As a part of the Gravity by Melissa West Blog Tour run by YA Bound Book Tours I reviewed Gravity, a YA sci-fi novel.
To check out the rest of this blog tour go here for the official schedule.
I
was provided with a review copy of the book via YA Bound Book Tours -
however, all opinions expressed in this review are purely my own. To
find out more, please visit my disclaimer page.
Book Details
Title: Gravity (The Taking #1) Author: Melissa West
Release Date: 12/18/12
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 284
Book Synopsis
In the future, only one rule will matter:
Don’t. Ever. Peek.
Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.
Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson.
Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.
Buy
Links for Gravity:
Links
for Hover (Book #2):
Links
for Collide (Book #3):
And now for my review of...
My rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Fave quote: 'There is a lot of gray between life and death. Life isn't worth living if you aren't with the ones you love.'
My thoughts on the book:
If Gravity was any more vivid, it'd be in 3D.
Melissa West is a mastermind. She's created a detailed dystopian/sci-fi world which readers will practically fall into - it's that easy to 'see'. Each word, each description aids readers in entering Gravity and following Ari on her adventure.
I love a main character with a strong voice, and Ari's voice is carried throughout the tale and adds to the plot by way of entertainment. It's intriguing to see this new world (well, new for us!) through her eyes and to see her perceptions change as she discovers that not everything is as it seems.
What is also intriguing is the relationship between love and trust.
Is trust linked to love? Can you have one without the other? Love, trust, and - of course - sacrifice are a few of the main themes explored in Gravity. Melissa West portrays these with raw honesty.
The relationship between Ari and her father is particularly interesting in that, although Ari acknowledges that her father loves her, she knows that he doesn't trust her...and she finds herself unable to trust him fully despite the love between them. It's often a case of family bonds versus the bonds of newly forming love.
I especially liked how, through Ari, readers explore the idea of trust being an internal concept - outside factors such as other people may help determine someone's trustworthiness, but it is ultimately up to that person to decide whether they are to be trusted or not.
Fave quote: 'There is a lot of gray between life and death. Life isn't worth living if you aren't with the ones you love.'
My thoughts on the book:
If Gravity was any more vivid, it'd be in 3D.
Melissa West is a mastermind. She's created a detailed dystopian/sci-fi world which readers will practically fall into - it's that easy to 'see'. Each word, each description aids readers in entering Gravity and following Ari on her adventure.
I love a main character with a strong voice, and Ari's voice is carried throughout the tale and adds to the plot by way of entertainment. It's intriguing to see this new world (well, new for us!) through her eyes and to see her perceptions change as she discovers that not everything is as it seems.
What is also intriguing is the relationship between love and trust.
Is trust linked to love? Can you have one without the other? Love, trust, and - of course - sacrifice are a few of the main themes explored in Gravity. Melissa West portrays these with raw honesty.
The relationship between Ari and her father is particularly interesting in that, although Ari acknowledges that her father loves her, she knows that he doesn't trust her...and she finds herself unable to trust him fully despite the love between them. It's often a case of family bonds versus the bonds of newly forming love.
I especially liked how, through Ari, readers explore the idea of trust being an internal concept - outside factors such as other people may help determine someone's trustworthiness, but it is ultimately up to that person to decide whether they are to be trusted or not.
'"I can't be trusted."
My face burns with anger and frustration. "What's this really about? You say I can't trust you. I think the problem is that you don't trust yourself. Why? Why do you hate yourself so much?"'A highly engaging read, Gravity will pull you into its pages and take your breath away.
Author Bio: Melissa West
Melissa
West writes young adult and new adult novels for Entangled Teen and Embrace and
Penguin/InterMix.
She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.
She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University.
Yeah, her blood runs orange.
Connect with Melissa via her:
Giveaway
This book sounds wonderful! I’m very intrigued, what are they not allowed to peak at? A person above them? What? It sounds fantastic and your review was really wonderful. Thanks for the rec!
ReplyDelete