Book Review: Night School by C.J. Daugherty

Title: Night School
Author: C.J. Daugherty
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: Original: January 1st, 2012 Re-Release: May 21st, 2013
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions:  I like the colors and the illumination on the path but there isn't anything about this cover that will make it stand out from the other YA mysteries on the shelf.

The Gist: Having been arrested for the third time in a year, Allie's parents decide to send her to Cimmeria Academy.  There are, however, a couple of problems.  First, Allie has never heard of this school and her parents won't tell her so much as where it is.  Second, Cimmeria doesn't actually specialize in troubled youth, they are a school for rich kids, of which Allie is NOT.  When the mysteries at the school start to pile up along with the list of the injured, Allie finds herself in a world far more dangerous than the life of alcohol, drugs and crime that she left behind.

Review:

In Night School, Daugherty plays a long game of "I can't tell you" and "Now is not the time" and, even by the end, doesn't really reveal anything about what is going on.  This appears to be yet another book in which everything must be kept from the super-special main character in order to keep her safe, except not knowing any of the secrets is the reason that she is constantly putting herself in dangerous situations.  I sincerely hope that the series does not continue in the same track.  I despise books that dangle the Ihaveasecret carrot and never reveal a thing.  If the second book had not already been released, I would be PISSED.  As it is, I will be starting the next book, but if they continue to play the withholding game, I will just end up skimming to the end.

 In beginning, the main character gives in far too easily.  Allie is set up as this bad girl with serious attitude.  She rebels against any authority figure and has been arrested several times.  But the minute she is taken out of her comfort zone she does everything she can to fit in.  When she reaches Cimmeria, she immediately changes the way that she dresses (couldn't she make the uniform her own?) and stops wearing makeup, at several points she actually revels in how much happier she is now that she has assimilated.  

Naturally, Night School features they oh-so-overdone typical teenage love triangle.  However, I can actually see the appeal of both characters (if you pretend that one particular, almost rape scene didn't exist - Allie appears to, so we might as well *scoff*).  There are some swoonworthy make-out scenes but nothing that is too racy for the target audience. The female sidekicks are decently fleshed out and have their own issues to deal with.  I liked both Jo and Rachel and enjoyed that there was some addition drama and conflict with them.  I am hoping that they get further attention as the series continues. 

Oddly, I kept expecting for something supernatural to jump up, but instead there was some strange story about a secret corporation that runs the world.  Perhaps this says more about my own reading habits than about the book itself but I found myself putting together small tidbits and theorizing my own supernatural elements (chased by something that growls - Must be a werewolf!  Murals depict fight between good and evil - Maybe the Night School kids are actually angels and/or demons!  MC keeps spilling secrets to one character - She must have secret powers!).  Did anyone else notice this?  Or has anyone does this with other books?  Basically, I am looking for confirmation that I am not alone in this strange behavior.

Even though Night School had enough of a mystery to keep me reading, I found myself  a little disappointed at the end.  I was really expecting more of a twist, some kind of revelation that would make me clamor to read the next book.  Instead, I am approaching Legacy with trepidation and if the author somehow fenagles her way out of having the mother reveal some of the truth in the beginning of the next novel, I am out!

This novel does include some swearing/mature scenes but not all that frequent and nothing that would prevent me from recommending it to most teenagers. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 13 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Murder by Knife, Fires, *Almost* Rape scene
Inappropriate Language:  Dick, Bastard, Bitch, Asshole
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

ARC Book Review: The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler

Title: The Bookstore

Author: Deborah Meyler
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is very pretty and I am loving that there is just a hint of cleavage (nothing distasteful).

Review: 
The Bookstore is the story of a young woman who escapes England for the excitement of New York.  While completing her degree, she meets and falls in love with a suave and wealthy man.  When she finds herself pregnant and jilted, she takes a job at a local bookstore and contemplates the path that her life has taken.  It is a story with very little action and a plot that meanders through scenes that compel the reader to smile or grimace, rather than to laugh or cry. 

The love interest/future father was a truly despicable character.  From the first few scenes, I found myself hoping that he would meet a timely demise.  Unfortunately, Esme's infatuation with him and her inability to see how badly he was treating her, made me dislike her whenever they were on the page together.  To be fair, at least Mitchell managed to make an impression.  The Bookstore features an almost entirely male cast and I did have some difficulty keeping them straight.  I could never remember which characters worked in the store and which were homeless men thrown in with some type of attempt at social commentary. 

The Bookstore itself, The Owl, is what piqued my interest in this title.  I was hoping for a magical realm full of interesting characters.  However, I found the scenes within the store to be some of the most tedious.  The author had an unfortunate habit of referencing obscure authors and artists that I found pretentious.  I often ended up skimming during those parts.

The ending of The Bookstore was unsatisfying.  There is some character growth, but no real closure and I am still unsure as to how Esme is managing to support herself and her child without being deported.  This novel is nice for a slow read in a park/at the cottage but simply did not have enough action to distract me from the other demands on my time. 

First Lines: June 2013

The first words you read can often set the tone for the entire story.  I thought it would be fun to keep track of the first lines of the books I read each month and share them with you.  Below are the first lines for all the books I read in June.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
"The field didn't end so much as trail off, beaten back by the rusted-out trailer and circle of junked vehicles surrounding it."

 The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
"Sophie had waiting all her life to be kidnapped."

 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
" 'I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one.' "

The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler
"I, Esme Garland, do not approve of mess."

Night School by C.J. Daugherty
" 'Hurry up!' "

Wow, small month.  Work is always crazy busy this time of year but this June felt especially hectic. 

My favorite first line this month had to be from School of Good and Evil.  It was also my favorite book of this month and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store. 

My least favorite was Night School.  Here's hoping that it is able to redeem itself from the cliched and uninteresting first line.

ARC Book Review: Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

Title: Another Little Piece
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Publisher: Harper Teen/Harper Collins
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Rating: 5/5

Cover Impressions:  I like the cover image and the muted shades.  The font is well done and reflected just slightly in the pink of the cover model's tutu skirt.  I do think it reads as fairly contemporary and worry that it may be missing out on the primary audience.  Paranormal fiction readers may simply pass this one by on a shelf and contemporary fiction readers may be disappointed upon discovering that their mystery has taken a very strange turn.

The Gist: Annaliese Rose Gordon has been missing for a year.  When she emerges, she has no memory of her life, her parents or where she has been.  As her memories begin to emerge, they are more gruesome than she ever expected and feature the faces of other missing girls, girls whose blood is on her hands.

Review:
Confession time: I do not read book blurbs.  Well, that's not exactly true, When I discover a book name or cover that piques my interest, I read the blurb in order to confirm or disprove my first impression.  However, there is usually a span of a couple of months in between requesting an ARC for review and actually reading it.  In that time, I tend to forget anything that the blurb said other than the most basic facts.  I also actively avoid re-reading the blurbs as they set up undue expectations or leave me waiting for a particular even to happen and ruin my entrenchment in the first part of the novel.  Not reading the blurb is usually not a problem.

In Another Little Piece, however, I was expecting a very different novel.  The first few chapters had me settling in for a contemporary fiction/mystery novel about how an abduction victim re-gains her memory of the horrific events of the year she disappeared.  When the paranormal elements took over instead, I was pretty much blindsided.  I went back several times to re-read the passage and make sure that I was not missing something.  That is not to say that I was disappointed.  Quite the contrary.  The change, while unexpected, led to an incredibly unique story that examined the blurry line between good and evil and the desperate lengths to which the soul will go in order to maintain self-preservation.

I love that Anna was a self-proclaimed monster.  I really enjoy reading books that turn the reader's idea of evil upside down and leave you siding with, essentially, a murderer (I'm looking at you Anna Dressed In Blood!).   In recovering her memories, Anna discovers that she has been the perpetrator of some truly gruesome deaths and that she has made selfish choices time and time again.  Despite this, and perhaps a little bit because of it, I loved her.  I could see the great potential in the character and the horror of the choice that she is faced with.

In a YA novel with a great female lead, I am often disappointed by the boy(s).  But not here my friends.  There was a great connection between Anna and Dex, who had his own super-special stuff going on.  I also really appreciated that the OTHER BOY, Logan was just a great guy and that, despite this, it was clear from the beginning that he was not the one for Anna.  No love triangle here folks!  I did feel like the choice to keep Frankie in child's body for most of the book made him a little laughable and not the frightening character that he could have been.  This did take a little of the tension out of the story.

I am not sure if this book will lead to a series set in this world, but there is certainly room for expansion.  There are a couple of side characters who could easily lead their own novel and I would love to see more of the mysterious Physician who acts as puppeteer behind the scenes.

A note on content: this one is gruesome folks.  Blood, bodies and cannibalism just to start.  There are also a couple of scenes that feature sex between teenagers, though nothing is really described graphically.

Highly recommended, buying it in hardcover, putting it in my classroom and highly anticipating anything else by Kate Karyus Quinn!

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Multiple instances of sex between teenagers
Violence: LOTS OF BLOOD! Cannibalism, Physical Fighting, Attempted Rape
Inappropriate Language: Shit, Fuck, Whore, Fag, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse:  Smoking, underage drinking, alcoholism

Stacking the Shelves (17)

Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

EARCS I GOT THIS WEEK:

ARCS I GOT THIS WEEK: 

I am so excited for all of these books!  I can't wait to see what Kami Garcia has in store after her Beautiful Creatures series.  Getting Curtsies & Conspiracies is the push I need to finally pull Etiquette & Espionage off my TBR pile.  Asylum has that interesting blend of media that I loved about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Ketchup Clouds has such an interesting name and synopsis that I could not resist!

The three ARCS I received this week are all from Harper Collins.  I have already started Another Little Piece and am tentatively calling it a success.  The other two sound fantastic and I am LOVING the cover for School for Good and Evil.

ARC Book Review: Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Title: Dance of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Publisher: GreenWillow Books/Harper Collins
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions: I was not nearly as enamored with this cover as I was with the first.  I like the coloring and the font, but there is something about the background image that feels overly photoshopped.

The Gist: Following the events of Masque of the Red Death, Araby Worth finds her life in ruin.  She is fleeing the only home that she has ever known, torn between the love of two men who have both betrayed her and desperately seeking a cure to the disease created by her own father.  Facing enemies on all sides, she becomes a beacon of hope for those struggling to survive in the city and find a cure for the plague that has devastated them. 

Review:
Dance of the Red Death picks up where Masque of the Red Death left off.  I am always interested by books that draw connections from the work of Edgar Allan Poe.  In this case, Griffin has taken inspiration from The Mask of the Red Death.  She does an excellent job of creating the gothic feel of which Poe was a master.  I have read a number of novels where this is attempted, and this is the only series where I have seen it done successfully. 

At the beginning, I found it very difficult to remember what had happened in the last book.  I could have used a little more re-cap on the action thus far and the cast of characters.  I was several chapters in before I was able to recall who everyone was.  I also found it annoying that there were two plagues to be dealt with.  I could not, for the life of me, remember which plague brought which symptoms or why some people were dying in minutes, some in weeks and a few seemed to be able to go on living for years. 

I was very happy to watch the growth of Araby.  She started out with far too much dependence on the other characters and I found it frustrating to see her sit back and follow the boys.  However, she eventually started to strike out on her own and became a heroine in her own right.  This is a far cry from the suicidal teen who longed only for a drug fueled escape that we met in the first novel.  The two love interests aptly served their role though, there was far less heat between either of them and Araby as there was in the first novel.  I was disappointed with the ineffective use of April as a character.  In the previous book, she was such a loud and boisterous character who added moments to smile despite the dark circumstances.  In this novel, however, we lose much of her spunk and, despite Araby's insistence to the contrary, I don't really feel this connection between the two characters.  Also.... SPOILER ALERT!!
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Her death was completely underwhelming!  Why wasn't Araby there?! Not only do we get no emotional pay-off from the heartbreaking death of one of the central characters, WE DON'T EVEN GET TO SEE IT!  What gives Griffin?? Ok, spoiler done.
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Prospero was an excellent villain.  He was cruel, malicious and more than a touch psychotic.  I loved the use of the themed party rooms and Araby's challenge there.  I do wish this element had taken a little longer to explore, especially as this is where we get the closest connections to Poe's masterpiece.  The other villain felt less threatening and almost unnecessary.  So much so that, at the moment, I cannot even recall his name..... something with an M.......  Either way, he was barely featured and did not make much impact to the story at all.

The blurb for this novel describes it as a conclusion, but, to me, things feel a little unfinished.  I do hope that this is incorrect and that we will get to see Araby and Will fighting Elliot for control of the city. 

Bethanny Griffin does a great job of presenting a novel that has a wonderful gothic feel, an action filled story and a romantic element, while still maintaining a level of appropriateness for teens.  Overall, a few missteps, but a good book, nonetheless.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 13 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Gunplay, Knifeplay, Torture
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking

First Lines: May 2013

The first words you read can often set the tone for the entire story.  I thought it would be fun to keep track of the first lines of the books I read each month and share them with you.  Below are the first lines for all the books I read in May.

Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz

"I wake up to a quiet world."

 Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

"If it were up to my dad, my entire life would be on video."

 Dare You To by Katie McGarry

"I'm not interested in second place."

Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory
"The five travelers on horseback on the rutted track to Pescara made everyone turn and stare: from the woman who brought them weak ale in a roadside inn; to the peasant building a hewn stone wall by the side of the road; to the boy trailing home from school to work in his father's vineyard; each and every one smiled at the radiance of the handsome couple at the front of the little cavalcade, for they were beautiful, young, and - as anyone could see - falling in love."

Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
"My father is a murderer."

This was definitely a slow month.  Things at work got super busy and when I finally got home the beckon of the T.V. was just too much to bear.

My favorite first line this month was probably from Openly Straight.  It was odd and intriguing. 

My least favorite was definitely from Stormbringers.  Holy long sentence Batman!  It was easily the longest first line I have encountered since I started this feature.  It painted a picture, but was simply too long to maintain interest or to be memorable.