Book Review: Dreamfall - Amy Plum

Dreamfall - Amy Plum

Cata Cordova suffers from such debilitating insomnia that she agreed to take part in an experimental new procedure.  She thought things couldn't get any worse...but she was terribly wrong.

Soon after the experiment begins, there's a malfunction with the lab equipment, and Cata and six other teen patients are plunged into a shared dreamworld with no memory of how they got there.  Even worse, they come to the chilling realization that they are trapped in a place where their worst nightmares have come to life.  Hunted by creatures from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they'd rather keep buried, Cata and the others will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears.  And if they can't find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up.

3/5 stars (liked it)
I didn't think I would like this book as much as I did.  The perspectives changed from Jamie, who is a pre-med student observing the experiment to Fergus and Cata who are stuck in the nightmare.  It was interesting to see how the kids trapped figured things out as well as know what was going on in the outside world.  The ending just let me hanging and I will definitely read the next one.

Book Review: Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi

In a world of danger

an unlikely alliance

breathtaking adventure

 and unforgettable romance...

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie.  Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors.  So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry.  He's searching for someone too.  He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope of staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

3/5 stars (liked it)

I was surprised at how much I actually liked this book.  Although at first Aria seems like she's high maintenance and whinny, she turns out to be pretty tough.  Perry seem very serious, and although he is I ended up really liking him.  I actually liked all the characters in the story.  Although we did not get to know Talon all that much, I'm sure we will.  I like how this book was not just about a love story but about how to people change and become stronger.  I can't wait to read the next book  to see what struggles Aria and Perry along with their friends and enemies will have.

Book Review: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents - Julia Alvarez

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents - Julia Alvarez

In this debut nove, the Garcia sisters--Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia--and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic after their father's role in an attempt to overthrow a tyrannical dictator is discovered.

2/5 stars (it was OK)

I started a book club where we will read books by Latino authors.  This is our first book that we picked.  I really though I could related to the Garcia girls since I am from Guatemala and moved to the U.S. when I was a child.  But I found that I could not relate to them at all.  I felt like all three girls were whinny and too much into themselves.  Also I feel like I didn't get to know them all that well.  The story jumps around in time and characters too often to keep track of things.  I would have much rather have read this book from the point of view of the mother and kept to a better timeline of events.  I was disappointed at the ending as I feel it didn't wrap things up, just kind of ended.