ARC Review: The Winner's Curse

by Marie Rutkoski
4.5/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014
355 pages
YA Fantasy
Scheduled to release March 4

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

Ah hype. So obviously I liked this book but due to my contrary, fickle nature, I'm withholding a perfect five star rating. It's just so hard to compete when a book has praised heaped upon it. I start looking for faults and I hold back from committing fully to a story. However the more I let the ending of this one sink in to me, the more impressed I was.

As for that hype, it is incredible. I have seen so many rave reviews around the blogosphere and this ARC I received is filled with praise from those bloggers as well as from staff involved in its publication. Since I read books in order, I looked through all of those pages before even beginning my journey and it just set a very high bar for this book to clear.

To be frank, the fact that our main character is named Kestrel did not help. Bird names seem big lately (or least Wren was terribly popular) but it's very much not to my taste. And her name is on every page so that did not help. She seems anti-slavery but pretty soon, she has purchased a slave to serve as a blacksmith to her general father. Soon though this decision lives up to the book's title as Kestrel realizes she has paid a greater price than she imagined (the author talks a little bit more about this in her author's note; it's fascinating how a discussion about an economic concept inspired this work of literature.)

The most interesting parts of this book to me were Kestrel's analysis of situations and her strong handling of military strategy. I don't think that I would really enjoy a book analyzing strategy but having some incorporated into a novel is apparently very satisfying to me. And it's not just the military arena where she has these skills. She easily sizes up those around her, excels in the popular party game of the time, and manipulates most everyone around her.

In fact, her big competition is her new slave Arin, part of the population conquered by Kestrel's father and subjugated for ten years but nursing rebellion in their hearts. Arin has untapped depths that spark with Kestrel (because of course there's a bit of a romance) but he also struggles with his loyalty to his people and his hatred for the cruelties committed by hers. He really comes into his own in the second half of the book with his genius for strategy coming to the forefront but also his love for Kestrel-the two are in impossible circumstances and I look forward to seeing them negotiating that over the course of the next two books.

Overall: Off the top of my head, I most compare this series to Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy. Both are fantasies with slightly nontraditional settings (Bardugo owes a lot of inspiration to Russia while this series seems to speak to Roman history) that have earned tremendous praise with difficult romantic entanglements. Neither quite won me over with the first book but had tremendous promise. I do prefer this series more so far but there is room in everyone's heart for both.

Cover: I love this cover, of course. I am very curious if the sequel will also have Kestrel in a pretty dress or if it will get a redesign (hopefully not!)

SPOILERS AS I WONDER ABOUT THE NEXT BOOK:
So I assume we're going to meet Kestrel's fiance in the sequel. I am wondering if he will be as charming as Strumhond in Leigh Bardugo's Siege and Storm (also from a Macmillan imprint), if he'll be brutally cruel and vicious, trying to crush Kestrel's spirit, or even if he's a complete dolt and the emperor wants Kestrel to compensate for his many weaknesses. Personally I am expecting the former especially so that Kestrel has two young men to go toe to toe with but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'll admit it's a bit weird that my big lingering question for book two revolves around Kestrel's fiance's possible personality but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

ARC Review: Grandmaster

by David Klass
4/5 stars
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
227 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release February 25

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

Whew-who would have thought the world of chess could be so traumatizing and draining? I sure didn't when I picked up this book. Last week I featured Grandmaster in my Waiting on Wednesday post highlighting its unique focus on chess, something I don't remember seeing covered in a YA title before.

The plot is very simple. Daniel is a newbie in chess club who is recruited to participate at an elite Father-Son tournament with the senior captains because his father Morris is a grandmaster, completely unbeknownst to Daniel himself. The pair attends, digging up repressed memories and regrets while making new memories and bonding with each other.

As I said, I was amazed by how stressful chess can apparently be. The members of each team play five games with their rank constantly being assessed and updated, fluctuating every time as the mighty and overconfident fall and the humble and clever prevail. Daniel, despite being a virtual newbie, manages to eke out a few wins but the stress his father pushes himself through overshadows all. This was what I found so striking. It seems as if sitting and concentrating so intently are far more dangerous than I would have assumed, leading to neurotic breaks and seriously unhappy lives. Morris got out as a child and hid that side of himself from his wife, searching for a peaceful life with a spouse, children, and a steady predictable income. Playing these games against those eager for blood pushes him almost past the breaking point.

Though the father's dark journey plays an important role, it is counterbalanced by some lighter teenage moments. Daniel is a freshman and supremely awkward yet he manages to navigate a new relationship while the two older boys have challenging relationships with their own demanding fathers contrasting with Morris' more low-key approach. I'll admit that I preferred these lighter moments needing them to make it through Morris' demons.

Overall: An intriguing psychological novel that has several unique touches setting it apart from other titles on the shelf: the strong father-son relationship, a relatively compressed time frame as we cover just a weekend, and of course the chess angle. I would probably recommend this solely to fans of contemporary titles rather than those who lean more toward fantasy.

Altered

by Gennifer Albin
3.5/5 stars
Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2013
387 pages
YA Dystopia

Source: Won from Heather at The Flyleaf Review

Yay-how fortunate am I to win a copy of this (and first book with the redesigned cover so at least I have matching copies). I was absolutely astonished at how Crewel ended, leaving me with the best cliffhanger I've read in recent memory.

My memory of the first book's ending meant that I expected we'd pick up right where Crewel concluded. However lacking the time to reread, I'm not quite sure if that happened. What I do know is that this book takes place in a brand new setting (leaving Arras behind) with a lot of new characters excepting our heroine and her two traveling comrades.  Because of this change, there is a lot of new information thrown at Adelice and the reader in regards to the creation of Arras and how it operates as well as the actual strands that can be weaved. I feel like almost everything that was shared was completely brand-new to add on to what we already knew from book one so there was no repetition but rather always moving forward. Consequently this book had a very different vibe from other second books because so much new information was shared but it also means that fans of book one might be disappointed. The overall vibe is less fantasy and more post-apocalyptic. Personally I was not always on board with the plot but...

What really surprised me about this book was my changing perspective on the romantic love triangle between Adelice and brothers Erik and Jost. I normally hate brother love triangles though I can tolerate the ordinary kind. Overwhelmingly my initial impression was that both boys were dull and Adelice needed to find some new companions. However my feelings rapidly shifted in this book and all of a sudden, I am Team ERIK :) Did anyone else come to share my appreciation whether or not you began the book that way?

Returning to the plot, though this book's cliffhanger is not as killer as its predecessor, the stakes are certainly raised and I am anxious about what will happen. Particularly the difficulties of communicating between Arras and Earth have me concerned about what will occur for Adelice especially as time continues to pass.

Cover: Groan-I am so unenthusiastic about this change. Crewel had one of my favorite covers (to my surprise as you know I'm a sucker for a girl in a pretty dress) and I find this so much blander. I think I would have liked this design more if I hadn't had the chance to fall for the original.

Other Opinions:
Great Imaginations
I Swim for Oceans
Princess Bookie
The Best Books Ever
The Flyleaf Review

In the Age of Love and Chocolate

by Gabrielle Zevin
5/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2013
286 pages
YA Speculative Fiction

Source: Library

No surprise that I highly anticipated this novel. First book All These Things I've Done and sequel Because It Is My Blood have been among my favorite books I've read for the blog. I know not everyone has clicked with the writing style which is done in the style of a memoir with an older Anya narrating her life; however that tends to remind me of my beloved epistolary style so I clicked easily. I also admire Anya's steadfast devotion to family and protective nature as well as having a huge crush on her (ex-)boyfriend Win. When I picked up this book, I figured that my enjoyment would hinge largely on whether or not the pair reconciled.

But it is not as if romance is the only or even the primary focus of this novel. Anya has many concerns such as her younger sister's newly rebellious self, her best friend Scarlet and her child, and most importantly her ambition to go legit with a cacao nightclub that skirts the edge of the law but will finally allow Anya out of the illegal chocolate game when it proves a success. So much happens over the rest of the book (despite its relatively short length) and we cover several years bringing Anya out of her teenage years as she continues her push to overturn the ban on chocolate.

It's pretty hard to talk about this book in too much detail without getting in to spoilers (so I do have a spoiler section below) but suffice it to say that I loved it. Well, I guess you knew that because you saw the five star rating I bestowed on it but I wanted to say that again. I love the writing style, I love prickly Anya and all who surround her, I love the way this ended. I feel like this is especially a trilogy to value and reread. I can't wait to pick up my own copy to complete my collection!

SPOILER:
So what about Win? At one point, he says the cruelest things to Anya, making me despair that the two could ever return to their partnership. Anya is of a despondent nature anyway often choosing the pessimistic view so she certainly thinks their high school romance can't last. But dang if Zevin didn't treat us to some beautifully romantic moments before bringing the two back together. Win is one loyal boy and he gets to say some great things that I just want to read over and over again.
END SPOILER

Other Opinions:
Good Books and Good Wine
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
Lisa Loves Literature

ARC Review: This Song Will Save Your Life

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
5/5 stars
Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR, 2013
274 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release September 17

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

I had seen a lot of rave reviews of this book before I picked it up for myself but I hadn't read them too closely, to preserve some surprises for myself and to hopefully avoid having it become overhyped for me. At the least I figured I'd enjoy it because I liked Sales' previous books, Mostly Good Girls and Past Perfect, in particular because of their portrayal of female friendships over romance. Well, way to go instincts. Though it took a few chapters, I ended up being completely captivated by this book and experiencing a very powerful emotional connection to it.

Main character Elise has never seemed to fit in-being too precocious, too consumed with topics her peers didn't care about, too something. While she studies the magazines and pop culture that are popular, her attempts to reach out and make friends are continually stymied. This one-hundred percent resonated with me. I was fortunately never bullied and I had a small circle of friends but I spent so much time in middle school, high school, and even college wondering if there had been some class about how to socialize that I missed somehow (the fact that I thought there would be a class to teach some skills may explain the problem somewhat.) I so bought into her isolation and pain, making this sometimes a difficult read when I over-identified but also a powerful one as I worked through some lingering feelings from that period.

Back to the story, which honestly won't seem like much as I summarize it. When Elise suffers another humiliating day at high school, she hits on the idea of killing herself. That is thwarted and her divorced parents watch over her as closely as they can to prevent a reoccurrence. But life has not improved for Elise who spends her nights wandering aimlessly before stumbling upon Start, the hottest warehouse party around and meets Vicky, Pippa, and Char; the latter introduces her to DJ-ing, exploiting her vast knowledge of music and filling Elise's life with something she unabashedly adores and excels at. He is also the love interest but true to Sales' style (as I've observed), he does not take over the entire book or Elise's world; he is more an object of physical attraction, a brief stopping point in her life as Elise goes on to bigger and better.

Far more intriguing is Vicky, a musician whose friendship and cheering on of Elise were excellent to read. Elise also does manage to make two friends at school who, yes, are genuine friends she realizes as the story progresses. Sally and Chava receive a lot of scorn from Elise at the start but they stick by her and I appreciated that they were good people at the core.

Overall: I just adored this book. Though I might quibble with Elise's high and mighty opinion about what constitutes good music (I suspect she'd turn her nose up in disgust at my playlists and I do resent music snobs), I am in mad love with this book and plan to push it on several other people in the hopes that they experience the magic I felt.

Other Opinions:
Good Books and Good Wine
I Swim For Oceans
Inspiring Insomnia
Paranormal Indulgence
Reading Teen
The Flyleaf Review-features playlists!

ARC Review: Tumble & Fall

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts
3.5/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux BYR, 2013
372 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release September 17

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

I wanted to read this book solely because of how lovely I found the cover. My expectation of this was that it would be a crazy starcrossed romance filled with passion and young adults racing against the clock of the end of the world (I may or may not have read the official synopsis; okay, I basically just skimmed it.) Needless to say what I actually got was quite a bit different.

Yes, there is an asteroid heading toward earth that will result in destruction and yes, this book does follow young adults over the course of a week as the residents of earth prepare for the end. But it's not very romantic, despite what I feel the cover promises. We get three different perspectives of teens on an island struggling with lingering relationship issues, mostly familial but also romantic as they also wait to see what the asteroid will bring.

Right off the bat I noticed that the story was narrated in third person. Though I have enjoyed third-person narration, I tend to feel a more personal connection when it is first person and this book was no exception. Though I sympathized with the stories and situations of all three narrators, I never felt very emotionally tied to them no matter what they underwent. Even as I anticipated death for all of them, I never felt that sad.

Who are our three protagonists and how do they tie together? To answer the second question first, they don't have much of a connection; they just all have ties to an island and the final chapters put them all on the beach together.

First introduced is Sienna who is just released from a psychiatric home, picked up by her father to spend their last days as a family with her younger brother and the father's fiance. Reuniting with a childhood friend sparks a romantic relationship but also challenges Sienna's view on mental health and family. Second is Zan, mourning the death of her boyfriend Leo for ten months but suddenly confronted with information that might mean he wasn't as great as she always thought. And our third narrator is Caden, whose alcoholic mother and father who abandoned them means he has some lingering questions. I think I would have appreciated these more if they had tied together more directly. I understand that they all had unfinished business but a friendship among the three might have made it mean more to me.

Overall: An interesting read but one that lacked an emotional punch. I also feel like the cover promises a far more romantic story than it actually delivers.

Other Opinions:
Carina's Books
Realm of Fiction 
Scott Reads It
Young at Heart

Because It Is My Blood

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin
4.5/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
350 pages
YA Dystopia Sequel

Source: Picked up at library.

Last year I loved All These Things I've Done, feeling almost like I was reading a contemporary to my delight! Additionally I admired main character Anya's strong feelings about family as well as her love interest Win.  Therefore I picked up this sequel with much excitement but also trepidation as second books have let me down quite a bit this year. Although Jen Ryland helped to reassure me with her review, I was still nervous.

Thankfully that was unnecessary. This book also blew me away! I think that is in large part due to Anya's strong personality. While I don't think every character is fully drawn out, Anya is an amazing character. If you don't click with her, these books won't work but I love her. I think she is up there on my list of favorite characters of all time. I can picture her so clearly and I would love to have her protecting me.

The book picks up several months after the conclusion of All These Things I've Done with Anya being released from Liberty and having to make plans for her future. Through a series of events, she ends up having to leave Manhattan, taking a trip that solidifies the reasons why chocolate (remember it's a banned substance) is in her blood and gives her a bold new idea for her future with some unanticipated twists and turns.

So much happens over the course of this novel with a timeline that is a little wacky during the time Anya is out of New York. I don't want to go too in-depth but there are some great scenes of Anya having to kick some butt and a lot of information is thrown at us but there is still more to come. I don't really have the words to articulate my strong positive feelings about this book.

However it did not get five stars. Why is that? I was disappointed with the lack of Win although I completely understand what is happening there and I really hope he comes back in full force in the third book. I also very much disliked Anya's friend Scarlett's decisions (enough possessives, huh?)

Overall: A strong second installment that sets up many new avenues for the third book to explore.

Cover: Not thrilled with the cover redesign, just because I like my covers to match. I think I will wait to buy all three until the covers are definitely confirmed.

 

Crewel

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
4/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
357 pages
YA Fantasy Science-Fiction Dystopia

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

I found Crewel to be a refreshing breath of air amid a lot of books that left me disappointed. I was first attracted to the cover as well as wondering about the title-what does crewel mean? Turns out it is an embroidery term and I am interested to learn more about the practical side of that as my crafty self is flaring. I thought it was a very solid book with a lot of potential to be unraveled in the rest of the series.

I felt like this book drew from science-fiction, dystopia, and fantasy for an overall magical story. Although vastly different, I was especially reminded of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale with severely circumscribed roles and rights for women and jealous protection of those few areas where they do reign. Most frightening of those aspects is the government which uses the weaving abilities of its citizens to "rip" dissidents out of existence if complete brain remapping proves insufficient to tame them. Even as humans prove resilient, those in power want to crush them. This is one evil government with some surprising origins. One genre I had hoped to see more of was fairy tale due to the presence of the spinning-that makes me think of "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Three Spinning Fairies" but oh well.

Three last things I liked would be the sister-sister relationship, the character Cormac, and the ending. Adelice loves her younger sister and that is unfortunate for her because it makes the sister a tool the government can use to force Adelice to use her power for their own ends. As long as Adelice cares and cannot protect the sister, it puts them in an awful situation. I've mentioned before that I have a younger sister and reading about protective older sisters is a good way for me to bond with a character. Second is that I loved villainous power-hungry government official Cormac; I don't have much to say about him beyond that but I thought he was just great for his purpose. I also have a few (non-spoilery) things to say about the ending: Well then...WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?

But (you knew there had to be something I really didn't like) there were these two competing love interests. Now I think one definitely has Adelice's heart but there's a lot of tension between the three of them. I am not going to ding this book for the two guys but I will ding it for not getting me interested in either guy. By which I mean, they did not bring the swoon.

Overall: Although this was less fairy-tale than I had expected, it ended up being a really enjoyable read with a good MC and a great set-up for the second book.

Cover: I would say this is pretty much what first drew me to the book-I love the swirl of colors and am surprised to like a cover that doesn't feature a pretty dress!

 

The Shadow Society

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
3.5/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
405 pages
YA Paranormal Fantasy

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

I think I was intrigued by the tease of a mystery in the blurb ("Darcy Jones doesn't remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse") but I honestly am not entirely sure what compelled me to check it out and what actually unraveled surprised me. This was probably a case where NOT reading the synopsis worked in my favor, adding additional tension to the story.

Since I don't want to spoil too much, I can tell you that about the first quarter is Darcy living a normal life but with a startling prologue that has you waiting for the other shoe to drop. Before that though, it means following Darcy attending school, doing homework, working after-school, hanging out with friends, trying not to draw attention to herself. This also means the introduction of the mysterious Conn, the new kid at school who seems to be closely observing Darcy. Once the other shoe does drop though, the book is off on a gallop into an alternate world where she begins to get some answers about her past while also navigating a shaky future.

I don't really know how I feel about Darcy. She narrates the book so we're in her head, getting introduced to the new reality at the exact same time as her but I don't know if I ever felt really bonded with her, the way I do with my favorite characters. There is also the expected love interest (the rather personality-free Conn) as well as Darcy's delightful friends who pop up to play an unexpected role.

I do have to give Rutkoski props for this book being "compulsively readable" (quoting the goodreads blurb there) as I flew through it. I read it in only a couple of hours while listening to a football game and was thoroughly absorbed even if I wasn't as connected to the characters as I would have liked.

Cover: I like the blues and how it hints at an alternate dimension. If I knew the Chicago skyline, I would want to compare what we see here on the cover to what is actually existent.

This book is available for release on October 16, 2012. For more info, visit goodreads.

 

Without Tess

Without Tess by Marcella Pixley
3.5/5 stars
Margaret Ferguson Books, 2011
280 pages
YA Contemporary Sisters

Source: Library

One of the themes or plotlines that most preoccupies me in literature is that covering the relationship between sisters. This comes from my own actual life where I have a younger sister. I do not usually anticipate reading books where the sister-sister relationship is as functional as ours (because it isn't very dramatic) but then I don't usually expect a relationship as dysfunctional as the one covered in Without Tess.

Our narrator is Lizzie, a young girl faltering in high school, still mourning the loss of her older sister, the titular Tess. She has no friends, no ambitions, and clutches Tess' journal as her safety. Through the listening help of Dr. Kaplan, Lizzie begins to realize the mental state of Tess and release herself from crippling feelings of guilt over her complicity in her sister's death.

I felt so much pain reading about Tess, her imaginative fancies, and the way she brought Lizzie in to them. I understand that Tess had mental problems and that their parents were completely ineffectual in getting her the support she needed. But as an outsider, I just wanted to reach in and protect Lizzie. She constantly put herself at risk and alienated others in order to stay in the good graces of her temperamental sister. As it says on the book jacket, "...she did everything her sister asked her to do, even if it meant putting herself in danger." It's absolutely heartbreaking and one of the saddest sister stories I've read. There are the fun times that bind them as sisters but they are far outweighed by Tess' mental illness.

One last element to mention is the writing, which is beautifully lush and did an excellent job capturing Tess' poetic side, the way she could throw out a phrase or sentence to entice Lizzie. However that is not the kind of writing that I really like and I sometimes felt overwhelmed by the writing. It was pretty and character-based where I tend to like a little bit more action. As might be expected, there are a lot of flashbacks in the book to trace the development of the relationship between the sisters; sometimes this can be confusing but in general, I thought it was very clear when events were happening.

Overall: Beautiful poetic writing and a storyline that just made me want to go hug my sister and tell her how much I love her.

Cover: A fitting sparseness for the way Lizzie's life feels.

Struck

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
4/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
373 pages
YA Paranormal Apocalyptic

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

I wasn't too sure about the idea of a lightning addict but after some early reviews mentioned the presence of cults, I was one-hundred percent sold on this book. I love reading about cults-those kinds of books are made of win! And there are actually two cults in this book, with opposing agendas but similar methods. The circumstances that have given rise to the cults make perfect sense; after an earthquake that destroyed ten square miles of Los Angeles and its environs, many are dead or severely injured and chaos reigns. Turning to a man claiming to be a prophet who can heal and predict the future is an entirely plausible reaction. The other cult is much smaller but also requires obedience from its members and speaks in similar language to the first cult. But both desire the presence of our main character Mia Price.

Mia is one of the "lucky" survivors, living with her brother and her heavily drugged mother who spends her time watching the Prophet on TV in an effort to cope with her experience during the earthquake. I love when characters are fiercely protective of their families and really identified with Mia as she struggled to make some tough decisions. I didn't always agree with her but reading about her justifications in regards to taking care of her family, I could understand them. The other element about Mia is that she has been struck by lightning multiple times, leaving her body below the head covered with tell-tale scars and filling her with mysterious powers that are highly desired by both cults. Their efforts to recruit her and her attempts to resist drive the majority of the plot.

Each cult is clearly defined but their goals are shadowy, something Mia tries to investigate. I did get a bit confused with the paranormal powers possessed by the different members but I think I got what was important. While the book didn't end in a cliffhanger, there does seem to be the possibility of another book, which I would be interested in reading.

Another element (and a disappointment for me) was the love story. While I loved that Jeremy wore glasses (yay for spectacles!), I didn't feel that he had much of a personality nor was I sure about why Mia was attracted to him. I actually really liked militia man Brent (who has a taser!) much more in the few scenes he had. Jeremy's history is revealed more toward the end (although I figured out his secrets way before then so you might too), which filled in more of his personality but he still reminds kind of a cipher for me and therefore not swoonworthy.

I would have liked to have more of a sense of what was going on outside of L.A. We are told that people are fleeing the area but are they going to a better situation? How has the rest of the US been affected by the disasters here? I understand keeping the focus on Mia and her life but I would have liked a bit more information about this.

Overall: A solid debut with some exciting action scenes.

Cover: As a fan of covers with pink and/or a pretty dress, this isn't very appealing to me but I do think it captures the novel in a way that those elements would not.

Various Positions

Various Positions by Martha Schabas
3.5/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
325 pages
YA; Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I approached this book with trepidation, having read a few reviews where people expected maybe a "Center Stage"-esque ballet story and instead received a fourteen-year old girl who spends a lot of time thinking and talking about sex. I requested this book expecting a dishy ballet story myself and wasn't sure I would be interested in what the author presented.

But I found myself fascinated with young Georgia even as I was horrified with the decisions she made. She is only fourteen and deeply entrenched in the world of ballet at an elite academy.  Over the course of the semester, she starts thinking she is seeing signs of sexual overtures from her much older male teacher and Georgia acts on those, exploring a new and exciting world for her. But those actions are not without serious repercussions as the people who care about Georgia do not remain uninvolved.

This book made me think a little of "Black Swan," another twisty ballet story that left me uncomfortable. Georgia is just so young and I could not understand how she made the assumptions she did. The teacher actually seemed to act appropriately in my reading but Georgia read deeply between the lines to come to a vastly different conclusion.

But the real standout is the writing, which is the main reason I continued to read. Schabas is obviously very talented and knows her way around words to create vivid pictures and emotions for the reader.  Admittedly most of those were unpleasant for me: a student's anorexia, adultery and emotional manipulation, messed-up ideas about romantic relationships.  This is intense stuff! But there are also many images of beauty revolving around the ballet. There is still a little part of me that kind of wants to be a prima ballerina and I greatly admire the athleticism and grace required to excel. Despite my lack of knowledge, I can still envision many of the ways the dancers moved.

Beyond the world of dance, there were a lot of issues relating to Georgia's home life. I would have liked a bit more in that regard as her parents were sketchily defined for me. Questions still remain and sadly Georgia has a breach with the family member she was closest to.  There are no easy answers or fast solutions in this contemporary novel.

Overall: Definitely not for everyone-I would not feel right offering a blanket recommendation. I feel like this is a book where the reader will benefit from doing some research on reviews beforehand in order to be prepared for what will come.

Cover: I really do like the black against the white; it's a stark cover unlike the busyness of other YA books since this one is very different.

Lexapros and Cons

Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo
4/5 stars
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
230 pages
YA; Contemporary

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

This book caught me very off-guard from the opening sentence, which may be realistic for the life of the average teenage boy but is also very different from what I usually read. However I persisted and found myself charmed.

Main character Chuck Taylor has a few issues. Well, more than a few, such that he could be classified as having OCD. One of his main compulsions is checking if the stove is on or not and getting up in the middle of the night to pee. Another one is pairing his massive collection of Converses (Chuck Taylors) to his mood. The beginning of the book has Chuck coming to grips with the fact that he does have these compulsions and getting him to a psychiatrist for treatment. A new character is also introduced, the lovely Amy, who Chuck is sure would have no interest in him.

Chuck ends up becoming pretty single-minded in his pursuit of Amy, alienating his long-time best (and pretty much only) friend. Then his compulsions cause him to seriously hurt Amy's feelings, jeopardizing any future relationship. This is his ultimate impetus to start tackling his problem and the progress he makes is tremendous, culminating in a senior year camping trip with several story lines overlapping.

Throughout there is some seriously snarky humor. I especially enjoyed Chuck's sessions with his therapist who has a tendency to end her sentences with a question mark instead of a period. And I liked seeing Chuck struggle but ultimately overcome. He ends the book in an optimistic frame of mind and that always makes me happy :)

Warning: Vulgar language and sexual content may make this inappropriate for the younger YA reader; if possible, definitely read a sample.

Overall: A pretty funny contemporary novel featuring a boy and his Chucks.

Cover: Wow-the mix of orange and green is bright! But the green Converses are part of the plot so I must give points for the accuracy.

The Survival Kit

The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011
351 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Library

This book wasn't initially on my radar until I saw another blogger rave about it (sadly I did not bookmark that page; if I can find it, I will link) and I'm so glad that I gave it a chance as it was a very strong contemporary.

Rose Madison is devastated from the loss of her mother, pushing everyone away, her friends, her boyfriend, anything that reminds her of the past. She cannot imagine moving forward. The title comes from an idea of her mother's, a schoolteacher who gave survival kits to the parents of her students, who sometimes struggled sending them off to school for the first time. Rose discovers one for herself shortly after her mother's funeral and the book follows her attempts to survive.

This book features several things I like. First hockey, a sport I am growing to appreciate, starting with last year's Stanley Cup. It's so exciting and I love all the violence. Second, Rose is lucky enough to have some great friends, who don't let her collapse even when she seems bent on doing so. And thirdly Rose's love interest is named Will. I love YA book boys named Will (see Firelight and Perfect You). I was a little worried as it seemed at first that Will would be the person to lead Rose out of her depression, making him the one to save her. That would have been tremendously unsatisfying as the MC ought to save herself. There are more complications to come though.

I do have to mention in my review, something that hopefully doesn't make me sound heartless but instead reflects my (very fortunate) experiences of not losing any one close to me. I understand that Rose is broken and wanting to push away her boyfriend, her friends, anything that makes her think of her mother.  Still she sometimes frustrated me with her self-centeredness-I know, a teenager who only thinks about herself! A first-person narrative which focuses on the main character! Who would have ever guessed it?! But it's a fine line to tread, keeping the reader's sympathy and sometimes I felt imposed upon to care about Rose no matter how she acted. I especially hated the portrait of her father as a man descending into alcoholism to cope with his grief despite the fact that he still has two children who are very much alive and in need of parental guidance. Sometimes the reader just wants the characters to be pulled back from the brink of despair.

Overall: A strong contemporary; recommended.

Queen of Hearts

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2010
211 pages
YA; Historical
4/5 stars

Source: Library

While browsing through my library's shelves, I came across this book. I love the title but wasn't completely sold on the idea of WWII happening while the main character lingers in a tuberculosis sanitarium-could that be interesting? It sounded very static. But it is also short, which is sometimes a deciding factor for me.

Actually the sanitarium was rather interesting and where the book picked up for me. Before that it was meandering with Marie-Claire's difficult life. Her family isn't well-off and she works very hard to contribute to their farm along with her brother and sister. Her itinerant uncle comes back to town and soon all three children are infected with tuberculosis; they join their uncle at the local sanitarium, separated by age and gender.

Although Marie-Claire is separated from her family, the sanitarium begins her journey in making a new one of TB survivors including her roommate Signy.  Signy has been in the sanitarium for a while without making much progress and is not Marie-Claire's ideal roommate, being rather perky and coming from a wealthy background. However they do have their disease in common and as they spend most of their time in the same room, they are able to bond. Although this part is better, it still didn't have much depth. I wanted more insight in to the characters, richer world-building, and more action.

Although the story is set during WWII, that doesn't play much of a role. The sanitarium is so remote and difficult to access that the news does not impact their lives nor do they hear much about the outside world. The biggest connection is the letters that both girls exchange with soldier boyfriends and even that tapers off as the boys find girls who don't have TB.

Inspired by the author's real-life experience with sanitariums, this is an interesting concept. However I didn't feel much forward progress and I didn't fall in love with any of the characters. This keeps me from wholeheartedly recommending the book unless you are a sucker for medical stories and think the tuberculosis angle sounds intriguing.

All These Things I've Done

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011
354 pages
YA; Speculative Fiction
4.5/5 stars

Source: Received a review copy through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to break this down into five elements to help me better process my thoughts and to hopefully convince you to read this because I really enjoyed it.

Setting: The setting is established on the back cover. The year is 2083, chocolate and caffeine are illegal, paper books are scarce, and New York City is rife with poverty and crime (although it kind of is now, right?) Anyway it didn't feel very futuristic except for specific references to the illegality of chocolate and the rareness of books. Life goes on much as it does today. However it does provide an intriguing entry point; I know that I wanted to know about life without much chocolate as a diehard chocoholic!

Plot: The fact that chocolate is illegal is an important plot point though because main character Anya Balanchine is the daughter of a now slain mob boss and her family's money comes from chocolate. The majority of the book revolves around Anya trying to take care of her brother and sister as they are orphans and their grandmother is near death; as a 16-year old Anya cannot officially be the guardian and taking caring of her family is her number-one priority. The other main plot threads are the Balanchine crime family as well as Anya's budding romance, which will be discussed later.

Characters: Anya is the make-or-break it element of this book. She's the narrator, you're in her head so if you hate her, then you will not like this book. However I warmed to her easily. A. she's pro-family and I enjoyed her struggles against her selfishness to do what would protect her family (not all YA-heroines can handle that) B. She's pretty lippy, which is just funny. I enjoyed her voice a lot. Then there are the other characters: Anya's family, her best friend Scarlet, the boyfriend, and various authority figures. In general, I felt they were distinct personalities with specific reasons for being in the narrative.

Writing: The writing connects with the characters as it is told in Anya's voice. I felt this was a little shaky (although as this was an uncorrected proof, perhaps this will be edited later?) because the story was mostly told by Anya to the reader as flashback with her making little interjections for foreshadowing. The other element relating to this is how Anya inserts her father's words of wisdom, which some people may not like but I loved.

And lastly, Romance: I was not sure I was going to be sold on this as their romance is cliched: the mob boss's daughter and the assistant D.A.'s son as star-crossed lovers fighting societal and parental expectations-blech. However there was more depth and more heat that got me rooting for them. The 4.5 rating was basically clinched due to the last page with them on it.

One last note is how the back cover states "a groundbreaking new series," which sounds hyperbolic to me; not sure what's in this book lives up to that statement. However I am eager for the next book to see what Anya's going to do next!

Overall: Highly recommended! Do you have any questions that I didn't answer or that I was vague about? I would love to answer and hopefully encourage you to give the book a try for yourself!

The Espressologist

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2009

184 pages

YA; Contemporary

Summary: Jane has been working at a coffee shop and studying people for months and she has developed the ability to match people based on their drink choices. Then her manager finds out and uses her for a promotion. Can she find love for herself, her best friend Em, and her new friend Cam?

Thoughts: I read this really fast because it's not long and it's not a difficult read in any way. It is very fluffy which is what I was in the mood for. There is not much to the characters. I mostly liked Jane although she was completely oblivious to her romantic feelings. She's also a little mean for my taste. The other characters in the book are barely developed.

It is also very predictable-absolutely nothing that happened surprised me except for one little thing. Jane has been skipping classes for several weeks because she thinks that as it is her senior year and she applied early decision to her college of choice, school doesn't matter. And nothing happens to her! Note this takes place in November/December so it's not even really senioritis because that can't happen until you know for sure where you've been accepted. Why isn't the school calling about her missing classes? My school was a stickler for that!

Overall: 3.5/5. Nice light fluff but nothing outstanding.

Cover: At first I thought I really liked the cover but now I'm somewhat creeped out by the girl. I love the font and the cup of coffee is cute but she's weird.