Top 10 Tuesday

Top 10 Tuesday Character Freebie - Characters I fell in love with

1. Damen – Evermore by Alyson Noel
2. Ever – Evermore by Alyson Noel
3. Silas Dane – Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw
4. Zen – Unremembered by Jessica Brody
5. Seraphina – Unremembered by Jessica Brody
6. Lexi – 52 Reasons by Jessica Brody
7. Seraphina – Firebird by Alice La Roux
8. Matilda – Matilda by Roald Dahl
9. Luna – Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
10. Samantha – Samantha Wolf by Tara Ellis

Review - Unchanged by Jessica Brody

Title: Unchanged
Author: Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered
Pages: 310
Release Date: 24th February 2015
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Amazon
Format: Paperback

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: After an experimental mind-altering procedure Seraphina is now a loyal and obedient servant to the powerful company that created her.

But soon - during a nationwide tour to promote Diotech's new line of controversial genetic modifications - her mind starts to rebel and the memories of her past life, and past love, come creeping back in.

As more secrets are revealed and the reality of a Diotech-controlled world grows closer every day, Sera will have to choose where her true loyalties lie.

But it's a choice that may cost her everything she's ever loved.

My Review: While reading Unchanged I kept changing my mind on how many stars I was going to give it at one point in the story it went down to 3 stars all because of the plots

In the final installment Seraphina is back on the compound being controlled somewhat by Diotech and she is getting ready to be introduced to the world but Seraphina isn't sure about the tour.

Serpahina and Kalen are top secret ex-gens, they are super strong and perfect in every way so while on the tour Diotech have put measures in place to stop the public from getting a sneak at them and when one guy gets to close and manages to capture a sneaky picture of them Kalen snaps and beats the guy to a pulp and Seraphina is the only one who can calm him down.

On their first interview a question and answers session with the public Zen manages to send in a question, although Seraphina is now under Diotech's spell she starts to feel torn between what she thinks is right by staying with Diotech or leaving to be with the guy she truly loves Zen.

While traveling to an interview there are a lot of protesters who thing that the ex-gens are wrong and shouldn't be sold, they are trying to stop Diotech. While at one interview Seraphina is kidnapped and taken to a camp where Zen is.

While at the camp Saraphina is drugged to suppress her super human posers and while at the camp someone gives her a cube with information on it and she finds out how she was made and why she managed to survive when previous ex-gens failed to live.

When Seraphina manages to leave the camp she searches threw the compound science facility and finds all the information that she needs to help Zen to create a new Seraphina, one that can have a life free from Diotechs grasp.

The final installment of the Unremembered series was amazing and I am gutted that it is over. There are so many twists and turns which I didn't see coming, I really wish it wasn't over I'm going to miss Seraphina and Zen. If a fourth book or a spin-off ever gets written I hope that it's about the new Seraphina and Zen living happily ever after because after all they have been through they both deserve to be together and happy with no sign of Diotech and Kalen.

Top 10 Tuesday

Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015.

1. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
2. Unchanged - Jessica Brody
3. Until I Die - Amy Plum
4. Mystic - Alyson Noel
5. Cindi - Lisa Scott
6. The Anti-Prom - Abby McDonald
7. Lost - Ron Vitale
8. Cinderella (Book of the Film) - Elizabeth Rudnick
9. Cinderella Wore Combat Boots - D.L. Jackson
10. Horizon - Alyson Noel

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody

Title: Unforgotten
Author: Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered Trilogy
Pages: 400
Release Date: 27th February 2014
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Amazon
Format: Paperback/eBook
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await her and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her, a weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect.

Obviously, after the ending to Unremembered I had to read unforgotten and I am glad that I did although at one point the book dropped from 4 starts to 3 stars and then it made me give it 3 stars again.

Unforgotten started off with Sera explaining about how the fire she was in felt. At first I thought it was telling the reader what was happening to Sera after she jumped off the cliff at the end of Unremembered.

After the prologue we find out that Seraphina and Zen finally managed to escape from Diotech and get their happy ever after in 1609 like they had been planning for a while.

Sera and Zen have a nice life at the start of the story living with Mr and Mrs Patterson and their children Thomas, James, Myles and Little Jane.

Zen worked with Mr Patterson with the general upkeep of the farm, the plowing, sowing and reaping of crops while Sera helped Mrs Patterson with the housekeeping and looking after the animals and because Sera is genetically engineered she has to be extra careful while doing her chores this means taking her time to count between steps as she can move extra fast, bringing in firewood and the harvest bit by bit instead of in one go because she can't use her super strength while the whole time Mrs Patterson keeps a very close eye on her, Sera believes that Mrs Patterson senses that She is different.

Zen is loved by the family and they all love the stories that he makes up, while Sera pretends to Zen that everything is fine and that she does not have a problem she is really suffering from gut wrenching nightmares.

Zen tried to teach Sera how to fight instead of letting her flight instinct take over at night when the Patterson family are asleep but instead of attacking Zen, Sera's instinct kicks in and she runs, until one day when Zen changes things around and she does attack.

Not long after this their perfect life starts to go down hill when Zen becomes sick and they don't know what is wrong with him and Mrs Patterson who is already suspicious of Sera notices her 'tattoo' and screams about Sera working with the devil Zen however tells the family a story about how Sera got the 'tattoo' and everyone except Mrs Patterson believes him.

A while later Sera and Zen go into the local town to the market while at the market Sera uses her super speed and strength to save Zen from being crushed and everyone at the market see's Sera using these unnatural abilities and she gets arrested.

Once Sera is arrested she is accused of being a witch and is sentenced to death by being burnt to death. While in her cell before her last day she get s visit from a priest who later manages to save her from the fire and takes her to 2032.

After being rescued she realizes that the guy who came to her cell before her sentence was to be taken place, was the guy who saved her from the fire, he turns out to be a genetically modified person just like her only he is stronger and faster than Sera.

Kalen took Sera to 2032 because he needs her to help him get a cure to save their creator and Zen.

After spending time triggering the clues to get the cure Sera finds ends up bumping into Cody because that's where a clue takes her and he helps Sera look after a sick Zen, one of the clues takes her to Maxxer who planted the time triggered clues into Sera's brain and she manages to gets the cure which she plans to use on Zen.

Once Maxxer puts the cure down for Sera another trigger is triggered and she starts to attack Maxxer and Kalen ends up turning up at Maxxer's hidden home just after the attack and he ends up in a cell and Sera rescues him and they go back to Diotech.

I really enjoyed this book and it would have gotten 5 stars if Sera and Zen got to live happily ever after away from Kalen and Diotech but Sera ended up in the hands of Diotech and from reading the blurb for Unchanged she does not manage to escape and be with Zen who is now stuck in 2032.

Although Seraphina is stuck back at the Diotech Lab and will not be with Zen (as far as we know right now) I cannot wait until Unchanged in released next year.

My Interview With Jessica Brody 2014

I had the pleasure to be able to interview Jessica Brody in 2012 about her novels. Now two years later I am interviewing Jessica again to get the gossip on her Unremembered trilogy, the Fidelity Files movie and what she has coming up this year.

    

1)      First off any news on the Fidelity Files movie last I heard it had been optioned for film?

YES! I’m super excited! Some very talented and savvy producers from Australia optioned it and are currently working on developing the movie. No new updates yet. But I’m very excited to announce that the UNREMEMBERED trilogy was also optioned for film! By the producers of Vampire Academy, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, and Slumdog Millionaire! WOOT! They’re currently working on finding a writer to write the script.

2)     When you are reading what is your favourite part to read?

I love beginnings and I love endings. Those are also my favorite parts to write! I love seeing how other authors introduce their stories and characters and world and how they wrap everything up.

3)     When writing who are your target audience?

My target audience first and foremost is me. If I’m not bored out of my mind with what I’m writing, then hopefully no one else will be. If I can make myself laugh and cry and gasp in surprise, then I know I’m on the right track. After that, I don’t really have a target audience. I just want people to enjoy the stories I’m telling. Whether you’re a girl, guy, teen, adult, parent, grandparent. I’ve even tried to read the books aloud to my dogs. Although I will say, they are not my target audience.

4)     What do you think people search for in your books?

I hope they search for entertainment first and foremost. I do always have some kind of positive message or theme in each of my books but my first goal is always to entertain and keep you hooked. If I’ve done that, anything else you get out of it is just an awesome bonus!

5)     Do you use your own experiences to write your books?

It’s hard not to! I definitely put my own experiences in my books. Although now that I’m writing my ninth novel, I’m starting to run out. I better get out of my writing cave and start having some new experiences so I have something to write about!

6)     When naming your characters do you look at the meaning of the names first?

Not always. I usually search for the right “sounding” name. I always know immediately whether a name is working or not, just by how it looks on the page. Then I look it up to make sure it doesn’t mean something awful like “One who barfs.”

7)     How and what research did you do for the Unremembered trilogy?

I did a TON of research for this trilogy! Much more than I’m used to doing for my contemporaries. For book 1, Unremembered, I did a lot of research on gene manipulation, memory manipulation, and synthetic biology. For books 2 and 3, I did a lot of research on futuristic technology and what our society will look like in 100 years.

9)    Unremembered is the first series you have written, did you enjoy writing it or do you prefer writing novels?
I love writing standalone novels but the series was a fun challenge since I’d never written one before. Now that I’m done, I can say, I’m very proud of it. But it was really difficult. I’m ready to write another standalone again. Something contemporary. After that, who knows! Maybe I’ll get the itch to write a series again!

8)     What’s next for Sera and Zen now that you have finished writing the Unremembered trilogy

is it really over?

SOB! It’s really over! I just finished writing book 3, UNCHANGED, which will be out in February 2015 in the US and UK. I’m very happy with the way it ended. It was the ending I had planned all along. I am also planning to write another eBook novella that will come out before book 3. So I can look forward to revisiting Sera and Zen once more before I have to say goodbye forever!

But then we can look forward to the film!

10) Other than the release of Undiscovered and Unforgotten what can fans look forward to in

2014?

I don’t have much else planned for 2014. But 2015 will be the year of UNCHANGED! I can’t wait for you all to read the ending to this trilogy! I hope you like it!

I would just like to thank Jessica for taking the time out from her busy schedule to do another interview for my blog much appreciated.

To find out more about Jessica and her novels visit her at any of the following links:

Website

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Wishlist Wednesday

Unforgotten By Jessica Brody
Some memories are better left forgotten... 

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, this riveting second installment of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one’s memories are safe.

The book I have been waiting months for is out February 25th

Review - Undiscovered by Jessica Brody

Release Date: February 14th 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux Books for Young Readers
Format: eBook
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Before the crash of Freedom Airlines flight 121... 

There was a top-secret research compound hidden deep in the desert.

There was a girl held prisoner in a restricted sector. 

And there was a boy who found her. And risked everything to set her free. 

Romantic and action-packed, Undiscovered is sure to thrill fans of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy. In this 100-page novella, told from Zen’s point of view, more secrets are revealed about Seraphina’s forgotten past, the corporation that created her, and the boy who fell in love with her. Undiscovered also includes a sneak peek of Unforgotten, the anticipated second book in the trilogy.

My review:
Undiscovered is written in Zen's point of view and before Unremembered was set. Its about Zen meeting Sera for the first time and having to tell her everyday who he was. I loved Unremembered and Zen so I had to have it and after reading Undiscovered it made me want to read Unforgotten even more than the chapter sampler did but I only have to wait another week before I get to read it :)

The story starts off with Zen being chased by Diotech security after he broke into a lab to steal bunnies that had been shrunk and tested on so he could set them free instead of being stuck in cages. After being caught Zen plants a tracker in Dr Rio's pocket and end's up following him to a cottage which is hidden away from other and only high level scientists can get into the area but Zen sneaks in by using his mums finger prints.

The way that Jessica writes you can tell from the moment Zen meets Sera it was love at first sight even if it was just on his part to start with. You can tell just by the words Jessica uses that Zen loves Sera and he is scared that she isn't being treated right.

Zen doesn't realise at first that Sera isn't completely human but he doesn't care he just wanted to be with her. He is suspicious because of how fast she can move and because she doesn't know what certain words mean or understand certain questions or instructions.

Zen goes back to visit Sera the next day but is disappointed because she doesn't seem to remember who he is and he realises that Diotech have erased her memories of him and he feels he should run and stay away be he obviously loves her and he can't leave her which is a good thing because if he did there would be no Sera and Zen, no story, no trilogy and that would be a bad thing.

Zen realises that he needs to get Sera away from the compound, he decides to make it his mission to try and find out why Sera is being hidden in the middle of the desert and why Diotech are erasing him from her memories. 

When Zen's mum leaves the compound to do "research" Zen seems upset but I have a feeling that he is only upset because he has been using his mums finger prints to get into see Sera and with his mum gone he is worried that he wont be able to get in to see her again for a while.

After getting caught trying to escape with Sera from Diotech compound, Sera get's her memories wiped again but Zen gets to keep his and he learns some valuable information about Sera as well as being told something about his past which he doesn't really pay attention to at the time. After getting this information Zen decides to try something else which also fails.

Zen then thinks about what Dr Rio told him when he was caught and he discovers a memory that had been taken from him by Diotech after he discovered something he shouldn't have found.

After this event Zen visits Sera and they sit on the grass reading a Shakespeare poem and this is when Sera realises that the only way she and Zen can be together would be if they lived in the times of Shakespeare because there was no computers, brain scanners and science was not as advanced as it is in there time and this would stop Diotech from ruining their lives. Sera says something to Zen about living in Shakespearean time and this makes him get the idea to time travel back to 1609.

I really enjoyed reading Zen's version of events on how he and Sera met and all the trouble they went through to be together. I can't wait until the 25th to find out what happens next to Zen and Sera.

Currently Reading: Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
Read in 2014: 6/40

15 DAYS TO GO

I soooo can't wait

Review Unforgotten Chapters 1-5 by Jessica Brody

Release Date: December 17th 2013
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

Before I start my review I have only given it 3 stars because it is only the first 5 chapters and because it was left on a cliff hanger (I hate it when authors do that) and it made me want the book NOW so I could find out what happened.

The story starts off with where Unremembered ended with Seraphina escaping from Diotech and falling to her death into a volcano and then goes to one week earlier where Seraphina is waking up after having a nightmare.

The book seems to be set before Unforgotten and during the first 5 chapters Seraphina is worrying that Diotech are going to come after her again and it doesn't seem to help that the woman in the family she and Zen are staying with doesn't seem to like her and this makes Seraphina more paranoid.

In the first 5 chapters you find out what Seraphina and Zen are doing and where they are and that they have to be careful about what they say and do so Diotech's people don't find them.

I'm not giving a long review because I don't want to give away to much encase some people are waiting until they can read the whole book. I can't wait until February 25th when I can read the whole book and find out what happens to Seraphina and Zen after chapter 5 because Jessica ended chapter 5 on a OMG moment.