YA Wednesday: If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was another book where I didn't read any kind of synopsis before starting it. So, I didn't even know what it was about. When they got in a car wreck, it was so sudden and unexpected I had to back up and go, "WHAT!"

Then I kept going, and I was wondering if this was really contemporary YA, since it's sort of...well, I don't know what genre I would call it. It's like contemporary YA with a ghost, for lack of a better term. But I did get into it, and it was a good, short book to listen to as I painted my living room one day. That said, it just didn't really grab me. I liked that Mia had a life with lots going on besides Adam. But Adam was just annoying and shallow. The romantic parts made my eyes roll, mostly b/c I thought he was such a tool. The best character in the book was Kim, who I loved, and who felt very real. I also liked Mia's father a lot, how I could feel his battle with giving up his old life to become a responsible adult. I loved his character and really connected with him.

The problem was, I never really connected with Mia. She's always wondering "why me?" and I sort of wondered the same thing. Why did Adam pick her? Just because she loved music...that didn't seem enough. But mostly I wondered why the author chose to tell this story from Mia's point of view. She didn't seem like a real, developed, rounded character. Despite her love of Adam, her family, and her cello, I never really felt who she was as a person. I didn't feel like she came alive as much as Kim, or her dad, or even Teddy. So why Mia? Is it just because she's a young girl and that's the audience for this book? I think the real story here was her father, and how he related to his kids and wife. The real story was about the sacrifice between self and others (cello or Adam, in Mia's case), between past self and future self, between real self and who society wants you to be, and what you have to give up to be that person. And those themes would have been served better by a book about Mia's father, not Mia.

Age 12+ for graphic death scene, some sex including casual mentions of teens staying the night together, but nothing graphic.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I saw this book in the airport for the first time, and was immediately interested, as I've been fascinated by orphan trains since reading Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story. So I was excited to see a full-length novel about the trains.

This book interweaves two stories, that of Molly, a modern-day goth in the foster system, and Viviene, a 90-something woman whose house Molly must clean. Viviene was also orphaned at a young age and rode the trains west from New York, and her story comes out as she interacts with Molly. I couldn't wait to get back to this book every time I had to walk away. It was addictive and gripping as I went through it. I couldn't wait to see what would happen to Vivien next, how she'd escape each situation to make it to the life she has as a 90-year-old widow in Maine.

Although I understood the interweaving of the stories, and I did enjoy how Molly was able to help Vivien with technology and get her life more modernized so she could reach out to those in her past who she needed to reach for, I didn't find Molly's story all that interesting. There are stories of kids in foster care that are done with much more detail, brutality, and depth. Not to get too nit-picky, but for one thing, being a goth is expensive. Seriously. All that stuff costs a lot. There's a joke somewhere about how someone would have been a goth but couldn't afford it (it may be another book, I can't remember...if anyone knows, please let me know so I can cite it properly), and it's so true. So I wondered how Molly could afford the arsenal of goth gear while being in foster care with parents who didn't seem keen on sharing the wealth. There were several little things like that in Molly's story, things that weren't a big deal but just made her seem somehow fake. She was definitely not as developed as Vivien.

While Vivien's time with Molly was no more interesting than Molly herself, it was Vivien's time on the trains (and before and after) that so captivated me. Her life beforehand is only sketched, but her time on the trains is given plenty of time. And her time with each family afterwards is rich and multidimensional. She was a character I could understand and relate to, even though I've had virtually no shared experience with her. That's when you know a character is developed wonderfully, so much so that she becomes real--when you feel like you could have been her even though you have nothing in common with her. This character and her experiences and her life made you feel for her, root for her, become her. I love when a book grabs me and pulls me in, absorbs me so fully I forget reality. During the portions about Vivien's childhood, this book did all these things. Luckily, those parts filled most of the book, with Molly's portions being significantly shorter.

Age 14+ due to some violence and adult situations.



View all my reviews

YA Wednesday: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 Stars

This book has gotten so much hype that I was prepared to hate it. Somewhat because the last John Green book I read was, quite frankly, "not for me." I know, I know, everyone on earth seems to bow down at the mention of his name. And that's part of what's kept me from reading more of his--the holier-than-thou attitude of *some* of his fans I've encountered. I see nothing wrong at all with being a passionate, even rabid, fan of an author. I troll my library website waiting for the audio edition of the latest books by Courtney Summers, Laurie Halse Anderson, Sara Zarr, etc. But I also don't think that anyone who doesn't like their books is some kind of micro-brained moron who obviously just doesn't 'get it'. Otherwise, of course I'd fall to my knees upon the mention of his name. I'm not saying all JG's fans are like this--my sister is a huge fan of his, and both my other sisters have read some of his books and liked them. I'm not a moron, and I get it. Trust me, I do. I just don't have to like it.

That said, TFIOS has been on my tentative list for a long time. I was just afraid to read it, because I was afraid I'd hate it, and then everyone would hate me. When I got the book and found out it was told from a female POV, I was almost sure I'd never make it past the first disc (audio edition). But, I was pleasantly surprised.

First off, the protagonist was pretty snarky, which can get old fast, but she walked that line just right, so she didn't get annoying (Bonus: the audio reader just rocks). I read a lot of reviews for this after reading it, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. A lot of them said Hazel was a flat character, though I can't say she ever felt flat to me. So she didn't have hobbies. Hello, she has cancer! I'm guessing that takes up a lot of time. Hobbies don't make a person have personality. I liked Hazel. And Gus. Sure, he was one more impossibly good-looking love interests in YA. But the missing leg kind of evens things out, so he didn't feel too perfect. Also, the fact that he tried so hard to be romantic that it felt scripted, and the fact that Hazel didn't fall all over herself when he went into unrealistic-for-a-seventeen-year-old romantic mode, made it bearable. I liked that his corny gestures made her uncomfortable. Sometimes I read romance novels (yes, this is a romance novel, whatever anyone may say) where the guy is so completely cheesy it's obvious that he's someone's fantasy of the perfect guy. I was glad that when Gus acted that way, Hazel didn't think he was being the perfect guy--she thought he was overdoing it (probably my own shortcoming that I roll my eyes at overdone romance, but it was nice to find someone else with the same lack of sentimentality in a book). Other characters: parents were nothing more than side notes, friends were pretty much nonexistent, Peter VH--wonderful, flawed, and the best character in the book, as well as the most real and realistic in my mind.

Which brings me round to my quarrel with the book--the unrealistic dialogue. To listen to these two talk--I'm a grown woman, and I'm fairly certain I have never in my life said the word "naught." As in, "It is all for naught!" So to hear a couple of teenagers speaking so gallantly was one of two things--completely ridiculous, if they just talked that way on a daily basis, or the basis for a completely unreal relationship. The way I saw this, the two of them spoke this way to put on airs. To amuse each other by waxing philosophical with over-the-top language. In which case, about 90% of their conversations were nothing but a mockery. I'm not saying people don't talk to each other this way, but when they do, it's in jest. ("My dear friend, your chariot awaits," I might say to my best friend, if I'm feeling goofy, while I open the door of my crappy old car. But that is a kind of joke, that makes up about 1% of our conversations. Not the basis of our relationship). For Hazel and Gus, it felt like most of their relationship was made up of this kind of goofy, meaningless conversation, even though they may have been talking about the meaning of life at the time--they did it in such a way that it seemed all their words were in jest, like they never got to know each other at all, certainly not well enough to love each other. The only other option, which I didn't even think up myself but read in several reviews, is that the characters themselves were just the author musing on deep thoughts behind the thin veneer of two sick kids, which is just a shameful thing to do. So I choose to believe it's the second option--the characters never really knew each other, because they were too busy being jokey about themselves and their cancerous lives.

I did feel a bit like the author was talking down to me, showing how clever he was, in this book, but not as much as in Looking for Alaska. Maybe he's matured and doesn't feel the need to parade his cleverness through each sentence, or maybe it's just because I listened to this instead of reading it so I didn't notice. Whatever the reason, I didn't feel like the author was showing off, which allowed me to pay attention to the characters instead. I enjoyed it more and actually felt the sadness of the characters (I felt nothing but relief to be through with such an unlikeable character after the death in LFA). So, at least I was able to feel what the author intended me to feel in this book. Whether this book portrays cancer correctly, I can't say, and I'm thankful for that. I'm sure it's an uglier thing than a romance novel is allowed to show. But my heart broke for these two kids, however unreal, both in their lives and deaths. My heart broke for them because there are real kids out there with cancer, and however they deal with it, they don't deserve such a fate in their stars.



View all my reviews

The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd (Book Review)

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is one of those books that I want to review, but a review can never do it justice. I know this one is touted by the Oprah-reading crowd, and hugely acclaimed. For the most part, I cannot disagree. I loved it.

I've read several of Sue Monk Kidd's books, and this one is my favorite since The Secret Life of Bees. It's a great read that spans many years. About 2/3 of the way through, I thought it sounded like it may have been based on real events. A quick search told me that it was. That made me enjoy the book even more. I loved the historical aspects about the lives of the abolitionist/women's rights activists. I also enjoyed Handful's story, and that of her mother.

I can't really point to anything I didn't like about this book. It just didn't have that something extra that makes me fall in swooning love with the book. That is all that keeps it from getting 5 stars in my book. But it's a wonderful, engaging read and well worth the time.

Audio edition: Great. Loved the readers for both Sarah and Handful.

Content rating: Some disturbing parts, but not too bad. Recommended age: 14+ for violence/disturbing treatment of slaves.



View all my reviews

YA Wednesday: #Book #Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.5 stars

I know this book is on everyone's radar right now. It seems everyone is reading it. Insane how popular it's gotten all of a sudden--like Hunger Games explosion style.

I thought I would like this book more, since it's contemporary ya. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't fall madly in love with it like everyone else. I'm due for one of those reading experiences, but this one wasn't quite there.

The plot was alright, if a little slow. It just didn't go as deep as I would have liked. Also, becuse of the cover and synopsis, I thought there would be more 80s music themes in it. The journey was slow, but it progressed quickly enough that I was never bored, just a bit antsy for things to pick up. I loved how the relationship progressed at such a slow, natural rate. It was a sweet romance, nothing shocking or disturbing (between the two title characters), no one emotionally scarring or controlling the other, although Eleanor was manipulative through her constant need for drama and to be consoled. More on that below. Overall, I liked the realistic, teenage progression of their relationship.

On to the characters, since that's what this novel is all about. Park--wow. I fell madly, completely in love with his character. More accurately, I remember falling madly in love with a real person who was EXACTLY like his character, right down to his collection of comics and The Smiths cassettes. Maybe that's why I liked this character so much--he was as real to me as a real person. He was so completely honest/confused/flawed/good intentioned. Eleanor--well. Here's where the problem came in for me. It wasn't that I hated her character. She was sympathetic, and I felt sorry for her as her home life was so awful. But she seemed a little lacking in depth somehow. She just never came alive for me the way Park did, so that next to him, she felt a bit flat. Also, she was a very obnoxious character to read about. Realistic, yes, we all know that girl who can't stop causing drama and intentionally misunderstanding every little nit-picky thing a guy says so she can pick a fight. But I hate those people in real life, and it was hard to LIKE her as opposed to just pitying her.

The ending--everyone has focused on that for some reason, but it didn't bother me. I thought it was very realistic, and that's what I was looking for. I didn't mind not knowing the three words, as I came up with several things they could say and was happy with that.



View all my reviews

Review Wednesday: The White Princess by Philippa Gregory (The Cousins War Book 5)

The White Princess (The Cousins' War, #5)
by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)

1 of 5 stars

For this review, I thought I'd do something a little different. I've never blogged a bad review before, because I like to stay positive and promote my fellow authors. However, I couldn't skip this review after I'd reviewed the other books in the series. I couldn't bear to relive the fury of reading this book by writing an actual review, so I'm posting my status updates from goodreads as I read this book. Hopefully it will spare you the pain of reading it yourself. 

Reading Progress

10/22	marked as:	currently-reading
10/22			10.0%	"So far, this character seems like a whiny spoiled brat. Hard to sympathize."
10/22			25.0%	"It bothers me how blatantly the author takes sides. She doesn't like Henry, so she tosses in a rape to make the reader hate him. And beyond annoyed w both Elizabeths calling Henry a usurper while conveniently overlooking the fact that Richard was, too! Going to try to finish, but this one will be tough."
10/23			30.0%	"Having some serious problems w how things are presented here. Why does Elizabeth force her daughter to marry Henry and become queen, only to try to dethrone the king? Makes no sense whatsoever. Don't believe it."
10/24			35.0%	"the authors blatant bias towards the Yorks makes me root for the Tudors. #epicbackfire."
10/25			40.0%	"Despite your best attempts to make Henry VII look completely humorless and loathsome, the historically noted rebel-turned-kitchen boy scene was included. Thank you for not ignoring a piece of factual info bc it didn't fit your fictionalized characterization."
10/26			50.0%	"Okay, either Henry is paranoid that there's a York boy out there, or he killed the York boys. You cant have it both ways!"
10/28			60.0%	"oh poor poor Elizabeth...her husband doesn't love her enough. Um hello! She doesn't love him at all, and roots for her brother she hasnt seen for 20 years, who wants to kill her husband! Beyond ridiculous."
10/28			70.0%	"Oh, the horror! A king plans to marry off his children for political advantage! THAT'S never happened."
10/29			80.0%	"According to this book, E. is a whiny, selfish hypocritical bimbo and Henry is a barbarian. At least she's trying to make them interesting."
10/29			85.0%	"Let's see how many times E. can act all shocked and horrified by a marriage w a 12-15 yr age difference...after she jumped in bed w her MARRIED UNCLE! Disgusting hypocrite."
10/30			90.0%	"So the Tudors only had girl heirs because Elizabeth CURSED them? BajahahaHahahHAHAAHA!!!! SO freaking hilarious."
10/31			95.0%	"so illogical in every way that its just plain nonsense."
11/01			100.0%	"Time to find another royal author."

Review Wednesday: Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (Cousins War Book 3)

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This epic novel covers the life of Jacquetta, Henry VIII's great-grandmother. But if you think you're about to read a novel about an old lady, think again. Gregory always begins with the exciting romantic part of a woman's life, usually when she falls in love or gets married. This formula works well for her, and she uses it here with its usual effectiveness. The novel is a huge, sweeping romance that covers nearly 40 years of Jacquetta's life, from the young and beautiful girl who marries an alchemist who wishes to use her rumored sighting ability and becomes a royal duchess, to her life as Queen Margaret of Angou's Lady in Waiting, to her years as a disgraced Lancaster supporter and finally, a grandmother. I was drawn into the book and found it very informative. Of all Gregory's books I've read, this one helped me understand the York/Lancaster feud and the claimants relationships like no other. I finally felt like I was beginning to put it all together.
That said, I really would have liked the books to be in chronological order. It was a bit confusing to remember which Elizabeth she was talking about--I just read The White Queen, and it was confusing to go backwards. If I had known the books weren't in chronological order, I'd have read them that way, and I'd suggest anyone intending to read the series to do the same. You will be interested throughout, and ready to move on and see what happens to Elizabeth next. This book leaves off right where The White Queen begins, so it would be a smooth, wonderful transition to move from Lady of the Rivers to The White Queen. I'd highly recommend doing that.
That said, I still recommend this book. There is never a dull moment, which I'd commend the author for making such an exciting book about someone who is only on the outskirts of court a good deal of the time and who spends a great number of years in confinement as she is quite prolific and has, I believe, 14 children. She doesn't spend much time with them, or so it seems, and their characters aren't developed at all, except Antony a bit, when he is old enough to fight in some battles, and Elizabeth, because she arranges her marriage. Otherwise, Jacquetta seems much more interested in the scandals going on in court. While I can't say she's a good mother, or someone I'd want around me in real life, she certainly was an interesting character, and one I very much enjoyed reading about.

Would recommend this book be read FIRST in the series by anyone interested in England's history, the Cousins Wars, or fans of Gregory's.



View all my reviews

Review Wednesday: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (The Cousins War Book 2)

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Although this isn’t my favorite of the handful of Gregory books I’ve read, it did give me a great sense of respect for the author. That she was able to create a character so unlikeable, selfish, vain, and entitled, and somehow make us sympathize and pull for that character is a testament to the author’s skill. It helped that most of the characters in the book were equally despicable, or more so, ensuring that even though our heroine has few redeeming qualities, we still want what she wants. It also helped that the character was all these things in part because of the awful things that were done to her because of circumstance (being a woman in this time period, of a certain social standing) and the convenience of others (mostly her own family).
The aspect of the novel that struck me most powerfully wasn’t the character, although the protagonist is developed well (unlike many others in the novel). What struck me was the historical background—not the events themselves, which I already knew in outline, but the details of the period. The way children, especially females but almost equally males, were treated by adults horrified me. They weren’t thought of as human at all, but as political pawns used to increase wealth, status, or connections to royalty. Little girls were married off in whatever fashion was most advantageous to the family, while little boys were taken from their families to be raised by others so they could form alliances with other powerful households. That no one ever seemed to stop for a half-second and ask, “Is this going to damage this child?” seems to speak volumes to the money-, power-, and position-hungry mindset of the time. In this social class, those close enough to royalty to increase their standing by manipulation of fortunes through their children, seemed a despicable lot as a whole. That they were too busy vying for position to notice that their children might need, say, a mother, is a testament to the age-old money-grubbing nature of man, and reminds us that this is nothing new in our society, but something that has been going on for centuries, sometimes in more horrible forms than others.




View all my reviews

Review Wednesday: The White Queen, by Philippa Gregory (Cousin's War Book 1)

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I mistakenly started with the second book in this series, which I may have to read again after reading this one. But I enjoyed this one so much more!

Gregory has a great talent for bringing to life all these historical characters, filling in their lives with drama, romance and intrigue. Yes, we are talking about Henry VIII's grandmother here, but don't expect any grandmotherly-ness. The book is full of court intrigue, politics, and lots and lots of romance. It wasn't quite as spicy as something like The Other Boleyn Girl, but her writing has come far since then (adverbs are scare here, thank goodness).

The only complaint I had in this one was that I wanted a more satisfactory answer to the unsolved mystery of the son's disappearance from the tower. But I guess since no one knows what happened, she left the reader with the same frustration we have to this day. I found it interesting that she kept Richard alive, and I have a feeling we'll be hearing from him in The White Princess. I'll be looking forward to it!


View all my reviews

Renegades Release Party winners

Well, I saw some posts up around the web, but no one posted in the comments section, so I'm having a time tracking down my winners. If you posted about the release, please comment below or email me at lenahillbrand@yahoo.com or message me so I can get your prizes out.
For those of you who have already contacted me, your prizes should be on the way.

Blogger Awards

Hey fellow readers!

As many of you know, I spend an inordinate amount of time on Goodreads. My blog is now up for an Independent Book Bloggers award. If you have a Goodreads account, please take a moment to click on the 'VOTE' button on the right side of my blog. There are lots of wonderful blogs up for awards, so make sure to check them out if you  have time. Thanks so much for your support and for reading my blog!

Have a great day.

Review Wednesday: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 stars



I read the first half of this book and listened to the second half on audio. I liked the parts I read much better. At first, it was a little hard to get into since it's written in dialect. But once I got into it, I really enjoyed reading it. When I listened to it, I just wanted to get it over with, so I'm not sure if I didn't like the reader of if the book just lost my interest.



I thought it was a good exploration of the relationships between women, both the supportive side and the cattiness. I've heard that a lot of people are angry about a white author trying to capture the voice of black women, or they say the book is stereotyped, or that it glosses over a horrible situation. I didn't really feel that way at all. I think it portrays black people in a very positive light, but I never had a maid or knew anyone who did, black or white, so I can't really say if the book is accurate or not. And it certainly does not gloss over racism and give us a happy Mammie figure. I liked all the characters in the book, although Skeeter's parts were somewhat dull compared to the others.



I also didn't know much about the maid culture of Southern families before civil rights, so that was interesting. I'd heard of rich white families having black wet nurses during slavery, but I didn't know so many maids raised white children even in the 1950's and 60's. So the historical aspect of the book interested me.



I liked that this book, unlike so many in women's literature, did not focus on romance. I'd recommend to anyone sick of reading romance novels disguised as something else, and for pretty much all women in general. A good modern historical fiction book.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This isn’t the kind of book I would normally read (ie, popular) but I ended up really liking it. It was a very quick read and very addictive too. I definitely got sucked into it and wanted to read it all day. I especially loved the parts about Rosie, which were hilarious, touching, and so sad. I think I may have cried a couple times when she was being mistreated, and it was so horrifying I almost couldn’t read it.
Gruen does a great job describing everything in vivid detail so I could see it almost as clearly as if I’d been there, yet not going overboard and getting bogged down in detail. It didn’t bore with detail, but I got sucked in emotionally to all the struggles and conflicts. The only thing that could have used more detail for me was Marlena (amazingly, in a world of Twilight, that I could want MORE detail about a character’s appearance). Not just her appearance, but I felt like her character needed a bit more development.
I also liked the afterward--if anyone has a version of the book with the afterward, make sure to read it! It tells about how Gruen researched circuses and put a lot of the stories in her book, and the parts about circus elephants was especially interesting to me. And my favorite part: I loved Rosie’s revenge at the end--it was so perfect and made her story not so tragic as it could have been. Because really it seemed to me that the book was Rosie’s story more than anyone’s.


View all my reviews