Scythe

Scythe

by Neal Shusterman

When Scythe Faraday walks into the lives of Citra and Rowan, they have no idea how their lives will change. 

They live in a time of immortality and perfect living. No one has pain. No one has hunger. No one has to suffer any longer. The AI takes care of everything and everyone knows that. 

But with immortality comes the possibility of future overpopulation, so the Scythes were created to "glean" the people and keep the numbers from becoming overwhelming.

Some Scythes are thoughtful and methodical, taking only those whose may harm others in the future, even if only accidentally. Others are more merciful, seeking out those who look to be tired of their permanency. 

And other Scythes feel the power too much, seeking to cause as much chaos, fear, and even pain as they go about their "duty".

Now Citra and Rowan are being trained to be future Scythes and their views of everything they thought to be true will be challenged like never before.

Final thoughts: Decent read. I'd give the story itself a 4 for the plot, but the missing expository elements like how are people entertained and kept physically/mentally challenged? Why do people not know all of their history if they have so much time to study it? Where is the darn speech-to-text feature so that people know how to pronounce old words correctly?

Rating: 3/5

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question:

What upcoming 2013 book are you most looking forward to reading?

My answer: anything urban supernatural lit.  I'm currently in love with the Chloe Neill Chicagoland Vamps, Darynda Jones and her Charley Davidson books AND her newest YA series including Death, Doom, and Destruction.  When Patricia Briggs' new book Frost Burned comes out, I will be downloading it to my Kindle and devouring the contents.

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Thank goodness for NetGalley.com and all the ARCs I get to read from it!

Lips Touch

Lips Touch

by Laini Taylor

illustrations by Jim di Bartolo

Three short stories tell the tales of first kisses.

Kizzy has a strange family, strange traditions, and even strange clothes.  But her dreams are those of any girl.  She wants to be loved.  She wants to be adored.  She wants her first kiss to be something amazing.  When a new boy shows up and seems to be the one to fulfill all her dreams, will Kizzy fall for him?  Or will she remember her grandmother's warnings about goblins, temptations, and kisses?

Anamique has been cursed with the most beautiful voice in the world.  And it can literally kill.  One sound coming from her lips has the power to kill everyone around her.  When she falls in love with James, a man who doesn't believe in curses, will she risk the curse to tell him she loves him after their first kiss?

Without knowing it, our world is filled with demons known as Druj.  These immortal creatures have no emotions and no cares even though they sometimes believe that something is missing from their lives.  When the "pet" of the Queen of the Druj gets free with her daughter, events are set in motion that could change everything the Druj have ever known.

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney
by Suzanne Harper

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Sparrow's life has always been a little strange. As the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter in a family of psychics and mediums, it has always been believed that she will be the most powerful of her kind. But all Sparrow wants to be is normal.
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She doesn't want to hold seances. She doesn't want to talk to spirits. She doesn't want to help those who have passed on complete their unfinished business. She also doesn't want to live in a house with baboon skulls in the front yard, strange symbols painted everywhere, and the bodies of her grandmother's four dead husbands in the back.
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So all her life, Sparrow's been hiding the terrible truth: not only does she see, hear, and speak to ghosts every day, she also doesn't need any special tricks to do it. While her mother and sisters all have to focus hard to get a reading, Sparrow can just look over and see the dead any time, day or night.
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And now, all of her hiding may have to come to an end. There's a very cute boy in her class and he has a very dead boy haunting him.
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Will Sparrow have the strength to tell the truth and admit who she is? Or will she keep on hiding and force the ghost to remain in limbo forever?

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo

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Edward Tulane is the finest china rabbit that money can buy. He's perfect in every way. He's got the best clothes and a fine, gold watch.
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Edward Tulane is the best and he knows it.
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Unfortunately, just because you're the best, that doesn't mean that you can't become the worst.
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Follow Edward on the journey of a china rabbit's lifetime as he learns about what he really is and who he is really meant to be.
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Can he learn to love before it's too late?

Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery

Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery
by Susan Juby

Sherman Mack, lead detective of Mack Daddy Investigations (well, only detective if we're being honest), is on a mission.
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Girls at his high school are in danger. They are in danger of being D-listed.
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D for Defiled.
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If a girl's picture ends up on the school restroom mirrors with a "D" on it, then she's automatically blacklisted. She becomes a ghost. No one will talk to her. No one will look at her. No one will even acknowledge that she's there.
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And now Mack's friends have become targets.
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So, with a large imagination and very little cooking skill, Sherman Mack sets out to make the perfect meal and set the perfect trap.
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If he succeeds, he'll be a hero to all and the girls will love him (and he's always been a fan of the ladies).
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If he fails, he'll be the first boy in school ever D-listed.
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So, really... No pressure at all.