All the Truth That's in Me

By Julie Berry

ISBN: 9780670786152
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: September 26th 2013
Number of Pages: 274
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

My Rating: 

I only made it to page 47.

The pacing of this story and the writing style were just not for me. The summary Goodreads gives is pretty accurate. With how far I got, it seems the story is told in the present but she is always referring to things that had already happened. You figure out pretty quickly who her abductor is - you just can't figure out why her & her friend were taken, and why only she survived. The book setting seems to be back when the first settlers had come to America. 

A similar type of book content but set in today's world and is better written (IMO) would be PrettyGirl-13 by Liz Coley. 

Additional thoughts:
-I did like this cover; I thought it reflected the character of Judith well.
-On the author's website, it is stated this book is for kids 12 & up - I would not recommend this book for anyone younger than 14 due to subject content and maturity level.

The 100

By Kass Morgan

ISBN: 9780316234478
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 3rd 2013
Number of Pages: 277
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

My Rating: 

I will be honest - I was not able to finish this book. I stopped reading at pg. 70.

If I have time, I just might come back to this book at a later date. Right now, I saw that it is part of a series, which initially turns me off of a lot of books because the sequels are spaced too far apart for me to follow the story well enough. So after all the books come out, I may re-visit. 

The premise of this books sounds cool, but after reading some reviews, it doesn't sound like what the summary blurb says. 

From what I was able to glean from this book in the first 70 pages is that it is a bit confusing to follow. We have 4 POVs?? That's asking a bit much in my opinion. Not only is the reader trying to connect with so many characters, we have flashbacks mixed in with the present day. Yes, it is helpful to see where these characters are coming from. However, I think it may be more effective and easier to read if this story was just told in chronological order.