ARC Review: Faking Normal

by Courtney C Stevens
5/5 stars
HarperCollins Children's Books, 2014
336 pages
YA Contemporary Issues
Scheduled to release February 25

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I actually almost skipped over this book while reviewing upcoming titles because it didn't seem flashy or strong enough to hook my attention. But I'm a die-hard contemporary fan so I decided I would give it a try anyway, picking it up as the expiration date approached.

And at first it seemed like a pretty basic contemporary. Over the previous summer, something happened to Lexi, something that torments her, that robs her of sleep, and leads to her furiously scratching her skin in the middle of the night. Though outwardly Lexi seems to be the same, the trauma of the past summer is taking its toll. Complicating her life is the new boarder in her family's house, Bodee Lennox whose father murdered his mother, leaving him orphaned and warmly welcomed by Lexi's family. His silent strength is a safe refuge for Lexi as tries to confront the past and stop faking normality.

From the writing, it soon becomes apparent that Lexi was raped but that she struggles to use that word because she didn't say no. This absolutely broke my heart. From my readings around the internet, I've seen this offered as a defense against rape. Because the word "no" was not uttered, it is suggested that it was not rape. But it definitely is and it makes me all the more passionate about supporting yes means yes and the idea of affirmative consent (visit here for a starting point). Her rapist is a pretty big part of her life (see SPOILER DISCUSSION below for a few more thoughts) and Lexi is genuinely concerned about ruining his future prospects with her words. I've read more than a few YA books about rape but I don't remember one where the young lady was forced into such close continual contact with her rapist and that relationship had such an emotional impact on me. Though it crept up on me, the emotions of the book really built and hit hard near the end.

While this secret hangs over the entirety of the book, there are other important moments and relationships. The abuse of Bodee's mom by his dad and the horror of living in that household are something unraveled through Bodee's closeness to Lexi. Female friendship plays an important role with Lexi and her two friends wading through the difficult moments of humanity. Lexi's often annoying older sister is also important with a shining moment of heroism at the end; you know I can't resist a sister-sister relationship.

Overall: An incredibly emotional read that is a strong example of writing in YA contemporary. I am so glad I gave this book a chance!

SPOILER DISCUSSION:
Stevens totally faked me out. Though I initially suspected Craig, the writing soon led me to Collie just like Bodee before swinging back with Lex's confession. I couldn't believe how long Lexi held it together before finally sharing and was completely swept up in her emotions. I also can't believe the coldness of Craig to put her through that. Even if she had been enthusiastic, he's a teacher who's a good decade older than her and who professes to be in love with her sister. What a sick twisted man!
END SPOILER

ARC Review: Fake ID

by Lamar Giles
4/5 stars
HarperCollins, 2014
320 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release January 21

Source: Received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't really sure why I requested this book other than the contemporary setting because it is a bit more on the thriller side than I typically read. The plot summary didn't really grab me either but luckily as I read, I found myself drawn to the characters and the writing.

The book opens in a confusing matter with main character Nick referencing items that made no sense to me as someone just entering his world. However I soon found myself grounded in Nick's life in the Witness Protection Program due to his father. They have moved around the country because of the father's inability to live a low profile law-abiding life and this is their last chance. These tensions are fraying Nick's family with his mother especially sensitive to all of the changes. On top of that, Nick's first friend at his new school Eli is murdered and Nick finds himself drawn to solve that mystery, compelled partly by Nick's gorgeous and fiery twin sister Reya.

I can't see how anyone would unravel the complete mystery behind Eli's death as the threads upon threads strained plausibility to me. However the motives at the heart ring all too true and Nick is a diligent detective to track down all the pieces. He is also pretty funny and oddly relatable considering I am not in the Witness Protection Program (or am I?) I also liked Reya who is filled with personality and especially Nick's mother and her difficult predicament though other characters seemed more surface-level to me.

One last note is that the ending caught me off-guard because I was expecting something more conclusive whereas this leads up to something big that might happen in a sequel. However as of yet there does not seem to be a sequel definitively planned, which makes the abruptness of this ending awkward to me. I would feel more pumped about this book knowing that the ending would be resolved in a second book.

Cover: Yay for accurately showing an African-American young man on the cover (diversity is good!) though I wish you could see his face more clearly.

Hemlock

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
3.5/5 stars
Katherine Tegen Books, 2012
404 pages
YA Paranormal

Finally I have had a chance to read this after skimming many reviews and getting a lot of ideas about what this book contains. It sounded like a different kind of werewolf book and the love triangle actually seemed to be a lot more complex with some different dynamics represented.

The basic plot is that werewolves are known and acknowledged in this world; when captured they are tagged and sent off to camps, never to be seen again. However some evade capture such as the mysterious white wolf that killed Amy, best friend to Mac, our main character.  Now Mac is struggling in grief while her town is overtaken by the Trackers, an extremist group dedicated to crushing werewolves. Meanwhile Mac's personal life is spiraling out of control, largely due to the aforementioned love triangle.

Well let's tackle the love triangle first. Both of the guys are long-time friends of Mac. One, Jason, dated her best friend Amy and the other is her best friend Kyle but the two have never contemplated taking their friendship to the next level (according to Mac's narration). Jason spends most of the book being the entitled rich kid, never forced to deal with consequences because his daddy's money and influence spares him from all that. He is a jerk with a lot of rage so it is not too surprising to see him get entangled with the Trackers. Kyle is much more my type, the very sweet guy who is there when you need him. Of course, both are super hot and there are several intimate scenes between Mac and each guy. One of the elements I was prepared for was for Mac to have a more maternal side to each guy, which is true in my opinion. I thought she spent a lot of time looking after and being protective of them, not that they necessarily appreciated it. And thus, while I liked Kyle quite a bit, I ultimately am not a fan of this love triangle. I think Mac needs someone else outside of their weird little group.

Thinking back on the mystery, it all ties together perfectly although I was not able to puzzle it out for myself. It's money, influence, and politics tying together for someone's agenda. Honestly I was too sidetracked by everything Mac was doing to really consider who the wolf could be (thankfully we do find out or I would have been upset).

One of my favorite parts was that Mac keeps imagining Amy in her head and having conversations with her. It didn't seem exactly like a dream but more of a coping mechanism. I always got excited to see Amy's name appear in print during those scenes. This was especially effective in the end when Amy warns Mac that unveiling the white wolf does not end everything; there is more to come, obviously as this is a trilogy.

Overall: I did like the paranormal elements and mystery but the love triangle was a bit too drawn out for my taste and ultimately I root for Mac as a single gal, unencumbered by the stupid boys.

Cover: The girl looks so separate from her surroundings instead of one with the forest. The dress is also extremely impractical for all of the running around Mac does.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
HarperCollins, 2005
217 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Free NookBook

Read for YA Overlooked Book Battle.

I was so disconcerted that this book was written in third person instead of first.  Every time it referred to Ginny instead of her referring to herself made me mentally rewind.  I just felt like it was a book that would have worked as first person.  Not that I didn't like it in third.

The plot is that Ginny's aunt died and after her death, Ginny received a bundle of 13 envelopes sending her off on a trip around Europe.  I have to agree with the boy Ginny meets, named Keith, who correctly observes that her aunt is flaky and kind of nuts to have come up with this plan for Ginny.  Her adventures were interesting but I was worried about her safety and her mental health in still dealing with the loss of her aunt.

Once I ignored that quibble though, I loved Ginny's adventures.  She traveled all over western Europe, seeing many places that I hope to see some day.  The descriptions were great and there was a lot of hilarity.  Ginny meets some many different people and they all teach her something valuable about life even if she doesn't realize it at the time.  I can also see how the sequel will start, based on the ending to this book.  Hopefully I can read that soon.

A Tale of Two Castles

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
HarperCollins, 2011
215 pages
YA/MG; Fantasy; Fairy Tale
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really like Gail Carson Levine so I was excited to see another book by her.  The cover indicated a dragon and hopefully another spunky heroine in the vein of Ella Enchanted.  I got that in the dragon Meenore and the would-be actor Elodie.

And I did like those two elements but the book as a whole didn't cohere for me. It felt disjointed and it seemed like a character would be introduced for a few chapters and then leave just as I was starting to get to know him. This happened several times.  I also found Levine's made-up words and names more annoying than cool, which might have been different if I'd read this when I was ten.

However I did enjoy the wrapping up of the plot.  Elodie unravels a mystery and I really liked how she deducted and induced clues.  Happily it didn't take her too long to do this and I was caught completely off-guard by the villain.

Overall: The pieces for a great story are there but it didn't come together as I hoped.

Cover: For those who've read the book, I like that Elodie isn't wearing a cap ;)

Angelfire

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
HarperCollins, 2011
290 pages
YA; Fantasy
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Ellie is the Preliator, a unique being whose purpose is to defeat reapers, vicious creatures who eat people in order to send their souls to hell in preparation for a war between hell and heaven.  Will is her guardian, the one who looks out for her and searches her out after every death and reincarnation.

I was intrigued by the concept of her reincarnation and how that affects her life as centuries pass.  On the one hand, a woman now has more options and is accustomed to more independence, probably resulting in a bolder and more active woman.  However she has to struggle to balance school with her responsibility as well as her desire for a "normal" life including college and boyfriends, etc.  Ellie's grades, never that great, suffer tremendously from this responsibility. In fact, I thought she wanted the "normal" life too much and that soured me on her.

Now it's probably no surprise that there is a romance between Ellie and Will.  His sole object in life is to protect and serve her and he's been looking out for her soul for five hundred years.  However I was very swayed by the angel Michael who informs them that the romance is wrong because SPOILER Ellie is the archangel Gabriel.  I cannot in good conscience support a relationship so obviously displeasing to God.  I do like that the trend of angel books is bringing up questions of God though.  It was confusing though as Ellie's essential soul is apparently reincarnated, which is not a Christian concept and seemed out of line with the other theology.

I was intrigued by the obvious socio-economic class of Ellie; while she talks about wealthier friends, she herself comes from a pretty wealthy family.  Her parents buy her a $30,000 car for her seventeenth birthday as well as a Badgley Mischka dress (probably around $300 which is still far more than I've ever spent on any article of clothing including my glasses!) I've never really noticed how much wealth a YA paranormal main character has so that was surprising.  Now I'm quite fortunate in that respect but I think her mentioning that she wasn't that wealthy when she obviously was rankled me.  I don't that's fair of me but it's how I feel.

I was disturbed by Ellie's blithe dismissal of her underage (she had just turned 17) drinking.  She justifies it because she didn't drive anywhere, no one got hurt, and hey she'd done it before.  While I think the law does allow for underage drinking in private settings, providing the underage person did not purchase the alcohol, I was very uncomfortable with her blase attitude.  In fact, in general I did not like Ellie as a person finding her far too flippant for such a serious position and much too concerned with having "fun" instead of with performing her duty.

KIND OF SPOILER: I thought her father, who's a big jerk to her, would turn out to have been a reaper because he was so mean but that didn't happen; it still could though.

Overall: Unlikable and immature main character but intriguing premise.  While it's the beginning of a trilogy, the story as a whole was more self-contained and I feel comfortable with the knowledge that I will have read it as a standalone.

Cover: At first I really liked it and then I thought her face looked really weird and I feel like some indication of Will should be there.

Challenges: YA Debut; Ebook

Thud

Thud by Terry Pratchett

Harper Collins, 2005

373 pages

Fantasy; Discworld

4/5 stars

Source: Bought at a book signing about five years ago so this is autographed!

Summary: Sam Vimes is the Commander of the Watch is seeing increasing tensions in the city of Ankh-Morpork between the trolls and the dwarves before the pending anniversary of the Koom Valley battle. A lot of other stuff happens in typical Discworld fashion.

Thoughts: It took me FOREVER to read this; I've had it since it came out; one of my friends told me it was her favorite three years ago but still I didn't read it until I started my personal read my own books challenge.

I wish that I had read more of the Discworld novels before I started this one as there were references to many previous books. Of course that just provides more encouragement for me to go back to all of them, sooner rather than later.

I liked Sam Vimes: He's a devoted family man, fiercely protective of his city, and has a sensible attitude toward bacon (as in more is better). Then there were the trolls and the dwarves.

I definitely need to read some of the other Watch novels especially if any feature Sam's courtship of his wife Sybil or the birth of their son. It looks like I should read Guards! Guards and Men at Arms; I will try to do so later this year. I also want to read more about Lord Vetinari-does he have any books devoted to him? But DEATH is still my favorite character and he makes a brief appearance here.

Overall: This should not be your introduction to Pratchett's writing or Discworld but if you've read some of the others, it's a fine addition to the oeuvre.

Cover: It's not my favorite; the club is representing the trolls and apparently Thud is also a game so...meh.

Read for Terry Pratchett Challenge

This Book is Overdue!

This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson

HarperCollins, 2010

252 pages

Non-fiction

Summary: An examination into the changing world of librarians: whether they are still relevant, what they can offer for the future, and how libraries are still necessary in the age of Google.

Thoughts: I saw several reviews of this and thought it sounded like a fun read so I checked it out and I read it fairly quickly. It took me a while to get in to it but once I did, I loved it.

First I am thinking about maybe getting a master's in library and information science to possibly become a librarian or something with information. I still have a little bit of time but I'm seriously considering it.

Second, I loved the parts where she discusses some of her favorite library blogs; unfortunately that added a ton of websites to my already jam-packed google reader. But I think they will be very interesting.

And third I found the writing style very engaging; Johnson is definitely passionate about this topic and it was a joy to read. If you are wondering if we still need librarians when we have the internet, check this out!

Overall: 4 out of 5. I will definitely be looking for Johnson's previous book, The Dead Beat.

Cover: I love the cover with a librarian as a superhero-so true!

And Only to Deceive

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

HarperCollins, 2005;

310 pages

Summary: Lady Emily Ashton did not love her husband when she married him and did not mourn him when he died. Toward the end of her mourning period, she discovers his journals where he revealed an interest in antiquities and a love for her. She seeks to learn more about him, uncovering an antiquity scam along the way and maybe just maybe falling in love for real.

Why I Read: I had heard good things about this novel and I wanted to try some different mysteries and give Agatha Christie a break.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the characters of this, especially Lady Emily who was a lot of fun as well as her friends, Ivy and Cecile. I also enjoyed her suitors Andrew and Colin. I even liked the villain(s) of the piece. But I was expecting more of a mystery and this falls far short in that department. I felt like at least half of the book had no suspense and the mystery was not particularly engaging (and I kind of figured it out so you know it can't have been very hard!) Regardless I still enjoyed immersing myself in this Victorian novel and look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Overall: 4/5 for a pretty lame mystery but thoroughly enjoyable main character and her companions. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Cover: I don't really like this cover; the version I checked out from the library is purple with a horse and carriage and I'm not really a fan of it either.

Recommendations: I also have Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn which I've heard is similar but better (although I didn't know that when I was reading this). Have you read both? Or other similar series that you would recommend