Ender's Shadow

Summary

Welcome to Battleschool. 

Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it's how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.

Bean is a genius with a magician's ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.

What better quality for a future general to lead the Earth in a final climactic battle against a hostile alien race, known as Buggers. At Battleschool Bean meets and befriends another future commander - Ender Wiggins - perhaps his only true rival.

Only one problem: for Bean and Ender, the future is now.

Afterthoughts

As soon as I learned Orson Scott Card had written a companion book for “Ender’s Game,” I was out of my mind with excitement. And when I learned that the book focused on Bean? Let’s just say I couldn’t get my hands on that book fast enough.

Bean was my favorite character in “Ender’s Game” and, after reading “Ender’s Shadow,” became my favorite character in the “Ender’s Game” universe. I loved watching the story unfold through Bean’s eyes. In fact, while reading the original book, it was an idea I had thought of and hoped for until I learned Card was already miles ahead of me.

Re-watching and re-reading has never been an issue for me and I didn’t find the story to be stale, even though I knew the outcome from the original book. To see Ender from the perspective of genius, boy-wonder Bean and to watch Bean struggle with Ender’s attitude toward him while knowing the reasons behind it was fantastic.

And, for those worried that the entire book is simply the same story from a different POV, Card gives us both a backstory and an epilogue for little Bean. And it will come as a complete surprise, I can almost guarantee it.

The story was as well-written as “Ender’s Game” and returns many beloved characters while also introducing several new ones. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed "Ender's Game" — and to anyone who has the ability to read. It's a good one.

Warnings

Some mild language and violence.

Extras

Click here for access to the first chapter and more info from Card's site.

Card developed this book into another series, continuing in Shadow of the Hegemon.

Graceling

Summary
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight — she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill.
As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace — or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Afterthoughts
I can't remember why I picked this book, though it was highly recommended by my roommate after she saw I had it, but I was quite thrilled with it. Katsa's character had an interesting mix of self-loathing, a fierce loyalty to those she called her own and a tenderness that was rarely seen. I enjoyed journeying with her to self-discovery, especially since it was a discovery that had been previously misunderstood.
One of my favorite things about this book was the slow build-up to a full explanation of a Graceling. Since it's the book's title, I knew it was important, but I was frustrated when I didn't get a full explanation immediately. The term is used frequently, but opens this unique aspect of the story's world to the reader in increments. Not only was this an interesting tool for setting the story's pace, but it kept me enthralled. There was no way I was going to put that book down!
The supporting characters were well-developed and added elements to the story that Katsa, as the narrator, was unable to provide. This was especially strong in Po's character. He provided a perfect balance for Katsa's stony refusal to feel emotion and (though his name constantly made me think of "Kung Fu Panda") he quickly became one of my favorite's.

Warnings
A alluded-to sexual encounter, nothing explicit but still mentioned; mild violence.

Extras
Kristin Cashore has proved to be one of those really likable authors and has provided the first two chapters on her website! Check them out!

Take a look at Kristin's blog.

Seraphina

Summary
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Afterthoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had been skeptical about it, but, as I'd heard really good reviews about it, I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did.
Seraphina is a fun character to read and I enjoyed seeing the world through her unique view. The plot, especially the 'big twist,' was remarkably predictable, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. The dragons were unlike any I'd read before, which was exciting, and I enjoyed learning about them and the roles they played in the story.
I don't know if I will ever re-read this book, but I am looking forward to the sequel and hoping for Hartman to shock me with something completely unexpected. We'll see...

Warnings
None.

Extras
Book trailer:

Ender's Game

Summary
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Afterthoughts
Ender's Game was referred to me years ago, but I never read it until this past week and, wow, was I missing out.
The book focuses on Andrew (Ender) Wiggin and his journey to becoming the leader that Earth needs against alien invaders. It's fast-paced, interesting, and sucks you in. I can almost guarantee that, like me, you will be unable to put this book down. The characters are really captivating, though you only get to know two of them.
While reading, I was constantly impressed by and cheering for Ender. He is a brilliant protagonist and my heart ached for him throughout the story, mostly because of a fact that I kept forgetting: Ender is a kid. He is between the ages of 6 and 11 for most of the book, yet he is one of the most gripping POVs I've read!
Ender's Game is my favorite read from this summer and I look forward to reading some, if not all, of the sequel's in the coming months. READ THIS BOOK!!!! 'Nuff said.

Warnings
Violence

Extras
Ender's Game is being made into a movie that releases in November!
Movie Trailer:

Author's Site

Starters

Summary
In a future Los Angeles, becoming someone else is now possible. Sixteen-year-old Callie discovers the Body Bank where teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. But when her neurochip malfunctions, she wakes up in the mansion of her rich renter and finds she is going out with a senator’s grandson. It’s a fairy-tale new life, until she discovers her renter’s deadly plan.

Afterthoughts
This dystopian offered a brand new view of a post-apocalyptic world, which was one of my favorite parts. The more you read, the more common plot structures and settings become, so this book was a refreshing read.
When America is attacked by biological warfare, they vaccinate children and the elderly against the spores, but don't have time to vaccinate anyone between the ages of 20 and 60, which wipes out that portion of the population. I really liked how this scenario is pretty realistic and believable.
The characters and plot were well thought through and enjoyable to read. Callie is an interesting POV to read and I like how her situation colors the way the story is perceived. The story ends with a twist that I definitely did not see coming and I can't wait to read the sequel. This is quite a worthwhile read!

Warnings
None.

Extras
Lissa Price's Site
Book Trailer: