Waiting on Wednesday (160)

Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I'm definitely looking forward to The Last Star by Rick Yancey.  This is out 24th May 2016.

Synopsis

We’re here, then we’re gone, and that was true before they came. That’s always been true. The Others didn’t invent death; they just perfected it. Gave death a face to put back in our face, because they knew that was the only way to crush us. 

It won’t end on any continent or ocean, no mountain or plain, jungle or desert. It will end where it began, where it had been from the beginning, on the battlefield of the last beating human heart.

What are you waiting on?

Unwanted by Amanda Holohan

Title: Unwanted

Author: Amanda Holohan
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian/ Sci Fi/Post Apocalyptic
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Publication Date: 28th January 2015
ISBN: 9780143571094
Stand Alone/Series: Stand Alone I think!
Pages: 336 pages
First Lines: It was coming for her.  She sensed it following her through the empty crumbling alleyways - tracing the scent of her body, already slick with sweat

Synopsis:  All her life, Bea has wanted nothing more than to become a sniper on the wall and earn the coveted ink of a Dread warrior - a mark of distinction among her people. She knows that one day the terrifying Erebii might break through the city's outer defences, and if her people aren't prepared and the wall is breached then the last human city will fall. But everything Bea thinks she knows is about to be challenged... What does the ink really do as it flows underneath their skin and who is the mysterious Unwanted boy that keeps appearing in her life? 

My Thoughts:  I think what I enjoyed the most was the unique detail this dystopian had over other books in the genre.  It made the book stand out for me.

I love all things dystopian but there has to be an aspect that hooks me from the beginning that some books tend not to have.  For Unwanted it was the swirling ink and the crows and the Erebii.  The further along in the story and there were more aspects that made this book stand out. (I shall not mention these as they may spoil the book for others)

Unfortunately there were a few things that I didn't like.  The first one, and this could be personal preference, but the chapters in the beginning of the book seemed too long.  I don't know whether anyone else found this out, but I found that first chapter a bit of a struggle.  I was just getting to know the character but I felt there needed to be a break, even if the chapter was halved, though I know it would have been hard considering what she was doing.

The other thing that bothered me was that Gus wasn't as strong a character as I'd hoped him to be.  I mean I'm not after a super hero but a bit more fight for her would have been nice.  Maybe just me.

In saying that, I loved Bea and Red.  Two of my favourite characters for sure!  There was enough mystery about Red and it kept me itching to find out what the go was with him.

Even though there were a few things that bothered me, I absolutely loved the ending!  I fully expect a sequel!!  I can't find anywhere that there will be but I have to know what happens next.  I need to know!

I'll be keeping an eye out for more work by Amanda Holohan for sure!

Book received from:  Penguin Australia

The Young World by Chris Weitz

Title:  The Young World
Author:  Chris Weitz
Genre:  Young Adult / Dystopia / Post Apocalyptic
Publisher:  Atom / Hachette
Publication Date:  29th July 2014
ISBN:  9780349001937
Stand Alone/Series:  The Young World Trilogy #1
Pages:  352 pages
First Lines:  It's another gorgeous spring day after the fall of civilization.  I'm doing the rounds, following the path that winds through Washington Square Park like a warped infinity sign.

Synopsis:   Welcome to New York, a city ruled by teens. After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he's secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind. The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park ...and discovers truths they could never have imagined. 

My Thoughts:  I was pretty stoked.  I arrive home from work one afternoon with a couple of packages sitting on my desk.  I had requested a book from Hachette a little while ago and was lucky enough to be given a few different books to read.  This was one of them.

I must admit, I did read the back of the synopsis and think, "Damn, no zombies in this." I've read similar post apocalyptic story lines like this before too but you know what?  I love the post apocalyptic/dystopian genre and have not yet reached my threshold of "I've had enough of this".. yet.

I must admit, I wasn't completely hooked the first few pages in, but like alot of other books that turn out to be awesome, I kept going.  And I'm glad I did.

The two viewpoints in the book are Jefferson, reluctant leader/Generalissimo and Donna, his long time friend. Both POV's are in first person present but unlike Jefferson's, Donna seems to talk to the reader a little more.

I liked Chris Weitz's writing style and his characters were true to form of typical teenagers (without hopefully stereotyping teens), eg. declarations of love, the constant use of "like", everything is so amplified when your a teen.  It almost as if teens feel more than any other age group.  Hopefully that makes sense.  I got that feeling throughout the book.  Maybe not as up front and in your face obvious but it was there.

There were parts of the book which were less enjoyable than others, but I had to look at it this way.  If you were to take any adult and child away from a scenario leaving teens, how would things be.  I can totally understand the grouping.  Maybe not so much the emphasis on the "b&*%es" and the whole sexual objectification, but this is really only targeting one small group in the whole story and not all characters agreed with that attitude.  On the other hand I did laugh at the group from the library.  A little bit scary but at the same time a bit amusing and a little gross.  Sorry if there are a few spoilers here, I'm trying to keep some things as vague as possible so as not to ruin it for others.

I can see other readers saying this type of story has been done before, but really which ones haven't?  I'd love to see where the next two books takes the story and its characters!  Maybe in the second and third book it will set this trilogy apart from other books in this genre.

I've also read that this book has been optioned for movie rights already by Warner Bros so keep your eyes open.  It would sure make a great movie.  Especially since the author happens to have had a hand in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, A Better Life, About a Boy, The Golden Compass and American Pie.  Yep.  I reckon the movie should be good :)

Fave Lines:  "..You and Jefferson will have ten Eurasion babies.  Me and Theo will adopt half of them.  I'll host a TV show called Apocalypse Wow." Page 327
Book received from:  Hachette Australia