Book Review: Cured by Bethany Wiggins

Last year, STUNG was a favorite dystopian read of mine (see my review) so I couldn't wait to devour the sequel CURED.

CURED switches narrators, so we're no longer following Fiona but another girl named Jacqui instead. Considering how much I enjoyed Fiona's narration in STUNG, this switch put me off at first, but I soon grew to appreciate what Jacqui brought to the table as well.

Ever since the bee flu broke out, Jacqui has had to masquerade as a boy because being a woman is not safe in this dangerous new world. She goes by Jack, runs on the treadmill for hours every day and never, ever leaves the safety of her home. That is until she sets off to find her brother, rumored to be in a safe zone in Wyoming, enlisting the help of Fiona, Bowen and Jonah.

Of course, they run into trouble pretty quickly and are saved by Kevin, a guy who (just like Jacqui) isn't all he seems to be on the surface. Who can one trust in this brave new world?

CURED brings a second helping of inventive worldbuilding, romance, intrigue and exciting action scenes.

CURED is out in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: NetGalley

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Book Review: Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Fiona wakes up in her own room, but everything’s different. The house is trashed. The girl she sees in the mirror is older, thinner, haggard. She has a spider tattoo on her hand, a tattoo she somehow knows she needs to cover up with her sister’s concealer. And her beloved twin brother comes after her in a rage, his growl just like a monster’s.

She runs away from him through a world that’s changed too. Most everything’s dead or in ruins. People are wary, conniving or worse. And turning in someone who is marked can earn you precious ounces of honey.

STUNG is a gripping novel about science gone very wrong. First there were the gen-altered bees. Then there was the bee-flu. Then there was the vaccine against bee-flu that turned out to be plague.

This near-future Denver that Fiona faces is horrific but plausible given the careful worldbuilding - which unlike many current half-baked dystopians/post apocalyptics - actually reveals how current conditions arose and how people changed in order to deal with them. Thus the zombie chicken merit badge for worldbuilding.

But - I very nearly gave this novel the badge for romance, because the slow-burn relationship between Fiona and her eventual captor Bowen, a neighbor boy who used to tease her, was one of my favorite parts.

Those looking for something fresh and intelligent in the dystopian genre, this one’s for you.

STUNG comes out on April 2, 2013. Find out more about it at the author's website.

PS - Yes, there's a sequel planned for 2014 called CURED.  I may have danced a little jig when I found that nugget of news. 

FTC disclosure: NetGalley

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Apocalypsies Love! Book Review: Send Me A Sign by Tiffany Schmidt

Apocalypsies Love is all about me telling you what I loved about a 2012 debut book written by one of the amazing Apocalypsies. I also chat with the author to gain insight into their very favorite parts of their creation.

Today I'm featuring SEND ME A SIGN, a YA novel about a girl who gets cancer, but it's NOT a cancer book.

See, I don't read cancer books.  My mother died of cancer when I was a teen, and I can't handle cancer in books to this day. But many friends assured me that SEND ME A SIGN is not about the cancer and that I'd I be fine.  

The first part of that assurance is pretty much true.  Mia is part of the popular clique at school, has sort of boyfriend Ryan and is about to start her senior year.  Her mother convinces her she can keep her cancer diagnosis secret - and Mia agrees because she doesn't want to be "cancer girl". The only person she tells is her best friend Gyver.  

So the focus isn't on the cancer, but much more about Mia's changing perception of her friends, family and the two main boys in her life, Ryan and Gyver. And I totally loved Gyver. 

However - I wasn't quite fine reading this. There's a very loaded emotional event towards the end that made me have to skip a whole chapter (it wasn't related to the cancer but to another of my deal-breakers in books, which I won't mention here since I don't want to spoil it).

Still, I'm happy I took a chance on SEND ME A SIGN. It's incredibly life-affirming and contains such a sweet, giddy-making romance.  

And now, let's give the floor to Tiffany!

What is your favorite scene in the book?
Without giving away too much, it involves pajamas, a hat, purple boxer shorts, a blush, and a dead sexy "C'mere."

What is your favorite line in the book?
“I figured the best way to cure her of being superstitious was to give her a black cat named Jinx on a Friday the Thirteenth.”

What setting was most fun to write?
This question made me mentally scroll through all the settings in Send Me a Sign -- and made me realize how much of this book takes place in a BED. There are the hospital beds, of course, but there are also significant scenes in Mia's, Ryan's and Gyver's.

I'm starting to think this must be my subconscious chastising me for all the sleep I sacrificed while writing.

Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?
There's one character who HAUNTS me because he grew so much throughout the book and yet doesn’t get a happily ever after. I realize he's fictional, but there have truly been many nights where I've lain in bed and felt guilty. I tried so many different, happier endings for him, but none of them felt true.

I'd love to explore where he goes next. And maybe if I gave him his own book, he'd let me get some sleep?

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
This answer changes hourly! (ALL the parts are my favorite... eh, all the parts except waiting...) Today's sappy response comes courtesy of my toddler twins. They came bounding into the kitchen this morning each holding one of my author copies and proudly announced, "Momma book."

After I pried the books out of pudgy hands, checked for rips and sticky fingerprints, and moved the box out of reach, I had this moment of teary-eyed realization: They are ALWAYS going to think of me as an author. They're never going to know that I had all those seasons of doubt and will-I-ever-make-it?

Yes, that is “Momma’s book,” and I’m so proud of it.

Thanks Tiffany!

SEND ME A SIGN is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: Netgalley

Book Review: Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner

In the near future, climate has changed in way that allows for powerful storms much more often. So often, in fact, that children no longer ride bicycles, outdoor picnics are a joy of the past, and there are storm shelters every 15 miles on the highway so no traveller is far from refuge.

Jaden’s father is a renowned meteorologist who has studied storm dissipation for years, but after the failure of his last project, has funneled his energy into Placid Meadows, a safe community in the middle of Oklahoma that no storm ever touches. Jaden comes to stay with her father over the summer to study at Eye On Tomorrow, an exclusive children’s science camp. There she meets Alex, a local whose farm is threatened not just by storms, but also by Jaden’s father’s expansion plans.

EYE OF THE STORM is a thrilling middle grade adventure story with basis in meteorology. Messner has clearly done her research here and explains the science behind storms in a clear and engaging way. I also appreciated the attention to world building details and how many of the future tech items are consistent with a changed world – e.g. most people eat bioengineered food because most farms have been abandoned.  (One slight quibble I have is in regards to how casually air travel is treated here.  If storms can pick up with so little warning that people are afraid of having picnics, then commercial air travel must be decimated.  I’d imagine there’d been a ton more plane crashes and delays so crippling, taking a flight would be a major undertaking. Of course maybe I am hypersensitive about this because of the seven hours I spent on the tarmac/terminal recently because of some thunderstorms.)

EYE OF THE STORM is available in hardcover now.  Find out more about it at the author’s website.

See index of all dystopian reviews at Presenting Lenore

FTC disclosure: Bought

Author Interview: Bethany Wiggins previews Stung

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interview authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2013. These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works. Enjoy!

SHIFTING Author Bethany Wiggins is here today to preview her novel STUNG. It comes out April 2, 2013 with Walker Children's.

Here's the summary:

There is no cure for being stung. 

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered, her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand, a black oval with five marks on either side, that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she’s right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem, the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to unvaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone, and on the wrong side of the wall ...

Here's the cover:

And here's the interview:

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?
I think people are drawn to dark stories because they can relate to them. Everyone has dark times in their lives. Everyone! But when you read about someone else's dark times, you escape from your own.

If STUNG had a theme song, what would it be and why?
Angels & Airwaves "Secret Crowds." The reason this is THE theme song is, in part, for this one line: Watch your words spread hope like fire. Stung is all about hope, when it seems that hope is gone.

And in part because it is a song about this guy who wants more than anything else to make a perfect world for someone:
If I had my own world

I'd build you an empire
From here to the far lands
To spread love like violence

What fictional character from another book would your main character chose as his/her best friend and why?
My main character, Fiona, would really benefit from the friendship of Princess Leia. Leia is tough, she knows how to use a gun, and she's a fighter!

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?
Veronica Roth's "Divergent"--because it is awesome.
Elana Johnson's "Possession"--because she can do character voice like no other.
"Z For Zachariah" by Robert C. O'brien--because I read this book 20+ years ago and I can still remember it!
"Uglies"--because it was my first taste of modern dystopian.
"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. Does this count as dystopian? (I actually haven't read that much dystopian!)

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends?
Raise my children! Go bungee jumping again. Have fun every single day. Make a difference--for good--in the lives of others.

How does your novel stand out from others in the genre?
My novel stands out because it is based on truth. It is centered around a world without bees, and every day we hear more and more about colony collapse, and the possibility that bees may one day be extinct. It is also about the consequence of the government making a vaccination that has a really bad affect on children--it turns them into ferocious beasts. As a mother, that is one of my fears every time I watch my children injected with something.

______________

Visit's Bethany's website

Add STUNG to Goodreads

Apocalypsies Love! Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Apocalypsies Love is all about me telling you what I loved about a 2012 debut book written by one of the amazing Apocalypsies. I also chat with the author to gain insight into their very favorite parts of their creation.

Today, I'm featuring FRACTURE, a story of a girl revived after 11 minutes under the icy water in a Maine lake.  She should have significant brain damage, yet the only effect seems to be that she is now drawn to people who are about to die.

Don't go into this expecting an epic paranormal tale - it's not. Instead, it's a deeply touching look at relationships and what's important in life. Delaney and Decker have been friends & neighbors forever, and they've been skating around their romantic feelings for each other. After Delaney falls into the lake, Decker has intense feelings of guilt for taking so long to pull her out. I love that their relationship feels true.

I also love that it tackles the big questions. That Delany survives is a miracle - but will she survive long enough to get her priorities in order? What would any of us do if we had only one day to live? Why aren't we doing it?

Also - LOVE how Les Miserables (The Musical) was worked in. I was obsessed with it in high school and it fits perfectly thematically here.  "To love another person is to see the face of God," indeed.

Now let's chat with Megan!

What is your favorite scene in the book?

The very last scene of the book, for so many reasons. I can’t really say anything about it, though, without giving away spoilers!

That last scene gave me chills and made me hug my eReader against my chest. What is your favorite line in the book?

Oh, I have a few! But I’m going to pick the first line of the book because it’s the very first line of the very first draft I wrote, and one of the only lines that actually survived the rewrites. I wrote this line and the story came after, so I’m a bit attached to it:

The first time I died, I didn’t see God.

What setting was most fun to write?

There’s so much you can do with snow and ice—a simple setting can turn terrifying so quickly. I loved writing the outside scenes at the lake, even though they didn’t always end well….

Truly, I felt like I was there. Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?

It’s a close call between Janna and Decker. Janna was my personal favorite, but as far as a character who could get a spin-off book, that would have to be Decker. He was definitely my favorite character to develop and write.

Decker has his own story, but it doesn’t always make it onto the page in Fracture since everything is filtered through Delaney. He has to go through his own journey, but we only see it when their journeys coincide. His story is there, even though it’s mostly behind the scenes, but he could definitely fill his own book.

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?

This! Getting ready to release the book. It’s been completely surreal (and exciting) seeing everything come together in a finished product.

Thanks Megan :)

_________________________

FRACTURE is now available in hardcover.  Find out more about it at the author's website and add it to Goodreads. Read the first two chapters of FRACTURE here.

FTC disclosure: I read a review copy downloaded from NetGalley.

Author Interview: Kate Messner previews Eye of the Storm

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interviewed over 20 authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13.  These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works.  Enjoy!

Today we have Kate Messner (author of THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z among others) previewing her upper middle grade thriller EYE OF THE STORM due out March 2012 from Walker.


Here's the summary:

In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and monster storms are a part of everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the heart of storm country with her father in the special StormSafe community his company has developed, Jaden Meggs is excited to reconnect with her dad after he spent years researching storm technology in Russia. She’ll also be attending the exclusive summer science camp, Eye On Tomorrow, that her dad founded. There, Jaden meets Alex, a boy whose passion for science matches hers, and together they discover a horrible truth about her dad’s research that is putting countless lives at risk. As a massive tornado approaches, threatening to destroy everything in its path, Jaden is torn between loyalty to her dad and revealing his secret. Can she find the courage to confront her dad and save everyone from the biggest storm yet?

And it even has a cover already!

Now, onto the interview.

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?

Well, for starters, dystopian novels are often really exciting, well-paced reads, and I think the suspense is one of the main draws for readers when it comes to this genre.

As far as the darkness, I’m not sure it’s the actual darkness that readers crave so much as the ability of dystopian fiction to ask the question, “What might our world be like, if…?” What might it be like if we let reality television spiral out of control? If we try to make everyone the same? If we don’t pay attention to our environment and our climate? I think some of the most effective dystopian novels challenge readers to think about our world’s modern-day issues by shining a light on worst-case-scenarios.

If EYE OF THE STORM had a theme song, what would it be and why? 

I’d choose “Storm” from Lifehouse’s “Who We Are” album for a couple reasons. First, because it fits the weather theme of EYE OF THE STORM, but more than that, it’s a song about love and about believing. That’s really what’s at the heart of EYE OF THE STORM…how the people who love us can help us find hope and courage even in the darkest times.

What fictional character from another book would Jaden chose as her best friend and why?

Jaden would love Meg Murry from A WRINKLE IN TIME because they’re both scientists and thinkers. And as long as we’re talking about books, I’ve always thought that Jaden would love reading BORROWED NAMES: POEMS ABOUT LAURA INGALLS WILDER, MADAME C.J. WALKER, MARIE CURIE, AND THEIR DAUGHTERS by Jeannine Atkins. Jaden loves poetry, and this book explores the relationships between these moms and daughters in verse. (I think Jaden would love the part about Marie Curie and her daughter most of all!)

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why? 

Well, the HUNGER GAMES trilogy is a huge favorite, but that’s not exactly an unsung hero in the world of dystopian literature. As far as lesser known books, I think GENESIS by Bernard Beckett is brilliant for YA readers, and for younger dystopia fans, I loved Leslie Connor’s CRUNCH. I blogged about both of those books (and other dystopian favorites) a while back – check it out!

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends? (you know, in case it ends next year)

I want to finish my next book! And if the world is ending next year, I’m also going to eat a whole lot of chocolate.

How does your novel stand out from other dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction out there?

EYE OF THE STORM is different in a few ways. First, it’s walking the line between upper middle grade and YA, so it’s great for middle school kids as well as high school. Second, it has a strong focus on meteorology and climate shifts, which is different from the usual oppressive government fare. And third, there’s more of a focus on science as a means to solve problems than I’ve seen in other books, which is something I really loved when I was writing, and I hope it’s an element of the book that readers enjoy, too.

Thank you Kate - sounds fab!

Visit Kate's website

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Book Review: Exodus by Julie Bertagna

It’s 2100 and Mara’s island home has been steadily shrinking for years with the melting of the polar ice caps and the rising of the oceans – very soon, there will be nothing left. Mara learns of a nearby sky city called New Mungo via her cyber adventures on the “weave” and convinces her fellow islanders to set sail for this beacon of hope. But when they arrive, they are faced with a huge barrier wall, a desperate refugee camp and a police force that brutally shoots at approaching boats. If New Mungo won’t take them in, where will they go?

EXODUS is a very ambitious novel with 3 very distinct and stunningly realized settings: a drowning island in the North Atlantic, the high-tech sky city of New Mungo, and a shadow world beneath New Mungo where a few relics of the past, including a cathedral and a university, still exist.

Mara is the kind of fearless and determined teen necessary for such a novel. She’s a leader wherever she goes, and even the subject of a mysterious prophecy known as “the stone telling” which tells of a girl who leads victims of the rising sea level to salvation.

On the surface, it’s a great action story about surviving at any cost. Dig a little deeper and you are keenly aware of what those costs are. When you can’t save everyone, who do you choose to save? And then, how do you live with your choice? If you are the architects of New Mungo, you do it by banishing the past and living for the “power of now”. If you are a resident of the shadow world, you do it by burying the past, and fervently believing that an outside force will come someday to set things right. And if you are Mara…well, that’s something I’m sure the sequels ZENITH (out now) and AURORA (no set release date) will explore.

EXODUS is available in paperback. Find out more about it and the rest of the series at the author’s website.

My Rating – 4 Zombie Chickens: An Excellent Example of the Dystopian Genre

See Index of all Dystopian Reviews on Presenting Lenore

Book Review: The Rule of Won by Stefan Petrucha

I’ll confess. I love sleeping even more than I love reading. It’s true. And it’s why I very rarely stay up late to finish a book. But I did stay up last night until 3:30 am to finish The Rule of Won.

Ok, so The Rule of Won doesn’t have a cover that screams “MUST READ” and the concept – slacker Caleb first gets swept up in a cult-like school club based on a controversial book (inspired by the ideas behind runaway bestseller The Secret) and then becomes horrified by their fascist ways – is intriguing but let’s face it, it’s not as “OMG WANT” as say... killer unicorns. But get past that. Open the book and read the prologue. In it, a young girl draws pictures of things she wishes would happen. The electricity being turned back on. Her teddy bear being found. And then these things happen. Is it coincidence or is it something else? This is the question you’ll ask yourself again and again as the novel progresses.

The leader of the club is charismatic Ethan, the brother of the little girl from the prologue. He convinces students that if they want something badly enough – new funding for the school, better cafeteria food, their sad sack basketball team to finally win a game – they just have to "imanifest" and chant their desires into existence. And since Screech Neck is a poor town, they have a lot of desires. When all the chanting seems to start paying off, the club gains popularity. Soon, it’s hard to walk down the halls without seeing students wearing “1” buttons (hmm…shades of the swastika?) and the club’s message board, dubbed ‘The Crave”, is buzzing.

Caleb is a skeptic at first, attending a club meeting only at his (soon to be ex) girlfriend’s insistence. As a slacker, and one of the most reviled kids at school (due to an unfortunate school vandalism incident), Caleb has a lot to gain from the club. And things are great – at first. But when people start getting hurt, Caleb can’t stand idly by. The way Author Stefan Petrucha handled Caleb was my favorite aspect of the book – I loved his whole character arc, his honest search for the truth, and his truly funny sarcastic voice.

The plot reminded me in many ways of THE WAVE by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser), a book that is extremely popular in Germany and was recently made into a movie. They both explore group fanaticism and how “nice” people can get caught up in violent and oppressive movements. But if that sounds too “serious” for you, don’t worry. Petrucha infuses the narrative with both humor and charm. The postings on “The Crave” were brilliant. Not only did they give minor characters distinct personalities, they also illustrated the types of people who are duped by cults (the outcasts, the power hungry, the crazy, hedonists, etc.) The book is worth reading for these alone.

So there you have it. Other than my lost hours of sleep, I don’t have any complaints. THE RULE OF WON is a gripping, timely, and sarcastic novel with a touch of the supernatural. What more could you ask for? It is available in hardcover now. Find out more at the author's website.