lizanne95's review
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book and read it once I knew that I was going to get it in the mail. Fantasy has to be one of my favorite genres and this was one of the best books in Fantasy that I have read.
It was really well thought out and written. Being in the future, of course none of the stuff in the book is real except for the names of the States. But it was realistically written, so it was quite believable.
Bonnie S. Calhoun has jumped close to the top of my list of authors that I can’t choose from to be my favorite. I can’t wait for her next book to come out since I read the preview of the second book for this series at the end of this book. Hopefully I don’t have to wait to long.
“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.
It was really well thought out and written. Being in the future, of course none of the stuff in the book is real except for the names of the States. But it was realistically written, so it was quite believable.
Bonnie S. Calhoun has jumped close to the top of my list of authors that I can’t choose from to be my favorite. I can’t wait for her next book to come out since I read the preview of the second book for this series at the end of this book. Hopefully I don’t have to wait to long.
“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.
erinruns's review
4.0
Part of the story left me a bit bored but overall I really enjoyed it and definitely plan to read the next books in the series. It's refreshing to read a book that is clean but not your stereotypical Christian fiction.
bekaaaah's review
3.0
One hundred and fifty years after nuclear war nearly destroys America, society has changed dramatically. The marked people who mysteriously arrive by boat from an unknown land, called the Landers, are hunted and sold by the unmarked to the powerful people who live in the Mountain. On the eve of her eighteenth Birth Remembrance, one girl named Selah Rishon Chavez wants to prove to her father and brothers that she can hunt and provide just as well as they can… so she decides to hunt Landers instead of her usual game. She manages to capture a handsome Lander named Bodhi Locke, but things take a turn when her brothers step in and take credit for the catch. To make matters much worse, the next morning Selah finds that the Lander’s mark has now been engraved on her collarbone. Now among the hunted, Selah is forced to leave her home and sets out to find answers the only place she can—the Mountain.
I dove into this young adult dystopian novel with a lot of excitement, as it was one of my most anticipated reads from 2014. It ended up being so completely different from what I thought it was going to be (the synopsis really doesn’t give you a good picture of the story). Though confused at first, all it took were a few chapters to really start getting into Thunder’s whole new world. It introduced landers, the Presence, mysterious lands, the Company, Mountain Men, and post-apocalyptic America pretty well for such a short span and it was really interesting. Fun fact about this book—there were so many similarities I noticed between this story and one of The CW’s tv shows, The 100. The “grounders” in that show were just like this book’s “landers” and the Mountain Men in both were also very similar! I love The 100, so this similar storyline was right up my alley.
While the story was unique and enjoyable, there were a few things that held me back from loving it. The writing was a little rough around the edges at times, in my opinion. The dialogue was especially hard for me, because the characters would say so much more than needed that it ended up being too unrealistic. Speaking of the characters, they were also a little difficult to like. Selah was naive and, frankly, a bit whiny. While I did like Bodhi and twelve-year-old Amaryllis, my dislike for the main character prevented me from fully enjoying the adventurous plot.
Overall I thought Thunder was an exciting start to what I know will become a great series. I appreciated that the book ended on a good place, with no real cliffhanger but enough questions to anticipate the next. If you enjoy immersing yourself into a new world with young romance, fast-paced adventure, and interesting plot-lines, you should definitely try this first book in the Stone Braid Chronicles!
**I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. My sincerest apologies to Revell and the author for my delay in reviewing.
http://www.willbakeforbooks.com/2015/02/review-thunder-bonnie-s-calhoun/
I dove into this young adult dystopian novel with a lot of excitement, as it was one of my most anticipated reads from 2014. It ended up being so completely different from what I thought it was going to be (the synopsis really doesn’t give you a good picture of the story). Though confused at first, all it took were a few chapters to really start getting into Thunder’s whole new world. It introduced landers, the Presence, mysterious lands, the Company, Mountain Men, and post-apocalyptic America pretty well for such a short span and it was really interesting. Fun fact about this book—there were so many similarities I noticed between this story and one of The CW’s tv shows, The 100. The “grounders” in that show were just like this book’s “landers” and the Mountain Men in both were also very similar! I love The 100, so this similar storyline was right up my alley.
While the story was unique and enjoyable, there were a few things that held me back from loving it. The writing was a little rough around the edges at times, in my opinion. The dialogue was especially hard for me, because the characters would say so much more than needed that it ended up being too unrealistic. Speaking of the characters, they were also a little difficult to like. Selah was naive and, frankly, a bit whiny. While I did like Bodhi and twelve-year-old Amaryllis, my dislike for the main character prevented me from fully enjoying the adventurous plot.
Overall I thought Thunder was an exciting start to what I know will become a great series. I appreciated that the book ended on a good place, with no real cliffhanger but enough questions to anticipate the next. If you enjoy immersing yourself into a new world with young romance, fast-paced adventure, and interesting plot-lines, you should definitely try this first book in the Stone Braid Chronicles!
**I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. My sincerest apologies to Revell and the author for my delay in reviewing.
http://www.willbakeforbooks.com/2015/02/review-thunder-bonnie-s-calhoun/
moj8668's review
5.0
Completely Hooked
I love it when authors find ways to discuss real-life issues in literature. And boy does this title deliver!! The only down-side?! Now I have ANOTHER “must read” series to add to my list!
I love it when authors find ways to discuss real-life issues in literature. And boy does this title deliver!! The only down-side?! Now I have ANOTHER “must read” series to add to my list!
mohawkm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
5.0
As bike travelogues go, this one is full of tenacity: traveling around the world, as cheaply as possible, over 4 years. You might assume that means the author is something of a dirtbag, and I suspect he'd agree. Still, he accepts it with humor and writes eloquently of the beautiful places and people, the unreasonable risks he takes, and the now barely remembered feeling of being completely cut off from the world, by traveling by bike remotely in the early 2000s (pre-smart phone). While I don't want to bike across Siberia in winter myself, I feel all the better for having read it and all the other adventures in this excellent book.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
3.0
‘Stupid actions have consequences.’
In a post-apocalyptic America, on a shore littered with rusty metal remnants of the city that once stood there, Selah Chavez is hunting. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and while Selah knows that many refuse to eat animal flesh because of contamination by radiation, she’s really hoping to capture a Lander. Landers are mysterious people from across the sea, much prized by the Company if they keep the markings they arrive with. Selah catches a Lander, but he’s stolen by her brothers. And when she wakes up on the day of her eighteenth Born Remembrance she finds that the Lander’s distinctive mark has appeared on her own flesh. What does this mean? Selah’s world is turned upside down: the mark makes her an outcast from her own people. Can she track down her brothers to find – Bohdi Locke - the Lander she originally captured before they sell him? Selah hopes that he will be able to provide the answers she is after.
‘Promises don’t mean anything in this world. All are lies.’
A century has passed since the Time of Sorrows. During that time few outside the Mountain have had dealings with those of the Company hidden within it. But the Company wants Landers, and they are willing to pay for them. Now that she has a Lander mark Selah knows that she too will be hunted down and sold, even though she has no Lander memories.
And so, after some explanations and hurried instructions from her mother, Selah sets off on a dangerous journey. She hopes to overtake her brothers before they reach the Mountain but knows that there are as many dangers outside the Mountain as are rumoured to be within it.
It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of this novel and to appreciate some of the aspects of the dystopian world in which it is set. I had to keep rereading some aspects to make sense of the story, but as the story moved into its second half I found it easier going. Which was just as well, because the pace of the story picked up as well. I understand that this is the first novel in a series. I’ll be looking out for the second: I’m very keen to know what happens next.
If you are interested in YA dystopian fiction, this may well be a novel you’d enjoy. The main characters are interesting, and while took a while to gain momentum, I found it hard to put down once it did.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In a post-apocalyptic America, on a shore littered with rusty metal remnants of the city that once stood there, Selah Chavez is hunting. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and while Selah knows that many refuse to eat animal flesh because of contamination by radiation, she’s really hoping to capture a Lander. Landers are mysterious people from across the sea, much prized by the Company if they keep the markings they arrive with. Selah catches a Lander, but he’s stolen by her brothers. And when she wakes up on the day of her eighteenth Born Remembrance she finds that the Lander’s distinctive mark has appeared on her own flesh. What does this mean? Selah’s world is turned upside down: the mark makes her an outcast from her own people. Can she track down her brothers to find – Bohdi Locke - the Lander she originally captured before they sell him? Selah hopes that he will be able to provide the answers she is after.
‘Promises don’t mean anything in this world. All are lies.’
A century has passed since the Time of Sorrows. During that time few outside the Mountain have had dealings with those of the Company hidden within it. But the Company wants Landers, and they are willing to pay for them. Now that she has a Lander mark Selah knows that she too will be hunted down and sold, even though she has no Lander memories.
And so, after some explanations and hurried instructions from her mother, Selah sets off on a dangerous journey. She hopes to overtake her brothers before they reach the Mountain but knows that there are as many dangers outside the Mountain as are rumoured to be within it.
It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of this novel and to appreciate some of the aspects of the dystopian world in which it is set. I had to keep rereading some aspects to make sense of the story, but as the story moved into its second half I found it easier going. Which was just as well, because the pace of the story picked up as well. I understand that this is the first novel in a series. I’ll be looking out for the second: I’m very keen to know what happens next.
If you are interested in YA dystopian fiction, this may well be a novel you’d enjoy. The main characters are interesting, and while took a while to gain momentum, I found it hard to put down once it did.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
thestarman's review
[YA story, Adult reader]
If forced to rate, it'd be somewhere 1 and 2 stars. Closer to the 1.
For the most part, it was painfully bad. However, the protagonist was sometimes capable--when she wasn't swooning over some bad-boy male she met 3 seconds ago, or arguing with her mommy.
Would I read Book #2? No.
If forced to rate, it'd be somewhere 1 and 2 stars. Closer to the 1.
For the most part, it was painfully bad. However, the protagonist was sometimes capable--when she wasn't swooning over some bad-boy male she met 3 seconds ago, or arguing with her mommy.
Would I read Book #2? No.
rathernovel's review
A really interesting story idea for a book, and the enthusiasm for it was nice to read, I just unfortunately didn't feel very attached to it, and by the end was rather disinterested.
cctblog's review
4.0
Thunder is a teen dystopian novel in the vein of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy and Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy. It also bears similarities to Krista McGee's excellent Christian trilogy, the Anomaly series (which is probably my favorite YA dystopian series).
I really enjoyed the main plot of Thunder—Selah trying to find her father and learn who she really is. Her relationship with a young girl she meets on her way to the mountain is really endearing, and I appreciated the growth in her from beginning to end.
I did feel that a few too many characters were focused on throughout the novel: Selah, Bodhi, Selah's brother Cleon, the leader of the Company (the Mountain's "government"), his wife, a rival scientist, a lab assistant, the head of security, etc. I had no trouble keeping these people straight as Calhoun did an excellent job of character development, but I did feel overwhelmed with information. I think if Calhoun had focused on just two characters (Selah and Treva, the lab assistant) and let the events unfold from their perspectives, I would have stayed more engaged with the story throughout the novel.
I also think it's worth mentioning that, while Thunder is published by Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group, it doesn't really have any spiritual content. I don't think that's a bad thing, but someone who purchases a book from a Christian publisher will probably expect it to have a Christian message. I have no idea what's in store for the rest of the Stone Braide Chronicles, and I wouldn't be surprised if Calhoun brings in spiritual content along the way. Even if she doesn't, there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't want you to purchase the book expecting one thing and finding another. (Isn't that the worst?)
I really did enjoy Thunder, and I'd love to continue the series. Teens (and adults) who enjoy dystopian novels should definitely check it out. 3-1/2 stars.
Content note: This novel is action-packed and violent ... probably on par with The Hunger Games. Again, not a bad thing, as long as you know what you're getting into. I would have no qualms giving an older teen this book, but I probably wouldn't give it to a 7th grader. Think PG-13.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I really enjoyed the main plot of Thunder—Selah trying to find her father and learn who she really is. Her relationship with a young girl she meets on her way to the mountain is really endearing, and I appreciated the growth in her from beginning to end.
I did feel that a few too many characters were focused on throughout the novel: Selah, Bodhi, Selah's brother Cleon, the leader of the Company (the Mountain's "government"), his wife, a rival scientist, a lab assistant, the head of security, etc. I had no trouble keeping these people straight as Calhoun did an excellent job of character development, but I did feel overwhelmed with information. I think if Calhoun had focused on just two characters (Selah and Treva, the lab assistant) and let the events unfold from their perspectives, I would have stayed more engaged with the story throughout the novel.
I also think it's worth mentioning that, while Thunder is published by Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group, it doesn't really have any spiritual content. I don't think that's a bad thing, but someone who purchases a book from a Christian publisher will probably expect it to have a Christian message. I have no idea what's in store for the rest of the Stone Braide Chronicles, and I wouldn't be surprised if Calhoun brings in spiritual content along the way. Even if she doesn't, there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't want you to purchase the book expecting one thing and finding another. (Isn't that the worst?)
I really did enjoy Thunder, and I'd love to continue the series. Teens (and adults) who enjoy dystopian novels should definitely check it out. 3-1/2 stars.
Content note: This novel is action-packed and violent ... probably on par with The Hunger Games. Again, not a bad thing, as long as you know what you're getting into. I would have no qualms giving an older teen this book, but I probably wouldn't give it to a 7th grader. Think PG-13.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
longtimereader's review
5.0
Oh my goodness! This dystopian book will keep you turning page after page as you read about all the mysteries it holds inside! I'm going to start with Selah's name, I really like that. I know this word, from the Bible. I was taught the meaning of that name was like saying Amen or So Be It. I had to look it up though, and I found that it has been said that selah is a pause to praise, to praise and lift up, and or to be valued. The greatest feed back on it seems to be to seriously consider the important of what was said. That has bearing because in this book Selah is uplifting and she is definitely of great, great value. Also, the Celtic trinity knot image that is the emblem, it is fantastic how it is worked into the covers! The Trinity Knot speaks of Christianity right from the cover forward.
Now - more about this book!
On Selah's 18th Birth Remembrance day, her entire life changed. Nothing will ever be the same again for her. Something she can't get rid of, something she had to hide has changed her, and her life. She is now marked. Marked as one of the hunted - the Landers. In short, Selah isn't at all who she thought she was. Now she is on the run, headed to the Mountain, focused on catching the Lander who triggered the rest of this huge change in her. The things that are happening in there are page turning. Experiments with laminin and trimeric protein changes are just the start of questions we have with slowly unfolding answers, including what exactly is the Stone Braide?
As Selah finds out that she has abilities she never knew about, she is still struggling to figure out who she is, and what she can do, and why. Each new mystery leads to some answers, and each new answers, more questions. I am looking forward to the day I get to read the second book in this series. I came away from the first half of this book thinking... "His strength is make perfect when I am weak.:" I'm waiting for the next installment of this series thinking..... what if, and what comes next for these characters that are so brave and have so much to learn, to forgive and to grow through.
Please don't keep us waiting tooooo long for the second book. I have so much more I want to learn. So many questions waiting to be answered as the many mysteries of this series unfold like a flower blooming.
My copy of this book came from Revell books in exchange for my honest review, and nothing more.
Now - more about this book!
On Selah's 18th Birth Remembrance day, her entire life changed. Nothing will ever be the same again for her. Something she can't get rid of, something she had to hide has changed her, and her life. She is now marked. Marked as one of the hunted - the Landers. In short, Selah isn't at all who she thought she was. Now she is on the run, headed to the Mountain, focused on catching the Lander who triggered the rest of this huge change in her. The things that are happening in there are page turning. Experiments with laminin and trimeric protein changes are just the start of questions we have with slowly unfolding answers, including what exactly is the Stone Braide?
As Selah finds out that she has abilities she never knew about, she is still struggling to figure out who she is, and what she can do, and why. Each new mystery leads to some answers, and each new answers, more questions. I am looking forward to the day I get to read the second book in this series. I came away from the first half of this book thinking... "His strength is make perfect when I am weak.:" I'm waiting for the next installment of this series thinking..... what if, and what comes next for these characters that are so brave and have so much to learn, to forgive and to grow through.
Please don't keep us waiting tooooo long for the second book. I have so much more I want to learn. So many questions waiting to be answered as the many mysteries of this series unfold like a flower blooming.
My copy of this book came from Revell books in exchange for my honest review, and nothing more.