Book Review: Verify by Joelle Charbonneau @jcharbonneau

Compelling and a bit scary, Verify is a book that needs to be read by many teens.

Meri's world, a future Chicago, is as close to a utopia as any city has ever been.  Everyone and everything is safe. There is no poverty and very little crime. The environment has been preserved, partly by getting rid of paper. All communications are done electronically. Miri believes everything she hears on the three TV channels that have been provided by the government. What else is needed? Citizens are paid for turning in any books or paper they find and must pay a tax to use paper for anything. It is much better for the environment--or at least that's what they want you to think.

Since Meri's mother died in a freak accident, Meri's father has pretty much checked out. Meri meets some people who don't necessarily think the world is a better place at all. In fact, they are convinced the government is controlling everything you see and hear. But is that such a bad thing? Look how happy everyone is. But is everyone really happy? Meri wants to find out why her mother died and why she had become so distant in the last weeks before her death, so she begins to question everything she has believed.

Think about a world without paper. No books. Everything online. If someone were controlling what is released online, what is to stop them from eliminating words (such as "Verify") from the dictionary? Or entire chapters from textbooks. Or entire books.

If you are interested in relationships, it seems there might be a romance developing, but in no way does this relationship take away from the story. We'll have to see about this in future installments. (Something to look forward to.) The characters are interesting and the situations eye-opening. Verify has been compared to Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 and would be a great addition to any curriculum studying those texts.

Things are not all they seem in Meri's world, and she is in for a rude awakening. The tension mounts nicely as we reach the conclusion. I got through this one very quickly. And, sure to be a series, Verify leaves the reader wanting more! Charbonneau certainly has another winner in Verify.

Published by HarperTeen, September 24, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Hive by Barry Lyga, Morgan Baden

I loved Lyga's I Hunt Killers series, so I couldn't pass up The Hive. I had a few issues, but for the most part The Hive was entertaining, and I think teens will love it even more than I did.

Cassie is having a hard time since her father died. She and her mother have had to move, and Cassie is entering a new school. Her father was a famous internet hacker, and taught Cassie almost everything he knew about coding, but since his death, Cassie has lost her passion for coding and hasn't done any.

Social Media is now governed by The Hive, a new justice system developed by the government to stop online bullying. Cassie believes in The Hive and its ability to mete out justice according to approvals (or disapprovals) by society. According to how many disapprovals a post gets, the person responsible is assigned a level (1 through 5) and assigned a punishment. Hundreds (or thousands) of people can meet this person and help decide an appropriate punishment. Should they have to wear a sign all day? Should they have to disrobe and be naked for a day? These are some of the minor punishments -- it gets worse as the level rises.

When Cassie, trying to fit in at her new school, is goaded to post a funny (but tasteless) comment about the president's new grandchild, no one could predict what happens. Suddenly Cassie is on the run and trying to find a place to hide in order to save her life.

I thought The Hive took a while to get going, but once Cassie is on the run, it gets very exciting and the pace moves quickly. It is very far-fetched, but as my eyes rolled, I was swiftly swiping pages to see what was going to happen next. So, for the teen audience, The Hive will be a good one.

I think the authors were trying to send a message about the dangers of social media, but I'm not sure it comes through very strong because of the improbable plot. But still, it is compelling.

Recommend this to your techie teens.

Published by Kids Can, September 3, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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DNF Book Review: Cold Barrel Zero by Matthew Quirk

OK, so I didn't finish this one, but I read over half of it, and it's a good book. So, why didn't I finish it? Well, it's just not my kind of book. Or at least it's not the right book for me now. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes your reading experience is affected by your mood, or the last thing you read, or the next thing you want to read. Or maybe I just got impatient, because Cold Barrel Zero is very detailed.

It's hard to describe Cold Barrel Zero because it is complex. It's about two groups of people who are after each other because of supposed atrocities committed long ago. One group is the military and the main character is Riggs. The other group are the supposed renegades, led by Hayes. Then Thomas Byrne, who hasn't seen Hayes for years gets roped into this horrible situation because he' in the wrong place at the wrong time. For Byrne, it's help or be killed.

There is a lot of action, but it's kind of the same action repeated over again, which is the main reason I gave up at 55%. It's a long book -- or at least it seemed like it. I didn't need more action, I just needed the answers to come a bit more quickly. Cold Barrel Zero is purposefully confusing at the beginning and many characters are introduced quickly. The best part is the fact that the reader really doesn't know who is bad and who is good. I'm not really sure anyone is good in this one. But after over half the book, I was still totally in the dark. I needed some breadcrumbs, so I could stay interested in the outcome.

Quirk also uses some jargon that I didn't understand and some references that made no sense. One example is when he talks about a group of high powered people at a meeting and says, "they were all mandarins." Huh? The dictionary on my e-reader didn't have an explanation. When I go to dictionary.com the sixth definition says: "An influential or powerful government official or bureaucrat." Thanks for expanding my vocabulary, but I think Quirk is being purposefully obtuse. These types of phrases occur too often and disrupted the flow for me.

I found myself resenting this story and wishing it would just be over. That's when I decided it was time to quit. A certain case of "it's me, not you" because really my complaints about Cold Barrel Zero are minor, and if you like these types of high tech, military terrorism stories, then you should go for it.

Published by Mulholland, March 29, 2016
eARC obtained from NetGalley
211/384 pages

Rating: DNF

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Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes was entertaining and kept my attention but didn't wow me like I had hoped.

The story is told from two points of view. Laia, a lowly Scholar,  has allowed herself to be sold as a slave to work for the resistance, who have promised to free her brother who has been imprisoned.

Elias has spent most of his life training to be a Mask, one of the elite soldiers of the Martial Empire who keep the Scholars subservient and docile. He has graduated, but has been having second thoughts about the cruelty he will be required to dispense.  He's been planning for a long time to escape (even though escape will surely cost him his life), but at the last minute he's visited by an Augur (the immortals who are in charge) and convinced that he must fulfill his destiny, and this is the only way he will be happy.

Laia and Elias meet up, and even though neither one trusts each other, they eventually work together (and apart) and their actions have far-reaching consequences for the entire Empire.

I'm torn about An Ember in the Ashes. I really had a hard time getting through it. But I wonder if I didn't get through it because my life was so busy, or was my life so busy because I was avoiding reading this book. It kind of felt like the latter. I pushed through at the end, and I did find that part to be filled with tension and excitement.

Another reason might be because this book seemed so similar to some other recent reads. I recognized elements of The Queen of the Tearling  and Red Queen, both books that I enjoyed, but maybe I'm tired of these types of stories.

The writing was done well. There's a bit of romance, sort of a love "square" but it didn't take over the story. The evil bad people are loathsome. And, although we did end up at an ending, there's sure to be more to this story.

I can definitely recommend An Ember in the Ashes, even if I had some problems. I think the story has great appeal to teens who enjoyed the other books I've mentioned.

Published by Razorbill, April 28, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
464 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Audio Book Review: The Racketeer, by John Grisham

John Grisham has done it again, with The Racketeer. I don't  know where he comes up with these stories, but every book he writes is so compelling, you just have to know what happens.

Malcolm Bannister is in federal prison for a crime he didn't commit. He's been sentenced to 10 years and has served 5 of those years. When a federal judge is murdered, Malcolm convinces the FBI that he knows who committed the crime, and if they will commute his sentence and put him in the witness protection program, he will tell them who the murderer is.

The feds take the deal and give Malcolm a new life and a new face as Max Baldwin. That's really all I want to say. This is one of those books where you know there's more to the story than you are being told. I don't know how many times I thought to myself, "Just what is Malcolm/Max up to?" He does weird things that don't seem related to the case and that put him in danger, but you know there must be a reason. You don't really find out that reason until the end of the book when everything comes together masterfully.

The twists and turns and the complexity of the plot will keep you mesmerized. Max is very smart, very creative, and is obviously following a plan. But to what end? You have to read it to find out.

The narrator, J. D. Jackson, is excellent. The Racketeer is a first person narrative, and Jackson's voice for Malcolm/Max is spot-on and easy to follow.

The Racketeer is highly recommended to adults and sophisticated teen readers who like crime drama . If you are already a Grisham fan, this is a must read.

Published by Random House, 2012
Audiobook obtained from the library
402 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

Brilliance is a well-crafted thriller that seamlessly incorporates a paranormal element and sucks you right into its unique premise.

About 30 years ago a phenomenon began. A much larger percent of the population started to be born with savant-like abilities. The abilities are very specialized and the people are normal in all other ways. No one has been able to figure out why this is happening, but it has changed the complexion of society. Children are tested at age 8 to see if they are an "abnorm." Some of them are sent to special academies.

The main character, Nick Cooper, is a special agent working for a new government department called Equitable Services that was created to deal with abnorms. Nick IS an abnorm. He goes after those abnorms who have used their powers to endanger the public or break the law.

There is a huge national incident that kills many people. Nick decides the only way to stop the terrorists is to go undercover and pretend that he's left Equitable Services and joined the other abnorms.

The tension builds nicely, as Nick faces dangers and makes alliances but really can't trust many people at all. There are twists and turns to keep you guessing. The farther along I got in the story, the faster I needed to read.

Nick makes some stupid decisions a few times that get him into trouble, but this added to the drama and tension.  The actual "bad guy" may not be a surprise for some, as the story follows a familiar design. But the unique premise and the part that these special abilities play in the outcome make Brilliance special.

Fans of espionage, detective, thrillers, government conspiracies, or futuristic stories should give Brilliance a shot. The second book in the series, A Better World, was released recently, and I can't wait to get to it.

Published by Thomas & Mercer, 2013
eBook purchased
452 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Taking, by Kimberly Derting

For a book that's supposed to be about alien abductions, The Taking screams, "romance!"

Kyra is 16 when she wakes up behind a quick shop and the last thing she remembers is being outside a car with her dad and seeing a bright flash of light. Kyra walks home, and soon realizes that things have changed a lot. Her mom and dad are divorced, her mom is remarried, and she has a new brother. Her boyfriend is now dating her best friend. She comes to realize that five years have passed since she disappeared.

Here's my problem. Kyra, YOU HAVE BEEN GONE FOR FIVE YEARS!!. This doesn't seem to phase Kyra very much, other than calling her new little brother "my brother" (yes, in quotes) instead of using his name. Kyra is a snot, but I forgive her for that. But what I don't forgive her for is OBSESSING about Tyler, the boy next door, and also the brother of her boyfriend from five years ago.

Awful things happen. She finds out the man who drew her blood at the hospital (a very strange blood draw, to begin with) has died. Doesn't phase Kyra..."Where's Tyler? When will Tyler be home?" Kyra has the same bruises and callouses and finds out her teeth are exactly the same as five years ago. Again, doesn't phase her, it's all about Tyler.

Her mother is panicked and wants her to stay close (of course, after thinking she was dead for five years.) Does Kyra care? No. Let's sneak over to Tyler's house. Her dad has gone off the deep end, trying to prove that Kyra was abducted by aliens -- she rejects him. When strange government officials start asking her questions, does she turn to her parents? Nope. Tyler.

Another little niggly thing. Kyra is gone for five years. She even states she had a Motorola Razr phone (that was still charged when she returned after five years.) She gets a new phone and is totally comfortable with the new smart phone technology. None of the technological changes that happened in five years was ever mentioned. iPads? eReaders? Like I said, niggly, but I thought it would have added a lot if Kyra had been "amazed" by some of the new stuff that is now available. I guess what I'm saying is that some details would have helped me believe the story. Kyra's reactions to the whole scenario were entirely "off."

The Taking got interesting after Kyra (and of course, Tyler) are on the run. She finally focuses on figuring out what happened. But by then I was so disgusted with her, I just wanted it to be over. And, even though I finished The Taking, it's not really over. This is the first book in a series, so we are left with a pretty big cliff hanger. I don't think I can stand the romance, so I probably won't continue the series.

Published by HarperTeen, April 29, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 2.5/5

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Book Review: Don't Turn Around, by Michelle Gagnon

Don't Turn Around is non-stop excitement. At times, some of the plotting was a bit convenient, but this didn't stop me from frantically turning pages to see what would happen next.

Noa wakes up on a cold metal table with tubes in her arms. She manages to overcome her captors and escapes -- to realize she's in the middle of a warehouse district.

Peter is a hacker. His parents are rarely home and they have provided him with a nice car, a private school, and a computer. He's snooping in his father's desk and finds a mysterious folder. When he begins to search on the computer for the company listed in the folder, he finds a mystery. Before he can figure anything out, his house is broken into by black-clad men, who threaten him and tell him to tell his father they were there.

Noa is a foster child and has been living on her own and off the grid for a while. So she's pretty well-prepared to survive and hide from the men who are obviously determined to find her.

The coincidental part of the plot is that Peter runs a web site/organization that consists of vigilante hackers -- those who punish  people who are cyber bullies, or commit other cyber crimes. Noa is a member of this organization and one with a good reputation. So when Peter needs help researching this mysterious company, he calls on Noa, and she, of course, finds out that this company has files with her name on them.

Once you get past that astounding coincidence, it's a wild ride. These two encounter one dangerous situation after another, and they are piecing together an unbelievable scenario involving human teens as test subjects for medical experiments.

There are other interesting characters that make a contribution to the story, but Noa and Peter are the stars, and of course they eventually end up physically together in their quest to ferret out and conquer the bad guys. Noa has a savior (another very helpful coincidence) and I suspect he will play a bigger part in the second book. Because....

They aren't finished yet, at the end of Don't Turn Around. But they are at least in a temporarily safe place. The ending sets up the sequel, Don't Look Now perfectly. It will be released in August, and I can't wait to see what is in store for these characters.

Give Don't Turn Around to your reluctant readers and other teens who like a lot of action and suspense. This one won't disappoint.

Published by HarperCollins, 2012
Copy obtained from the library
320 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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