Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Ebook, 292 pages

Published March 22nd 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Own
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters. 
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

So sad to reach the end of this series, but it has to stop somewhere like all the good ones. Lucky for us, this one ends after a whirlwind set of events and a new, impressive main character. Much like the second book, The Dead-Tossed Waves, it has a "companion" feel rather a sequel. At least this one has a concurrent time frame with its predecessor instead of being a generation after The Forest of Hands and Teeth. 

Annah impressed me from page one. She has lived a tough life and it just got worse after Elias left. Scarred from a childhood incident, she shields herself from human interaction and runs on survival mode. These characteristics make her shine, but do cause issues as she is met with a set of circumstances that she cannot control.They also made the story so great to read from her perspective, especially seeing Gabry in her eyes and recognizing their differences. It is amazing how their different childhoods affected each one of them. One child that is headstrong and the other is more of a "go with the flow" and adjust personality. Additionally, Annah's attitude vastly changes the lives of Tristan, Elias, and Gabry by pushing them over limits they couldn't even fathom and even breaking the mold on some of Tristan's misconceptions. 

Due to only hearing about Annah from the other characters' POV, we basically have to spend the first part of the book learning about her and her shaded past. It can be slow at times, but I promise it is interesting and really helps you understand her personality. The groundwork was laid better than with Gabry and I found that this helped me form a connection to Annah that I couldn't with her. After this period, however, the plot explodes and snowballs downhill in a gut-wrenching ride. The architectural descriptions and events in the Dark City were some of my favorites; they actually made me stop and think about "what if" and how our society would react in those situations. I also think that readers may be surprised how the so-called "love triangle/quadrangle" turns out. Yes, it was a little predictable, but it sure wasn't an easy resolution! The only thing I have to squabble about a little is the ending. It almost felt like an afterthought or a conclusion to a "middle of the series" book rather than a finale to a series. I read the last page and thought "That's it?" I think it needed an epilogue or another chapter to solidify it more. Otherwise, this was my favorite book and lead character of the series and definitely worth waiting for!

Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Ebook, 321 pages

Published March 9th 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Own
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

     The "Forest" Series exists in a world that I wonder if we may end up in one day. I believe that is why I have such a connection to it. Unfortunately, this book suffers from a horrible case of "second book syndrome" even though it is more of a companion novel instead of a sequel. 

     One of the best aspects of TDTW is that it comes from Gabry's point of view. She is Mary's daughter, but definitely doesn't take things like Mary does. Gabry, while it does cause her to be a little dull at times, has a contentment about her and is happy with the life that she has been living. This is completely different than her determined mother who came off with a "I'm going to conquer the world or burn it" attitude. Fortunately, it does suit the plot, but does cause it to drag sometimes as it coincides with her complacency. 

     However, this book does the "love triangle" better than most. In the beginning, we meet Catcher as Gabry sets out on a journey to find herself. Along the way we pick up Elias, who brings a whole new persona into the situation. Each guy has redeeming qualities and of course cons, but I can honestly say I don't think either choice would be bad. Alas, it would not be that easy for Gabry. In what is probably the most exciting part of the book, this whole situation changes in one second and the choice is taken from her...

Review: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Hardcover, 464 pages

Published: October 9th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

     I absolutely loved the concept of this book and really wanted to love it in its entirety as well. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The synopsis feels very misleading after reading the book. I was looking for a book about a girl getting revenge on her killer. Instead, I was thrown into a world that revolved around the Departurists and I was confused by this. I do not know if this was merely me missing some steps, but others have commented on this as well when I asked around. I liked the details the book incorporated, but nothing seemed to mesh for me. 
     I couldn't get attached to Velveteen or her attitude especially. She felt likable enough but there were no characteristics that made me feel connected to her or to help understand her. There was no outstanding qualities or abilities. The synopsis made me think she would be a powerful character that would take charge. I never got to see this from her. She and the other characters were just puppets that floated from one scene to the next. The lack of cohesion in this book was too much for me to enjoy it. I may revisit it later, because I usually do not leave books with this result and want to re-confirm this evaluation. 

Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate

Rapture by Lauren Kate

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published June 12th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley, ARC
Buy the book:  Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

RAPTURE, the fourth & final FALLEN novel, is the Lauren Kate book the world has been waiting for.

The sky is dark with wings. . . .

Like sand through an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the angels fell to earth.

Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed.

And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now is the only one that truly matters. In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

The series had really been hit or miss with me. The first book was ok, the following two were simply "eh, I've come this far, might as well continue on..." Now, I am glad I did. After all that these characters have been through, they realize there is always hope in humanity.
The story picks up where it left off in Passion. It takes a little bit for it to pick up, but their traveling to find the place where the angels fell does help speed things up. Here lies the obstacles that they have to deal with and forces that they have to eradicate. The journey with this was heartbreaking but yet invigorating. The plot line with Daniel, Luce, and Heaven becomes really interesting in this book. Kate had always before just alluded to certain aspects, but this time we get to learn more about how our heroes ended up the way they did. Kate's take on Heaven and the inner workings for it is not really conventional to what I know, but I do like it. For this story it fit well.
The sacrifices with Luce and Daniel are extreme. We lose friends and foes in this book, no one is safe. However, this helps everyone grow in many ways. They take it in stride and strive on to meet their goal..and sometimes their doom. The ending. Ah, the ending. The price for happiness can be extreme in reality, let alone in their fictional world. Here it is no different. These characters literally have faced Heaven and Hell to fix things...and those left standing have a few surprises and decisions to make. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the solid ending it was for this series. It will probably not be on my top favorite series of all time, but it is definitely one that you should consider if you are given the chance to.