Forever Favorites: The Big Empty by J.B Stephens

We all have our favorite books, books we can't imagine not reading over and over again.  Here's another one of my 'Forever Favorites’...


Title: The Big Empty
Author: J.B Stephens
Genre: YA, Dystopian, action, mystery
Perfect for: younger and older ya readers!

Taken from Goodreads,

"One year ago, a devastating plague called Strain 7 killed three quarters of the human race. Around the world, power systems failed and supply chains screeched to a halt. The surviving population of the United States has been relocated to the coasts; the heartland is now a wasteland called The Big Empty. But seven teens trying to put their lives back together will learn that the abandoned zone holds danger, secrets, and above all, hope."

'The Big Empty' debuted October 2004. It has now gone out of print, but can be found easily at libraries and online. Thinking back, this was probably the first true dystopian novel/series I read. Maybe it's for that reason that I hold fond memories for it!


'The Big Empty' follows a group of kids as they learn about themselves and the truth about their world and the horrible disease that decimated civilization. This is by no means a novel that is for a strict age range. Even though the characters are older teens, I think this novel would suit younger YA readers just as well as older.


Stephens world wasn't complicated or hard to read-- it was just right. (And this is coming from someone who has trouble reading hardcore sci-fi worlds!) The main goal of 'The Big Empty' was not to play on a love triangle, but was focused on the characters, the role the disease played in their personal history and how it binds new friends together. (Towards the end of the series, there is a cute romance that develops, however!) It has action and mystery, too!


Chapters change perspectives and it takes a bit to really know who is who (due to the large number of characters). As a reader, the switching of perspectives helped create suspense for when the characters (who lead completely different lives) would finally meet in some sort of middle ground.


Speaking about characters, Stephen did a good job with naming the characters. I know it seems a silly thing to be impressed with, but in a world full of 'repeat' names, I loved the ones he chose. Specifically, I love the name Keely. It's up their with Scott Westerfeld's choices in the 'Uglies' series!


While I love the book, it's not perfect.  It has a bit of a slow start, but is nothing compared to other books that I've read!


'The Big Empty' is the first of a four book series. If you liked 'The Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld or even the popular dystopian titles on the market now, I recommend picking it up and giving it a try! You won't find it at your regular bookstore, but a used book shop or library will probably have it!

Review: The Grimm Collection by Polly Shulman

The Title: The Grimm Collection/The Grimm Legacy*
Author:  Polly Shulman
Genre: YA, Pre-teen, supernatural, romance, mystery
Format: ARC
Release Date: July 2010
Perfect for: those who need a break from angst

Elizabeth's life is far from a fairytale.  She has no friends at her new school, a stepmother who doesn't 'get' her, and no prospective boyfriends in the scene.  That all changes when she is hired at a fantastic library-- a library that doesn't deal in books, but items-- some normal and some magical.  When items from the special collection of Brothers Grimm artifacts go missing, all the library 'pages' must band together to figure out who is stealing, while trying to stay alive.

I enjoyed 'The Grimm Collection'.  It was something I would classify as a 'fun' read-- nothing heavy or over dramatic, just plain old fun.  Elizabeth's POV sucked me in with its friendly tone and touch of humor.  The secondary characters (basketball star Mark,  beautiful Anjali, and awkward Aaron) were easy to figure out, but added to the story nicely.  I like that this is an ensemble book and not one that focuses solely on the main character.

As a side note, I really like the cover on this book.  It really connects well with the story as opposed to other titles where you have to wonder how or why they decided this or that would be appropriate on their cover!

While the romantic entanglements were few and pretty easy to spot, I found them cute and more innocent compared to typical YA titles. This is definitely a book that pre-teens or young readers with higher reading levels can safely pick up with no worries of it becoming too 'mature'.

The charm of this story is the overall concept.  I love the library the four teens work at.  Heck, I'd love to work at that library!  So many stories can stem from just the setting alone.  I mean, just think of all the things that could happen with the other special collections!  That being said, I wonder if this is meant to be a stand alone novel.  Most of the major plot elements were tied up nicely, but some smaller ones were left open.

Personally, I'd like to see more of the library and the characters.  It was a fun romp and I think that Elizabeth, Aaron, Anjali, and Mark still have enough life in them for a sequel.  I recommend 'The Grimm Collection'.  It's perfect reading for a lazy day when you don't want to read anything too heavy, but just want to immerse yourself in a world filled with magic and mayhem.

*Note: My ARC is titled 'The Grimm Collection', Goodreads has this labeled as 'The Grimm Legacy'.

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Format: ARC
Genra: Juvi/Scifi/Social Commentary/mystery
Perfect For: Sci-fi fans 12+, but also might work well for reluctant male readers looking for action and mystery


James Dashner’s The Maze Runner is a solid action packed title sure to please anyone who is a fan of ‘all or nothing’ sort of mysteries and sci-fi. We meet our main character in an elevator with no memories of how he got there. Thomas knows his name, but has no memories of his past, only vague whispers of memory. When the elevator door opens, he finds himself in a world where your main goal is to stay alive. Even more mind boggling is this 'colony' is surrounded by an ever-changing maze filled with creatures that no one wants to mess with.

Though Thomas arrives feeling like many of the other kids who have arrived before him, he soon discovers that he is different. Things that should feel foreign seem familiar and he finds himself drawn to tasks he knows nothing about. The mystery deepens when another person arrives in this strange camp, a girl, with a message that sends the whole makeshift world upside down. The kids need to discover the mysteries of their little world and discover them fast as the maze that surrounds them gets more tricky and dangerous every day.

Admittadly, this novel started out slow for me. The language took a while for me to get into and Thomas, I felt, was in the dark too long. Even with the rough start, however, I did enjoy The Maze Runner and am looking forward to the future titles in this trilogy.

This book has an Intriguing and original storyline that can be classified as not only sci-fi, but social commentary, as well. Many questions are posed in this book and, with a sequel on the horizon, many are left unanswered. Still, what we did get in The Maze Runner makes for a good action packed adventure that is sure to please and have you waiting at the edge of your seat for more.