Duo Reviews: I Was Here and Ask Again Later // More Disappointing Compared to the Authors' Other Books

I Was Here, by Gayle Forman
Publication: January 27, 2015, by Viking Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 270
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question. I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

My Thoughts:

Gayle Forman surely once stood as my favourite contemporary author of all time. Now, Morgan Matson and Kody Keplinger have stolen that spot. I Was Here was really disappointing compared to her If I Stay duology which gave me all of the feels and left me bursted with tears that last an eternity. It's a cliché book about a girl who's trying to discover the truth behind her best friend's suicide. And I can tell you straight-on that us masters in YA have seen those kinds of books over and over again, tons of times. It's a knockoff read that just was too bland for my likings.

I Was Here hit me like a bulldozer. And by hit, I mean destroyed me in the worst possible way. Its story had so much potential, as Forman is known as one of the most popular and best YA authors of modern day literature. Her writing usually brings me all of the feels, the intrigue, the superb romance, practically all of those things that gets readers questioning fate and true love. Cody, our protagonist this time around, spends a huge chunk of the novel running back and forth between discovering her best friend's secrets and learning more about the instalove romance that she and Ben have both created, which is kind of forbidden when we discover the truth.

Cody and Meg were best friends. When she discovers that Meg has committed suicide in a motel room while she was in college not too far away from where Cody was, her life falls apart. Going to get Meg's things for her parents, Cody meets some of the people who Meg met and spent some time with, trying to discover the truth behind what led her best friend to practically emotionally collapse.

I would never re-read this book. That's kind of a shocker for me because I feel like I usually do want to when I read a great contemporary-romance, but then again, you've got to keep in mind the fact that this was your ordinary take on suicide and sad stuff. It's not like I'm a cold-hearted reader and didn't feel an achy heart—I did feel sorrow for Cody's sake. But in the end, we never really got to know any of the characters too well because it was either A. about the suicide and computer stuff or B. about the longing attraction between Cody and Ben. I didn't support that too well, either. 

It seems that Forman wanted to add plot twists to make sure readers were still awake in the fictional world she has created. Although I was bored at times, those plot twists kind of jolted me awake and left me hanging while a slower section is ought to come. 

I feel like I practically disliked a lot of the book, but it only feels fair to give it three stars. It wasn't horrible and unbearable, but it was quite a surprise coming from the author who brought me to love books with tough subjects. Gayle still showed her wonderful use of diction and captivation in her writing, but it wasn't enough to get me to fall in love. It does seem that there are many fans of the romance between Cody and Ben, but that's just plain betrayal to me. She didn't know anything about this guy, but went for him anyway, later discovering something between him and Meg. *face palms Cody if I can*

I Was Here has a stellar cover and premise from what the summary tells readers, but it lost that extra touch of Forman. We lose a reader-character relationship with her protagonist, Cody, leaving me wishing that she could've been a complete different character with a different attitude towards things. She's stubborn but overly attached to people she doesn't even know, which is understandable to the fact that she just lost her best friend. But where's everything about the importance of friendship? This seemed more like a mystery than a contemporary-romance, which is what I borrowed this for. 

Ask Again Later, by Liz Czukas

Publication: March 11, 2014, by HarperTeen

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Borrowed

Rating: 

Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.
Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?
Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?
Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...

My Thoughts:

After instantly devouring Czukas's Top Ten Clues You're Clueless, I've been ready to head to the library and grab a copy of everything that Liz has ever written. Discovering that a copy of her debut novel, Ask Again Later, was available, I was ready to jump all the way straight to happiness. In fact, although it wasn't as good as her newest novel, I still enjoyed it and am glad that I had been given a chance to enjoy a bunch of Liz's chick-lit, cutesy romance writing. It was pretty good, after all.

So I've been finding myself reading a lot about prom lately. It's such a cute concept that every teenager goes through, and every teenager has a different experience and opinion of it. And this is all about a young girl's experience that fate would've taken her into: with two different guys, all at the same night. WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT OF THAT COOL, SCI-FI LIKE, PARALLEL UNIVERSE THING UP IN CONTEMP-ROMANCE?! Not me, that's for sure.

This is about a girl whose name is literally "Heart." And of course, that comes from hippie parents who she'd rather not even mention. She plans to head to senior prom with her big group of friends, playing it casual and having more fun than having to worry about the right colour. But then she gets two surprise invitations and she doesn't want to let the guys: jock or theatre geek, down. So she decides to flip a coin, one guy per option, which then somehow lets her live both experiences/dates in one night. This then begins to get readers questioning where that'll take her when it's time to make the decision.

This is the groovy concept that I've read about in contemporary for ages. But then at the same time, it stands as one of the only positive things that this book left for me. Coin flipping to make a decision is interesting as you can't possibly make up your mind when you're a good person, but then flipping into two alternative worlds is the best thing of all. I loved that. 

It seemed that the actual prom nights dragged on a bit. There was a lot going on before the prom where the different perspectives switched, and then there was a little too much drama that left me rolling my eyes. But then in the end, I guess that everyone'll have a different opinion on how much the actual story interested them in the end. *shrugs* The way things turned out kind of dreaded for Heart, though.

So I can't say that I'm obsessed with any of the romances that Heart had, but there was a little something special with each of them. The mysterious theatre geek and Heart were my favourite though. *dreams*

Ask Again Later has a broad subject that made the story so much better than if it was a typical prom romance about a girl who can't make up her mind. It's not something that'll satisfy every reader, but it certainly does leave an impact and a lot of thoughts about fate afterwards. I'll definitely be reading more book by this author in the future, that's for sure. I love the cover schemes as well!

Is there an author whose books you adored in the past (cough If I Stay cough) but then left you upset over a newer book by them? 

Contemporary ARC Reviews: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between and Awake

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, by Jennifer E. Smith
Publication: September 1, 2015, by Poppy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 256
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?
This new must-read novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that must be made when life and love lead in different directions. 

My Thoughts:

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between is the novel that has been creeping in your dreams. It's one of those gorgeous things that we've all been waiting for. One of those novels that takes place in one night. One of those that will leave you thinking about it for eternity. Get what I'm saying? Want what I'm talking about? Then please, please let Jennifer E. Smith's books fall into your hands. Those grabby hands (of course) needs this book. I loved this!

So lately, I ironically began thinking about college and university, thinking about which one I'd like to attend in the future or what I would like to major/minor in. Ironically, this book came into my life at the perfect moment. I'm so glad to have shared gorgeous moments with this book, which left me thinking about life and philosophy and education, all of those things that we can never find the right answer/solution to. It's about being in love, and figuring out when is it time to let go. This is definitely one of Smith's best works yet. But her plots continuously are fabulous, so who really cares? 

"It's true that the world is full of signs. They just mean different things to different people. To Clare, this looks like the exception. To Aidan, it looks like the rule." (102)

Smith hands readers two protagonists whose viewpoint both aren't given, but we do get to know them very well in the matter of one night where this novel takes place. Aidan and Clare have been together for a long time. They have just graduated high school and are both setting off to university in different locations, thousands of miles away from each other to do the things they love. But as they spend their last night in Chicago together, they think about what their relationship will really turn into and if love is worth keeping when you know it's kind of impossible. They take turns heading to different locations in their city that have made their relationship special and real, leaving readers wondering about what'll occur in their own lives.

This premise is brilliant. It's utterly unique, special and touching. I normally am not a fan of these 'cheesy' novels that are all about letting go (or not), but this is the perfect example of one which had impressed me fully. I picked it up at BEA, knowing that it's something that I would seriously adore with all of the emotions that makes a reader adore a novel. And I truly adored it, most of all actually. I now feel to grab a glass of champagne and enjoy the wonders of life in Barcelona with this book, which kind of doesn't make sense but hey, it's all about the book and where it makes me feel comfort.

This is the comfort love story you need in your life. Authors tend to throw readers into a pool of emotions, about death and loss, but this focuses on the positive aspects. We have two foil characters who are completely in love but who want to focus on the future when they should really enjoy the present moments that matter the most. Aidan and Clare are two highly intelligent characters who are wiser than their age. You know how we usually read about these dumb teenagers who can't make good decisions and end up looking like fools? Aidan and Clare are the complete opposites of that. It's all about focusing on a bright, beautiful new chapter in their lives. And I'm not trying to act cliché, either.

"I hate the idea of waking up in a dorm room a few days from now and knowing that you're all the way on the other side of the country, but not knowing anything else. I don't want to wonder what you're doing, or what you're eating, or who you're meeting... I can't stand the thought of not having any idea what's going on in your life. It's just too awful." (115)

So this isn't something that you're going to learn from. It can be classified as two characters' love story and about the aftermath. I liked that, but I wish that something more happened. It was freaking awesome, though. I love Jennifer's writing and as others have also mentioned, her writing truly reminds me of Sarah Dessen's plots and cutesy stories, though Jennifer has her own sass always added. I'll read anything by Jennifer, seriously. And her covers? Those are seriously and absolutely gorgeous. ALL AUTHORS NEED THEIR BOOKS TO HAVE THE SAME LOOK, PEOPLE.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between is a book that's not really a book, actually. It's a life journey taken place in the matter of hours, but it feels like so much more than that. It focuses on a healthy, teenage romance that's all in the minds of two almost-adults with some much more common sense and wisdom in them than many others. Aidan and Clare will be your new ship, with both sides of the story continuing to impress and be right. You just won't know whose side to stay on, or what kind of love to believe in, because Jennifer E. Smith always wants her characters to have a right place in readers' hearts and minds.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!*

Awake, by Natasha Preston

Publication: August 4, 2015, by Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Cults, Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: ARC

Source: BEA/Publisher

Rating: 

½

Scarlett doesn’t remember anything before the age of five. Her parents say it’s from the trauma of seeing her house burn down, and she accepts the life they’ve created for her without question—until a car accident causes Scarlett to start remembering pieces of an unfamiliar past.
When a new guy moves into town, Scarlett feels an instant spark. But Noah knows the truth of Scarlett’s past, and he’s determined to shield her from it...because Scarlett grew up in a cult called Eternal Light, controlled by her biological parents.
And they want her back.

My Thoughts:

Awake is one of those books that would leave you hesitant before reading. At least, I know I was hesitant to read it. When I first spotted it, I was originally captivated by the stellar cover, which is so simple but now suits the premise and events of the novel greatly. There are many negative reviews to it, and as I see why, my opinion surely doesn't skip to the lower ones. It was a good book, after all.

This novel is a first for me. A first for a cult book. I've always been (not creepily) interested in the premise and concept of cults and people's religion in that case, and no YA author has touched upon it that I know of. Natasha Preston's book focuses on one called Eternal Light, and the whole story behind it is creepily eerie. It all starts with a sacrifice that went wrong, which moves onto a boy thrillingly falling in love with a girl who he's not supposed to. It's really messed up, weird but awesome at the same time. It's one of those books that you'll continuously have to have patience for so that it can turn brilliant, as it did in the end. I nearly bit my fingernails until they bled while reading.

"People called themselves free when they were governed and bound by so many laws. They worked forty plus hours a week, and most still struggled, gave up a portion of their money, and followed what society expected. That was the furthest thing from being free, but they still went on fooling themselves. They believed they had a voice, but they didn't use it past voting for someone they knew was lying to them anyway. It made absolutely no sense. Democracy. Freedom. Bullshit." (66)

I just had to add in an except of that strange but wonderfully true quote that Preston added in Noah's perspective on the novel. As you can see from there, Preston is a fabulous writer. Her words capture and take readers into a fictional world that no, they wouldn't want to be part of due to thrill and adrenaline and crime matters, but into one that they can stand by and watch, hearing their hearts jump out of their chests. This is one cool read, that's for sure.

I so don't want to be Scarlett, the main character, in this book. She's stuck in a family with tons of secrets. The thing is, she has zero memory of her past before she was four years old. She longs to discover the truth behind it all, but no one tells her anything. When a new guy, Noah, comes to her school, they begin to date soon after and their relationship builds from there, but he also has a secret that forbids him to fall in love with her: she's going to be a sacrifice for the cult that she was born into as well as the one Noah is in. 

Spooky. That's the perfect word to describe this book, as well as "full of insta-love." It seriously was. After three chapters, Noah and Scarlett were already making out and totally in love, as Scarlett described it. This sure wasn't the perfect time to add an instant love relationship when this is a pretty lengthy novel. *rolls eyes* WHY, SCARLETT AND NOAH? You guys were so adorable, but I couldn't stand thinking about how there was the need for so much development in your relationship. *cries* There goes a lost star for the lack of nice, creditable romance. Ugh.

Preston is a fantastic writer. Her words left me breathless between chapters and pages, and I honestly couldn't stop reading for a huge chunk of the book, excluding the slow middle. By the time the pace picked up, it was almost the end of the book and I wondered what would the author even add into the plot to make it extra worthy and fabulous, y'know? I just was a little confused with the whole memory thing and why it had to be at four years old. I don't remember much of when I was a baby, so that kind of left me with my jaw wide open.

"Was eternal life worth sacrificing this girl for? Even if we waited another four years, gave her one more cycle before performing the sacrifice, it still wasn't enough time for her to properly live this life." (119)

With a crew of supporting, interesting characters, I guess that you can call this book a true success compared to what other reviews note. Scarlett and Noah both are super pleasing characters (and Noah takes onto the hot role for me *snickers*) but together, eh, not so much.

This book sure did have a bunch of moods that kind of left me thinking about the true and inner genre. Hmmph.

Awake surely could've turned into that perfect novel for me. It initially was a highly anticipated 2015 read for me, and I'm glad that I've made the decision to read it now because it was pretty great. Boring at times with a not-so-hot romance, Preston did manage to grab my attention and leave me wanting more of writing in my hands in the coming future. But most of all, this will be noted on your diverse-genre list, not because of actual diversity, but because of the unbelievable premise and plot that she created. I'm seriously in love with a lot of this, and it'll be dying to keep you awake at night.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is your definition of a realistic romance in fiction? Do these books sound good to you?

Paranormal Duo Reviews #2: Bad Girls Don't Die and From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender

Bad Girls Don't Die (Bad Girls Don't Die #1), by Katie Alender
Published On: April 21, 2009, by Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Horror, Paranormal
Pages: 346
Format: Paperback
Source: Gifted
Rating: ½

Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude. When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.
Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

Hardy, har, har. What if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore? *gags* Before reading, I never really paid attention to the summary or to what the book was even about, so I never saw the ghost concept coming. And since that came around, I’d say that the whole concept was a huge bummer for me, as I usually adore all sorts of horror YA fiction that is out there in the midst. This was probably the only exception compared to my past likings. And it’s been more than 10 days since I last touched upon this one, and I can barely remember a peep on what this was really about.

This book itself wasn’t that bad overall. I’d say it was in between okay to great. It was okay-ish? As I’m writing this, trying to compare this to the sequel, I do have to say that this one was much better in plot and basically everything else. A half-star rating from 3 to 3.5 doesn’t seem like a lot, but in my thoughts it certainly does. But it wasn’t that memorable that I had found some quotes that abstracted me and captivated me. None, nada.

This can be your cheap horror movie filmed in a barnyard. Something like never could make it into the theatres or let alone YouTube. The concept is really bland and sucky. I expected something like Annabelle or Saw but it was simply Bratz compared to Barbie—it just doesn’t mix.

Putting everything else aside, I feel like this was a book that one can procrastinate on and will sit there longing and lugging the book around with them for weeks. It was and it wasn’t an easy read at the same time. Your sister is beginning to get possessed, or at least you feel like she is? She’s threatening to kill you and she’s acting strange and making up lies that she’s going to school and working on some “project?” Excuses, excuses…

This could’ve been your typical pre-teen read. If you are twelve, then I’d seriously recommend that you should read this. But if you’re 19 and like more vastly mature things, then this is a no-no. I guess it also has to do with the fact that it focuses on a variety of stereotypical aspects of high schools. Clique groups, first love, all of that stuff. I’d say that if the mystery was lacking and that if I didn’t care about the ending, then this possibly would’ve been a DNF. Thankfully, I liked Lexi and her best friend, Megan, who were the huge protagonists and “heroines” of the story. 

Although the paranormal aspects were lacking, the book itself had a fabulous ending… Until I realized that there would be another continuation all over again. Kasey finally was put into a… menta–I won’t spoil it for you any more. I kept looking into my sister’s room after I finished reading and wondered if she’d come into my room in the middle of the night and throw weird tantrums at me.  

Some may have classified this as literature-excellence (as most of you actually have, with a GR average rating of 4.08), but this was simply okay. It was a little boring as I left and came out of this bookish reality, but it had good characters and a fabulous ending. Just something a little more scary and intriguing, please?

From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die #2), by Katie Alender
Published On: June 14, 2011, by Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Horror, Paranormal
Pages: 442
Format: Paperback
Source: Gifted
Rating: 

Alexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul. She already has everything she needs--an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a little sister who's finally recovering after being possessed by an evil spirit, then institutionalized. Alexis is thrilled when her sister joins a club; new friends are just what Kasey needs. It's strange, though, to see how fast the girls in The Sunshine Club go from dorky and antisocial to gorgeous and popular. Soon Alexis learns that the girls have pledged an oath to a seemingly benevolent spirit named Aralt. Worried that Kasey's in over her head again, Alexis and her best friend Megan decide to investigate by joining the club themselves. At first, their connection with Aralt seems harmless. Alexis trades in her pink hair and punky clothes for a mainstream look, and quickly finds herself reveling in her newfound elegance and success. Instead of fighting off the supernatural, Alexis can hardly remember why she joined in the first place. Surely it wasn't to destroy Aralt...why would she hurt someone who has given her so much, and asked for so little in return?

I’ve held off trying to write this review for a week now, leaving it in my drafts, sitting there lonely and unwritten. What am I supposed to do when I have nothing to say? This book was really nothing special, compared to the first, and I probably won’t go out and waste my time with the final novel. I just don’t care. The funny thing here is that this series overall has such a high fan-base and Goodreads average rating. 4.23? That’s something mega-huge, which I don’t really get. Second-book syndrome? Absolutely, and a horrible case of it where I don’t care about the book at all.

I was gifted a copy of this and this first book in the end of 2013. That was more than a year ago–and I guess you could say that I’ve been running away from reading the two as well. And the first book was much more preferable, where I wish that this wasn’t a series, and only a standalone. Why did we need another wacky continuation where Kasey went mad again? *punches a wall* I produced so much hate and anger while reading this sequel, where I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to read another YA ghost story ever again. They usually are okay, but this series wasn’t that good overall.

So in the last book, we ended off with a good ending—where Kasey was sent to a mental hospital after her wide variety of incidents. And now, she’s back home and her sh*t has begun again. LIKE REALLY? She has met a new friend and this friend (Adrienne was her name?) began to get her into all sorts of bad stuff. Then Alexis has to get into Kasey’s business and save her, obviously.

The start of this book gave me some high hopes. I actually expected a better ending than the start, but my opinion blasted all the way around after finishing this one. The thing that bothered me the most was that this is a trilogy. I’m not going to begin a rant because I’ll probably go out of bounds and will take things too far, as I know when I have an opinion that’s bothering me. But the concept of this was really bland compared to the first book, and I didn’t experience any shivers, screams or goosebumps as many other people have described that they had so. Ghosts really aren't my thing since every book is the same thing over and over again. Meh.

As the beginning was strong and off to a good start, you could say that I was in a good mood. Everything was going as planned until Kasey met her friend and then the thing in the forest and the dog happened, and I was like, no. Alender seemed to have had a goal for this book, in the sense of a specific event to happen, but then it went all over the place. It became slow-paced, bland and boring. I lost my interest whatsoever. Yes, so this book went from good to cursed. (The title should definitely change to that, since it makes more sense.)

What my high hopes and positivity is on is Alexis. She’s a real kick-ass protagonist. It seems like I like her especially for her sensibility and loyalty to her stupid dumb annoying young sister. It’s also really weird since I feel like Kasey’s ten, not fourteen—my age. Her acting and personality is so weak and undefined, she seemed like some storybook character who got lost in between the lines of the book. And I was also happy for her since she was so in love with her boyfriend (who’s name I won’t mention since SPOILER for the first two books). Things seemed to be going really well for her, until her nasty younger weirdo sister ruined it all. 

Was this about mental illness? Sure, but there were also some weak paranormal aspects that didn’t scare me at all. Was it supposed to? I don’t really know—but what I do know is that this series isn’t for me. It could easily be put as a twelve year old-recommended read since nothing explicit and scary was happening. It was just a strange mystery with no needs of a third book, for that sake.

Dystopian Duo Reviews #1: Sky On Fire & Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

                                                         

Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2), by Emmy Laybourne
Published On: May 28, 2013, by Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 212
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope. 
Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .
Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . . .

After reading the first book, I was obsessed. I was on vacation at the time, and when I came back, I immediately ran out to the bookstore to grab the sequel at the bookstore… but that was in February. YES, IT WAS SITTING IN MY BOOKSHELF THAT LONG. 

Sky on Fire was literally one of the most powerful sequels that I’ve read in a long time. It takes dystopia to a whole other level, and I love the concept. There were longing moments when I teared up, I laughed and I feared for my life and the characters’ lives. 

Post-apocalyptic books are always survival-like. The message is always powerful and you find that you realize it in the first chapter of the book.This book dealt with friendship, love and suffering. There were some horrible and horrifying deaths, and plot twists between the characters’ personalities and moods that you felt like you had the need to pull your outrageous hair out of your scalp. Okay, I’m not going to go gory here, but there were some ew moments where shootings and traps were placed.

One of the best things here in the beginning was that Laybourne reminded us of what happened previously. Imagine those people who had to read the first book and then wait another full year for the sequel. That’s actually me in most situations, but not in this one. Actually, I did forget about who the characters were and all, but the author gave us a great reminder. 

So this is the aftermath of the first book. The characters are struggling, a few of them not knowing who they really are and what their futures will look like, and they’re all trapped in a grocery store. Now, you must be thinking that they have a huge advantage. Yeah, they definitely do, but there’s danger outside and they need to find their parents. If they don’t, it’s certainly possible that they’ll be living in that store for the rest of their lives. But do keep in mind that the air outside can eat you up, basically. So those with those O-negative blood types better be careful or else they’ll go against their friends/family and ruin it all.

*takes a deep breath* I’ve got to say that this book made me bloodthirsty for more. Laybourne has done all of the action scenes perfectly—especially the bus scenes and with the trailer and the trap. I swear that I had to take deep breaths and sighs for the characters because the action and sadness never let stuff happen for them, including happiness. 

The concept was something special, as was the plot. For a relatively short book, it was fast-paced and involved a lot of mind thinking from the reader’s point of views. There were many moments when I was making predictions and theories since I felt the need like I had to. 

What I did have a small problem with was the characters. Dean, Sahila, and most of the gang were okay as they all showed bits of friendship, love and prosperity, but then there was Adam, who was a little too mommy-like. For example, he thought that he had so much knowledge in him which made him feel like he can rule everyone around. He wasn’t supposed to be the boss. I felt like it was the roles for the other people. And really, why did he even go on the school bus? *face palms self*

Astrid and Dean were so adorable. OMG, the little kids even thought of them as mommy and daddy, and then the baby…. WELL AWWW TO THE MAX. I can’t get enough of them.

This was really a fantastic sequel. It was mind-blowing, racing and my feels were exploding all over the place. Just now remember that the ending was crazy and open. You'll be convinced to pick up the sequel right away.

Savage Drift (Monument 14 #3), by Emmy Laybourne
Published On: May 6, 2014, by Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 305
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

The stunningly fierce conclusion to Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14 trilogy.
The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.
But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety.
Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.
Author Emmy Laybourne reaches new heights of tension and romance in this action-packed conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy.

I was honestly jumping up and down of happiness when I saw and figured out that my local library had this gorgeous book in their shelves. I ran to it in slow motion and grabbed it and ran to check it out. Sadly, it was sitting, waiting to be read for a long time until now. Savage Drift was a fascinating, action-packed ending to the Monument 14 trilogy that captivated me from the first page.

So at the end of the sequel, we found out that our lovely characters were brought and found at the airport and were brought to a refugee camp. Some found their parents, some didn’t. But together, they were still a family as they were always together since the start. But hey, they’re all looking for a happy ending, no? This is brought in Dean’s and Josie’s POVs, as Josie is in a separate prison camp for O’s where she’s been turned into a monster, basically. But the hearts of the people who she once loved are still with here even though she’s changed.

This was probably the worst book of the series. Haha, it obviously wasn’t hideous—nope it was great. Just the plot and the setting wasn't really for me as I felt like it was the action of many other dystopian books. I thought that this was a unique series?I thought the characters were an honest group of people? 

Lies. Lies were all over the place. For three books, we haven't found out much about the characters’ histories as we did here. I was so surprised to see what some of them had to deal with in the past, even before the whole massacre began. It was a book of character-development, but we sadly won’t see any of them anymore in the future except fanfiction, haha. 

The plot began out to be something quite interesting. For once, the characters were in different situations. Sure in the last book, the bus and the grocery store situations were different, but here, we had rebel vs. innocent people looking for happiness. I guess now, that was the main message of this trilogy: looking for happiness after catastrophe. It’s quite sad, if you ask me.

Dean was and always will be my favourite character. He took risks for so many people, including every single person in the Monument. And in the end, what he did for Astrid was utterly gorgeous. The child will definitely always call Dean “Daddy.” *squeals* Too bad we couldn’t get a little hint of what would happen in the future. ;_;

The worst thing here is that people haven't really noticed this trilogy as much as I wish for them to. It doesn’t get any attention, and if you love dystopias as I do, then you’ll adore this. So right now, and go out and grab not one, not two, but all three books in the trilogy, because you won’t be left disappointed.