A Colloquy on Books

Mary has always been taught to believe in a few simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows the best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. You must always be aware of the fence that separates  you from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But soon she learns some secrets of the Sisterhood, ones that show their true nature. Some secrets about the Guardians. And when the fence is breached Mary's whole world is thrown into chaos. Mary has to choose between her village and the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her pas and her present, the people she loves and the people who love her. I was surprised by my enthusiasm when I was done reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth . I am not a huge fan of zombies and the zombie apocalypse. But for some weird reason I actually enjoyed the story of Mary's life and her struggle. I didn't enjoy it in a sick and sadistic way. I just liked the way Carrie Ryan portrayed the "future" in The Forest of Hands...

A story of girl who is running away from her past but ends up running away from people that have developed a taste for human flesh. 4 stars. Ashes Brighid's Quest is the story of Brighid, a centaur, and her journey in harnessing her newfound powers. 4 stars. Brighid's Quest Note: If you would like a detailed review of any of these books, please comment and I will get it posted as soon as possible.

Josh and his sister are visiting the Isles of Wonder when a terrorist group biologically attacks the world, killing all of the adults. Josh and his sister are stranded on the island of the Isles of Wonder with other children who were visiting or live there. They come together to help each other but when accusations are aspersed small groups form. The islanders are on the brink of a war that will determine the future of the islanders. Will Josh and his sister come out safe and sound or will they lose their lives in this war? When I read the blurb for Neptune's Children , my first thought was: Gone  by Michael Grant. The basic idea of both novels is the same, all the adults disappear, the children are left to fend for themselves, cliques form etc. I thought that I would like it considering it was like Gone . But I didn't like it. I didn't like it very much because it was very predictable. You always knew who was going to cause problems. Another reason I didn't ...

Unwind  is the story of Connor, a boy who has been sent to be unwound because he gets into too many fights; Risa a ward of the state who doesn't make the cut and is sent to be unwound; and Lev a tithe. Lev is being sent to be unwound because his family believes they should give 10% of everything to God. Lev is their 10th child and therefore the 10% that needs to be given to God. Connor uses Lev as a human shield to escape while Risa uses the commotion caused by Connor and Lev to escape as well. The three form and iffy alliance to escaped the unwinding process. Will they avoid capture with support from each other or will they be unwound? The first time I heard about Unwind  I was skeptical. People taking kids apart to use their "parts?" I didn't think it would be a very interesting book in terms of how interesting the plot would be. I was definitely surprised at how it sucked me in. My favorite and least favorite thing about the book was how short the chapters ...

The Maze of Bones  is the story of Amy and Dan Cahill. After the death of their beloved grandmother Amy and Dan find out that they are members of one the most powerful families in the world. In her will Grace Cahill, Amy and Dan's grandmother, issues a select number of Cahills a challenge: take one million dollars and leave or join the hunt for the 39 clues which will make you the most powerful person in the world. Amy and Dan decide to join the hunt for the clues. Will they be successful in finding the clues or will their competitors beat them to it? I recently started reading the 39 clues series. I really regret not reading it when I was younger because I would have loved it. I really liked the way Amy and Dan were so normal yet abnormal. I also liked the mystery that shrouded the whole book. You thought you knew what was going on and then BOOM! Another piece of information was revealed and it changes your mind on everything. I would give The Maze of B...

Code Name Verity  is a story about a British spy who has been captured. She tell us her story through the story of her friend Maddie. The spy openly admits that she is a coward and that her death is two weeks away. She gives away sets of wireless codes to delay her death. Does she somehow escape or does she meet Death like an old friend? Code Name Verity  is a book that I normally wouldn't read on my own. I read it for a competition.. The thing about it is that Code Name Verity  totally surprised me. I thought it would be one of those boring historical books but no it was actually very interesting. It was very mysterious which made me want to keep reading. I liked it very much. One of my friends had already read it and she didn't like it. Since I have very similar tastes in books as she does, I was a bit apprehensive when I started reading it. But it totally sucked me in. I would give it 5 stars just because of the amazing plot and sudden twists and turns that shock...

Defiance is the story of Rachel, the daughter of Baalbodem’s most skilled tracker. Jared, Rachel’s father has been on a mission for three months. On the last day of the three months Jared is declared dead by the leader of the city, the Commander. Rachel is assigned a new Protector, Logan. Logan is Jared’s apprentice and also the boy who was loved by Rachel two years ago. Rachel believes that her father is still alive. She formulates a plan with the help of Logan to go out of the city and and search for her father. Will she find her father or will she uncover something far bigger? My first impression of Defiance was, “This book is dystopian.” But as I got into it a bit more I realized it was fantasy. With a title like Defiance it sounds like a dystopian novel. But it wasn’t meant to be. The book was good but I expected a bit more on the Cursed One. I would have liked a better explanation of the Cursed One. The only thing I got from it was that it was a dragon-like creature th...