Archive | June 2013

Book Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Please note this is the second book in the Delirium Series.

Find my review for the first Delirium.

THEN: Lena has escaped her life. Over the fence she has crawled, leaving Alex behind to trek through the Wilds into the unknown. Now Lena has been born anew. As apart of a group of those that wander the Wilds fighting for survival, Lena tries to move forward, grieving for Alex. The ways of her old life are long forgotten. Her body and mind shift to withstand the harsh reality of living beyond the wall.

NOW: Together with her group Lena tries to gather more information as she lives undetected within society. When she gets caught up in the kidnapping of Julian Fineman, the son of the Mayor and symbol of a Deliria Free America. She’s going to have to use everything she learned out in the Wilds to insure their existence.

Throughout everything, the struggle, tears death and hunger, Lena pushes more. Alex died to give her a real chance at life. But in a world where feeling love is outlawed, what’s the point in living when that love is gone?

I really liked the format of this book. Switching between THEN and NOW, as readers we learn how Lena has evolved as a character and she does not disappoint! Multi layered and tough, I have loved to see how Lena has grown into a strong female character. Her heartbreak is also all too real and relatable. The grief within this book is harsh but realistic. I praise Oliver for taking her world to the limits and not backing down from anything uncomfortable.

I was also pleased to read how much more complex this world became. There are more adult themes present. The more I think about it, it’s a standout sequel that does a 180 from its debut. Lena has woken up from the false reality that her government has been controlling and as it’s weaknesses become more apparent the future for everyone looks bleak. It’s a terrifying reality.

Yet throughout Lena never losses hope nor determination. It made me feel as if this world environment was the starting catalyst for The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Humans always want power and control, but a small group will never win over the population thus chaos is inevitable. This is book has hints on that power and it was a pleasure to read something that speaks lightly about the world around us now. Gritty and well paced this second book is a great revelation.

The Dark Mark

Jun17

Outside of the Natural History Museum, London, England 2013

June Reads

Jun15

Goals this month are to read some adult fiction! Long awaited grown up books that I would STILL have have patience to be published in the UK. My reviews for the following will be on my Goodreads account.

11//22/63 by Steven King

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mystery #13)

Seawitch by Kat Richardson (Greywalker #7)

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevailer

I’m still working through my huge pile of YA from last month’s library haul but I also have been approved for the following:

The Island by Jen Minkman (ARC)

Demonic Dora – The Demon Diaries by Claire Chilton (ARC)

Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe (ARC)

Skin by Donna Jo Napoli (ARC)

I wish I could read faster, every time I go to the library all I want to do is check out more books. Sigh, how the time will come!

What is one book that you’re reading this month?

My Publishing Intern Adventures – Crimson Publishing

Jun13

Interning is a way of life in the publishing industry. You want to work in publishing? Well, get out there and start interning!

I just wanted to quickly share one of my interning experiences in London. I’ve done an overall of three internships, each was unique in it’s own way.

My latest internship was at Crimson Publishing, an independent education publisher that also releases a lot of other business start ups, parenting and British heritage and culture books.

For four weeks I was paid minimum wage (SEE! They DO pay sometimes! Totally win!), working four days a week to update their annual title HEAP. It’s a reference book used by student who have completed, or are going to complete their A-levels. It shows which uni’s around the UK accept what grades. It’s a fantastic guide to use when revising for the exams.

During those four weeks I fact checked notes from the editor of the book. I updated changes through Crimson’s HEAP database, with the updates going live on the website. We had a pretty tight deadline so I have to get through amounts of pages and chapters in a set timeframe, learning to prioritise ad make sure I hit my targets in order for the book to be published on time. I learned Crimson’s House Style, always a great thing understand a publisher’s house rules for copy.

I got to know members of the sales team as that’s who I was sitting with, and it was great to see how the inside ‘works’ for a medium sized publisher.

I really enjoyed my time at Crimson. I learned so much and it was a joy to work on a project that was completed in the selected timeframe. Culturally, I learned so much about the demographic of England, as well as their education system, that it was only unavoidable that I feel more in love with the country.

I’m so grateful for being chosen for such a great opportunity. It wasn’t what most editorial interns dream of doing, but I am also happy to learn whatever I can. Each publisher is different and no matter what one is doing, it’s the skills and contacts learned that make mostly every internship totally worth it.

If you’re in London and looking to begin working in publishing, check out the SYP’s latest panel discussion on Your Rights as an Intern!

Book Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Jun11

Zoel’s world is run by her constant adherence to the Link, a controlling system that creates all peace within The Community. Connected by her implanted V-chip, Zoel feels nothing but a grey haze of indifference. That is until she starts ‘glitching’. For the first time Zoel can hear her own thoughts. Now calling herself Zoe, she must fight to hide her malfunctions or risk being terminated.

That is until she meets Adrian, who is able to explain emotions and share what the real world truly is. As Zoe meets others like her that glitch, she struggles with not being able to understand how to feel around them. The Community can’t discover their anomalies. Under any circumstances, they must keep their disconnection from the Link unknown. There’s also the issue that the glitchers are developing supernatural powers, and there are others than The Community that would do anything to convince these fragile minds to join their side. But which side is truly worth fighting for?

Sigh. I wanted to like this book, really I did. I got through the first ten pages and thought, hmmmm, kind of like The Giver, but dystopian, decent beginning, maybe if I kept reading it will get better.

I made little notes. There were a lot of repetitive words. Also some overwriting. However, I was still holding out that the story would get better, but it didn’t. BOOM came in the ‘love triangle’ of characters that have known each other for five seconds. Big disappointment. (Especially as this book isn’t directly marketed as romance in my eyes) Halfway through the book I was constantly distracted by the fact that timelines were all over the place. Those chapters seriously needed some editing.

My biggest issue is that one of characters attempts to sexually assault the main character and she sympathises and thinks it’s her fault that he is acting that way. Zoe is a lump of chewed up oatmeal that doesn’t have any redeeming qualities about her. Sure, chalk it up to the fact that in this world the characters don’t feel emotions and this would cause Zoe to be without a personality. However, she makes the choice to change her name, therefore she has the potential to discover herself whenever she was alone, but instead she stands as weak and uninspiring.

I was greatly disappointed with this first book and I won’t be continuing with the series. (The sequel Override, sounds like a X-men rip-off) If anyone else has read this book, I’d love to hear thoughts about this story that could have gone places but seems to be lacking structure and direction.