Tag Archives: YA

Eden Chip: 3 stars

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From The Caffeinated Reader

I thought this was a very good sci-fi/dystopia read. I loved the use of chips and how there was always a blurred line to using them, is it okay is it not? I mean you think it’s not okay but once humanity had destroyed itself what choice did they have in this world? But it went too far and it’s on Raissa, Caleb, and Christian to save the world. I really enjoyed the feel of it. and I never thought I’d say this but the reason it didn’t get 4 stars is that it was actually a little too fast-paced; in that I mean it was hard to accept some things that happened as it all happens in the span of a few days. Perfect syncing data or not, love needs to be more slow-burning for this old cynic!

Scott Cramer did a great job with the plot and Christian was by far my favorite character (and also the one I most wanted to kick in the first 30%). He had a lot of complexities and I really admired Raissa’s strength -I mean literal strength, the girl is a tank-, Cramer didn’t make flowery descriptions of her, and he gave her so many cool fight scenes. Also, kudos to having violists, having 2 in one book was the most unbelievable aspect to this whole dystopia novel lol [amiright?].

The first chapter did have me a little iffy because I wondered if this would lose my interest but by chapter 2 I figured this was going to be a book I would want to finish. But be forewarned this sort of novel is the stuff I enjoy reading, it’s like crack to me lol for all I know it’s got Dickensian sentence structure and enough tropes to fill a YA supernatural academy book [I shall not name names].

Raissa has been trained as a rebel, I mean she has spent most of her life, after losing her parents and brother at 6, training to perform one mission. When the time finally comes, it’s nice to see the emotion she displays at having to leave her Grandfather, it reminds you that she’s human. She’s half-French, half-Egyptian I think he states in the novel and from Jerusalem (that’s her on the cover, I’m super concerned by the lack of tan or freckles she’s gotten from living in that sort of geographical setting lol). But still, it’s nice to have a character in this sort of novel that’s not from the U.S.A. Her mission is deadly and has only one possible outcome, she dies so humanity lives in freedom but the reality of what is being planned by the man known as Petrov is something she nor her partner could anticipate.

Caleb is her target, you’ll see for what if you read it, I’ll not spoil anything, but he’s on the side of Petrov, he likes the chips, they keep you from dealing with horrible unproductive emotions and he believes Petrov knows what’s best for humanity. But something happens to plant a seed of doubt.

Lastly, we have my favorite, Christian. He is an older man, he remembers what it was like before chips, but more importantly how does he know so much about the M-Code which is responsible for all the chips do?

Overall this is a solid read and I’m glad I picked it up, I really wasn’t able to put it down once I started it. Anyone looking for an awesome YA steeped in sci-fi with a different sort of dystopia feel might find this worth a quick read.

***I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*** [I really enjoy how Booksiren makes you say that you left it voluntarily as if maybe Scott Cramer’s got a stun gun to me, ‘Come on Haley! Write that review, and make it look good!’]

Also, because I’m extra, here’s an article about MIT researchers about an AI chip that could be implanted in us for mobile devices.

 

Eden Chip review: What Emma Read Next

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Review

The premise of this one is great – and one that you can totally see coming in the future which is equally exciting and terrifying! One thing I liked, in particular, was that even though it is based in a dystopian future, there are several themes that ring bells and I love that as it makes it so relatable.

This is a face paced book with the twists and turns that I love in a book – books that keep you guessing all the way through, whether it ends as anticipated or not, are my favorite kind!

Despite the warning above, I didn’t find the “techno-speak” too bad and was able to keep up with pretty much all of it which made for easier reading!

The characters were colorful – I had to admit to being a little bored of the ‘orphaned-cum-saviour-of-the-universe’ idea, but it does make a good story!

I enjoyed it and would recommend to all dystopian YA fans!

3.5 Stars

Workaday Reads on Night of the Purple Moon

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The science of the story was explained quite simply, and in a believable matter. I really appreciate that it wasn’t dumbed down for younger readers. In fact, none of the story had any of the lacking that is present in many MG/young YA stories. The characters were well developed with unique personalities, and the plot had no major holes.

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‘All We Have Is Stories’… reviews NOPM

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The Night of the Purple Moon was full of kindness and bravery, as the children fought to live life the best they could for as long as possible. Watching them relying on each other and finding there places in the new world was heart warming. It was a real eye opener in the things we take for granted in daily life. The characters where very relate-able in their emotions however one of my issues with the book was that all of the children where really intelligent and mature for there age and didn’t talk like any children I have ever met of their respective ages, one precocious child is believable a whole island of them isn’t. I was also a little confused with Abby’s age, at the beginning of the book she was thirteen and at the end of the book, over a year later, she was still thirteen. Despite my issues with the book it was a great read that i found hard to put down and i’m really looking forward to the sequel and seeing where the author takes it. I would recommend this book to YA and science fiction readers.

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Interview @ Indie Books R Us

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1.     This idea is terrifying. What inspired you to write it?

I’ve written two other YA novels. Both are sitting in my drawer. I think they have a lot of potential and I will revisit them someday. Both are very quiet character-driven dramas.

In Night of the Purple Moon, I wanted to go big. I wanted to write a high-concept story, a story with an expansive canvas, where the challenges are huge and the stakes high. Early on, though, I discovered that it still had to be a character-driven story.

Read the rest of the interview

Way more adults than teens read YA…why?

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Many recent surveys have reported this; I noticed (from customer reviews) that a lot of NOPM readers are mothers with young kids. I put the question “why?” to Susan, a mother with young kids, who reviewed Night of the Purple Moon for her blog, Oh Brain Where Art Thou.

Are you a YA reader in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 60s? Why do you read YA? Weigh in at www.facebook.com/authorscottcramer

“As mothers we cherish the quiet time no matter how brief and with it comes the story/escapism. Books provide that. Unlike TV where you feel you have to watch all the way through in one sitting. One can stop and start and even reread if you missed something or even loved something. (sans TiVo that is) That way if our kids need us we can immediately stop and then just pick up where we left off…We are drawn to YA because in some ways it’s “safe”. It’s easy to read. Not that many big words our post baby brain can’t figure out even with context.

Speaking of words, it usually doesn’t have as many bad words either, so we don’t have to work to edit the way we talk (let’s face it, if one is constantly bombarded with F bombs all day it’s hard not to use them when you get mad at the kids) It doesn’t make us feel under qualified as women like some Adult books do with characters that have relativity exciting lives and achievements that we currently do not (and at times feel we never may) have. YA lets us go back to a time when we didn’t have responsibilities and pretend that this “could” be us…does that make sense?

Also reading YA helps us to stay connected to the younger generation. And not to mention the fact that (at least me personally) most mothers would rather not have their children see them reading books with half naked people on the cover.(“What are they doing on that book mommy?” “He looks cold”) Also we want books that we can share with our children. I know I can’t wait until my kids get older and I can hand them a book and say…”You will LOVE this!” (while secretly knowing that I’ve already read and approved it, I’m sneaky that way)

Another reason it’s read by mothers is that we talk! (and thus the book club was created) Dystopian stories are in right now. And YA stories are usually not nearly as complicated to retell.”

 

Rally the Readers reviews NOPM

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Lee and her second cousin, Ally, read and review a lot of YA book. I’m grateful the team took on Night of the Purple Moon. Lee also provided some excellent interview questions, which I did my best to answer.

“Night of the Purple Moon is a harrowing dystopian novel that is both inspiring and heartbreaking. It’s hard to imagine waking up the morning after watching a comet streak through the sky and finding out that all of the adults have died. This is exactly what happens to Abby Leigh and her siblings, twelve-year-old Jordan and two-year-old Toucan (real name: Lisette), though, and the ensuing story of survival kept me glued to the page. The pacing was spot-on, and I became engrossed in the Castine Island survivors’ efforts to stay alive as they waited for a cure”

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And the interview