Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was so unexpected for a post-apocalyptic story, and it took me a while to understand what was happening with the different layers that were being woven together across the course of this book. I found it intriguing, but I occasionally held it at arms length, feeling uncertain about everything.

Overall, it's a very unique story.

Book 278 read in 2018

Pages: 336

The Passage by Justin Cronin

An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival,The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

I have mixed feelings about this book.  It's been on my to-be-read list since it was published, and for some reason, I just kept putting it off.  Now that I've read it, I can't help but wonder if somewhere my brain knew that I would feel very 'meh' about it.

The good of this novel includes the monsters and the base characters of Amy, Lacey, and Wolgast.  The post-apocalyptic world built here is also good.  My issues lie with the massive complexity of this novel.  There are so many characters (many whom I didn't care one lick about).  Right about the time I started investing in their story, I was ripped away to a whole new character and didn't see the old one for a long time. 

This novel made me feel tired.  I must admit I slogged through it.  And while there were moments when I did lose myself in the story, it was few and far between.

3/5

785 pages     

The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson

Summary: "A deadly plague has devastated Earth, killing all the adults. Lisa and her younger brother Todd are struggling to stay alive in a world where no one is safe. Other children along Grand Avenue need help as well. They band together to find food, shelter, and protection from dangerous gangs invading their neighborhood. When Tom Logan and his army start making threats, Lisa comes up with a plan and leads her group to a safer place. But how far is she willing to go to protect what's hers?" - Amazon

I found this book while searching for something to fit in the "read a book with a character who has your name" category in our book challenge, and the main protagonist is named Lisa!  I was even more excited when I realized that this book is a post-apocalyptic story for upper elementary to middle school age kids.

Lisa is a strong lead female character who uses her brain and ingenuity to help the kids in her neighborhood survive their new adultless world.  I really appreciated her unapologetic intelligence.  She is a leader and knows it.  That is extremely refreshing.

My only complaint isn't really a complaint; it's more a realization and fact.  This was written in the 1970s and there is a certain dated quality to the story.  It didn't detract from the plot or characters, but there was something off that I couldn't put my finger on until I looked to see when it was published.  I think it is most noticeable in the naivete of the other kids.  For example, Lisa is the only one on her street who dares to learn to drive her parents car.  It's hard to know how modern kids would react in a world without adults, but I don't think there would only be one driving around. :) 

Overall, I would put this in the category of novels I wish I'd found as a kid.  I enjoyed it as an adult, but pre-teen me would have eaten it up. It's unique and slightly dark without the gruesome qualities of many of today's post-apocalypse works.  And her name is Lisa. ;)

4/5

216 pages

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Summary: In the aftermath of a cataclysmic event, sixteen-year-old Evie, from a well-to-do Louisiana family, learns that her terrible visions are actually prophecies and that there are others like herself -- embodiments of Tarot cards destined to engage in an epic battle.

This series has one of the more interesting premises and world lore that I have come across lately.  The idea that Tarot cards are real people is a fascinating concept - especially for me as Tarot is a tradition in my family.  And so far, the characters designated as cards have mostly matched the agreed general message of their specific cards.  I am excited to meet the rest of them!

My issues with this book lie, once again, in the weak, naive female main character.  More than once, I found myself immediately disconnect with the book solely because of her sheer stupidity.  And I do mean stupidity - not 'I disagreed with her choice' or 'Oh, she's immature'.  No.  She makes moronic comments that are completely outside of reality.  I'm also not a fan of the romance stuff.  It's trite and cliche (she falls for the 'bad boy', y'all), but I can handle teen love angst if the world is good - and this one is.  

I am going to read the second one, solely because I am interested in the development of the Tarot characters and the world-building.  Let's hope the main character finds her brain.

3/5

369 pages

Arcana Rising (The Arcana Chronicles, #4) by Kresley Cole

Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2019

My previous review still stands. This book is intense.

And chapter 35:



Book 80 read in 2018

Pages: 280

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
Whew! That ending! Next book, please, stat!

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was. . . unexpected. It's dark, which I typically like, but I had a bit of trouble connecting. I think that this could have benefited from being a longer story. Something was missing, and honestly, the book went and ended right when I wanted it to start.

Pages: 160

The Walking Dead: Books 10-12 By Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead, Book Ten by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really, really hate Negan, but I'm also still fascinated by him. I don't want to look away. He's the Dolores Umbridge of the Walking Dead.

Pages: 296

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The Walking Dead, Book Eleven by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is so strange to be reading at a point that is past the show. I feel like I'm cheating on the show, which makes no sense, as really the opposite occurred.

Anyway, this one is also full of unexpected resolutions and moments of hopefulness.

Pages: 296

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The Walking Dead, Book Twelve by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has a shocking a brutal ending, which is both upsetting and also exciting. I love how this series continues to surprise me, and I'm stressed out about what is going to happen next. The anticipation of doom seems to play a huge role in the progression of this series.

Also, Carl is the best. I'd read a whole book on just him.

Pages: 296

Day Zero by Kresley Cole

Day Zero by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Novella - Book 3.5

This is a good companion novella for someone who is obsessed with the series. It reads like a guide to the characters, followed by short backstories about many of them before, during, and after the flash.

I really enjoyed the short stories, because I am fascinated by the characters.

If you are not a fan, this is obviously not for you. Make sure you don't read it until after book 3. It can be read between books 3 & 4, which was the intention. It can also be read after book 4, if you somehow skipped it.

Pages: 174

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved book one of this YA post-apocalyptic series in which aliens have taken over the world and are trying to destroy humanity. This book never drew me in. Maybe it was me, as I was seriously fretting while reading and probably distracted, but the story never gave me good reasons to want to stop fretting and invest.

For me, it suffered from second book syndrome.

Pages: 320

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wo-ow-ow! I thought book one was intense, but book two brought things up to a whole new level of chaos, dysfunction, and emotional warfare. I don't know whose team I'm on in this epic death battle between the 22 teenagers assigned to the lives of Taro Cards, but the characters don't seem to have it all figured out either, which keeps things interesting and surprising.

According to ancient prophecy and past games, only one character will be standing in the end, but I'm quite attached to the majority of them at this point, which makes every second of reading nail-bitingly intense.

Pages: 337

Once by Anna Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been unable to truly invest in this YA Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic series, so I won't continue on and read book 3. I kept reading after book one, because I thought the premise showed a lot of promise. Unfortunately, I had to force myself forward with book two. It's not because there's something wrong with the story, so much as that I can't seem to forge any real interest or emotional connection with the story.

It's not bad, but it's not captivating. I don't want to live inside the world, and there isn't a single character I would be interested in meeting or befriending. In fact, the characters who seem to have the most potential to be fascinating seem to play the smallest roles in the story. I don't dislike the characters. I'm just completely indifferent, which is always a bad sign.

I was hoping book two would find the depth of intrigue and emotion that book one lacked, but it didn't for me. I will confess I could be partly to blame for reading this series when I wasn't in a great frame of mind for reading, but if it had been the right book for me, it would have sucked me in and blocked out everything in the real world that was weighing on me.

Pages: 384

Darla's Story by Mike Mullin

Darla's Story by Mike Mullin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent novella that gives you more background on Darla, who is a very strong and interesting character. If you loved the Ashfall trilogy, you'll want to read this novella, just to have a bit more time in that world. I have also heard that a 4th book might be added to the trilogy in 2018, so I am very hopeful.

It's a very dark, gritty, violent, and fascinating post-apocalyptic story, so if you can't handle violence or gore, you might want to pass on this. However, the depth of the ugliness of the world after a super volcano explodes and coats the world in ash is fascinating, and the terribleness of humanity is offset by the beauty of it. The two are always at odds with each other, but it makes for an interesting, if dark and intense, read.

Pages: 70

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This was completely unexpected. Somehow, I have read a ton of post-apocalyptic YA this January. I think my TBR must be full of them, without me even realizing it, but this is so different from all the others.

It explores the worlds of Taro cards, the Arcana, and Cajun lifestyles, which I knew very little about, but there are some major supernatural twists with what happens in this story. I couldn't always tell who the good guys and bad guys were, which was fascinating. Some of my favorite characters had major issues. The main character and potential love interest spend most of the story fighting and misunderstanding each other, so that kept things interesting.

It's almost a story within a story, starting in one place, jumping back to tell the story, then skipping forward on occasion to a very intense present. Near the end of the book, both the storylines finally meet up and come together in an interesting fashion. I'll definitely continue on in this series.

Pages: 384

Eve by Anna Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was probably a 3.5 for me. It gets the extra 0.5 for being post-apocalyptic and dystopian, which typically appeals to me. I didn't realize that was what kind of story it was when I picked it up. I read it purely based off someone else's recommendation, with no background on the story.

Basically, the majority of the world succumbed to a plague, and Eve grew up in an all girls boarding school that informed her about how good the king was. It turns out he isn't, and Eve escapes into the wilderness to try to avoid a terrible fate.

It gets less than my typically enthusiastic 4 and 5 star ratings, because I was never fully drawn in by this story. I found one of the side characters to be far more interesting and believable than the main character, enough so that I almost wished the series had been about her, instead. I think it would have been far more interesting.

I was also a bit bored with what felt like insta-love, but it could just be that I wasn't a very attentive reader of this book. It's possible all the chaos in my life and mind distracted me from ever really settling in to the story. However, the concept itself is fascinating, and I wonder if the story has potential going forward, which is why I declare it a 3.5 and might continue on with the series, when typically, I wouldn't continue on for any book rated lower than a 4.

YA Post-Apocalyptic/ Dystopian
Pages: 352

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is incredibly bleak, and I was completely obsessed with it. I have no idea what that says about me, but let's stay focused on this alien-invasion survival story. It's told in multiple POVs, but the main focus is on Cassie, a sixteen year-old who is alone after The Others (alien invaders) brought down 4 waves of destruction upon humanity, wiping out the majority of the world's population. Her only goal is to find and rescue her younger brother, if he's even still alive after being collected, along with all the other living children, by soldiers (maybe human, maybe alien). She can't trust anyone, since the aliens can invade human bodies, making it hard to determine if anyone she happens across is friend or foe.

This is probably the best post-apocalyptic story I've read since the Ashfall trilogy by Mike Mullin. I need to read book 2 ASAP, and then I imagine I'll spend the next 4 months being upset about the fact that book 3 is not being released until May 24, 2016.

Pages: 512

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting, fast-paced, and unexpected take on a post-apocalyptic world overrun with both angels and demons. Penryn is refreshingly different, and her troubled family (mom is schizophrenic and little sister is a paraplegic) adds an interesting element to the story. This is book 1 in a trilogy, and I have already started book 2.

Pages: 288