Atlantia by Ally Condie REVIEW

 Summary:

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above - of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio's hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio's true self - and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced - she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother's death, her own destiny, and the corrupted system constructed to govern the Divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book way more than I thought I would.

Rio's mother, a minister, has died, leaving her and her sister Bay to live on their own. They are twins, and that is rare in the Below. When they reach a certain age, one can go Above but the other must stay behind. Bay has her promise to stay so that she wouldn't be alone, but then she goes Above, leaving Rio behind in shock. Through trying to find a way to follow her sister, Rio discovers more things about her mother, her aunt, her world, and herself, ultimately stopping her world from being destroyed in the process.

I don't know why I never picked up this book sooner. Rio may be your typical YA protagonist, but she's also more relatable (personality-wise). And I honestly liked this so much better than Matched. As soon as I started reading, it was nearly impossible to put down. The characters are strong and memorable, and Below is developed so well. While there are no mermaids (unfortunately), I got over the disappointment rather quickly.

I would definitely recommend this one.

My Rating: 5 stars

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon REVIEW

Summary:

Far, far north, in the cold aerial city of Fata Morgana, apprentice scientist Jonathan is preparing to leave for university.

He doesn't know about fantillium, the newly discovered chemical that allows people to share hallucinations - to become an illusionist.

He doesn't know that fantillium can also open gateways to parallel worlds. Or that he will soon begin an epic journey, crossing cities and worlds, to save his family, his friends, and his very reality. 

He doesn't know any of that . . . yet.

And when he does, will his compass continue to point true north? Or will it break apart?

My Thoughts:

This book was hard to get into. The style of writing took a while for me to get used to, but I did end up enjoying it.

There is a sickness going around, and the queen is ill. Jonathan's father is the best scientist, so the king pays him a visit requesting him to find a cure as soon as possible. He wants him to work with Lady Florel, who only wants to use fantillium to find the cure. The father refuses, saying it is too dangerous, but Jonathan goes to help Lady Florel out of desperation since his mother, sister, and sister's friend fall victim to the sickness.

They travel to another world, where Jonathan finds out that she isn't who she says she is.

While I did enjoy reading this, it wasn't for me. Jonathan's family are not very developed at all, making it hard to care about what happens/will happen to them. The writing style isn't my favorite, and most of the characters are forgettable. 

My Rating: 2 stars 

The Prettiest Girl In the Grave by Kristopher Triana REVIEW

Summary:

When Bella, Celeste, and Rose meet with new friends at a graveyard in the woods, they soon realize they're unprepared for what's planned. At twenty, Aubrey is older than the high schoolers, and she knows of a secret game that's been played by local girls for decades.

It starts with personal questions, but quickly moves on to a test of courage as Aubrey guides them into an underground crypt. But even Aubrey doesn't know what they're really getting into. Bella's mother, Holly, may be the only one who does.

As a teen, Holly and her friends also played the game, and Holly barely survived. When she discovers her daughter has gone to the graveyard, she fears Bella will get lost in the mysterious catacombs just as she had . . . and face the same sinister forces.

As the girls search for a way out, Holly must return to the dreadful crypt she swore she'd never come back to, and finally face her own dark secrets. 

My Thoughts:

When I discovered this was getting published in May, I dropped everything to buy it. Girls, graveyards, and Triana? It sounded too good to be true.

Bella is the main character, and so is her mother, Holly. She and Rose had been friends since childhood, but their friendship was starting to strain when Bella started hanging out with goth girls. Rose is really only there because Bella asked her to be. For a novella, the characters are mostly super well developed. The only characters with not much are Rose's parents, Savannah, and Marnie.

While the book starts out a little slow, it hits you with a brick out of nowhere when Savannah and Marnie are mauled by black bears in the catacombs and reminds you just what author you are reading.

The game is intended to have only one survivor, and pits the friends against each other as they desperately try to find a way out of the graveyard. Ghosts of previous contestants appear as the audience for the current players. When Holly goes out to find her daughter, the ghosts are a grim reminder of her own survival and the price she had to pay to leave the graveyard.

My Rating: 4 stars