Visitors--Orson Scott Card

Title: Visitors
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2014
Pages: 608 p.
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None
Read: November 2016

Orson Scott Card's Visitors

Visitors is the conclusion to the Pathfinder trilogy that includes Pathfinder and Ruins. There is no point in even attempting to read this unless you've read the first two.

I've seen the negative reviews of this book (and series) but I enjoyed this series. Rigg and his friends have discovered that the world is in danger of obliteration from visitors with deadly intentions. Luckily, Rigg and his friends are not ordinary teens. They each possess different talents letting them manipulate time. They put those talents to use as they frantically search for a way to prevent the destruction of everything they know and save the world.

Just like Ruins, this is not the book to read while watching TV or multitasking. You need to devote some time to this and then some more time to think about it when you're done reading. I love time travel and I'm a big fan of tv shows/movies that explore its ramifications. It helped that I've already thought about the concept of time and Riggs & Umbo's conversations about causality and the relationship between the past and the future were conversations that I've thought about. This book is *deep*. The entire series is deep. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it, but it'll take a special reader to truly appreciate it.
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Ruins—Orson Scott Card

Title: Ruins
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2013
Pages: 544 p.
Source: Library E-Book
Compensation: None
Read: November 2016

Orson Scott Card’s Ruins

This is the second book in Orson Scott Card’s Pathfinder series and without reading the first you’ll be lost and confused and simply unhappy. If you haven’t read the first, go ahead and do that before you read this review.

Rigg, his friend Umbo, and his newly discovered sister Param all have special powers to help them manipulate time. On the run from people who would like to prevent Rigg and/or Param from claiming their birthright, they cross the forbidden Wall between the world they know and one they can only imagine. Here they uncover even more mysteries and are not sure who they can trust. Even though they spend a lot of time bickering and being suspicious of one another, they have to work together if they are going to prevent the horror that the future brings—a destructive force with deadly intentions that’s hurtling across time and space towards Garden.

Get ready to use your brains because there is some DEEP thinking about time and cause/effect in this mind-bending sequel. This is a complex book that deserves undivided attention.
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Pathfinder--Orson Scott Card

Title: Pathfinder
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2010
Pages: 657 p.
Source: Library e-book
Compensation: None
Read: October 2016

Orson Scott Card's Pathfinder

I read Pathfinder nearly a year ago (yes, I know, I've gotten so horrible at these reviews. I think often of just scrapping this blog altogether, but it's hard to let go.) and my brain still hurts. It's the type of sci-fi time travel book that keeps you up at night thinking of paradoxes and how it all works. I loved it.

Rigg has had a strange education--taught by his unemotional father to excel in game theory and politics and survival. He has a strange talent too; he can "see" the paths of people's pasts. When Rigg's father dies in a freak accident, he must use his talents and skills to figure out the truth of his own past and his real identity. He teams up with a childhood friend, Umbo, who has a unique talent of his own and the two of them set out on a dangerous journey through the country and through time.

Juxtaposed with Rigg's story is another suspenseful one chronicling a spaceship that has split into 19 different versions of itself and its captain Ram. This story is completely gripping and while you know it will relate to Rigg's story eventually, it's quite fun to try to figure out how.

I really liked Rigg's character, as well as his super team of talented friends. I enjoyed the two separate stories and found myself thinking of the book often and wanting to read more. 
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The Occasional Diamond Thief--J.A. McLachlan

Title: The Occasional Diamond Thief
Author: J.A. McLachlan
Publisher: Edge, 2015
Pages: 291 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: April 2015

When Kia was a small child her father visited the remote planet Malem and returned with a strange illness. Her father was never the same again as the illness slowly killed him. On his deathbed, he reveals a hidden Malemese diamond to her, something both exciting and frightening. Malemese diamonds are illegal for off-worlders to possess, leading Kia to fear that her father stole it, so she too keeps it hidden. Through a series of events that seem out of Kia’s control she is sent to Malem as a translator and discovers the diamond is far more important than she ever realized.

McLachlan does not spend much time on world-building, instead she thrusts the reader into this multiplanetary universe much like Kia is thrust into the mysterious political world of Malem. McLachlan does a good job of showing Kia’s strength as well as her flaws and how she grows under the influence of Agatha, a religious Select who becomes a friend. The story is interesting and the developing friendship between Kia and Agatha unfolds nicely as they both attempt to uncover Malem’s secrets. Although the story is science fiction, ultimately it is about people and family.  Science fiction readers will not be disappointed and realistic fiction readers may be tempted to pick up something a little different.

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Stone in the Sky--Cecil Castellucci

Title: Stone in the Sky
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Roaring Brook, 2015
Pages: 320
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: May 2015

Tula has accepted her life aboard the space station Yertina Feray and is as happy as she could be after the events of Tin Star. She still harbors a hatred for Brother Blue, but manages to find success as the owner of a water, sweets and salt shop aboard the ship. She and Tournour, the alien sheriff, have kept their romance a secret and have been relatively safe from Imperium interference. Until a ship crashes on the nearby planet Quint and discovers a rare pollen called Alin. Anticipating money to be made, aliens of all kinds rush to the planet and the Yertina Feray, attracting the attention of not only Brother Blue, but the Imperium. Forced to flee her adopted home, Tula wanders the galaxy and discovers more than she could have imagined.

I liked this book a bit more than the first. I've read reviews that complain that the writing style was a little choppy, which is true. But I accepted it as the way Tula would talk and think. Having little human contact for years and conversing with aliens would alter the way one communicates. When I thought about the narration not being a story from Castellucci, but rather a story from Tula, the writing style made much more sense and did not detract from the story at all.

I wasn't a huge fan of Tin Star, but I liked the action and the political consequences of Stone Sky. I also liked how amid all of the conspiracies and political drama, Tula must also decide who she wants to be and who she really loves. It's the basic human story of love and happiness with a backdrop of alien politics.

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Salvage--Alexandra Duncan

Title: Salvage
Author: Alexandra Duncan
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2014.
Pages: 396 (ebook)
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

I wanted to love this book. It's science fiction, it's a stand alone and not the "first in a trilogy," it talks about feminist issues, the author is a librarian. The ingredients were there for a truly great book. But, I didn't love it.

Ava is a young girl aboard a space ship that is both technologically advanced and socially primitive. Men are in control of the ship and given the responsibility of flying it and fixing it. Women exist to cook and clean for them and provide babies. It is a polygamist patriarchal society. Ava doesn't know any better because women are never allowed off the ship. When the ship docks at stations for supplies, only men are allowed to leave. The claim is that women's bodies cannot handle the gravity of the stations or Earth, but in reality it is another method men use to control women. If they don't see alternatives, they won't complain about how they are treated. Ava's father arranges Ava to be married to a man on another crewe ship. She has hope that it will be her childhood friend, Luck, and makes a terrible mistake based on that hope. When her father discovers what she has done, she is cast out. They intend on killing her but she is able to escape and make her way to Earth where she discovers a completely different way to live.

The book is very long and very dense and very slow. There is a lot of description and even the action seems somewhat drawn-out. I should have been outraged for Ava and invested in her journey, but I found myself not really caring all that much. I felt detached from her. I'm glad I stuck with it and it ended on a good strong girl-power note, but it didn't grab me as much as I had hoped.

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Shades of Earth--Beth Revis

Title: Shades of Earth
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill, 2013
Pages: 384 p.
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

Amy and Elder have discovered all of the ship's secrets and decided to take the risks and land on Centauri-Earth. Finally able to feel earth under her feet and wake up her frozen parents, Amy should be happy and satisfied. But she and Elder soon learn that there are more secrets and nothing is as it truly seems. Amy loses nearly everything trying to make this new Earth into a home.

This was a great ending to the trilogy and just as good as the first two books, Across the Universe and A Million Suns. Revis has created an exciting world that will appeal to fans of both science fiction and dystopian literature. I was completely satisfied with the ending.

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A Million Suns--Beth Revis

Title: A Million Suns
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill, 2012
Pages: 400 p
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None

I read Across the Universe over a year ago and was satisfied with the ending, but when the sequel was available as an ebook through my library I decided to read it. I am so glad I did. If you haven't read the first book, you'll want to do that before you read this.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged and "accidentally" woken up from cryostasis. She's trying to adjust to life on Godspeed without her parents but it's difficult with Elder being so busy running the ship. The people have been taken off phydus which gives them more freedom but makes them harder to control. Elder has his hands full just trying to keep everybody alive and fed when he and Amy discover there are even more secrets aboard the ship.

A Million Suns is just as exciting as Across the Universe. A good blend of science fiction and mystery, A Million Suns is a must read for fans of dystopian literature.

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The Far Dawn--Kevin Emerson

Title: The Far Dawn: Book Three of the Atlanteans
Author: Kevin Emerson
Publisher: Katherine Tegan/HarperCollins, 2014.
Pages: 368 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: none

Owen and Lilly, the two surving Atlanteans, continue their quest to save the Heart of the Terra and thwart the evil Eden corporation's secret Project Elysium in this final thrilling installment to the Atlanteans series. Owen is overjoyed to be reunited with Lilly, the true Medium to the terra, as they search for the Paintbrush of the Gods, but his joy is shortlived. He is still reeling from his discovery of his true past and the awful horrors unleashed in Desenna when he must face the hardest test yet—saving the planet or saving his love.

Readers unfamililar with the first two books in the series (The Lost Code and The Dark Shore) will want to catch up before attempting the The Far Dawn and will be rewarded for doing so. Emerson has written an exciting thought-provoking conclusion to his mythical adventure trilogy. This book is more mystical and spiritual than the others and ties the series up nicely. Book groups and classes would benefit from the numerous topics for discussion: ecology, polution, government, religion, ethics. Teens who do not read that deeply will still enjoy the adventure and the basic story of a boy who discovers he is more than what he seems. Fans of dystopian literature will not be disappointed.

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Tin Star--Cecil Castellucci

Title: Tin Star
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Roaring Brook, 2014
Pages: 240 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

Cecil Castellucci dabbled a little bit with science fiction in First Day on Earth but dives right into it with Tin Star. I read Tin Star back in July but the summer swallowed me and I am just now writing my review (the first of 14 I have to do!).

Tula's family is traveling on a colony ship headed to a planet on the other side of the galaxy when it makes a pit stop at an out of the way space station. While on the station Tula asks the charismatic but controlling leader of the colony ship one too many questions and Brother Blue responds by savagely beating her and leaving her to die. She is rescued by the ship's Security Chief but not before the colony ship takes off. Tula has no choice but to adjust to life on the Yertina Feray with the help of the alien Heckleck.

The book's setting and characters make this science fiction, but ultimately the story could happen anywhere. Tula is beaten and left for dead, has no family or friends to help her, and must survive a cruel world. She is the only human on the station--the ultimate fish out of water story--but soon learns how to fit in with the underground society.

This was not my favorite science fiction story or my favorite Cecil Castellucci book. The story seemed to move a little slow at times but overall I liked Tula and I wanted to see how the story would end. I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it either. There is a sequel called Stone in the Sky coming out in February.

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The Dark Shore--Kevin Emerson

Title: The Dark Shore: Book Two of the Atlanteans
Author: Kevin Emerson
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2013
Pages: 470 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I reviewed the first book in this series a couple of years ago and while I liked it, life got in the way and I kind of forgot to look out for the second. But then VOYA sent me the 3rd to review and I realized I needed to catch up.

There will be some spoilers in this review (for The Lost Code) if you haven't read the first one yet. Consider yourself warned. 

Owen has discovered that he is part of a lost race of people -- the Atlanteans -- and that he has to fulfill destiny in order to save the planet and humans. He is the Aeronaut-- the one of the Three who can fly a special Atlantean ship to get to the Heart of Terra (Earth). The Mariner (Leech ) can locate it and the Medium can speak to it. The Three need to work together to get the job done and protect themselves from the evil EdenWest who have their own plans for civilization.

Owen had hoped that his girlfriend Lilly would be the Medium but she hasn't lost her gills yet and she hadn't seen the Siren. His hopes are dashed further when they learn of a girl in the South claimed to be the Third Atlantean. She is the center of the Heliad-7 cult controlled by the Benevolent Mother. The Heliad-7 believe in living in the light instead of fearing the sun's dangerous rays and sacrifice long lives for more meaningful ones. Owen and his team are rescued by Heliad-7 when they run into trouble with EdenWest. At first he thinks they've finally found a place of safety and understanding, but he's not entirely sure he can trust the "Benevolent Mother" or the mysterious Third Atlantean. Something strange is going on with Lilly as well.

At first I thought I didn't like this book as much as the first. Everywhere they went, Owen and his team ran into people who knew about the Atlanteans and their journey, but Owen had no idea what was going on when he was at EdenWest. He had never heard of the Atlanteans when he lived in the Hub either. I was confused as to why this seemed to be public knowledge and Owen was in the dark. But by the end of The Dark Shore it all made sense. It was definitely gripping and intense and hard to put down. I finished the book in less than 2 days and that's a pretty big accomplishment for me these days. It wasn't just a filler book to get to the end of the trilogy--a lot happens in this book. There's more world-building, character development, and mythology. There are some really heavy topics as well--ecology, religion, government-- that would make it a great choice for a book club. There are a couple of twists at the end: one is predictable and the other was not (for me). Now that I'm all caught up, I'm looking forward to reading the next one. You'll have to wait until it's published in VOYA before I can post it here though.

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Allegiant--Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2013.
Pages: 526 p.
Source: Purchased Kindle ebook
Compensation: None

Allegiant picks up where Insurgent leaves off. While I generally try to avoid spoilers here, it's harder to do when reviewing a sequel. Rest assured I will not give away any surprises from Allegiant, but details from Divergent and Insurgent may be revealed. If you haven't read them yet, consider yourself warned. 

When we last left Tris and Tobias, she had betrayed him to work with his father to expose the truth the Erudite wanted so very much to hide and at the very last minute Tobias decided to trust her over his mother and helped to expose that truth. That the people outside the wall put them in there to help them develop into Divergents and that when there were enough of them they should open the gates and help the people outside the wall. The decision to stay or to travel beyond the wall is made a little difficult when Tobias's mother imprisons Tris and her friends. She is released and they make plans to escape the city and see what's on the other side of the wall. Once there they discover that things aren't quite what they thought--as usual--and Tris and Tobias face the ultimate test of their relationship. 

This final installment in the trilogy is told in alternating viewpoints, which makes perfect sense for the story. We've always known Tris's motivations and feelings, but only saw Tobias through her. Alternating the narrators lets us see both of their thoughts and decisions and fears. There were times when I briefly forgot who was narrating what, but for the most part I could keep track. 

I know there has been a lot of strong opinions about the ending of the book. While trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible here, I will say that I think it ended the way it needed to. Not that I was happy, not that I didn't feel emotionally wrecked afterwards, but that the ending remained true to the story and the characters. I liked this one just as much as the others and read it just as quickly. 

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Insurgent--Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2012
Pages: 404
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

I was a little late to reading Divergent which actually worked out well since I didn't have to wait for the next two books to be written. Sometimes procrastination works. I loved Divergent (and the movie!) and had high hopes for the rest of the series.

I wasn't disappointed.

Insurgent picks up where Divergent leaves off. While I generally try to avoid spoilers here, it's harder to do when reviewing a sequel. Rest assured I will not give away any surprises from Insurgent, but details from Divergent may be revealed. If you haven't read it yet, consider yourself warned. 

Tris and Tobias have escaped Erudite's clutches and Dauntless' treachery for the freedom of Amity. Although they are able to rest and heal at Amity, they quickly realize that they are not truly safe anywhere. They narrowly escape Amity and after boarding a train, discover a secret connection to the Factionless. From then on Insurgent is like a wild train ride of suspicions and distrust as Tris and Tobias try to save their people and not lose themselves in the process. There are so many twists and turns and moments when it is just literally impossible to stop reading.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first and found it very hard to put down. "Luckily" I had the stomach bug which forced me to lay down for quite a few hours and I was able to devour this book in just one night. Although I was on the waiting list for the library ebook for the next one, I gave in and purchased Allegiant roughly 5 minutes after finishing Insurgent.

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Divergent--Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2011
Pages: 419 p
Source: library ebook
Compensation: None

I know, I'm a little late in reading this. But now I don't have to wait for the rest to be published (I just have to wait for them to be available at the library!).

Beatrice lives in a post-apocalptic world separated into different factions: Amity (Kindess), Candor (Honest), Dauntless (Brave), Abnegation (Selfless), and Erudite (Intelligent). Although children are born into a faction, when they reach the age of 16 they undergo a virtual reality test to determine which faction they truly belong in and they then have a choice to either stay in their home faction or transfer. Beatrice expects her test to say Abnegation, even though she secretly hopes it doesn't. She is completely surprised when her results are actually inconclusive--she doesn't belong in any one faction but could go in many. This is a dangerous spot to be in and she is lucky her test administrator is sympathetic and doesn't tell the authorities. Beatrice debates what to do until the final moment of choosing when she decides to be brave instead of selfless. She enters the Dauntless faction as a transfer not knowing what to expect and completely unprepared for her future. Renamed Tris, she must compete against all the other initiates for a spot in the Dauntless society or be factionless.

I've heard the comparisons to The Hunger Games and while I think fans of The Hunger Games, and post apocalyptic novels in general, will enjoy Divergent, I really didn't see it as being the same. All post apocalyptic books have the same general framework-- something got screwed up and now the world is really different and about to get more screwed up. Tris has to compete against her fellow initiates, but she doesn't HAVE to kill them. She just has to be better. There are some cruel kids who take it too far, but it's not a requirement.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Tris's character. I loved the relationship between her and her instructor Four. I thought her family dynamic was really interesting and I was glad to see that her mom was not just another clueless parent. The ending was non stop can't put it down thrilling action. I'm looking forward to the next one and hope the rest of the trilogy holds up to the promise of the first.

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Ender's Game--Orson Scott Card

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1994. (First Edition 1985)
Pages: 324 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I, like most of the people who have just read this for the first time, did so in anticipation of the movie. I thought it would be fun to read it with my 9 year old son and then we could both go see the movie. Unfortunately he didn't have the book finished by the time we saw the movie (and then he punked out and decided he didn't need to finish.)

Ender is a third child born in a time when the population is strictly controlled. Most families only have two children, but Ender's family is allowed a third so they can try one more time to have a child qualify for Battle School. Ender's older brother Peter had shown promise but was too violent, while his sister Valentine was equally smart but too compassionate. The government hoped Ender would be a mix of his siblings and succeed where they did not. As it often does, the future of humanity rests on children but in Ender's world it's a bit more literal. Children are being raised as military geniuses because they have the quick reflexes and skill to fight the alien invaders. 6 year old Ender passes his final test and enters Battle School determined to help stop the Bugger (alien) invasion.

Ender and his classmates are "children" in age only. They are military men and women at an age when most kids are still picking their noses and forgetting to flush the toilet. They are violent and mean, and loving and kind. The book does a good job of showing the complete control the government has over them and how every single thing the commanders do to Ender is calculated and planned. Ender's school leader feels bad when he isolates Ender and steals his childhood, but never once thinks it shouldn't be done. The ends justify the means in all cases. This attitude trickles down--Ender feels bad when he hurts the kids who bully him but he often thinks he has no choice.

I enjoyed Ender's Game as both a science fiction story and a deeper commentary on war and the decisions we make when we are threatened. I've read the negative criticisms of the book and I think that most people have a hard time separating it from Card's political views. I don't think that this book is propaganda or a love letter to the military. Card does not depict the military advisors as being infallible. Overall, I enjoyed it. And yes, the book was a thousand times better than the movie.


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Across the Universe--Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razor Bill, 2011
Pages: 632 p
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

Amy is faced with a horrible decision--stay on Earth with her boyfriend and friends and recognizable life or be frozen with her parents and sent on a spaceship to a new earth-like planet in the hopes of being awoken 300 years later. Amy chooses to go with her parents and endures the painful freezing process, only to have something go wrong and be conscious in her paralyzed body for centuries. As if that isn't enough, Amy is accidentally awoken 50 years ahead of her parents and must contend with a vastly different life aboard the ship. The only bright spot is a boy named Elder who seems to actually care about her.

Elder is in training to one day rule the people on the spaceship. When he meets Amy he begins to question everything he's learned about Sol-Earth and everything he believes about his life on the spaceship. The two of them together investigate who is behind attacks on other frozen people, as well as why the current leader Eldest is lying about the history of Sol-Earth.

The story is told in chapters alternating from Amy's point of view and Elder's point of view. It's exciting and gripping and satisfies readers eager for dystopian stories as well as science fiction fans. I read the book not knowing it was the first in a trilogy. I was satisfied with the ending of the story although I can see the "need" for more closure provided by the next books. Across the Universe is a thrilling adventure with science fiction, mystery, and romance mixed in and well worth the read--632 pages flip by in no time at all.

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Save the Pearls Part One: Revealing Eden--Victoria Foyt

Title: Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls Part One)
Author: Victoria Foyt
Publisher: Sand Dollar Press Inc
Pages: 307 p
Source: Author/Publisher
Compensation: None

Eden is a lowly Pearl--a fair skinned girl living in a post-apocalyptic time with a deadly sun. Sun poisoning has wiped out most white people and the ones that have survived have become an inferior race to the Coals--black people who can withstand the dangerous sun. What the sun has started, people have continued; trying to breed the inferior light skins out of existence. Pearls are not entirely slaves of Coals in this reverse-racism world, but they are not seen as equals. In order to survive not only the sun but also fellow man, many Pearls color their faces and bodies and attempt to blend in with society. Eden chooses this path and hopes that a powerful Coal with a high mating status will choose her as his mate and save her life (Pearls are banished to the outside if they do not mate by age 18). Everything works "fine" until she botches up her father's secret experiment and they are both flown to a tropical jungle for their own safety. There she learns what life is outside the caves and what true beauty really means.

While there's nothing wrong with this novel, it felt like the author was trying too hard to convey her message that racism is bad. The story didn't get interesting until Eden wound up in the jungle with the results of her father's experiment, a beast-man who had been her boss and now was more animal than man. Then the story became more of a take on Beauty and the Beast.

I enjoyed the author's first YA novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, but I had a hard time getting through this one. For another opinion read this more positive review.

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Confusion of Princes, A--Garth Nix

Title: A Confusion of Princes
Author: Garth Nix
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 352 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

It's been a while since I've read a book. I have a stack of books that have been sent to me from publishers and authors, but I really wanted my return to reading to be one that I grabbed off the library shelves because I *wanted* it. It's fitting that the first one that leapt out at me was Garth Nix's latest, A Confusion of Princes. If you don't know about my obsession love respect for Garth Nix, just take a gander at his other books I've reviewed. You can find them by searching for Garth Nix in the little search box up there.

I wasn't quite as enamored with this one as I was with the Keys to the Kingdom series or the Sabriel trilogy. It took a while for me to get into, but that was most likely my EXTREME SLEEP DEPRIVATION right now. Once I did get into it, I enjoyed it.

Prince Khemri is not a royal son of a king, but is treated like one. In this world there is a supreme Emperor who chooses hundreds of people to be Princes and fight to become hier (neither his or her, but both) heir to the throne. Princes can have alliances but in the end it's every Prince for him or herself. It's a bit reminscent of Highlander. Princes are stronger than humans, they have technological advances implanted in their bodies, and they are immortal in the sense that if they die but are deemed worthy they may be reborn. Very few Princes ever truly die, but it does happen, so they must always be aware of threats and act accordingly. Prince Khemri thinks being a Prince means being captain of a spaceship and exploring and is disappointed to learn it means being on constant high alert and having to do exactly what the Empire hive mind demands. Throughout the novel he becomes more and more disillusioned with his fate and looks for a way out.

Nix has once again created a unique universe. The blending of technology and psychology and biology is interesting. Prince Khemri starts out a whiny snob and truly transforms himself by the end of the novel. He comes to an understanding of what life is really about and is no longer confused. A Confusion of Princes is a good stand alone speculative fiction story well worth reading.

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First Day on Earth--Cecil Castellucci

Title: First Day on Earth
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Scholastic, 2011
Pages: 150 p
Source: Unsolicited submission from the publisher
Compensation: None

Sometimes random books show up in my mailbox. Sometimes I'm really excited.

This was one of those times.

I've been a fan of Cecil Castellucci's for a while (see Rose Sees Red review), so when I received her latest book without even asking for it, I was pretty psyched. This book is both similar to and different from Castellucci's previous work. The main character feels out of place, like he doesn't quite belong, until he meets another loner and makes a connection, just like Rose and other characters from Castellucci's past books. But First Day on Earth has a bit of a twist--Mal feels so out of place because he was abducted by aliens as a young boy. Ever since then he has wanted to find a way back, thinking that perhaps out there in space he can find the peace he's needed all these years. When he meets another teen, Hooper, at an abductee support group he comes closer to his wish than ever before.

Although this has a science fiction edge, First Day on Earth, is very realistic as well. Even without the abduction Mal's childhood was less than ideal--his father abandoned them when Mal was just a little boy and his mom sank into a deep alcoholic depression. He's been on his own emotionally for years and it's not surprising that he feels more of a connection to an alien experience he can barely remember. Mal finds a kindred spirit in Hooper, another lost soul, and also connects with a girl classmate who seems to have an easy perfect life but has secrets of her own. These connections help Mal realize that maybe life on Earth isn't such a bad thing.

First Day on Earth is very short, some of the chapters are not longer than a sentence, and will appeal to boys as well as girls. Readers who are not fond of science fiction should not overlook this book. It's not a sci-fi book, but rather a realistic fiction book or "problem novel" with a sci-fi twist.

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The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond--Victoria Foyt

Title: The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond
Author: Victoria Foyt
Publisher: HarperTempest
Pages: 310 p.
Source: The publisher
Compensation: None

14 year old Lexie Diamond has a strange worldview. She's sure that she's just a virtual pet trapped in a meaningless existence while the real masters of the universe watch life on Earth and laugh at all the clueless humans. She doesn't have any friends and spends all her time on the internet--the only place where she feels at home. She's mostly okay with this until a horrible tragedy happens and her mother is killed in a car accident. Her estranged father moves in to take care of Lexie, bringing along his new girlfriend, Jane. Lexie is still in shock and denial about her mom's accident, resentful of her father's new relationship, when she sees and hears her mom--through the internet.

Victoria Foyt has written a really interesting novel. Lexie's worldview is so messed up that we wonder if she is a reliable narrator until the very end of the novel (no, I won't tell you if she is or not. You'll have to read for yourself.) Is she really seeing her mom alive on the internet? Are her fears and suspicions of Jane--that she is responsible for her mom's death--accurate? Or is Lexie just a grieving lonely girl looking for someone to blame? Foyt does a good job of keeping us guessing, while keeping Lexie a sympathetic character. In Lexie's quest for the truth she's forced to accept help from unlikely people and make connections in the real world and not just online. She grows as a person.

Science fiction fans and computer geeks will be attracted to the cover of this book, but mystery fans will also like its suspenseful plot. Although the main character is a girl, boys shouldn't have a problem reading this. There's nothing inappropriate for middle school readers.
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