Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle

I participated in the blog tour for Socialpunk, but I wasn't sure I would actually get around to reading it before the publication date.  My to read pile is overflowing...

 As I have mentioned before, I am easily sucked in by a beautiful cover. I  have to admit that I wasn't particularly captivated by the cover art or the title.  The Socialpunk cover just didn't interest me. I didn't care for the yellow and green of the cover or the art. As for the title, it might have been fine if the cover was different, but combined with the lack of  eye catching art, it just didn't work for me. I would not have picked this one off the shelf.  I sincerely hope that others don't have the same reaction-

 Since I was part of the blog tour, I thought I should at least skim the first chapter or two. Wow!  I was halfway through the book before I knew it!   It just sucked me right in and kept my attention.  It also gave me plenty of  concepts/questions to ponder when I wasn't reading.

Socialpunk is a dystopian young adult novel.  While it has a few similarities to other books of that genre, it also is very original.  Monica Leonelle, the author, created a world (s) with some interesting social structure and new technologies that captured my imagination .  For example, the primary mode of transportation is running and characters are rewarded for how much influence you have over others with "clout" instead of money.  The world building is well done and original.

The main character/hero of the book is Ima, an Asian American teenager.  A refreshing change from the usual blonde, girl next door type.  Ima did suffer from "reluctant hero syndrome", which seems to be a common ailment in many other books I have read lately.  She really does become stronger and grow as a person (literally)as the story progresses.  I always enjoy reading about strong female heroes and Ima eventually meets that criteria.

The other characters are also unique.  Vaughn is my favorite character, because you don't know much about him.  He is a man of few words, but he proves he has a good heart.  His mysterious nature keeps the reader engaged and of course, mysterious men are always attractive.  I hope we get to know him better in the next book in this series.

The writing is easy to read and the actions is nonstop.  The plot is well thought out and revealed slowly, with just enough information to keep the reader involved and anticipating more.

There are some sexual encounters in this book that are essential to the plot.  The sex is tastefully done, without too much detail.  For this reason I would recommend the book for older high school aged children and up.  Younger teens may also miss the social commentary which is one of the most important parts of this book.  Be prepared for a cliffhanger ending that will leave you dying to read the next book!  I can't wait the read the rest of this series!

Thanks to the author for the copy of this book. In return for the copy of the novel, I offer my unbiased review.

Thereafter by Anthony Schmitz

Quoted from Amazon.com:
Clarissa Brimsley, the narrator of Thereafter, is long dead, but she still has work to do. The object of her attention is her mother, Audrey. Sixty years after the fact, Audrey is stuck trying to make peace with the idea that she killed Clarissa in what was not entirely an accident in the home. She has never moved from the once-splendid house, now fallen into ruin, where Clarissa died. She has never truly stopped thinking of the girl.


After Audrey's sons ship her off to a nursing home, they sell the house to a young couple, Mag and Wald. They intend to rehab the old wreck, sell it, buy another and build a fortune. Those plans get derailed when Mag senses that the house is speaking to her. She finds a trunk of abandoned photo albums, filled with pictures of Audrey and Clarissa. In those photos Mag imagines a path to the future. She will make herself as happy as Audrey seems to be. She will have a child of her own.


Mag learns more of the truth about Audrey and Clarissa, but only after she is pregnant. Her efforts to ensure the safety of her child lead her into a complex relationship with Audrey. The old woman’s reluctant attempt to help Mag is complicated by unintended consequences and an unexpected choice.


I really loved the idea of this story. A dead child spends 60 years watching her living family from the "Thereafter". What a great concept. I was really excited to begin reading!
I wish I could give this book a wonderful review. However, it is a mediocre read. I hate giving negative review, and this one isn't entirely negative. I do promise to give fair reviews and my opinions are not always positive.

Let's start with the good. The author, Anthony Schmitz started with a great concept. His writing is easy to read and really has a nice pace and flow that is not at all distracting from the story. The characters are interesting. The relationships between the characters could have resulted in some intriguing situations.

So, what was the problem? I had to think about this for a few days before I could identify exactly what was missing from this book. There were several things I had problems with. Most of it was lack of information. I wanted to know more about the characters, more about the Thereafter and more about the relationships between the characters. The ending of this book was too abrupt and convenient for me. I also became distracted at times, by trying to figure out who was speaking and having to re-read parts. I was most disappointed by the lack of a strong plot line. I felt like the story drifted along aimlessly until the author got bored with it and finally wrote the abrupt ending. I think that with a stronger plot, many of these problems would resolve.

Okay, Why do I have two book covers?  I wanted to comment on the alternate covers.  The one with the baby is just creepy, given the subject matter.  The e-book that I received had the cover with the door, which really like.

Overall, this book left me feeling unfulfilled, but I would not take this author off my "to read" list just yet. Schmitz has lots of potential and some wonderfully creative ideas. I would certainly read his future efforts.

Thanks to the author and LibraryThing for the copy of this book through the Member Giveaways. In return for the copy of the novel, I offer my unbiased review.I really loved the idea of this story. A dead child spends 60 years watching her living family from the "Thereafter". What a great concept. I was really excited to begin reading!
I wish I could give this book a wonderful review. However, it is a mediocre read. I hate giving negative review, and this one isn't entirely negative. I do promise to give fair reviews and my opinions are not always positive.

Let's start with the good. The author, Anthony Schmitz started with a great concept. His writing is easy to read and really has a nice pace and flow that is not at all distracting from the story. The characters are interesting. The relationships between the characters could have resulted in some intriguing situations.

So, what was the problem? I had to think about this for a few days before I could identify exactly what was missing from this book. There were several things I had problems with. Most of it was lack of information. I wanted to know more about the characters, more about the Thereafter and more about the relationships between the characters. The ending of this book was too abrupt and convenient for me. I also became distracted at times, by trying to figure out who was speaking and having to re-read parts. I was most disappointed by the lack of a strong plot line. I felt like the story drifted along aimlessly until the author got bored with it and finally wrote the abrupt ending. I think that with a stronger plot, many of these problems would resolve.

Overall, this book left me feeling unfulfilled, but I would not take this author off my "to read" list just yet. Schmitz has lots of potential and some wonderfully creative ideas. I would certainly read his future efforts.

Thanks to the author and LibraryThing for the copy of this book through the Member Giveaways. In return for the copy of the novel, I offer my unbiased review.

Meet Monica Leonelle, Author of Socialpunk

Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire (http://proseonfire.com) and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit (http://proseonfire.com/free-writer-toolkit).

Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle

Take a sneak peek of the first book in the Socialpunk Trilogy !!!

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

TAKE A PEEK:


Twelve cups of water sat on the table, four for each of them. Next to each cup sat a pill—yellow for fat, red for carbs, blue for protein, and green for vitamins.

Vaughn took the red pill, ripped it in half like a pack of sugar, and poured it into his cup. He set his cup into a contraption on the table and it whirled and hissed. When the machine finished, the cup had a pink, swirly liquid inside.

Nahum looked at the four cups in distaste.

“Not up to your standards?” Vaughn asked, shooting his drink. He swallowed the mixture in one large gulp. “I would get you something else, but we’re rebuilding our hash. We can’t afford real food, plus it’s bad for you anyway. Extremely difficult to maintain a balanced diet.”

“Synthetic food can’t cost that much,” Nahum countered. He grinned. “We had it in our little fake world, at least.”

Vaughn chuckled. “Synthetic food is even worse for you than real food. Shortens your life. We stopped eating that stuff at the turn of the century. It gave people long-term hyperactivity, which can kill you. LTH took out a lot of the population, kind of like cancer in your day, except a bigger deal because the population had dwindled so low already. Plus, people live indefinitely now.”

Nahum’s nose twitched as he laughed. “People don’t live indefinitely.”

But Vaughn looked genuinely surprised. “Of course we do. Have you seen anyone who looks over the age of twenty-five to you?”

“What does that mean, though?” Ima asked out of curiosity. “How could you live indefinitely? You may not look older, but you still age.”

Vaughn grinned. “Like I said before—there’s a lot you don’t understand about this world.”