Katherine Harbour's Blog - Posts Tagged "ya-science-fiction"

The Thousandth Floor
In a lavishly imagined future, where the main characters' world is a one-thousand floor building in New York City, Leda is the character with the most disadvantages. She isn't super rich and she's fighting a drug addiction. Rylin is the girl who's on her own, somewhere on the poverty line, and taking care of her sister. Avery and Eris are privileged, but have family problems. Avery is in love with her adopted brother, Atlas. Eris has learned herfather isn't her father and she'll lose everything. Watt is a boy who's intelligence is underestimated because he's middle class. He falls for Avery.
The book begins with a girl falling from the thousandth floor. It's a mystery woven with the complexity of forbidden love, crushed dreams, and Big Mistakes. It's also a dazzling and refreshing view of a slick future for the wealthy, and not so much for the poor. Each of the characters has interesting stories, and I cared enough to dread which girl was going to fall. A page-turning mystery with complicated characters.

The Darkest Star
A clever premise--the world is recovering from an alien attack. The aliens were defeated and some still live on the earth. They are called the Lux and can appear to be human. They have the devastating ability to manipulate electricity.
Evie Dasher has lost her father in the invasion, but she didn't know him well. Her mother is a respected hero. Evie and everyone else her age are experiencing PTSD.
Then Evie, attempting a normal night out, meets the gorgeous Luc. She suspects he's a Lux, but his is a deeper, darker secret.
I liked Evie and Luc, their evolving relationship, the fabulous idea of teens recovering from an ALIEN INVASION. Evie and Luc's friends are also entertaining. A romantic and suspenseful read for anyone who liked The Hunger Games.