I skipped last month’s #Collaboreads, but I’m back today! You can read more about this link up here, but the basic synopsis is that you read a book based on that month’s criteria, and then write a review about it! They have even created a mnemonic to review the book. It’s amazing, and I hope you join in with us!
This month’s criteria: A Young Adult Novel
Book I Chose: Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
Synopsis: As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she’s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers—and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force. Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars.
(To be honest, I’m not sure if this is technically classified as YA, but I’m sure many young adults would enjoy it, so I’m counting it.) This is book two in The Themis Files, which are quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I read book one, Sleeping Giants, last month after winning it in a Goodreads Giveaway, and immediately emailed the author to tell him how much I loved the book, and to ask him if I could get an ARC of Waking Gods (it just came out this month!) to review on my blog. He told me to check NetGalley, which I promptly signed up for. You guys, THIS BOOK GOT ME TO SIGN UP FOR NETGALLEY. This is a big deal, because even though I love reading and reviewing books, I’ve stayed away from NetGalley, since I would much rather have physical copies, and also didn’t want to get sucked in to all the e-books at my finger tips. Anyway. I signed up because I needed to read this book ASAP. You should read it, too.
RIVETING.
What part of the book could you NOT get enough of? I’m fascinated by the structure of these books. They are told in “files” (not chapters) which consist mainly of interviews by a nameless interviewer who seems to have endless resources at his disposal, and our other characters, as well as research logs, personal journal entries, and the occasional military mission report and news report transcripts. It may seem a little choppy at first, but draws you in quickly.
ELEMENTS.
How did you relate/care for the characters? What’s your thought on the plot line and twists and turns? I do love most of the characters. I’ll talk about the nameless interviewer below, but he’s fascinating. Kara is an interesting and fun characters, and Rose in this book is interesting, as she’s not quite the same Rose as the last book (no spoilers!).
ASSOCIATE.
What other books are like this one? If none, did it remind you of a particular TV show or movie with it’s themes and characters? I mentioned in my review of book one that the nameless interviewer reminds me a bit of Raymond Reddington from The Blacklist (who I love!) in that he seems to have endless resources, he can somehow manipulate world leaders into following his plan, isn’t worried about getting his hands a little dirty if needed, and he’s really just pulling all all the strings behind the scenes. In plot, it’s fairly reminiscent of other alien invasion novels, but is really a class all it’s own.
DESIGN.
You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel? And the font and layout of the pages? I love it! They’ve done a great job branding these books.
STARS.
How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend? I gave it a 4 on Goodreads. I really enjoyed it! And love how the author made it it’s own book, and not just the same formula as the first book, as some series tend to end up being. (Although they killed off a main character which I’m still not sure how I feel about…) It ended with quite a cliff-hanger so I hope the author gets book 3 out quickly! 🙂 I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. This series has been SO GREAT so far!
For Next Month:
May’s criteria is a book that became a movie, or will become one soon! This is such a fun prompt, and there are so many great books that fit it out there. So have fun picking one! See you next month.
As mentioned above, I received a free advanced copy of this book from Net Galley. All opinions are my own.
