Shatter Me, by Tahera Mafi

Juliette's touch is lethal, a fact she has learned the hard way.  In a split second, an attempt to help a fallen child has turned her into an instrument of death.  Unable to deal with her, Juliette's parents send her away.  Now she is in a prison, where life is even grimmer that it is outside in a totally destroyed world.  But when Juliette learns the truth about her imprisonment and meets up with a familiar face from her childhood, life takes on a different perspective.

If this book and I were in a facebook relationship, our status would be "it's complicated".  I really liked the concept of the story, as well as the character of Juliette, despite her obvious similarities to Rogue from X-Men.  I really saw a lot of potential in this book, but to get to it you really have to wade through a ton of drama.  So. much. drama.  I felt like I was reading the diary of a 12 year old girl.

The writer's style is most certainly unique, and quite powerful when properly harnessed, but oh my word, the metaphors used are just too much.  About 100 pages into the book, I felt like things calmed down a little.  Whether this was due to me just getting used to all the dramatics, or whether this is because the writer's power was more appropriately channeled I honestly cannot say.  All I know is, the first part of the book was a bit exhausting, but once I got into it, I really liked the story, and the romance of the situation.

The whole concept of dystopian fiction has actually grown on me since reading a few books with dystopian or post apocalyptic themes.  And I think this book does dystopia quite well.  Once I got to the part of the book where more action took place, I seemed to like it a lot better.

At the end of the day, I still say I liked the book quite well.  Do I love it?  Not quite, but it was entertaining and provided me with a good night's entertainment.  Still, I am not ready to make our relationship committed, and I will still be looking for better dystopian fiction with which I have more in common.

The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks

The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks

My favorite kind of story to read, (the ones that suck me right in) are almost always full of action and are set in some sort of dystopic world - a society in which conditions of life are miserable and characterized by poverty, oppression, war and/or the abridgment of human rights, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering and other kinds of pain. I know, I know all happiness, rainbows and sunshine but somehow those are the stories I enjoy the most. The trilogy started with The Traveler, where the reader is introduced to the idea of alternate realms that a select few (Travelers) can get to while the everyday actions of all citizens are consistently monitored by The Brethern. This group seeks to control the world. They are involved in all aspects of life including business, research, health, and government. They also seek the Travelers so they can control the course of history. The Harlequins are individuals who protect the Travelers above all else. The books are set in what is a modern world where technology enables the Brethern to follow the transactions of anyone they choose. I have been impatiently waiting book three of The Fourth Realm Trilogy for some time now and sped through the novel in a few hours. The Golden City completes the story started in The Traveler and continued in The Dark River. One of the Travelers Michael Corrigan has joined with The Brethern. He travels to the realm of the half gods and obtains information for advanced technology and a plan to create a worldwide prison where no one is free. His brother, Gabriel is also a traveler and is leading the resistance to stop his brother. The story takes us on a journey all around the world and through other realms including secret, real-life ancient rivers flowing beneath the streets of London, Los Angeles, London, Japan, and the realm of Hell. In some aspects, the world shown in this trilogy is similar to the one portrayed in Corey Doctrow's Little Brother. If your a fan of action, secrecy, discovering hidden agendas, and resistance consider this trilogy.

From The Golden City
"Privacy is the ability to control access to information about one's Self. It's easy to see that this invisible, all-pervasive system will destroy any sort of privacy. Well lose the power to protect our Self from the scrutiny of unknown groups or individuals.

And some of you may ask: 'Is there any value to privacy?'

All new ideas are dependent on some kind of mental privacy - the potential for peace and reflection. The Vast Machine provides information about us and gives the authorities a wide variety of ways to manipulate our thoughts with a subtle power. Everything we hear and see can be shaped to create certain prejudices. Free will- that is, our ability to make real choices about significant issues- becomes an illusion. Gradually, we are surrounded by targeted messages that destroy the opportunity to make our own decisions."