Posts Categorized: dystopian

Remake by Ilima Todd ~ Review

09 Dec, 2014 by in dystopian, ilima todd, Shadow Mountain, ya, young adult fiction 1 comment

I received this book for free from Shadow Mountain in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Remake by Ilima Todd ~ Review

Remake

by Ilima Todd
Published by Shadow Mountain on October 14th 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
four-stars
Source: Shadow Mountain
Buy the BookGoodreads
Nine is the ninth female born in her batch of ten females and ten males. By design, her life in Freedom Province is without complications or consequences. However, such freedom comes with a price. The Prime Maker is determined to keep that price a secret from the new batches of citizens that are born, nurtured, and raised androgynously.

But Nine isn't like every other batcher. She harbors indecision
and worries about her upcoming Remake Day -- her seventeenth birthday, the age when batchers fly to the Remake facility and have the freedom to choose who and what they'll be.

When Nine discovers the truth about life outside of Freedom
Province, including the secret plan of the Prime Maker, she is
pulled between two worlds and two lives. Her decisions will test
her courage, her heart, and her beliefs. Who can she trust? Who does she love? And most importantly, who will she decide to be?

First thing I have to say is that the cover is gorgeous and absolutely fits the plot and character featured. Nine is a teen waiting for her 17th birthday when she will pick her trade and be “remade” as either a male of female. She is free to choose her physical features and ultimately the trajectory of her life according to her society’s laws. But what she does not understand is that there is a whole other reality out there that involves family, fertility and love. This book tested the limits of conventionally accepted values and the turn our society is taking towards gender less definition of youth at the same time. It openly discusses sex, gender, and God but is set in a futuristic dystopian society much like The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld or Divergent by Veronica Roth. I personally would not let my children read it until they are older and had been well exposed to both sex and gender issues. However, as an adult who has read a wide range of similar YA dystopian books, I enjoyed Remake as a fresh take on what could very well be in our near future. The themes are freedom of choice, family, seeking truth and government oppression.

I wish there would have been a bit more character development, especially with the two boys she has to choose between. And, I am hoping there is a sequel ( this was announced as a two book deal) There are a lot of open ends at the conclusion of Remake. Would I recommend it? Yes. Moms and dads, please pre read before passing it on. Adults, this is thought provoking and extremely timely. Well done Ilima. You’ve asked and introduced some very important questions.

about_ the_author
ilima toddIlima Todd was born and raised on the north shore of Oahu and currently resides in the Rocky Mountains. She never wanted to be a writer even though she loves books and reading. She earned a degree in physics instead. But the characters in her head refused to be ignored, and now she spends her time writing science fiction for teens. When she is not writing, Ilima loves to spend time with her husband and four children.

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Book Breview~ Jewel by Amy Ewing

20 Oct, 2014 by in amy ewing, dystopian, harperteen, lone city, YA fiction 2 comments

I received this book for free from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Breview~ Jewel by Amy Ewing

The Jewel

by Amy Ewing
Series: The Lone City #1
Published by Harper Teen on September 2nd 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Pages: 358
Format: Hardcover
four-stars
Source: HarperCollins
Buy the BookGoodreads
The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

The Cover

LOVE! Picked it up because of the gorgeous shimmery cover. It reminds me of The Winner’s Curse. I am like a moth to the flame with covers of girls in beautiful ball gowns.

Liked

The ending. Surprise twist and lots of suspense. This is a cliffhanger, so you will have to pick up book two.

The complex characters. These dutchesses, their sons, servants and companions have a lot going on.

Jewel moves along at a fast pace, it is easy to read in one sitting. You are repulsed, yet drawn to the story at the same time.

Didn’t Like

The idea of another human being both a surrogate mother and servant at the same time is creepy. Complete misuse of women’s bodies and souls. There is a dark dystopian edge to all that is shiny and glitters in Jewel.

Lots of drama. Jewel’s society and royalty are glitsy, glamour and corrupt taken to the extreme.

Couldn’t figure out the augeries–genetic mutations that involve the owner’s ability to make magic.

Content

sex, moderate violence, servitude and use of women.

About the Author

amyewing
Amy Ewing is the young adult author of THE JEWEL, the first in a trilogy from HarperTeen, coming out September 2014.
She grew up in a small town outside Boston, where her librarian mother instilled a deep love of reading at a young age. Amy moved to New York City in 2000 to study theater at New York University. Unfortunately, her acting career didn’t quite pan out. She worked in restaurants, as an administrative assistant, a nanny, and a sales representative for a wine distributor before the lack of creativity in her life drove her to begin writing.

Amy received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children from The New School, where she was lucky enough to meet a fabulous community of YA writers who keep her sane on a daily basis. She lives in Harlem, where she spends her days writing, eating cheese, and occasionally binge watching The Vampire Diaries.

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