Deadly Design - Debra Dockter

Kyle and Connor are twins, but Kyle was born two years later.  Their parents are carriers of a fatal disease called spinal muscular atrophy, and their mom has had six miscarriages.  They went to a fertility doctor who designed them in the lab, and while Connor was inside his mom Kyle was frozen in the lab.  Kyle started asking questions right after his preschool graduation.  His dad explained things to him later that day.  Connor knew they were twins, but was told to keep it to himself until their parents felt it was the right time to tell Kyle.  Fast forward eleven years to Connor's last track meet and graduation a few weeks later.  Kyle is considering not going to either one.  Emma, Connor's girlfriend, is trying to convince him to go.  She tells him that Connor would want him there to support him.  After getting the guilt trip by his father Kyle goes to Connor's last track meet.  He runs into Cami, Emma's best friend, and she is surprised to see him there.  After the meet they all go to Luigi's to celebrate.  Cami and Kyle are off to the side while Kyle's parents praise Connor and Emma about how they will graduate in a few weeks and then after the summer head to Kansas State University.  Later that night Connor comes in Kyle's room and they play video games for half the night.  The next morning Kyle goes to wake Connor up and finds him dead in his bed.  The day after the funeral Kyle's parents tell him Emma wants him to read Connor's valedictorian speech at graduation.  He reluctantly agrees, but thinking he's not worthy to read his brothers words.  At graduation Kyle reads the speech that would make Connor proud of him.  Shortly after graduation the autopsy results come back saying Connor died from a heart attack.  Kyle goes and gets tested, and the tests come back clean.  As Kyle comes back from getting a job application he hears on the news that Alexis Warren collapsed and died, a day before her eighteenth birthday.  His parents knew her and her parents from the fertility clinic where Connor and Kyle were made.  Later that night Kyle does some research and he finds a blog for another kid Triagon Summers, who also died on his eighteenth birthday back in April.  The next day Kyle tells Cami what he found out, and asks her to take him to the fertility clinic where it all started.  They see his dad walk out of the clinic when they get there.  Kyle talks to Dr. Preston who says all he can do is direct Kyle to Dr. Hodges, the same thing he told Kyle's dad.  Dr. Hodges tells Kyle's dad, Kyle, and Cami that Dr. Mueller, the one who started Genesis, disappeared eighteen years ago.  Dr. Hodges explains to them how after fertilization happens the embryos with undesired traits are discarded, leaving only the best traits.  Dr. Hodges suggests they find who ever is left and do genetic screens on them.  Kyle puts out a Facebook post about a missing dog named James M. to try and make contact with one of the other Mueller babies.  He goes out for a run and encounters a bully named Teddy.  As they start to fight and Emma shows up and intervenes.  After the fight is broken up Emma tells him she needs a fresh start and she's leaving and moving to Minnesota.  Kyle says good-bye to Emma the next morning, and goes to eat at Don's Diner where Cami spots him and joins him.  They see a strange man they had noticed at Connor's track meet and the Sac and Save taking pictures.  They think nothing of it and make plans for later that night.  They set off fireworks as a distraction from everything, and Kyle contemplates about how things will never be the same again.  On the Fourth of July Kyle and his parents head down to Dallas to have tests run on him.  He meets a few other of the kids made by Dr. Mueller, and runs into James M. in the flesh.  Amber only has a few weeks till she's eighteen and James has a month. Kyle runs into Amber again and as they are talking Kyle sees a woman that was also at their hotel.  As Kyle tries to figure out who she is Amber collapses and dies. The doctors tell everyone they tried to save Amber but couldn't.  They have mapped out their DNA and found a sequence that causes catastrophic heart failure around the age of eighteen.  Their solution is to put a pacemaker into James to keep his heart going.  If it doesn't work then James will die in a few weeks.  While waiting for the taxi outside the hotel Kyle spots the same person who was at Connor's track meet taking pictures.  He chases after him and the guy gets hit by a car.  Before the guy dies he tells Kyle he was made differently, and he won't make it to seventeen.  Can Kyle figure out a way to live beyond seventeen? 

This was an intriguing book.  It shows how much we trust science to make everything perfect, including children.  Most parents will do anything for their children, but what happens when science takes over?  What is to stop the scientist from using the children as guinea pigs for their own personal goals?  Children are the future of humanity, and if we let science manipulate them then humanity may not have much of a future. 

T.B.
7/30/15

Now that you're here - Amy Nichols

Danny and Germ have been doing random jobs tagging buildings and getting paid for it.  The jobs first started out small, but became bigger.  Once they realize it's Red December, a group of extremists, calling the shots they agree to do one more job and are done.  An evacuation order is given and everyone runs for the secure zone.  Danny tries to find Germ, but gets caught by a security officer.  There is one explosion, and then a second enveloping Danny in a white light.  Eevee is really smart and likes numbers as they don't change.  As she sits in English class thinking why short stories can't be more like geometric puzzles, Danny Ogden bolts up in his seat.  He recognizes Eevee and then bolts from the classroom.  Danny tries to find Germ, but ends up back at school getting picked up by someone who isn't his dad.  Danny shows up at Eevee's house later that night telling her he can't find his parents house or Germ, and nothing looks like the Phoenix he knows.  Her father lets him stay at his place, and as much as he's grateful for the hospitality he leaves to try and find his parents.  Danny shows back up on Sunday night.  After a shower and dinner Eevee's father says he can stay provided he doesn't run away again, and helps Eevee with her English homework.  While Eevee heads to school, Danny goes back to the foster home to grab clothes and money.  He goes to the local library to look up his parents only to find they died when he was 11 and was placed in a foster home.  Eevee talks to her friend Warren about Danny.  She tells Warren about how different this Danny is to the one they knew growing up.  She thinks he's from the future and wants Warren's help to find out what is going on.  Warren agrees to help, but is still skeptical about Danny as he was bullied by Danny back in the sixth grade.  Eevee talks him into going to school until they figure a way to get him home.  He does better than this Danny ever did, which leads to some of the teachers to think he's cheating.  After school Danny and Eevee go to Warren's and Danny explains what happened to him.  Warren comes up with the idea that Danny might be from a parallel world.  Warren puts a post on the Dark Web to see what other people say.  They agree to tell their teacher Mac about Danny and see if he can help since he used to be a NASA engineer.  The next day at school there is a substitute for Mac, so they decide to do their own research.  They look into EMP pulses as a possible explanation for what happened to Danny.  As the days progress the people from the Dark Web say it was an EMP detonation that sent Danny over to this parallel world.  Eevee and Warren come up with plans for their own machine to emit an EMP pulse.  The machine theoretically will send Danny back to his own world.  Will their plan work, or is Danny stuck in this parallel world? 

Any book that has Star Trek and Doctor Who references along with a parallel worlds storyline makes for an enjoyable read for me.  I do enjoy a parallel world story because it makes you think of what could be different if you were to choose another path, instead of the one you are on.  How different would the world be if America had lost the Revolutionary War or if the Berlin Wall hadn't come down?  There will be a companion novel coming out in August called While You Were Gone which tells the story of slacker Danny in the other Danny's world.  If you enjoy Now That You're Here I also recommend Fair Coin by E.C. Myers and Shift by Kim Curran.

T.B.
1/13/15

Illusive - Emily Lloyd-Jones

The Meningococcas Krinotas or MK plague of 2017 began in Chad, then spread to Niger, Mali, Algeria, and Egypt.  It was only then when the rest of the world realized how bad it was going to be.  America became infected when one woman stepped into JFK International Airport off of a flight from Egypt.  The MK plague then spread like wildfire throughout the rest of the world.  Six months later a vaccine was developed by Fiacre Pharmaceuticals.  It was rushed through FDA approval and wasn't fully tested.  While there weren't any side effects in most of the people, it gave 0.003 percent of the population super powers.  Ciere is one of these few people with super powers.  She is an illusionist who can change her appearance, and a thief.  Kit, her "Uncle", took her in at the age of eleven and has been sending her out on jobs.  Her latest job, along with her friend Devon, was robbing a bank of $40,000.  On the way home Ciere and Devon run a fowl of the mob who want the money back, as the bank is in their territory.  Ciere agrees to pay back the money, but she needs time.  They put a tracking bracelet on her and give her a week to get the money.  When Ciere and Devon return they don't tell Kit about owing the mob money.  Kit has another job for them.  They are going to rob a lawyers office, and they need a mentalist to do it.  Kit knows someone, but they parted on bad terms.  He sends Ciere and Devon to meet with Magnus.  They meet his assistant at a bar and pay her.  They are taken to a hotel room to meet with him.  Just as the meeting begins SWAT teams pull up to the hotel.  They are looking for someone and Ciere fears it's her.  When an old man is taken everyone else is allowed to leave.  Magnus gives back the money they paid for the meeting and tells them to tell Kit he's sorry.  The next day Magnus shows up at Kit's house wanting to help.  They break into a law firm that holds the last will of Marie Louis and are to deliver its contents to Frieda Fuller.  After Kit and Magnus leave the SUV to head to the meeting point agents from the FBI and UAI (United American Immunities) start firing hitting the SUV.  Ciere runs into Daniel, their former associate, who she and Kit thought was dead.  She realizes he's working with the FBI and not by his choice.  After they escape Kit reveals that Marie Louis is an alias for Richelle Fiacre.  The will supposedly contains the formula to create more super powered people to be controlled by the government.  Ciere tells them that Daniel isn't dead and is working with the government.  They all head back to Kit's house to rest up and figure out what to do next.  Ciere comes up with the idea of selling the formula to the mob as payment.  Ciere and Devon pour over a copy of the will Devon wrote down.  They come across an address in Endicott, New York and go investigate.  Kit follows them and Ciere finally tells him about the mob and the payment she owes.  The house has been raided by the FBI, but their is a hidden room that was missed.  Inside that room contains not the formula, but the last supposedly dead member of the Fiacre family. 

I enjoyed this book.  It was a fun and action packed book to read.  It kept my interest all the way through.  When I got to the end, I wanted more.  According to the author's blog on her website there will be a sequel to Illusive.  When the book described the spread of the MK plague, it seemed very reminiscent of how Ebola is spreading from Africa to the United States and Spain in the last month.  I don't think there will be any super power side effects from the Ebola vaccine, but you never know.  

T.B.
10/10/14  

Fugitive X - Gregg Rosenblum

Nick, Kevin, and Cass have escaped a City where they tried to rescue their biological parents.  They head into the woods where they are barely surviving.  As Kevin goes in search of water he encounters bots and is captured. Cass and Nick hear his cry for help and try and find him.  Cass is severely injured, and the only way for her to survive is to be taken by the bots.  After Cass is taken Nick continues searching for Kevin.  Nick encounters Erica in the woods and she agrees to help him look for Kevin.  On an island sanctuary run by The Governor, Kevin is interrogated and then joins in the workforce of the island.  Nick and Erica find the Freepost where they got word of two brothers and a sister would be coming.  Cass has been healed, re-educated, and will be placed with her biological parents and her sister.  The bots attack and the Freepost is destroyed.  Nick and Erica continue through the woods till they encounter rebels and join them to fight the bots.  Back on the island Kevin is first put on wall duty to help construct the wall around the island.  When he shows his engineering background The Governor puts him to work on fixing things.  Back in the rebel camp Nick and Erica are washing dishes when Nick hears about half the camp heading north to get refugees.  Nick insists on going hoping Kevin might be among them.  When they encounter the refugees Lexi and Farryn recognize Nick and ask where Kevin and Cass are.  In the city Cass is taken away from her parents and younger sister by order of the Senior Advisor.  She is left outside the city in the woods, and told to wait until she is collected.  On the island Kevin feels something isn't right there and makes an unscheduled visit to The Governor.  The Governor reveals he is Dr. Winston, the creator of the robots who rebelled against the humans.  Back in the rebel camp Nick, Erica, Lexi, and Farryn escape to search for Cass after seeing a bot vid that was broadcast earlier in the day.  They find Cass in the woods, but she has no clue who they are.  Back on the island Kevin tries to escape but is unsuccessful.  The Governor is not happy with Kevin, but he will let the escape attempt slide for now.  With Cass and Nick somewhat reunited will they be able to find Kevin, and rescue their parents while trying to survive against the bots?

The sequel to Revolution 19 was a good continuation of the story.  I liked how each chapter was focused on either Nick, Kevin, or Cass after they got separated in the woods.  I also liked how Rosenblum brought everything together in the end.  There is still that air of mystery surrounding the Senior Advisor and it's hand in all of this.  This is book two of the trilogy and I'll be waiting for the third book to come out to see how the story ends.

T.B. 2/5/14

All Our Yesterdays - Cristin Terrill

Em and Finn are being held captive in a military facility run by their former friend James.   Em uses a spoon to dig around the drain in her cell.  She finds a piece of paper written in her handwriting telling her "you have to kill him".  One night Connor, a guard at the facility, helps Em and Finn escape.  They head to the control room for Cassandra, the time travel machine built by James.  Em and Finn travel back four years to January 4th.  Marina, Em's past self, has been waiting for James and his brother Congressman Nate to get back from Connecticut.  After they are back home Nate asks Marina to keep an eye on James.  He asks her to look out for anything out of the ordinary.  Marina agrees but doesn't understand why.  Not to far away Em and Finn appear where the military facility will be.  They convince a younger version of Connor, the guard who helped them escape in the future, they aren't crazy and the future needs to be changed. Connor helps get Em and Finn to where the banquet Nate is speaking at is taking place.  When they get ready to find and kill James shots ring out as Nate has been shot.  Nate is taken to the hospital and James rides with him.  Finn and Marina head to the hospital to be with James.  When James wants to be alone he heads outside and Em attempts to kill him.  Everyone regroups as Finn, James, and Marina head to Finn's house since James and Marina's are swarmed with reporters.  Em and Finn follow them and Em has a another chance to take out James, but she can't do it.  Finn, James, and Marina head back to the hospital the next morning where Nate briefly regains consciousness.  He uses sign language to tell Marina they should head to Connecticut to find answers about why he was shot.  In Connecticut they find evidence of the government experimenting in time travel.  They also find evidence the government is also interested in James.  As they leave the house James gets the news that Nate has died.  Em and Finn decide that even though James is at his weakest now, this is the best time to kill him.  They are hopeful with the death of James the horrible future they come from will be prevented. 

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a good time travel book that didn't confuse you when the future Em and Finn came back to the past to try and kill James.  The ending played out differently in my mind, but I liked the way the story ended.

T.B.
11/18/13

In The After - Demitria Lunetta

One day They come.  All it takes is one night and most of humanity is wiped out.  Amy has come to acknowledge the fact that her parents are gone.  She has survived mainly because her mom, who worked for the government, had an electrical fence put around the house.  This has kept Them at bay.  They have good hearing and any sound brings them running.  Amy walks around barefoot or with socks as not to make any noise.  She has gotten food by raiding houses around her and making trips down the block to the convenience store.  On one of these trips she comes across a toddler left behind in the store.  Amy takes her back home and calls her Baby.  For three years it is just Amy and Baby.  Amy teaches Baby sign language and this is how they communicate to not make any noise.  Amy also teaches Baby how to be quiet when they go looking for food.  On a trip to gather food and clothing they come across Amber, who has been left behind by her brother and his gang.  Amber comes home with Amy and Baby.  Amber stays with them and Amy teaches her how she and Baby communicate and to be quite so They don't come.  On one of their trips to a neighbors house to get clothes Amber finds a Prada bag in a closet.  She squeals and that brings Them to the house.  They think they are done for when a black helicopter comes and captures one of Them.  Amy, Baby, and Amber are able to escape and make it back home.  Amy tells Baby that Amber has to go, but Baby doesn't want her to.  The next morning Amber is gone.  Shortly after Amber leaves a group of men come looking at the electrical fence outside the house.  When Amy suspects they are connected to Amber she tells Baby to get things ready in case they have to go.  When the fence goes down Amber and Baby run away.  They make it to a nearby lake and as they are bathing the black helicopter comes and takes them away.  They are taken to a government facility, which used to be a college.  It is run by Amy's mom, who she thought was dead.  Amy finds it a bit hard to live with other people when it's just been her and Baby for the last three years.  She starts poking around and finds out the truth behind the They.  She is put in The Ward and is given drugs to make her forget what she knows. 

I really liked this book.  It is a good story about doing what you need to do to survive, especially when the enemy can hear really well.  I liked how Amy was resistant and kept on trying to get information about what goes on in the building.  She knew something wasn't right and her mom was hiding things from her.  I liked the way the book ended.  Even though most of the human race was killed, what remains of humanity still fights and lives on. 

T.B. 9/27/13

Revolution 19 - Gregg Rosenblum

The bots had been built to protect humanity in times of war.  On August 17, 2051 that all changed when the bots turned on their human creators.  Twenty years later the bots still remain in control.  Nick, Kevin, and Cass have grown up in a community in the woods.  They have been off the radar of the bots until one day when Kevin finds a piece of old technology in the woods and brings it back to camp.  When he is alone it activates bringing the bots to their location.  Nick, Kevin, and Cass escape only to come back to a destroyed and abandoned camp.  They go searching for their parents, which leads them to a city under the control of the bots.  They find the city and enter acting like they belong there.  When they stop for food they witness a bot put down someone who did not pay for their meal.  Nick is wanted for violent rebellion, so Lexi and Amanda help them get away from the dinning place with out being discovered.  They head to Lexi's house where her parents ask what's going on.  Lexi explains who Nick, Kevin, and Cass are and they are searching for their parents.  Mr. Tanner is hesitant, but agrees to give them food and shelter for a few days.  They take a trip into the main part to the city to see where the re-education center is, which is where their parents are probably being held.  They get caught by the bots and escape into a grocery store where the owner helps get them back to Lexi's house.  It is decided that they need to get chip implants to blend in with everyone.  They meet Farryn, Lexi's hacker friend, who agrees to implant them with dummy chips with basic information.  They are told to come back around eleven at night for insertion of the chips.  On the way back to Farryn's they encounter a bot and Nick lets himself get captured so Kevin and Cass can continue looking for their parents. 

I enjoyed this book.  It has a nice mix of science fiction along with action and adventure that all comes together nicely.  It seems like there will be a sequel down the road just with the way the book ended.  I think there is more to the rebellion of the bots than what is widely known to humanity. 

T.B.
4/30/13

Beta - Rachel Cohn

In the city of Demesne on Io everything is perfect, including the clones made to serve the humans living there.  Elysia is a teen beta, cloned from her firsts DNA.  The first is a human that died so the beta could be born.  Mrs. Bratton comes into a boutique looking for someone to take the place of her daughter.  Astrid has gone to college and wants nothing to do with the family.  As soon as Mrs. Bratton sees Elysia she buys her immediately.  Mrs. Bratton comes home with Elysia and introduces her to Ivan and Liesel, Elysia's new siblings.  Mr. Bratton, a.k.a. The Governor, is not happy with Mrs. Bratton buying Elysia, but accepts her as part of the family.  Elysia trains with Ivan, who is going to join the military.  She also comforts Liesel at night after she has nightmares, just like a big sister would.  She spends most of her time with Mrs. Bratton, but does hang out with Ivan and his friends as the swim or take drugs to get high.  Whenever she is swimming she sees visions of a beautiful guy, which she concludes it is a memory of someone her first of knew.  The only nutrition she needs is a strawberry shake once a day, but Elysia sits down with the Bratton's and eats the food.  She especially takes a liking to chocolate.  The thing is betas aren't supposed to remember the lives of their first, or have enjoyment from food.  If the betas do they are considered rogue and are dispensed with.  There have been rumors lately of the clones wanting to rebel against their human masters.  When Ivan's friend, Tahir, comes back after recovering from a really bad surfing accident, everyone sees he is different.  When Elysia spends a week at his home she discovers that he too is a beta, and only a few people know what he truly is.  During this week there is a bombing which is blamed on the other beta Elysia was with in the boutique.   After she returns to the Bratton's one of the other clones goes rogue, jumps off a cliff and dies.  Elysia can no longer hide the fact she is a rogue.  One night when Ivan tries to have sex with her, Elysia kills him and runs away.  With everyone in pursuit she jumps off a cliff into the water below. 

This was a really good book.  It kept me wanting to turn the page to find out what was going to happen next, especially when the plot line of the rebellion of the clones came into the storyline.  No matter how perfect something is on the outside there is always something hidding that shatters the perfection.  I'm glad this is the first book of a series because after I finished it I wanted more.  The ending also brought up questions that readers will want answers to.  I can't wait until the next book comes out. 

T.B. 3/28/13

Adaptation - Malinda Lo

Reese and her debate partner David are in Phoenix for nationals, along with their coach Mr. Chapman.  Their flight is delayed, and all of the sudden birds start dropping out of the sky onto the tarmac.  On the TV there is a report of a plane crash in New Jersey, then a plane crash near Seattle, and a third crash in Texas.  It is being reported that Canadian Geese are the cause of the plane crashes.  The FAA grounds all flights, and leaves Reese, David, and Mr. Chapman stranded in Phoenix.  After a few hours it is decided that they get a rental car and drive back to San Francisco.  As they head toward California they are told to detour through Las Vegas because of a road block.  They stop for gas and in the chaos Mr. Chapman is shot dead.  Reese and David escape, and as they near where Area 51 supposedly is a bird flies right into their car causing them to crash.  They wake up twenty-seven days later in a government hospital where they have been recovering from their injuries.  They are escorted home by the FBI and are told not to say anything about the treatment they received at the hospital.  As they get back to their normal lives, Reese starts having headaches and strange dreams.  One day Reese gets run into by Amber, who is house sitting her uncle's place.  They start hanging out and Reese feels this instant attraction to Amber.  She questions if she into girls, or if it is just Amber that makes her feel that way.  Amber does have a reason to get close to Reese, she is assigned to make sure Reese is adjusting to the procedure that healed her injuries from the car crash.  Reese and David both notice that their scars have healed quicker than they should.  As Reese and David investigate the hospital they were at it gets the attention of the United States government, and they are taken to another government facility for follow up examinations.  What really happened to Reese and David in the twenty-seven days after their accident?  Did aliens have anything to do with it, or is the government covering something else up?

I really enjoyed this book and as I was reading it I got this it could happen vibe from it.  Just the whole idea of birds causing planes to crash and crippling air travel isn't that far fetched.  Who knows what is being tested where and what effect it could have on humans or machines. 

T.B.  1/25/13

iBoy - Kevin Brooks

Tom Harvey lost his mom at a young age and has been raised by his grandma in the slums of London. He is walking home from school one day and an IPhone is thrown out from the top floor of his building. It breaks open his skull, and he's in the hospital for 17 days. Most of the IPhone fragments have been removed, but a few remain and merge with his brain. After he wakes up he finds out that his best friend, Lucy, was raped and her brother was beat up. In the coming days he uses his iBoy powers to access information about everything going on in Crow Town. Tom also discovers that he can make his skin light up and become impervious to harm, when he is connected to a phone signal or WiFi connection. After he goes to see Lucy he hacks into the police database to see who is suspected in Lucy's rape. Tom then takes it upon himself, with his new iBoy powers to see that they are punished for what they did to Lucy. This draws the attention of Howard Ellman, the head honcho of a gang in Crow Town. He kidnaps Tom and Lucy in the middle of the night, and wants to make them pay for what has happened to the rest of his crew. Can Tom use his iBoy powers and save him and Lucy, or is Ellman going to get his revenge?

I enjoyed this book. It was fast moving and entertaining. Most people would probably want the powers Tom gained from the IPhone fragments. The question then becomes would you use them for good, or be swayed to the dark side to use them for selfish reasons.

T.B. 12/14/11

Variant - Robison Wells

Benson Fisher has been in and out of foster homes since he was five years old. At his last school he filled out a scholarship that was aimed at foster kids. The next day he got a call and was on his way to Maxfield Academy in New Mexico. Right off the bat things seem weird to Benson. He sees two kids try to make a run for it when he's dropped off. Becky, who handles orientation, is a bit to cheerful and tells him to refer to the manual for any answers to questions he will have. There are cameras all around the school to monitor everyones movements. During his first night he has to choose which group to join. There is Society, Havoc, and Variant. Benson chooses Variant, after having not so good encounters with Isaiah and Oakland, the leaders of Society and Havoc respectively. Benson settles into the routine of Maxfield Academy. Some of the days they have class all day, or half a day with paintball in the afternoon. As Benson and some of his Variant members are walking back from paintball they pass a graveyard. Benson is told of the time before the truce between the groups. Everything was chaos and quite a few people died. Later that night Lily jumps the wall to escape and dies. The next day everyone becomes a little on edge when they find out about her death. A few days later the school has a dance. Benson and Jane head out and as they walk by the wall they are attacked by Dylan and Laura. Jane is severly injured and goes to a mechanical room in the basement of the school. Benson follows to make sure she's all right. He then sees her take her ear off and plug a computer cable into where her ear was. As Benson holds on to the knowledge that Jane was an android, unrest begins to take over the school and talk of leaving escaltes.

I didn't want to put this book down. To me it was a cross between Lord of the Flies and 1984. It captured my attention from the first page all the way to the last page. The ending was a twist, and I didn't see that coming. I reread the last few pages a few times to fully understand what was written. From what I looked up this is book 1 of a trilogy, so I will be eagerly awaiting the next book.

T.B. 11/5/11

The Gardener - S.A. Bodeen

TroDyn Industries is a scientific complex just outside of Melby Falls. They own most of the businesses, and have paid for most of the equipment and supplies at the high school. Mason is considering doing a summer internship there, but his mom doesn't want him to. She doesn't give him a specific reason, so he decides to go snooping in his mom's room. He discovers that she used to work for TroDyn. He sneaks into the nursing home where she works to confront her. She doesn't want to talk about TroDyn. As his mom checks on her patients one of them, a teenage girl, wakes up. Mason helps her escape, and along with Jack, head to Jack's parents cabin. The stay for a day until the police show up. They go on the run again and head to Powell's Books, where a former TroDyn employee is giving a talk. Dr. Emerson ends up explaining that the teenage girl was an experiment to see if humans could be created to supply themselves with there own food. The girl is really weak and the only way to save her is to take her back to TroDyn. Mason will soon discover that there is more of a family connection to TroDyn than just his mother being a former employee. I enjoyed this book. A few plot points I had figured out before they were revealed in the book. It was just a matter of paying attention to the little things that may seem minor. I liked the idea that maybe one day we could live by producing our own food like plants do. Let's just hope that humans don't run out of food any time soon. T.B 4/9/11

Adoration of Jenna Fox by Pearson

Jenna Fox, daughter of a powerful bio genetics engineer wakes from a coma her reconstructed body filled with blue biogel, her brain filled with neuron chips. Only 10 percent of her entire former self is left. Jenna slowly regains her strength, abilities, memories. Part of doing this is watching endless videos of her childhood through aged 16. She lives with her parents though her father is rarely there and her grandmother. Her neighbor is a long time friend of her father's.
She's been told she was in a terrible accident. As the story unfolds, she learns how terrible the accident was, that she has been reconstructed illegally, and gradually she regains memories no one thought she even had. She also struggles with the need for freedom and friends even as her parents try to keep her hidden, her grandmother's discomfort with what was done to save her, many other ethical and just recovery issues. This book packs a lot in only 255 pages and does it very well.
Its a creepy Frankenstein like story. Can they make us live forever? What would be reasonable limits of life spans if they could. what would reasonable limits of reconstruction in the event of extreme disaster like Jenna experienced. I think that people who read House of Scorpions by Farmer in which a powerful man kept cloning himself to use the clones as spare parts which meant their deaths would be interested in this book. I think we should all be thinking about stuff like this as it has the potential to actually happen. JDW 5/10