The End of Athens

The End of Athens by Anthony Karakai 

What Goodreads says about The End of Athens:

"In the year 2091, humans have lost the ability to dream. After decades of financial and social depression, dreams and aspirations have become a recessive gene—an impossibility of the modern mind. 

Greece is one of the worst social and economic disaster zones, and all hope of a better future has been lost. One young man, Nikos, discovers that he is not like everybody else—there is something different about him.

Believing that he may be going crazy, he soon discovers that he is the only person in Greece who has inherited the ability to dream. Time is running out as the government continues its tirade of corruption and suppression against the people, and Nikos must find a way to teach others how to dream so that once more society can free itself from the shackles of mental slavery."

The Cover:

Awesome! Really caught my eyes! An eye looking at you right from the center of the book, creepy in such a good way!

First Impression:

Awesome concept! Sounds like a great book! 

Once I really started to read this book I lost track of the story so many times. I would be very surprised if this book becomes a favorite to many teenagers, its quite flat and I honestly was quite bored numerous times. There is very little action and the plot did not jump out at me like so many of my favorite books. All of the information about dreams was very interesting, and kept my interest. 

Final Thoughts:

I was not a big fan of this book. Honestly I was so bored with it the first 3/4 that I wanted to quit numerous times. It was interesting enough for me to keep going but the plot just had me so lost. The characters were quite flat and boring as well, not ones I felt connected to in any way.

(I received this book for free in return for an honest review. Thank you!)

-xoxo

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

"What Goodreads says about Divergent by Veronica Roth:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

The Cover:

I found this cover to be exactly what this book needed. The symbol (which is a mystery to me) in flames invokes a sense of power and strength. The sky line underneath covered in clouds and an overall darkness gave me the feeling of despair. The title was also a mystery to me until I began to read the book, once I did I understood why it was called "Divergent".

First Thoughts:

YESSSSSSSS!

The second I started this book I knew I was going to love it... But lets start from the beginning. It took me a while to actually read this book. I didn't want to jump on the Divergent wagon like the rest of the population all in a haze from the Hunger Games phenomenon. I was not going to be a mindless Hunger Games addict running from book to book looking for the next best thing. Ohhhh how I was so stupid! I wish I would have read this book a long time ago because I actually prefer this book to Hunger Games.

My Dream Cast:

Who I picture as the perfect Divergent cast...

(Since the movie is already being filmed I choose the cast I believe works great, other are my own selection)

Tris, Four, Uriah, Christina, Eric and Caleb

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story line and plot as well s the romance that blossoms and the dystopian world created. I originally had my doubts about this book because so many people complained about the w"world building" but I never once felt like I was walking into this book blind, the world seemed very believable and easily pictured in my mind. Of course there are flaws in this book. I have never read a book where at one point I didn't realized... "Well that wasn't suppose to be there." The reason that this book deserves 5/5 stars is because I was entrapped, ensnared, and bound into this story. I could not put it down and can't wait for read the second book in this series...

xoxo-

Creator Class

Creator Class

By K.M. Breakey

What Goodreads says about Creator Class:

"Decades have elapsed since The Creators inflicted their vision on the planet. The population menace is tamed, resources are plentiful, and climate concerns abate. A sustainable world order has been achieved.

But the rigid restrictions of P-Class torment Shawn Lowe. Movements are tracked, conversations scrutinized, conformity enforced. It’s wrong. The Laws of Earthism are wrong. When a treasonous outburst cements Shawn’s fate, an unexpected communication from Creator Class sparks changes he could never have imagined.

A new life. A new family. Boundless opportunity. Destiny, it seems, has been rewritten. But an evil nemesis emerges, and a lust for vengeance points Shawn down a treacherous path. 

Creator Class is the first book in The Creator Class Series."

Cover:

I'm not a big fan of this cover... It kind of bores me. Where is the spark, something that catches my eyes. It is to generic and in my eyes doesn't do the book justice.

First Thought:

Yesss! Another YA dystopia series for me to get into. The world is divided into classes, people are in the dark, and The Creators have complete control of the lowly P- Class who know literally nothing.. Sounds interesting. Ignorance is bliss after all right?

The characters are believable and easy to relate to. Nana is awesome. I have always liked the older character who pushes the limits and knows what's right and wrong. She is the visionary and so important to the story. Without her Shawn would not have been questioning his life and their world. Shawn is the rebellious teen who takes what Nana says and learns from her. He is willing to question authority, but he never truly realizes what it will cost him until it is much to late. I have to admit I am not fond of Pedro(detest would be a great word here), but his character is wonderful and exactly what this story needed. The other characters are well thought out and play out their parts quite nicely.

I was kind of bored and found myself skimming at times during the first half of the book, which is a big no-no for me. I lost interest  as the story hit about 40% done. I kept reading though and was very glad I did. The story line picked up and the action began at about 45%. Let's just say wow, didn't see that one coming! The way I like it. I was shocked, sad, happy and surprised numerous times. Once the story started rolling it was extremely difficult to put my Kindle down!

I must also mention that I was able to pick up on some similarities that this story has with our society today. I am not going to be specific here, but there were parts of this book that had me questioning the world we live in today and actually thinking about the possibilities of our future. Kind of scary to think about. 

Final Thought:

I fell hard for this book after the 50% of the way finished. Once I got to this point I realized how important the first half was though (Minus the skiing conversations over and over again). This story made me truly think. It had me questioning where the society we live in today is going, where it may end up in 50 years and if I like that place or not. Great book all around!

(I received this book for free in return for an honest review. Thank you!)

xoxo-

What's Next??

So here are a few books I have on hold at the library, some of these may jump in front of the ones I already have at home to read, but I'm really excited to read a few of these!!!

Under the Never Sky

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

What Goodreads had to say about Under the Never Sky:

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers."

Cover:

Beautiful cover! I love the strong beauty in the center. She looks so bold and I can already tell she is the heroin of the story. The coloring and boldness of the cover really draws me in.

First Thoughts:

Wow. I think I'm in love!

This book instantly drew me in. I was a bit confused at first because the book starts with this scene in which these unknown people are in this unknown world. All I knew was that they were in a dystopian world and something bad was going to happen. I loved that the book took a little bit to unravel, it kept me turning the pages.

Okay so there were so many twists and turns in this story that it made my head spin in such a wonderful way. I loved that this new technologically advanced world was just outside this barren, almost primitive land. The mixing of these two worlds created something completely new.

My Dream Cast:

Aria, Perry, Roar, and Cinder

 

 

Final Thoughts:

The love story was perfect in my opinion. I love stories where the love needs to simmer before it becomes evident. I also love when the characters dislike each other at first.

Also I am in love with Peregrine!!

I can't wait to read the next in this wonderful series!!!

xoxo

Wither

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

What Goodreads said about Wither:
"By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?"

Cover:
Simply beautiful! The wild hair, the dress the down turned gaze means so much in this book. Great cover art!

First Thoughts:

Okay! the concept is great! A virus kills all the youngsters at a a ripe old age of 20 or 25. Love it! This dystopian world is perfectly plotted out, it really is, but the whole story is so...awkward. It's so hard to believe that this is accepted, or maintained. The girls are sold like cattle, their masters are rich tycoons and no one seems to care that a very young girl just gets pregnant! Oh and lets not forget that polygamy is common and excepted. How far did the world have to fall for all of these things to just become "Normal"? Really the whole plot of this book eludes my imagination. I just can not picture this. Are there no women out there that will stand up for themselves? Not a single one? I'm sorry but I don't think I would just lay down and take this kind of treatment...Does love not mater in the least? 

On another note the characters were great! I really did love them!

My Dream Cast:

Rhine Ellery, Gabriel, Linden Ashby, Jenna, Cecily and Rose

 

 

Final Thoughts:

This book was... odd. I enjoyed it, but the whole concept was so demoralizing to women. No one fought for themselves, women were treated like sheep and men ruled the world. Not a place I prefer to live in. I like the story line it really did hold my attention, and the characters were amazingly created, but not my favorite book to say the least.

xoxo-