The Trials by Stacey Kade

Series: Project Paper Doll (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: aliens, extraterrestrials, genetic engineering, paranormal, psychic ability

Setting: Chicago, IL

POV/Tense: Rotating 1st person POV, past tense: Ariane Tucker and Zane Bradshaw

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 359 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Hyperion

Summary/ product description: “After being on the run, Ariane Tucker finds herself back where she started—under the cruel control of Dr. Jacobs, head of the research facility that created her. Now she must participate in the upcoming trials; a deadly competition pitting her against other alien hybrids, each representing a rival corporation.

But Ariane is no one’s weapon. She is prepared to die if it means taking down those involved in Project Paper Doll. They destroyed all that she holds dear, including Zane Bradshaw, the one person she trusted and cared for the most—the person she was forced to leave behind, bleeding and alone.

As her plan takes shape Ariane will need to depend on, now more than ever, the other side of her heritage—the cold, calculated instincts born from her alien DNA. With Zane gone she has nothing left to lose.

With heart-pounding action, and plenty of surprises, the gripping conclusion to Stacey Kade's Project Paper Doll series delivers a powerful finish that will keep fans hooked to the very end.”

My Review:  The Trials is the epic finale to the Project Paper Doll trilogy. Ariane goes to downtown Chicago to compete in the Trials with other hybrids, including Ford, Ariane clone/twin that Dr. Laughlin created. Ariane is Dr. Jacobs and GTX’s “product.” Ariane is going to use the trial agaist them to take down the companies and destroy Project Paper Doll.

Ariane thinks Zane is dead because of them, but we know something happened that might have changed him. When Zane shows up again, how different will he be? I really love Zane. He’s a great, selfless guy and really cares for Ariane. Ariane is so tough. She put walls up and rarely lets anyone in. Ariane and Zane both vaughly remind me of Max and Fang from Maximum Ride.

I loved that this book is set in Chicago! I live in the western suburbs and am familiar with the city (but rarely get to go downtown). In the book they end up in a lot of real places, like the Museum of Science and Industry, a place I have not been to in over a decade because admission in indeed expensive. They go to Millenium park to see the Bean sculpture. The chrome/silver one that’s huge. They do this because they are tracking someone. They also go to a few hotels. Real or not, I’m not sure.

The sci-fi elements are some of my favorites. Aliens. I’m kind of obsessed with them. I watch Ancient Aliens and the book make a vague reference to Giorgio Tsoukalos. A character named Justine says: People have been seeing UFOs for yeas….Centuries if you believe that guy with the big hair on TV. ” 

I also love book with characters that have superpowers or genetic modification. Maximum Ride, as I’ve mentioned before, is another series about a girl who has had her DNA manipulated. I love that series. This one I almost as good even through Ariane doesn’t have wing and doesn’t fly.

These books are a real thrill ride. Full of action and romance and crazy twists. I almost want more, but I feel the series is complete. I like the way it ended, but I wish we could have met the aliens that Ariene’s extraterrestrial DNA came from. I’m excited to see what this author cooks up next. I still have not read her Ghost and The Goth series, but I do own signed copies of them. So I recommend this series to those seeking more books  about aliens and genetic engineering. Or just kickass heroines.

Cover Art Review: The mannequins are falling like dominos. And Ariane looks badass.

Quake by Patrick Carman

Series: Pulse Trilogy (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Near-future

Subjects: paranormal, psychic ability, supernatural, telekinesis

Setting: Portland, Oregon. About 47 years in the future

POV/Tense: 3rd person POV omniscient

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 358 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “In the year 2051, Faith can move mountains…

Faith Daniels and Dylan Gilmore are in love, and they have a special ability called a pulse: they can move things with their minds. They're caught in the middle of a deadly war with two other pulses: Clara and Wade Quinn, who have joined forces with Hotspur Chance, the most wanted man in the world.

At the start of Quake, Faith and Dylan are holed up in a spectacular abandoned mountain lodge (once used in the film The Shining 71 years before), and their Intel friend Hawk leaves them in the middle of the night, in spite of a newly blossoming love with a girl named Jade. Hawk’s plan is to penetrate the Western State and make contact with a sleeper cell working on the inside that will give them valuable information about Hotspur’s violent plan.

But while Hawk is searching for answers on the inside, Faith and Dylan are still fighting on the outside. In a series of hair-raising battles, the second pulses duel it out, only to raise the body count on both sides. During the battles, Faith and Dylan discover an even great strength: the power of their combined love. Together, Faith and Dylan might just be able to save the world with a quake that is big enough to change the course of history.”

My Review:  Quake is the final book in the Pulse trilogy. It’s also by far the best in the series. I enjoyed the first book. The sequel was kind of boring and jumped around too much. This book is set in Oregon (Portland mostly, which is where Grimm is set!) and the characters are much more interesting and the dialogue is a lot funnier. I really enjoyed the references to pop-culture (or nerdy retro stuff) and literature.

I really enjoyed the new character, a thirteen-year-old named Jade. She had a crush on Hawk. Hawk is probably my favorite character. I would love to have a little brother whose super smart and could hack thing. Hawk is like Cody from Unremembered by Jessica Brody. Hawk likes real books and old movies. Usually you’d think a hacker would like only techie stuff. Dylan also like sci-fi movies.

My favorite thing about this series is probably the Pulse abilities. Telekinesis sounds like an awesome ability. Especially since Faith and Dylan can use it to fly. It’s also dangerous if used recklessly. This book also references old technology and our current technology and compares it to their futuristic technology. The tablets they use sound very cool. This book is not a true-dystopian, but it sometimes feels like one. The idea of the entire population of the US being concentrated into two states feels a little claustrophobic. It was done to help the environment supposedly, but it’s a bit extreme.

Now that this series is over, I hope that Patrick Carman has something else in the YA sci-fi/fantasy department cooking. I recommend this series to fans of Shatter Me, Blackout by Robison Wells and Darkest Minds.

Cover Art Review: I like the city illustration and the mountain floating in the air. It’s actually a scene in the book, so even better.

The Hunt by Stacey Kade

Series: Project Paper Doll (bk. 2, sequel to The Rules)

Genera(s): Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: aliens, extraterrestrials, genetic engineering, paranormal, psychic ability

Setting: Wisconsin and Illinois (Chicagoland suburbs)

POV/Tense: Rotating 1^st person POV, past tense: Ariane Tucker and Zane Bradshaw

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 359 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Hyperion

Summary/ product description: “Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life.

But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.

Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?”

My Review:  This has been an awesome sequel. I seriously love this series. The narration is done in a way that it differentiates both characters’ voices. Ariane is both serious and sarcastic and uses a lot of parentheses. She thinks logically, but sometimes emotions show through. Zane definitely sounds like a guy. He’s also not very sure of himself and was not well treated by his dad. I really like Zane, and I’d definitely add him to the list of awesome book boyfriends. He cares so much about Ariane and loves her no matter how alien she might be.  

I love that this book is set in Wisconsin and Illinois. A lot of the places mentioned are places I’ve been to or passed. Some of the places are made up. The Mars Cheese Castle mentioned is something we’d always pass on our way up to Milwaukee. We’d also pass Gurnee Mills and Six Flags. The author lives in the area, and I met her at RT a few years ago when it was in Chicago.

We got to meet new character, the other hybrids: Ford, Nixon and Carter. Ford is like a clone of Ariane, and Nixon and Carter are male. They attend a private school in Lake Forest, IL. They don’t act as human as Ariane because they didn’t have exposure to pop culture and care takers like she did. All three hybrids are connected to each other telepathy, and act like one entity. They act much more alien. But once Ariane learns more about them, she sympathizes with them and wants to help them. Zane believe they’re setting a trap to help eliminate her. Can she trust them?

The book is fast and slow, but the pacing is good overall. There’s these bursts of genius that makes this book a 5 stars YA sci-fi book.

I recommend this book series to fans of Maximum Ride by James Patterson, Altered by Jennifer Rush, Unremembered by Jessica Brody, False Memory by Dan Krokos, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, or any other sci-fi series that may involve genetic engineering, psychic super powers or aliens.  Or movies like that too. GTX is kind of like Itex, and Ariane is like Max and Angel.

I just want to say I totally saw that ending coming and predicted what would happen in the next book. Zane gets more than he can hope for, I bet. I knew it was going to happen. Am I psychic when it comes to plot twists or what?

Cover Art Review: I like this cover better than the previous book’s hardcover. The white mannequins and the girls in purple dress. The typography is good too.