Top Ten YA Novels 2013 #7: Light by Michael Grant

A brutal, bloody, and glorious (literally) last installment of the bestselling Gone series. Hmm... one of the best endings ever.

The seventh place belongs to:

Light by Michael Grant

Synopsis:

It's been over a year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

In the time since everyperson over the age of fourteen disappeared from the town of Perdido Beach, California, countless battles have been fought: battles against hunger and lies and plague, and epic battles of good against evil. And now, the gaiaphage has been reborn as Diana's malicious mutant daughter, Gaia. Gaia is endlessly hungry for destruction. She yearns to conquer her Nemesis, Little Pete, and then bend the entire world to her warped will. As long-standing enemies become allies, secrets are revealed and unexpected sacrifices are made. Will their attempts to save themselves and one another matter in the end, or will the kids of Perdido Beach perish in this final power struggle?

Light, the sixth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Gone series by Michael Grant, creates a masterful, arresting conclusion to life in the FAYZ.

***

I feel a need to post all three trailers of Light, because they're just way too awesome to be true:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3: 

***

Date Read: June 14, 2013

My Review: 

http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2013/06/light-review.html

My Rating: 9.5/10

***

Top 5 Reasons Why I Like It:

1. The Glorious Ending... Literally

I don't want to spoil you guys. But the ending is radiant. Literally. It's... unbelievable.

2. Gaia

Yep, she... IT is a sick son of a bitch. But it takes brutal and bloody to a whole new level. And hey, Gone series is supposed to be brutal. So it's perfect.

3. Aftermath

What can I say? The aftermath is hilarious. And if you know me, you know that I love hilarious stuff.

4. The Last Battle

Chaos. Death, Slaughter. Kids from Perdido Beach fighting back. This is one of the best battles ever. 

5. The Breeze

Okay, Brianna is always awesome. But she, doing a certain drastic thing on Drake/Brittney creature? I seriously want to hug her and help her... zoom all the pieces of the Drake/Brittney creature around :)

***

Why I recommend this book/series:

It's not just Light. It's the whole series that I recommend. Gone starts with a boom. Like, how can you just say “One minute the teacher was talking about the Civil War. And the next minute he was gone. There. Gone. No 'poof.' No flash of light. No explosion.” without making anyone's jaw drop off? And after the massive disappearance, everything just gone crazy. And the apocalypse just gets crazier, bloodier in the following books. If you think The Hunger Games is brutal, you obviously haven't read Gone yet.

***

Do I Like The Cover?

It looks typical, but I actually like it. After all, we have Gaia on it!

***

Top 3 Favorite Scenes: (Beware Spoilers)

1. This one:

Caine tried to roll to his feet, but something was jabbing him in the crouch. He shook off the stars and saw Edilio standing over him. Edilio had the business end of his automatic rifle in a very sensitive place.
"If you move, Caine, I will shoot your balls off," Edilio said. "Toto?"
"He will," Toto said, "Although he's not sure it will be just your balls.”

Well, this is one of the most hilarious scene ever :)

2. The End Game where Caine/Nemesis fights Gaia
It's glorious and very sad. After all, how can you make me like Caine again just to kill him!

3. Caine's letter to Diana
It's truly touching. I can't believe it's short. But it's heartbreaking

***

OTP:

Caine and Diana!

Top Ten Tuesday #8: Top Ten New Authors Discovered This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today's question is the top ten authors I discovered this year.

1. Ann Aguirre -- Razorland is great! I can't believe I haven't read that before.

2. Mindee Arnett -- Though I haven't read The Nightmare Affair, I'd say Avalon is another book worth-reading!

3. Brigid Kemmerer -- I like the Elemental series. They are awesome and hilarious

4. Sarah J. Maas -- I can't believe I didn't know about Throne of Glass before!!!

5. Leigh Bardugo -- Again, it's unfathomable that I didn't know about Shadow and Bone before.

6. Jennifer Estep -- Although Mythos Academy is not one of my favorite series, I enjoy reading it.

7. Michael Grant -- Gone series is beyond crazy. And I didn't realize it until like, April. 

I can think of no more. What about you?

Light: Review

Synopsis:

It's been over a year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

In the time since everyperson over the age of fourteen disappeared from the town of Perdido Beach, California, countless battles have been fought: battles against hunger and lies and plague, and epic battles of good against evil. And now, the gaiaphage has been reborn as Diana's malicious mutant daughter, Gaia. Gaia is endlessly hungry for destruction. She yearns to conquer her Nemesis, Little Pete, and then bend the entire world to her warped will. As long-standing enemies become allies, secrets are revealed and unexpected sacrifices are made. Will their attempts to save themselves and one another matter in the end, or will the kids of Perdido Beach perish in this final power struggle?

Light, the sixth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Gone series by Michael Grant, creates a masterful, arresting conclusion to life in the FAYZ.

***

I'm speechless. 

Seriously. I'm speechless. That has never happened to me before. Not even after reading Clockwork Princess. Hell, not even after reading Apollyon, which I considered "crazy enough" those days. Apparently I'm not use to all-hell-breaks-loose and completely-out-of-control. Crazy barely covers the whole book right now. In fact calling it tremendous doesn't even cover it well. It's like, what, craziness and tremendousness and all the adjectives about exciting stuff all rolled into one. 

The plot is more focused this time. It's about Gaia, the mutant daughter of Diana and the sort-of human form of the gaiaphage. And defeating Gaia, of course. Yeah, that beautiful girl on the cover is Gaia, not Diana. Don't let her face fool you. She's the most horrible thing I can ever imagine. Torturing her own mother, ripping an arm from an accidentally-fell-in-the-FAYZ adult, and shooting light beams at random to kids. You might say, "hey, this is the gaiaphage, of course whatever it does is horrible!" Oh, you have no idea. You have to read the book in order to find out how gruesome those parts are.

And then, there's Caine. Yep, the fraternal twin of Sam's. I can't say I love him or even like him now, but I definitely don't hate him anymore. You have no idea what he does at the end of the book. It's... glorious. Literally. Oh, did I mention the scene is way more breath-taking than the others? It's like you're really seeing that scene rolling. That's one hell of a memory I won't forget. 

For the second time, there's some mentions about adults on the other side and... um, inside the FAYZ. Yeah, the first time is in Fear, but actually I don't pay particular attention to them except the last part, where they see the brutal killing scene and a look of disgust crosses their faces. This time, they have officially screwed up everything. The adult in the FAYZ barrier? Oh he is as tough as cotton balls. Wetting himself in front of the gaiaphage? Good move, man, no wonder the gaiaphage sees you as food. And the adult outside are completely ignorant. They have no idea what's been going on inside the FAYZ and they try to stop them from going out? But the kids eventually make it out. In your face, adults! (Defiance is my second nature, by the way :D)

I have to say I'm crying and laughing at the same time after reading the book. It's overwhelming to see so much going on in just about 450 pages and how drastic things turn out. Gone is officially one of my favorite series now. Maybe even better than Divergent (That's one hell of a declaration because my all time favorite dystopian series is Divergent... until now). As much as it's overwhelming, I can't get enough of nature-defying-the-laws-of-physics and craziness in a busted-up certain area. Yes, I will never get tired of reading this series over and over again.

Rating: 9.5/10

P. S. After reading Light, I can only come up with one thing:

The FAYZ is so wrong. And the outside? Somehow it's more wrong than the FAYZ. I almost wish they will never get out. Almost.

Fear: Review

Synopsis:

It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Fear, Michael Grant's fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers . . . even as it terrifies them.

***

Oh. My. God. This book is officially batshit crazy.

After Plague, the gaiaphage is weakening and turning the FAYZ entirely black. Fear is everywhere in the book. And the Darkness is lurking, waiting to be strong again and reborn. The stakes are higher than ever. Not only do the kids have to face Hunger again, they also have to face the darkness that will eventually break them apart. Despite the fear, the kids maintain a way to survive the gaiaphage and chaos. 

This book is fast-paced, action packed and intense. Bad-assery is mixed with the dark corners of every kid's heart. It's beyond crazy right now.  Everything happens all at once. The gaiaphage, getting weaker and weaker and finding a way to be strong again. Diana, kidnapped by Drake for the plan of gaiaphage reborn. Kids in Perdido Beach are struggling to survive the darkness and the panic. That is mind-blowing. I can't believe I'm still intact because I feel like breaking apart.

Well this series will never get boring because there are multiple storylines going on and each of them are crazy on its own. Some are more than the others. The anticipation for some craziness go ka-boom on your face is right here from the start of the book, and when it actually comes, you can hardly keep your jaw from falling to the ground. 

The last part. Oh the last part is unnerving. I feel bad for all the kids inside the barrier because their parents are watching the kids unleashing their powers to destroy the evil and they are standing there immobile, jaw hanging, and with a look of hostility and disgust and horror? I almost pray that the barrier will never come down. Almost.

As much as I want to read the conclusion, I'm not so sure about reading Light that soon. Screw the whole final examination thing. I think I need some time off from all the chaos and craziness. Don't worry, I probably will break this one soon because the sight of the hardcover of Light is so tempting.

Rating: 9/10

Plague: Review

Synopsis:

It's been eight months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

They've survived hunger. They've survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don't just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they'll escape - or even survive - life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Plague, Michale Grant's fourth book in the bestselling Gone series, will satisfy dystopian fans of all ages.

***

(This may contain spoilers) 

It is extremely hard for me to write this review because this book is so awesome.

Wow, that was just... craziness in its purest form. Even the momentary calm in Perdido Beach doesn't help. Multiple problems and mortal dangers are hitting every kid in the FAYZ. Surprisingly the plague isn't the biggest problem in this book despite the fact that it's called Plague (I know never to judge a book by its name. But still). Calling Plague exciting is getting redundant. Mind-blowing is more like it.

This is a book about darkness lurking in a haze of delirium and fear. Drake, now unkillable, is determined to find the Nemesis. The bugs are killing people, eating them from inside, and immune to Sam's lasers. Every kid in the book is facing their own problem. Both physical and mental. They don't know if they can defeat Drake. They don't know if they can defeat the plague. They don't even know if they will manage to survive the FAYZ. A book full of people's confusion and depression. I have to say the book is getting really mental. But you know what? Physical craziness is guaranteed. 

One interesting part of this book is that the book includes Little Pete's point of view. I have to say Little Pete is truly a crucial part of the series now because what is happening to his mind is the gaiaphage talking to him. It's confusing but very addicting. He's the Nemesis, after all.

Confession part:

Astrid was one of my favorite characters back in Gone and Hunger. Not anymore. In this book she's all self-loathing and depression and all the shit. She doesn't even want to sacrifice anyone for the greater good. Okay, not that sacrificing anything is good, but sometimes this kind of stuff has to be made and she just doesn't have the guts to do it. Yes, she might be a genius, but she's also insecure and unsure of herself that I can even like her. A little part of me even likes the fact that she doesn't go with Sam at the end of Plague. Now I seriously think they might actually be better off without each other.

Meanwhile, I really like Brianna and Dekka. They're both strong characters and really fierce. Guess I like true heroines. But it's true that they are brave and loyal and cool. They're one of the best girls in all the books I've read. If they were not lesbian, I might actually ship one of them with Sam :D (possibly Dekka).

Sam, as always, is his heroic self. He's out finding resources, and encounter great dangers in his journey. Yep, he's still smart and can make mean plans to defeat his enemy. But he kind of falls flat in the mental part. One slight flaw of the book, but that doesn't really matter. All that is important to me is that he can surely kick some ass.

(End of Confessions)

With the period for exams is running to an end, I'm so gonna pick up Fear tomorrow. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Lies: Review

Synopsis:

It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness—or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

***

Well, one can never resist reading Gone series. Lies starts off 4 months after the tremendous event in Hunger. Stakes are getting much higher than that in Hunger. Lies are everywhere. With Orsay and Nerezza claiming they can contact the other side and set them free, everyone is desperate to get out of the hell in California. On the other hand, Drake is back from the dead and becomes something else entirely. The Human Crew is going against the mutants, and terrorizing Perdido Beach. And the gaiaphage is lurking, ready to strike and take down Perdido Beach. Yeah, things are getting weirder and crazier, just as when you think things couldn't possibly get more weird.

In this book it's not just Sam's story anymore. Everyone has a role in this book. Not only they have to fight the hunger, the lies and doubts are making the situation worse, fueling the rage between sides. Everyone in the book has to face their weakness, doubt and inner demons. It's a battle of believing or giving up. I'm totally down with it, except with everything going on at the same time and Lies is only 447 pages long, things are even more scattered than Hunger, which does not sit well with me on some levels.

I hate to say it, but this book is not as action-packed as Hunger or even Gone. But just because this book isn't as action-packed as I expected it to be doesn't mean this book is not exciting enough. This time the battle is more emotional and mental than physical. Everyone has their inner battles and with every danger crawling around them, things are just getting worse. Excitement is guaranteed. Maybe not in the way you think, but definitely good enough for me.

There's a slight flaw for me. Unlike Gone and Hunger, I actually need time to pick up the storyline in the book. I don't know if it's because it's set four months after Hunger or other reasons. Normally I'm okay with it but not this time. Not only because this book is way shorter than Gone and Hunger, the excitement is extracted into a small part (at least, smaller than that of Hunger). I do know that every single word in that book is necessary for the plot development. But just because I know that doesn't mean I'm all okay with it.

Overall this book is really nice and intense despite the little flaws. I really need to read Plague now. Holy crap, this series is nuts.

Rating: 7.5/10

Hunger: Review

Synopsis:

It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

***

Yeah, I'm already hating myself a little bit for picking up this book so soon. But I. Just. Can't. Resist. The. Temptation. Gone is just so good and I can't bring myself to tolerate a whole week to read Hunger. You know what? Hunger exceed my expectations and every single moment of the book is necessary. Come on, it's a 590-pages book. It's brilliant to have a book filled with details that are all important. Holy-crap moments are guaranteed. In fact every chapter has at least a holy-crap moment there. Wow. Just wow. Yeah, I can't even begin to describe how epic this book is, and this is just the second freaking book. 

In this book, things get crazy really quickly. First is the Hunger. The inevitable hazard which triggers that next craziness: multiple-sided war. Yeah, a little bit of sneak peek there for those who STILL haven't read the series yet (Yep, I'm pretty slow). If I remember correctly, our dear main characters are fighting THREE different kinds of enemies. That's nuts. My jaw keep hanging open throughout the book. This is TERRIFYING. If Gone is like a souped-up version of average joes (well, as normal as the main GOOD characters can be) vs bullies, then this book is the start of a whole new war between goodness, bullies, rage and darkness. 

The main villain is finally out of the water and on the surface. The Darkness aka gaiaphage. Yep, it sounds terrifying. Especially the whole gaiaphage thing. I mean, The Darkness sounds like something out of a fantasy world like with angels and demons. But gaiaphage? Sounds like something far from the earth and from an alien planet (Spoiler!) Indeed the gaiaphage is from somewhere in the space (End of Spoiler). Great creation of evil. Certainly battles are just going to be more intense after Hunger.

The only flaw in this book is the quick change of characters' perspective. Sometimes I need to take a little break to adjust in order to understand completely of what's going on. But that's okay. No big trouble at all. The point is, the book's awesome. I'm really surprised why I didn't thought about reading this series before (yeah, I knew about this series about a year ago, but for some reason I didn't wanna read it).

Rating: 8/10

Gone: Review

Synopsis:

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

***

Yeah, I know I probably shouldn't pick up this book that soon because I'm in the period of fighting (you know, the annual exam shit). I need to concentrate on my textbooks, blah and blah. And I'm probably right because once I picked that book up, I can't even think about putting it down. This book is nuts. Just as I love it.

The world is beyond nutso and crazy. It's terrifying just like the blurb says. I mean, a world without adults and teens? It's unimaginable and yet... Michael Grant created a world like that. Devastation is always present in the book. You can say it's a dystopian novel but... not really. It's like impossibility, craziness, devastation, and defying-laws-of-physics roll into one. Wow, I have to say I've never read anything like that. A new experience and a very good one.

This book has really strong characters. Every one outshines in their own way. Both the good guys and the bullies/psychopaths. The good guys are strong and determined, wanting to find away out of the living hell aka FAYZ and get rid of those bullies from CA (not California, but you will know once you read the book). The bullies are truly horrifying and terrible. They are like fucking psychopaths. I know it's probably not my place to say they are crazy because I haven't experience the horror/thrill/whatever the bullies are feeling of my parents suddenly blinking out of my sight forever. But damn, what do they think they are, God of the world? It's ridiculous. But damn if this isn't fascinating. A world where bullies rule? Wow.

The book introduces a dark and sinister creature lurking to kill humans/kids. A new threat besides the whole bullies-ruling-FAYZ. I have a feeling this creature will make the other 5 books more interesting because... let's face it, why introduce it when it's not even a threat? I want to read Hunger so badly yet I have to resist the growing urge to grab the book because... yeah, I have to battle with textbooks and the whole sight of my paperback copy of Hunger is tempting me.

You will love this book. Trust me.

Rating: 8/10