Waiting on Wednesday (34)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin which is due to be released on June 4th.

 Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

Really hoping for a lot more Poe references in the conclusion to this pair of books.  I am a sucker for anything Poe related (anyone else watching/obsessing over The Following?) and will read pretty much anything that invokes his sense of mystery and intrigue.

ARC Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: May 28th, 2013
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions:  For regular readers of YA romance, this cover is sure to please.  The models represent the characters well, the scene is hot and steamy and the backdrop and font add a touch of edge and interest.  For me, as an often reluctant YA romance reader, it is a little too run of the mill to match up with the phenomenal writing that I expect from the author of Pushing the Limits.

The Gist: Beth Risk is constantly trying to save her mother.  When she comes to the rescue once again, she ends up in jail and is bailed out by her uncle on one condition - that she leave her friends and mother behind to come live with him.  Under her uncle's watchful eye, she tries to make a place for her in a town that she thought she had left behind and finds love in the most unlikely of places - with the town's golden boy.  Ryan Stone appears to have it all, but is dealing with a seriously fragmented family and trying to decide if the future that he has worked so hard for is his own dream, or his father's. 

Review:

Dare You To had some pretty big shoes to fill.  Katie's last book, Pushing the Limits, easily made my top ten of last year.  While the follow up is enjoyable, it is not nearly as strong as its predecessor.  I found the characters this time around to be harder to connect with.  I liked Beth from the previous novel, but her dogged determination to rescue her mother was hard to watch.  Ryan, however, I really didn't like.  He claims to be a gentleman who insists that men treat women with respect, but from the very first scene he showed that (particularly through his "dares") he is just as capable of demeaning women as the next guy.  My dislike did fade as the book went on, but it made the first half a little difficult to get through. 

I was glad to see that the whole dare thing was put to bed fairly quickly and that it didn't result in the expected cliche (a la She's All That and a thousand other movies).  The connection between Beth and Ryan was HOTTT, though I could have done with a little less on again, off again.  I was also happy to see some depth of Ryan's character once we begin to learn a little more of his family situation.  McGarry really knows what she is doing with character development. Dare You To shows a nice juxtaposition between the "golden boy" and the damaged girl and explores how both of their lives are challenging even though only one appears so from the outside.  Beth begins as the complete badass that we remember from Pushing The Limits but sees some considerable growth by the end.  The scenes with Beth and her mother were heartbreaking, terrifying and made for some real excitement to what is not a particularly action fueled plot.

Dare You To was not a particularly weak book, but it did take me a considerable amount of time to get through.  I am chalking this up to my difficulty connecting with the characters and my inability to immerse myself in a plot that is mainly about the romance between two teenagers.   I would still recommend this as a strong contemporary romance for those students who love that genre. 


Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing, intercourse between teenagers (not graphic)
Violence: Physical Fighting, Child (Teen) Abuse
Inappropriate Language: Ass, Fuck, Dick, Bastard, Whore, Slut
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage drinking, marijuana use, heroin use

Waiting on Wednesday (33)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Siege and Storm To by Leigh Bardugo which is due to be released on June 4th.

 Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

I know I am defintely not alone in my love for Shadow and Bone so I am sure this one is on a lot of lists for June.  Bring on more Alina!

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Dare You To by Katie McGarry which is due to be released on May 28th.
 

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Pushing the Limits and I am so excited to dive back into Katie McGarry's writing.  I really liked Beth and I think she is the perfect character to headline this next installment.

ARC Book Review: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Title: Openly Straight

Author: Bill Konigsberg
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is ADORABLE.  I love the choice of tiffany blue for the background and the emoticon choices.  I think this one will stand out on a shelf and is unique enough to intrigue potential readers. 

The Gist: Rafe's entire life has been colored by the fact that he is gay.  He is comfortable with who he is, and is proud of what he is accomplished, but he really wants a chance to see what life would be like without the label.  He gets his opportunity when he transfers to an all-boy boarding school in New England.  Suddenly he is able to fit in with the popular jocks and experience a side of life he never realized he was missing.  As Rafe begins to fall in love with one of his newfound friends he must face the predicament in which he has put himself - a lie allowed him to develop a beautiful relationship and the truth may destroy his love and his friendship.

Review:
Openly Straight featured a unique perspective.  Rafe is "out" and in the public eye.  His parents support him, he is an equal rights advocate at his school and even speaks to other youth on what it is like to be a gay teen.  But, he often feels that this label places a barrier between him and his peers.  He plays sports, but doesn't feel like part of the team.  Other students and teachers constantly turn to him to provide "the gay point of view" and, despite his being out and available, he still doesn't have a boyfriend.  With his entry to a new school, he finally has a chance to get rid of the label and remove the barriers - but it means leaving a big part of himself behind.  I loved getting a chance to see the challenges that can be faced by a teen even if he is supported by his family and is part of a (fairly) liberal school.  

This novel featured a lot of fun and unique characters.  Rafe and his friends are smart and witty and their comments and conversations often left me smiling, if not laughing.  These are the types of characters that could easily carry a novel of their own and I often found myself wondering what they were doing when they were not with Rafe.  My absolute favorite scenes were those with his parents.  they were fun and quirky and wonderful examples of supportive parents - which is refreshing in a genre where absentee parents have almost become a cliche.  I was also quite pleased that Openly Straight showed (if not featured) several gay characters and did a great job of breaking stereotypes.

Openly Straight is not a book with a particularly strong plot.  It follows a "will they, won't they" love story that was often sweet and romantic.  Rafe did have a tendency to live in his own head and the introspection slowed the story considerably.  This was really noticeable in the last 1/3rd of the book and resulted in an ending that was much more of a whimper than a bang.  I also wish that it didn't contain quite as much swearing and sexual behavior as this limits me in which students I can recommend the book to.  However, I really enjoyed the unique perspective that this novel provided and I was entertained by the fun cast of characters. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing, Masturbation, Sex between Teenagers
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: Lots and Often: ass, shit, dick, shit, faggot, piss, bitch, fuck, retard, whore, slut, prick, cock
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

Book Review: Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz

Title: Gone, Gone, Gone
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  Meh. Kinda boring.

The Gist: In the wake of 9/11 two boys struggle to make sense of the world and each other.  Craig is still in love with his (sort of) ex-boyfriend but, despite himself, is falling for quiet and reserved Lio.  Lio is a cancer survivor and still reeling from the loss of his twin brother.  The boys cling to one another in tragic circumstances and develop an intense relationship that teaches them about longing and love.

Review: Wow.  This one was surprising.  The reviews for this one have been fantastic.  Nearly everyone on my Goodreads list who has read it, has loved it.  And I .... didn't.  I just didn't.  This is my second foray into Hannah Moskowitz's writing and I think it is just not for me.  Her characters are a little too quirky to be real, her plots are a little too plodding to keep me interested and her storylines tend to include elements that make me cringe (though the ones in this particular book were a lot easier to take than in Teeth.  Perhaps, I am too mainstream for this type of writing.  I feel like I need a pair of ironic glasses and some beat up Chuck Taylors just to understand what message Moskowitz is trying to send in her novels.  For example, one character was scared of a sniper, one was not.  We have random killings with no real purpose other than to give the two main characters a reason to skip school and then the snipers are caught (in the last line of the book noless) with no clear effect on the plot.  I know, I know, the message was about love - but it didn't really feel that way.  The two boys just seemed to be playing at love and enjoying a remarkable sense of freedom from parental supervision (what the hell parents?). 

Clearly, this book resonated with a lot of people.  I think that perhaps my time spent teaching ACTUAL teenagers makes me extra cynical when fictional teenagers seem too mature, too precocious and too intense or damaged.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing, Sex between teenagers
Violence: Sniper shootings (several victims, including children)
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Shit, Fuck, Slut, Cock, Piss, Jesus Christ, Faggot, Pussy,
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg which is due to be released on May 28th.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

I am really excited to read a book from such an interesting perspective.  We often read about how difficult it is to be "in the closet" but not about how difficult it can still be to be "out" and in the public eye.