Tag: sci fi

YA

Review: Catalyst by Lydia Kang

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Control #2

catalyst -lydia kangFor fans of Uglies and The Maze Runner comes a complex, thrill-filled love story that will make you question exactly what it means to be human

In the past year Zel lost her father, the boy she loves, her safety, and any future she might have imagined for herself. Now she, her sister, and the band of genetic outcasts they’ve come to call their family are forced on the run when their safe house is attacked by men with neural guns. But on the way to a rumored haven in Chicago, Zel hears something–a whisper from Cy, the boy who traded himself for her sister’s safety. And when she veers off plan in order to search for him, what she finds is not what she expected. There’s more to their genetic mutations than they ever imagined…aspects that make them wonder if they might be accepted by the outside world after all.

2.5 Drink Me Potions

I was quite a bit disappointed with Catalyst. I loved Control so much that it physically hurt to see my expectations fall by such a wide margin.

To be fair, Lydia Kang is still just as amazing with her integration of science in her writing. I loved how Zel’s mind works, and in this next and final installment, many obstacles are thrown in her path which really developed her into a better character and person. From having to act as fugitives in their country to fighting off a new Aureus-like House, it wasn’t like there wasn’t anything happening with Zel and her friends.

The disappointment first stems off with Cy. After that conclusion in Control, let me just say that I totally hadn’t expected so much distance with him. Oh, and with another girl too thrown into the picture. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think (not a love triangle), but there’s definitely a wedge in their relationship after the year long separation and Cy seems fond of this girl. Yeah, he eventually lets Zel in after realizing he couldn’t “protect her from worrying about him”. I would just like to tell him that he’s an idiot and should’ve realized that Zel would worry twice as much from the added distance. Boys. They can be so naive.

And yes, there’s things to worry as Cy is displaying Ana-like traits. Freaky! Or not, ’cause it’s cool to receive air kisses and hear his voice in your head, whispering sweet nothings (or poetry). Unfortunately, it’s not as romantic as it sounds as the story never really goes into depth on their relationship, just somehow sliding back into place over time. I swear, it never even explains what happened that brought Cy and…the girl so close. Granted, I skimmed through a lot of this book (I was too saddened by my expectations slowly crumbling to read as slow as normal) so there may have been a few things I missed, but Catalyst is definitely not heavy in the romance department, unlike Control.

I will say that I loved the usual family dynamics with the rest of the Carus House members, and even seeing some redemption in former Aureus members. This story may not be considered a romance, but at least it stayed true to other themes like character development and learning to survive in a world that deems you illegal.

The ending was solid, in my opinion. Whatever problems I had with Catalyst, I think Kang did a wonderful job in choosing her conclusion. It was realistic and not some magical happy ending (it’s not sad, either, so don’t worry), but it held promises left up to the imagination of what may happen next to our favourite group of genetically manipulated friends. Not everything is answered. In fact, maybe there were more questions that popped up, but as Zelia even mentioned in the epilogue, some things may never been understood but you can choose to be happy or remain disatisfied with the unknown.

I love Lydia Kang’s writing and the science. So maybe this was just my own disappointment leaking into a biased view. Either way, Catalyst was unexpectedly surprising and still worth at least a primary read.

Overall Recommendation:
Control was by far my favourite sci-fi book that actually integrated accurate modern science into it. So with such high expectations come a downfall with Catalyst. Not so much a romance as Cy and Zel’s reunion was definitely NOT quite a happy one, the story still presented with action as the Carus House members are separated and chased by the society they live in. Zelia really grows in this story, finding in herself to take charge while all the same, remaining compassionate and forgiving to people even I would reconsider forgiving (and I like to think that I’m a rather nice person…). With that being said, don’t take my low rating as “it’s terrible”. It just wasn’t for me, but it may be a decent read for you.

YA

Review: Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

free to fall -lauren millerWhat if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness?

What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results.

Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school.

Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

4.5 Drink Me Potions

Free to Fall has one of those plots that are commonly found in sci-fi/dystopian novels. Protagonist lives in a world that is (very) different from present day. The system that governs their every day is corrupt in some way, and the protagonist has to find a way to fix this in order to save society. This book has that theme running through it. However, unlike anything I have ever come across before, Lauren Miller added many thought-provoking themes within this central plotline.

In this society in the year 2030, set not too far off from our day in age, an app guides people’s decisions in everything they do. From small things like what to eat; what to wear; when to leave the house, and all the way to big decisions like applying for which schools to attend, the app Lux collects the data on each individual and provides the “best” opportunities for them. People no longer listen to their own little voice in their head that occasionally tell them to do irrational things that are sometimes against all reason. What do they call it instead? A psychological disorder called The Doubt.

The Doubt is a very unique aspect of this book. This concept is a pretty real one. Some people call it intuition, others call it the voice of God or even yet, a conscience or moral compass. Throughout the story, Milton’s Paradise Lost was referenced. Yes, religious undertones were definitely heavily weaved into the core of the story, but I think no matter what personal religious backgrounds you may have or not, this is the kind of book that really makes you think. In present day, how often do we go about and allow media and internet stories guide our every day decisions? It may not be as drastic as following an app, but the idea isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

From the synopsis of the novel, it could have gone in so many directions, but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong in all my expectations coming into this. With secret societies, a prestigious school as the setting, a Mohawk-tatted love interest, and a school course that conducts real-life simulation scenarios that make me wonder whether or not I would have gone for a reasonable or irrational response, following Rory in Free to Fall left me thinking in ways not many books have ever done. It is definitely a very powerful read.

Overall Recommendation:
This was a deep and thought-provoking novel about our freedom to choose for ourselves. One can choose themselves and self-gratification (and hence, choose for their eventual fall), or they can make the decision to be self-sacrificing and listen to that inner voice in their head. With intense scenarios essentially allowing you to play God, Free to Fall leaves behind questions about ourselves and how we make our every day choices. This is nothing like anything else out there. Romance, secret societies, hacking and the next-level iPhone-like technology, I guarantee that this book would surprise you in ways you may not be able to predict.

YA

Review: Control by Lydia Kang

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Control #1

control -lydia kangAn un-putdownable thriller for fans of Uglies

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn’t even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

5 Drink Me Potions

Warning: This review contains awestruck praise for authentic science in a YA novel

Upon a second time reading through Control, I will have to say the story hasn’t gotten any duller than the first. Sci-fi has never been something I truly loved, especially because the world building can get confusing depending on how the author goes about describing it. Too many technological advances and strange government systems can become explosively hard to follow and understand.

BUT, this book does not sway into that category. The world building is not the centre of the story, but rather the scientific (or rather, genetic) and occasional technological advances in the year 2150. As a lover of science, I CANNOT express how awestruck I am to see real science put into a novel. It sucks when science fiction takes the liberty of submerging into science fantasy. Lydia Kang keeps the science real but still maintains a level of imaginative fiction in her storytelling.

And at the end….it is MINDBLOWING to see how the science ties in perfectly to help fight off adversaries. Who says science can’t be used for the odd fight or two?

Zelia and her gang of misfit mutant friends are also very well-depicted. Thrust into a new world where people with naturally born mutations are left to live in isolation for fear of elimination by the government, each character has their own quirky personality. Sure, they may not be original personalities, but after reading so many stories, you can compare many secondary characters to someone else in another book.

As for the plot pacing, it wasn’t very action-packed or anything because at the heart of the story, there is a scientific mystery to be solved. Zelia is trying to identify what “trait” that her sister Dylia may have that the rival mutant house (Aureus House) wanted so badly. So yes, labwork makes up a chunk of the story as well as chilling within Carus House (aka the “good house”).

Wait a second. Let’s pause here. You say this sounds like X-men? Now let’s just hold it right there. That is NOT an excuse to not read the book. All stories have central themes and archetypes that they follow. It just so happens that this kind of theme is representative of stories that contain kick-ass mutants who are fighting for their survival. So please, just give it a shot, will you?

Overall Recommendations:
Control is a scientific phenomenon in YA literature, with hardly any other in comparison to its keen scientific nature. Packed with a sizzling romance and funky characters (and the occasional plot-twister), readers don’t need to come from a heavy science background to appreciate its cleverness.
Although…if you did, then that would make the book so much more of a pleasurable read.