Review: Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Tags: YA, dystopian lit, artificial intelligence

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary

In Plato’s Republic, an island nation in the future where no one from the outside is allowed in, Anaximander begins her four-hour-long examination for entrance into The Academy. She has researched the life of Adam Forde, a well-known soldier who made history when he rescued an outsider girl from the sea and changed the course of the Republic forever.

As Anax tells the Examiners what she knows about Adam’s life and the subsequent events that followed, she begins to question the existence of humanity, the purpose of the Republic, and the safety of her own future, ultimately making a discovery that turns her life—and the readers—upside down for a shocking conclusion.

Review

How can I describe GENESIS in a way that will do it justice? It’s a chilling piece of dystopian literature, a psychological thriller that terrifies even though it takes place entirely in a four-hour-long conversation. It’s not light reading, for sure, and will force you to think long and hard about it days after you’ve finished the book.

On that note, though, I think that all the time you’ll have to put into thinking about this book and the issues it raises is completely worth it. There are long conversations that delve into questions of the worth of humanity and the dangers—and advantages—of artificial intelligence. The ending in particular was so unexpected, so original and yet so appropriate that once you’ve read it you can think of no other way to end the book. I would read this book again and again just to understand the circumstances that led up to the fascinating ending, an ending that will stay with you forever.

All in all, don’t miss GENESIS. It’s not a typical young adult read, that’s for sure, and will be difficult for many people to comprehend, but if you put the effort into it, trust me, it will be very worth it.

Similar Authors

George Orwell (1984)

M. T. Anderson (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing)

Writing: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover discussion: 3.5 out of 5 - Well... I don't dislike it. And I really like its ambiguity; it fits well with the ending of this book. And I like the bland grayness of everything else: the water, the sky. It hints to the discussions on artificial intelligence, as well as the terrifying nature of the Republic. Okay... I guess I like it quite a bit. :D

Weekly Giveaway Roundup

IT LIVES!!!! (WGR: I live!!! Wheeee!!! *think Calcifer from Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle and you have an idea of WGR's voice.) I never want to stop doing this because it's a great opportunity to help others look out for current giveaways around the blogsophere--it just...went on vacation for a while due to my end of the semester. But since I only have one final left, and it's one that I'm telling myself not to stress out about, I am going to reinstate it... now!

Individual Books You Can Win

Generation Dead: Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters (IB Book Blog), May 11

Wings by Aprilynne Pike (The Shady Glade), May 13

Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong (Reader Rabbit), May 19
Cycler by Lauren Mclaughlin (Lenore), May 21

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson (Lauren), May 22

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff (Sharon), end of May

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson (Mrs. Magoo), May 31

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson (Yan), May 31

Why yes, Tanya Gibson's new book seems to be a popular theme this month. But it sounds fantastic so how can I resist?

Carol's Blogoversary Giveaways

...And if you haven't checked out Carol's blog yet for these giveaways I have no idea where you've been in the past month. It's fantastic. As is she, the blogger. *smiles* (I am NOT brown-nosing, jeez.) These all end on May 15, so hurry to enter! (And yes, I've listed them in alphabetical order by title. Heh.)

Any Elizabeth Scott Book

Bettys Pack by Jody Gehrman

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

Generation Dead prize pack by Daniel Waters

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro

I Know It's Over by C. K. Kelly Martin

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel

Seer book by Linda Joy Singleton

The September Sisters by Jillian Cantor

Swoon by Nina Malkin

TMI by Sarah Quigley

Steph over at Reviewer X has an self-proclaimed epic contest for The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. There are up to 50 copies of the book being given away, so you don't want to miss that, do you? Check it out! The giveaway ends June 1. You should also tell her that you heard about it from me... although you probably didn't, it's been so highly publicized already. :]

I've just found Beth's blog and she's having a great Massive Book Giveaway . Of course, that's not the only reason I'm now following her blog. She's a teacher of YA lit and blogs about related stuff. Which is all totally up my alley. Go check out her blog and her giveaway! Ends May 16.

Lanna at Bloggers Heart Books is having a "Pick Yer Poison" (I didn't come up with the term, but I piratized it, yarr. You like?) giveaway with a bunch of great choices for prizes. Check out the Winner's Choice contest. It ends May 22.

Also, please check out my post on a wonderful giveaway that Maggie Stiefvater, author of Lament and the upcoming werewolf story, Shiver, is hosting. It's your chance to win an ARC of Shiver as well as signed copies of Lament! Check out my post about it here, follow the instructions, then go to Maggie's LiveJournal to let her know you found out about it from me. Thank you! This giveaway ends May 15, so don't waste any time!

Finally, there are only a few days left (ends May 13) to enter my Support Teen Lit Giveaway if you haven't already. Lots of great books, old and new, to be won, and numerous winners. Head on over!

Check out the KidLit Contest Page for new autographed books, all the time! This week you can win either Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman, TMI by Sarah Quigley, or Sliding on the Edge by C. Lee McKenzie. Good luck! Ends May 13 at midnight.

Boy, that should keep you busy for a while, shouldn't it? :)

Review: Undercover by Beth Kephart

Tags: YA, lyrical, poetry, family, nature

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary

Elisa Cantor has a way with words and a connection to nature. However, she uses her talent for creating metaphors to ghost-write love notes for the boys in her grade. Ordinary and plain-looking herself, Elisa knows that she will never get the attention of a boy like Theo, who asks Elisa to write metaphors for his love interest, the hellish but beautiful Lila. Meanwhile, Elisa’s father’s work prevents him from being home, causing the rest of the family to begin to fall apart.

Elisa spends most of her time skating on her frozen pond in the woods while trying to figure out her growing friendship with Theo. However, Lila is jealous of their friendship and threatens to make Elisa regret talking to Theo. Will Elisa find the courage within herself to stand up and believe in herself, her talents, and the strength of all kinds of love?

Review

UNDERCOVER is simply stunning. There are some books you read for the sake of the story, and there are some you read just to see the words fall perfectly together, to hear the way they sound in your mind. Beth Kephart’s words do not conjure up vivid scenes involving the characters and their predicaments; instead, they push the boundaries of language and remind us of the multidimensionality of words—that language is not simply a means to a message, but rather a form of art itself.

Elisa’s way of thinking puts us readers easily into her mind, understanding where she is coming from and why she is feeling what she feels. We see the world through her descriptions, which perhaps does not give us as clear a picture of the other characters as we would like—but they are understandably incomplete character sketches. Elisa’s mother, sister, and father are all compelling and possess unique characteristics, while Theo is an appealing romantic interest. Lila, Theo’s evil girlfriend, seems a little underdeveloped to me, but I’m willing to overlook that in light of the numerous other positive qualities that this book has.

All in all, UNDERCOVER is a fantastic work of art that just might change the way you look at the world. I am buying a copy of this book for my permanent collection, so that I can reread it and underline all the phrases and passages that have stuck with me. I am now thoroughly a fan of Beth Kephart and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Similar Authors

Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)

Francesca Lia Block (Weetzie Bat)

Sonya Hartnett (Surrender)

Writing: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover discussion: 4 out of 5 - I love the way the cover is a heart-shaped red leaf over the icy surface of a pond. Very appropriate for the story. Lovely.

The strangest thing that has happened to me in a while

Friday morning when I checked my email there was one from a stranger, written late the night before, asking for help regarding a short review I did for a book I read for one of my college classes, Zakes Mda's The Heart of Redness. (Background info: due to my 50 Book Challenge I keep on LibraryThing I review every book I have read this year, even if it--the review--is short, and even if I don't post it here.) It reads:

Hi! I know this is random but I need general questions answered about this book and would love your help! I need it by tomorrow (May 8) so if you get this in time that'd be awesome. I'll go ahead and ask you the questions in case you do get this before tomorrow...

1.) What seems to be the "heart of redness" the novel title is referring to?

2.) the 19th century cattle-killing produced divisions within Xhosa society, which re-emerged in the modern dispute over the casino project. What seems to be Mda's purpose for making these connections?

3.) What message does Mda seem to be sending about the proper kind of "development" needed in modern South Africa?

if you don't mind doing this, thanks so much! otherwise it was worth a shot!

Is this bizarre or what? I wish I could properly describe the facial expressions I was doing when I read this. Doesn't it seem suspiciously like a student who, having procrastinated on doing their English essay until the last night, looked it up on a book-review website and randomly sent the first reviewer he saw an email with his essay questions attached?

Later that day I also signed onto Goodreads and found the following message from this same person:

I was wondering if you could answer some questions about this book for me. I need them by tomorrow so if you get this please call me 817-***-****

Um. I don't like being mean, but maybe one can say, desperate much? I was really tempted to write him an email back explaining why, exactly, I didn't feel inclined to write his essay (due the next day) for him. However, I restrained myself. There was no need for me to use more energy on this person. Let him learn his lesson through the silence he has received in return.

I'm beginning to understand now the frustration that some authors have recently been expressing about bloggers demanding their ARCs for review, demanding their time, demanding their answers to interview questions (emailed before the author has even agreed to an interview). It's things like this that make me even more afraid to contact authors for anything, although I know that the good majority of them are wonderful, accommodating, and totally excited to be contacted by a fan. It's a combination of my shyness, my belief since childhood that authors are like mythical enigma creatures, untouchable, unapproachable--like celebrities (which they are in my book), and these recent exhibitions of humanity's increasing brashness and lack of thinking that makes me worry about the kind of person I am now, what I'm afraid of becoming, the future of my blog, and my future as an aspiring author.