Day 21 || Kass Morgan

Title: Day 21 

Book 2 of The 100 series

Author: Kass Morgan

Length: 320 pages

Publication date: Sept. 16, 2014

Genre: YA, dystopian, sci-fi

Rating: 3.5/5

This summer Chris and I watched the first season of The 100 on Netflix. I don't think the show is the best, but I like the premise of it, so I decided to read the first book. I thought it was a good read, and so very different from the show. When I saw the second book was coming out, I requested a copy from Netgalley for review.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because of spoilers, but a quick summary of the first book - the Earth was on the cusp of a nuclear war, so an Ark-like ship was sent into space, for the surviving humans to live while the Earth became habitable again. Fast forward a couple hundred years, and the ship is starting to lose air, and it becomes vital to find out if Earth is liveable again. The 100 are a group of the ship's prisoners under the age of 18, and they are sent down in a pod where their vital will be monitored for radiation poisoning. In their descent to Earth, they lose communication with the ship, so they have to figure everything out on their own. We follow 4 main characters: Clarke, Wells, and Bellamy, who are among the 100; and Glass, who remains on the ship. Day 21 picks up exactly where the previous book left off. 

I did enjoy this book more than the first one. It was a very quick read, the writing style is very easy to get into. I did think the plot of this book did improve on the first one, I didn't anticipate everything that was going to happen. I wish there had been a little more character development. Wells and Clarke did develop from the first book, Glass a bit less, and Bellamy not at all. But there could have been more. Bellamy acted like a spoiled brat a lot of the book, I thought. I understand in the situation he was facing, but that could have been written a bit better, maybe with some more compassion. The tension there didn't help anything, in my opinion. But the drama is way toned down from the tv show, with is really good.

The plot of this series is just fantastic, in my opinion. A group of teenagers that have never set foot on Earth before, wandering around wondering how they're going to survive, not knowing what life on Earth will be like - really great. I've not heard of anything similar to this concept before. If there are any books similar to this that you know of, please let me know! 

I would definitely recommend this series if you're looking for something not too serious, but still has action and an exciting plot. The first book is quite cheap for Kindle, I think I got it for $2.99. If you're interested, you should give it a go. I'm definitely waiting for the last book to come out next year.

I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

UDON Manga Classics: Les Misérables

Title: Les Misérables

Author: Victor Hugo (original); Stacy King and Tszmei Lee

Length: 336 pages

Publication date: Aug. 19 2014

Genre: classics, manga

Rating: 5/5

I received this book from Netgalley for review. I have really been in the mood to read more graphic novels, so this manga was right up my alley and I couldn't have been more pleased.

I read Les Misérables for the first time last year, and while it took me months to finish, I absolutely loved it. I think the translation that I read was just gorgeous. (It was the translation by Julie Rose, please check that one out if you pick up this book.) I also adore the new movie musical. Who doesn't love Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean. And can we talk about Marius for a minute? Hello.

I found this manga adaptation to be very faithful to the original story. The most important parts of the story arc were included, and the story flowed well. I mean, taking a 1,200+ page book and condensing it into a 336 page manga was probably a difficult task. In my opinion they succeed. It was also very nice to just pick up this classic story and read through it in 2 sittings. You know, instead of 7 months. I highly enjoyed this reading experience.

I would highly recommend this for anyone who is maybe interested in reading Les Misérables, but doesn't want to commit to the hugeness of the novel. I'd also recommend this for younger readers as an introduction to the classic. Or if you just want to enjoy a great story in an afternoon, you should pick this up as well. 

I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.