Title: Dangerous
Author: Shannon Hale (Twitter)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publish Date: March 4, 2014
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher

Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There's no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

From NY Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a novel that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?

Readers of my blog know that science fiction is my thing. It's the bread and butter of this blog these days, so you'd better believe that Dangerous had me wondering why in the heck I'd waited so very long to read it. However, upon reading past the premise and actually opening the novel, I believe it's fair to say that I understood why the hype was so very little for this novel. Shannon Hale is a best-selling author in her own right and, having read some of her work and enjoyed it in the past, I must say that I simply believe that this is a case of an author stepping a bit too far from her comfort zone. It's the type of novel that offers you perfection with a powerful and enticing premise, but only delivers a fairly mediocre result.

Dangerous gives readers a strong and straight science-fiction direction from the start, offering our characters the chance to go to space. Maisie has always dreamed of going to space and doing something more important than she might otherwise accomplish here on Earth. With her best friend Luther, she is determined to make something of herself. This, in and of itself, sounds like a great setup, and I was thrilled that we were going to be offered a strong protagonist with a male best friend. The only problem is that we soon realize Luther's only purpose is to become the third corner of a love triangle that is weighted far heavier than the actual plot points of the novel. Furthermore, our third love interest, Jonathan Wilder, simply enters to fill that void for a "bad boy," and readers are forced to watch as science-fiction melts down into a sort of syrupy romance.

Being a fan of Ms. Hale's, I read the full novel, hoping to see that the character tropes, which are extremely overabundant, relationship drama and  teenage lingo would settle and make way for the actual meat of the plot. Unfortunately, however, I found that Dangerous actually fell a bit more flat as time went on. Though readers anticipate danger and intrigue, the novel falls flat in that aspect, giving us little more than moody teenagers and hints at powerful science fiction plot lines. Maisie, though I desperately wanted to love her, could have been a stronger character due to her disability. Born with one arm, she had the chance to be strong, and empowering and sure. Instead, I felt as though her disability was merely a crutch for some teenage cruelty throughout.

I mean this sincerely when I say that I really wanted to love Dangerous. Ms. Hale is author to some of the most enjoyable books, including the Princess Academy and The Books of Bayern series. I wanted to love this one, but I couldn't get over the fact that so much of the novel felt trite and cliche. I give it a 2 out of 5, and I urge you to try the author's other titles, but if you enjoy science fiction lite, this is for you.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Title: Tumble & Fall
Author: Alexandra Coutts (Twitter)
Publisher: FSG BYR
Publish Date: September 17, 2013
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher:

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.

Alexandra Coutts's Tumble & Fall is a powerful story of courage, love and hope at the end of the world.

The world is on the brink of disaster. There is nothing that can be done, nothing that can be changed and three teens are forced to find a way to live their entire lives in their final days. Sienna's life has been non-stop drama, and for once in her life, she might just not want to die. Zan is still coming to terms with the fact that her boyfriend, Leo, is dead. But she's finally found a reason to live...at the end of days. Caden's about to be reintroduced to the father he's never really known. How do you live out your life when there's only 7 days left?

In a world where people are utterly fascinated by the possibility or probability of the end of days, Tumble & Fall leaps into a coveted place on the market. Offering readers a solid premise, a cover that should be envied by many a cover (and author) out there and talented writer at the helm, this book has all the makings of excellence. Alexandra Coutts has set the stage for a fantastic drama full of life, love and the desire to survive.

Now, before I go any further, I have to be honest and say that I actually debated even writing this review. However, as it was provided as a review copy, I feel the need to offer up to my readers some unblemished honesty. Tumble & Fall, despite having all the facets of an incredible story setup, simply did not work for me. We're given three distinct points of view - that of Sienna, Zan and Caden - and for the first time ever, I can honestly say that not one of them worked for me. Sienna was probably the most plausible of the three, as she's recovering from severe depression, but the utter flakiness and impulsiveness of her character was jarring. Plus, let's add in the fact that she's known her new love interest, Owen, for a very short period of time before she decides she's in love with him. Oh, and for the record, Owen is building an ark...which will totally not save them from an asteroid. I struggled with Zan's character because, while I can understand the depth of her loss and loneliness, her epic scavenger hunt to find some hidden message from her dead boyfriend as the world's ending just didn't seem remotely plausible to me. Caden's story, if possible, was by far the least plausible (or enjoyable) for me. His absent father returns at the end of time to abduct him and treat him to all the things they've missed out on? I can see that being accomplished without forcible abduction. Here's the thing, guys. The writing in Tumble & Fall is not bad. In fact, it's fluid and engaging. The story, however, lacks the same charm and quality as the writing, itself. I would expect far more urgency and drama in an end of the world scenario. Instead, we have this overwhelming sense of denial, and a lackluster sense of doom & gloom where everyone seems more keen to enjoy the beach then spend true, quality time together.

All in all, Tumble & Fall just didn't speak to me. I wish so badly that it did because it really did have all the makings of a good book, but it really fell flat. I hesitated reviewing it because I can't offer a good review, but I do encourage readers to make their own decisions regardless of my opinion. I give it a 2 out of 5, and this is appropriate for the YA crowd.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Title: Bumped
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Published: April 26, 2011
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 336
Source: Tour/Cornucopia of Dystopia

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

Melody and Harmony were born into a world where teen pregnancy is as valuable as money in society. Melody never knew Harmony, but now they've found each other and must learn to come to terms with the upbringing the other has received. Melody has a goal - she wants to bump and receive all the status and money that comes with it. Harmony, however, wants nothing more than to be the perfect wife and mother. But despite their different lives, their identical looks are going to send them on a journey together that's both a blessing and a curse - pretty much the same as their chance meeting.

Bumped is another big-name book in the wave of new dystopian novels taking over the YA market. Written by veteran author Megan McCafferty, known for her popular and well-written Jessica Darling series, Bumped presents a world that puts an all new spin on the media craze we see today. Whereas we watch shows such as Teen Mom and The Pregnancy Pact, Bumped turns this phenomenon on its head, making teen pregnancy a valuable, enviable and coveted turn of events. It's a unique twist on the dystopian genre - slightly creepy and eerily fascinating, but definitely and completely one-of-a-kind. 

Promising premise aside though, I have to admit that Bumped fell flat for me. From page one the book is cluttered with the slang of the world Melody and Harmony live in. In fact, it was so jarring that I actually put it down to attempt to digest who the characters actually were. Furthermore, Bumped is written from both Melody and Harmony's POVs, alternating by chapter and furthering my confusion. Now, don't get me wrong, the irony of the world of Bumped is not lost on me. That said, I felt it was contrasting with an overtly perky voice that didn't fit a story that, I'm assuming, was supposed to be somewhat serious. I'm a fan of Megan's other books, so I was surprised this didn't work for me.

Now, I'm not saying that Bumped is a bad book, but I'm confused about the audience of Bumped, as well as what I was supposed to take away from it. If it was supposed to be ironic, or a play on what we see today, I would want that to be more apparent and not masked by slang and dialogue that just didn't work for me. I hate giving bad reviews, but I give it a 2.5 out of 5 for the original premise and the author's talent, alone. I would still recommend it to fans of an upper YA audience, as well as those who enjoy dystopian novels.

Title: The Demon Girl
Author: Penelope Fletcher
Publisher: Smashwords
Published: October 7, 2010
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 191 (eBook)
Source: Personal Copy

Rae Wilder has problems. Plunged into a world of dark magic, fierce creatures and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet.

Rae finds herself beaten up, repeatedly, and forced to make a choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Rae Wilder's life is very much a normal person's greatest nightmare. She's a Disciple, and she's training to be a Cleric, which means she lives in a world of monsters - vampires, shifters, goblins, witches and faeries, and as a Cleric, she's destined to fight these creatures. When circumstances change one day though, and Rae witnesses Clerics killing a young faerie, she knows she has to run. She happens upon Breandan who reveals Rae's hidden past and ignites a future of adventure, turmoil and struggles both internal and external.

I downloaded The Demon Girl onto my Nook because I saw it was up for grabs on Barnes & Noble. With a great cover and a cool, paranormal premise, I was really excited to try a book from a pretty much unknown author. Penelope Fletcher knows her demons. She has this innate ability to make her demons both creepy and terrifying but also human in emotion. The Demon Girl features a fun and intriguing plot full of twists and turns that seems sure to promise a fabulous thrill ride.

That said, despite a strong plot, The Demon Girl fell a good bit short for me. To be extremely blunt, the book was riddled with cliches and stereotypes, and everything sort of just fell into place with little or no extreme conflict. I also felt the insta-bond between Breandan and Rae was a bit Twilight-esque, if you will, failing to break through the mold. And, while I can easily overlook a few grammatical errors and such, some of the chapter jumps just killed me. We went from one situation in The Demon Girl to another one, entirely, with no transition at all.

I never like to give bad reviews, and I have a penchant for indie books, but The Demon Girl just didn't measure up to it's premise or plot potential for me. Perhaps some people will like it more than me. I give it a 2 out 5, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy YA paranormal tales, especially those with faeries.