Tag Archives: dystopian

Book Review: Legend, by Marie Lu

Posted on by
1

legend_coverLegend by Marie Lu is a young adult fiction novel about two fifteen year olds who inadvertently uncover military and government secrets in their dystopian society.

For me, there is nothing better than a book with a little bit of romance, a drop of mystery, and a whole lot of adventure. The author fulfills all of these expectations to the utmost and provides a great escape into a different world. With fantastic, realistic characters and a constant pace that keeps you on your toes, this book is filled with plot twists and unexpected revelations that ensure a reader’s enjoyment.

One thing that makes this book different from your average teen novel is the way Lu marvelously crafts the two main characters. Though they come from opposite sides of the “food chain,” they are not all that different when it comes down to wits and street smarts. In addition, this book is an excellent stepping stone between Young Adult and Adult books. This is due to the mature writing style of the author and the way it deals with government issues in a fictional society.

Legend is set in a city that used to be known as Los Angeles. It is now part of the Republic, one of the two warring nations in North America. This young adult dystopian novel is narrated by the two main characters June and Day. June was born into the upper class society and becomes the Republic’s prodigy after she receives a perfect score on her trial. Every twelve year old in the Republic is required to take this trial, a test that determines their future depending on their score. Children like June, who score high in their trials, are usually groomed for the military, one of the highest honors in the Republic. Day was raised on the other side of the tracks, in the poor sectors of the Republic, and scored poorly on his trial.  Now known as one of the most wanted criminals in the Republic, Day’s motives may be misunderstood.

Due to their social ranks, the two main characters are unlikely to ever meet. However, their paths cross when Day is accused of killing June’s brother, the only family she has left in the world. June, under the military’s guidance, promises that she’ll hunt him down and won’t stop until he is brought to justice. She goes undercover in the poor sectors of the Republic to find him. When she does, she uncovers a lot more about the government and her life than she ever would have imagined.

I highly recommend this book for teen through adult readers.

-Kaelyn L., 10th grade

Book Review: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Posted on by
6

hunger_games_coverWhen I had first heard of this book, I thought it was just another story about vampires which didn’t interest me at all. That was until one of my friends said it was worth reading and I figured that I might as well. The futuristic yet poverty-stricken country of North America for those past seventy-four years had me wondering if this could actually happen one day.

This suspenseful plot of thirteen districts defying the Capitol has led to yearly event of choosing one girl and boy from twelve of the districts to fight till the death in a themed arena. The last one standing will win and be greatly rewarded and honored for representing their district. To the people of the Capitol this is merely a television show, but to the rest of the people of Panem it is an unfortunate reality.

This year, Peeta and Katniss from district twelve are put in the arena and change the history of the Games forever. The Hunger Games is a thrilling story with something in it for everyone. There is action, violence, betrayal, but also romance, friendship and kindness. It is an easy read that you will not want to put down. This is definitely one of my favorite books and made for a great movie as well.  A perfect action-adventure novel for everyone.

-Lauren B., 12th grade

Book Review: Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Posted on by
2

divergent_coverDivergent by Veronica Roth is a great dystopian novel where a girl is a brave enough to go against her family and choose her own way. She portrays bravery, independence, and confidence.

This story is about a society with five factions: the Dauntless, daredevils and rebels; the Erudite, the knowledgeable group; the Amity, the peaceful people; the Candor, the honest people; and the Abnegation, the people who are selfless. The main character of the story is a girl named Beatrice. She starts off in the Abnegation with her brother but when she turns sixteen she must choose a certain faction. As she takes the test that would determine what faction she will go into, she fits into three of the factions– which is almost impossible so she is determined what is called Divergent.

In the ceremony to choose her faction, she chooses Dauntless and her brother chooses Erudite. She goes off to Dauntless and passes their very hard initiation. Through the initiation she experiences things she had never experienced in her life before. This would consist of death, betrayal, and danger.

This is a very good, interesting book and I encourage you to read it. I say this book would fit the age group of people from 13 and up. It is a great book and once you finish this first one, you won’t be able to keep yourself from picking up the next. If you’re looking for a good read, then this is your book.

-Melika R., 8th grade

Book Review: Legend, by Marie Lu

Posted on by
1

legend_coverAre you a Hunger Games or Divergent fan? Do you seek suspense and romance? If yes, Legend is just the book for you!

In this action-packed novel, the author takes you to a time when the Western Coast of the United States is now the Republic, and they are at war with their neighbors, the Colonies.

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year old June is a military prodigy. She is an intelligent, smart, quick-witted, and stealthy girl, scoring a 1500/1500 on the Trial that every ten-year old must face on his/her birthday. Passionate and committed to her country, she is groomed to be a success in her Republic’s highest circles.

Born into the slums of the Republic’s Lake Sector, fifteen-year old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. With his long, blonde hair, piercing blue-eyes, and striking features, Day is definitely the most handsome criminal ever heard of. But his criminal-like motives may not be as malicious as they seem…

One day, June’s brother, Metias, is murdered, and instantly, Day is the prime suspect. From two very different worlds, one never would have thought their paths would cross. But now, caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June struggles to take vengeance on her brother’s death.

But will June and Day come to discover the biggest secret that their country has gone to sinister lengths to cover? In this exhilarating novel, the reader will come to find that the truth itself can save and also kill.

My P.O.V: Legend is an incredible story of two lives coming together, but for a terrible reason. I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games and Divergent series, and Legend definitely fits in with these types of novels, due to their similarity in dystopian society and a sudden romance. This book is definitely recommended for kids ages 12+ due to the mature language and violence. I totally recommend this book to any of you thrill-seekers, adventure-lovers, and of course, you hopeless romantics! 😉

-Michaela B., 12th grade

Book Review: The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

Posted on by
3

maze_runner_coverThe Maze Runner is a dystopian science fiction novel by James Dashner.

The setting of the book is an actual navigable maze and a group of boys live together in the middle of it. These boys are called Gladers and they have learnt how to work with each other to survive in midst of it. A new boy arrives on the same day of every month through the Box.

One day a boy named Thomas comes, and nobody is alarmed– but after he arrives, many uncanny things start to happen. The next day a girl, who was in a coma, arrives. The two weird things about that were: first, she was a girl and second, the next kid to arrive was supposed to come a month later than Thomas. The next odd event was that the supplies that came weekly stopped coming. People starting suspecting that Thomas was somehow responsible, and he had no clue on how it all happened. The Doors normally closed every night, around the boys’ enclosure to protect them from Grievers, a nocturnal horrible creatures that lived in maze, but after Thomas’s arrival the doors stopped closing at night. After that, Thomas was determined to find a way out of there.

Read the rest of the book to find out if they make it out or not. I enjoyed reading the book and the characters were very interesting. The setting was a bit unusual, but it turned out to be a fine book. The ending was not that good as I was expecting. The action in the beginning of the book was excellent, but sort of fell towards the end.  Otherwise, it was a great book. The Maze Runner perfect for middle and high school students. If you read The Maze Runner and enjoyed it, be sure to look for the next book in the series, The Scorch Trials.

-Anmol K., 6th grade

Book Review: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

Posted on by
3

shatter_me_coverI had mixed feelings about this dystopian novel about a girl with a deadly touch. Incarcerated for her terrible power, the government of her futuristic society wants to use her as a weapon– but she has other plans. I loved the writing, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the direction that the plot went in. The romantic relationship was too overbearing and the protagonist, Juliette, experienced little to no character development.

My least favorite thing about this book was the love triangle. When I began reading the book, I was excited to read a book about a girl who couldn’t touch anyone, but as I continued reading, I realized that the story was truly about a strange, domineering relationship. Every time that Juliette and her love interest, Adam, are together, they are either kissing or touching. As the romance becomes the center of the novel, the internal dilemma that Juliette faces (coming to terms with her past) and the external pressure she encounters (deciding if she will help the government) becomes the subplot.

One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was Tahereh’s writing. Although it was slightly exaggerated at certain points, there were definitely passages that stuck out.  Mafi is an incredible writer with an immense amount of talent. The novel reads like poetry, it is lyrical and rhythmic, and though I enjoyed the repetition, the use of strikethroughs were a little distracting and some of the metaphors used were farfetched. I would’ve preferred it if Mafi wrote in a more conventional style for this novel and saved her skills for future projects.

Overall, this book wasn’t the right book for me. Instead of being the action-packed dystopian novel I anticipated, the plot increasingly focused on the romance between Juliette and Adam. If that’s what your looking for, then this book just may be the book for you.

Favorite quote:

I spent my life folded between the pages of books.

In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters.  I lived and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association.  My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, thoughts and images all together.  I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction. (p. 70)

-Mariah W., 11th grade

Book Review: Pulse, by Patrick Carman

Posted on by
Reply

pulse_coverBy the year 2051, nearly the entire US population is divided among two primary territories: the Eastern State and the Western State. The world is in panic about global warming, and scientists are desperately searching for ways to save mankind.

Those who don’t live within the State’s protective walls live upon the debris and ruins of our former country. These small, aligned communities are strictly governed by the States, who despite their formal requests, refuse to supply them with anything more than food and clothing. However, the States do distribute Tablets to the outsiders, which soon become the core of their survival. Everything: school, entertainment, shopping, communicating — even drugs — are all experienced on these Tablets, which are very similar to the electronic tablets we have today, only slightly more advanced.

The resisters of society are strongly encouraged to move to the States, for it increases their population and strengthens their power, two things considered to be necessary in overcoming the hardships of the current. Many resisters feel compelled to make the switch, but are hesitant with the knowledge that once you step foot inside the States’ boundaries, there’s no going back.

Among the resisters is a girl named Faith Daniels. At the beginning of the story, she attends a high school whose number of students is rapidly dwindling, and lives a repetitive, tedious life. She, too, sees it as inevitable, but refuses to give in, knowing that moving to the States would require her to surrender her freedom and trade it for sanctuary, something she was unwilling to do. This I admire her for: not sacrificing her freedom, even though it seemed like the easy way out.

When Faith’s classmate, Dylan Gilmore, reveals that she has a “pulse” — a telekinetic ability in which she can move objects using her mind — everything gets a lot more complicated. Together, Dylan (who also possesses the pulse) must track down a group of evil, telekinesis masterminds who turn inanimate objects into deadly weapons in their greedy search for influence, prosperity, and utmost power. Someone must stop them from corrupting the world’s leaders, and ruining the slim chance of survival they have managed to obtain. Dylan and Faith set out to do just that, and must unleash the full power of their newfound talents in order to do so, meanwhile discovering things about themselves — and each other — that will change them forever.

One unique aspect of this novel was the point of view chosen by the author. It was written from third person omniscient, meaning that the reader can tell what every character is thinking at any given point in the story. I feel that the author took a big risk by doing this, however the results are positive for the most part. Another important part of this story was its philosophical and complex world building, which plays a large role in the unraveling and revelation of the plot. This book is the first in a trilogy of the same name, and I am looking forward to seeing how the saga concludes.

When this book was released, there was an abundance of negative and offensive reviews. But honestly, I loved this book and was able to connect with the characters fairly well. Although Faith is consistently volatile and rash throughout the story, she is also brave and stands up for what she believes is right. I stumbled across this book randomly, but I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories of dystopian societies and/or supernatural abilities.

-Danielle K., 7th grade

Light Reading: Two Short and Sweet Book Reviews

Posted on by
2

little_blog_prairie_coverDo you love Laura Ingalls Wilder? Think it would be fun to live life out on the prairie? Well, think again.

In Little Blog on the Prairie, by Cathleen Davitt Bell, Gen is furious when she finds out that her mom has signed her up for a summer long family camp where they all get to pretend that its the year 1890. Sounding fun yet? To add to the delights of raising chickens, using an outhouse, and fighting with your
little brother, this prairie has a Nellie Oleson style mean girl.

When Gen sneaks her phone in and texts her friends, they think that this little life on
the prairie would make a great blog. But when things blow up big-time, Gen has to admit that the prairie has actually grown on her a lot, and she can’t bear to leave.

This is an excellent book full of twists, turns, inevitable drama, and a boy with a leather necklace. Try Little Blog on the Prairie for some LOL entertainment.

selection_coverThe Selection, by Kiera Cass, a dystopian book about a princess competition is… hard to rate. I can’t honestly say that I loved it, but this book definitely had some very interesting parts.

America Singer (cool name, huh?) is chosen to be in the selection: thirty-five girls all competing to catch the eye of Prince Maxon, the awkward, naïve, and kind of sweet future ruler of Illea. Even though America still can’t get over her ex-boyfriend who dumped her right before she got involved in the competition, and there are some pretty catty competitors to fight off, fiery America won’t go down without a fight.

I think The Selection is pretty good piece of dystopian lit, even if it may not hold a candle to The Giver. It definitely falls into the category of chick lit, though… sorry, guys!

-Becka O., 8th grade

Book Review: Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Posted on by
5

divergent_coverAbsent from reality and consumed by the pages, Divergent introduces you to a dystopian world, where society is separated into five Factions. The five Factions are: Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), and lastly, Dauntless (the brave). One on special day of the year, all 16-year olds must choose which faction they will devote the rest of their lives to.

Beatrice Prior, our main character, has grown up in the Abnegation faction. Yet, as the time arrives for her to choose her faction, which she must dedicate her life to, she is torn over her what her final decision may be. Most importantly, Beatrice fears the outcome if she chooses to stay or abandon her faction and how her family will react to her decision. From this point in the novel, the rest is left for the reader to find out.

Book reviewers such as BookPage and Publishers Weekly state “You’ll be up all night with Divergent…” and call it “A memorable, unpredictable journey…” I agree to no end that Divergent is a brilliant novel about making choices that will transform you, defining your beliefs, and determining who your loyalties are. Of course, like any good novel, a secretive romance reveals itself throughout the novel, creating an appeal for the readers who seek a thrill novel along with their hidden passion for some, ah… amour.

Blatantly speaking, Divergent has overthrown The Hunger Games due to its twists, unpredictability, and especially the way the characters are brought out. Props to Veronica Roth for writing an incredible novel, captivating the hearts and minds of all Divergent readers!

-Michaela B., 11th grade

Book Review: Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Posted on by
7

divergent_coverIn a world that has been destroyed by the human nature of greed, ignorance, and cowardice, a new society has emerged. In dystopian Chicago, society is split into five factions that each uphold and live by a single value. The Abnegation are the selfless, the Erudite are the intelligent, the Candor are the honest, the Amity are the peaceful, and the Dauntless faction are the brave. At the age of sixteen, every person is given an aptitude test, which determines the faction that he or she is most suited for. The next day, at the Choosing Ceremony, each person must decide which faction they will reside in for the rest of their lives, under the saying, “Faction Before Blood.”

Born into an Abnegation family, Beatrice “Tris” Prior has lived her life striving to act selfless like her parents. Her aptitude is considered to be inconclusive, because her results show that she displays dominant traits in three factions instead of one: Erudite, Abnegation, and Dauntless. This condition is called Divergent and it is revealed to be extremely dangerous. On Choosing Day, Beatrice follows her heart and abandons her family by choosing Dauntless. With only ten spots available and many more initiates, Beatrice must survive a ruthless initiation trial. Along the way, however, she has to cope with her life-threatening secret. Beatrice discovers what it truly means to be yourself, face your fears, and ultimately be Divergent.

Divergent, written by Veronica Roth is the first book in a trilogy. It was a great read, and I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the book. There are times when the author makes Beatrice look a little cold and selfish, and you can see why Abnegation didn’t suit her. But then the next minute, she is putting herself in danger and risking her life for someone else! As she fights for her life to stay in the competition for only ten initiates, I couldn’t help but sympathize and root for her. She learns a lot throughout the book, such as the real meaning of bravery, friendship, and just being yourself. In addition, the novel made me appreciate the world we live in now, unlike Beatrice’s strict society which is ruled by a totalitarian government.

I would rate Divergent a 9.5 out of 10. It’s just one of those novels which keep you in suspense and on-the-edge-of-your-seat constantly. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone over the age of twelve who loves action, a little romance, many twists to the plot, and lots of adventure. If anyone is wondering, the second book in the series, Insurgent, was published in 2012, and the last book will hopefully be out in the Fall of 2013. Divergent will surely have you craving for more, and I am eagerly anticipating the last book!

– Kaylie W., 8th grade