|Review| The Program by Suzanne Young + Giveaway

Title: The Program

Author: Suzanne Young (Website | Twitter) 

Series: Program #1

Published April 30th 2013 by Simon Pulse

Genre: dystopian YA 
Rating: B-

Goodreads summary: 

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program. 
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

I've waited for The Program for a long long time now and I'm glad to say it did not disappoint! The book is split into 3 parts and the book got better as I further went into the book. I had my doubts during part 1 because it was full of cheesy "I'll save you" romance but I didn't mind it when I realized that it did play a part in the book and it was toned down later on. From the beginning, I was invested with the characters and yup, I had feels.

The dust jacket of The Program. The title on the front & on the spine in the final copy is white though.

The Program, both the book and the actual program, is well, scary. Imagine having your memories stripped away from you? Your past, lost? and all of this is LEGAL. Heck, your parents make you go thru this! Creepy. Some parts made me feel violated. I just wanted to hug my brain and my memories because what are we without those memories? This line really stuck with me and it sums the problem The Program creates:

He sounds frustrated, and I realize that he has the same conflicting feelings that I do. Emotions that are there, but without cause. Feelings that aren't attached to memories and therefore meaningless.

That's why I really enjoyed The Program. I haven't read many dystopian books but in my mind, I imagined The Program set in the future and everything is in lock down and the government doesn't allow anything and etc. but I was surprised when I realized that The Program is set in a world just like today's. Everything is the same except the Program exists. Which makes this book even more believable. This really could happen! Grieving parents would allow such a program to exist if it means their children could be happy and safe from themselves. However, I don't want to get to into that because the suicide issue isn't discussed thoroughly which was fine by me because this isn't an ISSUE book but I do believe it will be further explored.

This is how the book looks like without the dust jacket. I love it!

I was definitely rooting for the characters, they were trying their best, doing stupid things in the process but really trying to make the best out of living in a really harsh world for teenagers. Sloane is a great main character and I just wanted to jump into the book to protect her. She was a normal teenage girl but the Program makes hard for teens to be carefree. James is Sloane's boyfriend and I did like him. I do want to see more depth to him in the next book though. I also loved Realm, a boy Sloane meets while she's in the Program, but I fear Suzanne Young will go in a bad direction with him. I never got the vibe that he a was part of a love triangle (neither did Sloane, for that matter!) but some people have apparently been feeling that way. I want to see even more from him and I hope his character is even explored further. Plus, I wanted Sloane to start treating him right! He does everything to help her but Sloane doesn't get it. But oh how I liked-and-hated that. On one hand, it happens, on another, Sloane! Be smart!!!

Usually with dystopian and paranormal books, I get caught up with wanting more building and explanations and that distracts me from the story but since The Program is set in world like today's, for once I wasn't asking a million questions. But I definitely how questions that I hope will be answered sometime in the series otherwise I'll be really cheated. I also did want to see more personality from Sloane's parents. But this is a problem I have with most YA parents. They're usually cardboard cut out zombies. Bleh.

The Program had a cool twist that I didn't see coming but really enjoyed and I definitely can't wait for the next book since the end was GREAT. It wasn't a cliffhanger per se but it did leave me wanting the second book immdeiatly.

Rating: [B-] A good start to a series. I'll be waiting for the sequel!

First:

The air in the room tastes sterile.

Favorite:

"I'm just saying," James adds, walking back over to the couch and dropping down next to me. "If I didn't have this one"––he hikes his thumb at me––"I might be your new stepdad."

Teaser:

They're always watching. Never forget that.

Giveaway time! Thanks to the publisher, I'll be offering 2 finished, hardcover copies of 
The Program and this is U.S. only. Good luck! This is a book you want to read.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Encore fun! Jamie @The Perpetual Page Turner has this AWESOME post about the The Program themed book club meeting she had. It's fun and true to the book. Plus she also has a giveaway!

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(Review) Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me, #2
Published: February 5, 2013 (HarperCollins)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Hardcover, purchased

Summary: Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance. She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life

Well, it is official! For the first time since my book blogging career began back in December of 2011, I have read a 5 star book (re-reads excepted)! There have been some super close calls (Shatter Me, Outlander, What I Did for a Duke). But Unravel Me was the first that made me give the full-out five-star rating, which I (obviously) save for a very select few books.

I almost filmed a vlog several times over the first couple days after I finished. But I thought if I gave it some time, I would be able to form more coherent, logical thoughts. Because let's just be honest: My review at that point, especially in vlog format, would have been nothing but spoiler-filled, incomprehensible, crazy flailings. Well, it's been some time. It's been more than some time, actually. And it's still difficult to formulate the words for this book.

I'll start with the obvious: Ms. Mafi's writing. The woman absolutely astounds me with her ability to craft words. The cadence, the unique symbolism, the emotion, the way her words flow together. I cannot wrap my brain around how much I love her writing. This was more evident than ever in Unravel Me. I am thoroughly convinced Tahereh Mafi could write a tome on the complexities of soil, and I would read it.

I loved the further development of the secondary characters. Some I decided I did not like (Castle). Some, however, were the complete opposite. For example, Kenji! My love for Kenji grew threefold after reading Unravel Me, and it was already pretty high. I just loved his sense of humor and how he used it, even though he can be serious. I find him a very interesting character, and I hope to continue to get to know him over the next books.

Warner. You knew it was coming. I loved seeing his character developed even further than it was in Destroy Me. I enjoyed every single scene with him in it, and I wanted to see him even more than we did. I became more intrigued by his not-fully-good, but not-fully-evil character. The chemistry between Warner and Juliette was incredible. And just in case you couldn't tell, for me, the SS Adam has officially sunk (or been "destroyed," if you will ;D ). Mafi got me to completely jump ship, and that doesn't happen with me! Admittedly, I am a lot less stubborn regarding the pick-one-and-stick-with-it approach to shipping than I used to be. I'm the queen of multishipping lately; rarely do my loyalties shift so drastically. But Mafi accomplished it. Although I do still like Adam.

There are a few more things I could discuss regarding this book. For instance, the world-building was developed a little further in this book, which I appreciated. But at the same time, I could possibly ramble on forever. It is also very difficult for me to discuss a lot of things without spoiling the book. So I will wrap it up.

To be honest, I was the teensiest bit concerned that maybe Unravel Me wouldn't live up to my sky-high expectations. I needn't have worried. I absolutely plan to read this book again. Probably soon. I've already read Shatter Me and Destroy Me twice. May as well make it even!

The Shatter Me series is hands-down my favorite currently-in-progress YA series. Just catching a glimpse of the Unravel Me spine on my bookcase is still enough to make me want to start physically flailing or take the book out and hug it to me. Which I did off and on for about two days after finishing this book. Shut up. You know you wanted to do it, too. I await #3 (and #2.5, as well!) with a breathlessness that may eventually warrant medical attention. I have no doubt it will be worth it.

It’s the kind of kiss that makes you realize oxygen is overrated.*

---

But time is beyond our finite comprehension. It’s endless, it exists outside of us; we cannot run out of it or lose track of it or find a way to hold on to it. Time goes on even when we do not.

---

I love it when he tells me that he likes the way I feel because it goes against everything I’ve heard my entire life and I wish I could put his words in my pocked just to touch them once in a while and remind myself that they exist.

---

I’m checking my pockets for spare words and sentences but I’m finding none, not an adverb, not a preposition or even a dangling participle because there doesn’t exist a single response to such an outlandish request.

*Replace "kiss" with "book" and this describes Unravel Me, basically.

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[Review] Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 It's twenty twelve. Wow. I feel like I should be renewed and rejuvenated! Anyhow, the fireworks in my boring ol' city were beautiful, and I hope you all had a chance to set sights on such lights :)

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: November 15th 2011 by Harper/Harper Collins
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Summary:

 Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Emma's thoughts:  
Mind. Fucking. Blowing.

The writing ~ I really like Mafi's writing style, even though some found it annoyingly repetitive. I love the repetition and the strikethroughs. It gives the story the exact touch it needs. It's unique, it's striking. The lack of commas in places sometimes bothered me (and the numbers!), but Mafi made it work more often than not. She strings words together so beautifully, I want to hold them to sleep. There are so many lovely quotes in the book; talk about raindrops, birds, about life. I wish I could memorize them all.


The characters ~ Juliette is a bit of a confusing character at the beginning. She's isolated, she's lost. This is good though, because you get to see her grow and mature through the book. She's the one with all the power. The one with the lethal touch. Adam, he surprised me. I was so caught up in the story, I never stopped to consider how he really fit in it all. He has such faith in Juliette, it's honestly such a moving sentiment. I feel like he's a constant, a reliable anchor. Maybe, in the second and third books, while Juliette is fighting with her touch of death, he'll be the one to hold her to reality.

Warner is intriguing... to say the least. He's so obviously posed as the bad guy, it makes me want Juliette to become his ally one day, in one way or another. He's not nearly creepy enough to be considered a devil's spawn. He's a character I can't wait to read more about! And James! He is so adorable! The brotherly love between Adam and James makes me all giddy. I mean, why can't all older brothers be as awesome as Adam? I know mine isn't... And last of all, Kenji! He made me laugh, and that was enough for me. He served a purpose much more than to entertain us readers though, and as for what, I'll let you find out for yourselves!

The story ~ I can't say it's original. Supernatural powers in the new age? Sounds like a billion other dystopian novels around. But Mafi didn't overwhelm us with completely odd powers from the very beginning. It's Juliette, and only Juliette's story. It's chair-gripping, hair-ripping. So many times I found myself holding my breath in anticipation. So many times, I wanted to dive through the pages myself and fight along.

As some of you may know, this book made it to many of my favourites of 2011. If I could devour Tahereh Mafi's words, I would.

Rating: 5 stars - simply breathtaking ♥

First line:

I've been locked up for 264 days.

Favourite:

 Hope is hugging me, holding me in it's arms, wiping away my tears and telling me that today and tomorrow and two days from now I will be just fine and I'm so delirious I actually dare to believe it.

Teaser:

Warner drops the gun on my plate. The silence gives it space to clatter around the universe and back. "Choose your words very wisely, Juliette. One word from me and your life here won't be so easy."

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