Skylark by Megan Spooner

Skylark was one of those books that I had a love/hate relationship with. It had its moments where I enjoyed reading it immensely, and then there were moments where I was like, ugh, why am I reading this again? There were even a few times when I wanted to put it down and just give up on it. But I kept chugging and finally finished it.

Lark Ainsley is a 15 year old girl who lives in a city surrounded by a Wall. This Wall is powered by magic, which is also known as the Resource. Everyone in the city has the Resource, but it is harvested from them when they are young. Then they are given a job and become a cog in the machine, basically. The harvesting is done at a place known as the Institute, and everyone speaks fondly of their Harvest Day.

Lark has always believed she'd be harvested one day and become an important part of her City. That, of course, is a lie. When she goes in to be harvested, she discovers horrible secrets and lies about the Institute and what they're really up to. Escape is her only option.

Once out in the Wilderness, Lark has to find a way to get over her terror of the wide open sky and find her way to survive long enough to make it to the Iron Wood, a place where there are others like her(Renewables). These people have the ability to regenerate their magic, which the Institute would love to use for their own sick purposes.

The things I disliked about the book were the fact that we don't really know anything at all about the War that wiped out the rest of the world and caused the City to be protected by a magical Wall. Sure, there are "shadow people" out there(cannibals from what I can tell), but how did they become that way? What caused the War? These things are never really explained. Neither is how everyone got their magic. Did it just somehow show up after the War? I just didn't understand that. I also had a hard time keeping up with the constant shifting of scenery/location. I did enjoy the imagery, but it was difficult for me to follow.

In a way, Skylark reminded me a little of Julie Kagawa's The Iron Fey series, only not as in depth or descriptive, I suppose. And the citizens weren't faeries; they just had magic and there was Iron that couldn't be touched by Magic.

Overall, the book was a decent read, but I wish more had been explained in it. I wouldn't say I'd buy the book to own, but it would be worth checking out at a library or something.

The Other Life - Susanne Winnacker

** spoiler alert ** 
Well, what can I say about The Other Life? Let's see...

Susanne Winnacker's The Other Life is an intense, fast-paced dystopian thriller with just a touch of horror to suck me in and keep me entertained. It was like a tamer version of The Crazies meets 28 Days Later. Most people automatically think zombies, but that's not even close. Zombies are resurrected dead people; the Weepers, as they are called, are not dead. They're just infected. With rabies, to be exact. But it's some scientifically mutated(I guess that's the right word) version of rabies which turns humans into fur-covered beasts, for lack of a better term, that only want to eat human flesh.

Sherry and her family(mother, father, grandmother, brother, and sister) all live in a bunker, safe from everything going on in their world. They've been down there for 3 years, waiting and hoping for the government to give a signal that everything is right as rain. The days go by and the only thing that happens is tensions rise and the food runs out. Deciding to risk life and limb, Sherry and her father set out to try and find some food for the rest of the family. When they arrive at a store, they are ambushed by Weepers. Sherry is saved by a boy named Joshua, but her father is taken by the beastly creatures.

Joshua takes Sherry back to Safe-Haven, which is where she meets a band of survivors who take her in and clean her up. Knowing she can't stay there without her father or the rest of her family, she and Joshua go out on a mission to bring them all back. Getting her mother, grandmother, and siblings is easy; finding her father is not.

The Other Life pits humans against once-human Weepers(called that because it looks like they are crying constantly) in an insane battle for survival. Every now and then, you catch a glimpse into Sherry's "other" life; the time before the rabies virus took over and wiped out most of humanity...or so she and the others believe.

Near the end, one of the characters offers up some information that completely shatters the illusion and makes for a nice twist. Of course, the book ends without much closure, so I am hoping there will be sequels. This books screams for one...or two...or more. I know I need to find out what's going to happen and if there will be any sort of hope for the band of survivors.

Overall, the book was a quick, yet exciting read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a little bit of horror with their dystopian fiction.

Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt

** spoiler alert ** I just finished Revealing Eden, and as much as it kills me to say this, I didn't care for it one bit. I know it's a trilogy/series, but it's one I will not be continuing with.

Revealing Eden is set in a dystopian future where most of the world has been destroyed/ravaged by the sun. Most Caucasians are now dead, and the ones who aren't are known as Pearls, lowly human beings that are considered disgusting because of their skin color. Anyone with dark skin, known as Coals, are now revered and in charge. Other races still exist, as well, but they're not that important to the story.

Eden is a 17 year old blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who must mate before her 18th birthday, otherwise, she will be sent above ground to die. Her mate rate is a pathetic 15% because she is a lowly Pearl. She and her father, however, are tolerated because her father is a scientist working on a special project that might change everything.

While living in the underground compound, Eden begins to fall for a boy named Jamal, who she believes will become her mate, even though he is a Coal. She also has to deal with her father's boss, an imposing man named Ronson Bramford, who she dislikes.

When things start to get out of control and change in ways she hadn't anticipated, Eden makes a drastic attempt to fix things, only to make them worse. Bramford takes her and her father above ground in a personal jet, where they land in the Amazon rain forest and begin to live among a clan of Huaorani who have manged to survive.

The book's pacing seems terribly fast and I felt there were a lot of plot holes. Things weren't explained very well, and it seemed to me that there should have been more to it. I didn't care for the constant mentioning of the scientific names of animals, either. I felt like I was in science class or biology, not reading a YA novel.

Eventually, Eden becomes attracted to her father's boss(Bramford), and they end up starting in on a relationship. This only bothered me because of the way Eden was written. To me, I couldn't see her as a 17 year old girl. To me, she just seemed like she was a 12 year old whiny brat. I know Bramford isn't meant to be that old, but it still seemed wrong, even in their dystopian world where mating is key to survival.

Also, this seemed Twilight-ish to me in a way, not because it was human/vampire, but because Bramford ends up becoming part animal(beastly) and it's sort of disturbing in a way.

Sadly, I was highly disppointed with this book and the way it was written. I would not recommend it, nor will I continue with the series.