The Special Ones by Em Bailey

Publisher: Electric Monkey

Format: Paperback

Published: 28^th July 2016

Number of Pages: 336

Book: For Review*

Genre:  Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller-Suspense, Psychological Suspense, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Spine-Tingling Suspense

Esther is one of the four Special Ones, chosen to live under his protection in a remote farmhouse.  They are not allowed to leave, and they must always be ready to broadcast their lives to eager followers on the outside.

But on renewal day when he decides that a new Esther, Harry, Lucille or Felicity must take their place, the old ones disappear – forever.  The new ones don’t always want to come, but soon they... realise.  Until one day Esther has a realisation of her own, and it changes everything.

A heart-racing thriller set in a cult.

                                                                   Review:

I received The Special Ones on a normal Wednesday morning.  I'd been planning on spending the day making my shoes for YALC.  Instead I opened up a parcel, saw these two books by Em Bailey and decided to see what The Special Ones was about.  By lunch, I was already over 100 pages in and I just did not want to stop.  Ever.  I was utterly hooked – this book is amazing in a horrible, creepy-as-hell way!  I simply couldn't put it down, was just sucked into this terrifying world, into the life of 'Esther' as she played the role of her life...  It was just...  I'm struggling to find the words!

You see, Esther is one of a group of people called the Special Ones.  One of four enlightened, immortal people chosen by him and living to inspire their followers, who watch them as they live their perfect lives, as he watches over them.

The rules are numerous and Esther always follows hers.  She remains in the farm house, she cooks and cleans, she remains calm and dignified and she never touches the others – that simply isn't allowed.  Because he watches at all times, watches for mistakes.  The moment they make one, they're gone, never to be seen again – until they 'return' in a new body, unwilling and angry until they just... give in.  

Harry, Esther, Lucille and Felicity live in his world, play their roles, play for their lives.  They live in fear of him and yet they're told he protects them...  

God, I just loved how Em Bailey wrote everything in this book!  How she wrote that slow-burning beginning, Esther's fear and strength and guilt, the terrifying indications of his presence though we didn't see him – not yet...  It was just... wow.  Atmospheric, suspenseful, terrifying, creepy as goddamn anything!  I really don't want to give too much away, but the way we saw that brainwashing... utterly and completely scary as hell.  It was all just so so clever and in such an effortless way – it flowed and it grabbed and it sucked you in.  And then, half way through, bam!  Action hit off and the terror just grew even stronger.  

Up until then, we'd been in Esther's mind – and she was such a brilliantly complex, fascinating character.  And then, suddenly, we were in his head.  And that was... scary as frack.  His mind... God it was so terrifying!  I do wish there was a little more warning or explanation – one minute I was listening to Esther, the next I was watching her through his eyes and it just was like a huge jolt of surprise – which actually might have made the fear I felt reading his chapters even stronger.  Because he was... terrifying.  And the more I read about him, twisted as it was, I kind of understood a little more about why he made them live like that – the sick workings of a psychopath who wanted people to suffer like him, who wanted to be important, who wanted to belong...  Who found people as alone and vulnerable as could be and stole their lives from them, made them become people from a hundred years ago, with some words in a book being their only guidance, fear being their motivator...  It was scary, how horribly real he felt.

I also really liked Felicity – she was sweet and innocent and joyful amongst all the horrors of the farm, a burst of sunshine.  Harry was calm and reassuring – the relationship between him and Esther was utterly unique, unlike anything I'd ever read in YA before, and was totally perfect for the story.  

I've never read anything about a cult before, although I know there are a fair few out there in the YA market right now.  I've studied them in sociology and watched them on crime shows, but reading about a forced cult member's life was so much more hard hitting.  The way he was totally separate too was different, and although we got to look into his head, we never really knew why.  I have theories, but some concrete evidence would've been nice – was he just a psychopath?  Did he have some kind of mental health disorder, like schizophrenia?  The questions are endless and many are left open, and yet I rather liked the ending anyway.  It... it fit.  The finale felt a little rushed, perhaps, but maybe that was just because I was reading as fast as Dr Reid at the time (not really; I'm not that good – and bonus points to anyone who gets that reference).  

The Special Ones was unique and brilliant and horrible and creepy and so goddamn addictive it's untrue.  I dare anyone to read it and not finish it in a day or two.  I found myself reading well into the wee hours to finish – and then regretting that choice instantly when I found I couldn't go to sleep and was jumping at every little noise.  Never will I read another Em Bailey book in the dark – although I will be reading Shift soon.  Just... after I've calmed down from The Special Ones.  My heart is still pounding ad my head is still reeling and oh my God. If you haven't read it just go and read it right now!  It is just... mind-blowing and breath-taking and goosebumps-raising.  It is a phenomenal book that has left me shocked and scared and amazed because it felt so damn real.  I just... I have no other words.  Just read it and read it now. 

And when the sun is shining.  Because it's Thursday and I only slept last night after I'd finished the book and watched Friends for an hour.  

I regret nothing.  The Special Ones was worth every bit of sleeplessness.  Every single (yawn) bit.

Star Rating:

4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Bunker Diaries by Kevin Brooks

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

Seed by Lisa Heathfield

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinsborough

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Series: The 5^th Wave, Book One

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Paperback

Published: 7^th May 2013

Number of Pages: 480

Book: For Review*

Genre: Psychological Suspense, Thriller Suspense, Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Rick Yancey

Series' Site: The 5th Wave

The 1^st Wave

Took out half a million people.

The 2^nd Wave

Put that number to shame.

The 3^rd Wave

Lasted a little longer, twelve weeks…  Four billion dead.

In the 4^th Wave

You can’t trust that people are still people.

And the 5^th Wave?

No one knows.

But it’s coming.

On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs.  Runs from beings that only look human, who have scattered Earth’s last survivors.

To stay alone is to stay alive, until she meets Evan Walker.  Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be her only hope.

Now Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death.

                                                                   Review:

It’s taken me forever to get this review done, in no small part because I loved The 5^th Wave so much I couldn’t find the words…  Also, once I found them, there were just too many words!  I rambled – a lot.  I’ve done my best to cut back…  I don’t think I was overly successful…  Enjoy the gushing!

"1st Wave: lights out.  2nd Wave: surf's up.  3rd Wave: pestilence.  4th Wave: Silencer.  What's next, Evan?  What is the 5th Wave?"

The 1st Wave killed all electrical items – everything run by a battery or electricity or an engine.  Everything.

The 2nd Wave created huge tsunamis that destroyed all cities near the sea.  Goodbye London, New York, Sydney...

The 3rd Wave created the Red Death, the Blood Plague, the Fourth Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  It killed almost four billion people...  

The Fourth Wave created the Silencers – things that look like humans, act like humans, until you get too close.  Then, they kill you.  The 4th Wave isolated the survivors – made sure they couldn't trust anyone.

The 5th Wave?  Well, no one knows.  It hasn't happened yet.  But it will.  The Others want the humans dead.  They want Earth.  And they won't stop until they get it...

Cassie is a survivor.  She is alone, on the run, trying to avoid Drones and Silencers.  To do that, she needs to be alone.  The only way to stay alive is to stay alone.

But then she meets Evan Walker.  And he might be her only way of staying alive and finding the one thing she needs more than anything...

Meanwhile, a resistance is assembling.  But are their aims true – and if they are, how can they alone possibly defeat the Others – the ones who killed seven billion in the blink of an eye...?

The 5^th Wave’s prologue drew me in completely and I just was hooked from the word go!   Right from the start, I loved it and knew that it would be my favourite alien-dystopian-sci-fi this year - maybe even ever!   I mean, I'm a huge alien-apocalypse fan.  Heck, I was watching Prometheus and Independence Day earlier this week, the latter while reading this book.  And while Independence Day is a truly brilliant film, all I kept thinking was: ‘Bleh.  Shut up, silly movie aliens, and let me go back to The 5^th Wave.’  And that right there is how I know The 5^th Wave should be seen as the best freaking alien dystopia out there right now.  

But now onto one of my favourite bits of the book (other than the alien stuff).  And that was Cassie.  She was brilliant – hard and vulnerable, kickass and broken.  And so so funny!  She was such an awesome character!

And Evan... oh, I just instantly fell for him!   He was just so... yum.  So perfect.  And I swear, it's just impossible not to love him.  Evan Walker has now been added to my list of book boyfriends...  But am I the only one who suspected, like right from the beginning…?  

Other characters: loved Zombie.  Loved Sammy.  Loved… in fact, all the characters were brilliant, be they human or alien.   They all felt very real, be they human, Other, or something… else...  They had the best and worst traits of humanity, both the strengths and weaknesses.

And the romance was brilliant.  Not too fast, not too slow.  Not too much, not too little.  Just perfection – making me one very happy little blogger!

I also loved the writing - Cassie's voice in particular.  She sounded completely real and like any other teen girl - horrible world and all aside.  But I just loved her sense of humour - it was kinda twisted and dark and wry, but it often made me smile.  I love a girl who can joke in the face of death. 

I also loved the split perspectives in this book.  It did confuse me to begin with but I soon fell even harder in love.  I love split POVs – they are my favourite style of writing.  And we had so, so many scrummy perspectives to gobble up, ranging from Cassie and Evan, little Sammy and even a Silencer.  Each of the chapters had a kind of distinct feel to them: amazing!  

And, oh, how completely hooking the plot was!  It was a mile a minute.  Just non-stop action, suspense and twists.  I loved zooming through it all!

I also really liked that despite the sci-fi setting there were still so many real issues involved - humanity, what's important, trust, love, family, strength.  And the world was really amazing!  It was like I was right there with Cassie – so terrifying!  And I loved his take on the alien genre - these were clever aliens, not the stupid kind that launch a human war.  As Stephen Hawking said...

“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

Oh, and I loved that Yancey's main character was a girl.  I hate it when authors feel they need to stick to their own gender – this is an all-audiences book.  It has something for everyone and is so un-stereotypical and fresh it's untrue.  Yay to Yancey for ignoring stupid gender norms!

The 5^th Wave is insanely fun and addictive and exciting and I loved it to pieces.  And I must say, there was something truly masterful about the way Yancey linked all the stories together, making me doubt everything I thought I knew about a million times over and surprising me even more often.  It was so much fun and was such an easy and quick read – one you're going to want to read in a single sitting, food, work and sleep be damned, so be prepared to take a large chunk from your day to devour this book!  

Oh, and be prepared for the insane desperation for book two, the very second you put thus one down. It's all consuming, maddening, and yet The 5th Wave is so worth it.

Still.  Don't say I didn't warn you...

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

 Earthfall by Mark Walden

Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore

Billi SanGreal by Sarwat Chadda

Falling Skies

V

Revolution

The Walking Dead

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris

Series: Unravelling, Book One

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks

Format: Paperback

Published: 7^th June 2012

Number of Pages: 416

Book: Bought

Genre: Psychological Suspense, Thriller Suspense, Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Lots of Swearing, Alcohol, Drug and Sexual Assault References

Author's Site: Elizabeth Norris

Author's Blog: Elizabeth Norris

Leaving the beach, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit head on by a pickup truck.

And killed.

Then, someone is leaning over her, healing her stopped heart.  But if she was brought back to life, it must be for a very good reason.

That reason?

Unless Janelle can stop it happening, the world is going to end in twenty three days.

The countdown has begun.

23:57:06

       05

04…

                                                                   Review:

“I wonder how long I was dead.  Because I know with absolute certainty that I was.  Dead.

And I also know with absolute certainty that somehow - even though it defies any logical explanation - Ben Michaels brought me back.”

Janelle's life is far from perfect.  Her mother is bipolar and barely manages to get out of bed.  Her father is a full-time FBI agent who is hardly ever there.  Janelle is responsible for her brother, trying to play the mother while also trying to be a normal teen.

She doesn't realise how dead she feels until she is actually, physically dead.

Hit by a car.  Very definitely dead.  And then... brought back.  Healed.  Alive.  Someone restarting her silent, broken heart, leaning over her with worried brown-black eyes.

This person – the one who heals her – loves her.  Very, very much.  But surely, surely, they have a better reason for bringing her back.  There has to be something bigger going on.  Right? 

Possibly something that is linked to the series of mysterious and bizarre cases Janelle's dad is investigating.  

Like her own.  The car – the one that killed her - is unregistered, created by a car company no one has ever heard of.  As if the car just... appeared.  Out of nowhere.  The driver, a John Doe, who died after hitting her.  He died in his car.  Only, he seems to have died from extensive radiation burns - injuries that could never have happened to him inside the car.

But all of that's impossible, right?

Unfortunately, no.  Something far bigger than her is going on.  Something the whole world is going to find out about in, oh, about twenty three days.

Well.  Not really going to find out about, per say.  More... not discover.  Cause the world will be over.

Unless Janelle, her best friend and saviour can stop it - unless they can keep everything from unravelling.

'So far all attempts to stop the countdown have been unsuccessful...'

So, let the countdown begin and pray that Janelle can stop it...

Unravelling is the kind of book you pick up, start to read and then just can't stop.  It is totally addictive.  I could barely do anything else – even the so-called 'important' stuff, like eating and sleeping and breathing...  Who came up with these stupid bodily rules?  They totally get in the way of my reading.  It is extremely annoying.  But back on topic, Unravelling was completely hooking.  I literally could not put it down at all, no matter how hard I tried – not that I tried all that hard, really, given that the book is freaking amazing.

I absolutely adored Janelle.  She was so normal and yet so not.  She was clever, stubborn, strong and snarky.  She never let anyone walk over her or stop her from doing what she wanted – namely investigating FBI cases.  I do admit, the fact that the only thing that seemed to work for her when she was grieving was just throwing herself into snoop mode was a bit odd to me (personally, I'm the curl-up-and-cry-and-eat-chocolate-and-watch-trashy-TV kind of girl) but, hey!  People grieve in their own way and if that's what works...  And no.  I'm not telling you why she's grieving.  You're just gonna have to read the book and find out.

As for Ben...  Yum.  Right from the word go, he made me fall in love.  Damn me and my weak spot for the tortured ones!  But seriously, he was so so amazing.

And Alex... Oh, I want an Alex.  He was so sweet and amazing and just always always there for Janelle, no matter what.  And I loved that they were just friends – no love triangle including new mysterious boy and boy-next-door.  Yay!

The whole daughter-keeping-family-together, absent-workaholic-father and/or emotionally-absent-disturbed-mother thing has been done numerous times.  But I think what made this family and the family angle so special is that even though it seemed like it was almost on the verge of falling apart, the family was still normal.  Janelle, her dad and her little brother fire off X-Files quotes, eat Chinese and joke around.  There's Strutz, the basically-uncle, who's there and makes them laugh.  Alex, to whom Janelle's dad is basically a second father.  The beautiful, perfect and touching relationship between Janelle and her little brother Jared.  Even the nickname they gave Janelle: "J-baby" just screamed normality.  The mother might be the only abnormal thing, always holed up in bed with the occasional episode, but also the occasional normal, sunny period.  And then there came The Event, which proved that even if you're normal and even though you love each other and are hanging on firmly, a single act or event can still devastate...  

Oh, I have to mention the plot!  Mainly 'cause I loved all the twists and turns.  And, of course, because I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery!  But my God, Miss Norris!  Why do you seem to be set upon breaking my goddamn heart?!  I mean, what's with that?!  Because yes, this book that I wasn't expecting to be emotional, this book that I expected to be all sci-fi, was absolutely heartbreaking.  The way Norris wrote... she made the sci-fi, far-fetched as it was, seem actually real and so emotional it was untrue.  I fell in love, laughed, hated and then cried my eyes out at three in the morning.  Oh, why did you do it, Miss Norris?  Why why why...? 

But back to the writing: it was brilliant.  I think Janelle and her voice had a big part to play in that: J felt real and human and I felt everything she felt.  Which, obviously, meant I mourned as she mourned.  And now I'm pretty sure half my heart has been taken...  But on top of the emotions there was the whole mystery.  I loved that part of it - mainly 'cause generally speaking it didn't destroy me.  I just had fun trying to figure everything out and loved racing through the book to the end, gobbling it all up.  But seriously: that blend of emotions and pure sci-fi?  Brilliant.  Genius.  Awesome.  Yay!

So, yes.  Unravelling was... incredible.  I adored it.  I have been left broken by it and yet absolutely deliriously desperate for Unbreakable.  My heart may be broken but the torn muscle still aches for more of this story, of this world (or should I say worlds?) and of these characters.  This is a book that will suck you in, capture your heart and mind and leave you breathless, broken and longing for more more more as soon as humanely possible.  Just an absolutely stunning debut I can’t recommend enough.

Star Rating:
4¼ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore

Partials by Dan Wells

Fated by Sarah Alderson

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Sister Assassin by Kiersten White

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2013 (Hosted by Book ChickCity)

Happy Reading

Megan

1984 by George Orwell

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Kindle

Published: This Edition: 3^rd July 2008

First Published: 1949

Number of Pages: 336

Book: Bought

Genre: Dystopia, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Psychological Suspense, Classic Adult, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Torture, Alcohol and Smoking References

No Drug References

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One.  Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal.  When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities.  Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy.  Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent – even in the mind.  For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101…

Nineteen Eighty-Four is George Orwell’s terrifying vision of a totalitarian future in which everything and everyone is slave to a tyrannical regime.

                                                                   Review:

Imagine a world where everything is controlled.  And I'm not just talking the Nazi or Soviet kind of control.  I'm talking control of EVERYTHING.  Media, books, language, actions, thoughts, history – what people know and feel.  It's terrifying because it’s happened before to some extent.  It could happen again...  And I guess it would start small and get bigger and bigger until...  Bam.  Hello, Big Brother...

Now don't forget: 

"Big Brother Is Watching You..."

All the time.  Everywhere.  No matter why you are doing. 

This is the world Winston Smith lives in.  This totalitarian state where every single thing is monitored and recorded - even thoughts.  Where history and memories can be rewritten to fit with the ideals of the Ingsoc - the English Socialism Party. 

Free thinking is not acceptable – not ever.  It is the worst crime you can commit. 

And yet this is what Winston is doing – thinking his own thoughts.  And then he falls in love with Julia.

Even with spies everywhere, they find themselves drawn towards rebellion, towards conspiracy. 

Bu nothing gets past Big Brother.

Can Winston hold onto his love and freethinking through the tortures the Ministry of Love inflict on him?

Through Room 101, where your worst nightmares come to life...?

And never forget:

“WAR IS PEACE

'FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

'IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.”

When I was younger, adults would say things like: "oh, it's like Big Brother is watching you" or "well, that would be in my Room 101..."  As a child, I didn't get it.  It wasn't until the start of my AS Level English Lit that I finally understood it all.  Sure, I'd heard of 1984, but I didn't realise that it was the book about Big Brother.  So when my English teacher recommended reading it as an additional text, I was instantly intrigued.  1984 is seen as a literary classic and after reading it, I most certainly know why.  It's mind-blowingly amazing and so very scary it's untrue.  I can't recommend it enough!

Now, dystopias are always scary.  There's always the whole 'what if?' side of them, the feeling of foreboding you can't quite shake.  1984 is literally the king of all dystopias.  It is scary as hell, probably because every single thing about it felt really like it could all happen tomorrow.  Like a Big Brother is just round the corner.  Or is here already, for all we know…  Orwell has captured everything everyone fears most and turns it into a scary-as-hell story and world that is so real you could almost touch it, taste it, feel it.

And I know characters aren't the big point of this book – being scared out of your mind might be, though – but I did really like Winston: he was a refreshing change in a world that pretty much lacked morals and free thinking.  But what this book shows perfectly is that even the strongest character, even the ones with hatred and love and resolve inside, must struggle with everything they have to resist or fight back against the psychological control of a totalitarian dystopian world – and that not all will be successful…

Speaking of, this dystopian world is the scariest I've come across.  There were no laws, but if you did something they didn't like, you could be killed or sent to work camps.  And someone was always watching you through various kinds of technology.  And the children - God.  They were terrifying.  Did you know there was this kid in Nazi Germany who snitched on his own patents and was held up as a hero?  Well, all the kids in 1984 were always listening, ready to turn their parents into Big Brother for some little treachery or another.  Patents were scared of their own kids.  Get why I was scared to death?!  And the idea of Newspeak, the language that gets smaller over time, fascinated and horrified me.  We live in a world where we can speak our minds and where we have so, so many words to choose from.  But if all the dangerous, revolutionary words were taken out of our vocabulary, if we were restricted to certain words, how can we think for ourselves?  How can we fight back when there aren't the words to do so?  It's terrifying and intriguing all in one.  Pure, terrifying genius. 

On a negative note, we know Winston can remember all the past – the bits before they were written from history and the people who disappeared, but I wasn't sure about everyone else - did they just know it all and keep quiet out of fear?  Or did it all somehow get written out of their heads as the papers were rewritten?  And if so, how?  Damn these questions – they bugged me for ages.  Still bug me, actually... 

But Orwell's writing was obviously amazing.  The writing was beautiful and haunting, if a little heavy at times.  Nonetheless, I could see everything so, so clearly in my head.  And the plot was so very gripping its untrue.  It was intense, suspenseful – the kind of plot where you could feel all that suspense building and building and building, waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.  It was intense and terrifying.  And oh so addictive.  

Some books are called classics even when they don't seem like them.  1984 was most definitely worthy of the title.  It was psychologically terrifying, mentally challenging, totally and completely beyond words.  1984 was an amazing, powerful book that left me shaken up and reeling.  Classics are classics for a reason, my teacher told me when I mentioned how brilliant it was.  And in the case of 1984, it's a classic for a million and more reasons.  It is most definitely a book everyone must read, a book I can't recommend enough. 

Star Rating:

4¼ Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Modern Utopia by H.G. Wells

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Happy Reading

Megan