172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

After reading Mary Roach's "Packing for Mars" (about all the quirky things about space travel) I was in the moon for something space-y.  So, I picked up the creepy-looking "172 Hours on the Moon" by Johan Harstad (no one should ever take photos of an eye that close up...eyelashes that zoomed in look like some kind of weird spider legs!!).

Harstad is a Norwegian author, and this book has been translated into English (and a bunch of other languages - it's an award winner back in Norway).

The premise?  It's 2018 and NASA is trying to rebuild interest in the space program.  So, with the popularity of reality TV, they decide to hold a lottery, where three teens - chosen by lottery from entries all over the world - will join a four astronaut crew and land on the moon for a one week trip.  Oh, and the real reason?  There's a secret base on the moon that was built back in the 1970s, and there's been some kind of signal received by NASA and they need to investigate.

The three teens chosen - Mia from Norway, Midori from Japan, and Antoine from France - all have different reasons for wanting to make the trek.  But they have no idea what they're getting themselves into.  As soon as they arrive on the moon, things start going horribly wrong.

"172 Hours on the Moon" was a fast-paced read, with a lot of suspense and spine-tingling creepiness.  But, I do need to ask...what it is with Scandanavian authors and dark, depressing novels?  I don't want to give anything away, but if you're looking for a neatly tied up, happy ending, this is NOT the book for you. I'd give it a 4/5 on the Rez Recommends scale.

Divergent ~ by Veronica Roth

If you liked The Hunger Games, and have worked your way through the series and are looking for something new, pick up Divergent by Veronica Roth. I blazed through all 45o pages in just 2 days...it's that good.

In this new dystopian thriller, at the age of 16, all citizens choose which faction they want to join. Each faction is distinguished by a particular characteristic or virtue that defines how they think people should live: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness), and Erudite (intelligence). Beatrice is torn between her family's faction, Abnegation, and her sense that she belongs somewhere else. And then, as she goes through the tests prior to making her choice, she discovers something shocking, and potentially dangerous that will alter her life forever.

Divergent is suspenseful, brutal, exciting...and has many of the characteristics that made The Hunger Games such a popular series. Don't miss this one!

Cottage reading!

I just got home from a friend's cottage, where I blazed through a few more titles - one from the Teens' Top Ten nominees list, one because I was looking forward to reading another book by the author, and one I'm reviewing (not yet published) for VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates):

Orson Scott Card ~ The Lost Gate: this one is on the Teens' Top Ten nominees list, but, I just don't think it's going to make the top ten. I should say, Orson Scott Card is one of my favourite authors - and I think Ender's Game is brilliant - which made The Lost Gate that much more disappointing for me. It wasn't bad - it just felt too overdone...that so much effort was put into the mythology/back story, that the actual story was a bit lost. It just didn't live up to its potential.

Lauren Oliver ~ Delirium: I loved Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall (which should be one of this year's Top Ten!) so I couldn't wait to read Delirium...and it was every bit as good as I'd hoped. In Lena's world, "love" is considered a disease - and at the age of 18, everyone is "cured" from it. This dystopian novel was brilliant - intelligent, new ideas, fast-paced, engaging. I read all 441 pages in a single day...and as one friend commented as I finished the book, "wow, you raced through that last chunk!"

Jeyn Roberts ~ Dark Inside: I received an advanced reader's copy (i.e. the book isn't published yet) because I'm writing a review for it for VOYA. I don't want to spoil the review, but let's just say, I think this is going to be a popular book! Creepy, post-apocalyptic, horrifying - I'm sure it's going to be a teen favourite.

Drought ~ by Pam Bachorz

Dystopian novels seems to be really popular right now. And there's something "safe" about reading about another society that's so messed up when it's so beautiful and sunny out (almost makes you forget about all the troubles our world suffers from!).

So, I was looking forward to reading Drought. The Congregation is under the control of Darwin West and the Overseers and spend all their time harvesting water, one drop at a time - and suffering horribly when they are unsuccessful. There's something special about one of the Congregants, Ruby: her blood has healing powers. Expectations are high for Ruby - can she save the Congregation and herself?

Sadly, Drought just doesn't seem to live up to its potential. It's like all the pieces didn't add up - it's set in current times, but also has elements that just don't fit with our world. And the unusual characteristics of the Congregants are never really explained, nor do they seem entirely necessary.

It is suspenseful, and I have to admit, I wanted to keep reading right to the end, but it left me feeling just a little disappointed. I'm curious to see what others have to say about it. My guess is that although it's on the Teens Top Ten nominations list, it won't make it into the Top Ten. What do you think?

The Hunger Games ~ Suzanne Collins

Hooray for Rez Reads...those 20 minutes over the last few days got me hooked on this AMAZING book by Suzanne Collins... The Hunger Games.

You know that feeling you get when watching a really suspenseful TV episode or movie (occasionally, when I'm watching them on DVD, I hit pause so I can catch my breath!)...I had that same feeling with this book. Within a chapter or two I was completely hooked (and stayed up WAY too late reading). The characters are great, it's completely action-packed but very smart/thought-provoking at the same time.

Imagine this...every year, 2 young people from a District (think city/region) are "nominated" (i.e. forced) to "play" in the Hunger Games - basically a wilderness survival/fight to the death...and if you live, you win! And, the whole thing is televised....it would be like watching Surivor, only instead of voting people off the island, the survivors would be killing each other. BRUTAL.

Somehow, in the midst of this thrill-ride, the author manages to develop real characters that you're rooting for - and even throws in a bit of romance.

My only complaint...it continues in a second book, THAT HASN'T BEEN PUBLISHED YET! It comes out on September 1st...and I promise to have it here in the library for the first day of school! I'm going to fill out my Rez Recommends form...and it's getting a 5 out of 5, for sure!