Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

4 out of 5 stars

Seventeen year old Juliette has spent the last three years locked away in an asylum for a crime she didn't mean to commit. Meanwhile, amidst environmental turmoil, the world began to change; causing crops and animals to die and people to starve. 

Enter the Reestablishment. This government organization is meant to aid the world by giving it structure and helping the rest of the population to survive by any means necessary.

Back in her cell, Juliette gets a surprise when one day she gets a cellmate. A young boy named Adam, who she remembers from her past. However, Juliette is keeping a secret. The secret behind her solitary confinement: her touch is lethal. She doesn't know why, but ever since she was little, people have kept their distance for fear of her touch. 

As mysteries start to unfold, the Reestablishment begin to show interest in Juliette... as the ultimate weapon. 

There has been a ton of buzz on this novel within the YA community, so I just knew I had to pick it up. I was not disappointed. Although at some points the novel feels a little heavy-handed in its writing style, it is incredibly fast paced and the storyline is fantastic. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installments (yes, this is book one in the start of a new trilogy), and can't wait to see how the storyline will progress.

Ashfall by Mike Mullen

5 out of 5 stars

Life as fifteen year old Alex knows it ends with the eruption of a super-volcano at Yellowstone National Park. The aftermath of the eruption reaches Alex's home all the way in Cedar Falls, Iowa and lays waste to most of the United States. Crops are dead, and the animals are fast following suit due to a disease from breathing in the ash. The world is starving. Now, fighting for survival in this all too real apocalyptic landscape, Alex must make his way to the city of Warren in Illinois to reunite with his family.

Along the way, Alex meets a girl named Darla. Having lived on a farm her entire life, Darla is the epitome of a badass survivor chick. She is inventive, strong willed, and saves Alex from death more than once. It was really refreshing to read such a strong willed female character. Together, they form a great team that is reminiscent of Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games.

I have to say, I adored this book. Apocalypse plots have been done many times over, but for me this one felt fresh, and hauntingly realistic. However, I must caution that this novel seems to be gear toward the older teen demographic. Although I don't remember there being a lot of bad language, it depicts very violent action sequences in detail, and there is some sexuality. Overall, for being near the 500 page mark, Ashfall is a very quick, fast paced read that had me wanting to devour it from page one. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel Ashen Winter that is due out in October 2012.

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

3 out of 5 stars

The latest installment of the Caster Chronicles shows Ethan Wate and Lena Ravenwood trying to find some normalcy in their totally abnormal world. After the disastrous event at the Great Barrier, things have been strange in Gatlin. The heat weighs on everyone like a blanket, insects are rampant, and the lake has dried up. According to some members of the community, these are signs of the apocalypse. It is up to Ethan and Lena, along with their friends, to discover the truth and set things right. To restore Order.

I have to admit, it took a bit for me to fully immerse myself in this book. Unlike the first two installments, I wasn't automatically gripped. I feel as if a lot of the novel was filler, and could have been at least one hundred pages shorter without the plot changing one bit. I also felt that the mystery was a bit too obvious, so the big reveal didn't pack as much of a punch for me as I feel like the authors intended.

Having said all these things, I did like the book overall. It did well to expand the mythos in the series, and toward the end there were a few points where I felt a little misty-eyed. The characters are also still true to form, and the Link/Ridley storyline is as entertaining as ever. All in all, I am looking forward to book four, which will hopefully bring about more closure, since Beautiful Chaos seemed like a set up for this novel, rather than something worthy of its own book.