The Here and Now

Here we have a new book by the popular author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I received an ARC (ebook version) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385736800

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: April 8th, 2014
Number of Pages: 288

Source: ebook (ARC)

Goodreads Summary: Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. 

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

My Rating:  

So many of the reviews I have been have been pretty negative. There are holes in the plot, the main character is dumb, and it's unrealistic. Well, I am going to be one of the positive reviewers (and not because I got a free copy..) It is my honest opinion. It is all about what you are expecting from the book.

We have time travelers from future who come to our present to escape the horrors of their time. They have to deal with a dengue fever epidemic (which actually sounds like a PANdemic) aka the blood plague. Here is a description of this disease from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

"Dengue hemorrhagic fever is characterized by a fever that lasts from 2 to 7 days, with general signs and symptoms consistent with dengue fever. When the fever declines, symptoms including persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing, may develop. This marks the beginning of a 24- to 48-hour period when the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively permeable (“leaky”), allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels into the peritoneum (causing ascites) and pleural cavity (leading to pleural effusions). This may lead to failure of the circulatory system and shock, followed by death, if circulatory failure is not corrected."

I beg to disagree with those that say this future sounds unrealistic. To me, it sounds completely plausible. I guess it just depends on whether you believe global warming is happening/an issue. 

"The mosquito is the thing to worry about when the world gets wetter and hotter. Because when that happens, the mosquito's territory is everywhere and its season is always." The Here and Now, 28

So, the world goes to hell and some how the technology develops that a small group of people are able to travel back in time (present day is 2014, future time is around the 2020's). I do think there were some plot holes, but I wasn't reading this book as an accurate scientific explanation, I was reading it for fun. I think it works for the book.

One of the good things about this book is the length (less than 300 pages) - you are able to finish it pretty quickly. There was a little detour in the book, but with the time frame presented, it made sense to me.

The end left me a bit unsatisfied, but it makes sense with the past affecting future and the uncertainty Prenna now faces. 

Prenna as a character is sometimes not the brightest, but at that age, who exactly is? She has the task of "saving the world" and how would you handle that? I have to give her and the cute sweetheart Ethan credit for figuring out what they did. 

There are definitely some twists that kept the story interesting and I think if you go into this story with an open mind and looking for a quick read that makes you think, this book is for you. If you need exact explanations and a perfect main character, you will be disappointed. I liked that this book made you ponder about your place in this world and the choices you make affecting not only your future, but could have a ripple effect to the world as a whole. 

Emerald Green

By Kerstin Gier

Series: Book #3 The Ruby Red Trilogy
ISBN: 9780805092677
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: October 8th 2013
Number of Pages: 464
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

My Rating:  

Warning: Review contains spoilers

The previous books in this series were: Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue.

This last book did not thrill me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and we did have our questions all answered. It was mainly the way those questions were answered and how the flow of the book went.  We open the book up with a scene from Paul & Lucy and then we go straight into Gwen crying her eyes out over Gideon. Here's a little refresher on his "betrayal" 

"'Nothing is easier to calculate than the reactions of a woman in love. No one is more easily controlled than a woman whose actions are determined by her feelings for a man,' the count went on. 'I explained that to Gideon the very first time we met.' ...The truth hit me like a punch in the solar plexus. Everything Gideon had done, his touch, his gestures, his kisses, his loving words, they were all intended only to manipulate me. So that I'd fall in love with him, like Charlotte before me. So that we could be controlled more easily." - Sapphire Blue, 332

What I don't get is why she didn't let him explain his actions. This becomes resolved later on, when her friend Lesley points out helpfully that many times in the movies, the couple has a misunderstanding that keeps them apart when really it could have been resolved right away if they had just talked & been straightforward with each other. This does turn out to be the case, thank goodness!

For me, my favorite characters that made this book enjoyable to read would be Lesley, Xemerius, Mr. Bernard, and Lucas. Lesley is so smart and she's got spunk! Wish we had seen more of her in the book. Xemerius was hands down the most funniest creature I've read about in a book. I loved how Mr. Bernard helps Gwen out and is so mischievous when it comes to Charlotte, her mother, and Lady Arista. What I want to know - is he a descendant of Lucy & Paul??? We find out in the epilogue that they take on new identities with the last name of Bernard. How cool is that? The butler is probably a great grandchild of Gwen if you really think about it! And good 'ol Lucas is a lovable grandfather, especially how he is portrayed as his younger self.

The confusing parts of this story: The way the time-traveling was sometimes written and explained. As Paul put it,

"Is it just me, or do the rest of you feel as if someone is building a subway system through your brains?" - Emerald Green, 367

My brain really was hurting with all the mentions of "well this already happened yesterday though it actually happened back in 1867 but if we go back today we can solve this problem" OR "What if you already went back and made him immortal? So his plan worked and he is here [he being Count Saint-Germain] in the present but we can solve the past by doing blah blah blah." This gets super confusing at times.

The conclusion and climax of the story came on very suddenly, practically on the last pages of the book, and gave us so much information to process in such a short span. Lots to think about (it has taken me a few days to do so, and now that I have my thoughts some-what organized, I can write this review.)

It is cool if you go back to the previous books, you can see some hints of what is to come (can someone say foreshadowing?). I wasn't really surprised at who the Count ended up being but I was a little shocked (and this is where the confusion and some thinking are required) at how Gideon and Gwen were able to carry out their plan and win against the Count. And they also got around that pesky business of Gwen being the only one who is immortal - now her and Gideon can never grow old together!