Thursday, February 11, 2016

Review: Titans by Victoria Scott

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I received this book for free from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Titans by Victoria ScottTitans by Victoria Scott
Published by Scholastic on February 23rd 2016
Genres: Action, Contemporary, YA
Source: Scholastic
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five-stars

From Victoria Scott, author of FIRE & FLOOD, comes a thrilling story of impossible odds.

Ever since the Titans first appeared in her Detroit neighborhood, Astrid Sullivan’s world has revolved around the mechanical horses. She and her best friend have spent countless hours watching them and their jockeys practice on the track. It’s not just the thrill of the race. It’s the engineering of the horses and the way they’re programmed to seem so lifelike. The Titans are everything that fascinates Astrid, and nothing she’ll ever touch.

She hates them a little, too. Her dad lost everything betting on the Titans. And the races are a reminder of the gap between the rich jockeys who can afford the expensive machines to ride, and the working class friends and neighbors of Astrid’s who wager on them.

But when Astrid’s offered a chance to enter an early model Titan in this year’s derby, well, she decides to risk it all. Because for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, it’s more than a chance at fame or money. Betting on herself is the only way she can see to hang on to everyone in the world she cares about.

You know when you start reading a book and you are just pulled into it and want to devour it? Yeah, this was one of those. I loved just about everything about it. The underlying story is sad and bleak, but the main part of it is thrilling and full of adventure. This book is fast paced and keeps your heart racing along with the characters. And the best part is, there’s not really romance in it. There’s no need for it and it would have taken away from the story and I am glad that the author didn’t feel the need to throw it in there. The characters are fabulous and I really enjoyed getting to know them. The Titans were so interesting and I couldn’t help but want to know everything about the races and the Titans themselves. I would totally go watch these races if there were such thing!

Astrid Sullivan is our main character. She’s 17 and her family is in a pretty rough spot. Her dad has lost his job, and they are about to lose everything. She’s always been fascinated with the Titans, but gambling is the root of all of her family’s problems. It’s not the betting that she is interested in though. It’s the beautiful steel horses and the races that gets her heart racing. These races are for the elite so she never would have dreamed she would ever get to take part, but it just so happens that someone wants her to ride a first model Titan and that this year one person will get free entry to the races. She knows this will save her family, and her best friends family from the struggles they are going through, but she knows that it could also tear her family apart. Not to mention the danger of it. She is a brave, smart, and determined girl full of heart. I loved getting to know her.

The Titan needs to be mentioned because he was just awesome. I know he’s just a steel machine right? Well, this one is different. He was not ever really made because of some legal stuff and such, which also has to do with the story. He actually has emotions. It was an idea that fell through, but the creator happened to have this Titan and through certain events is how Astrid ends up riding him. Of course Astrid doesn’t really believe that the Titan has real emotions, only that they are replicated. It’s hard to ignore the more she actually gets to know him though. The relationship between her and her Titan was amazing really. I enjoyed it a lot and found myself smiling many times during some of the interactions between them.

This book was full of action. The races were awesome and I could almost feel the adrenaline rush that Astrid was feeling. I could imagine the races and the people so easily. I could feel the struggle of the family. There is so much hurt in this book that gives it heart. This story came to life for me in how it was told. There was no need to throw in fillers and everything that happened was for a reason. This was such a great read that flew by too fast. I didn’t want it to end, but it ended perfectly. This book needs to be in everyone’s hands. It was fantastic from start to finish! This was a perfect book to get lost in.

five-stars

5 Hot Espressos

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I'm no good at this, but I'm a mom of one little girl who really thinks she is a princess. I love reading all sorts of books (horror being a favorite genre of mine), love meeting new people, drinking lots of coffee, and eating chocolate. If you want to know anything else about me, just ask.
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10 Responses to “Review: Titans by Victoria Scott”

  1. Megan

    This book sounds great! I love the horse aspect (even if they aren’t actual horses) and I kind of like that there’s not any romance.

  2. Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews

    Oh I’m SO happy you loved this one Amy^^ I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time and just the way you described EVERYTHING made my day 😀 The action, the characters, the addictiveness, the adventure. EVERYTHING! I need this book in my life^^ Awesome review girl ♥