Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

On the changed Louisiana shoreline in the perhaps not so distant future, when the ice caps have melted and weather patterns have changed significantly, Nailer works on Bright Sands Beach breaking down old ships. He's young and still scrawny enough to crawl through ducts collecting copper wire and other scavengable parts of the ship. He's hoping when he gets too big to fit into the ducts he'll be able to work on heavy crew, the teams that take apart the hulls of the ships. He's worried that he won't be strong enough or big enough but he decides not to worry about it.
After a hurricane rushes through the beach, Nailer and his best friend Pima have the day off work while the bosses try to get the beach organized enough to start again, so they decide to go in search of fresh seafood. Out on a spit of land (that becomes an island in high tide) they find a beautiful clipper ship wrecked on the beach. Pima and Nailer go inside the ship and begin to scavenge, thinking this is their ticket out of Bright Sands Beach, just one big Lucky Strike will save them a lifetime of back-breaking work. They just need to find a way to protect it.
While going through the ship, they find the dead bodies of the crew and the body of a swank girl, around their age. With gold rings on her fingers, a diamond in her nose, and gold around her neck, Pima and Nailer know they've hit the jackpot. They decide the best way to get the rings off the girl is to cut her fingers off. Much to their surprise, the girl is awake.
Nita is the daughter of one of the big global shipping agents, and she's being chased by one of her father's employees because Pyce wants to do something illegal. Pyce thinks if he holds Nita hostage, her father will let Pyce do whatever he wants with the company. When Nailer's father (a cruel drug addict) finds Nailer, Pima, and Nita, he decides he's going to make the deal with anyone who comes looking for Nita. Nailer and Nita escape towards the Orleans (the remains of New Orleans, most of which is underwater) searching for one of her father's ships that is still loyal to Nita and her father. When they finally find one, Nailer wants to make sure it's all right (his father has shown up in the city at the same time) but it ends up that Nita's taken.
Nailer finally gets his wish and gets to sail on a clipper ship while they search for the ship that has Nita prisoner. They find it, of course, and Nailer helps with a plan to trap the ship and get Nita back.
There's a lot going on in this book. I had a not so easy time going through the book. I didn't dread reading it but it didn't move quite as fast as other books I've read (like Wither by Lauren DeStefano). It's an adventure story, a dystopia story, has slight political comments, it just felt like a jumble of story lines while being not entirely certain what kind of book it wants to be. I definitely didn't dislike it, but I think if it had not been this year's Printz winner I would have been less inclined to finish it. Ship Breaker is a well-written interesting story, especially if you like adventures. It might appeal a little more to male readers than female readers, but that's not to say female readers won't like it. Definitely an adventurous story. I think my issue with it is that I wasn't expecting it to be an adventure story. But as I said, it's well-written and interesting and should appeal to readers who approach the book without any preconceived ideas of what it's about, other than an adventure.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Rhine and her twin brother Rowan scramble to keep living, even though like all of their generation, they will be dead before they're old. Girls die at 20 and boys die at 25 due to a virus that is so far unexplainable. The First Generations are adults in their 60s, 70s, the first (and only) genetically perfect generation. No one is certain how long they will live, but a number of them, including Rhine & Rowan's parents, have lived long enough to watch their first children die and are now on their next set of children.
At 16, Rhine is taken by Gatherers, people who prowl the streets for girls who will become brood mares to the wealthy, and taken far from her home and imprisoned by Linden and his father Vaughn. Rhine, along with Jenna (18) and Cecily (13), become Linden's wives. His first wife, Rose, the girl he grew up with and loved naturally, has turned 20 and is in the process of dying. 21 year old Linden has married Jenna, Rhine, and Cecily, but pays them little attention while Rose is still alive. Once she dies, he begins to spend time with each of his wives, first at night (each girl has her own bedroom), then during dinner and afternoons. Rhine reminds Linden of Rose, and it is her similarity to Rose (and closeness, the two girls spent time together before Rose died) that draws Linden to her.
Rhine is determined to escape. She does not want to be trapped in the gilded cage of the mansion whose grounds she cannot escape. Her first attempt to run away (during a hurricane) goes badly, and it is her friend Gabriel (one of the house attendants, who is near her age or a couple years older) who saves her from blowing away. Vaughn knows Rhine was trying to run away and warns her of what can happen if she tries again. Part of Rhine's plan is to become Linden's first wife, the wife he brings to parties and out into the world, so she is nice to him without ever really letting him into her past life, she lets him sleep with her in her bed but never consummates their marriage. She finds there is more to Linden than she originally thought, and a friendship grows between them.
Being a sister wife is more fulfilling than she originally thought as well, as she becomes as close as sisters with quiet, withdrawn Jenna and demanding, slightly bratty Cecily. Linden is easily intimidated when his three wives are together and generally lets them have their own way when they are.
Vaughn is a sinister character who had a son live to age 25 then die. Linden's mother died during childbirth and so Vaughn is desperately seeking a cure to the virus to keep his son alive. Rhine thinks Vaughn's desperation leads him to keep Rose's body in the basement laboratory to try different cures.
Wither is the first book in the Chemical Garden trilogy and I am curious to see where the story will go from this book. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters (even Linden) and I don't know what Rhine will do next. She is so intent on getting to her brother Rowan (who may or may not still be at their home in Manhattan) that you want her to find him, but you know even if she escapes from Vaughn, she will still die when she's 20. But you still want her to escape. Wither is definitely a worthwhile read for high school students and older. I look forward to the next book and hope I won't have to wait too long.

Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd

Remember what I said about Carbon Diaries 2015 being Life As We Knew It Lite? 2017 changes that. Dark, brutal, gruesome, confusing, frightening ... Laura Brown's world got crazier.
You would think about two years of carbon rationing the UK would have settled somewhat, people would be making do as best they could, and while that is happening, unrest, anger, fear, and discrimination are building, making the world scarier. Laura's trying to get through university, but protesting students are being arrested and beaten and kicked out of university, so she escapes to her parents' home (who moved outside of London) for the spring term and early summer.
The Dirty Angels (Laura's band) are still at it, though Adi is more interested in revolution and fighting than the band. So, Sam (one of Laura's classmates) ends up being a part of the band and when the Dirty Angels get to be part of a European tour, Sam comes with. But France, if possible, is in even more chaos than the UK and when the band is around on election day, a very right wing party is elected, and so the band splits to Italy.
Only to learn that Adi has malaria in Sicily. Laura goes. But it's not easy.
When the group finally makes it back to London, Laura agrees to settle into her university work (there are no jobs out there, so she might as well get an education) and playing with the band.
London explodes with frustration, aggravation, and protests. The army and the government are fighting their own people and after Laura and friends have been lying safely hidden at Kieran's, they decide it's time to be a part of the fight to stand up for what's wrong. It goes amazingly poorly.
Definitely darker than 2015--that book is more about the environment and the side effects of everything going wrong with carbon rationing, 2017 is about people who have finally had enough and want to change the government, which hasn't changed with the changing world. An intense story, and I'm glad that Laura made it out (for now) ok. Changed, but ok.

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

We all know 1) I'm a sucker for books written in the diary format and 2) I'm a sucker for dystopian novels and so The Carbon Diaries 2015 was perfect fit.
The dystopia part wasn't a huge role, the book is meant to take place in modern Britain (and only a few years away from the present) but with a few quirks (or yet to happen events) thrown in. The Great Storm has left the global community thinking that maybe some changes need to be made to how people live.
The UK is the first to make changes by rationing carbon in January 2015. So Laura Brown keeps a diary of what's happening during the year, from the extreme snow to extreme rain to extreme drought (is there any other kind?) back to extreme rain. The weather is just one aspect of crazy during 2015 and Laura just wants everything to be "normal". She wants to play in her band the Dirty Angels, she wants to crush on the boy next door, she wants to pass her exams, she wants her older sister Kim to stop being an evil witch, and she just wants her parents to be normal.
The book reminded me of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It: the world is going along happily until some extreme event knocks everything out of whack and it's the story of one teenager coping with the changes. Saci Lloyd leaves some humor in The Carbon Diaries 2015, which makes it not as intense as Pfeffer's books. Now the moon didn't get knocked closer to earth, it's just global warming (just? yikes), but the government's plan to put people on carbon rationing changes aspects of daily life: how much you can use the computer, watch TV, take hot showers, cook, all the basic stuff you take for granted. Lloyd does a good job of showing the activities that change that we normally wouldn't think about (Laura's mom can't drive her car as often, Kim is missing her gap year because it's too expensive to fly, students are re-thinking education and careers) and increasing the feeling of desperation that slowly rises amongst the family and the community at large. The snow is frightening (people dying from the cold, no food getting to the UK) and then it all melts and there's relief. The rain is intense (better than the snow) and goes on for days and days and days, and when the sun finally comes out, there's relief. The drought is frightening (people dying from the heat, the city turning off access to water), with no one thinking to save the rain that drenched the people in the spring, and when it finally rains there's relief. The relief is always short-lived because there's some other disaster that's coming closer.
It's amazing how "normal" Laura's life continues to be--she goes to school, plays with her band, fights with her parents, takes her exams, sleeps late on breaks--though cracks in the normalcy peer out from time to time, like when the school has an assembly on what to do during a riot. The diary format moves the book along at a quick and easy to read pace, Laura is a great character struggling with being a teenager and this great change occurring in the world at large. She's easy to relate to and Lloyd does a great job of making some of the usual stuff of teenage life remain "usual". It's a great book, especially for those not as interested in the intense world Pfeffer creates in her books. The Carbon Diaries 2015 is a good book to read after Pfeffer's books. You need a little hope somewhere.
I just started The Carbon Diaries 2017 and I'm interested to see where this one will take me ... check for a review soon!

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

This sequel to Incarceron is incredible.
I admit I was confused as the end came upon me, but I was so eager to reach the end, to devour the story, to find out just what would happen to Finn, Claudia, Attia, and Keiro. Is there a way to free the prisoners? Can Era be ended? Would Queen Sia be overthrown? Is Finn really Giles? I read Incarceron about six months ago, I think, and I do not really remember books, so I thought it was great that Fisher made it easy enough to remember what happened in the first book.
Finn is Outside with Claudia and Jared; the Warden (Claudia's father) is Inside with Attia and Keiro (but not in the same place). It's been two months and Finn is still having a difficult time calling up any memories prior to his imprisonment. Relations with the Queen are complicated; she wants to look like she supports Finn and truly believes he is her stepson, but she still thinks her son Caspar should be able to take the throne. Finn is not the ideal prince; he is having a difficult time being at ease with the court and the finery and trappings of luxury. He wants the Portal fixed so he can fulfill his promise to Keiro and Attia. Claudia had expected Finn's memory to return and his fits to end, but neither has happened. She begins to question if Finn is really Giles. With Jared, Claudia is doing her best to repair the damage done to the Portal when the Warden went Inside.
Attia and Keiro are searching for Sapphique's legendary glove, which will give the wearer the ability to Escape. Attia finds it with a magician in a traveling circus and when she steals it from Rix, she discovers her life has just gotten a little more complicated. When the Prison offers to make a deal with whoever has the glove, there's a race between the characters who know of its existence to find the heart of Incarceron to deliver it.
Meanwhile, Jared is offered the opportunity to find a cure for his sickness which would mean betraying Claudia. A Pretender has arrived in court claiming to be the real Giles--and having the ease, courtesy and attitude to carry it off.
The pace of the novel picks up after a fire in the palace and the narration switches between those Outside and those Inside swiftly. The quick pace of the novel leaves the reader eager to find out what happens next, but I felt I missed or didn't fully comprehend everything that I was reading. There are some great surprises (about the Era and Incarceron) in the book and it is a thrilling read right to the end.
The ending does feel a little abrupt; I thought there were going to be three books (it's probably from reading so many trilogies of late) to the story so when I got about two thirds of the way into the book and realized it was going to finish in this book, I was excited. I was a little disappointed at how quickly the book ended, though. I would have liked to see an epilogue or one short chapter taking place a few months later, but I suppose I am picky. The novel ended on some really great imagery though (and I teared up a little at the end).
All in all, Sapphique is a fantastic read. I recommend both books to readers(it will be much easier now to recommend them with both books out) who like action, dystopian fiction, very strong female characters, and not so much romance (but a little). It's an awesome story.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Due out in February 2011, Lauren Oliver's Delirium is Ally Condie's Matched mixed with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies. Being a fan of both those books, I am a fan of Oliver's Delirium as well.
In Lena's gated city of Portland, love is a disease, one for which there is a cure, and you must be 18 before you can have the cure. Lena is closing in on her 18th birthday (95 days, she tells herself), prepared to be free from the worries of love--after all, it took her mother. Lena's mother had the procedure 3 times and each time it failed and when the regulators came to take her for the 4th time, she killed herself instead. Lena's father died when she was just a baby, so from 6 years old on, Lena lived with her aunt and uncle, trying to live down the fact that her mother had the disease and had it so badly she was willing to take her own life.
Love is even given a scientific, scary name: amor deliria nervosa, and Lena is as frightened of it as she is about everything else. Her best friend Hana is outgoing, vivacious, beautiful, and only recently beginning to show signs that she is not looking forward to her cure. Knowing the cure will change both girls so much that they will not have the same deep abiding affection for each once they have the cure, Lena still longs for it. The end of their friendship is coming and that makes for arguments and awkward conversations.
Lena meets a boy (as always) who is so different from other boys. He has been cured, so it is all right for Lena to spend some time with him. He reveals a secret that Lena is not prepared for and runs from him, only to realize that she can't stay away, doesn't want to stay away from him. Alex opens her eyes to the world beyond Portland's borders, the forbidden Wilds, where the Invalids live (the people who refuse to have the cure), to thinking beyond what she's always blindly accepted, to realize that so much of her life has included lies.
Delirium is a compelling story, swiftly paced (especially towards the end), prodding readers to not so blindly accept everything they're told, but to look into the truth, to learn for themselves. Oliver does a great job of showing how a friendship can change and deteriorate after so many years of friendship, that it's part of growing up and coming to terms with who each of you are. I really appreciated that about the story, as it's something that happens frequently to teenagers of that age, about to embark on a new part of life. Oliver's writing is natural, and Lena's distress and restlessness grow with her new found understanding of the society she lives in. The book is definitely left open for a sequel, and I hope Oliver writes one. (And I hope that something that appears very bad is not bad in the sequel, but I think I'm dreaming.) Definitely enjoyed the book, but then I'm a fan of the dystopia/awkward future genre.
Delirium is set to be released February 1, 2011.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

It's finally here and I'm finished: the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, was published on Tuesday and I've read my copy in two days. I needed to have a little time to think about the book before I reviewed it. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED.
I was expecting the immediacy of the Games to carry into the beginning of Mockingjay; instead there was a lot of waiting, discussing, and politics. I thought it was interesting that Collins chose to show so much of the war was on appearances--something that we know is true, but that doesn't really call our attention. District 13 wanted to use Katniss as a rallying symbol for the rest of the districts, but Katniss was of course wary of being a symbol--the girl on fire can only do so much. But when she decides to help out, to overthrow President Snow, Katniss throws herself into it, visiting the different districts, helping how she can, training to be a soldier, and working to bring about the downfall of President Snow.
Gale is in District 13, and is responsible for the survival of people from District 12--it was his recognition of the bombings that got people to the Meadow and to escape with the help of District 13. He is as adamant as ever to bring down the Capitol, even teaming up with Beetee to come up with some new weapons and strategies. While Gale would not tell Katniss what decision to make, he is glad when Katniss makes the decision to be the Mockingjay.
At first all Katniss does is help make "propos", or propaganda spots, cursing the Capitol, trying to encourage the Rebels in the various districts to keep fighting. This is not quite enough for Katniss and in her usual determined manner she disobeys orders to help how she wants to help. But the cameras, as always, love Katniss and her fire.
Things get a little tricky when Peeta is rescued from the Capitol--but he's hardly himself. President Snow has "hijacked" Peeta, changing Peeta's memories so that every thought of Katniss is dangerous, that he perceives her as dangerous, and that his primary purpose is to kill Katniss. After he does attack Katniss, she is shocked and frightened and defensive--Peeta has always been the only person who thinks positively of her, but now Peeta sees her as everyone else sees Katniss.
When Katniss discovers she's not allowed to participate in take over the Capitol, she is angry--after all, she's the one who helped make this happen. But President Coin has only ever needed Katniss as a rallying point and now that all the districts are united, her usefulness has worn out. Never one to be left out, Katniss does the training that all soldiers in District 13 undergo to make sure she can participate. Katniss' greatest test comes when she has to obey orders instead of doing what she wants. But she passes the tests to become a soldier and is part of a sharpshooter team in the Capitol.
Everything that can wrong, does. The abandoned streets of the Capitol have been essentially turned into a giant Arena and the sharpshooter team--and the rest of the Rebel soldiers--must work their ways through the booby-trapped streets to reach the Circle, the center of the Capitol. It's not easy, but the remainder of the sharpshooter team reaches the Circle, where Katniss sees a group of Capitol children roped off in the cold, huddled together. Suddenly packages, like those in the Games, drop from the sky, with food and clothing. The children take the packages and begin to open them when half the packages explode. Rebel medics, who have already reached the center of the city, rush in to assist the children when the other half of the packages explode. Katniss is injured, being on the edge of the explosive range, and Prim--lovable, caring Prim--is one of the medics killed.
When Katniss' burns heal and she comes out of some of her shock, President Coin has taken over Panem, President Snow has been tried and condemned to die, and Katniss will perform one last work as the Mockingjay. She is the one to kill Snow.
She speaks to him before he is set to die, and he plants the seed in her head that it was Coin who ordered the bombing of the children, with the twice exploding packages.
The seven remaining Hunger Games victims are asked by Coin whether or not there should be a final Hunger Games composed of Capitol children--the majority vote will rule. Johanna, Enobaria, Haymitch, and Katniss vote yes. Peeta, Annie, and Beetee vote no. There will be another Hunger Games--perhaps even including Snow's granddaughter.
Katniss is in front of the Capitol in her Mockingjay suit, with her specially designed bow, facing down President Snow. But it's not Snow she kills ....
Once the war is over, Katniss is returned to the remains of District 12, but she doesn't want to be there, she doesn't want to interact with anyone--which works well because the only people who are in District 12 are a drunken Haymitch and Greasy Sae, who cooks for Katniss. Her mother won't return, and Katniss is left to spend most of her time alone. Gale is working in District 2.
Peeta eventually returns, after having been through so much, and having been un-hijacked--he can look at Katniss without wanting to kill her. She rebuilds her relationship with Peeta, beginning with friendship.
It's a good ending to the trilogy, though I was surprised that Katniss' mother and Gale were so willing to leave Katniss to herself. I did like the darkness and light comparison--Katniss is the dark, and Peeta is the light, has always been the light, to keep Katniss balanced. I thought it interesting that Collins showed so much of the war being propaganda, that there was little following the troops on the ground, the feelings of the people. It felt more about Katniss and District 13's revenge against Snow than the liberation of the people. It was a moving book, I did nearly cry at the end (but then I cry a lot at well written books), and it was good to feel it completed. The epilogue was nice, as it gave a nice wrap up of Katniss, but not of the other characters. I wish there had been a bit more about the remaining characters and not just Katniss and Peeta. One day I will re-read all three books and take more time to read them to catch what I have missed, because I always feel like I miss something.

Matched by Ally Condie

One of the many benefits of being a librarian is ARCs--Advanced Reading Copies of books yet to be published. I was fortunate enough to receive one of Matched by Ally Condie, a new young adult novel that will be published November 30.

Cassia lives contentedly--the Society chooses your place of work, your home, your mate, even when you die (to maximize your life experience). Cassia has never questioned this and is looking forward to her Match Banquet, when Society reveals to her her ideal mate. She is very fortunate--and excited--to discover Xander, her childhood friend, is her Match. This is not at all typical in Society, as most people's Matches are from other cities.

When Cassia has a moment to herself (with her ten year old brother Bram and her parents and even Society always watching) she looks at the flash drive (it's essentially a flash drive, but all futuristic-like) she was given at her Match Banquet, which contains all the information about her Match. Of course, knowing Xander she knows much of information on it but is still very excited about it. Just as Cassia is about to remove the flash drive, she notices another picture pop up on the screen--that of another classmate, Ky.

Cassia is startled and shaken by this--the Society does not make mistakes. One of the Society administrators finds Cassia and explains what has happened, that Ky was not meant to be in the Match pool, that it is a cruel joke and that Cassia has truly been Matched with Xander.

Cassia begins to pay more attention to Ky; she's intrigued by him, fascinated by him, and as the two spend more time together, they begin to fall in love, but they must keep it secret as they are forbidden to be together.

What I loved about this book is the fantastic way that Condie had Cassia evolve--Cassia went from fully accepting all of Society's rules and actions to questioning them the more she understands and sees what's happening. She begins to see that she--and everyone else--is being manipulated by Society all for the reason of keeping them "safe". But what are the people being kept safe from? What's happening in the Outer Provinces? There's a war going on but no one knows who the Enemy is or why they are even fighting. Matched has great character development, a fabulous dystopia storyline, romance, and I hope there's another book coming because I'd love to see the development of Xander and more from his point of view (though I'm not sure that's where the story is going). I highly recommend it.