Book Review: THE REVEALED by Jessica Hickam

 The Revealed, by Jessica Hickam, is part of the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2014. Click here for the full list of this summer's reads! 

The Revealed is a nice addition to the current crop of dystopian young adult novels, like Divergent and The Hunger Games. Like both of those series, I could absolutely picture this one being turned into a film, with maybe Lily Collins or Emma Watson as Lily Atwood, the main character. One thing that I really appreciated about The Revealed is that it was full of suspense, action, and some dark themes, but did not have the graphic violence of, say, Mockingjay.

One reason this book is so chilling is that we live in a world where it seems like complete and utter destruction is just a button push away; it is not that hard to imagine ourselves rebuilding from devastation after a worldwide conflict, which is where The Revealed picks up. The middle class has disappeared, and most of the population is now working 12-hour days in factories and living in studio apartments. All that is left of the United States is the East Coast, with everything else a wasteland.

 Lily lives in Capitol City, a.k.a. Washington, D.C.,  and is the daughter of a presidential nominee; the upcoming election will be the first since the war. She has been targeted by a mysterious group called The Revealed, which has been associated with the disappearance of many other 18-year-olds. No one previously targeted by this group has ever been heard from again. The kidnappings started after the war ended, and over the past five years four hundred 18-year-olds have gone missing. ("What would an organization of any kind be doing with four hundred teenagers? Parents say having one is hard enough.")

I am not going to say much about The Revealed other than that they do NOT disappoint when they finally show, making plants grow, glass shatter, and guns fly out of people's hands from across the room.  (I know I am not 18, but how do I sign up to learn to defend myself like this?!)

In the midst of everything that is happening around her, Lily is a surprisingly normal teenager who is constantly sneaking out of the house. She is restless and yearning for freedom, and is counting down the days until her 19th birthday when she will be out of danger from The Revealed; most 18-year-olds are kept hidden away inside their homes for an entire year.  She has also caught the attention of two gorgeous guys: Kai Westerfield, who has a green-gold gaze, is the son of Lily's dad's rival for president, and is the most eligible bachelor in the North American sector; And Skylar, with the crystal-blue eyes, who comes into Lily's life under unbelievable circumstances.

I enjoyed The Revealed, and it surprised me by challenging me to think hard about destiny, the greater good, stepping into and owning your power, and the hard truth that you cannot truly understand and appreciate beauty until you have been through tough times.

Btw, Jessica Hickam is an actress and also worked in production on Star Trek: Into Darkness, and that sci-fi experience must have really come in handy while writing The Revealed. You can click here for more on the book and the author but (WARNING) do not read the author Q & A until you have finished The Revealed, because there are some SPOILERS in there. However, if you would like to try to guess at a spoiler, you will find a big clue on the cover of the book. And guess what? There is a sequel coming! The Revealed has revealed a talented new writer to keep an eye on.

BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge: Review of Emily Giffin's The One & Only

 As a proud bookworm, I am honored to be one of the bloggers for the 2014 BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge! I will be reading and posting a review of a book a week through Labor Day, and you can see the full schedule for the program here. Plus, they are giving away some great prizes, like a $500 Visa Gift Card! Happy Reading! #SRC2014

Disclaimer: My son is named Dallas, my husband is from Texas, and we are huge Cowboys fans.

I try not to find out much about books I am planning to read so that I can just jump in with an open mind, but I did kind of geek out when I found out that Emily Giffin's latest, The One & Only, involved football and the Lone Star State. I have read everything she has ever written, usually staying up until the wee hours to see how they ended, and this book was no exception. 
  
(cue the Friday Night Lights theme)

The One & Only tells the story of Shea, a thirtysomething football fanatic and sports writer who has started to wonder if her comfortable and familiar life might be a little too comfortable and familiar. I pictured her as a cross between Erin Andrews  on Fox Sports and Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give, since Shea is hot but refuses to believe it, even while football players are falling at her feet and gifting her with diamonds. Her BFF since birth, Lucy, is the daughter of the superstar college football coach, Coach Carr, a man so handsome that a male sports writer once compared his looks to those of George Clooney. He also constantly calls Shea "girl," which brought to mind The Gos in Crazy Stupid Love. The story kicks off with the death of Coach Carr's wife, and while I am not going to give anything away here...I will say that certain things about the book are very predictable. But still enjoyable.

If I am remembering correctly, all of Emily's books have an element of a forbidden relationship in them (remember Rachel and Dex in Something Borrowed?), which I think is one reason why her stories connect so well with her audience. One of her books was called The Heart of the Matter, and that is exactly what she gets down to in The One & Only, in a way that would make Don Henley proud. If you have ever longed for someone that was out of reach or forbidden, or felt torn between two loves, or harbored a secret crush for years, this story will resonate with you. And beyond romance, the novel might make you consider if you are dreaming big enough and truly pursuing your passion, no matter what your age or stage in life.

If you are going anywhere near a beach or pool in the next few days, The One & Only belongs in your bag. It is a perfect summer read, and can easily be devoured in a few days or even one marathon reading session into the wee hours while the hubby and kids snooze. Even if you are not that into football and do not know a line of scrimmage from a coin toss, you can still enjoy the story, and you might even be inspired to check out SportsCenter or an actual game when the season starts.