Push by Eve Silver

Series: The Game Trilogy (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Sci-fi Thriller/Romance

Subjects: action, adventure, aliens, extraterrestrials, fighting, games, survival

Setting: Rochester, New York

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Miki Jones

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 341 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover and soon in Paperback

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “It’s either break the rules or die.

Miki Jones lives her life by her own strict set of rules, to keep control, to keep the gray fog of grief at bay. Then she’s pulled into the Game, where she—and her team—will die unless she follows a new set of rules: those set by the mysterious Committee.

But rules don’t mean answers, and without answers, it’s hard to trust. People are dying. The rules are unraveling. And Miki knows she’s being watched, uncertain if it’s the Drau or someone—something—else. Forced to make impossible choices and battling to save those she loves, Miki begins to see the Committee in a glaring new light.

And then the Game crosses a new boundary, pushes harder into Miki’s and her friends’ lives, and there’s nothing in the rules that can save them now.

Push is the sequel Rush fans will be screaming for.”

My Review:  Push was a great sequel to Rush. I enjoyed plunging back into the world of The Game. The characters are awesome. The aliens are creepy and mysterious. There’s a lot of mystery and things yet to be revealed. I still enjoyed Rush better than Push, but that’s because it was the introduction.

I love Jackson. He’s one of my favorite love interests/lead guys. Our narrator, Miki, is awesome too. She’s always trying to be in control and strong for all the troubles in her life. She’s worried about her dad’s drinking problem and her own panic attacks. Plus, Miki knows kendo. She’s awesome with a sword.

Carly is Miki’s best friend. Miki feels like they might be growing apart, mostly because Miki’s been occupied with the Game and lying to Carly, but in this but they come back together. Miki even buys cupcakes, and eats one despite her beliefs on healthy eating. I love when friendship plays a big role in books. Romance is great, but characters that you would want as your friend are even better.

I kind of wish more happened in this book, though. I loved in for the characters and the sci-fi, but the plot didn’t really speed up till the end. There are a lot of side issues beside the Game. Realistic teen issue, like alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety. Honesty was also important. Miki hated how Jackson wasn’t telling her what Committee had told him.

It’s hard to compare this book to other books out there. If you have not read Rush or Push, then just know that it’s about fighting aliens, but it’s not dystopian. It’s set in contemporary Rochester, New York and the characters are pulled into a “game” or a mission in another plane/dimension and they have to kill the Drau aliens. It’s pretty hard to explain, so if that sound cool, then read it.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover so much. The letters are like glass, but in bright neon colors. It’s just amazing and metallic. I totally bought these books for their covers.

Unleashed by Sophie Jordan

Series: Uninvited (bk. 2) Final Book

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Thriller/Romance

Subjects: genetics, psychology, psychopaths, murder, love, rebels, resistance to government,

Setting: Texas and New Mexico

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Davy

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 355 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover 

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.”

My Review:  Unleashed is the second and final book of the Uninvited Duology. This series is a very unique kind of Dystopian series. It’s set in the very near-future (2021) in which people are tested for the “kill-gene” and ostracized for having it. These book brought up tons of questions about psychology and prejudice.

In this sequel, Davy, Sean, Sabine and Gil attempt to cross the boarder into Mexico to get to a refugee camp for carriers. Davy is shoot and falls off the boat and washes up on US soil. She is found by a guy and taken to an underground compound and treated for her injuries. This guy, Caden broke protocol bringing her and this angers some of the other carriers at the compound.

Davy tries to act tough and sarcastic since she feels so guilty from killing a guy in the previous book. Caden sees through her act. Though Davy missed Sean and longs for him, romance bloom between Davy and Caden. Davy tries to leave the compound multiple times, but things happen that prevent her from leaving.

I honestly think I like Caden better than Sean. Sean was okay. I liked him though he was broody; at least he was polite and kind. He’s not really in this book very much. Caden has dark hair, Sean had blonde. Caden has golden brown eyes, Sean had blue. Caden has been a leader in the resistance; Sean has been a victim to the system.  Caden seems to have more confidence and he work so hard to fight for what he believes in. He also reminded me of Zen from Unremembered, so that’s probably why I liked him.

I did enjoy the story, though the plot was less complex than the first book. Pretty much the whole book took place on or near the compound. The previous book had multiple settings. There was action and fighting and mystery. There’s someone that may have betrayed the compound. There’s a jerk named Marcus who think Davey’s a spy. There’s also a page after before chapter that either news clips, interview, coversations, letter, text message or announcement or some sort. It adds to the story, shows us what’s going on outside of Davy’s experience.

I recommend it if you enjoyed Divergent, Blackout by Robison Wells, Shatter Me, Minders by Michele Jaffe and other dystopian books.

Cover Art Review: The girl on the cover look like Taylor Swift. I love the DNA hair!

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Series: Shutter (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Horror

Subjects: supernatural, ghosts, spirits, hunters, abilities, psychic ability

Setting: San Francisco, California

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Micheline Van Helsing

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 367 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover 

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: MacMillan: Feiwel & Friends

Summary/ product description: “Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.”

My Review:  I got a lot more than I expected reading this book. I though this was going to be about a group of friends that are ghost hunters, the main one who can see ghosts and is armed with a camera. I didn’t realize that our main character, Micheline Helsing, was a descendent of Van Helsing. The book is set in San Francisco. I didn’t think that the setting would be a an alternate world in which the public is aware of spirits and the undead being real and that Helsing Corps reapers are the people who trap or kill this creatures.

Oliver Stoker is descended from Bram Stoker, a historian, who’s Dracula tale was actually based off a true account. Jude Drake has vampire blood, but is not a vampire. He can read blood and see visions of a person’s potential death when touching someone. Ryder is from Australia and he’s part aboriginal. He’s also Micheline’s boyfriend, and her father doesn’t know. Leonard Helsing has quite the temper and he’s the leader of Helsing corps.

Micheline (not sure how it’s pronounced) Helsing is a tetrachromat. She has four cones in her eyes, which makes her to see more color than the normal person. Some believe they can see ultra-violet light. Tetrachromats are a real genetic mutation, often caused by sex-linked chromosomes. They are usually females and they usually have a father who is colorblind (dichromat). Tetrachromats in this book can see ghostlight, which comes in different color depending on the speed/intelligence of the entity. Red for necros or zombies, the slowest. Violet for ghosts, the fastest.

The book starts off in a hospital where Micheline, Ryder, Jude, and Oliver are tracking a ghost and planning the exorcise it. Micheline’s special camera, which captures ghostlight, fails to exorcise the ghost and the group ends up swallowing a smoky gas (miasma) coming from the ghost. This causes an infection called soulchains and the group must find a way to free themselves before the soulchains trap them forever. The gather knowledge, weapons and help along the way. They even discover thing they never though of.

The book has action and a lot of unique weapons (like mirrors and ameras). It’s full of fun and horror. I really enjoyed the humor, especially Jude’s funny comments. The characters are all pretty interesting with their own quirks. This book reminds me of Unbreakable by Kami Garcia and Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready. I love it when a book contains multiple paranormal creatures. I kind of got sick of only-vampire books. Ghost, demons, and zombies. If you love creeptastic YA tales, you’ll enjoy Shutter.

Cover Art Review: Awesome creepy cover. Very scary. Would not want to see that in my own photos.