Book Review Wednesday: The Beckoners by Carrie Mac (Contemporary YA)

The Beckoners by Carrie Mac

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one of those books I've picked up several times at the library, but never opened it because I'd never heard of it. So even though it sounded good, I'd end up reading something else I got at the same time. Silly me.

Here is this undiscovered gem of a book. All I kept thinking as I listened to it was, HOW THE HELL IS THIS BOOK NOT A PRINTZ AWARD WINNER!!!???? It is so good, and exactly like what they always pick. Except way better. I know it doesn't have the best reviews, but THIS BOOK ROCKS!

It was so grungy and grimy and sad and brutal and depressing and just all around...amazing. One of those books that, as I read, I kept thinking, "Man, I wish I'd written this book." Not in the way of, "I could have done it better," but in the way of, "I wish I was Carrie Mac."

I will never understand why this book isn't rated higher. I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the evilness of children portrayed here. It's like a modern Lord of the Flies, about bullying and bad parenting and reality. And girls. And cruelty. And conformity. People have complained that it's written strangely, but I had the audio and couldn't tell (and sometimes, you can...ahem *sarahdessen*). It sounded great to me. I liked the reader, and the prose flows well. People have also complained that it dealt with too many issues, but I didn't even notice. I was too busy going squee squee squee all the way home.



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Review Wednesday: Alt Ed (Contemporary YA)

Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 stars

Reviewing this book is a bit challenging, because while it was going on, there was really nothing wrong with it, except for what didn't happen during it. Let me explain.

As I began this book, I was instantly drawn in. I loved Susan, our protagonist, for her sweetness and because she wasn't typecast as the fat funny girl. Call this a modern take on The Breakfast Club, where, instead of detention, these kids have an entire semester of after-school meetings with the counselor because of some bad behavior they each engaged in. Each participant is developed over the course of the book, morphing into wonderful, well-developed characters. As the book unfolds, we learn why most of them are there, although most of it is saved for what turns out to be the climax, since what should have been the climax is not actually included in the book.

I feel a bit guilty for withholding praise for what is NOT in the book, but with this one, I have to. There's an agent who posts on her blog the importance of knowing where to start your story. This author seemed not to know where to end her story. Normally, if that was the case, you'd think it was because an author dragged on and on after the climax, or left you with a cliffhanger. But this one just sort of...ended. Abruptly. In the middle of nowhere, right before what had been building towards what I thought would be the climax. It wasn't the kind of ending that lets you imagine what happens next, but the kind that makes you wonder if some pages were missing from your book, or if an incomplete draft got sent to the publisher and no one noticed. So while I enjoyed the book, I didn't enjoy the not-book that was missing.

I'm not opposed to book without happily-ever-after endings. I'm not opposed to a few loose ends--I like feeling like the characters live on after the last page. But this book leaves A LOT of loose ends. In fact, pretty much every end is left hanging.

(view spoiler)[ Susan and her dad started down a path to reconciliation, which was a good end for their story. But what about her and her brother? Nothing changed. What about things with Brendon? We can assume they stayed friends. What was going on with the counselor--was he sick? What happened with Randy? With Cal? Did he like Susan? Why was he such a bully? Did he ever change, or begin to change, or see that what he was doing was wrong? We never learn why he's there, or what he does when he finds out Susan and Brendon trashed his truck. In fact, we never even learn why they did it. We are told they are going to a confrontation where we will find out why he's there, and they will confess. And then the book ends.  (hide spoiler)]

Still, while I was reading it, I was completely captivated. It was one of those books that made me wish I'd written it. For someone who thinks the characters make the novel, this was perfect. Susan was sweet, but not too much of a pushover, and not a cliche. Amber was tough and wounded, but not a cliche either. Tracy, the perfect cheerleader who wasn't perfect, clashes with Brendon, the ostracized gay guy. Though some of the characters aren't exactly original, they all come alive enough that it doesn't matter that they are types, because here, they are real people who just happen to fall into a category. Each character is handled with compassion, realism, and care. Overall, Randy was the character who elicited the most emotion. He was the sweet jock, idolized by our protagonist but not quite as perfect as she'd like to imagine. He went along with the bullying, even when he didn't agree with it, which made him as culpable as anyone. I would have liked Susan to accept this a bit more than she did, but it didn't affect the story much. It was a nice change in today's YA landscape to read about a girl falling for the nice-guy hero. Honestly, I kept waiting for her to fall for Cal, because, well, that's how most YA girls are portrayed now--always irresistibly attracted to the asshole. Randy's character was so wonderfully drawn, someone we have all known, who goes along with his friends even when he shouldn't, easy-going and kind to everyone.

This is a wonderful book about bullying, conformity, friendship, family, stereotypes, and judging people, among other things. There are lots of books with the same message, but not many as good as this one. Would have been a 5-star if it had felt complete, or had a real ending. </["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>



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Review Wednesday: Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


For years I have picked up this book and put it down again because I made the mistake of watching the movie when it came out. I loathed the movie (yes, loathed). Words cannot express how much. So I never wanted to read the book, and it's a shame, because the book was terrific!

One of the most effective ways for an author to grab some readers (myself included) is to create a sense of atmosphere, and Babbitt does so with power and precision. From the first page, I was hooked and dragged into this novel. I was there. The characters were almost secondary to the setting. The atmosphere of the novel was gripping and suffocating, every scene infused with heat and thrumming with the rhythms of late summer.

Of course the topic of this novel is the age-old question of mortality and the fountain of youth. That question is explored from both sides deftly and succinctly in this tiny novel. Don't be deceived by the novel's length--it is complete and perfect as it is, and will stay with you as you contemplate its message far longer than the few hours it takes to read.



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Godless, by Pete Hautman

Godless by Pete Hautman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was very clever and thought-provoking without ever crossing over into that territory where I feel like an author is patting himself on the back the whole time he's writing, thinking "I'm SOOO smart to think of this." No, Godless is smart and funny without being arrogant. I enjoyed reading it very much, and it's a book I will recommend to readers as well as writers as being an example of great writing. The author does an amazing job at showing (rather than telling) everything from the characters' social status to their beliefs. It's also a thought-provoking exploration of finding and losing faith. It might make you uncomfortable or make you question your beliefs, but in the best possible way. After all, if you're not willing to question and examine your beliefs, how strong can they be?




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Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


4.5 stars


This was one of the strangest books I've read in a long time, maybe ever. At first, the start of it didn't suck me in and I didn't know about reading a book written entirely as a series of letters because I don't normally like those gimmicky formats. Usually it seems like those things are used to prop up weak plots, so I put down the book for almost a month. I found it again last week and thought I'd give it another shot since I had heard so many good things about it. I am so glad I did.


This book was so unique and quirky, but not enough to irritate me. It never tried too hard. It managed to be funny and moving and wonderful all at once. Charlie had such a strange voice and he was such an odd character that I kept wondering if he has Asperger's. It took me a bit to get into the flow of the story because of the odd way he articulated everything. But I was already absorbed into the plot, and pretty soon I got used to his voice. Then it got weird because he reminded me of this guy I knew who was mentally insane and talked *exactly* like Charlie thinks. So I started wondering if Charlie was crazy.


This book is probably best for older teens as it has a lot of disturbing themes, including rape, incest, child molestation, underage sex, drinking, drug use, domestic violence, etc, and how often people are passive to these things or stay with (and love) the person perpetrating the abuse. It deals a lot with passivity to life in general. There are also lots of homosexual scenes that some people would not be comfortable reading. The book has lots of bad language and is a very sexualized account of this boy's life and experiences. While the sex isn't described in a titillating way, it is pretty graphic in terms of what goes where, what exactly is happening, who is in what positions, etc.


I must also warn that this book is extremely absorbing and written from the perspective of a child with psychological problems. Sometimes while reading, it made me feel a little like I was losing it. To me, that is a sign of a great book, being able to draw the reader in so thoroughly. My only complaint was that the surprise at the end seemed unnecessary, and I would have liked a more internal explanation for Charlies problems, since he was such an internally focused person.




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Review Wednesday: Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I got this (audio)book from the library, I had no idea what it was about. I thought it was a paranormal book for some reason--the title, or cover pic, or maybe I read part of the description and thought it said something about invisible girls and ghosts. If I'd known what it was about, I don't think I would have read it, so I'm really glad I didn't know, because I would have missed an amazing book.


Of course I figured out about five minutes in that it was actually a book about a girl with an eating disorder. I had a few reservations, but I liked the audio narrator, so I stuck with it. Anderson is an amazing writer. I love her style, her poetic prose, and her unique twists.


As far as accuracy, the book was pretty much spot-on as far as capturing the helpless feeling of it. I can't say I agreed with everything, but for the most part, I found it accurate and moving. When she finds out what happened to her friend, I wanted to barf tears. It was a very, very sad book, so if you don't like sad books or can't put yourself in the shoes of someone with problems you've never experienced, this book probably isn't for you. I don't have a problem with those things, plus I could relate to Lia and her struggles to find peace, so I loved the book.


I also love how Anderson writes books that are not romance novels. She usually has a hopeful ending, but some really dark things happen in her books. I like how she doesn't sugar coat issues. I also loved the character of Eli in this book, although he never felt...real. I kept wondering if Lia imagined him. Something about him seemed too clueless, too weird, too perceptive. But I LOVED what she did with his character at the end--it was exactly right, and I didn't see it coming. I love when authors surprise me, and especially when the surprise makes me say 'Yes! That's exactly what that guy would do!' Too often I find books where it seems the author is self-indulgent and gives characters what they think the character deserves or what readers want to see. I love finding a book where I feel the author did something completely honest with a character.


Overall, this was a wonderful, moving, honest book that I would highly recommend to teenagers.




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One of my favorite authors talks about getting published

I just wanted to send some attention towards Sara Zarr, an edgy YA writer who published her first novel 5 years ago. I've reviewed a couple of her books here on my blog, so I was excited to hear she's posting 5 blogs about her experience writing Story of a Girl.

Her Blog is here.

Review Wednesday: Smack, by Melvin Burgess

Smack by Melvin Burgess


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Like many of my 5-star books, I've resisted reviewing this one because there is no way to do it justice in a few sentences.




This is one of the most intense books I've ever read. I could not stop reading even when it got so intense I got the shakes reading about the kids' journey into heroin addiction. Like Burgess's other books, it drew me in, grabbed on with talons and claws, and would not let go. I think I stayed up all night finishing this one. The first half was engaging, but the second half was...indescribable. I literally could not put it down if I tried. I had to keep reading, even as it got more and more horrifying. Burgess knows how to draw the reader in and keep you there until the climactic scene, which is so intense and awful you will at least want to cry. This book is like...well, like being addicted. You can't stop even when you want to, even when you wonder if it's actually doing some psychological damage.




I read this a few years ago, but to this day the scene where the girl shoots up between her breasts while nursing her baby is probably the most horrifying thing I've ever read. I loved this book, but I'm not going to say it's for everyone, because it is VERY graphic in terms of scenes of drug consumption. But, powerful and worth reading if you can handle it.




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Review Wednesday: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Unabridged) by Avi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. Lately I've been reading a lot of YA historical fiction and not finding it as satisfying as I used to. This book really entertained me. I got very absorbed in the story, in the mysteries and intrigue aboard the Sea Hawk.



I loved the characterization of all the men on the ship, although the bad guy could have been a little more evil I thought. But I guess in YA it can't be *too* graphic, and this book was written in 1990 when YA was a much tamer field. Besides the characters, well, there's not a lot going on in this book. There's a bunch of men on a ship. They sail. They get to know each other, and our title character. It's the usual pirate tale, but with a thirteen-year-old heroine. I thought it was a charming book for young people, especially girls, who are interested in strong female characters and pirate novels.



This is the second Avi novel I've read, and I liked them both. My only complaint with this book was the ending was a little predictible and saccharine. Otherwise, exciting and easy fare.



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Review Wednesday: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t give 5-stars very often, but I really can’t think of anything wrong with this book. It was so silly, and tender, and poignant, and sad, and…adjective overload. I can’t say enough about the amazingness of this book. I recommend to pretty much everyone. It did have some bad language, but I’ve seen worse. I’m not sure why it’s not YA, since the protagonist is 15 and the only thing inappropriate is the language. I’ve read YA that’s a lot more disturbing as far as subject matter and had just as much profanity. I would not call this book a mystery, but it did have moments of discovery that surprised me, which I enjoyed very much.

The characters in this book were so amazing and well-done. I loved Christopher and as he went through his struggles, he took me along, explaining things along the way that I’d never even realize I never think about. Haddon does as great job of imagining the mind of a person with Asperger’s syndrome. I liked all his lists, and how he explained things in such a delightful, childlike way even though it was usually something very complicated and scientific.

I felt a lot of sympathy for the father (and mother, although she was only a minor character). He had an anger management problem, but I still felt for him and cried when he was trying to make it up to Christopher. I know a little bit about the difficulties of trying to communicate with people on the autism spectrum, and I have infinite respect for parents who face those struggles every day. So although the father was sometimes brutally awful, the author did a wonderful job of making him sympathetic at the same time. I found myself tearing up a few times, both over the sweetness between the father and son and the moments of anguish.

Mark Haddon has created a wonderful book that I can only hope will be widely read for years to come. The way he creates balanced characters with frustrations, fears, sadness, and love that you can feel as you read is truly rare and wonderful. A heartbreaking, hilarious, and complicated work with wide appeal that is well worth reading or listening to. It’s one of those rare books that, when I got to the end, I immediately had the urge to start over at the beginning and reread.

In summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!


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Review Wednesday: How to Save a Life, by Sara Zarr

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Okay. I've calmed down from my disappointment at the ending, and I am ready to give my review. First, though--when did they put a girl on the cover? In my ARC copy, the benches are empty!



My review...well, I read Story of a Girl a while back and just fell in swooning love with it, and consequently, its author. But...I was so bummed that this one wasn't as good!



I love the author because she is very simple in her writing style. That's still here in this book. So are the FOR REAL characters. You feel like you know them. They are awesome. They are your friends. They talk like real people, act like real people, are screwed up. They've got issues. I like reading about issues. In this book, one of the issues is something that's on my gag list--child molesting. So that was a little ick for me. It's not very graphic, though, unlike some other YA books that are just too much for me. I put the book aside for a few days once I got some pretty strong hints about that aspect, but I picked it back up and finished most of it in a day. It's a quick read, and the heavy issues are there, but they aren't rammed down your throat in a vomit-inducing kind of way. I like that. Subtle is the name of the game in good YA. YA that is graphic just for the shock factor really makes me mad. It's almost like the authors are just trying to get on a banned-books list, or to shock kids by telling them in graphic detail about stuff that, honestly, kids should not know about. Not in that much detail. ANYWAY, sorry for the rant. The point is, this book sidesteps the graphic while giving you all the impact of the issue.

The next thing I just loved about this book was the relationship between Jill and her father. So wonderful, and real, and OMG--he didn't even molest her! Sometimes I think YA authors want us to think that all fathers are secretly pedophiles. Jill's father is dead, but awesome. However, Mandy's stepfather is...something. Not a pedophile exactly, since she's 17 or 18 when the abuse takes place. And she has mixed feelings about it, so...anyway. Her mom's boyfriend molests her, and she takes it because she never gets attention from her mom or anyone else. Mandy is...psychotic. Like, hilariously crazy. That made it a little more bearable to read, because there was some relief from the squig factor.

I read a few reviews that said they didn't like either of the narrators. I loved Jill. She was so real, so pissed, so flawed. It was harder for me to like Mandy. She was sort of...bland. And the way they suddenly became friends seemed, well, sudden. The guys--I think I have a book-crush on Dylan. I LOVED him. Why didn't HE get a happy ending?

What I didn't like about this book: the ending. Predictable, and kind of lame. Honestly, I'm severely disappointed. Sara Zarr is an author who tackles real subjects with bravery and delicacy. I expect so much more than the ending I got. It was completely unrealistic, and way too happy. I'm all for a happy ending, but not if it doesn't fit the material. That's how this one seemed. Sure, I'd like everything to end up shiny happy in real life. But the point is, it doesn't. Mandy never had to pay for any of her mistakes. Sometimes that happens. But not in the way it happens in this book. I just got to the end and said, "WHATEVER! That would NEVER happen." It was a major letdown.



character: yay! plot: meh. ending: boo.



Recommended for YA readers who like lots of character development and not a lot of action.



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Review Wednesday: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm a huge fan of Laurie Halse Anderson after reading a couple of her contemporary YA books. I always see this one on the shelves, and I like historical fiction, so it seemed like a good fit. It was a good book. I did like it. But...it was missing that something special that has made me love her other books so much. It's hard for me to review this book without comparing it to her others.



As a historical fiction novel for YA, this had everything you'd expect. It was informative, interesting, sometimes exciting, sometimes sad. It had tragedy, suspense, all that. And I did learn about the yellow fever epidemic that I didn't know much about before this novel. The characters are loveable and well-written, especially the grandfather. I loved the relationship between the girl and her grandfather. I also liked that the women in this book were the real heroes, the tough survivors. I also liked how it showed both the black community's contribution to Philadelphia during the epidemic as well as how white doctors tried to help. And it was nice to read a age-appropriate YA book. I like YA on the scandalous side, but sometimes, it's a bit much. So it was nice to read a non-romance. Lately it seems like all the YA I've read has been romance. The romance in this novel is very understated, which I liked.



Maybe it's hard to put a lot of voice in a historical fiction novel, but for me, that was missing in this book. The wonderful voice full of humor despite tragedy was absent in this book. That's what made me really love the author after reading a few of her other novels. Overall, this was an interesting book, but nothing exceptional. Basically, it was pretty forgettable.



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Review Wednesday: After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Okay, let me start this review with a disclaimer: I am not impartial in this review. Also, this review is just as much about me as about this book, so if you have no interest in my life, hit the snooze and go to the next review.



That said, let's get on with it. This book was amazing. I realize it's not exactly heavy stuff, and that it seemed a little...I don't know, simple. But it took place in what is basically my time of greatest character development, my most impressionable of times, that young adult age where tragedy of all sorts fascinated me and I secretly wished I had been a black man instead of a mousy little white girl. Naturally, I was obsessed with Tupac.



So when I saw this book I knew I had to get it, and when I saw it was written by Woodson, an author I greatly admire, it just made it better. During the parts of this book about Tupac, I cried...yes, every time. Every mention of him brought tears to my eyes like I was still a pre-teen trying to figure out if I wanted to wear a black trench coat and a Marilyn Manson t-shirt, or Vans and a flannel shirt, or baggy pants and a bandana. Or something like that.



The rest of the story in this book is about three little girls, D Foster being one of them. Some of the parts about the three girls were great (the friend going to visit her gay brother in prison--swoon). Some parts didn't hold my interest and bordered on purple prose (going to some sort of outdoor theater and making snow angels? I can't remember, I seem to have zoned out during that part). But the friendship between the girls was touching and tender and wonderful. Their interactions with each other and the way their eyes are opened by D and her experience in foster care was genuine and engaging.



Overall, a sweet, sad book, and bonus points for making me cry a lot of times and taking me back to my own formative years with my own messed up friends and love of music and the tragedy of the rappers of that time. A bit of a nostalgic guilty pleasure book, so it's hard for me to be objective. I don't pretend this review is aiming for that.



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Review Wednesday: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Danger! Forbidden romance! An outcast heroine! A mysterious hot guy!



Sound familiar? Yes, I know. It sounds like all the YA fantasy books out now. But wait, there's more.



A kick-ass heroine who doesn't sit around feeling sorry for herself, but does something good (and that doesn't benefit her directly--wait, it's not possible!), and stands up for herself at least sometimes, is more worried about what's right than being a rebel, and is concerned about something other than snagging a supernatural hottie. Wait, you say, something's wrong with this picture.



Actually, something is refreshingly right with this picture. This book is NOT fantasy but historical fiction, but it has a lot of the same elements. However, the similarities stop there. Written in the 'old days,' when writers cared about writing good books and good stories and not just making a buck by copying everything else, this book is still one of my favorites. Of all time. I'd gladly take it over every YA fantasy out today bundled into a huge anthology of unoriginality. Yes, this one small book is worth more than all of those books put together.



The characters are actually developed beyond their feelings for each other. The family is more than filler between the love scenes. The guy has more going for him than the fact that he's hot. And most of all, the heroine is pretty much awesome. I don't remember her ever whining, although she has plenty of reason to. She definitely never stomps into her room, slams the door, and throws herself onto her bed in a grade-A temper tantrum (although she's tempted when they take away all her pretty clothes and make her dress like a Puritan). And she never treats her friends or family like they aren't worth speaking to, even when they are awful to her. Which, incidentally, is a good thing, because if she really had been awful to them, she probably wouldn't have been saved.



I don't speak for anyone but myself here, but I'm so ready for a change in the direction YA literature is going. Please bring back books with substance. This is my plea. I don't know how many more Twilight rip-offs I can handle.



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Book Review: Sara's Face by Melvin Burgess

Sara's Face by Melvin Burgess
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book a few years ago, but it's one that stood out in my mind, so I think I can remember enough to write a book review.

First of all, Burgess writes this book in a documentary fashion. It seemed so real that every time I started reading it, I wanted to go look up on the internet and see if it was based on a true story. I've read four of Burgess's books, and they are all so absorbing I become borderline obsessed while reading them. I can't think of another author who writes in such a consuming way.

The story is about a girl who wants to be famous. She's obsessed with fame, but she doesn't want to do anything to become famous. She just wants to be famous for being famous. It reminded me of Paris Hilton when I read it. The girl in the book, Sara, was pretty, but she didn't want to sing or model or act. She even scars her face so as not to be pretty. She's very weird and self-destructive.

Sara meets Jonathon Heat, a famous musician who has had so much plastic surgery his face collapses or is ruined (Michael Jackson, anyone?) He wears a mask of his own younger face and never lets anyone see the ruined mess that is his real face. Sara becomes obsessed with him and wears his mask all the time, too. He takes her under his wing, of sorts, because of the resemblance between her face and his younger, pre-surgery face.

About now the story gets weird and very creepy. Jonathon lives in a weird house with all these rooms, including a creepy plastic surgery center in his basement. Sara breaks with her parents and goes to live with Jonathon and begins to fall in love with him, or at least his fame. There is a scene that stands out in my mind where Jonathon goes to kiss her and she can smell this rotting smell from under his mask. Sara starts getting a little creeped out, but not nearly enough. Things start getting weirder and weirder, and you can feel Burgess dragging you to the horrifying climax that you have to read even as you cringe and don't want to...because you know Jonathon is going to steal her face. Or at least try.

The ending of the book confused me some, as it is much later. I wasn't too concerned with writing quality when I read this, so I didn't notice much. I believe Burgess is an extremely talented story-teller who can keep a reader rapt and panting towards the conclusion. This was an extremely timely book full of social commentary and disturbing circumstances that ring eerily familiar in our society. Along with Smack, this is Burgess's best book by far.

Recommended for anyone who loves a good satire, creep-fest, or gripping thriller. Must be able to handle disturbing material.

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Book Review: Stranger with my Face by Lois Duncan

Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't know what to expect when I got this book from the library. I had heard of the author, but I'd never read anything by her.

Duncan does an amazing job creating suspense. It was SO HARD to put this book down every time I had to stop reading. It caught me and never let go--the pace is relentless. This should be required reading for suspense writers, because so many get it wrong. Duncan is a master.

That said, I didn't really care for the main character. I tried hard to like her, and succeeded only partially. I did have sympathy for her, but some of her decisions were just so stupid it made things harder. Like, how did she NOT know Leah was evil? And I found parts of the book way too predictible for a suspense novel. I knew the second Leah tried to get her to leave her body that Leah was going to steal it.

Overall, though, I did enjoy this book. It was very well crafted. A little less foreshadowing would have made me like it more. Also, the whole thing with the boy with the damaged face really added interest to the story. I liked how the ending was good, but not all shiny happy, either. For some reason I didn't really believe in the relationship between the protagonist and the boy with the messed up face, though. It just happened so suddenly I was like "WHAT? Since when? Come on, make me believe it a little more than that.

Fun, interesting, absorbing read. Very exciting and suspenseful.


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Book Review: Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars, actually, but I have to click on a whole star.

This is an awesome book! I go through stages where I read one or two young adult books that are so badly written that I start thinking I’m too old for YA books, that they are all trite and cliché and all have the same characters with the same issues, the same stock scenes, and the same ‘problems.’ And then I read a book like Speak.

I’ve noticed that some adult books deal with difficult situations and issues in a way that’s so graphic it makes me feel sick. But young adult books, the good ones anyway, deal with tough issues in a delicate way. Anderson leaves no doubt in the readers mind about what happened to Melinda, but she doesn’t shove it down your throat and make you gag. The ability to deal with disturbing situations without graphic detail is one of the things that makes YA literature so great. At least in the hands of a writer as talented as Anderson. The graphic violence in adult books sometimes is such a turn-off that it makes the scene comic. Leaving things mostly to the reader’s imagination can make the scene even more powerful than giving all the gory details.

I’d seen the movie Speak a while back, so I already knew going into the book what it was about. So I thought the mysteriousness over what happened to Melinda might get on my nerves. But Anderson is a good enough writer that it didn’t bother me more than a little. I did, however, think it would have been better if she’d let the reader know why Melinda was so screwed up a little earlier—maybe at the one-third mark instead of the two-thirds mark. The only other thing I didn’t like about the book was Melinda’s sudden decision to speak out. It just happened too fast and without a catalyst. I thought something should have happened to make her break her silence. Instead, she suddenly just thinks that it’s spring, and everything is coming to light, so she’ll do the same thing. I just don’t think teenagers pay that much attention to things like that—especially teenagers as screwed up as Melinda.

The most surprising thing about the book to me was the author’s ability to write humorously about such a dark issue. The book could have been a depressing story about a girl with no friends, full of guilt and going crazy inside her head. Instead, it managed to find humor while never making light of the situation. The author’s ability to make a reader laugh on one page and tear up on the next is truly a gift. If Melinda had whined about her situation (and she had every reason to), the book might have gotten tiresome. But she has such a strong, funny voice that you can’t help but love her. She never plays the victim, even though she was one.

This was an amazing read for me. It should be require reading for all teenagers, male and female.


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When I give a five-star rating.

Since I've been doing book reviews on here, and will continue to do so occasionally, I thought I'd shed some light on my process. Although it might seem I give extremely high ratings, I don't. However, I only post book reviews for books I love and would recommend. My other, not-so-good book reviews, stay on Goodreads. If you really want to read them, you can. But I'd rather only share and encourage the reading of great books, not talk about the ones I hated.

I hardly ever give 5-star ratings. Maybe my top 10 books of all time, and that's about it. To me, five stars means the book is perfect and I can't think of one thing wrong with it. And that's a hard thing to find!

My criteria (I think): 1. It definitely has to stay with me for a long time, not just what happened but the feeling I got when I read it has to come back, even years later.

2. Also, it has to be well-written. I admit, I'm a book snob. I can hardly read books that aren't well written, even if everyone loves them. Bad writing is a deal breaker, no matter if the writer is #1 Best Seller for ten years in a row. I majored in English and read tons of books on writing, so I can smell bad writing from a mile away. Also, beautiful writing that takes my breath away, gives me goosebumps, makes me shiver, whatever, has to be done in a subtle way, not in-your-face gross-out or steamy love scenes (those are for fun, not 5-stars.)

3. The last thing is, everything has to be vivid. I dont have to love the characters, but I have to believe them and feel I know them. I have to see the setting, the world, the people without being bogged down by flowery paragraph-long description. I have to feel the emotion, smell the smells, hear what they hear, ache when they ache.

It's a tough bill, but I'm a tough reader.

House of the Scorpion (Book Review Tuesday!)

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is quite possibly my favorite science fiction type book of all time. I'm not sure I'd really classify it as sci-fi or young adult, although it is shelved that way. The characters are young people but the themes are universal. Setting is futuristic, post-apocalyptic maybe, or at least post modern.

The book deals with cloning humans, something I've also written about with admittedly less grace. Although the topic makes this book science fiction, it read more like urban fantasy. The characters live in what is present-day Mexico, which has become a kind of opium kingdom. The main character in the book is the clone of a powerful opium lord. He is sheltered until the outside world invades his content, secluded little bubble. As he begins to venture into the world, secrets about his identity become apparent--as well as about his intended purpose.

This book was a chilling, suspenseful, gripping read, without giving in to gimmicky tactics or losing its literary brilliance. I can't think of many other books or authors that deal with important subjects in such an effective way. It is well written (which counts for a lot to my critical eye), it has great plotting and believable, loveable characters who you can't help but root for every second. It has action, and wonderfully done suspense that keeps building throughout the book and never lets you go, but never goes over the top. Descriptions are vivid but never dull, always advancing the plot at a steady pace. The pacing of the entire book is wonderful. I rarely read a book that manages to be gripping and literary at the same time, but Nancy Farmer succeeds with this one. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend the audio version if you like audiobooks--the reader does a great job.

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I swear I don't work for Sara Zarr...

But...she is amazing. I recommend her book to any and all who will listen. I'd say I'm her #1 fan if it wasn't totally creepy to say that...but it is...so I'll just say she gets a lot of free publicity from me. And she deserves it, because I'm in love with her voice.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I actually listened to this book on CD, and that might have made me like it more than reading it would have. The audio narrator (I couldnt find the reader, so I assume it's the author?) got the voice so well I was instantly sucked in. Although most of the book's drama takes place before the book starts, I still enjoyed it. The flashbacks were well done. The setting came alive to the point that it was a character in itself. Descriptions were precise and perfect without being lenghty.
I love realistic books, and this is realistic with a razor blade. Sara Zarr doesn's sugar coat anything in this book. It's raw and real and depressing.
The one complaint I had about the book was that the girl, who seems so apathetic at times and claims to hate crying, ends up bawling her eyes out several times. A lot of times, actually, right in a row. She comes across as very unemotional most of the book. Then she's crying about stupid fights with her friends, etc. Fine, if the character is that type of girl. It wasn't believable to me to have her cry more than once, unless something huge happened, which it didnt. In fact, not a lot happens during this book. But that didnt stop it from being a great read and worth every minute. I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone 16 and up. It's very mature for a YA book.

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