Pure is a post-apocalyptic story involving humans who have objects attached to their bodies. If, for example, when the detonations exploded, you were touching a radio, it melted or bonded to your body. If you were touching another person, you might have fused to each other. The story starts ten years after the Detonations so people have accepted their deformities and don't make a big deal out of them. Every child must become a soldier once they turn 16, and Pressia, one of the two main characters, is going to be 16 in two weeks. The other main character is Partridge. He has become very suspicious of the Pures who live in the Dome. Pures are people who were untouched by the Detonations and have nothing fused to their bodies. He has decided to search for some answers to his mother's death, and the secret attempts to enhance humans. In his search for answers, he enters Pressia's world.
I definitely recommend this story to strong, dystopian-loving readers.

This is the second book in The Testing series and while I really appreciate that it begins with very little "review" of book one, it does mean that those who don't remember the first book clearly, need a reread before they commence the sequel.
Cia has no idea who she can trust and who she can't and that contributes significantly to the tension in the story. She has a recording of what she wants to remember about the Testing, but there are unanswered questions that cause her extreme distress. She continues to be a strong, intelligent, resourceful character who encounters adversaries and obstacles everywhere.
I enjoyed reading about her Induction (hazing on steroids) into Government. I felt it had a similar feeling to the Testing without being repetitive. There is a bit of a cliffhanger to the book, but I didn't think it was all that dramatic. I will definitely be stocking book 3 on our library shelves. As I mentioned in my review of book 1, I really feel that for Hunger Games fans (the real readers - not the ones who jumped on the wagon after the movies), this series is a great choice. It's a much harder read though imho due to the intrigue and politics and number of cha.

Prized is the second book in the Birthmarked trilogy and it is a thrilling read from start to finish. It is definitely a book for advanced readers, and I would also suggest it's best suited to girls. The book introduces several new characters who contribute significantly to the development of the plot. I was hooked on Prized for multiple reasons. First, there's Gaia's suitors and her responses to their advances. I felt the angst of having to make a decision, and I liked them all!!! If romance doesn't do it for you, then there's the scientific problems with the community of Sylum, and what can be done to solve the mystery of acclimation sickness and the infertile expoolers. Finally, there's the political problems associated with a community where women make the decisions but are outnumbered by males nine to one. I do not want to give any spoilers because this was a fantastic read. I cannot tell you when I've enjoyed a second book as much as I did this one? WARNING: You definitely need to have read Birthmarked before reading Prized. What are you waiting for?!?!?! Go borrow or buy it now! Thank me later.

This was a highly enjoyable second book which was refreshing because often second books disappoint me. Cinder breaks out of prison (I love how this girl keeps saving herself and taking action rather than just moaning and complaining about how tough her life is), but takes a fellow inmate with her. Meanwhile, Scarlet, a new character has a missing grandmother and teams up with "Wolf" in order to find her. Meanwhile the Commonwealth has figured out that Cinder is awol and is determined to either shoot her, or kill her. She has to be captured or the prince will have to face the wrath of the Queen Levana, who wishes him ill will.

In the town of Claysoot, boys are "Heisted" when they are 18. Gray, who has to deal with the disappearance of his just turned 18 brother, decides that he's going to take his fate into his own hands and go "over the wall" before he turns 18. However, he finds out that he and his brother are twins and Gray doesn't understand why he didn't suffer the same fate as all the other 18 year olds. 
What follows left me surprised, hopeful, angry, puzzled, and interested enough to want book 2. Don't want to giveanything else away. I did feel that some of the circumstances surrounding Gray and Emma were a bit too convenient, but overall I enjoyed it.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I found it confusing in many places because I didn't understand what Lorders are doing or who pays their salaries. Most people seem to be afraid of them, and that makes me wonder who wants them there. I'm confused as to how or why so many teens would become terrorists that they'd need a system to deal with them, and even though I read the explanation quite carefully, I'm still confused. I do wonder whether Kyla's difference is accidental or engineered. I'm not in a huge hurry to read the second book because by the time it comes out, I'll have forgotten the plot (don't you HATE that?), but if someone puts a free copy into my hands, I'd read it. I like the possibility of missing children being slated but I still don't really understand who decides to wipe someone's memory and I still don't know who is behind it footing the bill. No one does medical procedures for free. The essential question that I haven't yet answer is, who benefits from these slatings?

If you read and loved Unwind... you're going to want to read this. The reader is reunited with Connor, Lev and Risa, and the action doesn't disappoint at all. There's also a new, fascinating character; Cam, who is a reconstituted person, which raises all kinds of questions.

Oh my goodness!!!! Stop what you're doing and start reading this book RIGHT NOW (unless you haven't read book one, in which case you need to do that first!)
So often, the second book in a series is extremely disappointing for me - the author can't sustain my interest and the story drags. Not so with The Prey. Book two is awesome. Seriously... stop reading this review and get started on it; you can thank me later!

Here's the first two opening lines just to tease you: We thought we were finally free of them but we were wrong. That very night, they come at us.
The Prey continues the action, the intrigue, and even the romance started in book one. I KNOW that Hunger Games aficionados will enjoy this series. Trust me people... this is the next big hit. My gut's never wrong. Get it on your shelves a.s.a.p.
Warning... definitely for mature readers.

It has been a long time since I read a book in one night, but Fukuda's "The Hunt" kept me reading into the early hours of the morning, and I didn't resent a single second.
In post-apocalyptic America there are very few humans left and Gene is one of them. He hides openly among the vampires who rule the planet, and with the early help of his father has developed an incredible regime to avoid detection. His routine and survival is threatened however, when he unluckily wins a lottery that places him in a once-in-a-lifetime coveted position as one of the "hunters" of the last remaining hepers (humans). His plan to break his leg just before the hunt doesn't work, and he is forced to train with a bloodthirsty crowd who are growing increasingly suspicious of him.
Readers will love:
The vampires whose characteristics are fresh and intriguing
The fast non-stop action of the story
The twists (and there are a couple)
The (dare I say it?) Hunger Games-like feel when Gene is being pursued and the romance, which I'm not going to tell you about.

Yes, there are a few questions that a critical reader will ask, and a few places where the ability to suspend your disbelief gets stretched a little thin, but overall, I think this is going to be a real winner with my middle school readers. My gut instinct says it will only take one or two signouts before this book is a smoking hot commodity in my library.   :-)  It's been a while since I felt so certain about a book, and the really surprising thing is that I really, REALLY thought I could not stand yet another book with vampires! I was wrong ... so wrong. Sadly, this is book one but happily, book two is supposed to be out very soon. I'll be in that line-up for sure.

16 year old Gaia Stone lives in a world where some live, as does she, outside the wall, in relative poverty, and some live a privileged existence inside the wall. She has followed in the footsteps of her mother and become a midwife, and is therefore required to "advance" the first three infants she delivers each month, which means take them from their mothers and give them to the Enclave where they will be raised by wealthy families and live a life of luxury. Gaia doesn't question this until her parents are arrested and she must get inside the wall to see her mother. What happens once she is inside the wall makes up the majority of the story.

Birth marked is an exciting read that I will definitely be recommending to some of the grade eights at my school. I think it would be enjoyed by lovers of dystopia as well as those who love a tough female character. Warning: This is not a stand alone story. There are questions left unanswered when this story ends.  :-(