SHHHH! Don’t spread the word! Three-day weekend. House party. White Rock House on Henry Island. You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Best Friends, Meg and Minnie, have been invited to the party of a life time out on Henry Island. Meg, the writer, would rather be at home chilling out, but, instead, she’s dragged to this party because of her hyper-active-slightly insane best friend, Minnie. Once they arrive, though, the find out that the host and her friends have not yet made it to the party, and they won’t arrive until the next day. Instead, It’s just them and eight other kids alone in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, one of them happens to be a killer.

 

I’d first like to start out by telling you all that I am a HUGE wimp. I’m so bad of a wimp that I screamed in the middle of the theaters during Disturbia, couldn’t finish The Ring, and won’t go anywhere near a Stephen King novel. Pathetic, I know, but at least I can admit it. So when I picked up Ten, by Gretchen McNeil, I was like….welllllll….it’s a young adult book, right? It won’t scare me! I can handle this! I was also really excited to be able to figure out the killer, because I’m good at that. I usually always guess the secret twists and the killers in tv shows and movies. I could only figure that I would guess the whole surprising twist in this book. Ha. Not so much.

I picked up Ten because everyone told me it was amazing. Not only that, but NOBODY could guess who the killer was. So, I was curious. When it first started, it was a little hard for me to get into. I wouldn’t say that it was slow, because it wasn’t. I just couldn’t STAND Minnie. Ohmygod….I wanted to off her myself just to shut her up. Once all the kids got together, though, and watched the super spooky dvd, things really started to pick up and I was hooked.

One thing that I absolutely loved was how unique and individual all of the characters were. They all had their own personalities, and I loved that. I especially loved Meg. Not only was she such an inviting character, but I loved watching her try and decipher all of the clues and really try and take charge. I also really liked T.J., but, hey, who doesn’t love a hunky guy?

Now, here comes the part where you’ll laugh. This book scared the living shit out of me. I mean, it got so bad that one night, after reading Ten for about four hours, I had to go and read a whole other book for thirty minutes just to be able to fall asleep. I hid under the covers, my heartbeat went crazy…..I was a wreck. Hey, I told you guys I was wimp, didn’t I?

I really did think that I would be able to guess the killer. I was wrong. I mean, I wasn’t even close to the ballpark! I was sooooo off base. I really thought I had it, too. I had three main suspects (not naming any names), and not one of them was even involved in it. Well…..for the most part. You’ll understand after you read the book. The twist that McNeil weaved was soo ridiculously amazing that my brain is still whirling from it. All I could say after I finished the book was “ohmy god, ohmygod, ohmygod. Did that REALLY just happen?!” I would be SHOCKED if anyone could guess the killer, let alone the twist, so I challenge every single one of you to read this book!

In the end, I really don’t know what to compare this book to. I don’t read horror, killerish books, so I’m stumped. What I CAN say, though, is that Ten is an absolute MUST READ. Every single one of you needs to guy buy it or borrow it. And don’t forget to come back here and tell me if you guessed the killer! But remember. Don’t. Leave. Spoilers. In. The. Comments. Otherwise, you might be next [;

 

Pages: 294

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: September 18, 2012

Rating: :

 

Teaser Quote: “Minnie jutted out her chin, “So what if I did?”

“Did what?” T.J. asked.

Meg exploded. “YOU READ MY DIARY???”

“Oh, shit,” Kumiko whispered.

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

Deuce has lived in her underground enclave her entire life. She has never seen sunlight or clean air. She’s grown up eating rats and bathing under a tiny trickle of water. She’s also trained her entire life to become a Huntress. And on her naming day, when she changes from an unnamed Brat to Deuce, she becomes exactly that. Now, Deuce is partnered up with the enclave’s outcast, Fade, and must work to protect and provide the enclave with food, as well as ward off all dangers from the terrible beasts that roam the tunnels, something that they call the Freaks.

After an unfortunate turn of events, Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave and banished to Top Side, otherwise known as above ground. Together, as well as with the help of a few friends, they must work to stay alive and find out what has happened to their planet and what made everyone else die or flee to the North.

The first half of Enclave was very strong. It was completely dedicated to Deuce and Fade’s time underground at the enclave. It was so full of emotion, drama, adventure, and even a little terror. I found myself on the edge of my seat, dying to know what happened next.

By the time I reached the second half of Enclave, I started to get a little skeptical. By this point, they had been exiled to Top Side, and it started to get really slow. The characters almost seemed like different people and it seemed like both parts of the book could be separate books themselves. It started to pick up in the last four or five chapters of the book, but a lot of damage had already occured once the second part of the book started.

I was a big fan of the storyline in this book. People living underground? Cool! Freaks who hunt them underground? Even cooler! Being exiled to Top Side when you had never even seen the sun before and thought that rain burned like acid? Bring it on! I was really impressed with the ideas that Ann Aguirre contributed to this book, and I am so pumped up to read the next book in the series, OutPost.

The characters were really cool and interesting. My only complaint, as I mentioned above, is that their personalities changed once the second part of the book began. That didn’t make the book bad, it just made it difficult because I was already so used to one type of personality. It also became difficult because a lot of the second book was dedicated to the characters traveling to find the people who headed North. At times, this made parts of the book and even the characters slightly boring.

I think that Enclave was a good first start in the Razorland series. OutPost is either going to be really good or really boring, which makes me slightly nervous to read it. Hopefully, it will be really good. Fans of Dystopia books will be intriguid with this book. The cover does say “For fans of the Hunger Games.” I have to point out that this series is nothing like The Hunger Games. Since that was the exact reason I bought the book, I feel like that’s something that you all should be aware of. Overall, though, it was a good first start!

Pages: 259

Publication Date: April 12, 2011

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Rating: :

 

Teaser Quote: “There were different kinds of strength. I knew that now. It didn’t always come from a knife or a willingness to fight. Sometimes it came from endurance, where the well ran deep and quiet. Sometimes it came from compassion and forgiveness.”

When six teens are trapped inside their high school during the zombie apocalypse, they quickly discover the line between the living and the dead isn’t as clear as they think in this chilling story of survival from the author of Cracked Up To Be and Fall For Anything.

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life-and death-inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Sloane Price has never lived a normal life. She’s never had the chance to flirt with boys, go shopping with the girls or have homework be her only worry. Instead, she has been abused for years by the one man who should truly love her, her father. Six months ago, her sister, Lily, ran away from home and left her all alone to deal with her father’s constant beatings. All Sloane knows is that she’s been abandoned by the one person she loved the most, and now she just wants her life to be over.

Before Sloane can carry out her plans to end her life, drastic changes began to happen in her world. People are changing. They are no longer the people she used to know. Instead, they are turning into flesh-eating zombies. After she runs for her life, Sloane finds herself with five other teens in the local high school. Together, they must work to save and protect themselves. They soon realize, though, that they will eventually have to leave, as food and water supplies will eventually run low. This Is Not A Test is full of fear, death and surprises, and makes the reader envision was a true zombie apocalypse would be like.

When I picture the world ending, I think of crumbling buildings, roads that fold in on themselves and screams that haunt you everywhere you turn. It’s something that I’ve feared for a long time but have forced into the back of my mind. The zombie apocalypse seems no different. While buildings may not crumble and roads may not fold into themselves, the very people whom you love with all of your heart are torn away from you, forced to be man-eating creatures that seem to be souless. As a fan of The Walking Dead, an AMC television show, I was interested to see what Courtney Summers could bring to the table. A book about zombies is not my typical read, and I knew that I could be sucked in if it was written the right way.

Before I say anything else about this book, I have to express how much I disliked the character of Sloane. Throughout the entire book she showed absolutely no emotion. She was depressed and hurt, and every single page seemed to be dedicated to the fact that she wanted to end her life. Even when she got angry at her fellow schoolmates, no real emotion was produced. She just seemed to barely function, riding the waves until she could go out into the streets and let a zombie rip into her. I prefer my female leads to be strong and independent. Instead, I found Sloane to be weak, needy and closed off.

The first couple chapters of the book started off really strong. I was excited because I thought that I was going to be reading this awesome story about zombies and the world coming to an end. I was really disappointed with the way things turned out, though. For almost 300 pages the six students stayed in the school. Page after page seemed to be talking about them eating, going to the bathroom, fighting, checking the barricades, showering or sleeping. Follow that around for 300 pages and you’re gonna start to feel like your brains about to explode.

The last 40 or so pages were a lot better than the whole rest of the book. Things finally started to pick up a little, but I was really disappointed and disturbed about how a lot of things turned out. I was also hoping for Sloane to get it together a little bit, but it just never happened. She continued to be completely emotionless clear until the very last sentence of the book.

Overall, I did not like this book. However, I think that there is a possibility that this book will appeal to fans of zombies and The Walking Dead. Even though I was not impressed with this book, it has made me want to look into other zombie books. Hopefully, I will be able to find one that suits my needs just fine. In the end, I look forward to hearing what other people have to say about this book.

 

Pages: 320

Publication Date: June, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Rating: :

Teaser Quote: “She dives for me and we both crash to the ground. The side of my forehead connects with the pavement. I swear I hear it crack and then I’m underwater and everything is strange and removed and I’m strange and removed from it. I turn myself over, slowly, painfully, and stare into milky white irises, all the capillaries around them busted and red. I lose focus. I see one of her, two of her, three of her. Calm settles over me. She licks her lips. I close my eyes. This is it. Finally.”