YA Book Pick: CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Once a month, we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors!

This month's Book Pick is CINDER by Marissa Meyer.

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

First Line: "The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle."

This first line gives you an immediate impression of the main character. She obviously has something physically different about her, or she wouldn't have a screw through her ankle. The author also plants the idea that Cinder is poor by mentioning that the screw is rusted. It makes me want to read on and find out why!

Highlights: Although "cyborg Cinderella" is a good enough hook for just about anyone, this book is also a good example of the dystopian genre. It's set in the future, after a world war has devastated much of the world and completely changed political boundaries. The author did a good job of avoiding the dreaded infodump, instead doling out bits of information throughout the book that kept me hooked and interested.

The main character is mechanically inclined and very competent, which I liked a lot. No damsel in distress here. The romantic plotline is also well-crafted. The protagonists' attraction to each other is believable, and so are the reasons they are kept apart.

The book ends on a dramatic cliffhanger, which made me want to pick up the next book immediately. From the synopses, it looks like the other books in Meyer's series each follow different fairy-tale characters who end up interacting with Cinder and each other. This seems like an intriguing way to do a series that might be more interesting than just following the same character throughout multiple novels.

A Good Read For: Writers of fairy-tale retellings, this would be a great read for you. The author loosely follows the Cinderella story, but she adds so much of her own spin that I honestly forgot about it after a while. She did an excellent job of blending just enough of the familiar with interesting new concepts to keep the reader hooked.

YA Book Pick: CHAMPION

On the second Monday of every month, we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors!

This month's book pick is CHAMPION (#3 in the Legend series) by Marie Lu.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

First Line: "Out of all the disguises I've worn, this one might be my favorite."

For fans of the series, this line puts you right back into the world of dystopian intrigue. I knew immediately that this was the voice of Day, the male POV character.

Highlights: I reviewed the first book in this trilogy, LEGEND, two years ago (back when this was a brand-new blog!). As you can see from that review, I was absolutely blown away by the tight writing and pacing.

It's hard to sustain reader interest all the way through three books, but Marie Lu accomplishes it by raising the stakes substantially with each book. In this one, the nations are at war, which changes everything the characters have ever known. 

She also expands the world we've come to know in a fantastic scene where some of the characters visit another nation, one that couldn't be more different from the Republic or Colonies. I'm not going to spoil anything, but suffice it to say that the culture of this other nation was fascinating and well-thought-out.

Notes for Writers: It's tough to wrap up a trilogy with characters readers have come to love in a way that's satisfying, but still believable. I thought the ending of this book hit it right on the money. It's bittersweet, but with the same note of hope for a better future that was a common thread throughout the series.

A Good Read For: Writers working on a series. The whole trilogy is an excellent example of the right way to maintain forward momentum and reader interest over the course of a series. And judging by the reviews on Goodreads, I wasn't the only one who thought so!

YA Book Pick: Ender's Game

On the second Monday of every month, we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors!

This month's book pick is ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card.

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble):

Once again, the Earth is under attack. Alien "buggers" are poised for a final assault. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers. But who? Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child. Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battleschool. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battleschool is just a game. Right?

For this month's YA book pick, I decided to go back a bit to a classic book that is now reaching a new generation of readers thanks to the recent release of the feature film based on the novel starring Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield as Ender.  

It's an oldie but a goodie.  Perhaps more middle grade than YA (did they even use those terms in 1985?). Still it's worth taking a look at what continues to remain consistent traits of a great novels and what sets them apart from the pack. 

First Line: "I've watched through his eyes, I've listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one."

Wow, can a first line get better than this?  It tells us so much and it's not even through the protagonist's voice.  The answers it gives and more importantly the questions it raises makes us want to know more. We know our protagonist is not just being watched, but watched very intently and carefully, and through his own eyes and ears.  What does that mean? Is there some type of futuristic monitoring equipment at use? Is there a mind meld? But more importantly why is he being watched? We know, above all, our protagonist is special.  

Second Line: "Or at least as close as we're going to get." All of a sudden, doubt is raised.  Our protagonist is not perfect, he has flaws.  We have in these first two sentences the key question that ties the entire novel together: whatever the situation is, will Ender be able to prove that he is, in fact, the one? 

Highlights: There are two things that stick out in ENDER'S GAME for me.  The first is something that I feel is hard to find in many MG and YA novels these days. The Harry Potter series does this well, which is probably why it's one of the best selling series of all time. What I'm referring to is the keen use of strategy.  The entire novel is a game within a game within a game. Ender develops strategies to outsmart opponents during simulated war games, beats bullies in school, manages adults and defeats aliens.  Survival means overcoming the odds constantly.  Whether it's lunch in the battle school cafeteria or facing a thousand enemy ships, Ender always finds answers that make both strategic and tactical sense.  

The second is the way Card speaks about the future.  It's always interesting to see how authors develop their ideas of what the world will look like.  Fast forward almost thirty years and we have some of the technology that Card speaks of.  His reference to the "net" of course is obvious, but I love the students use of their "desks" which might be similar to what we now commonly refer to as tablets.  I wonder though if Card ever dreamt that the desk could be even smaller (perhaps an iPad mini?).   Olivia Aldridge writes a similar assessment of George Orwell's 1984 and M.T. Anderson's FEED in her article in The Red & Black.

But I digress, we're here to talk about ENDER'S GAME.

Notes for Writers: Card is a master when it comes to creating tension on every page.  If you step back from the page, each scene shows escalating tension not just by action but also by how Ender reacts and thinks about his environment.  With each step, we know not only what is happening externally but also how Ender feels internally.  

Each chapter opens with a conversation between two adults (often Colonel Hyrum Graff and Major Anderson).  There are no dialogue tags and sometimes it's difficult to determine at first who is speaking. However, the intros are very effective in that they set the stage and raise questions we hope will be answered in the chapter.  Often times we're asked in workshops to write dialogue without tags, each chapter of ENDER'S GAME shows great examples of master dialogue at work. 

A Good Read For: Those who enjoy Sci-Fi and Dystopian novels but who also enjoy a great game of chess.  

YA Book Pick: LEGEND

On the second Monday of every month, we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors!

This month's book pick is LEGEND by Marie Lu.


Synopsis (from Goodreads): What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

First Line: "My mother thinks I'm dead." 

This is a great first line for several reasons. First, it makes you want to read on. Why does this person's mother think he's dead? Why would he allow his mother to think that, since it's (obviously) not the case? It also immediately establishes the protagonist as someone who has family who would care if he's dead, which isn't always a given in dystopian fiction.

Highlights: I loved the whole book. I took it with me on a five-hour plane ride, along with my laptop, some knitting, and a magazine. When I sat down, I pulled out the book, thinking I'd read for a little while, then work on other things. When I landed, the laptop, knitting, and magazine were untouched, but the book was done!

June and Day's relationship was fascinating and layered. June's belief that Day was the one who killed her brother gave them a very good reason to dislike each other, even though they had a lot in common (and an immediate physical attraction). This was a believable way to prolong the tension between them, something that isn't always done well in books with a romantic plotline.

I also really liked the fact that the book didn't spend much time talking about what happened to change society. There were enough clues given to make me curious about the backstory, but the main focus was what was happening to those characters now.

Notes for Writers: This is the first book I've read that uses different colors (and fonts) for each POV character. When I first started reading, I honestly wondered if it would annoy me, but after the first couple of switches I really appreciated the visual cue that we were in the other character's head. I'm usually not a huge fan of switching POVs in the first place, but it didn't bother me at all here.

A Good Read For: Fans of/writers of dystopian fiction, science fiction, and action-adventure. The novel is very well-paced, with an excellent mix of tense action scenes and quieter, more contemplative moments.

The next book in the series, PRODIGY, has a release date of January 29, 2013. I can't wait!

See more YA Book Picks here.