Take Me Tomorrow

“Someone who doesn’t know if tomorrow will come would rather live everyday twice than live it once.”

Before I get into the review of Shannon A. Thompson‘s Take Me Tomorrow I want to tell you how I came to read this book. Awhile back I decided that I wanted to start a book review blog in hopes that I could help others find books to read and enjoy. I wanted to discuss these books with people outside my already formed collegiate and friend circles. So I started this blog around early August. Imagine my surprise when I, a new blogger with half a handful of followers, had a young up-and-coming author not only follow my blog, but also initiate contact with me AND send me not one, but TWO of her books to read! I was over the moon! Flattered, honored, humbled, nervous. What if I didn’t like her book? What if my review was not good enough? What if she realized I only had three followers and probably wouldn’t generate much interest in her books? Well, I am happy to say that I read both books I was sent … and then went and purchased a few more of hers. And now, two months later, I am fangirling hard! I won’t even lie. It makes me so happy that Shannon is someone who will tweet, Facebook, email, etc. back to you. She communicates with her fans and beta readers. For someone who has pretty much stuck to mainstream most of my life, this is such an exciting relationship! So, without further ado, I move on to my review.

Well, let’s start with a synopsis, stolen from every other website since I cannot currently think of where to begin.

Two years after the massacre, the State enforces stricter rules and harsher punishments on anyone rumored to support tomo – the clairvoyant drug that caused a regional uprising.
But sixteen-year-old Sophia Gray has other problems.

Between her father’s illegal forgery and her friend’s troubling history, the last thing Sophia needs is an unexpected encounter with a boy.

He’s wild, determined, and one step ahead of her. But when his involvement with tomo threatens her friends and family, Sophia has to make a decision: fight for a future she cannot see or sacrifice her loved ones to the world of tomorrow.

If you don’t yet know who Shannon A. Thompson is, let me tell you. She is a twenty-three-year-old Indie Young Adult author and poet currently residing in Pennsylvania with her cat, Humphrey Bogart. If Humphrey’s naming alone doesn’t win you over, Shannon’s writing and creative plots will! She graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in English with an emphasis on creative writing. Now, Shannon has moved on to writing some great series that will quickly capture her readers.

I must say that I am surprised how much I LOVE the plot of this story! I think it is so refreshing and engaging. If I understand correctly, the drug tomo was developed to help deal with depression. However, people became addicted to it and began to rebel against the government. (It almost makes you want to take Tomo to understand what the people see that causes them to rebel.) Because the first book is just beginning this story, it feels like I have just dipped my toes into the world, which brings me to my first issue with the book.

Something (I have no clue what) seems to be missing. It seems like the story needs more setting and character development. Perhaps that will come with the sequel, Take Me Yesterday, which will explore the past more in-depth. In the meantime, Sophia seemed to be lacking a little something that would have made her a much more compelling main character. Maybe it is that she was so oblivious to everything going on right under her nose. Regardless, I am still on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment.

The main thing I had to get over when reading Take Me Tomorrow is that it is spoken in past tense, as all of Shannon’s writing I have read thus far is. Nothing is wrong with past tense, but because I am used to reading and writing in present tense, it was quite a shift for me.

One thing that really struck me in Take Me Tomorrow is that the romance is not overpowering or cloying. Let’s be honest, we all understand that teenagers can be intense. They are coming into the world of adulthood and independence, becoming their own person. Every experience is intense, and love is no exception. However, whereas some books just get annoying and sappy (looking at you, Mr. Sparks), Take Me Tomorrow balances blossoming friendships with possible love interests.

If you are looking for an exciting story (and maybe a little romance), Take Me Tomorrow is an exciting read that I would highly recommend. I myself will be waiting not-so-patiently on the sequel, hoping that we get to explore Sophia’s world more.Until then, I will be reviewing the other books by Shannon that I have read: Minutes Before Sunset and Seconds Before Sunrise. (Coincidentally, I am also waiting on the next and final book in that trilogy.)

The one thing I am left wondering now is what was the conversation between Shannon A. Thompson and her father that sparked this fresh story? If I remember correctly, the plot for the book stems from a simple conversation she and her father had. What a time to have been a fly on the wall!

**Update: Shannon has written on the conversation and why she wrote Take Me Tomorrow! Check out her blog post about it!**

Random thought: Isn’t it funny that tomo helps you see into the future, yet the sequel is going to look into the past? Ironic, perhaps?

Favorite line from the book: “You’d be amazed what a man can do with a great watch.” — Noah

Shatter Me Series

The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi follows Juliette Ferrars, a girl whose touch is deadly. Juliette has been locked away by her parents and society because the world around Juliette believes her to be a monster danger. However, when the asylum gives her a familiar boy as a cellmate, everything changes.

I want to start by warning you that this series is written incredibly differently than what you’re used to. Tahereh Mafi brings her own unique style, which is so incredibly stream of consciousness and simultaneously so captivating. Thus you are left with characters that you become so close to and feel so deeply for. Because of Mafi’s unique writing style, this series can take awhile to get used to. To be honest, it took me through the entire first book to get over it. I actually hated struggled with the first book for three reasons. The aforementioned writing style which takes awhile to adapt to. The main character, Juliette. She is a whiney, self-loathing, weak protagonist at best. Perhaps I am heartless though. Maybe you more sympathetic readers will take a liking, or at least a little pity, for the girl. Don’t get me wrong, she has an awful life and every right to be the way she is, but it definitely will get annoying after a few chapters. Finally, this book drove me nuts because of this soap opera of a love triangle between Juliette; Adam, the boy that becomes Juliette’s cellmate; and Warner, a ruthless government leader who captures Juliette in order to make her a weapon. To be fair, this is a Young Adult dystopian series, so of course there is a love triangle that makes up a good bit of the storyline. I knew what I was getting myself into. That doesn’t make the love drama any less cloying.

But I promise, THERE IS HOPE! Despite all the above reasons and out of pure stubbornness to finish what I started, I pressed on to the next book in the series. And let me tell you – no regrets. Once you acclimate to Mafi’s writing style and the character of Juliette, this series easily becomes one that you cannot put down. The story becomes somewhat X-Men-esque, and in Juliette we get a character whose faults are obvious. Even better, her character arc throughout the series is phenomenal. She becomes someone that young girls around the world can look up to – brave, strong, and able to lead.

Also, I feel the need to explain how this series runs because people tend to get confused. The picture above shows the covers of the books (and what beautiful covers they are!). That is the order of the books: Shatter Me (1), Destroy Me (1.5), Unravel Me (2), Fracture Me (2.5), and Ignite Me (3). So why the .5’s? Well, Destroy Me and Fracture Me serve as mini-books and are told from Warner and Adam’s perspectives. These mini-books give you a great chance to really get to know the two boys better, and I must warn you… if you (like myself) are a sucker for the bad boys, you better watch out! Hearing from Warner will prove especially interesting. In order to get these mini-books though, you either have to download them separately on an e-reader, or you can purchase the paperback that combines the two together, titled Unite Me. Unite Me comes with both boys’ books, as well as Juliette’s diary. However, if you download the e-novella Destroy Me, you get some really cool extras, such as Warner’s logs and government files on the main characters. These are really neat to look at, especially with Kindle for iPad or Kindle Fire.

In short, if you enjoy YA dystopian literature, if you are looking for an author with a different writing style, or if you are looking for a book with captivating character development, look no further than the Shatter Me series. These books and characters have easily become one of my all time favorites. I give the series the full five stars. But ye be warned, if you become emotionally invested in this series, you might be emotionally drained come the end of it. Then, you might have to reread the last book to make sure it all really happened. (Noooo… I am definitely not speaking from experience! I definitely didn’t gobble the final book in one sitting and have to reread it to actually process the events. I am not that person at all!) 

So read it and let me know – Team Warner or Team Adam? Do you like Juliette? What do you think of Mafi’s writing? Comment below!

The Girl with All the Gifts

The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey was my first experience with Audible. I downloaded this book because I had a free credit from Audible, and knowing that I was soon to do a lot of traveling, I figured it might be nice to listen while I ride or drive. Well, that plan was great in theory. Too bad the book didn’t make it through the week leading up to the trip. Once I started listening to The Girl with All the Gifts, I could not stop.

This book is set in post-apocalyptic England and follows Melanie, a strange and gifted young girl with a big heart. She lives on a military compound with other boys and girls her age. She goes to class, where she is taught by different teachers, her favorite being Miss Justineau. However, when the compound is attacked, Melanie, Miss Justineau, a very wary Sergeant Parks, young Private Gallagher, and a curious scientist named Dr. Caldwell are the only ones to escape, hoping to make their way to safety in Beacon, a larger settlement of people. The group must learn to survive together, despite the tension and their dislike of each other.

This was the first book of M. R. Carey’s that I read (encountered?). Carey is the pen name of an already successful British prose fiction and comic book writer who has written for both DC and Marvel. He is frequently on the New York Times graphic fiction bestseller list. Carey does an amazing job with managing the different voices and points of view in The Girl with All the Gifts, using third person limited point of view to skillfully bounce around the minds and thoughts of different characters, giving the reader a chance to understand the views of various characters.

Particularly interesting to me was the ending of this book. No worries, I won’t spoil anything. (Incidentally, if you don’t want the book spoiled for you, I suggest you actually avoid almost all reviews of this book. No really.. Avoid all reviews! My apologies for the irony, though.) The ending of this book shows you the depth of Melanie’s wisdom, despite her young age. Let’s put it this way, my mind was blown. Melanie provides us an alternate way of thinking about things, shedding new light and insight on the crumbling world around her and looking at the problems of her world in ways that perhaps her companions are blind to.

In short, I give this four out of five stars. I would quickly recommend this book to you, especially if you are like me and enjoy a book that challenges the way you think. Carey has a way of placing us in the minds of his characters, creating these individuals that you root for despite their faults. And if you like to listen to books or are looking for something to listen to for a work or school commute, don’t hesitate to give this a listen. Finty Williams narrates this beauty, and how quickly we are enchanted by a British accent. Williams has a way of shifting voices and reading dialogue that will easily and quickly engage you in the story. So if you are looking for a read or listen, if you are a fan of dystopian worlds, please do not hesitate to pick up The Girl with All the Gifts. And when you’re done, let me know! I am always in need of someone to talk books with.