Carolyn Cohagan

I enjoyed Ida and the Unfinished City by Carolyn Cohagan. The cover appealed to me right away. Even though I hadn't read The Lost Children, it was very easy to follow along with Ida on her adventures. Nothing seemed hard to follow, so I would definitely say this book can be read as a stand alone. Ida is a tough girl with many survival skills. It was interesting to watch the way she reacted to the people she met. Like Ida, I was curious about the people who chose to build low when a giant wave was sure to wash away all of their belongings- and possibly their loved ones. It reminded me that it is always important to listen to others and hear their story so you can get a feel for their perspective. Ida had lots of decisions to make and there was plenty of tension and excitement. Now that I finished this book, I plan to go back and read the first book in the series. I recommend this book to people in fourth grade and up who enjoy a mixture of fantasy and reality.… (altro)

I got a signed copy of Time Zero by Carolyn Cohagan in a giveaway.

When I read the summary of this book, my first thought was "another YA dystopia, with a female lead," but as I started to read the book I realized that it was more than just than. This book deals a lot with misogynistic ideals. And in my opinion that is one of the biggest issues of our time. Many of the misogynistic ideals that Mina has to deal with I have personally seen. These cultures treat women as subhuman. It was scary how accurate the portrayal of the protagonist was. It was really hard to put this book down, once I started to read, I had to finish it.

SPOILERS AHEAD

When the Laurel Society was introduced, I felt it was a smaller version of the bigger society that Mina lived in; however in here the hatred was towards men instead of women. And I understand that if you’ve been oppressed by men all your life, you’d grow to hate men. It was a great part of the book, but I was hoping for something more in the lines of “a society where everyone is equal: men and women.”

Another part of the book that I didn’t particularly like was the addition of Mina’s brother, Dekker, to the group of people who escaped the society. Dekker was shown as someone who has conflicting ideas. He was genuinely sorry when Mina was burned, and that was good. But he was also shown as someone who hates women, who doesn’t respect women, and who was growing up to be someone who will oppress women in the future. I can see that he has the potential to be someone who can learn to respect women, but overall his character deserves to be left behind.

The leaf was a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting it.

And lastly, I need to know if there will be a second book? And if there will be one, when will the book come out? This book was highly engaging and captivating. I would love to read the second edition to this great series.
… (altro)

TIME ZERO is by far the best young adult novel I have read in ages. It's timely, compelling, and prompts teen and adult readers to question the world around them. I read the book in one sitting and could not put it down. I loved Mina, the main character, she was strong, vulnerable, inspiring and real. I also loved the world of the book, so foreign and yet so eerily familiar. In TIME ZERO, you are in for an epic adventure that empowers readers in their unique voice and identity while making them aware of the challenges and oppression many women in the world face right now. And the best thing? There is a book two. Also check out the book trailer: https://youtu.be/uxLCZBxJWgI. It rocks!… (altro)