review
172 hours on the moon - Johan Harstad
Summary:
No space missions have been launched for a very long time. Supposedly because people lost interest. The pretextes were lies... When the leaders of our world decide to get a special rock from the moon, they make a lottery out of it, rewarding three teenagers by sending them for 172 hours to the moon with real astronauts. Mia, Midori and Antoine are the winners... or are they really ? When they get on the moon, they discover the real reason why no one has been sent for so many years... A terrifying reason... And it’s too late for them to go back.
Review:
This is a very unusual book... It’s kind of rare for a book designed for teenagers, yet the ones who look for fear and chills will love it! By a Norwegian writer, this book is divided in three very differents parts, which might be unsettling. The first part introduces each character as a novel would. We learn to get to know Mia, Midori and Antoine. The second part tells everything about the space travel, and the fans will love it. I know I took a lot of pleasure in it. It’s writen as if the journey to the moon could happen tomorrow. And the last part... The horror ! Almost as good as Stephen King’s! The part is terrifying! We love trembling through it all and we are sorry it doesn’t go for a bit longer. Let’s wait to read other books of this writer, who isn’t for everyone…
Stay close - Harlan Coben
Summary:
Megan is a mother with a normal life, until the day her past comes back to haunt her. Her former friend Lorraine calls her for the first time after 17 years. Once, Megan was called Cassie and was a stripper in Atlantic city. She had disappeared with a customer. She had changed her life and never looked back. But this last client “Stewart” (a nice husband on one side and a sadistic psycho on the other) came back when a second victim goes missing at the very same spot Megan had vanished... Broome is the cop trying to link the two cases. He’s going to try and find the serial killer...
Lolo’s review:
I love Harlan Coben. Can we really start over ? Aren’t we always caught by our past ? This is a one way ticket to hell: lies, anonymous pictures, revenge, prostitution, but also redemption... An awsome thriller from beginning to end. The story is very catchy and each chapter keeps us on the edge of our seat. We become Megan and tremble for her. Especially with such a psycho! Each character is great. First Lorraine, the old barmaid but also friend, and Broom the nice cop. Ray, Cassie’s former lover who never got over her disappearing. Dave, Megan’s husband who knows nothing of her past... Harlan Coben offers us once more a great thriller, it’s impossible to let go of the book until the very end!
Sorry - Zoran Drvenkar
Summary:
The story sets place in Berlin, nowadays. Four young people who knew each other in high school come together when they’re about to turn thirty. They all went through some hard jobs and situations... Their dreams didn’t really come true... That’s when they have a great idea: they want to create an agency named “Sorry” whose purpose will be to apologize in the name of others. The success is immediate! Everything goes according to plan until a murderer uses the “Sorry” services in order to release his guilt. It’s the beginning of a hard time for the four friends who are going to try and find out who is the killer... Besides, it looks like He knows them quite well...
Lolo’s review:
The story isn’t simple. It takes a lot of chapters to know what the author is trying to share. Some parts are too long, even though I must admit: the concept is very original! The narration is too complicated (different people and different times). Yes, it’s hard to get the link between the killer and the four friends, but it’s also very complicated to understand what connects him to his victims! Besides, I liked the killer more than the four driends who seemed completely out of reality! It’s a very dark thriller, and it gets even heavier with the story. I’m not quite satisfied with the ending which happened too quickly (and was kind of weird). As to the tone of the book, it’s terrible, but then again: it’s a thriller!
Jekel loves Hyde - Beth Fantaskey
Summary:
After the murder of her father – who was a chemist – Jill Jekel realises that he spent all of her college monney. Tristan Hyde, son of a psychiatrist whose wife is missing, is a teenager suffering from blackouts and flushes of aggressivity. Aside from their name, these two have a gift: they excel at chemistry. When a contest might allow Jill to win a scholarship, they combine their skills and use the formulas of the real Dr. Jekyl, allegedly Jill’s ancestor. But before he died, Tristan’s grandfather told him about the curse set upon his family... And when feelings begin to spurt between the two teenagers, the infamous Dr. Jeckyl’s potion might turn out to be very dangerous...
Review:
I read it in less than a day! This book is for young adults buyt suited me rather well. Taking the myth of Dr. Jeckyl and Mister Hyde was a great idea and immediatly spoke to me. The potion is going to help Jill to become more balanced and confident. Tristan is endearing because he’s just a boy who’s looking for a solution to his problem. We can actualy see him fight against his fate to stay with Jill. The writing is great and the chapters quite small which always give you the need to turn the next page. Some parts are rather obvious but the characters and their love story is well writen! The alternate narration between Jill and Tristan is interesting. In a nutshell, it’s great!
Fallen dragon - Peter Hamilton
Summary:
Lawrence is a young man full of dreams who lives through his TV shows. His goal is to go far away and become, like his heroes, someone who will travel through the universe to discover unhabited planets and aliens. He lives on one a the numerous planets who have been conquered by mankind. But his life won’t turn out the way he expected it and he’ll become a mercenary for a huge company which loans money to new worlds, in order to collect later... with strengh. Sometimes things go well, but most of the times, the resistance in the attacked world strikes back turning the conflict into a war. The book tells the story of Lawrence as a teenager and as an adult.
Review:
Like all Hamilton’s books, this one has a precise structure. Careful not to get lost in it, because the author doesn’t give any date. Hard to say when you are (it took me like four chapters to get that it was both Lawrence young and adult...) Lawrence’s youth is great: he lives in a strange world and yet resembles any human teenager. His love story is wonderful and it takes you back to your first crushes. I found the fights a little long, and it’s not my favorite part. Although, his bonds with the other mercenaries are quite touching. As to the last hundred pages... Waoh ! As usual, he author reveals everything and surprises his reader ! You just can’t leave the book until the very end. “Fallen dragon” isn’t his best novel, (it’s one of the only one so “short”: there’s no sequel) but it’s a good SF book, that the military type readers will enjoy very much...
Three men in a boat (to say nothing of the dog) - Jerome Jerome
Summary:
Three friends: Geroge, Harris and Jerome are fed up with their work in London. So they decide to take a break and sail accross the river Thames in a little boat. The dog will also be part of the trip. After getting ready, they’re finally ready for adventures...
Lolo’s review:
This book is kind of old (first published in 1889) and I think that the situations might have been very laughable bach then are just not any longer... You barely smile. Yet, it seemed to be good at first, I loved the beginning and found it funny. And then it was over. When the journey actually begins, many “kind of funny” situations occur: how to prepare tea on a boat, how to open a can without a can opener... It’s kind of boring. This is the famous britsh humor which isn’t for everyone. I found most situations absurd rather that comical, I guess it’s a book that didn’t age well… The descriptions of the villages and historical places are interesting, but the whole thing is just average. Too bad!
Sky chasers (1/.) Glow - Amy Kathleen Ryan
Summary:
The Empyrean is a ship heading for a new Earth. Waverly is a strong and smart teenager who lives in it. And so does Kieran, her boyfriend, and future captain of the ship. They know that in this time of need, they’ll have to give children to the human race... Their life is shaken when another ship, the New Orizon (sent few years sooner for the same goal) attacks them. During the fight, the surviving adults are stuck in a contaminated area of the Empyrean and the girls are captured under false pretext. As for the boyes, they are left to decide the fate of the Empyrean. Kieran tries to save the ship, despite Seth’s efforts to take control. But Kieran’s final objective is to find Waverly whose life has became much harder...
Review:
“Glow”’s cover is gorgeous, and its story is great. Even though it’s designed for a young audience, the originality of the book conquered me ! (I read it in a day) The story reminded me of “Gone” for the adultless part, and of “Remnants” for the wandering in space. The children’s adventures are great, with a main character who is really endearing and mature. The others are darker. We don’t really know where is the politically correct, given the circumstances of the characters’s life aboard. The author talks about sex, religion, and manipulation which are all hard subjects and mixes it all up to come up with an interesting storyline. Very dynamic. I can’t wait to read the sequel: “Spark”!
I am number four - Pittacus Lore
Summary:
While their world is being attacked and destroyed by another alien species, the last children of Loric are sent to Earth. They are being hunted down, but a spell protects them: the nine of them can only be killed in the right order. The first three have been found and muredered... Number four is next.
Review:
After I saw the movie’s preview, (and waiting to actually watch the movie) I could not NOT get this book that seemed so great. And indeed, the story is very good: a hunt, a curse, super powers... The recipe for success! But it here it is: despite some major qualities, it remains a book for teenagers which is weird sometimes given the hard reality of the characters’ lives. The style is upsetting for me, too. The present and the use of first person troubles me. But the end of this book isn’t the end of the story, since it is the first of the Lorien legacies series...
Gone - Michael Grant
Summary:
When Sam looks up in his classroom, his teacher is gone. After he found Astrid “The little genius” and his friend Quinn, the teenagers have to face the truth: all people above 15 years old have vanished from the city. The Zone, whose center is the nuclear reactor, is surrounded by a barrier that no one can cross. The town becomes a bubble cut off from the rest of the world. No more grown ups, and some weird powers seem to appear among the kids. They begin to divide into groups, and the kids from a private school become agressive... Sam has also a secret... And he realises that he’s not the only one. Pete, Astrid’s autistic younger brother has a big connection with what happened. Friendships are tested, and tensions grow. But the main worry is: what happens when you turn fifteen?
Review:
Gone is writer by Michael Grant, the husband of Katherine Applegate (writer of the great Animorphs, Everworld, Remnants). Immediate best seller, Gone is great from the beginning until the end. After a few dozens of pages, I found myself feeling close to some of the kids (which might have been hard, since I’m no longer a child!). The story is great and we are eager to learn the truth. No wonder it was a hit with the teenagers! The characters are complex, even though they seem quite smart for kids. The truth is raw: we find anorexia, cowardice, autism. It never gets boring: the first words are describing the moment where every adult went missing. One weird thing happened: the animal mutations... Where is the explanation ? (same problem in Remnants, actually). But the others explanations were great and quite logical. Now I want to know where all these powers came from ! Let’s hope the other five books of the series are as good as this one!
Pandora's star - Peter Hamilton
Summary:
The ship « Second chance » is coming back after accidentaly releasing the Primes from their galactical jail. The aliens soon begin to attack the first planets of the Commonwealth. A defensive fleet is set to face the threat. Melanie, a young journalist eager to become famous choses the IA to learn more about the Primes. But the entity isn’t sure whether it wants to get involved in a conflict between species...
Review:
In France, this is the second book of the Pandora’s star. And it is just as good as the previous one. After the Primes are set free by the Human ship, they attack the Commonwealth, and it’s a perfect chance to make us see the wonders of the author! He exploits many aspects of Humanity through several characters with very different personalities. But he also uses his unlimited imagination to describe alien civilisations, whose ways of life are explained with logic, kind of the way an antropologist would do it! The suspense begins at the very first page and sticks through the whole book. The reader is waiting for the big fight (which unfortunately happens at the very end of the book!). The substories are still very rich and numerous. The only negative aspect is that a fragmented reading of this story is impossible because of the complexity of it. The conclusion is very well writen since you cant’ help but grab the thrid book to keep on reading about Pandora’s star!
