Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She’s seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn’t just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve’s reality.

In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior.

The technology wants to spread and it won’t stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.

First, let me draw your attention to the incredibly beautiful cover. It was impossible for this cover not to catch my eye. As a self-published author, the cover design was left up to Keary Taylor and she truly did an amazing job with an image that leaps off the shelves. And now, onto the review. Eve doesn’t remember anything before the Fall. As far as she knows, her life began when she was thirteen, found by Avian, Sarah, and Tye. The three of them are the only family Eve knows and together they live in a safe haven for perhaps the only humans left alive, Eden. That is, until West, Victoria, and Brady show up.

Now eighteen, Eve recognizes that she’s different from the other inhabitants of Eden. She’s fast, strong, rarely tires, and feels kind of disconnected — emotionally. She doesn’t think she knows what love is, even when it comes to simply loving her best friends and “family.” Yet as she spends more time with West, she finds he awakens certain emotions in her. But for someone who has only ever known life in Eden, how can she learn to trust an outsider? Especially since Avian is suddenly vying for her affection; Avian, whose very presence calms Eve and who understands her better than anyone else. Neither West nor Avian want to push Eve, but it’s clear she has a decision to make.

At first, Eden reminded me of Stephanie Meyer’s The Host, but with non-stop action and a more likable protagonist. Eve is a strong, independent, and utterly selfless heroine. She is so busy taking care of everyone else that she neglects her own feelings. When her inner conflict regarding West and Avian begins, she thinks avoiding the situation will make it go away. She piles on more and more work, leaving barely enough time to even sleep. But it’s impossible for her to ignore the two men. She’s drawn to each one for completely different reasons. This is why the love triangle in Eden appealed to me so much. Eve’s conflicting emotions are completely warranted as she shares common interests with both of her suitors. There is no obviously apparent or “right” choice. It truly seems like she could be happy with either guy and I was right there with her, confused as to who she should pick. Keary Taylor does a great job of opening up Eve’s mind to the reader, allowing us to slip effortlessly into her thoughts. She’s not only a protagonist you can respect, but also one you can identify with.

While the love triangle dominates a majority of the book, the plot is in no way slighted or overlooked. Eden is four hundred pages of glorious characterization, world-building, suspense, breathtaking twists, and heart-pounding action. The post-apocalyptic United States is described in visceral, frighteningly believable detail. The science and mechanical details behind the Fall and the Fallen are innovative and so intriguing. It’s impossible to put the book down because you just want to know more and more — how, why, when? Taylor doles out the answers to these questions, but sparingly, building up the suspense until the very last page.

Personally, I loved the ending to Eden. First of all, I was satisfied with Eve’s choice. Second, even though Eden is meant as a standalone novel, I appreciated the open-ended conclusion. It does leave some questions unanswered and Taylor could easily write a sequel with this incredible world she’s created, but since she’s not planning on it, the openness of the ending leaves room for your imagination, for you to continue the story for yourself. Some books don’t do this well, but I think Eden pulls it off.

At times, I feel like Eve’s inner dialogue unnecessarily rehashes the same thoughts over and over. But since these new feelings are so overwhelming and all-consuming, I can see where she’s coming from. The characters’ dialogue also seems oddly formal and forced, sometimes. It can be hard to get through those occasional formal bouts, as they’re distracting in how noticeable they are, but once they pass, it’s easy to fall back into the story. Still, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves insane world-building, intricate love stories, and the idea of technology growing too powerful. Eden does an excellent job of dealing with themes of what it means to human, where we draw the lines of morality and ethics, selflessness vs selfishness, and acceptance. If you’re looking for a completely new world to jump into, try Eden.

Pages: 408
Publication Date: June 2011
Publisher: Self-Published
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “By month four, ninety-eight percent of the world’s population had become infected, not even human anymore. More machine than man. We, mankind, were a dying race.“

You should never judge a book by its cover.

Sure…but they never said we couldn’t admire them. Cover of the Week pays homage to the beautiful and eye catching graphics that grace the covers of our young adult titles.

This week’s cover of the week goes to Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.

Release Date: January 2012

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks — whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill. Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules — boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.

If you’ve read any of the Perfect Chemistry novels, then you’re no stranger to the Fuentes brothers. Confident, attractive, alluring – trouble. Well, Carlos and Alex have tried really hard to shelter their youngest brother, Luis, from all that, but it seems that Fuentes boys are destined to meet trouble in one way or another.

Luis is smart – so smart he’s got plans to head to college, and then move on to NASA. Then the Fuentes move back to Chicago, and back to the heart and soul of the Latino Blood – the ruling Mexican gang in that area. And the LB wants Luis.

Luis is smart enough to know that the LB is all kinds of bad news, and he knows he should stay the heck away, but the Fuentes curiosity, the Fuentes arrogance and thrill-seeking nature prevents that from happening.

There’s a problem though, and she goes by the name of Nikki. Hot, firey Latina from the better parts of Chicago, Nikki was raised away from all the violence and devastation that the LB delivers to Chicago. Nikki and Luis can’t stay away from each other, but like every Fuentes before him, Luis doesn’t always make the right choices. When Nikki finds out he’s pledged his allegiance to the LB behind her back, there’s no way in hell she’s going stick around for the show.

And then Luis learns the shocking truth about his family that his brothers and his mother tried so desperately to hide him from. He realizes he doesn’t belong in the Fuentes clan anymore, and without Nikki by his side, he’s really got nothing left to strive for. He turns to the one place that is offering him family and brotherhood, and willingly allows the LB to jump him in – old school style.

When are these boys ever going to learn: you don’t need to hit rock bottom to get what you want; you don’t have to follow in the footsteps of ALL the men that came before you!?

Like both Fuentes boys before him, I fell in love with Luis instantly. How could I not, what with that Fuentes charm radiating off of every single page? My heart raced and thumped dramatically as I entered his world.

He’s got the charisma of Alex, the passion of Carlos, and enough sense to see that he’s probably a little too much like his brothers sometimes. Where Alex’s stupidity was infuriating at times, Luis only incited feelings of sympathy when he made bad choices. Where Carlos’ outright confidence bordered on arrogance most of the time, Luis’ just seemed to know what he wanted – and how to get it.

The first thing I’d like to say about this novel is hubba hubba, look at that cover! It definitely qualifies as one of the most eye catching, tantalizing covers around at the moment. It leaves very little to the imagination, and not one part of me is sorry about that!

I’m a big fan of character driven stories, and Simone Elkeles really knows how to make her characters come alive. Her prose is flawless, her imagery perfect. The only thing I disliked about this novel was that it’s probably the last in the series. BOO!

Two very big thumbs up from a happy, satisfied reader!

Pages: 308

Publication date: October 2011

Publisher: Walker

Challenge: N/A

Rating::

Teaser Quote:

He pulls out a Glock from the waistband of his jeans, places it on the coffee table with a loud thud, and then looks at me with a stern, serious expression. “You want to keep your family safe, don’t you?”

So, the biggest and most exciting news to hit the YA community is the release of the Hunger Games official trailer. According to Lionsgate, “In an attempt to preserve the anticipation and mystery that fans are relishing, the trailer only shows footage from the first half of the film, chronicling events leading up to but not including the Games themselves.  After giving fans their first look at all of the book’s beloved characters brought to life, giving viewers who haven’t read the book vital information about the world of Panem, the trailer ends with an electrifying cliffhanger right as Katniss enters the arena. ” You can view the trailer here.

The movie will be released on March 23, 2012. Until then, there are a lot of fun websites to hold our attention. You can visit the Capitol Website and download character posters, keep up to date via Facebook and Twitter, and check out the official Hunger Games Movie website.

In other news, this has been quite a year for the YA genre and debut authors. A bunch of exciting film rights have been sold, such as the rights to the Myra McEntire’s Hourglass series, which has been optioned by 20th Century Fox. You can read about it here on Deadline, or here on MTV Hollywood Crush. And earlier this year, Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment acquired film rights for Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why with Selena Gomez signed on to star. Summit Entertainment has closed a deal to acquire film rights to Divergent with Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher producing. You can read about Veronica Roth’s thoughts on a potential movie. Last, MTV reports that both Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall and Delirium have been optioned by Fox 2000.

Meanwhile, while everyone is super excited for part one of Breaking Dawn’s release this weekend, it’s easy to forget about Stephenie Meyer’s other project, The Host, which is expected to hit theaters in 2013. All three leading roles have already been cast, with Saoirse Ronan as Melanie, Jake Abel as Ian O’Shea, and Max Irons as Jared Howe. You can read an interview with Ronan as well as Entertainment Weekly’s article on Irons.

With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town-a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville’s latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn’t merely human. But is he a vampire-or something else entirely?

As Michael and Eve make preparations for their wedding, certain undead members of the Morganville community begin making all kinds of noise objecting to the idea. Everyone seems to have an opinion on why Michael and Eve shouldn’t get married – except the couple themselves. Even Shane and Claire express concern. Michael is a vampire; Eve is human. A lifelong predatory union such as that is bound to end in tragedy, right? At least, that’s what the history books show. Eve wonders … could her relationship with Michael go down in history as the first human/vampire relationship to really make it?

In Bite Club we saw Shane and Claire face all kinds of adversity. Shane let Claire down – repeatedly – and both of them still have wounds to heal from that experience, but Last Breath opens showing Shane and Claire more in love, stronger than they’ve ever been before. It’s obvious they’re meant to be together, through thick and thin, the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful – but what about in death? Last Breath sees Shane and Claire face the ultimate challenge – the biggest one they’re likely to encounter ever.

Meanwhile, outside the Glass House, Morganville is in a state of disarray. Vampires are going missing and something has spooked Amelie out of her mind. She’s packing up the vampires and planning a mass exodus out of Morganville. It looks like the humans will finally have their town back.

Or will they?

If I know Amelia – and I think by now I do – leaving the humans to their own devices is not something she’s particularly known for. She says they’re leaving and allowing the humans to reclaim the town, but is that really what’s going on? Would she really leave a bunch of humans behind untouched, uncontrolled? Not very likely.

And Claire and Shane know it. Complacency, happiness, contentment – these are things that Shane and Claire will never get to experience. Not while they’re living in Morganville, anyway. In an epic battle – more epic than anything Morganville has ever seen – the Glass House gang will join the vampires, again, in the fight for their very lives.

Last Breath threw many curve balls that I never saw coming. Predictable is not a word I would choose to describe this series. Just when you think Caine can’t possibly develop this world any further, she does. Just when you think these characters have grown as much as they possibly can, Caine manages to mould them into even more dynamic, even greater characters. I never get tired of reading these books. With Last Breath Caine delivers one of the most thrilling cliffhangers to date, and as always, I’m now anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next chapter in this awesome series.

Pages: 335

Publication date: November 2011

Publisher: New American Library

Challenge: N/A

Rating: :

Teaser Quote:

Oliver stalked forward toward … Toward Myrnin, in his thick black coat, who was holding Shane against the alley’s other wall with his right hand, and drawing back with his left, claws catching the light in sharp angles. He hesitated as he spotted Oliver, and froze as he saw Claire’s shuddering form.

“No,” he whispered, the signaled a stare at Oliver. “Damn you! She shouldn’t have to see this!”