A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry

Title: A Fierce and Subtle Poison
Author: Samantha Mabry
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: April 12, 2016
Rating: 2/5

The Gist: Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the señoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers--and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.

Review:

A Fierce and Subtle Poison features some absolutely beautiful writing and an incredibly lush landscape.  It is wonderful to see a non-American setting as it is not all that common in YA.  There was a fantastic incorporation of story telling, culture, and folklore.  I am always a sucker for Magical Realism and love seeing more of it within the YA genre.  

Unfortunately, the novel also features a white main character with a hero complex.  Though he is called out on it, it really impacted my enjoyment of the novel, to the point where I really hated him.  As a matter of fact, I did not find any of the characters particularly appealing.  It also featured two father figures, both of whom were horrible people and terrible role models. 

While the story should have been an exciting murder mystery, it just didn't feel that way.  Instead, it seemed like most of the novel followed the main character as he ran through the rain for one reason or another.  There also seemed to be no reason that the kids couldn't have informed the police at several different points throughout the plot. 

While I appreciate the writing, I just couldn't get past my loathing for all the characters and it made this one less than enjoyable. 

The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

Title: The Steep and Thorny Way
Author: Cat Winters
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Rating: 2/5

The Gist: A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him—who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night.

Review:

While The Steep and Thorny Way is inspired by Hamlet, it is not your average re-telling.  The plot follows the source material fairly closely in the beginning, but steps eventually steps away from the basic plot and becomes a great deal less predictable.  There are some really terrifying moments that involve the KKK and some exploration on how easily these hate groups can pull in and indoctrinate new members.  The violence is, however, tamed down a bit for a younger audience.

I enjoyed the main character well enough but I did not find her particularly interesting and she did not have the level of depth which usually endears a character to me.  As with all the characters here, her motivations were unsurprising and single-minded.  I did really enjoy the relationship between Hanalee and her best friend, but this did not feature very strongly in the second half of the book and I missed it. 

While the book itself is enjoyable and it brings to light some very important and uncomfortable truths regarding racism and violence, I am a little uncomfortable with the thought of (what appears to be) a white author writing this story.  It is not that I don't think she did a good job (though I am also white so I am certainly not the one to judge the validity of the young, black, girl experience) but in publishing it appears that there are a set of boxes to be ticked.  When this one ticks the Historical Fiction exploring racism featuring an African American lead box, that means that another author, likely one of color, who wrote a book with similar themes, will not get published.  It is a bit of double edged sword, we want to see more POC characters and themes, so this is fabulous, however, in an ideal world they would also be WRITTEN by POC.....

Need by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: Need
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: Nov 3, 2015
Rating: 2/5

The Gist: "No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better."

Teenagers at Wisconsin's Nottawa High School are drawn deeper into a social networking site that promises to grant their every need . . . regardless of the consequences. Soon the site turns sinister, with simple pranks escalating to malicious crimes. The body count rises. In this chilling YA thriller, the author of the best-selling Testing trilogy examines not only the dark side of social media, but the dark side of human nature.

Review: 

 

Need is a website that promised Nottawa High School students their heart's desire in exchange for completing the tasks that it sets forth.  At first, this involves sending invites to other students, then a simple task like delivering a box of cookies.  Very quickly, however, things turn sinister as these tasks lead to the very real deaths of students and adults and Kaylee must find out who is behind the website, before it frames her for murder.

 

Need has an interesting premise, but it is based in a couple of unrealistic assumptions:

 

1) Teenagers are selfish idiots who are willing to do anything to get what they want, regardless of the consequences.  In order for Need to work, the students have to be willing to complete tasks.  That they would do this is somewhat believable when the payoff outweighs the cost.  However, once they are able to see that these seemingly inconsequential tasks are actually leading to the death of other people, it is just not realistic to expect that they would continue.  IF this plotline had lasted a little longer, with the kids completing assignments that didn't REALLY hurt anyone and got them what they wanted, it would have been a much more enjoyable plot

 

2) Adults and people in positions of authority never believe students.  Kaylee's mother gives her NO credit and believes she is making up everything.  I get it, she has a history, but you can't tell me that none of the other kids tell their parents and none of those parents believe them either.  Also, a website leaves footprints, even when it is taken down for a short time.  There would be a way to trace it back.  Finally, there is no way that police would not investigate claims of a website setting up murders, especially when MULTIPLE people have died and MULTIPLE kids are telling them the website exists. 

 

Need just wasn't realistic in its treatment of teenagers.  One thing that bothered me to no end is that the kids seem to have no idea how to take screenshots.  I would expect every kid over the age of 10 knows how to take screenshots.

 

There was also a problem of too many narrators.  We changed POV constantly and most of the characters just didn't have unique enough voices for this approach.  I found myself constantly trying to figure out which character I was following - is this the one who wants the concert tickets, or the one with the over-protective parents, and was that the same love interest the last guy was talking about or is that someone completely different? - it was exhausting.  While the plot was suspenseful, the multiple narrators kept removing me from the plot and the ending was just silly.    

We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean

Title: We'll Never Be Apart
Author: Emiko Jean
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: Oct 6, 2015
Rating: 2/5

The Gist:  

Murder.

Fire.

Revenge.

That’s all seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe thinks about. Committed to a mental ward at Savage Isle, Alice is haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, Jason. A blaze her twin sister Cellie set. But when Chase, a mysterious, charismatic patient, agrees to help her seek vengeance, Alice begins to rethink everything. Writing out the story of her troubled past in a journal, she must confront hidden truths.

Is the one person she trusts only telling her half the story? Nothing is as it seems in this edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the debut author Emiko Jean.

Review: 

Ok, non-spoilery part first:  Alice wakes in the mental ward; a place that is not unfamiliar to her.  She learns that the fire that burnt her also killed her boyfriend and that she is being charged.  She knows that it is her sister, Cellie, that set the fire and that she must be in the D wing, the only part of the hospital that Alice does not have access to.  She also knows that the only way to be free of Cellie's madness is to kill her.  She seeks out the aid of another patient, one who seems to know how to acquire the things she needs, and is cute to boot.  As she seeks out her sister and unravels her past, Alice comes to know far more than she ever realized about who Cellie is, and who that makes her.

The characters are interesting and there is a spark between Alice and Chase that is fun to watch.  The side characters are rather one dimensional (Alice's roommate is constantly described based on two things that she said on Alice's first day) and the Doctor has no personality whatsoever.  The narrative alternatives through the present and the past, using Alice's journals to tell the story of her, Cellie and Jason and how their lives brought them together and, eventually, into the hands of the law.  The story in the past is far more compelling than the present as the three bounce from foster home to foster home (some horrible, some tolerable, none "home") and how Cellie and Jason seem to have a dark connection to violence and fire.

The plot moves at a steady pace and does not lag in any particular areas.  HOWEVER, nearly all of this is completely negated by one, glaring, mistake:

SPOILERS AHEAD:






I FEEL LIKE I HAVE READ THIS BOOK A HUNDRED TIMES.  If you didn't guess it from the first few pages, or even the synopsis: Cellie doesn't exist.  Yes folks, we have another "my violent twin sister is actually my alternative personality and I have NO FREAKING IDEA" plot twist.  I spent the entire book just hoping beyond hope that I was wrong.  Because I actually liked the rest of the story, I didn't want Jean to have gone down the SAME road as so many authors.  In fact, this is my third time this year writing a rant like this about the exact same plot! Come on! Give your readers some credit.  And publishers, give me a break.  There is no way that YOU haven't read this same plot before.  Stop publishing this crap and expecting readers to just forget that they have seen this time and time again. 

Bottom Line: Been done.  Don't bother.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Sex: Kissing, Sex between teenagers
Violence: Arson, Child Abuse, Animal Abuse
Inappropriate Language: Asshole, Cocksucker, Snatch, Bitch, Dick, Christ
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking, Marijuana Use

The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

Title: The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Author: Katrina Leno
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: I love the shade of blue that they used for the font, but the cover is not nearly as interesting or compelling as it could have been.  I would have liked to see something that fit better with the subject matter.

The Gist: For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.

Review: 
I so wanted to love this book.  There are elements that are fantastic and fascinating - but I can't talk about them without filling the review with spoilers.  Sooooooo I will put a Spoilerific section at the end.

First off, things that didn't work: The author has a strange writing style.  A lot of the narration takes place in Molly's head - which is itself a hard place to be as she fixates on every little embarrassing action and berates herself for it internally.  This is interrupted by strange, choppy dialogue - usually with her two friends who were beyond dull and annoying.  They had no personality to them (beyond the girl, whose name escapes me, texting non-stop and getting irritatingly pissy whenever Molly didn't respond) and the conversations were typical of how authors who have never spent time around teenagers, seem to think teenagers speak.
 
There was a great deal of "I know what is going on but I can't tell you" throughout the first half of this novel.  And when I say great deal, I mean EVERY CHARACTER KNEW! Even down to the students and staff at school and NOBODY will tell Molly anything!  Worse than that, Molly doesn't seem to care all that much.  The entire plot is based around her finding out what goes on during her missing time, but she doesn't seem the least bit driven to discover the answers.

What worked: The whole love interest plot line was unique as it happens in reverse.  We discover that they are in love, and then work backwards to find out how it all happened.  There isn't a whole lot of chemistry between Molly and Sader, but the mystery at least keeps it interesting.   This occurs through flashbacks that work from the present time, back to when Molly started losing track of time.  The time jumping works to keep the plot moving and, frankly, those parts were way more interesting than watching Molly in the present.  

SPOILERS SECTION BELOW:

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Molly has a dissociative identity disorder.  Specifically, she has one alter named Mabel who has been with her for most of her life and who is able to take over Molly's body and live her own life.  This particular point was fairly easy to guess, but once Mabel is revealed, I was really interested in the book.  I don't know much about this disorder (other than watching and loving United States of Tara), so the subject matter was fascinating.  I loved watching how Mabel was different from Molly and how she managed to keep herself hidden from Molly for so long.

In the end, however, Mabel simply fades away and allows Molly to live her life.  This felt incredibly unrealistic.  I very much doubt that most people with dissociative identity disorder are able to simply will their alter into submission and go on with their life as if it never happened.  Beyond this, Molly was B-O-R-I-N-G, I would have been much happier if the novel had gone the less predictable route of having Mabel take over and Molly become the alter.  Especially if this meant there would be a struggle for control - now THAT would be fun to read.     

Bottom Line: The Half Life of Molly Pierce is based on a really fascinating premise, but the execution is not nearly as strong as it could have been. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:13 and up
Sex: Kissing, Sex alluded to but not shown
Violence: Death by motorcycle accident, attempted suicide
Inappropriate Language: Fuck, Jesus, Asshole, Shit, Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

Great For Readers Who Loved:

Flunked by Jen Calonita

Title: Flunked
Author: Jen Calonita
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: March 3rd, 2015
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: I love the fun, magical vibe of this cover.  It has just enough details to keep the eye moving without becoming overwhelming.  I so wish the inside had maintained the standard of the outside.

The Gist: Would you send a villain to do a hero's job? An exciting new twisted fairy tale series from award-winning author Jen Calonita.

Full of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia.

Impish, sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too sorry about it. When she lifts a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform school-for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: can a villain really change?

Review:
Oh so much potential.  I love fairy tale books.  I read a ton of them and I enjoy seeing each other's personal take on that world.  This story has a pretty good premise: a reform school for kids from fairy tale villages who had fallen on the wrong side of the law.  It should have been fun, it should have been charming, it should have been edited!  Flunked felt like it was written by one of my students.  There was an overwhelming amount of dialogue and very little exposition.  The entire plot was revealed by characters telling rather than the author showing anything.  The narrator had an annoying habit of adding thoughts in parenthesis that just made me roll my eyes with how false they sounded. 

"We cross to another classroom (Wand Training! Who knew?)"
"Someone from Happily Ever After Scrolls is trying to sell magical scrolls (their latest invention)"
"Ogres are running at top speed (for them)."
 
There was no character development whatsoever other than the main character having some out of the blue change of heart at the end that came off preachy and unrealistic.

While the world itself was interesting, nothing was really all that different from the traditional fairy tales.  There was so much thrown at the reader at once and it felt like the author was trying to cram in as many references as possible.  This created a completely convoluted plot that had WAY too many villains, several of whom only showed up in the last 10 pages or so.  This left no time to allow the reader to develop feelings toward any of the characters and it made it incredibly difficult to keep all the bad guys straight (especially since we hadn't even met 2 or 3 of them - only heard about them through other characters).  Eventually, I just stopped caring.

I realize that this is a middle grade novel - but give the kids some credit. They need well written books too. If you are looking for a middle grade book with fairy tale connections - try The School for Good and Evil instead.  It has all the fairy tale elements without the poor writing. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: Any

Sex: None
Violence: Magical spells, no one seriously injured. 
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: None

Unanswered Questions:

If this is a school.  Why did she only attend like one class?

Playlist For The Dead

Title: Playlist for the Dead
Author: Michelle Falkoff
Publisher: Harperteen
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Rating:  2/5

Cover Impressions: Super cute cover.  Love the silhouettes and the looping earbuds cord. 

The Gist: A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.

Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

Review:
I really loved the concept of this book and I was really excited about the whole idea of a built in playlist.  I started out strong, listening to each song as I was reading the chapter, but after a while I started to find it distracting.  It also required that I only read while also wearing headphones which is more difficult than you can imagine with a three year old and an almost 2 month old.  Basically, I could only read for the 10 minutes or so in bed before I fell asleep from exhaustion.  So, while I applaud the idea, it didn't quite work out for me.

The story was decent, though not all that exciting.  Basically we follow Sam around town as he listens to his ipod and tries to figure out why his best friend committed suicide.  He is aided by an ohsospecial pixie girl with her own strange connection to Hayden.  Adding to the drama is a series of attacks on Hayden's main tormenters and Sam's weird hallucinations and/or supernatural encounters.  This had the makings of a good story, but it fell flat because

a) I didn't give a shit about the pain and suffering of the bullies
b) the bullies didn't ACTUALLY get all that hurt.
c) I didn't really get the attraction to the love interest

The characters weren't all that interesting, and the drama just didn't pan out.  It also got a little preachy towards the end.  Sam was just too good to be believable, easily forgiving everyone and things wrapped up way too cleanly.  Everyone learned a lesson and the characters were all set on the road to redemption.

Playlist for the Dead isn't an inherently BAD story, it just wasn't all that great.  The cover blurb compares it to The Perks of Being a Wallflower..... um no.  No. No. No.  It had a great concept, but the execution just didn't cut it.     

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:13 and Up 
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Suicide, Fistfighting, Bullying, Character attacked with a baseball bat
Inappropriate Language: Fuck, Shit, Piss,
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking, Underage Drinking

Another Bite at The Apple by Dana Bate

Title: Another Bite At The Apple
Author: Dana Bate
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: November 25th, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: Super cute cover. Love the color combination of the red background and the green apple.  I would like the font to be a little more substantial, but overall it is a nice design.
I'm not sure what the title has to do with the book.  I get it, Sydney is starting over but there is a bigger connection to bread in the plot than to apples.   

Review: 
Sydney has always dreamed of writing about food.  Her first love are human interest stories that feature the people behind the food.  But, food writing is an exclusive club and after any unsuccessful attempt at breaking in, she takes a job that while not exactly fulfilling, pays the bills.  That is, until budget cuts leave her out in the cold.  Picking up the pieces, she begins working at a local farmer's market, writing for the newsletter and blogging again.  When she throws her dating hat back in the ring (years after a terrible break up) Sydney suddenly finds herself with a story that could allow her to land a job at any newspaper - IF she is willing to risk losing her new friends and her new romance in the process. 

The major problem that I had with Another Bite at the Apple was Sydney.  She was irritating, self-deprecating to the extreme and very judgemental.  With the exception of finding herself unemployed, every problem in the book is one of Sydney's own making.  She was overly naive for a woman her age and either had no idea of the consequences of her actions or didn't care enough to consider how other people would be impacted.  She was completely bitchy to her eventual love interest and was so difficult on each of their dates I started to assume that he must have been a serious sucker for punishment to keep coming back for more.  She spent most of the book whining about how her sister was more popular and pretty than she was and was spoiled by her parents.  Sydney appears to be an expert at pointing out other people's flaws but is completely unable to see those same flaws in herself. 

The storyline itself is lackluster.  It takes a long time to get going and, when it does, becomes a cringefest while the reader waits for everything to blow up in Sydney's face. And boy does it ever!  All of Sydney's terrible decisions come to light in a 24-48 hr period of "Oh my God, there is no way this could all happen to one person."  After that, there is the inevitable warp up with ends just a little too cleanly.  True, Sydney has fixed some relationships and learned some valuable lessons, but I hated how all the consequences of her actions were wiped away.  No one suffered any negative effects of the plot and Sydney got the ultimate happy ending. 

Admittedly, this book was not my usual fare.  I thought the connections to food and a sweet romance would hold my interest (as they have in other women's fiction titles - see Sarah Addison Allen), but they just didn't cut it.  I don't think I will be signing up for any more of Dana Bate's novels.

Welcome the the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Title: Welcome to the Dark House
Author: Laure Faria Stolarz
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: July 22, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  The title and background image don't seem to go together and I hate that font.  It doesn't have the creep factor that I would expect from this type of book.

The Gist: A group of teens is brought together by a mysterious contest.  Write an essay about your greatest nightmare and win an all expenses paid trip of a lifetime to meet a directing legend.  As they reach The Dark House, each person starts to realize that a weekend reliving their greatest fears may be more than they bargained for and the danger may be more than they realized. 

Review:

Welcome to the Dark House feels like a super campy, straight to video, horror movie.  With villains torn from a fictional series of movies who spout the cheesiest lines and terrible rhymes who often felt more like comic relief than a real source of danger.  It features a plethora of characters who are rather static and a bit boring.  I cared more for some characters (why wasn't Natalie the main character?) than others.  For example, I did not care one bit for Garth and, frankly, didn't give a damn what happened to him.  It also seemed very strange that we never even got to meet one of the contest winners and were expected to actually care when she disappeared.  I have a sneaking suspicion her scenes got the chop when Stolarz's editor felt the book was too long. 

The narrative switches perspectives between these characters and there were simply too many to keep track of.  There was very little change in the voice of the narrators which made following the switches difficult and I had to keep going back and reminding myself of who was speaking (until I stopped caring and gave up).  The plot is fairly fast paced and doesn't feature too much lag in between creepy happenings but gave way to quite a bit of explanation of the fictional films and their characters - of which there were MANY.  I almost wish (and I'm fairly certain this would infringe on copyright and therefore wouldn't be possible) that it could have been based on a real franchise like Halloween or Scream. 

Some of the scenes were pretty disturbing (I kept cringing at the whole eels in a tank scene) and I really enjoyed watching each character encounter their own fears (though it might have been more effective if there had been a little bit of mystery around what each one was afraid of).  However, I had some trouble as I kept questioning whether or not this was supposed to include some element of the supernatural or if it was some elaborate scheme set up by a real murderer.  I kept being distracted by nagging questions like how was this guy in so many places at once?  How did he set up an amusment park filled with cameras in the middle of the woods with no one taking notice?  Whose name was on the electric bill?  Why were there no work orders or witnesses to the construction?  What about purchase info for some of those pretty much priceless guitars and manuscripts in the house? 
 
In the end, I was sincerely hoping for a twist that would make this all worthwhile (this was all a shared psychosis or was set up by their therapists as a form of extreme therapy or it actually was set up by the murderer or Ivy's parents and he had somehow had a hand in each child's trauma)  But, I was disappointed.  It seemed to leave some room for a sequel, but I don't think I will bother if that is the case. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:  15 and up
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Violent murders by various means (buried alive, choking, stabbing)
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Shit
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Title: Midnight Thief
Author: Livia Blackburne
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: July 8th, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is just stunning.  It is the real reason that I picked it up in the first place.  I can't wait to see if the next one follows the same theme. 

Review:
Kyra has gained a reputation as a girl who can get into any building.  Stealing coin from the richer part of town keeps her from starving but not much else.  When the leader of the assassin's guild offers her a job that will allow her to take care of those she cares about, Kyra agrees.  Before long, the desire to prove herself leads her deeper and deeper into the guild's secrets and, when Kyra refuses to play by their rules, she learns it is not so easy, or safe, to go back to her old life.  

Midnight Thief has a rather generic feel.  Despite the fantastic cover, there isn't much content to make this stand out from other mildly fantastical novels.  Kyra is an orphan girl, trying to make it in a cruel and difficult world, who is chosen by a super secret society because she is oh-so-special.  The worldbuilding doesn't get really interesting until over halfway through the novel.  Once it does, things pick up, but by that point I had mostly lost interest. 

The characters, for their part, are rather bland.  Kyra doesn't have a great deal of personality to build the plot around.  Tristam was equally uninteresting and I felt no chemistry between the two main characters.  The romantic angle felt forced and, in the end, didn't really amount to much.  There were some side characters who showed promise, like Flick and Martin, but they didn't enough play to have that pan out.

Overall, the biggest downfall for me was the fact that there were a lot of threads - the corruption of the governement, the tactics of the assassin's guild, and the barbarian attacks - which caused the plot to be spread a little thing.  As a result, none of them had any forward movement or sense of momentum.  I realize that this is the first of a series, but I was still hoping for a little more headway in the whole "our government is corrupt and our people are miserable" storyline.

With a stronger second half, I was able to give a little more credit to this novel, but it was mostly a case of too little, too late.  

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:  13 and up
Sex: None
Violence: Death by: Poisoning, Knife
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: None

Book Review: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Title: Fan Art
Author: Sarah Tregay
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: I really liked it when I first saw it, but, having read the book, I feel like there was so much more potential cover fodder that they could have used.  I would have loved to see part of the actual comic that was such an important part of the story.

The Gist: In Jamie Peterson's high school being gay is right up there with kicking puppies and stealing candy from babies.  He is out, but only to his mom and is trying to hide who he is from the rest of the town, including his best friend who he maybe, kinda, sorta, definitely likes.  The art girls in his school have created a fantasy world where they are together and their interference, not to mention their artwork, threaten to crumble the walls Jaime has so carefully built. 

Review:
I really wanted to love this book.  It had a nice premise - not the most unique but fair enough.  It had a great forbidden romance angle - who hasn't pined after someone that they thought they could never have?  There were some side characters who were enjoyable - though they didn't get nearly enough page time.  I guess where it really fell flat for me was the conflict.  I just didn't care that much about the literary magazine (P.S how many high schools actually have these things?  I feel like every other YA book is featuring one nowadays) I get it, the comic was good and it was a step towards showing the LGBTQ kids that they were not alone, but the way Jaime went about including it annoyed me and I got bored to tears every time he went to another office to check font or color or whatever.

When he wasn't making terrible decisions to hijack his way into a magazine, Jaime was whining about how he loved his best friend and trying to tell the reader that his gayness should be a big secret because he didn't play with dolls as a kid and he took pains to never dress nice or stand out in a crowd.  Way to perpetuate some stereotypes Jaime!  Meanwhile, it was painfully obvious to everyone but him that, not only was he gay, but he was in love with his best friend who - to the surprise of NO ONE - clearly loved him back.  Despite all of this being clear, we had to spend the entire book getting Jaime to put down the I'm Not Gay sign (that no one was buying anyhow) and see it for himself. 


Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:  15 and up
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Child Abuse
Inappropriate Language: Pissed, Fag, Queer, Tit, Pussy
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

Book Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: December 9, 2003
Rating: 2.5/5

Cover Impressions:  There appears to be a bit of a corset obsession going on with this series.  There is nothing wrong with this cover, but there isn't anything exciting about it either.  It seems like another pretty girl in a pretty dress cover, though I understand it may have been released closer to the beginning of that trend.

The Gist:
Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. (Goodreads)

Review:

Throughout my time as a blogger, I have encountered this series over and over again.  It tends to get lumped in with the type of romantic frou frou books that I don't particularly enjoy.

However, it was chosen as the first book for a new book club that I have joined, so here we are.

There wasn't anything that I loathed about this book, but then there wasn't anything that I really loved either.  It lives in the eternal land of "Meh"  So much so that it has taken me a week or two to actually sit down and write this review.

I found the characters very difficult to relate to.  I didn't actually LIKE any of them.  They seemed like bland characters who were flat and boring.  The only time that they were actually interesting, was because they were being petulant and childish.  Even the main character, despite having lost her mother in a horrific manner, seemed shallow.  I really disliked how Gemma started out disliking Felicity and Pippa for being mean and spiteful bullies but quickly joined in with them and started proclaiming that the two ousted girls were the actually the "mean girls".        

I really started to lose interest in this book when I got to the "you are a special snowflake that is more special than all the rest" part of the book.  Despite a big secret being revealed, there was no real explanation of why Gemma was supposed to be the savior of the order nor why this did not have any impact on her life whatsoever until her mother died.  The magic itself was interesting, but without answer to explain the rules, I stopped caring.  In fact, by the end, I cared so little that instead of being tempted to read the other books to find out who Circe was, I found the answer online and was not the least bit surprised to find it was exactly who I suspected.  This was a running theme as all of the supposed plot twists were things that I had figured out long before the characters.  This led to long periods of boredom while I waited for the other characters to catch up.

Eventually, I finished for the sake of finishing, though I didn't really enjoy it at all.  I will not be checking out the next two in this series.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Girls
Sex: Kissing, Sexual Dream
Violence: Murder of a child, Brutal killing of an animal,
Inappropriate Language: Whore, Slut, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

ARC Book Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Don't Look Back
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: April 15th, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  The English teacher in me hates that the title is all lower case letters.

The Gist: Sam wakes up in a strange place with no memory of her former life other than fuzzy recollections of rocks and blood.  As she rejoins her family she discovers that she wasn't alone when she disappeared, her best friend, Cassie was with her and Cassie has not come home.  As Sam tries desperately to remember what happened to her, and Cassie, she starts to realize that her former self was not someone she wants to be anymore.  As the truth begins to unravel, Samantha discovers that she may not be able to trust anyone - including herself.

Review:
Don't Look Back is one of those mystery books where it is very difficult to write a review without giving away major plot spoilers, in this case: the identity of the murderer.

The premise behind this novel was interesting and there were some real elements of suspense and excitement.  However, it was carried by characters who were bland and uninspiring.  Samantha does not seem to have anything interesting about her, other than the fact that she has suffered a tragedy and is dealing with amnesia.  Pre-amnesia Sam was a mean and cruel young girl who tortured her friends and classmates, but at least she was interesting.  The rest of Sam's friends and family are equally boring with very little compassion for the fact that she has suffered a horrible event and Cassie is still missing.

The only one who seemed the least bit concerned with her welfare was Carson but Sam's lusting, which often bordered on obsession, left me annoyed whenever he was around and I was unable to warm up to him as a character.  This novel featured a sort-of love triangle between Des, Sam's boyfriend in her pre-amnesia days and Carson, the boy childhood friend that she left behind.  While I was happy to see Sam in what seemed to be a much more healthy relationship, her constant descriptions of him became more than a little nauseating and distracted from the plot. 

I was particularly annoyed by Samantha's attitude towards seeing a psychologist.  She had been through a crippling situation and clearly suffered from issues with amnesia and hallucinations.  Even without these circumstances there would be no shame in her seeking help and even less so seeing what she had to deal with.  She balked whenever anyone mentioned her seeing a doctor and her comments were a clear example of the unfortunate attitudes that many people hold towards those dealing with mental health issues.

The entire plot was built around Sam having amnesia and her memory resurfacing in bits and pieces.  I am not exactly sure how realistic this type of diagnosis is and was more than a little surprised that the murderer didn't try a little harder to prevent her from remembering what happened.  I was really disappointed in the identity of the murderer.   It was an interesting twist, but one that I feel like I have read/heard/seen before. So much so that I had figured out the ending within the first 30 pages and spent the rest of the book hoping that I was wrong and that the author would go in another direction.  Is anyone else with me?  Has this story been told before?

I enjoyed the level of excitement in this plot, but the predictability of the plot and the bland and boring characters allowed the book to fall flat.    

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing, Sex between teenagers (not explicit)
Violence: Murder by blunt force trauma, Gunplay
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Shit, Bitch, Dick, Fuck
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking, Alcoholism

ARC Book Review: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Sea of ShadowsAuthor: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  I noticed, just before reviewing this book, that a new cover had been released.  The first one, I believe, will be the hardcover and the second, the paperback.  I have to say, I much prefer the second book.  The first has some strange swirling mists that may or may not form an image.  The second has a fierce image and the coloring is just perfect. 

The Gist: Moria and Ashyn, the Keeper and the Seeker are charged with calming the spirits of those condemned to the Forest of the Dead.  This year, however, something has gone wrong.  The spirits will not be soothed and strange magics allow them to rise and attack the villagers.  With their people slaughtered and themselves separated, the sisters must travel over the wasteland in search of their village's lost children and each other.

Review:

I have been a big fan of Kelley Armstrong for a very long time.  Many moons ago, I devoured her Women Of the Otherworld series (preferring the witch side to the werewolf one).  When she started releasing YA novels, I was slightly disappointed in the quality but still buoyed up by the fact that we were still dealing with the Otherworld and the that I was already familiar with.  I had hoped, by the time Sea of Shadows was published, that the kinks would be ironed out with her YA writing and that this could be an enjoyable new series.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, I was incredibly and unequivocally wrong. 

 

Very quickly, I encountered a problem with the worldbuilding in this novel.  By the time I was 50 pages in, I still had no idea how this new mythology worked and was getting tired of all the rules that I had to be told about.  Despite being constantly reminded that the twins were super special snowflakes, I never really saw anything that was the least bit impressive. 

Yes, they can hear spirits, but this power was rarely mentioned and, when it was, the spirits didn't actually tell them anything that was anywhere near useful.  Yes, Moiria is supposed to be some famed warrior protector, but she needs just as much rescuing as her sister and is constantly being told that she isn't as strong as the men around her.  I was particularly annoyed that the author felt the need to set each girl up with a nice strong man to protect them and to serve as a love interest.   This is such an old fashioned way of writing and I am surprised that Armstrong hasn't grown out of this yet. 

There was also something strange about the pacing in the beginning of this book.  It jumped, almost immediately, into violent scenes of death, one after the other, without any time to get to know the characters or the setting.  Since I was not emotionally invested in any of the characters, their deaths had no impact and, with barely any downtime in between massacres, reading it just made me tired. 

A few deaths, spaced out, might have added to the sense of suspense; jumping in head first in this way was just overkill.  It almost felt like this was a second book, rather than a first.  In second books we have already gotten the worldbuilding out of the way and have gone through some character development so the author is able to skip right over those steps and throw the reader into the meat of the story.  It seemed like Armstrong was more interested in the blood drenched battles than in easing the reader into this new world.

Once we got through the awkward beginning, things did pick up a little.  I enjoyed the time in the wasteland and the addition of more mythical creatures to battle.  During this time, we get to know each of the girls separately and they have time to develop their connections to their male counterparts.  I have to say, my absolute favorite part of this book was the connection with their sacred animals, Tova and Daigo. 

I loved the connection between them and how the animals showed their personality.  This is a particular skill of Armstrong's as she has spent a great deal of time writing about shifters communicating in their animal forms.  The only time I found myself really invested in the story was when the fate of one of the animals was in jeopardy.

As the plot wore on, I got really tired of the twins being separated time and time again and began skimming through these parts.  By the time I got to the BIG REVEAL, I had already lost interest and was unimpressed by the attempted plot twist.  In the end, this book left me in a very "meh" sort of mood and has turned me off from reading any more of Kelley Armstrong's YA.      

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Very Violent Death Scenes, Swordplay, Talk of Rape
Inappropriate Language: Whore, Bastard, Vulgar references to sex with minors.
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

Title: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy
Author: Kate Hattemer
Publisher: Knopf/Random House
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is interesting, but I am not sure that I love it.  The colors are a little bland and the two characters on the front are trying far to hard to look cool.

The Gist: The students at Sewlyn Arts Academy have been invaded by reality TV.  The new hit show For Art's Sake is being filmed in their halls and is pitting student against student for a once in a lifetime chance at a scholarship that could change their lives.  Mediocre student Ethan, and his friends are appalled at the changed that this has caused in their school and the way that Ethan's crush, Maura, is being portrayed.  Inspired by Ezra Pound's long poem, they decide to write one of their own - to protest and bring down For Art's Sake, even if it means losing one of their own. 

Review:
I had a difficult time with this novel.  I feel like this book was written for a reader that is far hipper than I am and I found the overly adult dialogue being spouted from the mouths of teenagers to be more annoying than refreshing.  I actually found myself finding other things to do and other things to read, rather than to finish this novel.  

This book had a bit of a strange structure.  At the beginning, there were 3 "opening" chapters that jumped around in time.  I found this to be a bit disconcerting as I was concentrating more on figuring out the time structure than in relaxing into the story.  This is repeated at the end with three "How it could have ended" chapters which did not allow me the sense of closure that I was hoping for.

My biggest problem came from the fact that there was no real sense of urgency in this story.  Yes, their school was hosting a reality show competition but, I never really felt like this impacted their life in any meaningful way.  It had to be annoying, sure, but other than having a few classes interrupted or having to avoid certain hallways, school appeared to be continuing as usual.  Instead, the characters just felt like overprivileged children that were desperate to find something to rage against.  The whole idea of protesting through the use of a long poem was so inauthentic and it turned me off the characters immediately.  I teach teenagers and even my brightest student would never find this idea the least bit appealing nor would they have any chance getting their entire student body to read it.

The story could easily have been saved if the characters had been a little more interesting.  I saw hope, the triplets were wonderful.  I loved how funny they were and the sweet way that Ethan's relationship with them was portrayed.  I found myself daydreaming about my son playing Candy Land with a (yet to be conceived) younger sister.  These moments gave me real hope for the story and the characters because they were so well written, cute and funny.  They showed a unique view of the teenage boy's personality and made for some very amusing interludes.  I actually found myself very unhappy to see them end and the "real" story pick up again.  The other characters were flat and boring.  Other than their particular talents, they didn't seem to have any personality.  Ethan's ridiculous crush on Maura was maddening, even more so when he was blind to see that he actually did have a shot with her, and self deprecation and dependence on Bacconaise in every situation became more and more annoying as the story wore on.

In the end, I was treated to a predictable plot twist and ending.  What I was not expecting was how preachy things would get.  Clearly the author has some issues regarding reality TV which, quite honestly, may be founded in a great deal of truth.  However, I was not prepared to listen to a soap box lecture on the woes of commercialization.  

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 14 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Electrocution of an animal
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Ho, Slut, Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: Going Over by Beth Kephart

Title: Going Over
Author: Beth Kephart
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: April 1st, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  The cover is cute and, having read the synopsis, most of the elements make sense.  However, I don't particularly feel this would jump off the shelf at anyone.  To be honest, the reason I stopped to take a second look was because of the National Book Award Finalist tag from an author that I had not yet encountered. 

Review:
I will admit, I got sucked in by the award nominated author tag.  I had never heard of Beth Kephart before and certainly not read any of her books, but the National Book Award is a big, prestigious silver sticker - and she was a finalist!  Perhaps, there is a reason the committee passed her over and I probably should have as well.

Going over is the story of two teenagers stuck on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall.  Full disclosure: that is not a part of history with which I am entirely familiar.  I started the book, hoping for some sort of explanation or perhaps a story that started when the wall first went up (incidentally I would love to read a book about waking up on that morning, suddenly cut off from family and friends whom you had embraced just the night before - get on that authors) but instead, I got thrown right into the midst of the story and actually had to go do a little online research before I felt qualified to read this novel.  Ada lives in the East with her mother and grandmother.  At night she sneaks to the wall to capture the images of famous escapees with her paint cans.  By day she works at a daycare and dreams of the day when her boyfriend, Stefan will make the leap of faith to join her.

I did find this novel rather difficult to follow.  There were no explanations of certain unfamiliar words or customs and I did not understand the mechanics of the wall.  Were people actually allowed to visit from the East?  Weren't they afraid that they wouldn't be allowed to return?  I realize that the West was meant to be a place of suffering and anguish, but the author didn't make this particularly clear.  Stefan never spoke about his hardships, other than have had a job chosen for him, while Ada constantly mentioned hers.  Speaking of which, it seemed particularly selfish that while the family lived in very poor conditions, Ada was spending money of spraypaint to cover the wall.  Perhaps I am reading all of this wrong and it might be different for a reader that is more versed in the time frame and circumstances in which the book takes place.  

Part of the narrative is written in the third person, which takes some getting used to and I am still not entirely sure that I liked it.  Neither of the characters is particularly moving and I did not relate to either of them.  This had a serious impact on my enjoyment of the novel because I simply did not care what happened to Ada and Stefan.  Ada was loud, impetuous and pushy.  She constantly talked to Stefan of escape and would not listen to his concerns about leaving his grandmother behind, not to mention the serious chance that he would be killed in the attempt.  As a result, Stefan did not make many arguments and seemed like a complete pushover.  He was flat and boring with nothing to define his character other than an interest in astronomy.  I was actually far more interested in the story of the little boy who ran away than I was with the two teenagers. 

This most interesting part of the novel, for me, was the snippets of stories of people who either made it over the wall successfully, or died trying.  A particular heartbreaker was

"Giuseppe Savoca, six years old, who wasn't even trying to escape.  Giuseppe was a kid playing with a friend.  They were looking for fish along the riverbank and he fell.  The guards did nothing; they let him drown.  He was six."

These stories were moving and painful and made me even more angry at Ada for pressuring Stefan into something with such real danger behind it.  

The novel itself was pretty slow paced.  I didn't see any real excitement until the very end.  By this point however, I was not emotionally invested enough in the characters for it to have any real impact.  I think this novel had great potential but, for me, it simply was not realized.  


Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Gunplay, Knifeplay, Murder, Rape
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Shit, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse:

ARC Book Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

Title: Defy
Author: Sara B. Larson
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: Jan 7, 2014
Rating:2/5

Cover Impressions: The cover does not stand out particularly well.  The blade is interesting - but doesn't appear to have any significance to the story.  I like the faint impressions of leaves in the background that link to the jungle setting but the color of the title font is throwing me off - it just doesn't appear to "go".  

The Gist: Alexa Hollen is a natural born fighter.  She has spent years training with her father.  When the war reaches their home and her parents are killed in a Sorcerer's fire, she and her twin brother must flee.  In order to avoid the breeding houses where orphan girls are sent to bear sons to become soldiers, Alexa cuts off her hair and becomes Alex, prize fighter and guard to Prince Damian.  

Review:
Defy is the debut novel for Sara B. Larson, and you can tell.  The story is not particularly well conceived and, despite having a female main character who is prized for her fighting skills, it reeks of sexist attitudes.  A major plot point revolves around the existence of "breeding houses" for young girls.  Orphans are brought here and repeatedly raped in order to produce soldiers for the King's army.   Alexa avoids this fate by disguising herself as a boy and becoming a soldier and eventually guard to the prince.  Even though she has achieved a level of proximity to the king and prince that most assassin's would dream of, and a reputation as a fearsome fighter, Alexa does not actually DO anything to stop these atrocities until fate forces her hand.

The author appears to have some issues around "male behavior" and "female behavior".  The story draws some very clear lines around what is believed appropriate for each sex.  I realize that this story is MEANT to challenge those norms - but it doesn't.  In fact, when another character guesses that Alex is actually a girl, Alexa herself claims that she hadn't been acting like a girl "I'd carried Tanoori with three other men without complaining once for days.  I helped set up the tent, I took it down, I did everything every other man here did."  Am I meant to believe that only a girl would complain about trying to save another person's life or that only men are capable of setting up and taking down a tent and that Alexa should be considered "manly" for doing so with only her weak feminine muscles to help her?  In fact, it appears that every time Alexa is hindered in doing her job she blames it on the "female" part of her, particularly, emotions and desires.  She also seems incapable of resisting the attention of any man and spends a great deal of time describing their physique. To the detriment of my eyes which have begun to tire from the number of times they are spent spinning in my head. 

We also have to deal with a very weak love triangle which, I assume, is going to be the basis of some inner turmoil for Alexa as the series (there is at least one more book planned) goes on.  I actually held particularly high hopes for Alexa when I was introduced to the young girl who had bluffed her way into the Prince's guard and rose to become their best fighter - however, as soon as that fact is established and very shortly before it is revealed that her secret was not so secret after all, Alexa becomes the damsel in distress who needs constant rescue from the two men who are now fighting for her attention.  

I also wish the author had made some different choices around the timing of the story.  If it had started earlier in Alexa's life we could have gotten attached the Alexa's parents and brother.  As it is written - their deaths did not have any emotional impact and Alexa's belief that she has to appear stoic and "manly" (insert eye roll) mean that we do not see much of the impact that it has on her character either.  Some earlier development would also have allowed for some back story into why this war was being fought and avoided some issues with "telling" letter on.  Instead, once we get to the reveal-the-whole-plot part of the story we have long explanations of years worth of intrigue and secrets.  This appears to be the author's way of compensating for the fact that there is very little action in this book.   

I understand that there are several other one star reviews coming from people who simply could not bring themselves to finish the book, and I can respect that.  I did, however, see some redemption by the end.  Alexa manages to start making some decisions on her own and does show some character growth (though not nearly as much as I would like) which allowed me to raise my rating by a star.  I sincerely hope that the author is able to take care of some of the sexist issues before the publication of the second book and that Alexa is allowed to grow into her own as a character, rather than simply spending the book bouncing from one love interest to the other.    

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Use of "Breeding Houses" that feature the repeated rape and pregnancy of young girls, Swordplay, Death by Arrow, Death by fire, 

Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies

Title: Curtsies & Conspiracies
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Brown/Hachette
Release Date: November 5th, 2013
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  Oh so pretty.  I love that this is not quite the typical pretty girl in a pretty dress cover.  For one, the dress fits quite well within the world of the book and shows no skin.  The knife adds interest but, at least in the image, appears to be

The Gist: Sophronia is entering her second year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality - which is actually Mademoiselle Geraldine's training school for young spies.  The girls are excited to learn of an upcoming trip to London, but Sophronia believes that there must be some mysterious reason that the school would come out of hiding and she puts her lessons to good use in trying to get to the bottom of the nefarious plot.

Review:  I am still not sure how I feel about this book.  I certainly enjoyed it more that Etiquette & Espionage, however, I am still not sure I actually LIKED it.

My major issues from the previous book remained:

1) the names - the unpronounceable, ridiculous and annoying names!  I simply cannot get past this point and I feel it was completely unnecessary.  I couldn't help picturing the author throwing our random scrabble tiles in order to create some of these characters - an image that was constantly distracting me from the plot.
2) The lack of character development.  Sophronia continues to be self centered and singularly focused - to the detriment of those around her.  Her friends continue to be mere plot movers and are not able to stand on their own.  They have interesting facets, but we never get to explore them.
3) The steampunk - I know, I know, that is what a lot of people love about this series but, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it.  To be honest, this may not be a failing within the book itself, since I just can't seem to find a steampunk book that I enjoy.  I always end up thoroughly confused by the nonsensical explanations of technology and bored by the info-dumping.
  

This is, however, the book for anyone that enjoys steampunk and is looking for non-stop action.  I was almost breathless watching Sophronia run from one task to another.  There are werewolves, vampires, kidnappings and high flying theatrics.    The world building is extremely detailed and the blend of paranormal elements adds an interesting twist.

I think I am bowing out on this particular series.  It would take a pretty spectacular synopsis to lure me back in next time - we shall see.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

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

Book Review: Shine by Lauren Myracle

Title: Shine
Author: Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Abrams
Release Date:  May 1, 2011
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  I do not understand this cover.  Perhaps I missed something, but it doesn't appear to have anything to do with the story held within.  Don't get me wrong, it is pretty, but I like my covers to at least give a hint at what is inside. 

The Gist: Cat's former best friend is subjected to a vicious beating.  It is clear from the nature of the crime that this is a hate crime, perpetrated because Patrick is gay.  It also becomes very clear that the local law enforcement has no clue, and little desire to get to the bottom of it.  But Cat is determined to bring the guilty party to justice and starts asking questions, of her neighbors, her former friends, even her own brother.  Cat's investigation threatens to reveal the deep seeded secrets of the town and to put her own life in danger. 

Review:
I spent the last several days just trying to wrap my head around Shine.  I originally chose it for my student book club because I thought it would be a great mystery with some contemporary issues thrown in for good measure.  I had no idea (and was actually rather taken aback by) how dark it was.  I remember thinking at several points "this situation could not possibly get more sad" and then it did.  Over and over again.  It seemed that, in this entire town, there did not exist one stable family.  All of the characters were remarkably broken in some way, and often in several ways.

Our main character, Cat, is being raised by an overbearing aunt and an absentee, alcoholic father.  Several years ago, she had a life-altering experience that caused her to drop all of her friends and retreat into herself and her books.  I liked Cat, but I never really felt like I connected with her.  Other than one traumatic experience in her past and the fact that she loves to read (though I dispute the legitimacy of this claim as her favorite book is the cliched To Kill A Mockingbird), I don't really feel like I know anything about her.  Likewise, with many of the other characters.  I actually had difficulty keeping many of them straight as they all seemed to blend together.  I felt no chemistry between Cat and the love interest and he was probably the most bland character of all.  

The main storyline of Shine starts off very mysterious and the details behind Patrick's assault are heartbreaking.  I was on board for about the first quarter of the book, and then, once a hint or two was dropped, it was very easy to see where the story would be going.  It then became frustrating as I waited for Kat to catch up to what I had already figured out.  I kept waiting for some plot twist that would prove me wrong, but it never came.  What did come was a final quarter of the book that was remarkably preachy and provided forgiveness for child molesters and no real sense of justice for an unspeakably cruel crime.  In the end, the evils of drug use were used to explain away heinous behavior and nothing changed for the town, or the people in it - least of all Patrick

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Child Abuse, Rape, Extreme Violence and Homophobia, Gunplay
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Dyke, Cock, Bastard, Pussy, Shit, Piss, Slut, Nigger, Fucking, Queer, Faggot
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking, Meth Use, Marijuana Use, Alcoholism

ARC Book Review: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Title: Bellman & Black
Author: Diane Setterfield
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: November 5th, 2013
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  The EARC that I received featured the first cover but this appears to be the cover being used for the paperback.  The image below, is the cover for the hardcover.  While I do like the image for the paperback with the emphasis on time and the blue/black feathers, the hardcover version is much mroe appealing.  I love the image of the Rook and the black ribbon as well as the scrollwork in the corners.  It feels much more gothic and fits well with the overall tone of the novel.

The Gist: When William Bellman was a boy he killed a rook on a childhood dare.  The arc of trajectory of the stone plays an important role in determining the outcome of William's life.  As a young man, he begins working for his Uncle's textile mill and discovers and incredible acumen for the business.  Years later, with his young family secure and his business thriving, William's luck takes a turn for the worst.  Having lost almost everything, he strikes a mysterious deal with an even more mysterious stranger and sets his sights on the business of death.  

Review:
I distinctly remember reading The Thirteenth Tale and falling in love with the author's style.  It was an engrossing read with a well-planned mystery.  I was expecting something similar from Bellman & Black.  While Setterfield's writing style remains beautiful, and dark, and gothic, the plot of Bellman & Black simply did not hold up to its predecessor. 

Having read the synopsis I was anxiously awaiting the clandestine meeting of Bellman and Black.  It took a very long time to get to the magical part of the story.  This interrupted my reading in the first 1/3rd because I was constantly waiting for the dark stranger to appear and to strike a deal. In fact, I feel like I spent the length of this entire novel waiting.  I was waiting for the "mysterious stranger" to appear, waiting for Bellman to come into his own, waiting for his daughter to become a more interesting character.  I spent so much of the novel waiting for something interesting to happen that I was not actually enjoying what I was reading. 

There were some aspects of the novel that gave me glimmers of hope for a more successful outcome.  The scenes involving the fever, for example, were incredibly well written.  They were truly painful and simply written, but even through the language and phrasing I could see the pain that these sweeping deaths caused.  This is where Setterfield shone; in the language of suffering 

I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Bellman at the beginning of the book.  He was young, energetic and full of life.  As the book wore on I became more and more tired of the individual that William Bellman became.  The plot was almost entirely character driven, which was unfortuate, because, by the end of the book, I simply didn't like the main character.  I would have been a much happier reader if some of the other characters had been more fleshed out.  There was great potential in Bellman's daughter Dora, and the seamstress, Lizzie but, unfortunately, they remained flat characters with little impact on the story.   

The ending left me feeling unsatisfied.  I spent the entire book waiting for the appearance of Black and when we finally get to learn his secrets they were not nearly as exciting as I had hoped.  The end scene was actually incredibly anti-climatic.  I spent several days after reading trying to piece together my feelings and force my way into liking the story, but I simply couldn't.  I remain a huge fan of the beautiful way in which Setterfield is able to string words together but, in this particular novel, there was not enough plot to hold my interest.