Dystopian Books

      I Love Dystopian books!  I must admit that when they first started coming out, I truly had my doubts.  Then as more came out, I thought, How can you keep telling the same story and still make it different?  Well, duh, they do it all the time in other genres.  With Dystopian, I enjoy reading the man versus nature type of feeling it invokes.  When they can throw in a weird creature that is wreaking havoc on the humanity that is left is also great.  Then throw in a control-freak that thinks they are the answer for the remaining civilization and wowsa!!!!! 

     Now, they Dystopian books are carrying over to movies and television.  The fascination of The Hunger Games both in book and movie form has really brought the Sci-Fi sub-genre out into the forefront.  And then there is NBC's new television show Revolution that focuses on a teenage girl that lives in a time where electricity no longer works and is attempting to rescue her brother from a crazed military leader with the help of her estranged uncle, a rebel, and a nerd.  I watch that show and it makes me realize how much we all rely on technology and what would happen if it was taken away from us.

Here is my review of the latest Dystopian book I have read:  Defiance by C.J. Redwine.  There are a few spoilers, but the biggest ones have been left out.  If you like The Hunger Games, Shatter Me, or Under the Never Sky you will like this first book in The Courier's Daughter Trilogy. 


Defiance by C.J. Redwine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rachel’s father is a missing courier for the city-state of Baalboden. The Commander, who rules the city-state in an a dictator fashion has him declared dead. Rachel is heartbroken and certain that her father is still alive. The Commander tells her that her new protector is not Oliver, the grandfather-like figure that has always been in her life, but rather her father’s apprentice Logan McEntire. Rachel bristles at the thought of Logan, a boy she declared her love for just two years earlier and rejected her, being her protector. However, there is little that can be done. Rachel plots a way to escape the city-state and go in search of her father, but is caught by the Commander’s soldiers. The Commander kills an innocent soldier and threatens Logan’s life to bring Rachel under control.

Rachel and Logan are determined her father is still alive and holds a secret the Commander very much wants. There attempts to escape are thwarted again and Rachel comes under control of the Commander while Logan is beaten and thrown into the dungeon. Rachel and Melkin, her forced traveling companion, strike out and encounter unfathomable dangers, including the Cursed One – a dragon-like worm that destroys everything in its wake. Logan, with the help of people who want him and Rachel to lead a revolt, escapes the dungeon to track down Rachel. The two return to Baalboden for a confrontation with the Commander in hopes of overthrowing him, but instead he disappears. With everything left in chaos, half of the people leave Baalboden and the other half throw their support behind Rachel and Logan.

This story is told in the alternating voices of Rachel and Logan.

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Happy Reading!

Tammy Jo

Dystopian Societies

Hello again!

Dystopian Society seems to be all the rage right now with YA books -- and again, being made into movies (Hunger Games).  There is another book that is going to be a hit among Dystopian fans.  Shatter Me is wonderful story that, did I mention, the movie rights have been purchase????  Yes, so wait for it to knock your socks off!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Juliette is a 17-year-old girl with a problem. Well, several problems:

1. She has been tested, prodded and observed for the last 3 years.

2. She has no idea where her parents are.

3. She has not spoken or seen another human being in almost a year - since they locked her in her cell in the asylum.

4. She has not touched another human being since she accidentally killed that little boy almost four years ago.

Juliette has a power, a power that she would love to get rid of, a power that is more a curse than anything. She can drain a person's life force just by touching them. Everything changes the day she gets a cell mate. Adam. Adam, the boy she has been in love with since they were in middle school. The boy that she thought did not know who she was. The boy who would give his life for her if necessary. The boy who could touch her when no one else can. The boy who is a soldier for the Reestablishment.

Warner, the second-in-command of the Reestablishment, wants Juliette for her ability. He sees her as a powerful weapon that he can use to advance the cause and get rid of those who stand in their way. Juliette knows that she retains some modicum of control because Warner cannot touch her, until the unthinkable happens and in a daring escape he touches her and remains unarmed. Now everything has changed. The stakes are higher and Juliette and Adam are unsure who they can trust and what is truth and what is fiction.

This is a compelling Dystopian book that leaves you on the edge of your seat and wishing the second book was already out so you can continue on with the story.

Price: $15.34
Grade: 9+
Genre: Sci-Fi (Dystopian Society)

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