Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Seeker by Veronica Rossi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this second and final installment in the series. Having more time with the boys and horses was fun, though the storyline moved in unexpected directions. I enjoyed the emphasis on family and overcoming the things that haunt you from your past.

One of my favorite side characters was separated from the group for a long stretch, and I really missed his chattiness and sense of humor. Also, I would have liked a few more answers to my lingering questions, but overall, this was a good read.

I think it was appropriate to end the series at 2 books, though I can't help wishing this book had grown the characters and world in a way that more books would have been required. I think there was potential here for something more or greater, though I'm not necessarily opposed to how it all wrapped up.

Pages: 352

Riders by Veronica Rossi

Riders by Veronica Rossi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SECOND REVIEW:

I reread this book before reading the sequel, Seeker. This time around, I listened to the audiobook, which was fantastic. I'm glad I listened, because I couldn't remember enough to move forward with the second book. I hate that feeling of confusion, and it was nice to revisit this story. I really enjoy Gideon's POV and sense of humor.

FIRST REVIEW:

I received an ARC of RIDERS through a Twitter contest and quickly fell in love. This story isn’t even published yet, and I’m anxious for the next one. I would beg Veronica Rossi to let me beta read book two, if that didn’t seem so desperate and stalkerish.

If you were a fan of UTNS, which I was (a serious fan), then you should know this story is absolutely, completely different. The contrast makes me want to fill my review with useless adverbs and adjectives, just to try to explain it to you. If you read a sample of both, I don’t believe you’d guess the same author wrote the stories.

I love that, because RIDERS is its own, different, fantastic story with a unique voice. It snuck its way into my heart with interesting characters and an amazing premise, which goes to show that a good writer can bring something new and different to every story.

I won’t summarize the plot, because everyone else will. Instead, I want to say that Veronica Rossi writes beautifully flawed characters that I adore and relate to. If you wrote a list of Gideon’s flaws down on paper, he wouldn’t seem like the kind of guy I’d want to be friends with, but he captured my heart (and often my sympathy), bit by bit, with the non-apologetic way his mind works. He reminded me that actions matter, but you also need to look past those to see a person’s deeper intentions, if you really want to understand someone.

The story shifts back and forth between past and present, and I really enjoyed how it all came together. Despite all the struggles and hardships, I want to be one of the boys and have my own horse, and I think that says everything. It’s a world I hated to leave and can’t wait to return to.

Pages: 384

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Henry Denton knows that life sucks. Judge for yourself:

(view spoiler ---I took this segment of the review out to avoid spoilers, so you'll have to stalk me on Goodreads if you want it: View all my reviews)

There are only 144 days left until the end of the world, and it’s on Henry’s shoulders to decide to save the world or not. But he doesn’t need 144 days to know humanity sucks, and it isn’t worth saving.

This is a painful, thought-provoking look at life, grief, and the choices people can make when faced with the worst. The story is staggered with individual short stories about what will bring about the end of the world, from a science perspective. All of them are creative. Many of them are funny. Most of them are shocking. Some are just sad, but overall, it adds an interesting element to Henry’s story.

This story is as ugly and heartbreaking as it is gorgeous and funny. It’s reminiscent of Andrew Smith’s Grasshopper Jungle, except it’s far more linear and organized, while GJ is chaotic and disorganized. That doesn’t make them sound similar, but if you read both, I think you’ll see what I mean. And you should go do that right now. Read them both. Trust me.

Pages: 464

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An asteroid is headed for Earth, about two months out. The government says to stay calm. Earth is safe, until suddenly, it isn’t. The threat level gets upgrade to a potential for the asteroid to hit the Earth, and if it does, scientists predict humanity will say goodbye to at least 2/3 of the world’s population. Nobody is sure about point of impact or who the “lucky” 1/3 might be.

This is a pre-apocalypse story that follows several teenage POVs and explores different ideas about the potential meaning, value, and purpose of life. The characters are unique and opposites in terms of lifestyles and viewpoints which made for an interesting story.

How would you spend your time, knowing your time might be running out? This story explores that from multiple teenage perspectives. It’s messy, and you won’t want to look away.

Pages: 384