Snippet/Excerpt from The Indigo Spell

Richelle Mead recently released an excerpt from The Indigo Spell as part of a facebook challenge. It's a literal-lol snippet, with Adrian giving Sydney some "advice." Click here to read!

Review of Sound by Shelley Workinger

Sound (Book 3 in the Solid Trilogy)

Shelley Workinger

*A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.*

Description: Clio Kaid's had one crazy summer.

After learning she was one of a hundred teens who were genetically modified before birth, she and the others departed for "camp" at a classified military site.

Besides discovering her own special ability, uncovering a conspiracy, and capturing a killer, she's also forged new friendships, found love, and managed to lose them both.

With no answers and the end of summer closing in, Clio's terrified of going home more lost than when she arrived.

Will she finally find everything she's been looking for?

Find out in this exciting conclusion to the Solid trilogy.

     Before the review, let me just say that this series has been so much fun to read, and I'm sad to see it end. (Buuuut the epilogue gives me hope that there will be a spin-off...seriously, an ending like that REQUIRES a spin-off!) I think that Clio's story ended in a good place, at a great time in her life, at the perfect point in this series.

     The story takes place where it left off in Settling (#2 in the series) where Clio has been alienated from her group of friends because of That Thing She Did Which Will Not Be Mentioned. ;) Rae, the newest addition to the group and the only one who has not shunned Clio, has been keeping her together and pushing her beyond her physical limits. It took a while, but I was super happy when the crew finally reunited, because I lovelovelove the snarky dialogue between them. It's hilarious, and like in the other books, I had my literal-LOL moments.

     The "theory of multiple abilities" is awesome, and to see it expanded in Sound was so cool. (If there is a spin-off, I'd love to read more about this.) Clio's detective skills combined with her very accurate gut instincts provided a tolerable, not-overwhelming sense of suspense, although I guessed from early on who the "villain" of the book was :)

     Watching (or, more correctly, reading) Clio grow as a character was something I've really enjoyed throughout this series. She went from snarky, no-mental-filter girl to snarky, no-mental-filter girl with admirable control over multiple super-abilities and a set of friends that every reader will envy. A girl who realized her flaws and fought to improve them, who challenged herself, both physically and mentally, and it paid off. 

     A gripe I have is that she ended up with the guy I was NOT rooting for. See, I tend to root for the dudes who don't end up getting the girl, and this happens so often that I've learned to expect it. It's like I have a reverse sixth sense, and I "sense" the wrong guy and my brain just stubbornly refuses to change its feelings. In the mortal instruments series, I was team Simon. In the vampire academy series, I was team Adrian. And in the strange angels series, I was team Christophe (although technically, there's still a possibility that my "team" will "win" ;D This series needs a spin-off as well!) So yeah, I was rooting for the wrong guy as usual.  *SPOILER ALERT: Skip the rest of this para if you don't want to know who Clio ends up with!!!*   I guess I'm just put off a bit by Jack's "perfectness." He never had a flaw! Or at least, Clio didn't mention it. He seemed unreal, and I just felt...idk, blegh-y? Is that a word? It is now. Anyway, I'm super fussy with my romances, and I wasn't into Clack. lol.  *hides from trash thrown by angry Clack supporters*)

    While I wasn't 100% happy with the romance, it certainly didn't detract from what a great read Sound was. However, the ending seemed anti-climactic. I was expecting a big finale, and I didn't get that feeling. There was an intense bit of action in the beginning/middle, and then the action at the end, but I wasn't reading on with my eyes glued to the pages in suspense. (I think it was disappointing because I knew who the bad guy was already...)

    Anywho, with all of that said, my overall feelings about Sound (and basically the series) was that it was well worth reading, and I would most certainly recommend it! This series is one of the few that I would be glad to recommend to both pre-teens and teens. Oh, and readers like myself who are getting to be too old for YA novels, but who appreciate the values and morals included in this series.

***A HUGE thank you to Shelley for giving me the opportunity to read and review such an enjoyable series! ***

My Rating: A Remarkable Read :)

    

    



Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

From Goodreads: "In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky — taken by the Society to his certain death — only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander — who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia’s heart — change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever."

Getting straight to the point, Crossed disappointed me. To be more specific, the ending disappointed me. It felt like I had walked in a giant circle and ended up right back at point A. The new concepts of "The Pilot" and "The Farmers" and more got to be confusing, almost dizzyingly so, and I was frustratedly left with many questions from Matched remaining unanswered.The pacing reminded me of the Oldsmobile I used to drive...slow and hesitant, with a random burst of speed every so often. (Old cars, smh.) I skipped countless paragraphs describing or reminiscing about who knows what. I had to force myself to focus on the story at times. And, like many many many other reviewers have said, I found myself often confused about who was narrating (Crossed was narrated dually by Cassia and Ky) because they both sounded the same.  
I think this may have more to do with my turning into a cynical a**, but I found myself so very disenchanted with Cassia and Ky's love. It feels like their love literally is a poem, and I can't find it in myself to support or hate them. They're just meh. They had a disagreement, which made things a bit more realistic, but that dispute was never truly resolved. Let's just say I don't care for couples who give up their core ideals for the sake of lurrrvy love.
I would rant more about the ending, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who enjoys reading for hours just to be disappointed wants to read it. I do, however, have to mention the few good parts. First of all, the canyons and their surrounding landscapes' descriptions were absolutely gorgeous. (Honestly, I've never cared very much for the grand canyons, but after reading Crossed, I've added visiting them to my bucket list. :D ) Secondly, the action that actually occurred was, to me, pretty thrilling. (Just wish it had been more consistent.) Finally, getting to know more about Ky's life story was nice, along with the whole rebellion concept being elaborated on quite well.
I have way too many questions after reading this book, and while I was disappointed with this installment, I plan on reading Reached to wrap things up and, hopefully, figure out where the heck things will go from here, at the end of Crossed.

Lia's Rating: An Okay Read