Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books On My Spring TBR

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

   Ten Books On My Spring TBR

Book Review: Dark Energy by Robison Wells

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Dark Energy
Author: Robison Wells
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: March 29th 2016
Review Source: HarperTeen

WE ARE NOT ALONE

Five days ago, a massive UFO crashed in the Midwest, killing thousands of people. Since then, nothing–or no one–has come out.

THEY HAVE ARRIVED

If it were up to Alice, she’d be watching all of this on the news from Miami, Florida. Instead, she’s the newest student at a boarding school not far from the crash site–because her dad is the director of special projects for NASA, and if anything’s a special project, it’s this.

AND THERE’S NO GOING BACK

A shell-shocked country is waiting, glued to televisions and computer screens, for a sign of what the future holds. But when the aliens emerge, they’re nothing like what Alice expected. And only one thing is clear: Nothing will ever be the same again.

Dark Energy by Robison Wells centers around a massive UFO that has landed on U.S. soil.  By massive I mean it landed in one state and ended up in another.  Our main character is Alice, who's father works for NASA and moves them up to Minnesota where she's to attend/stay at an elite boarding school.

I LOVED Dark Energy. Alice was super easy to love almost immediately. I actually have no complaints of any of the characters. Robison Wells handled the writing, the story, the plot, and the characters brilliantly. The moment when the UFO opened was super intense. If a UFO were to ever land on the U.S. today of that size so it can't be ignored, I only wish it would happen this way. I really don't want to say too much because I don't want to give away any spoilers. But this book is one I'd recommend to everyone! It's a very fast paced read. You will be hooked from page one and finish it in one sitting.

At one point I say "this is too good to be true." And, well it kind of is but for a completely minor reason. The only thing holding me back from giving Dark Energy a full 5 tree rating, is because the ending was anti-climactic and I desperately wanted more. So, for completely selfish reasons. I am a huge "alien" fan. Anything alien, I research. I watch a ton of Ancient Alien and the ending totally made sense to me in a "this sounds very realistic" way. Of course, realistic in my world. LOL. Oh, Robison Wells will there be more? I want more!

Book Review: Blackout by Robison Wells

Blackout
Blackout #1
Author: Robison Wells
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction
Release Date: October 1st 2013
Review Source: HarperTeen

Homeland meets Marie Lu's Legend in Blackout, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Ally Condie called "a thrilling combination of Wells's trademark twists and terror. Fantastic!"

Laura and Alec are highly trained teenage terrorists. Jack and Aubrey are small-town high school students. There was no reason for their paths to ever cross.

But now a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible superpowers—and all teens are being rounded up, dragged to government testing facilities, and drafted into the army to fight terrorism. Suddenly, Jack, Laura, Aubrey, and Alec find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

Known for his inception like style of writing, Robison Wells provides an interesting novel dealing with America and terrorism. Filled with suspension and haunting scenes, Black Out is a dramatic blend of realism and science fiction. Using characters that come alive, Wells creates very complex relationships. These relationships add to the daunting twist and turns that he creates along with thrilling shocks that seem to come from all angles haunting the reader.

In Blackout we follow the perspective of four young people. Two are somewhat normal teenagers while the other two happen to be teenage terrorists. Working in a group, the trained teenagers also each happen to have a special power that aids them in their deeds of terror. The two sets of teenagers meet up later in the novel amidst turmoil in the country. Written with amazing originality, Robison Wells provides the literature world with the perfect book that reflects the times. Similar to how movies reflect the state of the country. Blackout plays somewhat on the fears of the people, which in turn creates such a strong emotion in readers. Finally, Wells uses a blistering pace in his writing style causing readers to rarely want to put this book down. He provides readers with a chillingly balanced novel that does a great job of making you think about the future throughout the entire novel.

Book Review: Feedback by Robison Wells

Feedback
Variant #2
Author: Robison Wells
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Dystopian
Released: October 2nd 2012
Review Source: Harper Teen
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs.
Or so he thought.

But now Benson is trapped in a different kind of prison: a town filled with hauntingly familiar faces. People from Maxfield he saw die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. As he searches for answers, Benson discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are more sinister than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

Variant blew readers away with its breakneck pacing, flawless plotting, and impossibly high stakes. It earned starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and VOYA, which described it as “an exciting, edge-of-your-seat read that combines psychological themes from works like Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Ender’s Game in a truly unique way.”

In Feedback, Robison Wells delivers all the answers you’ve been craving—with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very last page.

When reading and reviewing different books you are introduced to new worlds and intriguing characters. Through the masses of novels though, you can loose interest in reading so it is a major relief when you can find a novel that sparks your interest again. Feedback does just that in peaking my curiosity and bringing back my hunger for reading. Feedback does a good job of balancing the action and emotional aspects of the book. Also the flow of the book, which makes time seamlessly go by.

Feedback is a mixture of science fiction, thriller, and mystery. Robison Wells, the author, does well to merge these different genres into a unique book. I also must mention that for a sequel there is no layoff in pace or quality in the book. In Feedback we find Benson and Becky escaped into the wilderness where they stumble upon a strange settlement that is filled with familiar faces. Afraid of past memories, Benson must choose whether to protect the ones he loves or rather to take care of himself. Feedback answers questions from the first novel while also painstakingly making some more. So taking all these points and examples into consideration, Feedback is a great book and also apart of an intriguing series, definitely a book to get you out of that reading funk.

Audiobook Review: Variant by Robison Wells

Variant
Variant #1
Author: Robison Wells
Reader: Michael Goldstrom
Reading Level: YA
Run-time: 8 Hrs & 5 Mins
Published: October 4th 2011
Review Source: HarperAudio
Available: HarperCollins

Summary: (from goodreads) Benson Fisher thought a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

My thought on the audio portion first: Once again I have a Male POV reading the book. This time it was easier to follow the story. The reader Michael does a good job. In the beginning its feels a little slow but then his voice picks up speed just like the story does. I don't have complaints on how Michael read the book for the most pat. Some of the pronunciations were a little off for me, but that can just be my personal hearing or how I personally sound a word out. Overall the audio is great and really do mesh with the book. 

My review for the actual story now: Variant like I mentioned started off a bit slow for me in the beginning. Was it because I was listening to it instead of reading, that I'm not sure. Then Variant picked up speed and if you didn't have your seat belt on, you would have been thrown from the car. Variant kept me on the edge of my seat literally since most of the audio I listen to in the car and at time I'm sure I might have been speeding. The intensity is incredible. Variant is not a book that will let you doze off while you read it. 

Hopefully if you read Variant you are not in a boarding school, because after reading this book if you are, I can see you running for the hills. Variant follow Benson, a young guy who gets a scholarship to a boarding school called Maxfield Academy. Benson is kinda pleased with this notion, he feels he will be ale to start a new life in a new school with students who are well off. Benson can't be any further from the truth. Benson finally arrives at Maxfield and what if I tell you this school has no adults, wire fencing and camera all around. You are basically trapped inside once you cross in. Benson is given a crash course on how the system works inside the school, one wrong move and it might cost you your life. You can only imagine now what is running inside Benson's head. Just when Benson begins to figure things out on how to perform daily and the whole teams or gangs in school, he discovers the real truth. That hope Benson had at escaping just might have gone up in smoke. 

If you enjoy thrillers or Dystopian reads, then this book or audio needs to be in your pile. I think anyone that picks up Variant and begins to read eventually will be suck in with Robison excellent writing. Robinson created and masterfully plotted every scene out. If I had the time in my reading scheduled I would definitely read Variant again. Also what a crazy cliff-hanger to leaving you wanting book 2 already. Well done!