Starseed by Liz Gruder

Title: Starseed

Author: Liz Gruder

Publish Date: February 5, 2013

Publisher: WiDo Publishing

Pages: 286

Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Rating: ★★★

Kaila Guidry has always known she is different. When she meets Jordyn Stryker one day at school, she finds out just how different.

Jordyn was born and raised far from Earth, a starseed, one of six new students sent to Louisiana's Bush High to learn human ways. But Jordyn did not count on meeting a girl like Kaila.

When Kaila is pushed to her limit by high school bullying and cruelty, Jordyn awakens her to a new reality—and to love. But to prove herself, Kaila must look the other way as the real purposes of the starseed unfold.

As the horrific plan behind the starseed visit to Earth moves inexorably forward, Kaila and Jordan, caught in an impossible love, must determine where their true loyalties lie.

I was initially unsure of what to think about this story. It's hard to say that I was looking at the plot subjectively because the subject of aliens has always been an interesting topic. About four days before I read this story, I had actually watched a documentary about the same subject. Well, alien abductions and hybrids and so on. So to say that I was on an alien overload would probably be an understatement. But despite my preconceived notions of where the story was going and my opinion of the topic, I actually really liked the story. It caught me off guard and won me over after the first chapter.

Starseed by Liz Gruder is really about aliens. It tells the story of Kaila who just wants to be normal and wants to fit in. She wants to escape the home she was raised in and all the stupid rules that seem to have no purpose. Once she breaks her family's biggest rule to never take off her hat, they are forced to give into her but only if she always wears a wig lined with this special plastic. A feeling of triumph washes over her until she finds herself being pulled into something she doesn't know anything about. Aliens? Starseeds? Missions? Mind control? Powers? She can't help but be confused.

Kalia is a fun character to read about. She has a lot of similar reactions to situations that I know I would have and so would most teenagers put in her place. It's clear from the beginning that she just wants to be normal even if she is clearly so far from normal that it's not even worth trying. She is rash when she is experiencing high levels of emotion, forgetting consequences and the problems that she faces. Her innocence about the world around her is endearing, which makes me want to hide her away from the danger she so obviously is heading towards. Her passion is inspiring. Her loyalty towards those she cares about plays a huge part in the story. She does things with the intent of helping those around her. It isn't surprising when she gives into the idea of being completely selfish. She abandons her normal life and becomes the person that Jordyn and his friends expect her to be. But is that fair to the people who get hurt in the process? It's her loyalty and passion that keeps her from becoming something horrible and that is what makes her an admirable character.

Jordyn was weird? If that makes any sense. He is a Starseed, a hybrid of alien and human DNA, and his loyalties clearly lie with the alien part of him. He is trained to believe that human emotion is a weakness that will surely lead to his demise or destruction. From the moment he is introduced, it is clear that even if he looks like a human, talks like a human, and acts like a human, he doesn't have the humans best interests in mind. I felt sad for him more than anything. He faces a battle between the fact that he wants to be with Kalia and his trained nature that tells him what he's feeling for her is bad. It's hard to give up something you are trained to believe all your life but he knows that a life without Kalia is worse than breaking rules and having a life with her. I wished I would've been able to see more into his background to better understand his character, his motives, and really everything about him. He was essentially an interesting character that left more mystery hanging in the air than necessary.

Kalia's friends were unique and intriguing. I love the fact that Pia and Melissa were undefined at the high school, neither belonging to a specific crowd or fitting into a specific role. The friendship between Kalia and her friends is so strong that she would rather give up her happiness for the happiness of her friends. Over a short period of time, they create a very strong bond and I admire that. I hardly ever get to see a group of girls undoubtably get along without constant friction or fights. 

The Hive. Now, if I thought Jordyn was weird, the Hive makes him look decidedly normal. They are kind of creepy in the sense that they refer to everything as group, there is no personal feelings or actions. It's almost strange to see people so connected and yet unconnected from each other. I could see the battling personalities and responses to situations and yet this group of hybrids clung to what they were trained. They were one and they protected their own. This group accepted Kalia but did not accept the way she behaved, such as feeling emotions or craving to be around Jordyn. They want her to be like them, emotionless and powerful, but who said that she ever wanted anything like that? 

The bad guys and the good guys played minor roles in the story because the main conflict really was a personal one for Kalia. Was she going to embrace her alien side or continue life as a human? This is not to say that the bad guys weren't well written, they stood out and often gave me the chills whenever they appeared in the story. The good guys played an even more minor part which was sad and disappointing. I wanted to be able to definitively say that I knew who the good guys were but most of the time I was caught between guessing and lying. I wish they would've played a bigger part.

The plot was unique and it held my attention to the very last page. The writing was good as well. There was some disappointments but a lot of triumphs throughout the story. It was pretty good and completely caught me off guard.
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Prodigal by Rektok Ross

Title: Prodigal

Author: Rektok Ross

Publish Date: January 31, 2013

Publisher: Ic13 Books

Pages: 329

Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Rating: ★★★★★

It was supposed to be Lexy Quinn’s year.

The hard-working wallflower has finally landed the coveted spot as Editor of her school’s newspaper. Then the rug is ripped out from under her when she finds out her mom is sick, and the family is moving half-way across the country to Preston Hills, Texas. Lexy can’t think of a worse place to be than at a school full of snobby rich kids where she’ll have to start all over to get people to notice her writing, or–who is she kidding?—notice her at all.

When the most swoon-worthy boy in town, who also happens to be the jock celebrity quarterback, gives her an exclusive interview, Lexy’s life takes an unexpected turn. Ash Preston is the perfect guy and, even better, he sees Lexy as she wants to be seen. But can she trust him?

PRODIGAL is a different kind of love story, where faith, romance, and God converge . . . and it just might change the way you look at your life.

I adore sheep. LOL I know what you are thinking. Sheep are sheep. But seriously, after you get to pet a lamb, you'll love sheep too. I have to admit that the first reason I even looked at this book is because there was a sheep on the cover. Boy am I glad that I followed my instinct and read the book. It was great. (By the way, no, I am not a sheep lady -- the sheep version of a cat lady. Just thought I'd clarify.)

Prodigal by Rektok Ross really caught me off guard. First of all, because it wasn't overly preachy. You know what I mean. When God becomes a figure in a novel or plays a part, it typically becomes some 'holier-than-thou-art' sort of novel. The fact that it wasn't that type of story really endeared me to it. This book is the story of Lexy Quinn when her world is turned upside down by the fact that her mother is diagnosed with cancer and they have to move to be closer to her doctor. Things only seem to be getting worse when she finds herself attending a school that seems to have a designer dress code. No one is the "normal" that Lexy is used to and her clothes seem to only make her stand out more. Going from the girl that no one noticed to the girl that everyone seems to talk to is hard for her to grasp. Little does she know that her journey has just begun.

Lexy is a very true to life main character. I don't know if I could be as forgiving as she is, especially towards her family who was constantly trying to shield her from how sick her mom is. Of course, I've never experienced a mother dying from cancer but I think my family would let me know just how bad everything might be. One thing I love about Lexy is the fact that she is willing to look beyond how much her mom is suffering or live her life because her mom asks her to. I can understand the guilt, the anger, the happiness, and the emptiness that she seems to experience. She is very relatable for me, although a little frustrating at times, and I think I would've handled exactly like she did. It's funny how much clearer everything is when you aren't the one experiencing it. I find it easy to get frustrated and I frequently grumble at the choices of the characters because I know that decisions can only lead to heartbreak or happiness. It's hard watching characters you love experience it too.

Dear Ash, 
You suck.
Sincerely,
Bailee

I wish that was all that I had to say about the love interest of the story but that would be unfair of me to simply leave it at that. Ash, oh Ash, why must you be so beautifully frustrating? I can't decide whether to knee you or kiss you. Anyways... It's the complex characters that often become the greatest source of my hair pulling and he most certainly is complex. At first, he seems to be the guy that everyone hates and they bad mouth him behind his back. Or that's what you're supposed to think. It turns out that gossip sucks, people who are friends can suck, and the guy you like can suck too. Yup, that covers it. Ash is really a sweet, misunderstood, guilt ridden guy who deserves some happiness in his life. Who better to give it to him than Lexy, right? If only life was that easy. It seems like from the first time they "hang out", their relationship is doomed to fail. Lexy can't commit and Ash won't talk. Well, that's not true. He flirts. Which is swoon worthy by the way. If Ash would stop brooding, I would lock him away and keep him to myself. Seriously though, he is probably one of my favorites. He has a complex history, conflicting emotions, and definitely doesn't realize how much his actions hurt (that's where the kneeing comes into play). But he is so sweet and handsome, and smart and handsome, and smooth and handsome. You see where I am going right? Somedays I wish being smart ;) could cancel out all the stupid boy behavior.

Again, this is why these characters are very real to life.

We have a Duckie in this novel. If you don't know what a Duckie is, then go watch Pretty in Pink and basically all other John Hughes films. The Duckie, according to Bailee, is the wonderful Brian. He is friend-zoned from the beginning and he had no hope of truly getting the girl of his dreams. It's true that he doesn't give into the temptation of helping Lexy find her way into Ash's heart but rather keeps stoically appearing throughout the novel. I personally love Brian. He's attractive, nice (which is boring, by the way), and the only real friend Lexy has at the beginning of the novel. This is why he is friend-zoned. I love how naive Lexy is at the beginning of the story about men and how they work, sadly Brian fell victim to this innocence. But I still think he is a great friend and a worthwhile love interest, just not for the main character.

The story held backstabbing friends and I won't tell you who they are, hateful popular girls and you'll know by the second chapter, and strong family ties that can't be broken. This story is awesome. Go read it. It's not a preachy Christian novel that makes you slam the book shut and never touch it again. I adore it. It's a beautiful story. I'm saying that you should read because it's awesome, not because I'm trying to convert you to loving the Bible. I'm recommending this. So, check it out!

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And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst

Title: And All the Stars

Author: Andrea K. Höst

Publish Date: September 30, 2012

Publisher: Self-published

Pages: 204

Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble

Rating: ★★★★

Come for the apocalypse.

Stay for cupcakes.

Die for love. 

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings. 

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind. 

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

The whole concept of this story completely threw me for a loop. It wasn't the typical alien abduction story or even apocalypse story. I'm having a hard time categorizing this whole story just simply because of that.

And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst is the story of Madeleine as she struggles with what we would consider a world under alien invasion. Perhaps it is the worst nightmare of all the people who stare at the stars and wonder if there is other life out there. It all starts out with a dust cloud that settles over the city of Sydney and essentially all of the big cities across the globe. Then the dust stains the skin of the people who find themselves in contact with it. These people, Madeleine included, start noticing subtle differences between the person they used to be and the thing they've become. What appears to be a friendly take over suddenly becomes a game of cat and mouse between those with stained skin and the aliens seeking to inhabit their bodies.

Madeleine is an artist, always carrying a sketchbook or craving to have one in her hand. Her love is not understood by her family who simply see it as a nice hobby and that she should really be focusing her efforts on schoolwork. So of course, when she ditches school to work on a painting of her cousin, Tyler, and ends up being trapped in a destroyed St. James Station after the Sydney Spire appears, her parents are furious. She wishes they would understand her desire to be a great artist -- to have a pencil and sketchbook on her at all times -- but they can't seem to grasp it. Through the whole story, I realized just what passion really is for an artist and how it can be all consuming because that's what it is for Madeleine. She isn't necessarily selfish but rather devoted to the things she is passionate about. The great thing about this loyalty and passion is that it feeds into a lot of different aspects of her life. Relationships, friendships, the cause, and her art turn out to be her greatest passion. It's funny because she is described as typically shying away from friendships and yet she turns out probably the greatest friend anyone could have by the end of the story. She grows a lot through the process of the story and is an admirable character.

You know that one character that you just aren't entirely sure about? The one with all the secrets? Yeah, that was Fisher Charteris. He is the love interest of the story and I feel like an 'of course' has to follow that statement. Isn't it typically the love interest that holds all the secrets because they can cause the greatest betrayals? Either way, Fisher is actually a great love interest that would either excite me or disappoint me by the end of the book and essentially, he did both. He is probably the smartest character in the story, constantly feeding information and giving opinions about certain things. The attitude that follows a know-it-all is either self-centeredness or humility. I found that with Fisher, he projected an egotistical guy but was really insecure and uncertain of himself underneath it all. There was one main problem: he indeed brought about the greatest betrayal and heartache of the main character, Madeline. I hate when there is uncertainty in relationships which was all that was left after the betrayal shatter trust and knowledge about the relationship.

The Blue Musketeers as they called themselves, excluding Madeline and Fisher, included the following people; Nash, Emily or Millie, Pan, Min, and Noi. These characters made up the core of the story that held up the main character as she suffered from uncertainty and provided comedic relief when it was certainly needed. I'm going to talk about my two favorite characters who are Pan and Noi. I would love to go into all of the characters but I doubt I have enough time to compose such a long post. 

First, Pan. Oh how I love Pan. I either want a best friend like Pan or to date a guy like Pan. He is the type of guy that has a lot of energy and yet knows when to use it for the best effect. It's hard to read him because he is an actor by trade and can cover up his emotions by projecting a character as quick as the flip of a switch. Yet I found myself drawn to his character. I love Pan. Now onto Noi, she assumes the mother role of the group while clinging to her teenage essence. Like a mother, she hides the strain and influence the circumstances are having over her. I feel a lot of sympathy for her. I think everyone at some point has assumed the mother role for some reason and I could see how desperately she wanted to break down and yet remain strong for everyone around her. She and I are similar and I think that's what formed a lot of my attachment with her.

The whole world is well developed and the foreign race of invaders was so real that I almost felt like they were real. Which is freaky by the way. I really liked this story. It held my interest and was a beautiful novel that told the tale of a group of teenagers who've lost everything and yet found something worth living for. Check this story out. It's worth it.  Continue reading →

Sneak (Swipe #2) by Evan Angler

Title: Sneak

Author: Evan Angler

Publish Date: September 4, 2012

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 288

Other Books in the Series: Swipe

Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble

Rating: ★★★★★

In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen shop, go to school, and even get medical care--but without it, you are on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.

Logan Langly went in to get his Mark, but he backed out at the last minute. Now he's on the run from government agents who will stop at nothing to capture him. But Logan is on a mission to find and save his sister, Lily, who disappeared five years ago on her thirteenth birthday, the day she was supposed to receive her Mark.

Logan and his friends, a group of dissenters called the Dust, discover a vast network of the Unmarked, who help them travel safely to the capital city where Lily is imprisoned. Along the way, the Dust receives some startling information from the Markless community, opening their eyes to the message of Christianity and warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.

When the Dust finally arrives in the capital, it seems that all their careful planning is useless against a government that will do anything to bend its citizens to its will. Can the gentle words Logan has found in a tattered, banned Bible really stand against the most powerful military the world has ever known? Can Logan even sacrifice his own freedom, choosing to act through faith alone?

BOO! I hate endings that make me second guess everything that I ever perceived as the truth. For some reason, though, authors seem to love them. Probably because it makes everyone eager to read the next book and the next book and so on. Yeah. So, basically I am dying for the next book.

I really liked the first book in the Swipe series, it brought to light this dystopian society based on peace through unity and just how real the society could be. It showed the fact that peace and unity comes with a price that is typically paid in blood. Who would want to live in a society like that, right? Who would support such a thing? Well, after facing destruction after destruction, war after war, would it be nice to be offered the promise of peace? I think in the beginning, no one realizes the influence their choices will make and they realize too late that their choices have been taken away. That's the type of world that Evan Angler brings to light in his Swipe series and the resounding questions brought up by the series is what makes it so addicting.

Sneak is the second book in the Swipe series and picks up a couple of months after the ending of the first book. It shows just how much of an effect Logan has had on the supposed perfect society and hints towards just how imperfect it really is. I love the beginning chapter of the story because the author has this knack for making it seem so ominous and mysterious. The way that it isn't from a main perspective also adds to the intense nature of the first chapter. If anything, this story will keep you interested until the very end.

Logan has continued to grow since the first book where he is portrayed as a boy scared of everything to a young man becoming a hero in the eyes of the Markless. He never planned on becoming a symbol, never planned on making a mark in this society that had been against him from the beginning. But by the end of the novel, it's almost impossible to find the boy that was in the first novel. I almost feel like a proud big sister or something when I see how much he's matured, grown, and learned throughout the whole story. I admire him for the fact that he remembers who he is, who he has been, and can see who he will be. One thing that he holds true to is the fact that he never purposefully pushes boundaries when he knows he shouldn't. He doesn't force his opinions on anyone, he stays true to himself, and he knows when to back off. I really love Logan, I can't stop rooting for him as the story progresses because like I said earlier, I feel like a proud sister.

I was surprised to say the least to see how much of a part Erin still played in the series just based on how it all ended in the last book. She has lost a lot of her selfish qualities from the first book and become a character who just doesn't know what is right and what is wrong. That's her main battle through the whole story. She is desperate to remain faithful to a cause that her parents say is just and yet all she sees is a cause that has destroyed her only friendship. Throughout the story, she maintains a certain amount of innocence that I was determined would disappear by the end of the story and I was right. She gives up blindly believing in anyone and instead bases her beliefs on facts which can't lead her astray. I honestly love her now that I've read this book, I adore her for all of her faults and shortcomings. If anyone deserves a happy ending, it's her.

Peck and the Dust play a huge role in this story. Which originally, I wasn't surprised. The Dust has been a major player in the whole series while Peck hid in the shadows like some mythical being. A monster that parents told their children about to convince them to get their Mark. I was excited to get to see more of who Peck was and see that he definitely has a lot of faults that hadn't been previously mentioned. I am still kind of iffy about whether I like Peck or not. As the story progressed, I was constantly considering whether or not to trust him and if he was really worthy of being a symbol. Logan is, without a doubt, but Peck? I'm not so sure. I grew more attached to all of the characters that formed the Dust and felt all of the emotions that seemed to play out in every scene they were in. The friendship they had is falling apart, their faith in the cause dwindling, and in the beginning, you wonder if they will survive the course of the novel.

There was a lot of new characters introduced (and Lily actually played a part in the story!) and most of them were what I consider the bad guys of the story. The people that everyone perceives to be the good guys but really, they are the ones with the bad intentions. I was still disappointed though to see that the main bad guy didn't play a major role, in fact I am beginning to think he is a ghost. But who knows? Perhaps the best is going to be saved for last. 

I am completely addicted to this series. It is totally worth reading. I love it. I can't wait for the next book and can I just say that waiting sucks?
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