Genre: Post-Apocalyptic


Monday, January 12, 2015

Review: Please Remain Calm by Courtney Summers

Posted by 23 Comments

I received this book for free from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Please Remain Calm by Courtney SummersPlease Remain Calm by Courtney Summers
Series: This Is Not a Test, #2
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on January 20th 2015
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, YA
Source: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
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five-stars

In this gripping sequel to THIS IS NOT A TEST, Rhys and Sloane are headed for a safe haven when they get separated along the way. Rhys is determined to reunite with Sloane until he discovers people who might need him more--people who offer him the closest he'll get to everything he's lost, if they can just hold on long enough.

Rhys thinks he has what it takes to survive and find the girl he lost, but in a world overrun by the dead, there are no guarantees and the next leg of his journey will test him in unimaginable ways ...

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I could leave my review at that, really >.< Courtney Summers has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her books are just so well written -enthralling and character driven. My first book by her was This is Not a Test, which I absolutely loved, so I was stoked when I heard she was coming out with a sequel. This is a novella, though, but it’s on the long side with about 100 pages or so (mine was an eBook so I’m approximating). Still, there’s no lack of intensity and general Summersness I’ve come to love!

Please Remain Calm begins right where we left off in This is Not a Test, but this time we’re in Rhys’s perspective. After hearing there was a safe haven not so far away, they left the safety of the school to try and find it. This book is basically their journey to there amongst zombies and whatever else they may or may not find – and where they end up might not be quite where you expect (it never is!). This is a survivalist story through and through. As with book 1, what Summers does best is the fear of the unknown – the knowledge that at any moment now… All it takes is one wrong tiny step. It makes the book completely unpredictable and absolutely terrifying. We also get to see how ravaged and death-ridden their world has become during this trek. It’s terribly creepy. *shudders*

Even though this is a short book, the characterization is still flawless, and the emotional depth is there and very real! Our main characters get separated along the way, then we meet some side characters who, in such a short time, make their way into our hearts. And in true Courtney Summers’ style, the ending makes you feel both elated and startled. Her endings have always been blunt; you never get the true closure you want, but they’re memorable and realistic. But… IF ONLY THERE WAS 1 MORE PAGE! GAAAAH! Still, it’s why I love her. We don’t get all the answers in life (it’s what I tell myself to survive her endings). In the end, even though it’s a short read, it’s one helluva ride!

five-stars

5 Hot Espressos

Review: In the End by Demitria Lunetta

Review: In the End by Demitria Lunetta

Posted by on 08/20/2014 • 13 Comments

Ok so, I was all about ready to rate this book a 4-star, and then I learn this is actually the finale. Wait, what? Ok let’s rewind a bit. As a sequel, it’s actually pretty darn good with some intriguing developments in the plot, and we get to see more about how survivors turned evil in the midst of the apocalypse. But then I finish the book, look up on Goodreads, and see that this is actually a duology. Whoa! No! This did not feel like a finale at all. The blunt ending is now especially crappy knowing that this is it… I am now very much disappointed. Booo! Buuut, I did enjoy being horrified while reading this, so I do give it that credit.

I seriously read this whole…

Review: The Aftermath by Jen Alexander

Review: The Aftermath by Jen Alexander

Posted by on 08/06/2014 • 8 Comments

With a highly unique premise and complex world building, The Aftermath easily stands out in its genre. It’s very well thought-out with a lot to love for gamers especially, but it did fall flat in character development and plot progression.

In few words: Claudia is a character in a post-apocalyptic game, being controlled by the person playing her (who is most likely a psychopath). Cool, right? I thought so. This concept is really intriguing, but how it was executed could have used a little more… oomph. It didn’t take long for me to grow frustrated with our heroine, Claudia. Not her personality itself, but how easily she clued into this wild concept we’re thrown in. After only a few clues, Claudia puts it all together, even asks herself how she…

Review: The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

Review: The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

Posted by on 07/08/2014 • 21 Comments

*slow clap* I don’t even know where to begin reviewing this book. It was a book that I didn’t plan to read, I heard from my co-blogger it was a split POV story told in the third person and I thought “Rubbish! I don’t want that in my life.” Then a little birdie came along, one by the name of Christina of A Reader of Fictions and she said “Look, you need this book in your life. Total Jenni bait.” So I gave it a go and wow. I’m at a loss for words (which, if you know me, NEVER happens) because this book was just… everything.

We are introduced to the world through the eyes of a little girl named Melanie who spends her time in a cell and…

Review + Series Giveaway: Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Review + Series Giveaway: Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Posted by on 03/12/2014 • 18 Comments

*Spoiler free for the series*

Series that end on such a fantastic note like this one makes me want to scream and shout about how epic the ride was. Then follow that with a lot of ugly crying from it being over.

With this series, Mullin has created an amazingly realistic, plausible, and terrifying post apocalyptic story set in the aftermath of the Yellowstone volcano eruption. Throughout the series we have seen these characters go from scared teenagers only trying to live to see the next day, to strong leaders who are being brutally realistic with the hand they were dealt and the game they were forced into. The character growth we witness is incredible. From our main characters, Alex and Darla, to the many faces that have been…

Review: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

Review: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

Posted by on 12/03/2013 • 23 Comments

Whoa! Who knew a story set in an Amish community could be so spine-chillingly gory! The Hallowed Ones is for every post-apocalyptic fan out there. It offers originality in its setting and a freakish paranormal aspect. It offered a lot more than I expected.

Katie is about to get her first taste of the outside world when all of a sudden that world gets dark and creepy. First there’s a helicopter crash where Katie glimpses at something quite eerie. Then she finds the town desolate and empty when she goes to try to find two of their own who never came home. Something is definitely not right. The creep factor makes itself present very early on in this novel, showering each page with this tense uncertainty. Even though things…

Review: Blackout by Robison Wells

Review: Blackout by Robison Wells

Posted by on 10/01/2013 • 22 Comments

Hmm.. I didn’t really get the point of this book. It would have helped if we had gotten some world building, surely. Basically we’ve got these kids who have a virus that gives them powers. They get used by the army to try to stop kids with cooler powers. The end.

It’s a shame, really, because until a bit passed the middle – which is when I realized this book wasn’t really going anywhere – I was quite enjoying it. I thought the idea of it all was creative and exciting. the powers ranged from funny, to intriguing, to kind of badass. The characters were also fairly interesting (though the narrative switches were sometimes sloppy). But in the end I still don’t know what this book was trying to be….

Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Posted by on 09/02/2013 • 34 Comments

This book = insanity!

This will prove my living under a rock, but I had not heard of this author before I went to Book Expo and got told all about his awesome status, and let me tell you, the praise is not unwarranted! Steelheart does not hold back; it’s an edge-of-your-seat read with an intensity that requires you to put the book down regularly just so you can take a breather!

There are book beginnings… then there are Sanderson beginnings; the prologue is all it took to make me fall in love with this book. Already, my heart was pounding, I was left gasping, and my knuckles were white from clutching the book. Sanderson’s writing brought me thoroughly and completely in David’s world – a very dark, merciless world…