Author Archives: keithbwalters

Delirium

By Lauren Oliver, published by Hodder.

Delirium

Seventeen year old Lena lives in a dark vision of the future where love has been diagnosed as a deadly disease. Once you turn eighteen in this love-less version of America, you must under go The Procedure, which removes the part of the brain the ‘loves’- so that you can live a life without affection. Lena has always played by the rules, and never put her foot out of line in her strict society, but then she meets Alex. Alex has many dark secrets, and is strikingly beautiful. What will Lena do- run away into the wilds with him, or stay and have her mind swiped of love, which will wipe Alex from her memory?

I loved Delirium so much! It had a very original idea and was written beautifully. I thought that the world that Lauren Oliver has created was absolutely brilliant: a kind-of Big Brother Society (which is becoming pretty common and popular in teen fiction), but was still so much different from anything I have ever read before. The governments actions on events in the book totally shocked me- it was ruthless! Also, there was a ‘Matching’ procedure- very much like in the book Matched– which shook up the ending, a little, and I liked its effect on the characters and the plot. The whole idea of removing the love from a human being was really shocking and made me want to read on to find out why the government decided on doing it. It also interested me, scientifically. I would’ve liked to see a bit more scientific details as to how exactly the procedure worked, as it was pretty vague.

I loved the character Lena, the protagonist, so much. She developed a lot throughout the course of the book- from becoming the rule-abiding, good girl to to the rule-breaking, rebellious one. The gradual changes in her emotions and feelings towards her society were shown really well through the author’s writing. I really liked her relationship with her best friend Hana: this story was not only about breaking out of a strict, love-less society, but it was also about testing friendships, too. The decision the Hana made at the end broke my heart. I also really liked Alex, the love interest, right from his introduction to the story- when Lena found him during a (rather hilarious) protest against the procedure. He was a love-able character throughout, probably mostly because of the things her did for Lena and his life-long rebelliousness towards the American government. I loved how he stuck with Lena through thick and thin… especially at the ending (Oh, gosh, the ending! It was on such a cliffhanger. Now I need to hurry up and read the sequel!!).

My only problem with the story, in total, was the romance. As much as I liked the character’s secret, forbidden and undying love for each-other, I think that there could’ve been some more great plot twists if one was to accidentally betray the other, or something along those lines.

Overall, Delirium was a really fun read. I loved everything about it- from the genius and unique idea, to the well structured plot and the unforgettable characters- who were really realistic. Definitely recommended for YA’s- and I can’t wait to start the sequel- Pandemonium!

Paper Towns

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By John Green, published by Bloomsbury.

Paper Towns

Quentin (Q) Jacobson is the soon-to-graduate boy who has always loved his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman from a distance. One night, she enters his room through the window and summons him to join her on a well planned night where Margo’ll take revenge on uninteresting classmates. Head over heels in love, and in shock, Q follows willingly.

After their all-night revenge-fest, Q makes his way to school and finds that Margo is not there. She’s been known to run off before, but Q knows this is different. He soon picks up on a trail of vague clues, and determined to track down the girl he loves, he follows them… but where will they lead?

**Review contains tiny spoilers about Margo in the ending of the book, in the second paragraph!**

I picked Paper Towns up this morning- just because it was a small paperback that I could read on the train today. I ended up becoming totally hooked on the story, impatient to find the outcome of the unique events. At first, it seemed strikingly similar to Looking For Alaska, another novel by John Green- popular girl and unlikely, somewhat geeky accomplice pranking students of their class, then something happening to the popular girl. However, I carried on reading. The pranks were witty and ingenious and made me laugh out loud, and the characters brimming with unique and well developed personalities. The similarities between Paper Towns and Looking For Alaska stopped there as this whole new adventure began after Q and Margo’s all-nighter, and the searches for the clues were totally captivating. I loved every second of it. Also, I found it interesting how one poem was the answer to all of the questions Q was searching for, if he looked hard enough. The references were very clever.

Q was an enjoyable protagonist, and I enjoyed his narration a lot. I really admired his courage to find out what had happened to Margo, as she had disappeared without a trace, despite his fears about a possible suicide. I mean, in the end, he traveled all of the way across America to find Margo who could or could not have been in the location he suspected. Margo, on the other hand, I thought was kind of selfish. Who just leaves for no apparent reason, after committing a few acts of vandalism as revenge? I honestly didn’t understand her at all throughout the book, although I did like her personality from the beginning part she was in. However, when Q found her at the end and she explained everything, I understood her and came to like her a lot more for the last few pages. It was interesting to see how her fourth-grade magical story drove her to running away, and how it linked to a dead body (Q and Margo discovered a dead body in a park when they were little), Q, and her home life. She was, overall, unique, just like the other protagonists I’ve read about in john Green’s other books.

In all, Paper Towns was a really great read. It had that classic essence of mystery solving to it, with some really memorable characters. I also liked the supporting characters , who were just as brilliantly developed as the protagonists. The plot was pretty captivating, and kept me guessing about the outcome throughout. It was witty and thought-provoking- recommended to YA’s!

Zom-B: City

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By Darren Shan, published by Simon & Schuster.

Zom-B City (Zom-B, #3)

After the events of Zom-B: Underground, B Smith has emerged into the zombie–infested city of London. She discovers the mass effects of the zombie infection breakout, and that hardly anybody survived and remained humans. She explores this new, gruesome and blood-coated London, only to find that the evil zombie clown who broke into her old underground home, Mr. Dowling, is at large in the capital of England. What will he do when he finds B?

After waiting so long to buy a copy of City after reading Underground, I was so excited to start this one… and it totally lived up to my expectations. In the last two books, there had been not as much action as I had expected, but in this book, there was constant action throughout: in the form of brain eating and lots of gore. I think the backdrop for the story was great- never before have I read in a zombie book so much description, and so much detail into the setting. I really loved it.

Mr Dowling, the evil zombie clown who has a human eyeball on his nose, entrails wrapped around his limbs, and severed ears stapled to his trousers, terrified me! He was a totally horrific, yet brilliant antagonist, who did so many evil and heartless actions that chilled me to the bone. Darren Shan has still not yet revealed what the intentions of Mr. Dowling and the Mutants are, but that left me with questions in my head after reading the last page, so I’m already eagerly awaiting the publication of the fourth epic, gory installment. There was much development in the personality of B Smith, in my opinion, in Zom-B: City. I thought she’d begin to crave brains more and become less conscious of her actions, but she still maintained a level head and was trying to save people, even though they were trying to kill her. I really loved that courage in her; she’s a really great protagonist because of that.

Overall, Zom-B: City was a very enjoyable read. Even at only 210 pages, it packed a real punch. I read it pretty quickly and was left craving for more (not brains, books. Don’t worry!). I can’t wait for the next book!

New books! #6

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Lots of books today, being my Birthday- yay!

Zom-B City (Zom-B, #3)

Zom-B City (By Darren Shan) I’ve waited so long to read this! You can read my review of the first one HERE and the second one HERE.

Delirium

Delirium (By Lauren Oliver) I have always wanted to start this series!

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)

CLockwork Prince, Clockwork Angel, and City of Lost Souls (By Cassandra Clare) After reading Clockwork angel, I’ve wanted to finish the trilogy. With City of Lost souls– I just want to see what happens to Jace now he’s under evil power!

Evercrossed (Kissed by an Angel, #4) Raising Demons (Hex Hall, #2) The Replacement Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)

Evercrossed, Raising Demons, The Replacement and Hush, Hush (By Elizabeth Chandler, Rachel Hawkins, Brenna Yovanoff, and Becca Fitzpatrick) These came as a paranormal romance box set. Can’t wait to start them!

If You Find Me

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by Emily Murdoch, published by Indigo (Orion).

If You Find Me

Fifteen year old Carey and six year old Jenessa can only ever remember living in the woods, in a broken down camper van with their mentally ill mother. The girl’s mother leaves them for weeks at a time, going into the town and leaving them with only some canned foods and a shotgun. One day, whilst their mother is out, two strange people arrive, claiming that Carey’s mum sent a letter to them asking them to look after them, because she can’t cope anymore. Everything changes for Carey and Jenessa, forever…

I received this book yesterday from the lovely Nina at Orion, and I picked it up just to read the first chapter before finishing some other books. Well, that plan failed. I couldn’t put it down, and devoured it in a couple of hours. If You Find Me was so amazing and I just couldn’t bring myself to stop reading it! The whole idea of two girls and their broken mother living in the forest, away from civilization just had me hooked- it was so different from anything else I’ve read. They had been rescued from possible starvation not even fifty pages in, and had moved into their long-lost father’s new home along with his new family not even halfway through the book, so I wasn’t very sure where the rest of the story would go. However, the rest of the plot was strong and didn’t disappoint, with lots of clever links in Carey’s new life back that go back to her old one- like the boy she meets in her new high school.

I absolutely loved the protagonist Carey, as her narration was fantastic and full of heart. Her voice totally captured me from the minute I read the first page, and I enjoyed reading her terrifying, unique story. I felt her emotions and was rooting for her throughout the book. I also liked the character of her sister, Jenessa- she was just so loveable and I just wanted to hug her because she’d been through so much. The reasons behind her muteness and personality were really shocking, and I felt so much sympathy towards her because of not only that, but what her mum did to her. Despite the fact that their mum isn’t actually in the book (She’s only mentioned by characters, or shown in Carey’s flashbacks), I felt I knew a lot about her by the end of the book, and her actions shocked me so much. As you can probably already tell, If You Find Me dealt with a lot of very serious themes that brought tears to my eyes frequently… Things like the abuse from Carey’s mum, the emotional blackmailing from Carey’s new stepsister Delaney, and more. Carey’s frequent flashbacks made her past events so much more real and scary.

It’s an extremely emotional roller coaster of a book, and I bet more than one point will make you cry, but it’s full of hope and free will too, which makes you smile. Definitely recommended for thirteen/fourteen and up, this is a must read which I’m sure will capture the hearts of so many people. The characters and the tear-jerking story will stay with you long after you close the book after reading the last page- I know they did with me.

Fragments

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By Dan Wells, published by Harper Collins.

Fragments (Partials, #2)

Kira found the cure for RM- the disease that kills human babies after three days of life. But without a Partial to extract the cure from, the doctors at the East Meadow hospital are unable to replicate the cure, so babies are still dying. On top of that, Kira has become friends with the Partial Samm who has only a year left before he ‘expires’ and dies. Kira’s stepmother Nandita left and never came back at the end of Partials, leaving behind a photo with a note on it: Find the Trust. Determined to find out who she really is, who ‘the Trust’ are, and to find out how to replicate the RM cure and stop the expiration dates on the Partials, Kira begins a terrifying journey through the toxic, abandoned wastelands of America to seek answers.

After seriously enjoying the first in this sequence, Partials, (Review HERE) I couldn’t wait for this sequel! Right from the beginning I was totally hooked in. There was a time gap between the ending of Partials and the start of Fragments, but that made it even more interesting and made me want to read on, because I wanted to discover what had happened.

The plot was really great and I enjoyed every single second of it. Although about three quarters of this book (which is a lot- this is over 550 pages!) was just Kira, Samm, Heron and Afa (a new character) travelling through the deserted wasteland that used to be the U.S.A., the author managed to avoid repetition and the reader reaching boredom by cleverly throwing in some unexpected action and natural disasters. He also broke up their journey by adding in chapters with Marcus (Kira’s boyfriend back in her hometown) as he went through his own times of danger with the invasions of Partials and a raging war re-starting. I really enjoyed the switching of scenes! In Fragments, the settings were even more vivid, and even more terrifying. I really loved them- the backdrop for the Partials sequence is the most brilliant vision of the future I have ever read!

I also found it ingenious that, at the end of Partials, there was about fifty pages of emails and letters to and from members of ParaGen: the people who created the Partials, the artificial humans. I read them yet didn’t quite know how they connected to the story, but it was really clever how they actually belonged to a character who made his appearance in this book. Reading back on those letters in the first book, it really made some connections clearer in Fragments.

I absolutely adored Kira’s dedication and determination to unite the Partials and the Humans and save both of the doomed races. She is a really unique protagonist, who was ready to forgive the Partials for their rebellion and try to save them- she was the first ever person on the new Earth to volunteer for that. Even when, towards the end, when she had the key to the cure for RM in her hands, she didn’t take it just because it was unfair to the Partial race because it would mean putting them all in a comatose state and experimenting on them. She had real guts and courage, not only for that, but also for crossing the whole American continent when it was full of constant acid rainstorms, and flooding, and so many more terrors. I also liked her shaky friendship between Heron and Kira, because although negative, it changed the course of the plot at points and made for some riveting plot twists at the end of the book. I came to really love the character of Samm- I hadn’t liked him much in Partials, but he really developed a personality in this one. He also did such an unpredictable thing at the ending which will probably cause many problems in the third book… he kissed Kira, knowing she had a human boyfriend back at East Meadow. That annoyed me only because Kira kissed him back- where’s her loyalty for Marcus gone, when he was doing so much to save her and not give her location away to the Partials who want to kill her?

Overall, I really loved this sequel. It was full of thrilling plot twists, and the many deaths brought tears to my eyes- Dan Wells has packed so much emotion into this powerful book. I thought it would be a dragged out story when I saw it had about 560 pages, but it was absolutely brilliant and I devoured it in about a day and a half. Recommended, but be sure to read Partials first!

City of Fallen Angels

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By Cassandra Clare, published by Walker.

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)

**Synopsis below contains spoilers for those of you who haven’t read City of Glass!**

After the Mortal war and the death of Valentine, Clary’s evil father, Clary is back at home in New York city and training to be a shadowhunter. She’s also able to finally call Jace her boyfriend. Her mum, Jocelyn, and Luke the werewolf are preparing for their marriage. Life couldn’t get better.

Then bodies of shadowhunters start turning up- murdered in horrid ways. Somebody who was in the old Clave circle is doing it- so tension is rising and so is the possibility of another war… this time between Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Simultaneously, Jace is beginning to pull away from Clary and she can’t work out why- and she can’t go to Simon because he’s got enough problems. He’s dating a Werewolf and Isabelle the Shadowhunter, and neither of them know about the other. With everything falling apart at the seams, what will Clary do?

I loved this so much! The plot was action-packed and unpredictable, with lots of great twists. It was structured brilliantly; the events played out perfectly. I enjoyed Cassandra’s writing so much- her descriptions are brilliant, and a lot of the dialog witty. I enjoyed reading about the new antagonists to the story- Camille the Vampire and Lilith, the oldest demon. They were absolutely terrifying, as was Lilith’s plot to bring the evil, demonic Sebastian; Clary’s heartless brother. I don’t think any other author could pull off having two evil-power-hungry-antagonists, both with different intentions, in one book!

Clary, in my opinion, did not develop much at all in this fourth installment. Of course, I still loved her as the main protagonist, but i fell that she could’ve chipped in a bit more with the fighting. This book was more about regaining her love for Jace after the difficulties they’d faced in City of Ashes and City of Glass, and as much as I enjoyed that, i think she could have fought a bit more (Yes, she was restrained by an evil demon dog in the final battle, but I would’ve liked her to fight it a bit more!). I think Jace’s personality was a bit more in-depth in this book than in a couple of the previous ones. The whole possession issue with him made his emotions for Clary shine through much clearer. And finally, Simon seemed to have a much bigger part in this book than I thought he would’ve. In fact, there was nearly as much of his story than there was of Clary’s. I liked having him become a more major character than before, though. He really developed in this book into a more confident character. I noticed a love triangle between Maia (a werewolf), Simon, and Isabelle (Jace’s sister) at the end of City of Glass. It was really interesting to see that become bigger and create multiple issues in City of Fallen Angels!

In total, City of Fallen Angels was a brilliant read. It was thrilling and captivating… I couldn’t stop reading. I found it really clever how Clary found herself in Simon’s life-or-death situation towards the ending. I love Cassandra’s writing so much, and really wan’t to read about what happens to Camille- so I can’t wait to read the next: City of Lost Souls!

The Fault in Our Stars- Possible Movie!

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I’m going to start posting book-related-news I hear on my blog now because I feel like it 😀

Has anybody head that The Fault in Our Stars is on its way to becoming a movie? From John’s new vlogbrothers post, (find it here), it already has a director, and SHAILENE WOODLEY has been cast as Hazel, the protagonist! For those of you who don’t know, Shailene Woodley is Tris in the Divergent movie (which I also cannot wait for!). How awesome!

What do all of you think The Fault in Our Stars movie will be like? I’m sure it won’t be as good as the book, but if it’s made, it will probably bring me to tears. Multiple times.

If you want to read my book review of TFiOS, it’s HERE (I’m sorry. I just love putting hyperlinky things up.).

The Death Cure

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By James Dashner, published by Chicken House.

The Death Cure (Maze Runner, #3)

The Trials for Thomas, and groups A and B. It should all be over now- no more lies, just a cure for the flare, and the chance for all of the gladers to get their memories back from before the trials. But Thomas can remember more than they think, and he knows they can’t be trusted. He teams up with Minho, Newt, Brenda and Jorge, and breaks out of the WICKED laboratories. They begin an epic, action-packed adventure in the flare-infected America, where they discover the extent of the disease and that some people are keen to get their hands on them because they’re Immunes. Can they work together along with Teresa and everybody else in the Right Arm, a rebellious group, to take down WICKED for good?

After seeing a lot of bad reviews on Goodreads I was sure I wasn’t going to like this finale to the trilogy, However, it was absolutely brilliant! It had a totally different plot and setting than the two Maze Runner books before it, and was equally imaginative… and terrifying too. The Flare-infected towns, the new city of Denver and the WICKED compound were all well described and believable locations. All of the events in The Death Cure were exhilarating and edge-of-your-seat stuff. I loved the whole new perspective on WICKED, as there were good points as well as bad points about them in this book. It really made me re-think my opinion on them, because really they were god- but just went about the whole saving-the-human-race-thing in the wrong way.

Thomas was just as bold and determined as he was in the previous books. I still loved reading about him. He had a heck of a lot to deal with in this book, and I was rooting for him the whole way through. Also, Newt became a lot bolder. After he discovered he was infected with the Flare, and wasn’t immune, a lot of the story became centered around the difficulties he was facing about leaving his friends. I really felt for him. As well as him taking a bigger role, I think Brenda became a very major character in this final installment. But, as much as I liked to see her betray WICKED to save Thomas and the gladers, I didn’t like her for becoming a major character. It seemed like as she became a bigger part of the story, Teresa (my favourite character after Thomas) was shrinking into the background. She didn’t get much of a part at all, except for at the end… which I won’t spoil but will say I was very sad at!

Overall, The Death Cure was a very action packed and well-structured end to an amazing and unforgettable series which I will probably re-read sometime. I loved the outcome, but was saddened very much by the deaths of two great characters. The ending left me wondering what would happen next, in the unwritten chapters of Thomas’s and the remaining survivors’s lives as they rebuild the broken world around them. I’ll definitely read more from James Dashner, and hope he writes some more about this awesome fictional world. Maybe he could write a book about Thomas’s son, or something, I don’t know… I just want more!

The Medusa Project: The Hostage

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By Sophie McKenzie, published by Simon & Schuster.

The Hostage (Medusa Project, #2)

After the events of The Medusa Project: The set-up (Review HERE), cocky Nico, spoiled girl Dylan, geeky boy Ed and sport Ketty have been put together as the Medusa Project team- used by the government to get to the bottom of crimes in London. Their first assignment is to stop an unknown hacker who is at large- and the government suspects Foster; the wealthy manager of Fostergames industries. Ketty, the Medusa-implanted teenager who can see into the future, discovers that her brother Lex is involved in the scheme in the most dangerous of ways. He’s selling a story about Foster onto the press and has no idea that Foster will kill him for it.

The stakes are rising as Ketty and her team discover that Foster is more than ready to set off a bomb to get what he wants. Can Ketty control her powers and use them to save the day, and control her feelings for Nico, whilst trying to protect her older brother?

After reading The Medusa Project: The set-up, I couldn’t wait to read the sequel. I was expecting a similar plot involving the antagonists from the installment before… but this plot was way different, with all new terrifying bad guys. Although considerably shorter than the first book, The Hostage packed a real punch and had a riveting crime conspiracy in its meager 220 pages. Although a little predictable at times, it was a really fun read. there was a lot of action and suspense executed perfectly by the author. Also, I enjoyed the teenage love embedded into the story- Ketty dating Nico, and Ed being visibly upset and maybe a little jealous too. I think the love could’ve been used to make a really cool plot twist, however- like maybe Nico could’ve interrupted a plan because of problems with Ketty and Ed, and change the events of the story massively or something. However, it was still great.

I wasn’t expecting Ketty to do the narration of this book- I thought the series would be narrated by Nico throughout- but it gave a real insight into how Ketty was feeling about Ed and Nico. It also helped the story, seeing as the hostage was Ketty’s brother. I really got to know her character more, and understood her visions more because of that. I really loved her bond with her brother and how she would even stay with him when he had a bomb ready to go off in five minutes strapped to his chest. I think I got to know Dylan and Ed a lot better, too, as Ketty had very different relationships with them compared to Nico’s. In fact, I came to dislike Dylan as she seemed like a bit of a bully towards Ketty. But at the end, she got more likeable. As for Ed- I felt so sympathetic for him throughout. Although he didn’t speak about Ketty’s new relationship with Nico, I could tell he was heartbroken… and yet he still went out of his way to help her. It was so sweet.

In all, The Hostage was a really thrilling read, with an original plot. It’s aimed at readers around 10-11, but I still really enjoyed it and will read the third in the series soon. I wish it could have been a bit longer though, but apart from that, definitely recommended!