Review: AWESOME NOVELS all in ONE PLACE!!  <3
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 29, 2014
So far, I've read 4 of these amazing stories, and I'm excited to read the rest!!!DEATH WHISPERS:I really like this novel. I especially love that the main character is male, as more often than not, lead roles in YA literature are female (why is that?). I’ve been looking for something along these lines to promote reading among my male student for a while, and thankfully, I’ve now found it. With a main character that can raise corpses, how can you go wrong?It is obvious that Blodgett spent a lot of time writing Death Whispers, perfecting the scientific and technological aspects of this futuristic dystopian novel. I was reminded of one of my favorite TV shows, Heroes, as I read. While many young adults will come into their special power during puberty, not all will choose to use their powers for good. And, with many new powers coming to light each year, the government, of course, is going to be on the lookout for any powers that may be politically important. One main difference, though, is that all young adults know that they may manifest these powers, and they are, therefore, subjected to a mandatory AP test to determine their placements in high school—which I think is a really ingenious idea that Blodgett incorporated into the novel, as it creates suspense in the terms that “big brother is watching you.”As the synopsis states, Caleb has a very rare talent, as do a few of his friends, and it was really fun to follow the characters as they discover their different abilities and learn to control and hide them, especially as the ever looming government could easily swoop in at any moment. What I really love about these powers, especially Caleb’s, is that Blodgett doesn’t sugarcoat them. For instance, the corpses don’t come back as they were in life, but rather in their various stages of decompose, including the smell. It was really interesting to read about this, and Blodgett writes in such a way that the reader can easily visualize it (though thankfully not smell it!)THE PEARL SAVAGE:This is a very well written novel. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting; I’ve read Blodgett’s other book, Death Whispers, and I knew she was a great writer, but she still blew me away with this novel. It’s completely different from Death Whispers and, if I didn’t already know that Blodgett wrote them, I’d never think that the same writer was responsible for both novels. They are so completely different, yet both beautifully written.What I really love about this novel is that Blodgett keeps the story fresh and original—I’ve never read anything like it—and she maintains an almost archaic tone throughout the prose and dialogue, never straying into modernization or slang, which I’ve noted a lot of authors do accidentally when trying to write a novel from another time period. It is obvious that Blodgett has put a lot of time and love into this novel, perfecting the language and causing the reader to transport to another world entirely, becoming lost within the pages of this epic novel.Although the story takes place in the future and is superior in terms of technological advances (a sort of steampunk novel), the society seems to have backtracked as well, at least in terms of language, giving it a historical feel while at the same time lending itself to both the paranormal and fantasy genre. I thought it was ingenious that 19 states in the USA are kingdoms within themselves, set inside a sphere, as the outside air is tainted and savages roam the land. Although the background concerning the Guardians/Evil Ones is not fully disclosed, including how the divide between the sphere and the outside world truly came to be, the story will maintain reader interest through the constant action and fascinating love triangle of sorts—and the sequel is set up to answer any ensuing questions one might have.BLOOD SINGERS:Blodgett has broached the vampire/were genre in her latest novel, Blood Singers, giving readers a unique perspective of the two factions. She does a superb job presenting each distinct group within her novel, fleshing them out to the point that they become almost tangible. The characters seem to leap off the pages as the story unfolds, diving deeper into the past while focusing on the present and future to come.Blodgett uses a wonderful technique in her storytelling, focusing on the present, but giving the reader small glimpses into the past as well. This allows two different stories, two different worlds, if you will, to co-exist as Julia deals with the present, the revelation that vampires and weres do exist, and her remembrance of the past, what seems like a lifetime ago when Julia was carefree and deeply in love. The suspense builds as the reader is given small glimpses into past events, piecing them together in order to figure out how Julia came to be where she is when the story opens. From the very beginning, the reader is cast deep into the action of the story as the vampires and weres go to war over blood, but it isn’t until Julia’s background is laid bare for the reader that all the pieces begin to fit together.Julia is a very strong, resolute character. Though she is scared and longs for her life that once was, she does not lose faith or breakdown. Instead, she takes a stand against both factions, and though she is only one against many, she does not back down. I really liked this about Julia and was excited that Blodgett chose to create such a strong female lead. After the loss of her husband, friends, and life as she knew it, it would have been understandable if Julia gave in to the forces around her, but her spunk and constant fight to maintain control of her destiny made her a very well rounded character that captures the readers’ attention.Blodgett’s explanation of the sub-human group, the Singers, was especially intriguing and eye opening. I enjoyed the descriptions of their abilities and how they fit into the world around them, and I also enjoyed getting to know the vast array of characters that set the stage for this intriguing novel. Complete with a twist at the end that leaves readers yearning for more, Blodgett has written another masterpiece, and I cannot wait to learn more about the groups and Julia’s plight in the next novel...SIX MOON SUMMER:I enjoyed this novel. Rylie, the main character, is just like me, so I really loved reading her perspective of things. Like Rylie, I don’t like being around lots of people, I want to do my own things, I don’t like when someone tries to tell me what to do, and I hate camp. I really feel like we’re one in the same! Having all these similarities to Rylie helped me to connect with her as a character, and I completely take her side in all things in the novel, especially when it comes to the bratty girls she had to deal with at camp. I was not as connected to Seth as I was to Rylie, but I think part of the reason for that is the fact that he is very aloof. He manifests and disappears just as quickly, and I don’t feel like I got to know him as well as I’d liked to. Because of this, I had a little difficulty with Rylie’s “love” for him, as I feel like their time together was rushed, but, I do believe Seth is going to be a key character in the next segment of the series, and I am very excited to see him back in action, hopefully at the forefront of the novel.