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Obras de Zoe Cannon

Associated Works

Through a Tangled Wood: Slightly Twisted Tales (2013) — Contribuinte — 36 cópias
Celestial: A Short Story Collection (2014) — Contribuinte — 10 cópias

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In this darkly uplifting holiday story, a failed guardian angel must master his grief to be the protector a young girl needs.

Short and enjoyable read with a wounded guardian angel who has failed to save his last subject who cannot resist the call for help from a young girl desperately needing help.
 
Marcado
Gmomaj | Jan 17, 2021 |
As a reviewer, I’m always wary when it comes to indie books. There are several talented authors in the mix, but then there’s also several bad ones. Zoe Cannon is one of the former. Courtesy of the author, I had the opportunity to read her upcoming novel, Walk Through Fire before publishing. This review is in no way affected by this, and is an accurate and true statement of my opinion.

Dystopian novels are my weakness. I’m a sucker for them and there’s no point in denying that. While some readers understandably get sick of this theme, I’m a glutton for it. The fact that Walk Through Fire takes place after nuclear war is exactly why I devoured this book.

In Walk Through Fire, Cannon introduces a new and unique idea – one that I haven’t seen overplayed countless times. There’s no battle to the death for a throne, no saving the entire world, no swooning over the tall, dark and handsome dude. It’s real in the best of ways. The main character, Shea, is in her teens – a common occurrence for young adult literature. After being tortured for years by doctors that were supposed to help her, she finds peace in the world. Until the Swords come. Cue anti-technology group. With her home in ruins and a mysterious girl telling her where to go, Shea finds herself caught up in a radiation worshipping cult.

As a horror fanatic, I’m no stranger to the concept of cults. Oftentimes they all play out the same and in many ways, this one is little different (hence why I took away one skull). Caught up in the wave of zealotry, Shea finds she is the only one not blind to what is truly happening, but is that enough?

Walk Through Fire has a shaky start, but after the first fifteen percent it becomes obvious that Cannon has found Shea’s voice. From there, the story is deeply engrossing. Shea is a character readers can identify with in several ways. For me, I was fond of her “no bullshit” style of handing things. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
… (mais)
 
Marcado
agrimscythe | Mar 20, 2018 |
Actual Rating: 2.5

Honestly, I'm very disappointed. I had been looking forward to reading this book because I thought that the plot sounded really interesting - and it would have been, if it weren't for the main character, who was just so, so, so, so, so annoying and dislikeable.

But let's start from the very beginning.
This story takes place in a dystopian society where anyone who dares to express an opinion that does not conform to society are tracked down to prevent an uprising. These people are arrested and murdered by none other than that mother of Becca, the main character.

One day, Becca gets a call from her friend Heather. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents, and she needs Becca's help. As the story proceeds, Becca gets drawn deeper and deeper into the secrets behind their dystopian regime; along the way, a boy named Jake gets involved with Becca's story.

And here is when it really started to go down. In my opinion, the first few chapters were tolerable (not interesting, but tolerable). But when Jake and Becca had more interactions, everything simply spiralled downwards - mainly because of Becca's attitude.

Becca is paranoid. So paranoid and fearful of the fact that Jake was a spy, that it was the only thought on her mind. ALL. THE. TIME.

FOR EXAMPLE, in Becca's mind:
Jake asks about Heather - Jake is a spy for Infernal.
Jake lies about his parents - Jake is trying to hide his past BECAUSE he is a spy!
JAKE STANDS UP FOR HEATHER - JAKE IS STILL A SPY AND BECCA THINKS IT IS ALL AN ACT.
Jake asks her out on a date - Jake is trying to get close to her for information!

EVERYTHING Jake does apparently "proves" that he is a spy - and Becca's constant repetition and circular thinking gets annoying very quickly.

What was even worse, was Becca's self-pitying attitude - which might have been Zoe Cannon's attempt to make her sound humble.
Maybe a boy really did like her instead of Heather for once, and she had screwed up her chances with him by accusing him of being a spy [...] When most guys saw her and Heather together, they really only saw Heather."

Wow, Becca, your life must be so hard. I'm so sorry.

And this one -
His smile snapped on like he had flipped a switch. Right, To make Becca less suspicious. She wished it didn't make sense, but it did.
Unless she was just being paranoid because she didn't know to deal with the idea that a guy might actually like her.

We get it, Becca. You're unlikeable - what a shocker.

OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. I'm done ranting about Becca's personality.

Another thing that really annoyed me about this book was Becca's interactions with Heather, which was basically the same thing over and over and over and over...
Here are the steps:
1. Becca finds out something and wants to talk to Heather about it.
2. Heather gets angry because she doesn't want to talk.
3. Becca is sad.

I am so tired of reading this same situation multiple times - it just felt like the story wasn't going anywhere. Throughout the entire book, it felt like the author tried so hard to make it suspenseful so that the audience would be blown away when she revealed things, bit by bit. But everything was just too predictable.
"[...] I asked about all surveillance on Heather." She hesitated.
"And?"
"There is no surveillance on Heather."

Not really. Points for trying, though. But sorry, we already knew that Becca was overreacting.

Moving on, the relationship between Becca and Heather, as well as Becca and Jake, was simply so full of imbalances that irritated me to no end. Becca made many questionable decisions, and yet she continued to justify them, trying to be the one that was right - and surprise surprise, Jake and Heather always apologized at the end.

And the next thing (at this point I'm realizing that the main thing that made this story two stars was Becca herself) was the one line that jumped out to me near the 3/4 mark of the book, as Becca thinks about Jake -
"There hadn't been another kiss since she had watched Anna die two days ago.

Huh. Let's read that again.
"There hadn't been another kiss since she had watched Anna die two days ago.

Yes ma'am/sir. You've read that correctly. Becca's friend died two days ago (sidenote: it was Becca's fault), but what's on Becca's mind isn't that death (Oh no, how preposterous!), it's the kiss she had with Jake - the boy who she's just gotten to know. How adorable.

Sigh.
And lastly, I guess I just didn't like the way the atmosphere was portrayed. It felt like a serious dystopian, complete with betrayal and murder, but the story I got was a weak love story involving a boy with a tragic past and a girl who was simple too blind to see how ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL AND STRONG AND COURAGEOUS she was.

The plot summary had some really neat ideas, and I'm sad to say that the book definitely did not meet my expectations, and I won't be reading the next book and finishing the series.

I mean, how could I find the willpower and the time to, when I have 460 more promising books on my to-read shelf?
… (mais)
 
Marcado
CatherineHsu | outras 9 resenhas | Jun 8, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
A Nice Intro Package of YA Dystopian Series

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this book for review through Library Thing’s Early Reviewer Program.)

The Shattered Worlds box set features six young adult dystopian novels, each of them the first in a series:

  • The Blemished (Blemish #1) by Sarah Dalton (2012) - "In a world filled with stunning clones Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes are worthless and that takes away her rights: her right to an Education, her right to a normal life and her right to have a child. The Blemished is a frightening take on a fractured future where the Genetic Enhancement Ministry have taken control of Britain. It will take you on a ride filled with adventure, romance and rebellion." The Blemished is followed by The Vanished (2014) and The Unleashed (2014); two novellas round out the series.

  • The Breeders by Katie French (2012) - "Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything - the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley." Also in the series: The Believers (2013) and Nessa: A Breeders Story (2013; currently free on Amazon).

  • The Torturer's Daughter by Zoe Cannon (2012) - "When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca assumes it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents - and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state. To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents... and about her mother." The Torturer's Daughter is the first book in The Internal Defense Series; rounding out the trilogy are Necessary Sacrifices (2013) and No Return (2014).

  • OUTSIDE - a post-apocalyptic novel by Shalini Boland (2013) - "The world of the future is divided by Perimeters: high-security gated communities where life goes on as normal. If you’re inside you’re lucky, if you’re outside life expectancy takes a nose dive. Sixteen-year-old Riley is fortunate to have been born on the right side of the fence. But her life of privilege comes crashing down when someone breaks through the Perimeter and murders her sister. She forsakes her own safety to go in search of the killer. Luc decides to go with her otherwise she’ll be dead before she’s past the security gate. But what awaits her outside is more unbelievable than she ever expected." Other books in the Outside series include THE PERIMETER (2013) and THE CLEARING (2014).

  • Apocalypsis: Book 1 (Kahayatle) by Elle Casey - "My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day. It's time for me to leave and find another place to live ... a place where I can find food and shelter ... a place where they won't be able to find me. Alone, it might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't have what it takes to get from here to my final destination." Rounding out the Apocalypsis series are Warpaint (2012); Exodus (2012); and Haven (2013).

  • Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer (2012) - "Abby is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence." Book 1 in The Toucan Trilogy, Night of the Purple Moon is followed by Colony East (2013); the final book in the series has yet to be released.

    I'll review each of the book separately at a later date; I'm especially looking forward to The Breeders, The Torturer's Daughter, and Night of the Purple Moon (the latter two I hadn't even heard of prior to their inclusion in Shattered Worlds).

    Suffice it to say that Shattered Worlds is a good deal, especially for those in search of new YA dystopian series (it's a sort of sampler pack, if you will). Many of the books are priced starting at 99 cents and up; to purchase each them separately, it'll cost you $10.95 at current Amazon pricing. Of course, if you're interested in one book specifically, it's worth checking out its individual listing first; at the time of this writing, for example, Night of the Purple Moon is available for free.
  • … (mais)
     
    Marcado
    smiteme | outras 2 resenhas | May 26, 2014 |

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