Release Date: April 3rd, 2012
Genre:  Horror, Dystopia, Sci-fi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 576
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Gone #5 (Review of #1, #2, #3, #4)
Summary:

This is a blood-pumping, white-knuckle sci-fi thriller of epic proportions. Night is falling in the FAYZ. Even though it's been nearly a year since everyone over the age of fifteen disappeared, the sun has continued to shine on the kids of Perdido Beach. Now, though, the gaiaphage has blotted out the sun and plunged the FAYZ into perpetual gloom. Divided and dispirited, the survivors face their greatest enemy yet - the darkness of their own minds...

Blurb: Fear crosses the invisible line in more ways than one

Review: I've always loved this series. They're almost a guilty pleasure of mine. They are so gripping. They certainly don't feel like nearly 600 pages each.

If you haven't read this series, then you probably won't care much about this review. And if you have read the series, then you know a lot about it already, so I'll keep it brief.

I think this book crosses the line in some places. This series has always been disturbing, but I felt like this one was SO disturbing that it made me enjoy it less.

And that's all I'm gonna say. Seriously. If you are familiar with the series and would like more information, feel free to e-mail me.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the reviews I have to write, so what would YOU like to see first? It'll help me put some order to my life. Answer in this poll!

Okay, I was thinking about this the other day when I was writing my Midnight in Austenland review. It was hard for me to write my review because I didn't love the book as much as her others(But that's not saying a ton. I still loved it), but that's not because the book wasn't good, it's because I wasn't good for the book.

And then I thought to myself, "This would be easy to write if you were an objective reviewer." (p.s. I'm really hoping I'm using "objective" correctly in this post, otherwise... well, I hope you know what I mean)

If I had left all my personal stuff out of my review, it would have looked like this (cliff notes version):

This book is hilarious. This book has a great mystery. This book shows wonderful growth in the self-confidence of a woman.

And now that I've biased you enough with that terrible example, I have a question:


By that I mean, do you want book bloggers to take their personal feelings OUT of their reviews? Do you want me to just analyze the book as a work of fiction; or do you like knowing that I, as someone with no experience with divorce, wasn't able to connect with it?

And is there a spectrum? Do you think that sometimes it's good to bring personal stuff into a review, and other times it's unnecessary/inappropriate?

I want to know! I can't say that your answers will make me change how I review, but it might make me change how I think.

And feel free to leave a comment anonymously, just so long as you remain courteous.

And I wrote this before you lovely people commented with your "great review!"s and Bloomsbury retweeted my review. So maybe my question is already answered. But I still want to hear from you!

Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Genre:  Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 384
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Blurb: A perfect balance of action, intrigue, and romance. Simply magical.

Review: This book is something magical. Unlike most paranormal romances now where two people automatically love each other and we read 300 pages of them and their issues, in this book you get to watch two people FALL in love. Really fall in love. And in the meantime we get to see a wonderfully rich and detailed world, experience heart racing adventures, and go through heartbreaking tragedies.

This book perfectly balances action and intrigue, love and plot. I found myself on the edge of my seat at some parts, and melting into a puddle at others. She's been able to mix the romance into the story in such a way that the storyline is still pure. There are no cheap shots or "oh geez" moments.

About 90% into this book I was thinking, "Wow! This is such an amazing action story!"

At 100% I had tears in my eyes and thought, "Wow. What an amazing love story."

Now I'm just thinking, "Wow. What an amazing book."

If you'd like to see a review of someone who DIDN'T like this book, check it out here: Emily's Reading Room. She has some really valid points about things that usually bug me, but didn't in this book. So check it out!



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

EDIT: Apparently custom blog designs need to do an extra step in order to get threaded comments (Click here for instructions) and when I do it it makes my fonts and format go wackado. So until this issue is fixed, I'll be going without threaded comments.

So, some of you may not know that blogger now does threaded comments! This means that we can reply to individual comments. Cool eh? And ABOUT TIME! But here's the thing, it requires embedded comments, which look like this:

I've always HATED embedded comments. They're so buggy. But is it worth having embedded comments in order to be able to reply to individual comments? I want your opinion. PLEASE let me know either in the comments or just by answering this poll: