Category Archives: Dystopia

Zomburbia by Adam Gallardo
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Synopsis: My name is Courtney Hart, and I’m here to tell you about things that suck. Being born in a podunk town like Salem, Oregon, for one. Living in a world infested with zombies? That, too. And the meat heads I go to school with? I think I’d actually take the undead over them most days. But I have a plan to get out of here and move to New York. I just have to keep selling Vitamin Z along with your fries at The Bully Burger. The secret ingredient? Zombie brains.

I’ve noticed things are getting even worse lately, if that’s even possible. The zombies seem to be getting smarter and faster. If I can avoid being arrested, eaten by shufflers, or catching the eye of some stupid boy, I should be able to make it through finals week still breathing. . .

Review: Ah this book! I expected a lot of it. I love stories about zombies even if I do not read a lot of them and when I saw the book, I thought it was the opportunity to return to the genre. Then did you see this cover? I loved it immediately, it sets the mood of the book.

We find Courtney, a young girl who tries to live as best as she can in a world infested with zombies. She is not very popular in her school and sells Vitamin Z, a drug made ​​from zombie brains putting people in very different states. However it is also a very fast additive drug and Courtney knows it, however, she needs to do that to be able to pay for her education in New York that she expects to start the following year. It is in this context that she meets Brandon, a trendy boy who seems strangely attracted to her and determined to see her succumb to his charm. But Courtney must also take care of her friends, death and of course some of the strange behavior from the zombies.

As I said, I was excited to discover a new book about zombies but I think I expected too much. Several points have to be noted but I will first tell you about the things that I appreciated. Well of course there is the world and the zombies in fact. I found them interesting and it’s true that I was curious to understand their behavior. We can read the story quickly and the author’s style is very nice. In addition, the characters are all so different and intriguing to discover but I struggled to connect with them or even understand them. They act strangely and we really do not understand why. Courtney made ​​many pretty terrible things, but she doesn’t have any problems about that because everybody loves her too much for that. While she is implicated (although by far) on several dead, I felt that after a moment of sadness, she managed very quickly to leave it apart by accusing the others. But she does act like that quite often I have to say and she does not really take the right decisions. Speaking of the dead, I must say I was quite surprised. I understand that the author would like to kill two prominent figures of 4 but I found that there was too much inconsistency in this regard and this is reflected in the story as it becomes a little surreal for times.

To conclude I was a little disappointed by the story itself, and if a sequel comes out, I’m not sure I’ll read it. The ideas are good but I think some tracks and choices were not for me.

2

mellianefini

The Legacy by Melissa Delport
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Legacy Series, Book 1

Synopsis: One man obsessed with power. One woman prepared to sacrifice everything to stop him. One war that changed the world. “Eric Dane has segregated the wealth and resources that remain, giving a selected few the highest chance of survival and leaving the rest to starve!” World War 3 lasted twelve days and almost eradicates the human species. Growing up in post nuclear America, Rebecca Davis remained blissfully ignorant of the despotic leadership that had seized what was previously the most powerful nation in the world. When the truth is revealed and Rebecca discovers that everything she has been taught is a lie, she is determined to fight for the life that she has not been allowed to live. In order to do this, Rebecca has to cross the boundary fences and venture out of the safety of the New United States, into the barren wastelands. It is there she finds allies she never dreamed existed. In Rebecca, the Resistance has finally found the ultimate weapon. “You were given this life, Rebecca, because you alone are strong enough to live it.”

Tari’s review:

“The ordinary man doesn’t want to be free; he simply wants to be safe.”

The Legacy is sold as a Hunger Games book for adults, so as a Hunger Games fan, I just couldn’t miss it. I must say, I didn’t notice much similarities with The Hunger Games (apart from the fact that they both are dystopian novels), but I still think that this book contains the ingredients that will please older dystopia fans.

World War 3, a nuclear war, happened in 2016 and lasted only two days, but that was enough to destroy the world as we know it. On the ruins of the current United States, one man, Eric Dane, has built the New United States, circling ten states around Chicago with a fence to protect the survivors against the threats from outside (mainly the monsters created by the genetic mutations caused by nuclear radiations). Inside these borders, he has built a civilization even more advanced than the previous one. However, this man, known as the world’s savior, is a despot obsessed with power. So when Rebecca Davis finds out about the resistance movement, she’s determined to take an active part in it. And she will infiltrate the government at the highest place possible: she’ll become Eric Dane’s wife…

I really liked the world building and for once I didn’t think it was lacking – I am quite difficult when it comes to this and many dystopias disappoint me because of a hasted world building.The story starts when Rebecca has already married Eric Dane, but we regularly have flashbacks describing the war, the heroin’s childhood and how she became familiar with the Resistance. This caused the first half of the book to be quite slow paced but I didn’t think it was boring. I would have even liked to know more about the evolution of Rebecca’s involvement in the Resistance, the train of thoughts that led her to think she had to be the one to go on this extremely dangerous mission. I mean, she even had to leave her own son behind! This is definitely not a decision you make in a hurry. One last thing about the world building: I really liked everything related to genetic enhancements: operations that allowed soldiers to have better speed or strength, or to have the ability to heal themselves. I found this original and well used.

Overall I liked Rebecca but I still have some restraints when it comes to her character. I liked her bravery, her personality strength and her determination, but sometimes I couldn’t fully understand her. It may be due to what I was saying before, the lacking part in her journey with the Resistance. My favorite character was undoubtedly Reed McCoy. He’s Rebecca’s ally in the Resistance and he’s simply awesome. Entirely devoted to the cause and to protect Rebecca, he’s also funny and has a background story that won’t fail to move you.

The beginning is quite slow since everything has to be put into place, but the second part is breathtaking and action packed. There also are many fighting scenes between the Legion (the Resistance’s army) and Eric Dane’s soldiers, and since I am no big fan of such scenes, I must admit that at some point I ended up skimming through them, only acknowledging the main twists. Yet I’m certain whoever likes reading battles scenes will be delighted because they’re well written, you can easily picture every action.

Reaching the end, I was thinking that I maybe wouldn’t read the sequel since this book could as well be a standalone… and then came the ending. Well, one can say that Melissa Delport has a gift for cliffhangers! The ending is so confusing, I wasn’t expecting this at all and now all I want is to get my hands on book 2!

In short, The Legacy is a good dystopian novel. For once it’s nice to read a book of this genre that is not YA! The world building is solid and the ending leaves you craving for more. Book 2 is already available and there’s a high chance I’ll be reading it soon.

I recommend this book to you if: you like dystopia and you’re 16+ years old. Well, younger people can read it too but it’s not a teenage book and I think older readers will like it better. 4

Tari

 

Althea’s review: In 2019 a nuclear war destroyed a good portion of the world in less than 20 days. After that, in the ruins that used to be the United States of America, survivors tried with difficulty to get by and deal with the aftermaths and the never ending conflicts now running what was left of their civilization… until a rightful leader rose. Eric Dane reunited all of the “safe & healthy” in a reduced and fortified version of the USA, creating a secluded country with a brainwashed population. But a rebellion is brewing among the ones that were abandoned to fend for themselves outside the fences. And if Dane is trying to keep them at bay by creating an army of super soldiers, rebels also have an unsuspecting access behind his defenses. There is a spy infiltrated as close to Dane as you can get : the first lady, Rebecca Dane.

The main character, Rebecca, is a very compelling heroine. She is a strong and resilient woman who’ll stop for nothing to help the cause she believes in. If she has to sleep with the enemy and be the first in line to get killed if words get out, be it ! I liked her from the very start and even if she has some flaws it’s very easy to root for her. Her narrative voice is also very interesting and well exploited for most part.

Aside from Rebecca there are quite some secondary characters that I really enjoyed, such as Kwan and Morgan. Though my favorite was, without doubt, Reed whom I simply loved. Behind his cool and funny playboy exterior, I quickly saw a more sensitive side of him that moved me. If I have to make comparisons I would say that he reminded me a lot of Finnick from the Hunger Games on more than one aspect (and I mean it as a compliment since Finnick is one of my fave characters ever). In the end the only protagonist that left me uninterested was Aidan. I didn’t find him interesting in the least and he was definitively too tame for my liking. To be clear I even liked our main antagonist, Eric, better since his psychology was way more complex and deep.

About the story itself, I was quite convinced. The dystopian world is well organized and interestingly put into perspective. If I had to be picky I would only note two negative aspects in the whole book. The first one is that some parts seemed very shaky. The rhythm of the storyline is quite fast and fluid but the action parts were sometimes a bit too blurry. My second bad point is definitively the very end of the book that I found to be way too much. I liked most of the conclusions ending that first book, even though there weren’t any surprises, but the very last one didn’t convinced me at all. Of course it’s only two bad points in the whole book which doesn’t ruin the quality of it at all. At worst it’s what stopped me to give the book a five out of five.

To conclude The Legacy is a very good first book that create a solid base. The world is well built, the main character is badass, the secondary characters are amazing, and the rhythm enticing : exactly all we can hope for from this type of book. I’ll happily read what’s up next for Rebecca in the sequel : The Legion.

4Althea

http://altheainwonderland.blogspot.fr

The Legacy de Melissa Delport (VO)
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Legacy Series, Tome 1

Résumé (traduction personnelle – Tari) : Un homme obsédé par le pouvoir.

Une femme prête à tout pour l’arrêter.

Une guerre qui a changé le monde.

« Eric Dane a ségrégué les richesses et les ressources qui restent, donnant une chance de survie à une élite et laissant les autres mourir de faim ! »

La troisième guerre mondiale a duré douze jours et presque éradiqué l’espèce humaine. Tandis qu’elle grandissait dans l’Amérique post nucléaire, Rebecca Davis est restée ignorante du pouvoir despotique qui s’est emparé de ce qui fut jadis la nation la plus puissante du monde. Quand la vérité lui est révélée et que Rebecca découvre que tout ce qu’on lui a appris est un mensonge, elle est décidée à se battre pour la vie qu’elle n’a pas pu mener.

Pour y parvenir, Rebecca doit passer les frontières et s’aventurer en dehors de la sécurité des Nouveaux Etats-Unis, dans ces terres à l’abandon. C’est là qu’elle va trouver des alliés dont elle n’aurait jamais pu rêver.

En Rebecca, la Résistance a enfin trouvé son arme ultime.

« On t’a donné cette vie, Rebecca, parce que toi seule est suffisamment forte pour la vivre. »

Avis de Tari :

“The ordinary man doesn’t want to be free; he simply wants to be safe.” *

The Legacy est présenté comme une sorte de Hunger Games pour un public adulte, donc en tant que fan de Hunger Games, je ne pouvais évidemment pas passer à côté. Bon, je ne lui ai pas franchement trouvé de ressemblances avec Hunger Games (à part qu’il s’agit aussi d’une dystopie), mais je pense qu’effectivement ce roman présente les ingrédients nécessaires pour satisfaire les fans de dystopie les plus âgés.

La troisième guerre mondiale, une guerre nucléaire, a commencé en 2016 et duré seulement douze jours, mais ça a suffi pour détruire le monde tel que nous le connaissons. Sur les ruines des actuels Etats-Unis, un homme, Eric Dane, a construit les Nouveaux Etats-Unis, encerclant une dizaine d’Etats autour de Chicago, la nouvelle capitale, par une clôture pour protéger la population survivante de la menace extérieure (notamment les monstres qu’ont engendré les mutations génétiques dues aux radiations nucléaires). A l’intérieur de ces frontières, il a bâti une nouvelle civilisation encore plus avancée que la précédente. Mais Eric Dane, qui se présente comme le sauveur du monde, est en réalité un puissant dictateur obsédé par le pouvoir. Ainsi, lorsque Rebecca Davis découvre le mouvement de résistance, elle est décidée à y prendre activement part. Et pour cela, elle va infiltrer le gouvernement au plus près possible de son leader : elle va devenir l’épouse d’Eric Dane…

J’ai beaucoup aimé l’univers et pour une fois je l’ai trouvé bien construit – je suis assez difficile de ce côté-là et nombre de dystopies me déçoivent à cause d’un univers construit à la va-vite. Le roman commence alors que Rebecca a déjà épousé Eric Dane, mais nous avons régulièrement des flashbacks sur la guerre, l’enfance de l’héroïne et comment elle a découvert la Résistance. En conséquence la première moitié du livre est un peu lente, mais je ne l’ai pas trouvé ennuyeuse pour autant. J’aurais même aimé en savoir plus sur l’évolution de l’investissement de Rebecca dans la Résistance, comment elle en vient à penser qu’elle est celle qui doit s’engager dans une mission aussi dangereuse. Elle est obligée d’abandonner jusqu’à son propre enfant pour ça, ce n’est pas une décision qui se prend à la légère !

Une dernière chose sur l’univers : j’ai beaucoup aimé tout ce qui concernait les modifications génétiques : des opérations permettant aux soldats d’être plus rapides ou plus forts, ou d’avoir la capacité de se soigner eux-mêmes. J’ai trouvé ça original et bien exploité.

Rebecca m’a globalement plu mais j’ai tout de même quelques réserves concernant son personnage. J’ai aimé son courage, sa force de caractère et sa détermination, mais par moment je ne la comprenais pas. Je pense que c’est sans doute dû au fait qu’il m’a manqué un bout de son parcours dans la Résistance comme je l’explique plus haut.

Mon personnage préféré est sans aucun doute Reed McCoy. Il est l’un des alliés de Rebecca dans la Résistance, et il est tout simplement génial. Entièrement dévoué pour la cause qu’il soutient et pour protéger Rebecca, il est également drôle et il a aussi sa propre histoire qui ne manquera pas de vous toucher.

Le début est un peu lent puisqu’il faut tout mettre en place, mais la seconde moitié est vraiment rapide, il y a beaucoup d’action et de rebondissement. Il y a aussi beaucoup de scènes de batailles entre la Légion (l’armée montée par la Résistance) et les soldats d’Eric Dane, et comme je ne suis pas du tout fan de ce genre de scènes, je dois avouer que j’ai fini par les lire en diagonale. Mais je suis certaine que si vous aimez lire des scènes de combats, vous serez ravis car elles sont très bien écrites, on visualise facilement toutes les actions.

En arrivant vers la fin, j’étais en train de me dire que je ne lirai peut-être pas le tome deux puisque le tome 1 semblait pouvoir se suffire à lui-même… et c’est là qu’est arrivé l’épilogue. Eh bien, on peut dire que Melissa Delport est douée pour les cliffhangers ! Je suis désormais certaine que je lirai la suite, puisque cette fin est vraiment surprenante et soulève des questions dont je ne m’étais pas doutée auparavant.

En bref, The Legacy est un bon roman de dystopie, et c’est également plaisant de trouver un roman de ce genre qui ne soit pas un Young Adult. L’univers créé est solide et la fin donne vraiment envie de continuer, d’ailleurs le tome 2 est déjà sorti et je le lirai sans doute bientôt.

Je vous le recommande si : vous aimez les dystopies et vous avez 16 ans ou plus. Les plus jeunes peuvent le lire aussi, mais ce n’est pas un roman écrit pour les ados donc je pense qu’il trouvera mieux son public parmi les plus âgés.

—————————

*« L’homme ordinaire ne veut pas être libre ; il veut simplement être en sécurité. »

4

Tari

http://i-read-therefore-i-am.blogspot.fr/

Avis d’Althea : En 2019 une guerre nucléaire éclata et ravagea en moins de vingt jours une grande partie du monde. Sur les ruines des États-Unis les survivants tentent de résister aux effets secondaires de ces attaques et de surtout rester à l’abri de la barbarie qui se répend…. jusqu’à ce qu’un leader se dégage des ruines. Eric Dane réorganise le pays, rassemble les humains sains dans une version réduite et fortifiée des États-Unis, refermant alors cette nouvelle nation en endoctrinant ses habitants. Mais une rébellion existe et s’organise parmi ceux abandonnés hors des murs. Et si Dane tente de créer une armée de super-soldats afin d’asseoir son pouvoir, les rebelles ont un accès direct à tous ses secrets sans qu’il ne puisse le soupçonner. Parce qu’un espion est infiltré au plus près du pouvoir, au plus près de Dane. Une espionne qui n’est autre que la première dame, Rebecca Dane.

Le personnage principal, Rebecca, m’a beaucoup plu. C’est une héroïne forte et déterminée qui ne recule devant aucun sacrifice pour soutenir la cause en laquelle en croit. Et si elle doit laisser toute sa vie derrière elle et coucher avec l’ennemi pour protéger la rébellion, qu’il en soit ainsi ! C’est donc un personnage agréable à suivre et pour lequel il est très facile d’avoir beaucoup de sympathie. De plus sa voix narrative est intéressante, et bien construite la plupart du temps, ce qui apporte beaucoup au récit.

Au delà de notre héroïne il y a plusieurs personnages secondaires qui m’ont beaucoup plu, comme Kwan et Morgan. Ma préférence est néanmoins allée à Reed que j’ai tout bonnement adoré. Derrière ses apparences de playboy qui a toujours le mot pour rire j’ai tout de suite senti une côté plus sensible qui a su me toucher. D’ailleurs si je devais le comparer à un autre personnage, ce serait avec Finnick que je lui trouverais le plus de points communs (et la comparaison est un compliment puisque Finnick est un de mes personnages favoris). Au final le seul protagoniste qui m’a laissée de marbre est Aidan que je n’ai pas trouvé très engageant et surtout beaucoup trop lisse. Pour tout dire j’ai même préféré l’antagoniste de l’histoire, Eric, qui rempli son rôle à merveille et est beaucoup plus intéressant grâce à une psychologie dense et approfondie.

Concernant l’histoire en elle-même, elle m’a plutôt pas mal convaincue. La dystopie de base est bien travaillée et mise en place de manière plutôt solide. Au final je trouverais seulement deux petits défauts à cette lecture. Le premier concerne certains passages qui m’ont semblé un peu brouillons. En effet le rythme est plutôt enlevé, ce qui est en somme un point assez positif, sauf que cela entraîne des moments d’action parfois un peu fouillis. Sachant que la lecture est très fluide le reste du temps, c’est dommage que ces passages dénotent. Mon second mauvais point concerne la toute fin du roman qui m’a semblé un peu tirée par les cheveux. Malgré pas mal d’éléments convenus j’étais plutôt satisfaite des conclusions de ce premier tome jusqu’à la toute dernière qui ne m’a pas convaincue du tout. Bien sur cela reste seulement deux détails, et j’aime chipoter, mais cela enlève un peu à la qualité de l’ensemble (et un demi point à la note finale).

Pour conclure The Legacy fut une bonne surprise. Une dystopie travaillée, une héroïne carrément badass, des personnages secondaires au top dont un qui fut un petit coup de cœur, et un rythme soutenu : tous les éléments qu’on espère trouver dans ce genre de lecture. C’est donc avec un grand plaisir que je découvrirais la suite des aventures de Rebecca dans The Legion !

4

Althea

http://altheainwonderland.blogspot.fr

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
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Divergent, Book 3

Synopsis: The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Review: The final installment in the Divergent trilogy, needless to say that I expected it as the messiah. Divergent is one of my favorite sagas. I loved the first two books (Divergent and Insurgent) and I was really excited and eager to finally read this book 3 – the book of revelations – and to find out the ending of this story. Unfortunately, for my part, this book has not kept its promises. Or maybe I expected too much of this book. I do not know… but the fact is that I was disappointed. Like many people, the ending of Insurgent left me with a lot of questions. I wanted to find out more about those who created the system of factions as well as the mission of all the Divergent. I wanted to find out what was outside the fence!

In the end I don’t know what to think. But what I’m sure is that among the three volumes, Allegiant is the one I liked least. I must say that I didn’t expect such an ending! Am I satisfied by such a conclusion? No, not really. The author’s choice concerning the fate of her characters somewhat disturbed me. I don’t know if Roth’s purpose was to be original by concluding her story that way but one thing is certain, this read won’t leave you indifferent. Whatever you like or dislike Allegiant, the Divergent series is a must read. Despite this unsatisfying ending, Divergent remains one of the best dystopian series I’ve read so far. I didn’t really expect a happy ending but I was far from suspecting that the trilogy would end this way. And if the word “sacrifice” seems to be the key word throughout the novel, for my part, I regret I didn’t prepare myself to endure this.

But it’s not only the ending that disappointed me in this book. Other points were also quite annoying. In this novel, Veronica Roth chooses to alternate Tris and Tobias’s POV, something she has not done in the previous books but when we finish the novel, we understand why the author chose this mode of narration. I have nothing against having Tobias’s perspective as bonus here. However I must say that sometimes it was hard to determine who was who. Indeed, the author uses the same tone for both characters so that sometimes we have the impression to deal with the same person. Even if it is specified in the beginning of each chapter who is the narrator, it’s quite disconcerting.

Another disturbing point: the wacky revelations made throughout the novel that keep coming one after the other, chapter by chapter, to the point that I found it boring, without mentioning the lack of action. It was very hard for our heroes to deal with these revelations. They find out that everything they have experienced so far – that their whole life – was a lie. From the beginning they were observed by other people so in the end, they are just the result of an extensive scientific experiment whose sole purpose is to save humanity from its own destruction. Well… why not? I don’t mind. However what upset me the most here was the entire “genetic manipulation” thing. These explanations were too far-fetched to be credible.

Then there are the characters. If we compare with the previous books, we can find inconsistencies in the attitude of some characters. For example, I didn’t understand Evelyn’s attitude at the end of the book and even less Marcus’s attitude (who just disappeared, almost forgotten by the author) given the portrait the author did of them in the previous books. Their reaction was rather illogical and in the end all the conflicts were resolved too easily. Even Tobias disappointed me in this book! Faced with a new environment, he seemed hopeless. He was so strong and brave in the first two books… He was used to be suspicious too. But in Allegiant he became weak, credulous and worse, he made a terrible mistake. Only the heroin Tris was true to form.

Finally, to come back to the famous ending, I don’t question Tris’s choice. I think that she just could not stand there and do nothing. That is not like her so I found her reaction normal and predictable. It was even beautiful and touching. However I regret the fact that nothing has been done in advance to prevent that. I mean a better solution, a plan that would have saved everyone. It’s sad to come to such extremes.

To conclude it was a very disappointing book compared to Divergent and Insurgent. It’s really unfortunate. However the Divergent series remains a good dystopian story, probably one of the best although I have very mixed feelings regarding this final book.

2-5mon pseudo

The Outside by Laura Bickle
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The Hallowed Ones, Book 2

Synopsis: One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…

After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.

And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?

In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?

Review: I enjoyed the first book when I discovered it. I had with it the chance to experience the Amish community and its specifics and I find it fascinating to be able to learn more about it through some books, like the first volume that Laura Bickle presented us.

We find our heroine accompanied by Alex, Ginger and of course the horse in their new quest. They travel like that without knowing where they will end up. It is something terribly dangerous because they are only truly safe in the holy ground, which is not necessarily easy to find. Yet after visiting many places, allowing us to see the world as it is now for them, they will discover a community out of the ordinary, people who shine at night and scare away vampires. A chance of survival? But this alteration could ask much more than that our dear Katie is ready to sacrifice. Yet there isn’t more than this little hope which actually manages to glow. A really good idea found elsewhere and I did not necessarily expect that.

I enjoyed this novel even if it is very different from the first one. Far from the Amish community, the environment changes completely. Yet Katie, our heroine, does not let this exile change her way of thinking or even her prayers. I was really touched to see everything she did despite the dangers, but knowing that it was the right thing to do. She will evolve a lot along the story, understanding that it is sometimes difficult not to make sacrifices in relation to her faith. That the rules she has always followed are not necessarily the better now and she should be able to adapt to keep moving forward. Her history with Alex is also quite complicated. In this particular environment, she is not sure if their relationship is real or if it is just because they are together. Yet we see a perfectly clear link between them throughout the chapters and whatever happens, we know that they will stay together until the end. It was very touching to see these two lovers together sometimes trying to keep a minimum of banality. The two characters are very different from each other in a lot of ways and yet they also complement each other perfectly and this is something very interesting to see.

We discover in this novel some events that we do not really expect, but also many unusual characters. I loved seeing the place that the animals had in the story even though I think that it is not an easy thing to do. The novel touches us, saddens us but also gives us hope for a better future for them. I do not know if this volume is the last one, but if this is the case, it is really well done and it was a great pleasure to discover this new volume. This is a really interesting quest and it allows us to revisit the characters met in the first volume.

4

mellianefini

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead
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Age of X, Book 2

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodline series returns with the second installment in her acclaimed Age of X series.

Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

Review: I had a great time with the first volume and it is true that I was curious to read this second book and see how Justin and Mae would get by this time in their quest. I was a little afraid that the novel was not up to the level of the first one but it was not the case and I had a great time once again.

Mae and Justin continue their quest, always checking out the important religions in their state. Yet it seems that the gods themselves do not want to leave our two heroes alone and try everything to recruit them. While Justin manages above all to escape the fate that seems to shrink around him, Mae, while remaining vigilant, happens to be manipulated when her weakness is on the line, that is to say, her niece. Yes, because our heroine wants one thing and that is to find her family member exiled somewhere so long ago. Yet it seems that the girl is in Arcadia, a place far from RUNA where a really different policy occurs. But she feels really lucky when Lucien provides a diplomatic trip to this place and invites Justin to be part of it. But, Mae will have to use her charms to make Justin capitulate as he refuses from the outset this trip. Our hero knows that the young woman is hiding something, but I was quite surprised to see that he leaves her time to open herself and reveal the reason behind this trip.

Richelle Mead allows us, with this trip in Arcadia, to reveal a little more about her rich and complex world. We go in another environment where women are seen as a commodity and Mae will have to adapt to this culture, although it is very difficult for her. Yes because here men can have several wives and concubines, present only for their desire. If a man is attracted to a woman? It is only the fault of the woman as she is too beautiful. Finally you can imagine that this is something we abhor as a reader and we understand the resentment of the young woman in this context. However, Mae will have to quickly find a solution to recover her niece if she can first of all to determine where she is located.

I took great pleasure in reading this novel. We discover with this sequel a little more of the world that Richelle Mead has created as well as her characters. We realize more and more that the affairs of the Gods are very complicated and must be dealt in a delicate way. Despite the suspicion and knowledge of our two heroes, we realize that the gods are able to perfectly achieve what they want to and to manipulate everyone. It’s pretty sad to see the consequences, yet when our duo manages to realize what is happening, it might be too late. From this fact, great things will happen throughout the story, allowing the characters to open to each other and I took a great pleasure in discovering everything. But in addition to this, we discover why Lucien is interested in the young woman and a revelation at the end of story will turn the story upside down (in fact, I wanted thank my friend Lexxie who helped me to remember some facts of the first volume that I had forgotten). But there aren’t alone, and we also follow Tessa, who begins to study in RUNA. She will quickly understand that even at her level, people try to manipulate her to get information. Something that is ultimately also not really nice.

To conclude, the author presents us once again a very good novel with a well pace throughout the story. In addition, we have a large number of discoveries and revelations keeping the reader in suspense. I was really looking forward to finish the book and to discover what would happen and I am now looking forward to read more. If you like different worlds, characters with multiple secrets and complex plots, I’m sure you will like the novel. I hope you will be as fascinated as I am and that you’ll take a great pleasure to in following our two heroes who are, as always, embarking on a quest that is far from easy.

4-5

mellianefini

 

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
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Blood of Eden,Book 3

Synopsis:VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

Review: And here’s the last volume of the Blood of Eden series. I must confess that I had forgotten that the series was actually a trilogy (which is strange when you consider that the author makes a lot of them) and it is by seeing the opinions of other people that I understood that we would finally have our final here.

So we end up after the end of the second volume, following our three heroes Jackal, Kanin and Allie, who are trying to pursue Sarren to stop him at all costs. However, this mission really seems much more complicated than expected. Yes, because this is not to mention the fact that our villain is twisted and very smart as well as full of surprises for his pursuers. Oh yes, and even though we strongly doubt about some, it is always interesting to see the reactions of the characters in this regard. Their quest is going to bring them in Eden where many revelations we will be given and we finally discover if there is a cure or not about this terrible disease.

I had a lot of fun to follow our heroes and it is true that even if Kanin is equal to itself as always (even if a little behind the other characters). Allie has changed dramatically throughout the story. After the death of Zeke, our young vampire is left surpassed by her emotions and while she has always tried to escape this aspect, she has now become the monster she thought she would never be. It was really interesting to see the person she was and how she would manage to succeed her quest. Many obstacles will arise along the way, allowing her to understand the purpose of her existence. Regarding Jackal, it is true that it is difficult to decide about his fate, I hated him in the first volume, enjoyed him in the second and here it is even more complex. Yes, because we appreciate him at times, and we are disappointed in others by his immature attitude. It is very difficult to understand or see how he will react in the coming events. He can sometimes act very rationally and sometimes surprise us. He is a very unpredictable character. By cons as always, Sarren is a real nasty as we like them, with ideas completely twisted and terrible that we see developped throughout the story.

I will say no more as I do not want to give too much out but I really enjoyed reading the last book and I’m curious to see what Julie Kagawa reserve us now.

4

mellianefini