Review: VOX by Christina Dalcher

Goodreads:
Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial--this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end. 

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.


My Review:
‘“There’s a resistance?” The word sounds sweet as I say it.
“Honey, there’s always a resistance. Didn’t you go to college?”’ 

As soon as I heard the premise of VOX, I just knew I HAD to read it as soon as possible. Imagine a world where females can only speak one hundred words a day and should they go over this limit, they’ll suffer horrific electric shocks. VOX is a dystopian delight that should be recommended reading for all, especially fans of Atwood and Alderman.

The plot was interesting, I was constantly finding any spare minutes reading this in queues, whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, and of course, in bed. There were a few unanswered questions regarding the ending and characters that I NEED to know!! Be warned, this is definitely an adult book featuring profanity, sex etc. Side note - I hate it when authors use ‘my sex’ but this is just personal preference. 

The schools brainwashing of the children with religious propaganda about purity etc. and gifting treats to girls for speaking zero words all day felt very scary but believable. This world felt so real and I was completed absorbed in it for a day or so after finishing.

I feel like the story was just a bit too long as it focused a lot on the neurolinguistics plot and dawdled in other areas. There were some techniques and linguistic terms that I didn’t completely understand but I personally don’t think it hindered the story in anyway. 

Jean is our main protagonist and she’s highly intelligent and angry, so so so angry. I enjoyed the little moments where she wasn’t perfect and resented the men in her life because this felt so real and honest. 

The secondary characters, Patrick (her husband), her colleagues Lin and Lorenzo, and her old school friend Jackie were all interesting but not gripping, I didn’t enjoy those moments as much. Reverend Carl and Morgan were THE WORST. Patronising, belittling and sexist, they believed in this Pure movement so rigidly. 

Overall, this book is a warning. 

3/5 stars.

(I received this book free in exchange for an honest review)

Review: All Rights Reserved (Word$ #1) by Gregory Scott Katsoulis

Goodreads: 

In a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked, one girl elects to remain silent rather than pay to speak, and her defiant and unexpected silence threatens to unravel the very fabric of society.

Speth Jime is anxious to deliver her Last Day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood. The moment she turns fifteen, Speth must pay for every word she speaks ("Sorry" is a flat ten dollars and a legal admission of guilt), for every nod ($0.99/sec), for every scream ($0.99/sec) and even every gesture of affection. She's been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt, and can't begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that she's unable to afford.

But when Speth's friend Beecher commits suicide rather than work off his family's crippling debt, she can't express her shock and dismay without breaking her Last Day contract and sending her family into Collection. Backed into a corner, Speth finds a loophole: rather than read her speech--rather than say anything at all--she closes her mouth and vows never to speak again. Speth's unexpected defiance of tradition sparks a media frenzy, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family and the entire city around them.

~

My review:

Veryyyy interesting premise, I read the excerpt and was instantly hooked and had to find out more! It was a great dystopian concept that felt new, I hadn't seen this idea around anywhere else before. It does have the classic trope of 'outsider girl takes on corrupt man in charge' but overall I enjoyed this book. 

Plot:

I liked how it progressed and I didn't see certain things from happening. I didn't like a certain characters death but I suppose I guess why it had to happen. The ending was interesting because it felt full circle and set things up nicely for the second instalment. The concept of paying for words was so scary but felt realistic and I could definitely see how people could end up in debt with all the Instasuits going around. I loved the new tech aspect with the 3D printing food, buildings etc!

Characters:

Speth... I liked her and I can see why she made some of her decisions, it was frustrating at times and her willpower is definitely stronger than mine! I don't know how she could know what everything was worth, including gestures and things but obviously she has been brought up in this world so knows the rules. Not making any kind of error made it seem less realistic tbh!

Silas Rog was an interesting character but what were his motivations? Was he just power-hungry or what? How did he get into his role and become that powerful? Did I just miss something? Why does everyone do as he says? I want to know more about him and his backstory as I don't believe a villain can be a villain just because, there must be a motivation behind everything. 

I didn't like a certain someone having a hint of romance, I don't think it needed to be added at all and made the character seem like a complete Mary Sue. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read the next one!

3/5 stars.

Review: Partials by Dan Wells

Partials by Dan Wells 

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: March 29th 2012

Cover Love: 8/10

Goodreads: 

The only hope for humanity isn’t human. In a world where people have been all but wiped out by a virus created by part-human cyborgs called ‘Partials’, and where no baby survives longer than three days, a teenage girl makes it her mission to find a cure, and save her best friend’s unborn child. But finding a cure means capturing a Partial…

My Review:

This is only going to be a short review because I read the book a while ago, but made notes on what I liked and didn't like. It’s tricky for me because Partials was a bit slow for me at first. It took at least 100 pages to truly get my teeth into it. It’s a very heavy book, jam packed full of information, so it’s a lot to take in. You have to be concentrating when reading it, so you don’t miss anything crucial and have to go back. It includes a lot of thought process from the characters, so there is a lot of internal dialogue and it’s very scientific with its terms.

Partials reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale with a splash of I, Robot. I’m excited to find out what happens in the second one ‘Fragments’ which is due out next year (2013), because there’s a lot of room to explore things that happen in further detail.

It felt very much like a war novel, and while that may put some people off, believe me it worked. It wasn't what I expected at all; there isn't much romance in it, but a ton load of action! So if you want a book that’s more action than gushy romance, then this is your book.

Partials is also written in 3^rd person, which is admittedly not my favourite, so it was hard to relate to Kira at times. The characters were great to read about, they all fitted in well and had their own part to tell, but they were just okay, not brilliant. The latter half of the book was much better than the first half in my opinion.
Partials is a great books, with a unique idea and I would definitely read the next one! 

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel

   

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

Pages: 305 Publisher: Bloomsbury Release Date: September 13th 2011 Source: Review Cover: 8/10

Goodreads:
Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.

My Review:

After Obsession started off a bit slow for me at first however it definitely sped up! The tension which develops throughout this story is enough to suffocate you! It has a very eerie feel to it which makes After Obsession a scary read! 

The main characters Aimee and Alan were easy to get along with, they were just like normal teenagers trying to take on the world J It definitely helps that the narrative is split into Aimee’s point of view and Alan’s point of view, as they each have different perspectives on situations. Their relationship progressed at a normal rate as well which I thought was good as it’s more realistic. Sometimes the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing can be so unrealistic. They were very sweet together and I thought they matched well.

The bad events start happening quite early such as with Blake -Aimee’s ex boyfriend and I enjoyed that as it keeps you hooked from the beginning. It was definitely creepy what happened to Courtney! I would not like that at all! It was like watching a scene from the Exorcist nearer the end where they have to strap her to the bed and she is thrashing around talking in a low, deep voice!! 

The plot was a bit predictable as I could guess what was going to happen nearer the end, but overall I enjoyed After Obsession and thought it was a really good read! 

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Flawless by Lara Chapman

Pages: 255 Release Date: May 10th 2011 Publisher: Bloomsbury Source: Review

Goodreads:


Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.

My Review: 

I enjoyed ‘Flawless’ by Lara Chapman. I thought it was a good concept and it would be an interesting read and it was!


The characters all felt very real. Sarah had to be my favourite character though, she develops so much as the story progresses and I really like her for that. At the beginning I was a bit wary as she can be annoying at times but overall, I enjoyed her. I didn't like how she did everything that people asked her to do, it was like she was being a doormat, so I'm glad she stood up for herself. Regarding annoying, how annoying is her Mum please? I would feel exactly how Sarah feels if my Mum put nose job pamphlets on my desk every day but I did like how that situation evolved. Plus, Kristen –her supposedly best friend- I felt like she used Sarah a lot and was quite whiney.  Rock was an interesting character. It’s not very often that you get guys who are really interested in English and poetry in stories, so I liked that aspect.

The plot was good, albeit predictable at times. I could guess the ending quite clearly before I finished the book. It was interesting though and I loved the modern setting with the Facebook messages and texts.

Overall, I would recommend ‘Flawless’ but as a light read.


3 out of 5 stars.