Book Review: XVI

XVI by Julia Karr - (2011 Debut Author Challenge: 1 of 12)

 "Every girl gets one. An XVI tattoo on the wrist -- sixteen. They say they're there for protection. 

"Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay. 

"Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal life is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help -- and he may just hold the key to her past.

"But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure... for Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet." (Cover blurb on book).

Rating: 4/5

I went shopping yesterday or, perhaps, I went wandering and just so happened upon a bookstore. The point is, I ended up spending and hour and a half trying to decide on the perfect book instead of drinking coffee and writing as I had originally planned. I came home with one... this one (I know, an hour and a half to find one book is a little bit sad, but I might have just been enjoying the new book smell and absorbing the atmosphere).

When I saw this on the shelf, I recognized the title from the list of novels debuting this month and I thought I would give it a go. I started reading at 5:30 yesterday and I read for an hour or so. Then I picked it up again after school today and finished just a little bit ago... kind of watching movies in between chapters. I think I should clarify something right now. I did receive the book that was in the mail and I have started reading that, but this one just caught me.

XVI is a dystopian novel and an addicting read. Set in the year 2150, things have changed. Everything is ruled by the Governing Council and people literally fight to survive in a world that is supposed to be perfect. But that's just the thing, no one thinks anything is wrong. Media is pounded into their heads day after day and there's never enough silence to think for themselves, which is where Nina's journey begins.

I really enjoyed this novel. For a debut, I think it's impressive. The characters were engaging - even the ones I didn't like - and the plot kept me turning pages more rapidly than usual. Nina was a strong lead and her point of view offered the perfect mindset for this story. The only thing that really caught me off guard was the pacing. It seemed to be going along at a nice rate until I got toward the end and I realized there were ten pages left to wrap up everything. I became doubtful, but it turns out that I didn't need to be.

The ending didn't quite feel finished to me at first and the pacing still seemed off, but after looking it up, that's because it isn't finished and some of this is carrying on into the next book. According to the author website, there's supposed to be a sequel coming out at some point (wish I knew when), and this is news that I'm genuinely glad to hear. I'm not done with this world or these characters just yet.

So why the four out of five?
Well, I really was expecting a bit more action regarding the tattoo. I felt there was a lot of build up for what little came of that, but that plot wasn't necessarily the main one - as it seemed in the beginning - and perhaps it'll show up in the sequel.

There was one scene that really kind of threw me off too, but I won't go into that since I don't want to spoil anything for you.

Also, I caught a few typos, which was kind of weird. I've never seen those get through before, but maybe I'm just not usually paying attention.


But, overall and those things aside, I would have to say that I loved this book. I'm interested to see more from this author, and not just the sequel to XVI. For the moment, though, I offer my congratulations to Ms. Karr on a great debut and I recommend this book to any of you interested in YA dystopians.

This book can be found in stores and online:

XVI

Happy reading!


PS: This book is probably best for ages 14 and up.

Music Recommendation: Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking

So I'm pretty sure I just made a post, but in case I didn't *insert horribly awkward cough here*, I have a music recommendation for you!

Voila:

Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking - Snow Patrol

PS: It might not be too far of a stretch if you were to assume that I am partially in love with this song.

PPS: That link takes you to Youtube, but there's no video, just a CD cover image.

Independent Study: Preface

It is January 5th and Winter semester is ever so quickly approaching. Within a few days, I'll be watching my Winter break disappear into a cloud of drifting snow while I fight against the desire to sleep on a desk, which shouldn't be too difficult. That desire is only easy to fight because I know they don't clean the desks properly. A small, sticky ring of soda that remained on one of the tables for two weeks during my first semester of college attests to the truthfulness of that statement. Yuck. But desk cleanliness aside, I thought it was time to look back on the first post I wrote here.

In Ink Is Gold: A Blogging Adventure, I mentioned that I would be making posts on my Independent Study course. Since that class starts on Monday morning, I think it is time for the first of several posts revolving around this class.

What is this Independent Study class you speak of?
 
This semester, I get to take a class on novel writing... alone.

In 2009, I took an intro to creative writing course composed of two units: poetry and short story. I walked away with a great deal of knowledge. When the class was over, I tried to find a class that taught intro to novel writing, but the college (being a small campus) doesn't have a class like that.

After asking around a bit more, I found out that I could take an Independent Study course - something I had never heard of before - if I could find a professor willing to teach me. So I went back and talked to my wonderful creative writing professor, Carrie, and she said that she would be willing to work with me. Long story short: a lot of planning and paper work happened, the dean is currently looking everything over, and I'm in a class that may or may not be quite similar to a top secret operation.

What are you going to be studying?

• Plot
• Subplot
• Novel Beginnings
• Character
• Writing Voice & Style
• Details
• Editing, Revising, and Rewriting
  

What can we expect to see on here as a result of this class?

Well, for one thing, you'll be seeing more posts in the Writing Tips section.

But, as I will be writing bits and pieces of various novels during this semester, you will also be seeing posts about my writing progress, the class itself and the learning process, and maybe even a couple of excerpts. Plus - even though this is mostly just for me because it is motivating to watch progress like that - those little bars on the side of my blog detailing writing progress will start moving and possibly changing.


Anyway, that's about it for now. I don't know much more than that at this point, but if you have questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to get answers for you.

End Preface.

Springing Into 2011

It's 2011!

And this is completely irrelevant to my post, but I haven't written the wrong date on any of the papers I've signed thus far (which is a surprisingly large amount, consider we're only three - technically four - days into the new year). Pretty impressive, considering it's me and I was writing 2009 until June of 2010.

Anyway. Since it is the new year, that means I have a new list of resolutions to be completed by the end of the year. A lot of bloggers are posting their New Year's Resolutions for everyone to read, so I thought I would follow the trend... sort of, and posting my writing and reading related resolutions on here.

New Year's Resolutions: The 2011 List

1. Write every day, even if only for a few minutes. Hit 2,500 words per week.
2. Finish the 2011 Debut Authors Challenge.
3. Write for the current WIP.
4. Update blog more frequently (Also Known As: We will be getting an almost schedule, I think).
5. Rediscover curiosity and find inspiration in everything.
6. Read more, because there never seems to be enough time for books.

Well, there's my list. Some of that stuff will even be benefiting you, so that's cool.
What are your New Year's Resolutions? Do you make any?


On another note, I've got some exciting news. The first book I plan to read for the 2011 Debut Authors Challenge is currently en route to my house. The shipping was delayed a few days, or I would already be reading it, but I think it is safe to say you will be seeing a book review on here for a debut author fairly soon. Especially considering the last resolution listed here.


PS: Expect the first post on my Independent Study course soon! It starts next week!