Everfound - Audiobook

Review:

 

"We can lie to ourselves, saying we believe one thing, and sometimes we convince others it's true, with the hope that by convincing others, we can convince ourselves. Wars are often waged not because of what we believe, but because of the things we want others to believe."

 

Book 3 in the Skinjacker series. I love the series, the characters, the ups & downs, basically everything about it. I am now a huge fan of Neal Shusterman. This is the second series I'm reading by him and I'm now ready for the next one.

 

This book is amazing. It takes the characters on surprising and unexpected paths that end up in quite unusual ways. No characters are just plain evil or good. They all take personal journeys and look at the world in different ways. I felt for all of them at different points in the book and I cringed at their actions at other points.

 

Recommended: Grades 7 & up. Fans of fantasy or dystopian novels.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1654368/everfound-audiobook

Everwild by Neal Shusterman - Audiobook

Review:

If you haven't read Everlost, then you probably shouldn't read this review. But more importantly, don't read the synopsis of this book (Everwild) on Amazon as it gives away an important plot point that the book doesn't reveal until at least the 65% mark.

 

Everlost is populated by children who died and didn't find their way to the light. They are basically ghosts, who can't be seen or interact with the living world (with one interesting exception). Places (dead spots) and things also cross to Everlost, but only those that are truly loved by someone. The children in Everlost are called Afterlights, because they have a glow about them. Afterlights will sink to the center of the earth if they stand in one place for too long, unless they are on a dead spot. In the first book, we learn that large dead spots are rare, but can be found in places that were considered important to a lot of people, such as the Twin Towers in NYC. In Everwild, Allie, Nick, Mary, and Mikey continue their journeys, although their paths have changed. Some secrets have already been discovered about Everlost, but still more questions remain unanswered.

 

Shusterman is a magnificient writer and I love losing myself in his worlds. There is no black or white, no flat good and evil. The "good" characters make mistakes or wrong choices, and the "evil" characters have motives that might have started out as good. There is a constant struggle within each character to understand their own feelings and deal with all the crazinees Everlost throws at them. Over the course of this novel, all of the characters (even the secondary ones) develop, grow, and change. There is an overarching theme of "how do we stop the evil trying to destroy the world" and yet each character has their own feelings, hopes, and dreams to deal with.

 

The instant I finished listening to this book, I began the next (and final) book in the series. This shouldn't be a surprise considering my similar reaction to the first Shusterman series I read (Unwind).

 

I'm recommending this book to grades 7 and up. Some of the actions of the characters are a bit callous in their disregard for the living world, but there are also beautiful parts that stuck with me. Fans of the Delirium or Divergent series will enjoy this one.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1653644/everwild-by-neal-shusterman-audiobook

The Man in the Iron Mask

Review:

 

 

Wow. This book is nothing like the movie, at least the one I watched with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeremy Irons. The end was so tragic and the actual prisoner in the iron mask was such a small part of the story. Seems to me it was the complete opposite in the movie. Huh. Go figure.

 

I'm glad I finally read this.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1651122/the-man-in-the-iron-mask

Kill Your Darlings - Red Team Suspect

 

 

 

Playing this card for the known suspect Arthur Conan Doyle (author's first name begins with C).

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1651005/kill-your-darlings-red-team-suspect

Moving Target

Review:

There should have been some sort of warning.

- First Sentence

 

"Everything is part of the same painting," as my dad liked to say. "But we are each the artist of our own life. We choose what colors to use."

- Chapter 1

 

 

Cassie is an eighth grader living with her father in Rome, having an ordinary, boring life (except for the fact that she is an American girl living in Rome). One day, Cassie's father comes to school and yanks her into the car, speeding through the city, blabbering about how much he loves her, how he is going to fix things, and how he should have told her when she was younger. He finally tells Cassie that the Hastati are after her. Cassie has no idea what that means and she thinks he might be crazy, but then a motorcycle pulls up and the rider starts shooting at them. When her dad gets shot, Cassie takes him to the hospital, but he insists she must run to find Brother Gregorio for help. Cassie is terrified and runs to the only place she thinks might be safe, her friend Simone's house. But when the danger follows her even there, Cassie and Simone must find Brother Gregorio and find out what all of this means.

 

 In her dad's notebook, Cassie finds this message:

The Guardian will be bound for life once the spearhead is used.

It turns out the Hastati are a two thousand year old organization entrusted with one important duty - protect the spear (The Spear of Destiny). The spear can shape destiny, but only certain people can use the power - and Cassie is the last of that bloodline.

I was just an average girl. Things like this were not supposed to happen to people like me. The palette of my life's painting was gray or maybe a boring variety of beige, not psychedelic neon.

 

Well, this book starts off running and doesn't slow down. Cassie is constantly trying to figure out who to trust and how to keep Simone and herself safe. They are racing to find the spear, but they aren't the only ones. They must figure out baffling clues at every turn and stay ahead of the two factions fighting each other for control of the spear.

 

This is an edge of your seat adventure that will keep readers guessing until the end. I highly recommend it to kids in grades 4-8 who enjoy mysterious adventure stories with strong female heroines.

 

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1651003/moving-target