A girl like no other thrown into a world she knows nothing about determined to change the world. This sounds like almost every YA dystopian novel I have ever read — and Red Queen is no different. Victoria Aveyard’s breakout novel Red Queen is set in a dystopian world where there is a harsh division between the red-blooded and the silver-blooded. Those that have silver-blood are blessed with abilities that allow them to manipulate the elements around them. For some that means being able to grow massive trees from tiny seeds, and for others that means being able to start blazing fires from a tiny spark. While the silver-blooded live…
Top 5 Books I Want For Christmas
Christmas was never a huge deal in my family. Of course we celebrated, but when I was a kid, the importance of the holiday was placed on spending time with family, and as I got older, that didn’t change much. I think as the years go on, we all become a little more aware how important time with our loved ones is, and Christmas is the perfect time to come together and celebrate each other. But alas, people still ask you what you want each year. I like to think I’m pretty easy to buy for because I have so many interests, but my parents still make me tell them…
The Circle: A Review
Title: The Circle Author: Dave Eggers Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia Quotation: “This was a new skill she’d acquired, the ability to look, to the outside world, utterly serene and even cheerful, while, in her skull, all was chaos.” Would recommend to: anyone who questions the role social media plays in our lives. An all knowing, all powerful global corporation with unlimited access to your personal data, running the gauntlet from your fingerprint to your first kiss? To many, this dystopian scenario conjures up thoughts of Google, Amazon, or Facebook gone rouge. In his dystopian novel “The Circle,” Dave Eggers takes us to what many will say is our not-so-distant future. The Circle is a…
A Praising Review for Leibowitz
Title: A Canticle for Leibowitz Author: Walter M. Miller, Jr. Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi Quotation: “Back then, in Saint Leibowitz’ time, maybe they didn’t know what would happen. Or perhaps they did, but could not quite believe it until they tried it…” Would Recommend to: Fans of 1984 or Brave New World Miller’s tragic and poignant Hugo Award winner still rings true A canticle, from the Latin canticum, is commonly translated as a song or hymn of praise. A Canticle for Leibowitz is a stark look into the dystopian future, where humanity may not be praiseworthy at all. Divided into three main sections, the novel is centered on the Leibowitz Abbey, a…
A Dauntless Series
Title: Divergent Series Author: Veronica Roth Genre: Young Adult Dystopia Would recommend to: readers who like to immerse themselves in a story / fans of “The Hunger Games” I devoured these books. I haven’t been this interested in a series of books since I read “The Hunger Games”. I loved everything this series had to offer: action, love, passion, madness… It was an artfully written series that touches upon deep concepts. Although Roth may have written about genetic damage, anyone that looks deeper at the theme understands she’s really making social commentary on racism and human nature. I can’t say Tris was my favorite female character (I probably liked Christina a…
Which One Fails Better?
Title: The Giver vs. Anthem Author: Lois Lowry vs. Ayn Rand Genre: Dystopian Novel Quotation: “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” The Giver vs. “My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” Anthem Would recommend to: readers who like to think about the past. Dystopian novels have always intrigued me. I find it compelling that people would right novels about what is wrong with the world to prove what humans should change about their patterns to avoid this type of world in the future. It’s a bit like…
Not Your Ordinary Dystopia
Title: J Author: Howard Jacobson Genre: Dystopia Quotation: “You don’t need to have your eyes open to see things.” Would recommend to: someone who likes to create his or her own story. “J” is an interesting book. It’s different from any other book I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot of books, especially dystopian novels. But interesting does not mean bad. As you may have gathered from my “little thoughts” post about “J,” I learned a lot while reading it. Not just vocabulary or about different writing styles but about myself and my reading preferences. I liked “J,” I liked it a lot actually. But it was very hard for me to…
