The Pledge

In this futuristic, strict society, everyone must make a pledge to defend the queen, hence the book's title, The Pledge. The protagonist of the story, Charlaina has a special gift.  Charlie, as she is called by her friends at school, can understand the language of other classes in this society despite the fact that she and her parents and younger sister are of the Vendor class.

From a very young age her parents have taught her to never reveal this gift. Likewise, they have instructed her younger sister to never real her talent to heal others by her touch.

In such a repressive society, drug raged clubs are where young people such as Charlie and her best friend Brooklyn hang out. It is there that Charlie meets the strange man named Xander and finally Max to whom she is very attracted.

When an attack on the queen takes place, Charlie and her sister are hidden in the underground. What will it take to find her parents? Will Charlie's special power, be discovered?

Fans of dystopian fiction will enjoy Kimberly Derting's The Pledge. I know I did!

Half a Life

Darin Strauss was driving his father's car when the accident happened. A girl from his school whom he barely knew, Celine, drove her bike into his father's car. The resulting collision led to her tragic death.

This memoir reveals the depth of his guilt despite the accident being termed a "no fault" accident. The memories of him attending Celine's funeral, meeting with Celine's parents following the accident and the inevitable lawsuit brought against Darin's family despite the "no fault" conclusion by law enforcement, eye witnesses, and the other passengers in Darin's car continue to play out in Darin's mind over and over again.

This tragic event overshadows half of Darin's life.

I would recommend this title to serious readers who might want to know how shattering an event like this for any person to endure.

The Future of Us

Emma and Josh have been best friends forever. . .until Josh decided to try to kiss Emma last year. Emma's reponse was, "No, you're Josh!" She wasn't ready for their relationship to change. She wasn't ready to lose her best friend, almost brother, to take a chance on romance with him.

Now it is a year later in 1996 and Josh's mom asks him to go next door and give Emma the CD-ROM with AOL software on it to Emma so she can install it on the new computer her dad sent to her.

Once installed the program suddenly shifts from AOL and Instant Message to a program neither Josh nor Emma has ever seen. Surprisingly, this new program has their names in it and photos of them fifteen years into the future. Facebook hasn't been developed yet, but for Emma and Josh, it is in their present in 1996.

Is it possible to change their respective futures by alternating their present day activities and ideas? Will knowledge of their future help them plan for it while they are in high school? How will their current relationship be affected by knowing aspects of what lies ahead for them? Read this book by Jay Asher and Carolyn Macker to find out!

Jay Asher Interview:

Crossed

This sequel to Matched by Ally Condie is sure to please fans of Cassia--the main character from the first book. Originally matched to spend the rest of her life with her long time friend Ky, Cassia's match is suddenly switched to be with Xander.

This sequel takes place after Ky has been sent by the Society to the Outer Provinces where the Society will work him to death.

Cassia follows a trail left by Ky after he and another boy escape. The trail leads them through the Carvings where Cassia learns of the Uprising. She has been given red pills. Should she trust using them or are they given by the Society for evil purposes.

Read this sequel toMatched to find out if Cassia will join the Uprising, be reunited with Ky or will Xander reappear in search of Cassia?

The Raft

S. A. Bodeen continues to delight readers with her new title--The Raft. Fans of The Compound and The Guardian will absolutely love this third title by Bodeen! The Raft is due to be released in August 2012, but I was lucky enough to receive an advanced uncorrected copy.

Robie is a typical teenager in many ways. While on a trip to Hawaii to visit her aunt who lives there, Robie decides to have her nose pierced despite that she knows she will be met with disapproval from her parents once they find out.

Robie is unlike a lot of typical teenagers in that she lives on an atoll called Midway in the Pacific Ocean.

It is on her way back home from Hawaii that the cargo plane she is flying in crash lands in the Pacific Ocean. Only Max, a new co-pilot she has never met before, and Robie survive the crash. Max helps Robie into the survival raft. He has a very bad head wound and slips in and out of consciousness.

How will they survive in the tiny raft in the vast Pacific? What will they eat once their meager supplies run out? How will they stay hydrated? Will anyone know to look for Robie? She wasn't supposed to be flying home this early and she doesn't think she was entered into the cargo ship's manifest before taking off. Will her newly pierced nose become horribly infected? Read this page turner to enjoy another great read by S. A. Bodeen!