Review: The Book of Tomorrow

 

Title:  The Book of Tomorrow

Author:  Cecilia Ahern

Publication Date:  February 2011 by Harper Collins

Review Copy Provided by:  publisher

About the Book - from Goodreads:  Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she's ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with its own private beach, a wardrobe full of designer clothes and all that a girl could ever wish for. She's always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of debt, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country. Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, their gatehouse is a world away from Tamara's childhood. With her mother shut away with grief, and her aunt busy tending to her, Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin.When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.  

My Thoughts:  This was an interesting read.  I always had a thought that there was more going on than the author would let me believe, but the more I read, the more convinced I was that there was something eerie about this story.  

Tamara, the main character, is very independent.  She's used to being able to come and go as she pleases, but not anymore.  It seems as though she's always being watched.  Since her father's death, she has been forced to move to "nowhere" with her aunt and uncle.  Tamara has no access to the internet, no malls, nothing she is used to, so she's forced to find other things to occupy her time.  One of which, is a book.  This is not an ordinary book though.  The book writes itself, in Tamara's handwriting, and tells about tomorrow.

What a concept for a story!  I loved this one and I fell in love with Tamara, even though I thought she was a snob at first.  Throughout the story Tamara learns more about her family than she's ever known, but what she really learns is about herself and that she has to make her own tomorrows.

Ahern does an excellent job of keeping the reader in suspense.  There's something new around every corner, but she keeps you second guessing yourself, just like Tamara is second guessing the people around her.  This one had me predicting right up till the end, even though some of my predictions weren't what really happened.  I loved that as a reader, I was able to make those predictions.  The author didn't just reveal everything all at once.  As the story unfolded, so did the lies, or the truth, however you choose to read it.

Buy it at Amazon

Buy it at Powells

Review: Blood Red Road

Title:  Blood Red Road

Author:  Moira Young

Publication Date:  June 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry

Review Copy Provided by:  publisher

About the Book:  Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. 


My Thoughts:  This was my first read for 2011, and I loved it!  Saba is a very strong willed, independent kind of girl, who loves her brother, and will do anything to find him, even if it means taking her bratty kid sister along for the ride.




From the fist page, to the last, I was hooked.  Young took me into Saba's world, and allowed me, the reader, to escape from this world into one that was filled with wastelands, savages, girls who fight in cages, and a King.  I wanted to be there every step of the way with Saba and Young made me feel as if I was right there through her writing.

Saba didn't t know anything other than Silverlake, except for what she had heard from her father.  After her brother is taken away, she embarks on a journey that will lead her to places she's only heard of, allow her to meet some rogue characters, and help her discover things about herself that she didn't know, which cause her to grow into a strong woman.  Saba's sister won't be left behind, after all, Lugh is her brother too.  Lugh is Saba's twin, and her little sister will just get in the way, but throughout the book, she continues to find Saba and get her way.  I loved the way the sisters' relationship grows and blossoms as the story unfolds.  They start out in a love/hate relationship and end up in a loving one, the way sisters should be.  Saba also learns about romance, something she tries to avoid throughout the story.  She is strong and independent but the reader learns that she also has a soft side.

This is a book that I really enjoyed.  It doesn't come out until summer,  but if you get your hands on an ARC, I encourage you to read it!