New Release: Wither

Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano is a type of YA book I have yet to venture into - dystopian/post-apocalyptic. I've read post-apocalyptic books before, such as The Road, World War Z (great books, by the way. The Road I actually read on a road trip, in the dark with a book light so it was extra creepy, and World War Z gave me effed up dreams for a looong time), but never something geared towards young adults. If you're familiar with the popular The Hunger Games, then this is supposed to be similar.


The story: In the future, genetic engineering has royally messed things up for future generations. Girls don't live past the age of 20 and guys don't live past the age of 25. Because of this, many young girls are kidnapped and sold into marriage where they are forced into having children to populate the dying-off of the human race. Sixteen-year-old Rhine is one such girl who is kidnapped and sold into a polygamist marriage. Her young husband, Linden, is the son of a rich man, Housemaster Vaughn, a "mad" scientist working hard to come up with a cure for the virus that causes young people to die so young, and needs new test subjects. Though Rhine and her "sister-wives," Jenna and Cecily, are treated quite well, Rhine is still suspicious, and longs to escape and find her twin brother.

The story sounds interesting, but it reminded me of this story I read when I was in middle school. Day of the Barney.

That's right, I said Barney, and I meant that purple freak familiar in so many childhoods. Though I haven't read it in years, Day of the Barney by Brian Bull is one scary ass story about the evilness that is Barney the Purple Dinosaur.

The story is about how Barney gets all of the children of the world to kill off the adults, and pretty much becomes king of the world. He then uses the young girls to grow his offspring inside of, and murders the boys when they turn thirteen. I always knew Barney was too happy to be genuine! I couldn't find the old website I had originally found the story on (doesn't surprise me, since it was like 10 years ago), which is sad since there were other stories I can't remember the names of, as well as pictures.

Anyway, Wither. There are many mixed reviews about this story - that the world in which it takes place needs to be better developed, and that there are holes in the story. But everyone seems to agree that the characters are really well done and that they really come to life. Being as this book is the first in a trilogy (of course it is), I won't be rushing out to read it (but I plan to someday).

Wither doesn't come out until March 22nd, but you can read Day of the Barney now! In fact, I plan to.




I couldn't find a cool evil Barney video, so here's the trailer to The Road. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm sure the book was better. Warning: BBQ babies. Don't wanna know? Don't read the book.

Timeless

Like I promised, I finally read Timeless by Alexandra Monir. Was it everything I expected and more? Meh, it was okay.

Alright, maybe I'm being a little harsh, it was more than okay. I liked it enough to be pissed off at the sudden ending and the giant "To Be Continued" line on the last page. It's an interesting story, but there's still lots of questions I want answered, ones that I felt should have been covered in this book - hopefully the next one will uncover them . . . in 2012 (curses! And this is why I hate books in a series. Sigh).

The story: Michele Windsor lives with her single mother in sunny California. Her best friends are awesome and other than the recent breakup from her boyfriend, and the strange reoccurring dream of the handsome man she's had since childhood, Michele's life is pretty great.

But oh no! Tragedy strikes (dun dun duuuun). Her mother dies suddenly in a car accident and she is sent to New York to live with the rich grandparents she has never know. While adjusting to this new life, strange things start to happen, and she discovers a key, and diary, that has the power to send her back and time.

And what does she do in time, 100 years back? Solve problems, of course. Oh, and meets the boy from her dreams. They fall in love (duh), and Michele travels through the decades, helping family along the way and uncovering more mysteries, to make sure her beau, Philip Walker, hasn't perished or suffered because of her.

Unsurprisingly, I found this story to be predictable (am I ever surprised?). The research was done quite well, but some of the dialogue I just couldn't find to be believable. Some other things bugged me, but I don't want to spoil too much of the plot. Nonetheless, what can I say, I'm a sucker for romance and time travel, so I will definitely be reading the sequel. In 2012. Sigh.

I think what impressed me the most about this novel is the fact that Monir is my age, and this is her debut novel. It's pretty damn good for a debut, which should imply she will only get better. And I think it was quite clever how she tied in her passion for music. Music plays a major part in this novel, and luckily for you, you can actually listen to the songs (if you're into that sort of thing). Getting people to interact with the story, outside of just reading it, is a good way to get people hooked. I didn't bother to listen to the songs (because I just wasn't motivated to), but I'm sure they're good.

So, have you been convinced yet? Are you at least curious now? You should be. And because of that, enjoy this "teaser" trailer. It's official.