ARC Review: The Creature Department

The Creature Department by Robert Paul Weston
3/5 stars
Razorbill, 2013
331 pages
MG Fantastical
Scheduled to release November 5

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Halloween everyone! This is going to be a short review because I don't have much to say.

I received a copy of this unsolicited from the publisher and was thrilled to discover that it glows in the dark after being exposed to much light. After checking out its release date, I decided to save it for review on Halloween and to hope for some spooky going-ons.

I don't know that I'd classify this necessarily as "spooky" but it fits some out of the ordinary adventures. For example, the Research & Development team at DENKi-3000, the world's fifth-largest electronics factory, is staffed by creatures, hidden from the world but intent on creating magnificent inventions that seem to defy human science and logic. But lately they haven't had a hit and are in danger of the company being taken over. So the human head of R&D, Archie, invites his nephew Elliot and friend Leslie to the company to assist. While there, they uncover a darker plot and help save the day!

This book was cute enough but it didn't have anything special that really popped out at me. Everything felt so familiar except for the descriptions of the creatures, who are brought to life via the book's website. They are very colorful, of all kinds of different shapes and sizes with helpful personalities. Another delight was the descriptions of Chinese food, which left me craving some!

Overall: A fun read-may be better suited for its targeted middle-grade audience as this adult didn't find much crossover appeal.

Five Summers

Five Summers by Una LaMarche
4/5 stars
Razorbill, 2013
378 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not really on my radar until I received an unsolicited copy for review. Realizing that it contained many of my favorite things (contemporary genre; alternating perspective; summer; female friendship), I added it to my review schedule and I'm so glad I squeezed it in to the summer season though this could certainly be read during any other as well.

Over the course of five summers, Emma, Jo, Skylar, and Maddie forged an unbreakable bond of best friendship that sustained them through the sometimes difficult school year until they could return to camp. However once they grew too old to be campers, their lives further diverged with high school, boys, and secrets interfering. Now it's reunion weekend for the seventeen year olds and the truth is coming out-can their friendship be sustained?

As a child, I never attended camp nor did I really want to (I was an extremely picky eater who loathed physical activity/outdoors/bugs/latrines-I do not think I would have done well) so the fond memories of camp are not mine. Saying that, the Baby-Sitters Club did attend a camp and I enjoyed their adventures vicariously, same as I did for the girls here. They placed a lot of importance on the camp and the people they were there and I enjoyed getting to know them and their friendship.

I initially anticipated having some trouble with the narration which is told third person, alternating between the four girls as well as over time (the five summers plus reunion weekend.) Yet most of the story is told in the present day at reunion weekend and I feel like Emma was the main character so it was very easy to follow the engaging writing. I could barely put the book down and I easily flew through it.

As for the plot-wow, what drama! All of the girls have their secrets and they pretty much all come out over the course of the weekend, leading to a lot of anger and fighting but also self-reflection and bonding. They're not the same people they were when they first met (thank God) and they need to reconcile the changes that have occurred with the perceptions they used to have of their friends. Though some of the secrets are only hinted at in the beginning, it is pretty easy to figure them out and then just wait for the fur to fly. I found the drama all a bit much but that's just the kind of reader I am.

Overall: A fun summer read that I bet will be especially engaging to people with fond memories of their camp years as well as fans of female friendship in YA lit.

Content: Lots of mostly oblique sexual references; very casual teen drinking presented as normal; I think the language is pretty clean though.

Other Opinions:
Dark Faerie Tales
Forever Young Adult
Parajunkee's View
Read My Breath Away

The Ultra Violets

The Ultra Violets by Sophie Bell
Illustrated by Chris Battle
3.5/5 stars
Razorbill, 2013
290 pages
Middle-Grade Contemporary Fantasy

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book unsolicited from the publisher and thought it looked adorable. It kind of reminded me of the Powerpuff Girls and I love stories focusing on female friendship especially during the years of middle-school, which are tough. As shown on the cover, this book is about four young girls and incorporates the color purple. In fact, the font is purple throughout  (but still perfectly readable if that's a concern) and there are illustrations included, which is something I adore.

The plot is that four girls were playing in their mom's lab under the less than careful eye of their baby-sitter. One knocks over some mysterious goo and drenches them all. Years later, the girls were separated and then reunited, discovering that they have powers and deciding that they will need to harness their new abilities to fight the shady corporate powers in their town.

As represented on the covers, the girls look very different with their own unique interests and skills. Some are more outgoing while others are more shy so everyone will probably be able to click with at least one of them. While they have the unlikely situation of suddenly possessing superpowers, they also have the relatable problems of friendship, boys, and school, helping to keep this story grounded.

I feel like my biggest problem with this book is just that I'm not the target audience. I think I would have enjoyed it when I was ten or eleven but being more than double that age, it was just not my thing. I would love to see the opinion of someone in the target audience who ate it up!

Other Opinions:
The Best Books Ever

ARC Review: Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston
5/5 stars
Razorbill, 2013
206 pages
Middle Grade Fantasy

Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I probably would have never picked this book up if it hadn't been sent to me for review. Not because it looks uninteresting but because I don't read much middle-grade unless it's by authors who are established in YA already. But I am so very glad that I had the chance to read this because I absolutely adored it!

When I first started reading, I thought it seemed a little odd. That is because it is told in rhyme! Yes, the entire story is told in rhyming verses and although it felt a little forced sometimes (quince used because it rhymed with prince), it added a sprightliness to the storytelling. I think this would definitely be a fun nighttime story for families to read together, especially if someone has a good narrating voice. Also adding to the fun was the font as words like "sparkled" and "glitz" were swankified. There was an illustration or decoration of some kind on every page, making this a book to pore over and ensuring young readers have their eyes caught.

As for the story itself, there is the kingdom of Spiff where everyone loves fashion except for the princess who likes to wear pajamas and read (a girl after my own heart :) She is an embarrassment to her father. Meanwhile in the kingdom of Spud, they wear the most outrageous outfits and have recently designated Puggly as their prince. As Spiff's royal ball nears, the princess infuriates her father with her disinterest in clothes and Puggly ends up humiliated by a sneering couterier. The two leave in tears but team up to teach everyone a lesson.

Overall: A splendid time was had while reading this book-I chuckled and smiled throughout and ended by hugging the book close to me, a sure sign of a happy time spent reading!

7 Clues to Winning You

7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker
3.5/5 stars
Razorbill, 2012
317 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Library

After loving A Match Made in High School, Walker's follow-up was highly anticipated. I remember loving her hilarious dialogue and especially some swoony romance. After glancing over my review just now, I discovered that I found some aspects of the book infuriating though and that is also the case here. I mean, some things were absolutely maddening to me.

But first, let's start with what worked for me. Main character Blythe (love that name; makes me think of the actress Blythe Danner) finds out that she has to change schools to finish out her junior year. I am immensely sympathetic to that because I had to move across country in the middle of tenth grade (in short: it sucked). Blythe is lucky that she is just moving a short distance away where she can still easily communicate with her old friends, providing they all make time for each other. But Blythe already has a reputation at that school. Her father is the principal (with superintendent ambitions which is why they're moving) and the previous year, someone had taken a picture that happened to catch her picking her nose, which was spread across the school and exposing her to much mockery.

In her first day at the school, Blythe is taunted and mocked, leading her to make a charge of bullying and getting the big scavenger hunt cancelled, earning even more invective from her peers. This section was a roller-coaster for me because of course I want to sympathize with the main character and we're inside her head so we see all of her rationale for her actions. But it also seems overwrought-she goes in to the school prepared to hate it and immediately jumps on anything that will make it hate her more.

Really Blythe exasperated me. I can see that she has a good heart and I admire her being put together and well-spoken. But so many times, I just wanted to shake her for being so bull-headed. Her family inspired similar reactions in me and her love interest didn't do much for me (I like that he's well-read (they flirt using Shakespeare after all) and he made me think of Scott from Meg Cabot's Teen Idol, which is my favorite Cabot contemp but I didn't love him).

However I loved, loved, loved the supporting characters. First there is Jenna and Cy, who seem like goth druggie bad kids but are actually super sweet and welcoming to Blythe. Then there is Ms. Eulalie and Ms. Franny who live in the retirement home where Blythe volunteers. They are ever-bickering but they love each other and provide important support and wisdom for Blythe in addition to being hilarious. These side characters were definitely my favorite parts and I can unreservedly express my love for them.

Overall: A whirlwind of emotions for me-this definitely hit some nerves and aggravated me but I couldn't bear to stop reading, needing to know how everything would be resolved.

Cover: I really hope that guy is not supposed to be Luke because the Luke of my imaginings is much hotter.

Ripple

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
Razorbill, 2011
260 pages
YA; Paranormal
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

I've had mixed experiences with Hubbard's previous books Prada and Prejudice and You Wish so I was a bit leery of this. However lured by the beautiful cover and Mimi Valentine's endorsement, I decided to take the plunge into this book.  I ended with mixed feelings, some things really pleased me but I thought that others didn't work.

What I loved was the idea of incorporating sirens into contemporary YA. Lexi is a siren whose family has been cursed for generations; on her sixteenth birthday, she called the boy she loved into the ocean and drowned him without being aware of what she was doing. My favorite part though was the romance between Cole and Lexi. She is unable to trust anyone and yet he wants to be the one she lets in. They were so cute together and Cole was super swoonworthy as he tried to get to know her and help her get over her guilt.  I also liked her commitment to protecting her grandmother-I'm big on family relationships.

But he couldn't quite overcome the things I didn't like. Namely the long stretch where nothing paranormal was happening; it was just Lexi complaining about high school cliques and vacillating between sadness at being an outcast and determination that she had to be an outcast in order to protect people from finding out her secret and dying. She was SO annoying and wishy-washy.

The other part I didn't like was the emergence of the villain. It was patently obvious who the villain was because who else would it be? He appeared late and his evil motivation unraveled fast, a little too fast but then I'm glad it wasn't drawn out.  Happily this is a standalone and I don't think that anything else needed to be added; I was satisfied with the ending.

Overall: Not quite as satisfying as I wanted but there were some good things.

Prada and Prejudice

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
Razorbill, 2009
328 pages
YA; Time-Travel
2/5 stars

Source: Library

I was really excited about this book but in the end I felt way too old for the characters and misled by the title. Main character Callie is young, self-conscious, and has been made an outcast by the popular crowd. Now I think you're supposed to feel sorry for Callie because she only has one friend. But maybe she only has one friend because she gossips about people behind their backs-I certainly wouldn't want to be her friend! Then she decides to buy an expensive pair of Prada shoes in order to get in good with the in-crowd while on a school trip to London.

Then seconds after walking out the store in the shoes, she trips and wakes up in a forest. Turns out she has traveled back to 1815...into a world of lords and ladies, servants, and corsets.  Now I'm willing to accept the time travel but there were so many other things that I felt Callie ought to have known. For example, dukes are referred to as "Your Grace." Has she not seen Cinderella? Or read any historical fiction? She doesn't understand any etiquette (of course this is a girl who gossips behind people's back so...) and she makes so many gaffes that had me banging my head against the wall. Now admittedly I am a long-time reader of Regency romance and historical fiction, which has certainly helped with my understanding of behavior and decorum for the times. But Callie seemed to have no understanding of how things change over time and the fact that she may have to moderate her behavior.

Did I applaud her stands for woman's equality? Yes. Did I love the scientific facts she dropped on the unsuspecting crowd? Yes. Did I like how she unconditionally supported her newfound friend? Yes. But I kept thinking she was a moron and needless to say that really detracted from the story.

One other annoyance was the title which hints at a much stronger resemblance to Pride and Prejudice than I received. The setting is similar although I think Austen's work is supposed to be set a little earlier. Another similarity is her meeting with an incredibly arrogant guy who it turns out is very upstanding and honorable, a la Darcy.  Her first impression of him was wrong.  But while I liked this guy Alex, Callie is no Lizzie.  Happily she has some character growth but I don't think she had enough sense smacked into her by her time travel.

Overall: May be a better fit for a middle-grade reader as this is very clean and there are some wacky hijinks.

The Replacement

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Razorbill, 2010
343 pages
YA
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

I saw quite a bit of buzz around this book, which was from a 2010 YA Debut Author but I didn't have a chance to read it until now.  It may be a better Halloween than summer read but there was still some good stuff.

Namely the character Mackie Doyle, a sweet and brave boy living in Gentry as the replacement son for a family whose real son was taken by the dark creatures who keep the town prosperous.  As he struggled with who he was and with the nature of his town, I was firmly committed to him and his mission.  His sister Emma knew that he was a replacement but has always striven to protect and love him with all that she is.  She plays a small but crucial role in his mission.

Less good was the character Tate.  Tate's younger sister was taken and unlike the rest of the town, Tate will not turn a blind eye and dares to ask questions with unpleasant answers.  She wasn't a bad character per se but I didn't feel much of a connection with her and her relationship with Mackie was so rushed.

My other problem was how long it took me to understand the story.  There are many oblique references to what is not right within the town but they kept me at a distance until about the second part of the novel.  I wanted to fall in love right away but it took too long for me to rate this book higher.

You Wish

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard
Razorbill, 2010
284 pages
YA; Contemporary; Supernatural
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

For Kayla's 16th birthday, her mother throws her an unwanted birthday bash with pink galore.  Her best friend Nicole had let her down and she was secretly in love with Nicole's boyfriend Ben. As she blows out the candles, she wishes that her birthday wishes would come true.  The next morning, she finds a pink pony; the next day a year's supply of gumballs; the next day Raggedy Ann comes to life.  But Kayla must stop this because when she turned fifteen, she wished for Ben to kiss her.

WARNING: SPOILERS!

I remember getting so excited about this book last year with its adorable pink color and cute concept.  However I am less enthusiastic about the final result.  Kayla is so cynical and it was a bit unpleasant being in her head.  Like many YA females, she is unpopular but content with her one friend Nicole, a similarly unpopular girl who nonetheless is still hoping for popularity.  Nicole's radical transformation in appearance causes a certain bewilderment in Kayla and their different goals causes some splintering in their relationship.  About one-third through the book, I really hoped this wouldn't be a book where the one girl ends up with her best friend's boyfriend at the end.  Now the situation is not as cliched as that because Nicole gives her blessing for Kayla and Ben but I couldn't cheer for them because of how much Kayla had wanted him while they were dating.  I wasn't very pleased with this segment.

However the wishes were cute.  Raggedy Ann and a Ken doll come to life leading to Kayla re-evaluating her life based on their simplicity and optimism (also leading to some match-making).  Her childhood wishes force her to confront the cynicism that overhangs her present life and to radically alter her attitude and outlook on life.  I was pleased with this.

The other segment was Kayla's home life.  Her father left them when she was quite young (also connects with some wishes) causing her mother to become a workaholic and her brother Chase and her to harbor some serious resentments.  Through the wishes, Kayla becomes at peace with her father's (bonehead) decision to ignore his family and to work on strengthening the relationships with the family that remains.  I love YA stories with strong family bonds (they ring true to me because that's how my family is) so this was a plus to me.

Overall: Kayla's wishes provide some extraordinary comedic moments but I found her general attitude off-putting. I'm glad that she grows but that growth took too long for me to raise my rating.

Cover: I love the pink but I think many people would be turned off by the pink even if they would actually enjoy the story (I know my sister would hate this cover although I'm not sure how she'd feel about the story itself as she tends to like darker books.)

Across the Universe

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Razorbill, 2011
398 pages
YA; Science-Fiction
Read for YA Debut Challenge
4/5 stars

Source: Library (Picked up only 5 days after it came out!)

Summary from goodreads: "A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder. Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming."

What I Liked:
-The characters especially Amy, Elder, and Harley.  Their personalities popped and I felt for each of them.  Less prominent characters like Steela and Orion still caught my attention in the times that they appeared but the first three mentioned were among the most important.  Amy is a fish out of water, Elder is struggling with the knowledge that he will be leader, and Harley is trying to survive.  I loved all of them.
-The writing-very strong, especially for a debut.
-The rewritten history learned by students on the ship, as in Hitler was a great leader because he unified his people along monoethnic lines and Lincoln ended the Civil War by sending all of the black people to Africa.  The first made me gasp a bit but as I realized what had been done, I enjoyed it and wished there were more tidbits of the new history.
-The optimistic ending.  Nothing definite is set but the future could turn out well for the surviving people.
-The cover: very striking and appealing.

What I Didn't Like:
-The dystopian elements all felt really familiar.  Dystopian isn't the main genre I read so I was surprised that none of those parts surprised me.  As each piece was revealed, I thought "Of course; why didn't Amy or Elder figure this out sooner?"
-The descriptions, while good and necessary, sometimes ran too long.  At times, I just wanted something to happen.

Heartbreaking:
-Amy's parents are the reason she is on the ship.  They both wanted to be a part of creating a new world (mom's a geneticist; dad's a tactician) but they were willing to part with their daughter in order to do so.  She had the choice to remain on earth and die before they ever reached their destination or to come with them.  She obviously chose the latter but may never see them again.

Overall: A great debut, especially for those who love science-fiction and dystopian.

Cover: Gorgeous cover!

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway

Razorbill, 2010

281 pages

YA

4.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: April, May, and June are struggling to fit in at their new school after their parents' divorce.  This is not helped by the realization that they have superpowers.  April can see the future, May can literally disappear, and June can read minds.

Thoughts: I saw this on some Waiting on Wednesday posts but I don't really remember reading any reviews of it which is a shame because I thought it was great.  In fact I'm trying to get my sister to read it because I loved it so much even though we usually prefer very different kinds of books.  We loved Charmed which also has three sisters with powers, although their powers are much cooler (telekinesis and stopping time in addition to foreseeing the future) and their story was much darker.

The story is told through alternating chapters and each sister has a very unique voice so it wasn't confusing or anything.  I personally think June has the best power but I identified most with April, the eldest, somewhat bossy and protective, bookworm academic sister.  May is the stereotypical middle sister who feels overshadowed by her sisters and ignored by her parents; she has the most trouble dealing with the divorce.  June desires to be popular and that puts the story in motion as they try to grapple with their superpowers.

I also liked the romantic interests.  June and May both meet vastly different cute guys who are pretty much perfect for them leading to witty repartee and them moving out of their comfort zones.

I was disappointed with the book flap which teased a disaster that I didn't think was disastrous although it did have elements of suspense.

Overall: Outstanding fantastical story with appealing characters.

Cover: April's visions include flashes of red so I thought the blue and yellow would be explained but they weren't.

Taken By Storm

Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison

Razorbill, 2009

291 pages

YA; Contemporary

Summary: Michael is devastated after the death of his parents in a hurricane which somehow he survived. He is sent to live with his grandmother in a small town in Washington where he meets Leecie, Mormon Ice Queen. They are drawn to each other but face conflicts due to her religious beliefs and his depression from his parents' death.

Thoughts: The first thing I read in this book was a poem, which terrified me that this book might be in verse. I've read books like that before but it's not my favorite way. Instead it's told through a combination of poems, journaling and online chatting. The poems are written by Leecie and I don't think much of them-they're very obvious.

I alternated between disliking Michael and disliking Leecie. As they draw closer together, Michael is a stereotypical stupid boy who can't differentiate between physical and emotional intimacy and love. And he complains a lot about how she won't sleep him and thus that means she doesn't love him. Idiot! Leecie is annoying with her believing that she is the only thing that can save him (does Leecie consider herself a Christian? Cos that makes me even more angry) and her planning to give up all of her dreams in order to be with him.

I also hated her school-what is wrong with Leecie's classmates? They pick on her because she's "frigid." Is everyone else at that school having sex? What kind of high school is it?! Mine was nothing like that.

I guess I liked Gran and Leecie's parents although they are not used very much. I liked Michael's name. It was an easy read and I liked the ending although I don't want to spoil it for you.

Overall: 3/5. I thought I would be writing a much more positive review of this but it turns out I liked it less than I thought. I really disliked the main characteristic of each of the main characters (Michael is a pig who only wants sex; Leecie is an idiot who wants to give up her dreams for him).

A Match Made in High School

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Razorbill, 2009

278 pages

YA; Contemporary

Summary: Fiona's high school has made a marriage ed class mandatory for graduation! Will she be paired with her hot crush Gabe? No, instead it's jerk Todd Harding while his girlfriend Amanda is paired with Gabe. Then her best/only friend Marcie is paired with Johnny Mercer, who may or may not like Fiona. Can they make it through the year?

Why I Read: I saw good reviews and won a swag pack for it.

My Thoughts: I really liked the characters, even when they were infuriating. Every character pretty much had at least a mini story which we got to follow and deepen our understanding of them. Fiona and Todd had such fun banter (to read); it's how I wish I could be. In some ways books give me unrealistic expectations because almost always people have fantastic comebacks whereas in real life I pretty much never have a comeback :-(

I also loved Fi's relationship with her sitting charge Sam who provides an important lesson to Fi regarding friendship when her friend Marcie is an absolutely crappy friend (I'm not saying Fi was always a great friend but you just don't do that; Marcie was a way worse friend-can't say why, too spoilerly). It was just a funny book and a VERY quick read.

I do think it's dumb for a school to institute a yearlong, mandatory for graduation course without having tested it first so the whole concept is shaky to me but it's so much fun that I didn't mind plus Fiona's mom challenges it.

Reader Warning: I thought there was a lot of swearing; I'm not saying that's not accurate for high school (because in my experience it is) but I didn't like it much.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5. Slightly disappointed in language and Marcie but highly recommended!

Cover: Cute-I love the different faces and expressions describing the high school experience.