I'd want to visit often. But just about the time I thought Jake was lost forever in the twisted mind set of Nick's tutelage, something would bring him back to rational thinking again. Throughout this book it's as though a constant battle is being waged for ownership of Jake's soul. It isn't until the very end with some unique twists and turns along the way before we discover what kind of life Jake will choose for himself, and whether or not it really does all boil down to a load of crap.
It would be interesting to revisit Jake in ten years or so just to see how he feels then about what he said and did when he was fifteen years old. I don't know if L T Vargas has such a sequel in mind, but in the meantime, I hope more books from this talented author are forthcoming. I'll be among the first in line to read whatever follows this book....more
I'm starting to read more YA lit just because there's so much of it available now. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and this was one I choI'm starting to read more YA lit just because there's so much of it available now. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and this was one I chose to measure the fuss. I'm glad I chose it because it was much much better than I anticipated. I used to think YA lit was dumbed down; I was wrong. At least I was wrong as that notion applies to this book. I really enjoyed it. The author has great insight into the thoughts and feelings of adolescent girls, and I really liked that she gave Maggie the sense to learn lessons from what happened to her. Of course there's a moral dilemma here since what Maggie does is horrific, but the reasons she does what she does are almost admirable. It's hard to judge Maggie, which I think is what the author had in mind. The book has a satisfactory ending, but I can't help but wish there were a sequel for Maggie. Does she continue to manage what she has come to realize is something that may always be with her in some form or another, and can she continue to battle the evil in favor of the good even if that's a little questionable. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a good read with some thought provoking issues....more
I don't normally read either YA or dystopian novels, but I do plan to read more of these genres in the future. That is thanks to books like Unwind. I I don't normally read either YA or dystopian novels, but I do plan to read more of these genres in the future. That is thanks to books like Unwind. I used to think all books in this category involved otherworldly strange places usually with some kind of language all their own and creatures rather than people. I'm finding that's not at all the case with the current trend in these genres. What impressed me most about Unwind was the imagination that went into creating a place where such an idea as this one could have any credibility. In this world, abortion has been eliminated. Instead when a child is between the ages of 13 and 18, parents can decide to give the child over to a state sponsored process allowing the child to be dismantled for body parts. One child may be the donor to many different people all of whom are considered to be more deserving of life than the one to be "unwound". This is a ghastly concept, but the author has created an environment in this book where everything works. There are the occasional contrived moments, but basically I thought the credibility factor was pretty high particularly since the author has quoted real and relevant news articles from this time period. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in a view of what the future of body transplants could be. It's very unsettling....more
I was a fan of the first book, the second installment not so much, and I thought the third book was simply a waste of my time. Too much hype, very shoI was a fan of the first book, the second installment not so much, and I thought the third book was simply a waste of my time. Too much hype, very short on delivery....more
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