What have I been reading? Insurgent by Veronica Roth, which I finished far too quickly. Funny how I always rush to get through a book, but am disappointed when I have to leave the characters behind! It is doubly frustrating that I must wait for the final book in the trilogy to be written and published. I'll hold back from saying anything of consequence about the book for those of you who may still be planning to read the series. However, I will say the twists and turns of the plot, the progression of the love story, and the questions of loyalty further enhanced my love for this particular dystopian society. Read it soon. There is a particularly satisfying exchange between Tris and Tobias near the end. And as my sister knows, I have a particular fondness for yelling matches that have declarations of love attached...I'm sick, I know.
The second book I devoured was the 5th installment in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, City of Lost Souls. One of these days I will write a post attempting to explain my love affair with the teen drama and angst that is so prevalent in YA fiction. One of my favorite things about these books is there are a bounty of colorful characters, and while Clary and Jace are the main story, the other characters get a lot of page time. Midway through the book I started to think this would be the last book in the series since Clare appeared to be tying up a lot of loose ends. As I came to the last fifty pages or so it began to be evident that she was setting up a new plot twist that will need to be continued in another book! Thank goodness, as I have clearly confessed my addiction for a great series! Again though, there's the problem of being current and having to be in a perpetual state of waiting for what's next!
Lastly, I made my way through Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi. Interestingly, after doing a little digging, I found that this book was previously published as an adult novel (with some adult content) under the name Razor Girl. The main character's name was changed from Molly to Peyton, and while the main characters in the original manuscript were adults, they are teenagers in Tomorrow Land. I have not read the original, but after reading the author's own plot summary, they sound identical. It sounds like Mancusi "cleaned it up" and decided to take advantage of the current dystopian craze. Tomorrow Land is a post apocalyptic tale of love and survival among zombies. I didn't love the book, but I did enjoy the suspense of the story. I figured out the end before it was revealed which I think is more likely a sign that I read a lot rather than of the plot being too basic. I would recommend this book for middle and high schoolers because there are sexual references. For instance, teenagers must get inoculated against AIDS before they can have sex. (All adults receive the vaccine at 18.) Teenagers have nicknamed the paperwork that proves you've had the shot an LTF (license to...well, you get the idea.) The story is told in alternating chapters of the year 2030, just before the apocalypse, and 2034 after Peyton emerges from her underground shelter. The pop references Peyton and her friends make about 2011 are funny. They range from Edward and Jacob to the Kardashians. Here is the crux of my issue. Mancusi refers to reruns of Kardashian reality TV as an "obscure and ancient family." While we can only hope that in 18 years they will, in fact be obscure, I don't know that ancient is the correct term. I mean, we're only talking about 18 years in the future. I'll only be 52! Hardly ancient, thank you very much! Even so, the book was written for teenagers and let's face it, they certainly think 52 is ancient, so maybe I should let the reference slide! If you decide to read it, you'll have to overlook the numerous editing errors which really don't make sense because of the earlier publishing of the manuscript. Tomorrow Land is only available in e-format for about $3.99 which makes it worth it if you love teenager angst, romance, cyborgs, and zombies.
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