"The Saints" (Quarantine #2) by Lex Thomas

*You probably shouldn't read this unless you have either read The Loners or you are okay with spoilers.

While outside of my normal tastes, I rather enjoyed The Loners, so I was anxious to read The Saints. While I did enjoy it, I didn't care for it as much at the first book. However, it has left me crazy anxious to read the third and final in the series The Burnouts.

Things have changed for the students at McKinley High and not necessarily for the better. David has graduated and now Will and Lucy are on their own. The hierarchy of the school begins to change as a group of parents has taken it upon themselves to provide necessities for the abandoned teens (this is the very basic premise. Tons more happens, but I try so hard to avoid spoiling anything).

As a whole, this book didn't seem as dark as the first one which for me was nice, but in some ways I think that made the plot a little weak. I also really missed David's point of view from the story as Will isn't nearly as strong of a character. Overall though, the plot was very captivating and the right amount of suspense. Overall I see this series having more appeal for guys than for girls, but know that both genders can appreciate the writing too. The Lex Thomas team have really created an interesting scenario and I hope to see more books by this duo in the future.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"This is Not a Drill" by Beck McDowell

I've wanted to read This is Not a Drill for quite some time now. I knew it would be a fairly difficult read because of the subject matter, but that it would also be an important book. Emery and Jake help teach French to a class of first graders. They do their best to push emotions from their past aside so that they can teach the children. During a normal class, one of the students' parents arrives to pick up his son. However, when the teacher won't allow him to take the child without following procedure, he loses his cool and begins to threaten the class with a gun. Before they know it, it's up to Emery and Jake to keep the children safe and try to figure out how to get out.

I had high expectations for this book and am happy to say that they were met. McDowell has touched upon a very important subject. Unfortunately we live in a world that contains too much senseless violence and it's something that seems to surround us every day. Emery and Jake's story could happen anytime and anywhere. This book is a real eye opener about how easy it can be to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and end up in horrible danger. I feel that McDowell has written a wonderful book and does a great job of capturing the situation and emotions.

My only complaint about this book (kind of spoilers) is when they gain internet access and begin to communicate with the outside world. I am very lucky to have never been in such a situation, but it seems like police and other officials would have taken charge of the situation as soon as they realized some of the hostages were able to communicate, but instead the teens were able to communicate with their friends in addition to officials. This seemed strange to me, but again, I have nothing to compare to.

To state the obvious, this book is kind of intense so I don't recommend it to really young readers or those who don't like a lot of danger and suspense in their reading. I do feel this is an important book and probably a good one for parents to share with their children. It's probably not the best book to read right before bed (I say this as someone who has had far too many active shooter nightmares), but still hope that people read this book because the insight it provides could be very valuable.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Hatchet" by Gary Pulsen

I may be the only person in the world who is not impressed by Gary Paulsen's Hatchet. I often get asked 'have you read insert-book-title-here?' Hatchet is one of the books I get asked about a lot and it's always followed with praise by the asker. So because of this, I must have expectations that were way too high.

Brian's parents are divorced and he is on his way to see his father for the first time since their separation. As they are flying over a forest, the pilot suffers from a heart attack and suddenly Brian is left all alone and it's up to him to try and land the plane. He crashes in the middle of no where and has no choice but to figure out how to survive.

In my life I have read many many books about people having to survive without the help from others. Included in this list are My Side of the Mountain, Call it Courage, and Island of the Blue Dolphins all of which handle the subject matter wonderfully. Hatchet on the other hand, does not. I felt that Paulsen spent far too much time telling me as the reader what happened instead of showing it. There were really only two scenes where I felt any connection to Brian or felt major concern for his well being.I fully expected that this book would grab and keep my interest, but in the end I think it fell flat. I have read more by Paulsen so I know that I otherwise like his writing, but know that I will not be making any more progress with the Brian books (Though I just might watch the movie).



Happy Reading

"The Loners" (Quarentine #1) by Lex Thomas

First off, this book really surprised me. I knew the general premise; something happens causing the population of a high school to be completely quarantined from the rest of the world and their fight to survive. What I didn't expect was just how dark this book was going to be. Unfortunately, it was a little darker than I generally like, but I think that this made the book stronger overall. David's first day of school starts off just as one would expect when out of no where, part of the school explodes. Without warning, the teachers are dead, the students are unable to leave and nothing will ever be the same. As the school falls into absolute chaos, David has to do anything he can to keep him and his brother, Will, alive.

There was just something about this book that caught my attention. I didn't expect so much chaos and destruction, but am glad to see that such a book exists. I am an extremely squeamish person. To give you an idea of how much so, parts of The Hunger Games film was a little bit too graphic for me. I managed to get through the entirety of Breaking Bad, but a good number of scenes were "watched" with my eyes closed even that was a little traumatizing. There were several times while reading The Loners where I had to close the book and breathe for a minute because the scene was that intense. Now don't get me wrong. I am not complaining about this and I have every intention of reading the sequel. It is just not often that I come across a book that creates such a strong visual and while that element was a little overwhelming for me, I am so glad for this.

A few days ago, a teen at my library asked me for a book that was scary, but that didn't have anything like zombies or vampires in it. I recommended the first of the Quarantine books. The next day he came back and told me "that was awesome. Are there more?" So I can say with some certainty that if you like scary books that don't involve the paranormal, then you will probably like this book. While I will approach any other books by the Lex Thomas team with caution due to my own weirdness, I am very hopeful for more books by them.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Article 5" by Kristen Simmons

This book is quite the page turner! I've seen it on lists of "If you like The Hunger Games try..." and I can certainly see why (though I liked this book quite a bit more than the first Hunger Games book, and that's saying something). It's been three years since the war. Ember remembers what it was like before the Moral Statutes, before the arrests, before she had to protect her mother. But even though she has become used to the way the world now functions, nothing can prepare her for the day when soldiers arrive at her door and arrest her mother and Ember is sent to a rehabilitation facility. From that moment, her only mission on life is to be reunited with her mother, no matter what it takes. Soon she embarks on a journey with the one person she has to trust yet the one person who could ruin everything, the boy she loves and the boy that helped arrest her mother, Chase.

I just had to know what happened in this book. After reading the inside jacket, I was surprised that it mostly summarized the first chapter, but I 
really appreciated this. I didn't have to wait for the story to start, I just jumped right into the action.  There were many moments when I just didn't know how Ember was going to get out of her current predicament (but knowing there are two sequels I figured that somehow she would manage) and read this book almost straight through without any breaks (only took one break from it actually, that is how good it is). While I wouldn't completely compare it to The Hunger Games there are quite a few similarities: survival, the need to protect family, finding out that the world is an even scarier place than originally imagined are just a few. But I felt that the characters in Article 5 are much stronger and that the pacing was better. I look forward to reading the rest of the series! Simmons has a winner with this book!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

And Happy Valentine's Day too! If you are looking for a lovey-dovey book for today, I don't recommend this one. I don't read many romances so I'm not the best to suggest them. But for me books=love!

"I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis

I came across this series on accident, but it's exactly the kind of series that I just love!  When I was younger, I was always drawn to historical fiction (oddly, I much prefer that written for elementary school age over than for teens and adults).  One of my favorite series was the Travelers Through Time.  Though there were only three, I read them often.  The I Survived books by Lauren Tarshis, remind me quite a bit.  I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, the first in the series, George is traveling back home with his sister Phoebe and their Aunt Daisy.  Though they have only been on board a short time, he has already met Mr. Andrews and found out about the layout of the ship and discovered a secret- there is the mummy of an Egyptian princess on board the Titanic!  Naturally George decides he wants to get a glimpse of the mummy before they land in New York but a man with a scarred face has the same idea.  Just as the man opens the crate containing the mummy, something happens and the ship begins to sink!  Can George survive?

This book is more or less what you would expect with the subject matter (there sure are a LOT of books about the Titanic) but since it is the first in the series, I think it is a good introduction to these books.  It's great to see how real elements of history are reflected in the pages.  Kids reading this book for fun will still learn something from George's adventure.  I also enjoyed that the book ends with a list of facts (I always appreciate these sort of things because I remember them helping me out with school reports).  I am anxious to read more books in this series (at the time of writing this review there are seven, but I suspect that there will be more).  I also like that fact that it is a series since it's always nice to be able to direct kids to books like the ones they just read.  If you read this book, you will not be disappointed!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

I think I sometimes jump on the bandwagon for popular books a little late and this was no exception.  Boy, was I missing out.  I had little desire to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins until I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie last week.  Waiting was a mistake.  This book is AMAZING!  From the very beginning I was on the edge of my seat and could barely put the book down (there are not many books that I stay up late and wake up early to read).  It is magnificent!

If you are in the very small percentage of book nerds that hasn't read The Hunger Games let me clue you in.  Katniss lives in a world very different from our own.  To remind the citizens of what used to be North America of the mistakes made in the nation's history, each of the 12 districts must give up one young woman and one young man to compete in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death where one will live and twenty-three will die.  When Katniss' sister is selected as tribute for District 12, Katniss selflessly volunteers to take her place.  She then enters a world even stranger than the one she left, a world where people horribly change their appearance to appear beautiful, feast on wonderful foods everyday, and take pleasure in the deaths of children.

I have read many reviews referring to Katniss as the anti-Bella.  There is no better description for our heroine.  She is a wonderful role model for girls- powerful, brave, and self sufficient only a few words that I feel accurately describe her.  This book has action, romance, fantasy and can appeal to all readers, both male and female.  If you haven't read this yet, trust me, you are missing out!  Get a copy, read, and enjoy!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Hollowland" by Amanda Hocking

Only Amanda Hocking could right a zombie novel I would actually enjoy (though, to be fair, I've never tried to read a zombie novel, but picked this one up because it's by Hocking).  Hollowland, the first in The Hollows  series, is the story of Remy, one of the few survivors in a zombie investation, on a mission to find her brother who was evacuated from their "secure" quarentine when it is attacked by said zombies.  Remy sets out across the country with nothing more than the supplies in her messenger bag, a single gun for protection, and two young girls that follow her out of the quarantine.  She only knows that her brother has been moved to another site somewhere in the north.  Along the way, Remy and crew set out on an extremely dangerous journey.  Not only will they encounter zombies (of course!) but some of the most excentric characters I have seen in a long time.

One thing you should know about me; I am over-the-top squeamish about many things.  You will not catch me watching medical shows or movies filled with blood and gore.  Yet, somehow I read (and enjoyed this book).  Yes, there were a few times that my stomach turned because of the descriptions- zombie blood sounds absolutely lovely by the way- but I still found myself eager to find out what would happen next.

I have read by My Blood Approves and Switched by Hocking.  Hollowland is yet another series that I am excited to complete.  Like many, many books, my biggest complaint is that it ends on a major cliffhanger.  Of course I cannot wait to get a copy of Hollowmen and find out how Remy fares.  Until then, I have a lot of other books to read!

Another cool thing about this book?  It is currently available for free on the Kindle!

Happy Reading!
-Melly