Trapped by Michael Northrop

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Publisher: Scholastic Press, February 2011

Genre: Fiction, Teen/Young Adult

Pages: Paperback, 232 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive. . . .

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision. . . .

Review:

I have to start this off by saying that I am a self-proclaimed disaster junkie. "Breaking News" is my crack (sorry if that's offensive, but you get my point). I love any movie that centres around extreme weather (Twister, San Andreas, The Day After Tomorrow, to name a few) so I figured why would books be any different?!

After seeing Trapped on one of the book tube channels I watch and hearing that it was about the biggest snow storm in the history of the US, I knew I not only had to read it but wanted to save it for a super snowy day... that was yesterday!!

Now, this was a super easy read and I want to say that it was geared more for the teens than anything but even with that, I found it to be a very enjoyable read. The characters were a group of typical high school kids and fit into every stereotype that you can think of.. maybe a little too "cookie-cutter" but I still managed to find each of them decent in their own rights. The main character "Scotty" was a good narrator and I enjoyed the book from his perspective.

I've heard of Nor'easter's before but just imagine 18 feet of snow in less than a week with no breaks in between... that's insane and I'm not even sure it's possible. However, it made for an intense, edge of your seat read and I found myself turning pages as fast as I could and just as tuned in as I would be to my real-life disasters.

Overall, a quick read that was totally worth it! Definitely pick it up during the next snow storm!!

Savage Drift (Monument 14 #3) by Emmy Laybourne

Savage Drift (Monument 14 #3) by Emmy Laybourne

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, June 2015

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult

Pages: Paperback, 306 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

It's over.

Dean, Alex, and the other survivors of the Monument 14 have escaped the disaster zone and made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Some of the kids have been reunited with their families, and everyone is making tentative plans for the future. And then, Niko learns that his lost love, Josie, has survived!

Or is it?

For Josie, separated from the group and presumed dead, life has gone from bad to worse. Trapped in a terrible prison camp with other exposed O's and traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue. Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid-along with her two protectors, Dean and Jake-joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with Josie.

Review:

** spoiler alert **

As I have continued to read YA books, I have started to discover that I don't love them, they just don't relate to me anymore and I find them a little too juvenile for my liking. However, there is something about dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories that just grab me and suck me in... it probably has something to do with being a self-proclaimed disaster junkie... I just enjoy reading about the world in chaos.

For me, Savage Drift, was a great book... full of non-stop, fast-paced action that kept me reading way past my bedtime (remember, I'm old). It was a great ending to the series and I found that, for the most part, the story wrapped up very nicely and didn't really leave me with too many unanswered questions. I love it when a series does that!

I liked that this part of the story focused on more of Josie's story because she sort of felt like the lost character in the previous books and I knew she was such a bad-ass that I wanted to learn more about her. As for the other half of the story, while I enjoy reading from Dean's point of view, he is just such a wimp... even with his new 'bulked up, type-o' image of himself, he just bugs me.

Overall, very glad that I picked up the final book in the Monument 14 series because it really is a great series. Worth the read if you love dystopian novels!

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Publisher: Little Brown & Company, August 2013

Pages: Hardcover, 290 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Addy Hanlon has always been Beth Cassidy's best friend and trusted lieutenant. Beth calls the shots and Addy carries them out, a long-established order of things that has brought them to the pinnacle of their high-school careers. Now they're seniors who rule the intensely competitive cheer squad, feared and followed by the other girls - until the young new coach arrives.

Cool and commanding, an emissary from the adult world just beyond their reach, Coach Colette French draws Addy and the other cheerleaders into her life. Only Beth, unsettled by the new regime, remains outside Coach's golden circle, waging a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as "top girl" - both with the team and with Addy herself.

Then a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death - and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.

Review:

NOPE! I don't even know where to go with this book. It has been sitting on my shelf for 4 years after having received it for review... I tried to destash it a couple of times but after reading the synopsis, I thought it sounded decent and it was short so what the heck. However, it was horrible!

There was NO plot, NO character development, NO point and it felt like it was a book that was written without a purpose. I couldn't decide if it was trying to be a Mean Girls rip-off or if it wanted to be a murder mystery... I honestly just can't.