Resistance by Jenna Black

Title: Resistance (Replica #2)
Author: Jenna Black
Source: Review Copy from the Publisher
Release Date: March 11, 2014
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Nate Hayes is a Replica.

The real Nate was viciously murdered, but thanks to Paxco’s groundbreaking human replication technology, a duplicate was created that holds all of the personality and the memories of the original. Or...almost all. Nate’s backup didn't extend to the days preceding his murder, leaving him searching for answers about who would kill him, and why. Now, after weeks spent attempting to solve his own murder with the help of his best friend and betrothed, Nadia Lake, Nate has found the answers he was seeking...and he doesn’t like what he’s discovered.

The original Nate was killed because he knew a secret that could change everything. Thanks to Nadia’s quick thinking, the two of them hold the cards now—or think they do.

Unfortunately, neither of them fully understands just how deep the conspiracy runs.

THOUGHTS: 

I didn't think it possible, but Resistance blew Replica COMPLETELY out of the water. (This should already be a good enough of a reason for you to read Resistance, but if you're not fully convinced yet, continue reading!) Replica was already one heck of an amazing start to what promised to be an incredible trilogy, and because of that, I already knew that this was one series that I was going to finish no matter what. However, let me be honest here - I was fully prepared for the sequel to lose a bit of steam (because that's usually what happens to the in-between books in trilogies) but wow, that did not happen. AT ALL. Seriously. I don't even have words for how amazing and just jam-packed Resistance (and this series, in general) is! (If it isn't obvious enough with all the caps lock and the incoherent blabbing, let me say it one more time - this series is mindblowingly awesome!) It usually takes me such a long time to read both sci-fi and dystopia (and this series is a little bit of both), and I just breezed through both Replica and Resistance! As a matter of fact, I can't help hating myself for taking so long to pick up this sequel! I should have read it ages ago!

Before the blabbing and the freaking out takes over this post, let me go ahead just what made me like Resistance so much:

I love how multidimensional the characters are. There's so much more to Nate and Nadia than just your average 'we need to take the government or higher-powers down' goal we see in every single dystopia out there. They're not your cookie-cutter perfect hero and heroines - they're like every teenager you know. They're scared, confused, they make a lot of mistakes, and while they do want to bring down the bad guys, there's always this feeling you get that these characters just want to make it out of all this mess alive. I believe that all these are what make Nate and Nadia are relateable, simply because they're not glorified as heroes who can do absolutely anything. Rather, they're realistically portrayed as two teenagers who are just doing their best to make sense of the mess that fell on their laps, and at the end of the day, hopefully do what's right.

Also, like I mentioned, while the big picture remains to be ultimately righting all the wrongs Chairman Hayes has done, Nate and Nadia have their own problems to face. Nadia, now deemed a social pariah by both society and her parents, is forced to live in solitude in a retreat house with no contact to the outside world. Not only does Nadia feel the crushing loneliness at being alone most of the time, she also has the safety of her family to think of. Nate's father might have promised a truce, but Nadia knows perfectly well that she can never fully trust someone who wants her dead. You can't help but feel for Nadia in this book - she faces so much adversity, and what's most terrible is that she has no one to talk to and lean on for support. Yet despite all these, Nadia keeps her calm and never loses her focus. I don't even know how she does it! Also, it should be pointed out that while Nadia already showed just how strong she is in Replica, here in Resistance, she transcends to all sorts of jaw-dropping badassery. Not rooting for her is simply impossible.

Nate, meanwhile, is not the same character we met in Replica. I still don't consider myself his biggest fan, but I can't deny how Black fleshed out his character. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that Nate has the most character growth is this series so far. Gone is the boy who always acts before he thinks, and who never stops to ponder the consequences. Instead, we have this character who takes time to think through his decisions and to think of how they will affect other people. As I have mentioned earlier, while Nate is most certainly not my favorite character in this series, that doesn't mean that I don't like reading about him, and that I do not want him to be the best guy that he can be. I'm excited to see just how much more he will develop as a character in the final book!

What I love the most about Resistance is that Jenna Black somehow managed to do it all - there's character development, world building, proper plot pacing, and even romance! Not one page of this book bored me, I tell you. Black expertly explores the fragile yet at the same time unwavering friendship between Nate and Nadia, the budding romance between Nadia and Dante, and the constant love of Nate and Kurt. She took her time in establishing all these different relationships between our characters, but at the same time, I never felt that romance preceded the other facets of the book - all aspects of the book are equally important, and that's something that I really like.

All in all, Resistance is one book that you HAVE to read - this is sci-fi and dystopia at its finest. I had the highest of expectations for it, and it most definitely did not disappoint. I am counting down the days until I can read the final book in the series!

Rating: 5 Stars

[Blog Tour: Review] Magnolia by Kristi Cook

 

Title: Magnolia
Author: Kristi Cook

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Goodreads

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

THOUGHTS:

When I got an invitation to join the blog tour for Magnolia, I jumped at the chance and immediately signed up. I mean, come on, this book is just right up my alley! Gorgeous cover? Check. Falls under the contemporary genre? Check. Main characters who grew up together? Check. And last but definitely not the least... A book that depicts a story of how hate blossoms into love? Consider me SOLD. All in all, I just KNEW that I was going to like Magnolia, and that this was just the light, fluffy read that I was looking for. Two hours later, after reading Magnolia, I was indeed smiling so hard that my face actually hurt. But you know what? I wasn't smiling because I was happy about the giggle-inducing parts (and there were some good ones, believe me) - instead, I was grinning like a maniac because of how realistic this book was and how relateable its main characters are! Those, I believe, are the true selling points of the book!

I loved many, many things about Magnolia, but first and foremost, let me go ahead and talk about how Cook developed the relationship between the main characters, Jemma and Ryder.You see, despite being born onto parents who are best friends and who are desperate to unite the two families together, Jemma and Ryder do not like each other. It's not the kind of love/hate relationship that a boy and a girl who have grown up together have either - Jemma abhors Ryder, and Ryder, having no idea what he could have done to deserve such hatred from Jemma, isn't exactly that keen on Jenna now as well. Writing about the shift from hate and dislike to respect and ultimately love, and then making it believable and not the least bit rushed is not the easiest task for authors, but Cook did it so amazingly well through the deep and meaningful conversations the two main characters had all throughout the book. Jemma and Ryder engaged in multiple discussions about both the past and the future, including just what is that triggered the downfall of their relationship all those years ago, as well as what they hope to happen for themselves in the coming years. During these conversations, you could sense the gradual shift in how Jemma and Ryder perceived each other - there was dislike, then wariness, and then there was overwhelming trust and the promise of something more. I like how Cook took her time in developing the feelings that these two took a while in acknowledging and because of that, I actually believe that what Jemma and Ryder have is real.

I also like how Magnolia touched upon how change is constant, and that we should never take things for granted. Despite Jemma and Ryder's status in life, that didn't exclude them from the wrath of both mother nature and the threat of having someone close to them possibly lose his or her life prematurely, and I love how Cook took her time in elaborating on how these two instances affected the two. Between the raging storm making her wrath known in the town Jemma and Ryder have spent their whole life in and Jemma's sister's possibly life-threatening surgery, everything that the two have known their whole life is up in the air. As someone who isn't exactly fond of having the rug pulled under my feet, the way both characters reacted to these sudden and unexpected changes was very familiar and realistic. Even though they aren't exactly the best of friends, they acknowledged that they had to push aside all their differences and force themselves to work together. I never raised a brow at their actions and I never doubted what they felt, and believe me when I say that at one point or another, you have gone through what Jemma and Ryder are currently experiencing. As I have said earlier, this is one of the factors that makes Magnolia a gem.

Moreover, another thing that readers can relate to are how conflicted Jemma and Ryder are about their hopes and dreams for the future. All their lives, their mothers have made it clear what they should do and they've always followed what was asked of them. Things have changed, however, now that Jemma and Ryder are in their senior year of high school and they're slowly coming in to the realization that they don't want to just live out their mothers' dreams - they want to go out to the world and be who they want to be. We've all been there, haven't we? Every single one of us, despite our parents' good intentions, have all felt that we deserve to make our own decisions, most especially if they're about our future. I saw myself in these characters - the way Cook portrayed Jemma and Ryder's fears reminded me of how I feel every time I have to stand up for myself and talk about what I want. Seeing a little bit of myself in the characters I read about is just so refreshing and something I cannot get enough of.

All in all, Magnolia isn't the book that I expected it to be, but that's a good thing. It was light enough for it to be a quick read, but at the same time, it's a book that resonates within you - it reminds you what is it that's worth fighting for. If you're looking for something that will make you both smile wistfully at its telling of a beautiful romance and then ponder about the direction that your life is taking, this is the book for you.

Rating: 4 Stars

[Giveaway] Lux Prompt Tour: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hey folks! I'm lucky enough to be part of the month-long Lux Prompt Tour (also known as the month of Daemon), and we have a lot of things in store for you! First and foremost, Lux: Beginnings (Obsidian & Onyx) and Lux: Consequences (Opal & Origin) were released on June 3, 2014, and they are now available everywhere books are sold, including your local Target, B&N, and Walmart. Next up, Opposition will be available next month, and we have the cover and blurb for you! Also included in Opposition is Shadows, the prequel novella!

 

Title: Opposition (Lux #5)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: August 5, 2014

Published by: Entangled Teen

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

And... you have the chance to win a SIGNED copy of Opposition! Just answer the prompt question below in the comments section:

What do you like most about the Lux series?

Me, I like the back story the most. I love how Jennifer explored the Luxen race, as well as the past of Daemon and his siblings. Stories about aliens have always been my weakness, and believe me when I say that the Lux series doesn't disappoint!