Review: Wired by Robin Wasserman

Title: Wired
Author: Roin Wasserman
Genre: YA, Sci-fi
Perfect for: Well, anyone who wants to read the conclusion of the trilogy
Star Rating: 2/5 stars

Lia Kahn is a mech-- a machine with memories and feelings of the deceased Lia Kahn. 'Wired' is the third book in a trilogy that follows her, her family, and mech friends as they learn if peace can really be had between orgs and mechs.

Okay, folks, if the 2/5 star rating didn't tell you, I'm not a fan of 'Wired'. I was on board with her first two titles and typically recommend them for those looking for good sci-fi. This book, however, not so much. There are low points and very few high points in 'Wired'.

Let's start with the high points, shall we? 'Wired' showcased a lot of Zo, Lia's 'org' sister. We've seen the relationship crumble in the earlier books and it was nice to see the sisters rebuild their bonds. Their banter back and forth was cute, especially when Jude was involved.

Jude is the other high point of the novel, and for no other reason than I've always found him a bit intriguing. He's the Han Solo character who you have to root for, even if he's a scoundrel.

Now onto the shortcomings... And boy were there shortcomings! The main problem is the writing. Lia's voice has always been a bit hard to follow, but this was way worse. Conversations were hard to follow and action was just confusing. So many new plot elements were introduced, only to be left open-ended and unfinished.

Even the main story of this novel and this series was pretty poorly executed. I understand cliff hanger endings when you're reading the first or second book in a trilogy, but if you are finishing the story, never visiting that world again, why not at least resolve the main storyline? Preferably in a way that isn't completely confusing to the reader. I kid you not, I had a lot of trouble following the last few chapters. I still don't know what exactly happened to Lia. If you have any idea's, please leave them here, because I'd like to know.

This whole novel rubbed me the wrong way. I expected something that would wrap up Lia's story, but got a whole lot of crazy plot lines and no real conclusion. It felt a lot like the third book in a four book series.

I would NOT recommend this unless you have read the first two books and feel you need to finish the series. And what does that mean for me recommending the series to new readers? I don't know. Maybe I still will, maybe I won't. I really hope Wasserman is considering writing a companion following two specific characters (you'll know who if you read 'Wired') and left this book without much conclusion because of that.  Even as I think about that, though, I might be hard pressed to pick up another novel in this series...

This book was just highly disappointing.

S.O.S Book of the Week

The S.O.S Book of the Week is where I'll let you in on what new releases I'm looking forward to! S.O.S comes from the term 'Strict on Sale'. It's bookseller speak for a title that you can't sell before a specific date-- think Harry Potter. While the books I have here may not be S.O.S titles specifically, they are all new!

The S.O.S. Book of the Week is:

'Wired', the conclusion to Robin Wasserman's Skinned Trilogy, should be appearing on store shelves September 14th. I am quite looking forward to this release. Both 'Skinned' and 'Crashed' fell into my lap. It's one of those series that is easy to miss, not highly promoted, but one that is actually pretty darn good!

Here's a blurb on 'Wired' found on Amazon:

One year ago, Lia Kahn died. A few days later, she woke up.

She had a new body: Mechanical, unfeeling, inhuman. She had a new family: Mechs like her, who didn’t judge her for what she could no longer be. She had a new life, one that would last forever.

At least, it was supposed to.

But now everything Lia thought she knew has turned out to be a lie; everyone she thought she loved has been stolen away. And someone is trying to get rid of the mechs, once and for all. Lia will risk everything to save herself and the people she can’t live without. But not before facing one final truth: She can’t save everyone.

I'm hoping this has a fantastic conclusion, something in the lines of 'Hunger Games' or the 'Uglies' Trilogy. Something that turns the whole philosophy you thought you knew and loved/hated, and totally turns it on its head.  I'll let you know how it turns out!!!

Review: Crashed by Robin Wasserman

Title: Crashed
Author: Robin Wasserman
Format: Hardcover
Genre: YA, Sci-fi
Perfect For: Older teens who enjoyed 'The Uglies Trilogy'

‘Crashed’, sequel to ‘Skinned’, follows Lia as she continues on her journey to find herself, or rather, her NEW self. As a ‘skinner’ or ‘mech’, Lia has the body of a robot, but memories of her old human life. She was ‘reborn’ by her family after her human self's young death, something we learn all about in the first book of this series, 'Skinned'.

We meet Lia, Jude (the self proclaimed leader), Riley (his friend and lacky), and the other Mech’s living in their own community, away from the ‘orgs’ or humans. When a supposed ‘mech’ attack kills hundreds of ‘orgs’ and the ‘mech’ in question has the same face as Lia, suspicions turn the already unsettled world between ‘mechs’ and ‘orgs’over the edge.

I enjoyed ‘Crashed’ by Robin Wasserman. The trilogy, similar in a sense to The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, is proving to be a unique take on teen sci-fi. ‘Crashed’ has a nice mix of action, romance, and intrigue. While it dragged a bit in the middle and suffers from being the middle book in a trilogy, it kept me entertained and I came away happy to have read it. Is it the best in the series? No. I have to say I enjoyed the first book more than this, but then again, that can be said for many middle books in trilogies like this. Regardless, I’m still looking forward to reading the next installment of the YA Sci-fi series.