Burn

Burn by Heath Gibson
3.5/5 stars
Flux, 2012
257 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the cover for this was very arresting-dark with just a touch of fire that hints at the plot of this book. Once I read the synopsis though, I snorted a bit. Main character William's nickname is Wee-Wee due to his short stature. That is incredibly unfortunate for him. This lack of height also prevents him from a romantic relationship with his image-obsessed crush.

Happily height differential was not a problem in our relationship as I quickly clicked with William, protective brother to his coming out of the closet brother, dutiful son to his high expectations preacher father, quiet to his drunken mother, and loyal volunteer fire fighter. It is this last role that fuels the plot as Wee-Wee begins to see the cleansing power of fire; it wipes out the old and gives you a chance to start anew.  Thus he begins setting fires, using his training to minimize their danger and to ensure no one is hurt. However the lies keep piling up until the shocking and (in my opinion, too) ambiguous ending.

After reading a couple of reviews, I was very unsure about this novel but I find William to be very sympathetic with well-written thought processes that explain exactly why he finds his arson streak to be justified. He's wrong, of course, but completely understandable. I really felt for him as he tried to fight the many wrongs he sees in his community as well as live up to expectations in his broken family.

Other great characters include an amazing teacher who is fired after an accident, Will's brother Steven who boldly steps out and owns his homosexuality despite the many bigoted reactions he receives, and new girl Samantha who also steps out and owns her actions, trying to make a better tomorrow. The setting will also likely be of interest to some people, a small town in Alabama, illustrating the closeness of that community-people will step up and help out but it's nearly impossible to keep a secret of any kind.

Overall: A very unique concept that brings up a lot of discussion topics but the ending left me disappointed.

 

Forever

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press, 2011
388 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Library

SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS

When we left off in Linger, Grace had been turned into a wolf and her love with Sam was seriously threatened by her parents' distaste for Sam. While I had been unsure of Cole and Isabel's narration, given that they hadn't narrated in Shiver, I found that they were very interesting and electrifying, often providing some of the most exciting bits.

Diving in to Forever, it took me some time to become acclimated to Mercy Falls and to what had previously happened. But soon I was back and loving the way everything unfolded. Threads from the earlier books were expanded on: Cole's scientific explorations, Isabel's angry and difficult relationship with her parents, Sam's transformation into a shifting wolf as plotted by Beck, and Grace's fractured relationship with her parents, which was very satisfyingly addressed.  There's also Sam and Grace's relationship-is this forever?  Additionally is the ever-looming specter of a wolf hunt (with helicopters!) led by Isabel's father to for now and forever eradicate the wolves from Mercy Falls.

Despite all of these plots, not much happens in the beginning, which is one of the reasons that I didn't give this book a 5.  Although I could sense that more would be happening, I was impatient for those events. The other reason is the writing. I do love Stiefvater's writing and I think it is of very high-caliber but I sometimes ended up skimming, especially over the poetry that was inserted. One last complaint is the ending; as someone who prefers a definite ending, the ambiguity didn't wholly satisfy me. Others may find it perfect.

Overall: A fine conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy Falls with more of Stiefvater's beguiling writing.

Wrapped

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011
309 pages
YA; Historical
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-galley via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab in exchange for an honest review.

Agnes Wilkins is surprised to find a jackal brooch when she participates in a mummy-unwrapping party at Lord Showalter, her prospective husband and the most eligible bachelor in London.  As she seeks to uncover the message within, with the assistance of the surprisingly dashing Caedmon at the British Museum, she realizes that it might have more modern repercussions than just ancient Egypt.  For there is a spy who is working so that Napoleon just might receive supernatural benefits during his return from Elba. (I worked hard on this summary because the Goodreads summary for the kindle edition has a major spoiler in it!)

What a cute book! Just about all I knew going in to this book was that the cover was gorgeous and it hooked me right away as the main character Agnes Wilkins adores Jane Austen's writing.  That is my kind of heroine!  Besides her appreciation for "A Lady's" writing, Agnes is also learned in ten languages with varying degrees of fluency and possessed with a strong sense of adventure and a keen intellect.  Her partnership with Caedmon begins uneasily but they quickly form a rapport as they seek out threats to England.  Although most of the supporting characters do not play a big role, I was able to create images of them in my head to complement Agnes and Caedmon's story.

The pacing of the story is pretty good although I felt there wasn't much suspense over who the spy might be.  There was a good mix between Agnes attempting to be a proper debutante but also puzzling out the mystery with Caedmon.  I believed in their relationship and rooted for them to be together.  The writing is fine; there were a few funny moments and the language seemed formal enough for the time period.

A point of interest is that issues of gender and class pepper the book.  Agnes is piqued when her father consigns her to the ladies area at one point and makes the decision to NOT tell him about the message despite the fact that she had said she would.  She bristles at being looked down on by men although in general her father is a man committed to gender equality.  She also laments her position in life that prepares her only to be the wife of some lord without being able to travel and study as she'd liked to do.  Caedmon is a lowly duster for the British Museum who wants to be so much more, especially in the heart of Agnes, but finds structures stacked against him.

Overall: A fun mystery with dollops of history and romance!

Cover: Beautiful-this is what originally intrigued me.

Keturah and Lord Death

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Front Street, 2006
214 pages
YA; Fantasy; Fairy Tale
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for YA Overlooked Book Battle.

This book had a very beautiful lyrical style that really put me in mind of fairy tales.  It also helped that Keturah is a storyteller who uses keeps putting Death's claim off in exchange for stories without end a la Scheherazade in Arabian Nights.

The setting is a small, poor town in the corner of the kingdom. Keturah has long been marked as different but is protected by the esteem with which her grandmother is regarded.  When she meets Death in a forest, the villagers further ostracize her due to their fear of her relationship with Death.  She however needs their help in order to avoid being claimed by Death; if she can wed her true love, then she will be freed.

Her two best friends were so cute! They accept Keturah as she is and they eagerly help her search for her true love, even offering the men they love as they claim they don't.  But the course of true love ends rightly as all three women wed their true loves.

Overall: This story cast a magical spell, drawing me into a quiet story of community and love.

Cover: I like the colors but it just seems a little blurry to me.

Hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read.

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky
Candlewick Press, 2010
227 pages
YA; Fantasy
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for Best Overlooked YA Book Battle.

 It takes ten seconds for the aliens to invade Earth, killing most of the population but allowing a few with higher mind powers to live and serve as slaves.  One of those is Jesse, narrator and high school student.  At the reassignment camp, he meets four others who survived and they plan a desperate escape from the aliens.

This was a pretty fast read, alternating between Jesse's descriptions and entries from the head of the alien invaders Lord Vertenomous, who has his own concerns such as for his wife and family and trying to live up to his father's expectations.  The aliens view the humans as lower lifeforms but something about them enables a resistance to sprout, a resistance in which Jesse wants to participate.  Fleeing through the American Southwest and discovering new abilities forms the bulk of the narrative.

For me, this book was fine but nothing extraordinary that made me fall in love. I liked the treatment of the aliens and the general sci-fi tone.  There were quite a few humorous moments and even a sprinkling of romance.

Cover: Very plain, not to my taste.