Tesla's Attic (Accelerati Trilogy #1) by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman

Hey, guys!  I read this back in January and am just now posting about it.  Sorry.  But the second book, Edison's Alley, came out very recently, so I thought I'd go ahead and post a little something!

I enjoyed this book.  It was creative and fun.  It's probably important to keep in mind that this book's target audience is probably middle schoolers, though I enjoyed it as a high schooler.  Just keep the fact that it might be a tad juvenile in mind (though it really won't affect your enjoyment of this book).
I read this book mainly because Neal Shusterman helped write it.  He is one of my top three favorite authors of all time, and I love everything he writes.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Nick and Caitlyn as they try to defeat the Accelerati.  I honestly don't have an opinion on the cover.  It doesn't stand out, but it's also not too mundane.

Official Description
Tesla's Attic is the first book in a brilliantly imagined and hilariously written trilogy that combines science, magic, intrigue, and just plain weirdness, about four kids who are caught up in a dangerous plan concocted by the eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla.
After their home burns down, fourteen-year-old Nick, his younger brother, and their father move into a ramshackle Victorian house they've inherited. When Nick opens the door to his attic room, he's hit in the head by a toaster. That's just the beginning of his weird experiences with the old junk stored up there. After getting rid of the odd antiques in a garage sale, Nick befriends some local kids-Mitch, Caitlin, and Vincent-and they discover that all of the objects have extraordinary properties. What's more, Nick figures out that the attic is a strange magnetic vortex, which attracts all sorts of trouble. It's as if the attic itself has an intelligence . . . and a purpose.
Ultimately Nick learns that the genius Nikola Tesla placed the items-his last inventions-in the attic as part of a larger plan that he mathematically predicted. Nick and his new friends must retrieve everything that was sold at the garage sale and keep it safe. But the task is fraught with peril-in addition to the dangers inherent in Tesla's mysterious and powerful creations, a secret society of physicists, the Accelerati, is determined to stop Nick and alter destiny to achieve its own devious ends. It's a lot for a guy to handle, especially when he'd much rather fly under the radar as the new kid in town.
Fans of intrigue, action, humor, and nonstop surprises are guaranteed a read unlike any other in Tesla's Attic, Book One of the Accelerati Trilogy.

My Review:
It was a silly book, but I loved it. I laughed out loud at times and got really into the plot. Also, I'm a huge Tesla fan, so how could I not love a book that frequently mentions him! I strongly recommend it.  If you want to have a light, fun read, I would strongly recommend Tesla's Attic!

Phrase:
Quick! Say something smart!

Undivided (Unwind 4) by Neal Shusterman 5/5 stars

If I could, I would break the rating scale to give Undivided the score it truly deserves.  This series, the Unwind series is one of my top 5 favorite series of all time.  It is truly fantastic!
If you haven't read the other books in this series (Unwind, Unwholly, and Unsouled), I suggest that you start now.
The basic premise for this series is that three teenagers are marked for unwinding (a sort of forced organ donation) by their families, and they struggle to escape from the cops and survive.  (Click for more).This series puts other Dystopian books to shame.

Without further ado, here is my review for the final book in this series.

*SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THIS SERIES*

The Cover:

The cover:

I love this cover so much! I shows the Statue of Liberty with her new metal arm that has seams running across it (like they're unwind parts) and her torch has "united" kids around it.  It's so cool and just amazing in every way.  I didn't like the covers for Unwholly and Unsouled, but this cover more than made up for them.

Official Description:

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.
But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

My Review:

Many of you may already know this, but I absolutely adore Neal Shusterman's writing style.  I tend to be blown away by his books' greatness, and Undivided was no exception.

The plot of this book was nonstop action and excitement.  Quite a few times, I had to put my copy down and walk away just so that I didn't have a heart attack or something, but I never could keep away for long! I read Undivided in a single day.  

It was the perfect conclusion to the Unwind series.  I had a lot of thoughts on how Shusterman would manage to end this series, but they all fell miles from the actual ending.  I was completely shocked by many points of this story.  From time to time, I would literally gasp while reading and say, "The author can't do that! Can he?", and, for better or worse (definitely better), he could and he did.  

The characters, as they were in the rest of the series, were perfectly flawed. We have characters like Connor, a martyr who never wanted control who becomes our hero, and Grace, a girl with a mental handicap (low-cortial) who is a brilliant statistician. Even the characters who I started out hated like Cam ended up beings wonderful surprises.  

I'm not going to give anything away, but you will love it once you read it!

Phrase:

I've got you...under my skin...

Happy Reading!

Unwholly by Neal Shusterman (Awesome)

Okay, sorry that I am like a month late.  I just didn't get around to posting so I have a bunch of really good books to post on but not enough time.  I'll start with this one and move on if I have time before more books come out.

Unwholly was the sequel to Unwind.  I LOVED Unwind.  It really made me start loving Neal Shusterman's writing.  Anyway, it was an amazing book that you should go and read.  It will sound creepy without a doubt but it's worth it.

Without further ado, the cover.

 

I'll be the first to admit this cover is downright scary.  There's a sulking multicolored teenager on the cover and that's it.  I really hated his character, as you are supposed to.  Anyway, I think they could have done a different cover that wouldn't turn people away from the book because it's not that bad.

 

The plot starts soon after the last book ended.  Conner is taking control of the Graveyard, Risa is handicapped, and Lev is under the custody of his older brother, Marcus.  Things are standing to unravel at the seems, though.  The ADR is cutting resources from the Graveyard, Risa is not as safe as she believes she is, and a tragity in Lev's life might leave him as a prisoner.  We are also introduced to some other characters such as Cam and Starkley.  Let's just say that neither will help their cause much.  And the overlying question is: When will the Juvies finally take out the Graveyard?

 

The plot thickens in this amazing sequel to Unwind.  Neal Shusterman, as always, makes a compelling, action packed story, with some very lovable characters and same very dispisable characters.

 

II would really suggest reading this book along with the first book of the trilogy.  The last book will come out eventually and I will be looking forward to it, hopefully along with you.

 

Thanks for reading this!