The Hunt

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
Gene is a human. A human in a world of terror. In a world full of vampires. For him, every moment is a chance to be discovered, to be killed. But then, he is given a once-in-a-lifetime chance, a chance to participate in the Hunt. During the hunt, the lucky vampires, selected by lottery, will be able to hunt down humans and feast on their flesh. Gene has been chosen. Amid growing suspicions about his identity, Gene finds a girl, a girl who harbors a closely guarded secret. Now, if Gene is to survive the Hunt, he must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Rating: 
There was this one moment in the book that just made me literally scream in joy and delight. Literally. I reread it over and over and each time, I just felt this surge of happiness wash over me. That's what I felt was one of the strongest features of this book: emotion. Terror, relief, anger, they were all portrayed so realistically, I could seriously feel them too. Otherwise, the plot and characters of this book were pretty good  although I didn't enjoy the ending (kind of cliff-hanger-y but without much suspense).

Overall: I still can't get over the emotion of the book. Almost enough to make up for the ending. Almost. But pretty good read anyways.

Mystic City

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Aria Rose, the daughter of a wealthy politician, lives a life of ease high up in the Aeries, a network of towering skyscrapers. That is, until she loses her memory from overdosing on an illegal drug. She wakes up one day and is told that for the past few months, she has been madly in love with a young man named Thomas Foster, who is the son of Aria's father's biggest rival. She has risked her life to spend time with Thomas and now, they are getting married. A happy ending except for one thing; why is it that Aria has absolutely no recollection of Thomas? In a quest to recover her memories, she meets a rebel named Hunter who introduces her to a new side of her city: the Depths. Known for being filthy and dangerous, the Depths are where the poor reside. As Aria journeys farther and farther into the Depths, she begins to discover hidden secrets and terrifying betrayals, leaving her with choices that could cost Aria her life.

Rating: 
While this book was fairly decent in terms of the actual writing (descriptiveness, etc.), I felt that it could use some more originality. Most of the story was incredibly cliche with the exception of the mystics and their powers. Otherwise, it was merely an average (maybe slightly above average) book about a utopian world where a girl discovers that not all is what it seems and also happens to fall in love with a guy.

Overall: Read it if you have nothing else, but if you're looking for something spectacular, this may be a bit disappointing.

Ender's Game

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the youngest of three highly intelligent children, is barely older than a toddler when he is sent to a special training ground for the International Fleet's future soldiers, known as Battle School. For in this futuristic world, the people of the Earth are at odds with an alien race known as the buggers. Ender has been selected as a possible commander in the war against these aliens. Everyday, he and his classmates learn skills that will help them in combat such as how to maneuver in zero-gravity and play "games" that are designed to help them think strategically in a fight. But although he must work together with the other children in order to succeed, Ender finds himself being purposefully isolated by the directors of the Battle School. Eventually Ender realizes that though the buggers must be defeated, he has another battle to fight. A battle against the adults that train kids to fight like soldiers. So he begins to commit small acts of rebellion, using his incredibly mature brain to develop ways of beating systems that weren't designed to be beaten. Far from angering the Battle School directors though, it instead gives them all the more reason to advance Ender early, sending him to Command School several years ahead of schedule. Now Ender is faced with decisions that may affect the entire human population and change the course of history. It's no longer a game.

Rating: 
This book was pretty AMAZING! There was none of that romance-type stuff you generally find in teen fantasy/sci-fi novels which was refreshing. The world that the author created was incredibly believable and rich in detail. All of the characters were awesome but my absolute favorite was Bean. The ending was also completely unexpected; after I finished the book, I just sat there for a couple minutes, just completely in shock. (Don't worry, it was the good kind of shock.)

Overall: This book is a must-read!! I also believe that there are some sequels...

Skinned

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Lia Kahn has just died in a car accident. She is alive though. But she is no longer Lia Kahn. She has been skinned. Welcome to the world of the future, where people who die can be "downloaded' into new bodies and become immortal. Lia, an car accident victim, has become a recipient of this new technology. But everything has it's drawbacks. She must relearn how to speak, how to walk, and she must learn how to survive in a world that is against her new "race", the mechs. For Lia is no longer the popular girl living an idyllic life of ease, and her problems do not end there. Skinned is a stunning tale about rebirth and self-discovery that tests the very limits of human nature.

Rating: 
This book was great in terms of description and world-creation but what really brought it down was the characters. I just don't feel as if they were believable; it was almost as if they were mediocre actors who didn't know much about the people they were supposed to be imitating. Also, the plot was sometimes a bit difficult to follow (although maybe that is because I read the second book before reading this one... oops) owing largely to the made-up terms that were used liberally throughout the book.

Overall: Eh... The book is decent but you may find yourself getting bored or exasperated at times.

The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
Imagine you have less than six days to save the world, rescue your half-brother, and retrieve a long-lost artifact. Fortunately, you have six other demigods on your team, ready to battle the forces of evil and to survive, or die with you. This is the situation Annabeth and the rest of the Argo II crew find themselves in. Riordan again weaves a masterful story filled with suspense, adventure and supernatural enemies. The demigods from two sides, Camp Half-Blood and the Roman camp must learn how to work together, despite starting off on the wrong foot due to Gaea's trickery. While the Romans and Greeks are preparing to battle, the seven must work together, journeying through the most dangerous waters in demigod history, battling ever more deadly monsters. They manage to combine forces despite their different aspirations and abilities, yet there is always catch. Will the demigods be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save their friends?

Rating: 
You can never really go wrong with Rick Riordan but I felt as if this book was missing just that little something, something that would make it exceptional rather than merely great. I believe that this is largely due to how all of the Percy Jackson books are remarkably similar and sometimes, the same thing gets stale after a while. Also, the humor was mostly intended for younger audiences.

Overall: I would recommend it but a bit less enthusiastically...

Virals

Virals by Kathy Reichs

Fourteen-year old Tori Brennan is the unofficial leader of a band of sci-philes who spend their time exploring a secluded island off of the coast of South Carolina.  They enjoy digging up bones, wading through marshes, and attempting to communicate with animals in their spare time.  When they are accidentally exposed to an experimental strain of parvovirus while rescuing a wolfdog from a top-secret lab, their lives change forever.  Now they have become Virals, with super-charged senses and inhuman physical abilities.  As they begin to discover their powers, they stumble upon a cold-case murder mystery that has suddenly become very hot.  Their new enemies are deadly but the band is now more then friends, they are a pack, they are Virals.

Rating: 
This book had mostly everything: action, suspense, murder, emotion, romance (well, maybe not so much of the last one). I believe though, that the characters were just a bit too "supernatural" and not just because they got wolf-powers. Tory, for example, can solve a cold-case murder in a couple days; keep in mind that this murder has baffled police and investigators for years. And she's never had any training except for "advice from her Aunt Tempe".

Overall: This book kept me past midnight as I needed to find out how it ended. It's kind of one of those books where the first time you read it, it's amazing and suspenseful and everything, but then, if you go back and reread, you begin to realize that it really is kind of unbelievable. 

Legend

Legend by Marie Lu
Day is a fifteen-year-old criminal wanted for charges of assault, theft, and hindering the war effort but he is not as malevolent as the Republic makes him seem.  June, also fifteen, is a a prodigy, the youngest student at the country's top university and is being trained for the military.  When June's brother Metias is murdered, Day becomes the prime suspect and June is out to get him.  In the vicious game of cat and mouse that follows, both Day and June discover that they are mere pawns of the government and with that, they realize the lengths their government will go to in order to protect it's secrets.

Rating: 
I don't know why I feel so prejudiced against this book. No idea. Everyone else loves it. I just feel as if there were too many inconsistencies. June and Day are both incredible geniuses but it takes them weeks to realize that they are supposed to be enemies. June's life is just too perfect; she is just too perfect and yet, at the same time, she is pretty stupid. Day has a really annoying way of talking and although he's apparently super awesome, he never really seems to do anything but sit around. Tess was brilliant though.

Overall: I know all the complaints above sound incredibly petty but I just didn't really enjoy reading this book. The first time was okay, the second time, not so much...

Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Seventeen-year old Ismae is a girl born with a curse.  She has been married off to a man who is now threatening to kill her.  Ismae manages to escape his brutality with the help of a local priest.  She is brought to the convent of St. Mortain where girls like her are trained in the arts of killing.  At the convent, she finds that Mortain himself has blessed her with powerful and dangerous gifts.  She trains along her fellow sisters, forming relationships and finally fitting in for the first time in her life.  Before long, she is sent on her first, and then second, mission.  On both, she performs admirably well, quickly and with the quiet, deadly force of a viper.  Now she must prove herself on her most challenging mission yet.  She is sent to the royal palace where she must deduce who is traitorous and who must be killed.  Yet, although she has been trained to avoid it, she becomes ensnared in the tangles of seduction and succumbs to the sting of betrayal.  For how can deliver vengeance on a man who has stolen her heart?

Rating: 
SO GOOD!! Ismae was so awesome and the story wasn't cliche at all. Even the romance part was completely original.