Black Out, by Robison Wells

In Black Out, the United States (and the world) are under attack by a mastermind group of terrorists. However, these aren't your ordinary terrorists - they're teenagers, and they're citizens of the U.S. They've become infected with a virus called Erebus, which gives them superhuman strength and ability in a limited area. Band them together, and the things they can accomplish are overwhelming. Unfortunately, some innocent teens are infected with Erebus as well, and the U.S. military begins a mass inspection and quarantine of teens nationwide in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Aubrey Parsons is one of the innocent infected - her ability is that she can disappear. Up until now, it's seemed cool because she can steal anything she wants from local stores, but when it lands her a military captive, being trained for active duty, its repercussions become daunting.

Aubrey and her childhood friend soon find themselves caught up with a group of "Lambdas" - that's what they call those infected - who may or may not have the nation's best interests at heart. Will they be able to stop them?

I really liked how the two different facets of the plot were so woven together. There were the "good" Lambdas (Aubrey, Jack) and then the "bad" Lambdas (Laura, Alec, Dan). Their stories intersected in a really interesting way. There was one aspect of the novel that frustrated me, though. There were random posts, they looked like something from a blog or wiki, throughout the novel. They were (seemingly) totally disconnected to the plot and didn't make any sense to me - it really bothered me. But, when I finally figured out what they actually were it made perfect sense and was an awesome idea!! I do feel kind of dumb that I didn't figure it out sooner...maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.


Also Try: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi; Witch and Wizard, by James Patterson; Inhuman, by Kat Falls

Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

I read about Shatter Me on figment.com - it was one of their spotlight books and the premise was intriguing.

Shatter Me is about a girl named Juliette who's living in a world where things are wildly different than they are now. The government has been overthrown and redeveloped. It is now run by the "Reestablishment" which has divided the world up into "sectors".  Food and supplies are scarce, and animal species are disappearing.

Juliette is imprisoned in a psychiatric ward because she's special - for some reason, she can't touch anything without hurting it. Severely hurting it. She's been there for three years, but this all changes when one day she gets a cell mate, a boy named Adam. Juliette knew Adam when she was younger, and is really curious about why he's coming back in her life now. Eventually, she learns that Adam works for the government, and the leader has requested to free her in order to use her as a weapon. Juliette has a huge problem with this, and soon learns that Adam's on her side. They plan to escape from the leader's grasp, but will they be able to?

Thinking back over the book, there was a lot of action and a lot happened. However, as I was reading, I just kind of felt like it was dragging on. It didn't feel like much was happening. There was one part of the book that I really liked, though. It was written from Juliette's perspective, and certain lines/sentences would be crossed out as Juliette tried to change her mind or think of what was more 'suitable' to say or think. I found that stylistic element interesting.

I think there are a few students who will enjoy this book, but I don't think I'll be recommending it too heavily.

Also Try: The Legend series, by Marie Lu; Witch and Wizard, by James Patterson; Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins; Matched, by Ally Condie