Audio Review of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Narrators: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Amanda Karr, Scott Brick, and John Rubinstein
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Length: 11 hrs, 12 min
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Enter Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the result of decades of genetic experimentation. 

Is Ender the general Earth so desperately needs? The only way to find out is to throw him into ever-harsher training at Battle School, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when his training begins. He will grow up fast. 

But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. His two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Among the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

I know, I know....How could I have not read this book until now? For being a teen in the late 90s/early 2000s there were not a lot of young adult books for me to read.  I was an avid reader (no surprise there) and somehow around 3rd or 4th grade switched immediately to adult books.  I remember getting in trouble in middle school for reading a Mary Higgins Clark book during class.  I was such a rebel.  It was sad though because there was not really a market for young adult books (maybe Sweet Valley High, and R.L. Stine books, I guess).  Anyway this long, but not pointless, rant was to say that somehow I missed this priceless gem while growing up.

Ender's Game, while it was a brilliant novel, started out slow for me.  When I picked out the audio from the library, I wasn't really sure what it was about as I didn't read any reviews (or the back of the audio either); I knew I just wanted to read it before the movie came out.  However, the narrators voices were so engaging that I couldn't help but get sucked into the story.  I found myself completely enthralled with this book and would often not want to get out of my car when I arrived at my destination just to listen to a little more.

All of the characters in this novel were so complex.  They are multi-layered and you easily find yourself wanting to know more about them.  Not only what type of people they were, but what their thoughts, opinions, and motives were as well.  Ender is what I would consider a battle strategist prodigy.  He was sought out at a young age for his skills, but his passion and drive are what really made him excel far beyond what anyone imagined.  There was a lot of self-reflecting on Ender's part and that is what made me realize this wasn't just a sci-fiction novel, it was much deeper than that.  

The world that Orson Scott Card created is surreal.  The planet is getting attached by alien-type beings called Buggers, but the battle school and later the training facilities are what amazed me the most.  I could vividly imagine both of these places and let me tell you they are not places I'd like to be.  At first I kind of imagined a boarding school type environment, but instead battle school was more of a boot-camp that not only tested you physically, but also psychologically as well.    

I haven't read the other novels in this series and I don't think I will.  I liked the way this novel ended and I feel like it was a complete journey for me.  I know there are four other books in the saga and maybe after seeing the movie I'll want to read more.  

Has anyone read the entire saga?  What did you think of the later books?

Review of The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Title: The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies #3)
Author: Pittacus Lore
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 416
Source: Edelweiss and HarperCollins
Format: ARC ebook
Available: August 2, 2012
Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.

This series just keeps getting better and better.

The Rise of Nine is action packed, thrilling, and edge of your seat good.  Finally things start falling in place for the Lorien.  They are finding more of their own and starting to understand their legacies.  It is so interesting learning what each person's legacies are and how they are an integral part of the plot.  Of course some characters seem more powerful than others, but it is truly about them working together and using their individual talents to fight the common evil.  Who doesn't love a great "good versus evil" plot line!

Four is back but for some reason doesn't seem as strong in this novel.  Maybe it's just that more of the Lorien are there and they are all unbelievably fierce and have some serious and deadly skills, but I want Four to swoop in and save the day.  I won't give away who you get to meet in this novel but some of the old favorites are back with new powers and a taste for vengeance.

I have to admit that I am quite jealous of all their legacies and their chests of goodies.  As the Garde band together they seem impossible to defeat but Setrakus Ra and the other Mogadorians have some tricks up their sleeves as well. 

One things I loved about this novel was the alternating POVs between the members of the Garde.  It was interesting to see how each of them were thinking about a situation.  The one thing that confused me though is there was no indication of which Lorien was speaking.  You have to read a couple of sentences into the chapter to figure out which one it is, but after a couple of chapters I got used to that and was so addicted to the novel that I couldn't put it down.

The Rise of Nine surpassed my expectations and now I'm impatiently waiting for the next book to hear the rest of their adventure. 

Blog Tour & Review of Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle + Giveaway

Title: Socialpunk
Author: Monica Leonelle
Pages: 180
Source: Author
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★★

Summary from the Author: Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

Socialpunk is edgy, fun, and hard to put down.

I must admit that at first I was confused.  I wasn't sure what was real or what was not in this world that Monica Leonelle created.  Things got scrambled and it took me a while to orient myself.  But never fear, because as the story progressed we learned more information and things started clearing and that is when this book hooked me. 

Ima is the type of character that you may not like at first, but she grows on you.  She starts to find her backbone and really come into her own as a character.  She's lived a hard life and when things get tough she knows that it is either time flight or fight.  Ima's name ends up getting changed a couple of times throughout the story.  At first I didn't really like this, but by the end I concluded that each name represented a different part of who she was.  I don't know if the author intended this or if it was just my conclusion, but it made sense to me.   

As for the other characters I enjoyed them as well, but didn't get to know them as well as Ima.  Hopefully in the next two books we will get to dig deeper into the other characters and connect with them more.  There isn't a love triangle per say, but it seems like all the men like Ima, expect the one she wants.  Poor girl! 

While, this book is short it is jam-packed with action.  There was a lot happening on each page and I wish that we could have dove a little deeper into each scenario and situation to really get an impact on how the characters felt and handled each situation. 

The ending leaves you not with a cliffhanger, but with a need to know more.  It's the peak of action and I can't help but wonder how Ima will proceed and who will join her in battle!

Don't forget about the generous giveaway from the author of Socialpunk, Monica Leonelle!
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Length: 8 sound discs (540 min.)
Source: Libaray
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Revamped fairy tales?  Whether you love them or hate them, they seem to be the big trend right now in YA literature and Marissa Meyer joins the gang with Cinder.

While I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, I do enjoy it every once it a while.  While Cinder was a cyborg, the story went beyond who she was mechanically.  It was a story of not fitting in or being accepted by your family.  It's a story of finding someone who likes you and understands you, but at the same time may not know the real you.  It's the story of Cinderella with a whole new twist. 

One of the great things about this novel is that Marissa Meyer made all of her characters seem real, whether they were cyborg, android, human or lunar.  Cinder is the type of character that everyone can relate to.  Who hasn't felt a little different or left out at times?  While Cinder doesn't have the perfect life she makes the best out of it and every situation she is put in.  She's got enough spirit to be a feisty at times, but she also knows when to back down.  I really disliked her stepmother/guardian and I think she put Cinder in really difficult situations.  She twisted reality and always blamed Cinder.   

The relationship between Cinder and Prince Kai is innocent and fun.  Of course he's the almighty prince and he thinks Cinder is a mechanic, but they seemed to click.  He begins to fall for her without knowing who she really is or her history.  Throw into the mix a spiteful stepmother/guardian, a jealous lunar queen, a deadly disease, and a missing lunar princess and the plot gets more exciting by the minute. 

While I did enjoy the story I found myself drifting off at times.  I'm not sure if that had to do with the story or that I just wasn't engaged enough in the audio.  Rebecca Soler did a good job as a narrator so I'm guessing that the science-fiction parts of the story are what lost my interest.  While this is a retelling of a classic fairy tale and I knew the general plot, I often felt it was predictable.  I wanted a couple of more twists and surprises.   

Cinder is a enjoyable read and as with all fairy tale retellings, it was fun to see how the author changed this well known classic tale.