To All the Boys I've Loved Before

by Jenny Han
4/5 stars
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014
352 pages
YA Contemporary

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

The title of this book sounds super romantic-like it would be filled with romantic confessions to all the boys she's loved before. Happily though this book is about so much more with insight into the whole crazy growing up process and, to my special delight, a focus on the sister-sister relationship in a healthy family setting.

Lara Jean has written five love letters to the boys who have variously claimed her heart. These letters are extremely personal, never meant to be read by any of the boys. However in a cruel twist the letters are mailed out to the boys, throwing her life into turmoil.

Frighteningly one of those letters goes to Josh, the ex-boyfriend of her beloved older sister Margot who has left for college abroad, putting Lara Jean and younger sister Kitty to take care of each other and their widowed father. Another letter goes to the very popular Peter who agrees to masquerade in a fake relationship with Lara Jean to make his ex jealous.

Though my summary of this book leans heavily on the boys part of the title, I was so pleased that family/sisters ends up taking up so much page time. Plus Lara Jean even has a few friends and interactions with classmates. What I mean is that there is a lot to grab your attention if you're looking for more in your contemporary than just romance (which I almost always am; yes, sometimes you just need to read about two people falling in love but in general I want a lot more plot threads.)

The romantic parts are really sweet though. Lara Jean really has to wrestle with her feelings for Josh and Peter as well as even a few other boys. I was pretty sure what was going to happen but was committed to the ride. My one disappointment with this book was how the ending felt so unresolved. Turns out there is a good reason for that-this is the first in a duology and presumably the second book will wrap up everything and leave me feeling satisfied.

Sever

by Lauren DeStefano
4/5 stars
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013
371 pages
YA Dystopia Conclusion

Source: Library

I fell hard for the cover of first book Wither and while neither it nor sequel Fever completely earned my love, I was engaged enough to follow the series through to its conclusion. I think my main my problems are that I have never fully felt engaged with Rhine who has seemed very removed, that my favorite parts are the interaction with the other sister wives which was most prominent in book one, and that I like husband Linden over servant Gabriel even if she had freedom only in choosing the latter.

My main feeling from this book is that it made me feel like I was in a drugged-out haze too following Rhine around as she tries to find her twin brother Rowan and escape the machinations of Vaughn. She just seems so personality free to me. On an intellectual level, I understand not wanting to be forced into marriage, wanting to find a cure so that you don't die at age 20, and wanting to be reunited with your sole living relative. But I never felt those in the character of Rhine. When I connect with a book, I feel the main character's pain and struggles no matter how much they vary from my own life experiences. Never the case here.

Remember how I mentioned potential love interests Linden and Gabriel? Both get pretty shabby treatment here. If you were invested in romance between Rhine and either guy, I think you will be pretty disappointed. Neither boy's life wrapped up in a satisfying fashion. Vaughn's ultimate fate is the more pleasing one though still strangely anticlimatic to me.

Another disappointment to me is the reference to Chemical Gardens. That is the title for the trilogy and yet I feel like it's only in this book that we start exploring what that means and not even in full detail. I have read all three books and I'm still not sure I could explain what they are. (I think they are where Rhine's parents experimented to come up with a cure.)

As I wrote this review, I realize I pretty much only had complaints and yet I gave it 4 stars. My rating system is obviously a bit bonkers but 4 is really the rating I felt in my gut when I completed the book. While I had hoped for an ending to completely blow me away, I do accept the ending in this book and I am very aware that I've read more disappointing conclusions. Hope is a big theme in the novel and that is what ultimately redeems it for me. I want to live in a world with hope and I like that this book allows for this even if other areas were less than for me.

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Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair
3/5 stars
Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2013
234 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss.

Though YA contemporary is my favorite genre, I sometimes find myself discontented reading the same sorts of stories set in your typical American high school. Luckily sometimes a book like Leap of Faith comes along and shakes me up.

Faith has lived with an angry drug-using mother with a history of bad decisions her whole life. The latest is to become pregnant with her drug dealer's baby so that he and his girlfriend can raise a child. This absolutely outrages Faith who spends the nine months of pregnancy trying to stop her mother from drinking, smoking, and otherwise abusing drugs but as the big day approaches, she becomes even more upset about the possibility of this new baby living a life that looks anything like hers. So once baby Addy is born, Faith takes her, driving south and making a new life for herself as Leah, the young single mother. There Faith finds a community that embraces her including cute guy Chris. But what will Chris think when her past catches up to her?

I am so in awe of Faith and the steps she took to give Addy a better life, one filled with love and being wanted so unlike Faith's own childhood. Her heart was definitely in the right place even if her actions are objectively wrong. She makes a lot of mistakes in her new life as Leah such as overfeeding Addy and trying to use a gym for her day care. But she does learn and seems poised to continue mastering the whole motherhood thing until a cop starts poking around.

Chris was an unbelievably sweet and understanding guy. He seemed almost superhumanly perfect but was a very welcome addition. I also adored his grandmother and the other characters who provide support to Faith. One character I wish we could have seen more is Faith's older sister Hope who has fueled her desire to escape their horrible upbringing into athleticism leading to a scholarship and who does not have the capability of taking on parenting at this time. Their mother (and her cronies in the drug business) are just awful. There seems to be not a moment of anything redeeming or human about them and though their page time is short, their many wrongs to Faith and others hover over the pages.

However, despite some strong characterizations, this book just didn't quite gel for me. I really do like your average high school read and I was highly anticipating reading some other books I had in my queue. But it's just hard when you don't particularly like the main character (I liked the new people she met) and you can't muster up much enthusiasm to keep reading. I did manage to finish this book, which leads to the following mini-rant.

My biggest complaint about this book is the ending. What happened there? I honestly thought my e-galley had been cut off...which maybe it was.  Maybe the finished copy will provide some resolution and make it abundantly clear that the last words are the ending. As it stands though, I was super disappointed. I know I'm a reader who prefers a nice closed definite ending but I can handle some vagueness and openness. This was so far past that though to a whole new level of abrupt. If you've read this book, what do you think? Almost every other review I've seen has mentioned this lack of resolution.

Cover: I like the colors but I'm not really feeling the two girls overlapping on the cover.

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ARC Review: VIII

VIII by H.M. Castor
3.5/5 stars
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013
420 pages
YA Historical
Scheduled to release August 20

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

The Tudor period is one of my favorite times in history and once about which there is a plethora of material. And yet this look at Henry VIII from childhood to death still seemed unique enough to stand out and be worthy of a read.

After finishing, I feel like I received a lot from this book. It is interesting to see how Henry's childhood shapes his future particularly with this first-person narrative guiding us through his life. Though he was born a second son, he does end up succeeding to the throne. He absorbs his father's lesson of having heirs to secure continuity but ignores the warning about practicing thriftiness as he pursues the crown of France. He sees the death of his beloved mother hurt his father but goes on to divorce or kill 2/3 of his wives. Henry is such a complicated, multi-faceted character-it is easy to see how he and his continue to enthrall us after all these centuries.

As usual, Anne Boleyn is pretty much my favorite character. I just want to bring her to our present-I bet she could do great things when her worth isn't based on her ability to produce a son with a particular man. I adore her cunning and ambition and though this isn't my favorite version of Anne, I still enjoyed her.

Some important historical events seemed to be missing to my mind: for instance his affairs with Bessie Blount, resulting in Henry Fitzroy, and Mary Boleyn before his romance with Anne. I think the former would have been especially useful to the narrative, which focuses in large parts on Henry's attempts to ensure the succession and to carve out an empire for his heir. The birth of a son to a mistress gives further proof to Henry that he can father sons and the fact that none are legitimate is the fault of his wives. My memory also brings to mind Charles Brandon, Henry's best friend, who runs off with Henry's sister Mary. This pisses Henry off but the situation is never mentioned in this book, perhaps because Brandon does ingratiate himself again.

I also personally am not very familiar with the War of the Roses and the beginning of Henry's life, having tended to read more about his wives and children; thus I found the early chapters very difficult though a bit of googling helped to clear of some points of confusion. They took a long time to get going. Additionally I thought the later chapters were compressed, missing some of the detail of the Catherine/Anne years. This maybe because it covers fewer years but it felt rushed to me.

SPOILER:
I'm not sure this should be classified as a spoiler as people probably know the history but since it occurs in the final pages, I figured I'd keep it secret just in case. Throughout the book Henry is plagued by visions which he assumes mean that he will be an amazing ruler, but which he later interprets as being the fate of his son. At the time of his death though, he discovers it is his second-born child, Elizabeth, who will be the great ruler of England, to his surprise. I just thought it was so cool how this was done although I was also predicting that was the case based on my superior knowledge of British history :)

END SPOILER

Overall: A different take on Henry VIII that should interest fans of the period. Pleased to see that Castor is working on a sequel of sorts, tracing how Henry VIII and other factors impacted the shaping of the personalities of his daughters as well as looking at the complicated sister-sister relationship of Mary and Elizabeth.

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The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
3.5/5 stars
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012
343 pages
MG Horror Fantasy

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

I had seen this book around the blogosphere but didn't know much about it beyond a comparison to Coraline (I've only seen the film but I can see how that works). Therefore I entered this with little expectations ready to be swept away.

I easily fell for heroine Victoria, who is orderly and perfect. She is best at everything and wants everything to be in its place. The one flaw in her perfection is her best friend Lawrence, who she mostly adopted as a project to improve and yet somehow they have managed to develop a friendship even if she doesn't want to admit it. Then one day Lawrence disappears and no one wants to talk about it. Victoria discovers that other children have disappeared and sets out to investigate the mysterious Cavendish Home, getting much more than she bargained for.

As I said, I liked Victoria and her devotion to order. I loved following her as she unwound the mysteries and practiced her admirable leadership skills. The entire town is involved in this conspiracy so there's a lot for Victoria to do. Once Victoria realizes she must confront Mrs. Cavendish, the tension ratchets up. She could be Mrs. Cavendish-there is that potential-meaning that they are worthy adversaries as we get to the root of this mystery.

But while I liked those aspects, I just wasn't feeling the complete story. This is simply a case of reader/book mismatch. Bugs play an important role and they literally appear on multiple pages. Despite knowing they were drawings, it still creeped me out. Furthermore I think this book could be classified as middle-grade horror and although that is aimed at children, it was still a little too much for me. I'm definitely a wimp!

Overall: I think this is a really good book-great for others, not as great for me. I still recommend that you check it out if it's interesting to you.

In Honor

In Honor by Jessi Kirby
2/5 stars
Simon & Schuster BFYR
235 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Borrowed a copy from the library

I didn't love Kirby's debut Moonglass but thought it showed a lot of promise so I was interested to pick up her second book especially knowing that it was related to the military. I've had a deep thirst for such books and I was excited for that one.

This book opens with Honor mourning the loss of her beloved older brother Finn who died in Iraq. Soon after learning of his death, she receives his last letter with tickets to a concert (a Taylor Swift-esque singer) and the instructions to go see it. So she blows off her orientation week at college and sets off, picking up Finn's estranged best friend Rusty and making a journey from Texas to California with many mishaps on the way to moving through her grief process.

Soon into the road trip, I was reminded very strongly reminded about why I don't often like road trip books. Honor sets off with barely a plan, unsure of even how to get where she wants to go (are there no maps in Texas? Don't most teenagers have smart phones with GPS functionality? Sidenote: I love the GPS on my Droid-so helpful! I do know that not everyone has such a phone but she could have at least consulted Mapquest or something before setting off.) Soon after she talks about how they only have four days to get to their destination. Yet on their first night they pull over and accept alcoholic beverages (Honor's reasoning is because the girl who drinks is cooler than the girl who passes-um, what? Not comfortable with that message!)

I know I'm more of a planner (and always have been) as well as good at assuming responsibility but it was just baffling me that in the first twenty-percent of the book, she was already so derailed from her plan. If I was traveling with someone else on a frantic road-trip, we would alternate driving and get it done.  Now I realize that my plot would make for a much shorter book but it would also be more sensible.

A character element to mention is Rusty, who other reviewers have compared to Tim Riggins from the amazing TV show "Friday Night Lights." Many have swooned for him but he is definitely my least favorite guy (I mean, I would rather have Billy than Tim is how little I care for Tim). I know that many readers will fall for his bad boy act but I very rarely swoon for the bad boy and this was no exception.

Overall: Definitely not a book for me but if you like road trip books and/or have a thing for the bad boy, this might be more your read.

Cover: Super accurate-it is mentioned that Honor wears a dress with red boots and drives a black Impala (I assume that the car is an Impala but I don't know anything about cars so that could be false).

 

Fever

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
4/5 stars
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012
341 pages
YA Dystopia
#2 in the Chemical Garden Trilogy

Source: Library

Spoilers for Wither and Fever within-be warned!

I loved the cover for first book Wither. Seriously, I talked about it a lot. I didn't love the story within quite as much but I was still eager to know what came next for Rhine and Gabriel as they broke out of the compound.

However I realized fairly quickly that I did prefer the setting at the mansion where Rhine was confined with her father-in-law Vaughn, her forced husband Linden, and her sister wives. I don't really like stories where they're constantly on the run, away from something, in this case the threatening Vaughn who will never let Rhine permanently out of his clutches (Note: I do like quest novels where they're going toward something). However they do have a goal of reaching New York so that Rhine can search for her twin brother Rowan.

I don't want to share too much about this plot but I would say that I would break the book down into four parts: the carnival brothel (or as April humorously called it Cirque du Brothel), extended period journeying on the road, arrival in New York and settling down in an orphange, and finally Rhine returns to the basement of the mansion so that Vaughn can continue his experiments on her. For me, the book increased in interest the more I read with me vastly preferring the concluding location, which was haunting and gripping with Rhine on the brink of madness and almost always in pain. Then there was the ending, the last word in fact, which ensured that I will be returning. I was fearful as the pair fled but the menace increased one-hundredfold once Vaughn was a constant presence. We never knew when he would return to try out some other drug on Rhine and the days pass fitfully. It was great!

That is not to say that there weren't great moments throughout. There were some amazing descriptions with color and touch, for example.  At some times, I felt the focus was more on the writing rather than the characters or plot which accounted for a bit of a lag. For people who like that though, this should be an amazing read.

Overall: Honestly I was neutral about reading this second book and only grabbed it because it happened to be on my library's shelf. Now that I am done, I am very glad I did because this was a roller-coaster ride for me and I am eager to complete the trilogy.

Cover: Part of the reason I took so long to read this book was that I found the cover less attractive than Wither. I *love* that purple and still enjoy looking at the cover. This one is kind of busy although if Rhine is holding a tarot card, that is relevant to the plot.

Legacy

Legacy by Molly Cochran
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
418 pages
YA; Paranormal
3/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab program in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I thought this book was messy. Half-formed characters and concepts thrown together with abrupt changes and insufficient background beyond knowledge of YA cliches. Main character arrives at a boarding school that seems to encourage special talents, which she may or may not possess. She is not at all taken aback to discover that she does in fact possess them and is soon wielding power as if she's always known she's a witch. Katy is remarkably blase about the whole witchcraft angle, spending most of her angst on her father, his new girlfriend, and her mother's death years prior.  While I understand those feelings, I do think more time could have been spent acclimating her to being a witch instead of it appearing so suddenly.

Then there's the male love interest who is super popular and immediately reviles her upon first sight, leading to her ostracization by her schoolmates. Then he quickly reverses his position and fights their being together despite their mutual attraction. It was A. so cliche and I didn't feel like he was interesting enough to overcome that and B. only understandable due to the many other YA books with this trope.  Most of the books I've read don't have that many random personality changes.

There are a lot of other aspects packed in to this book too: the history of their version of magic and treatment of witches, within their community and from outsiders; single father-only daughter dynamics; the intrusion of a new girlfriend for the daughter; the pain of losing one's mother so young; what a person will do for family; fighting against chaos. But the book jumped around and pulled me this way and that without capturing my attention or giving me any reason to suspend disbelief.

Her father especially frustrated me as he is painted as just awful, under the sway of his new girlfriend and ignorant of anything about Katy. And it's not just Katy rebelling against parental interference; I really thought he was a bad dad. Then he seems to have a personality transplant and becomes more of a decent person. Again these huge shifts in personality and motivation are standard for the text and created a disorienting effect.

Overall: Poor writing and an abundance of YA cliches led to confusion about characterization and a general indifference to the story. It's not a bad book but it could have used some editing to tighten up the story and a bit more insight into the characters.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2011
452 pages
YA; Paranormal; Love Story
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

This book attracted a lot of attention in the blogosphere for its unique cover (which I didn't really like; I prefer sad girl in a pretty dress; I like her dress but not the second person). Then I saw mixed reviews: some euphoric and swooning over Noah; others pointing out how creepy and possessive Noah is. I was pretty sure I'd end up hating Noah but I wasn't sure how that would color my perception of the book.

Well, aside from Noah, I did mostly like the book. It is definitely darker than some of the YA I've read and has horror elements, a genre I assiduously avoid but the way they were presented was more as part of Mara's mental state rather than as horror elements to scare the audience; it hinged on her unreliability as a narrator. There are even a few aspects where I am confused, either because information wasn't fully divulged or because the prose was a little confusing. Either way those elements actually ended up being my favorite as I attempted to puzzle out what might be true, what was truly imagined by Mara, and what Mara maybe was just plain making up.

I also liked the family element; Mara has an older and a younger brother. The older brother is pretty obviously the mother's favorite so seeing how he'd intervene on Mara's behalf was interesting. Otherwise neither sibling had much a personality besides aiding Mara and occasionally being funny. Her mother is very protective of Mara, as would be expected from the earlier events described in the book, but sadly it sounds like their relationship wasn't the best pre the start of the book so now it's just worse. Her father isn't there much either as a busy lawyer taking on a big case.

However I felt the complaints against Noah were fully justified. He's got a British accent, more money than he could ever use, and his treatment of Mara is SUPER creepy. He says that he noticed from the start that she was special, "different" from the other girls and he becomes super possessive and controlling ot her. He will guide their relationship and even though she knows she shouldn't let him, she frustratingly always does. Once they got involved, less time is spent on Mara's hallucinations and healing as Noah takes over the pages and her life.

Another warning beyond the one about this awful depiction of a guy in YA lit, is the pretty big cliff-hanger at the beginning. I could see it was the end because the very next page had acknowledgements but I could barely believe it because it changes everything!

Moonglass

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
Simon and Schuster's BFYR, 2011
232 pages
YA; Contemporary
3/5 stars

Source: Library

I picked this up after reading several mixed/positive reviews, including mentioning that it was a great summer read and that there were similarities to Sarah Dessen's writing, an author I adore.  And there was some validity to that.

Most of the book is set on a beach and while school technically starts, I didn't get a strong feeling of that setting. It's the beach and the ocean that dominates the world here. And certain sections did bring to mind Sarah Dessen; heck, she even blurbed the book! But it didn't feel as polished or as emotional as a Dessen. That makes sense because this is a debut. I bet as Kirby writes more, I will end up finding the emotion I get from Dessen. But as it was, I found this rather lackluster.

There's not much to the story. Anna and her father have just returned to the beach where her parents met. Her mother committed suicide when Anna was young and Anna and her father never discuss anything.  But being back at that beach starts to bring up some feelings and memories.  Additionally there's new school stuff and a cute boy.

I actually really loved the first person Anna meets: Ashley, a rich, slightly ditzy, and super sweet girl who soon becomes Anna's biggest cheerleader and supporter. The cute boy, Tyler, is all right; nothing especially swoony but he's not a big jerk so there's that.

I just felt overall that there wasn't much driving the plot; it meandered with no surprises because I was able to predict what was coming.  I also didn't feel emotionally connected to Anna, which would have increased my enjoyment of the book.  I can see why it makes a good summer read: first, all of the talk of beaches makes you want to go to the beach and second, it would be nice for a lazy afternoon where you feel very relaxed.

Overall: Nothing new in contemporary YA lit but a nice ride.

Read for YA Debut Author Challenge.

Wildefire

Wildefire by Karsten Knight
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
393 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program

In some ways this reminds me of the typical boarding school novel filled with privileged kids who easily drink underage, hook up frequently, are incredibly good looking, break curfew constantly, and receive very little punishment.  Main character Ashline and her friends at prep school fulfill all of those, living larger than life.  But they also have a twist in that they are reincarnations of gods from various mythologies.  And that makes all of the difference.

Ashline is Pele, Polynesian volcano goddess, and her friends come from other mythologies (Haitian, Egyptian, Japanese, Greek, and Nordic), creating one of the more diverse YA books I've ever read. The book began jarringly with Ash beating the crap out of a girl who made out (or more) with Ash's boyfriend and the first section concludes with that girl being killed by Ash's older sister.  The novel then jumps ahead four months to see Ash in boarding school where she begins to uncover their hidden pasts along with the other secret gods and goddesses.

Although the first section was difficult to read, I was immediately drawn in and I sped through this book.  Despite being a goddess, there are a lot of reasons to sympathize with Ash.  She feels abandoned by her sister, that she can't live up to her parents' expectations, boy troubles, and general teenage angst.  She's very far from perfect but she does want to help people and she can step up when it's necessary.  The other characters were also interesting if somewhat indistinguishable; almost everyone is pretty snarky, which is funny to read but it does mean that characters can run together.  And while many of their actions and responses seemed unrealistic to me (meaning almost the complete opposite of what I'd choose to do in a given situation), these kids are gods and goddesses and they need to be larger than life with outsized passions and behaviors.

I guess I mostly disliked the sense of meandering that I felt. I believe that Knight has an end goal for the series and of course a specific end for this book but at times, I wanted the story to be a bit tighter and more focused. However, it was very lighthearted and as I said, I flew through it, which means the writing is engaging. I also want to warn people that it ends with a pretty big cliff-hanger; if that'll bother you, then you might want to hold off on reading this.

Content Warning: Violence; Language; Sexual activities

Overall: A gripping unique YA paranormal story; recommended for older readers.

Read for YA Debut Author and E-book challenges.

All the Things You Are

All the Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
258 pages
MG; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program in exchange for an honest review.

One day thirteen year old Carly's mother is arrested for embezzlement and conspiracy, throwing a wrench into her pretty enjoyable life.  She attended a private school, was friends with the most popular girl in her grade, loved her mother and her cool job as a wardrobe mistress on a soap opera, and enjoyed their life with Faux Pa, her stepfather.  However the arrest of her mother causes troubles in all of those places.

Her best friend shies away causing Carly no end of bewilderment and eventually resignation about Anna's fickleness.  It also affects her friendship with most other kids as they don't know how to handle the awkwardness.  Her home life is even more fraught as Faux Pa can't believe the lies perpetrated by her mother and their relationship deteriorates.  Carly is of course confused about how the person she knows is also the person who broke the law, resulting in anger and a whole bundle of emotions toward her mother.

One fun theme running through the book is talk about Carly Simon who is Carly's namesake and especially about the lyric "clouds in my coffee." I don't really know Simon's songs but I do enjoy "You're So Vain" so that was cool.

Overall: Quiet, sweet book about a young girl in a very difficult situation.

Cover: I feel like the girl's pose is very awkward but that otherwise it's an okay cover.

Cleopatra Confesses

Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Paula Wiseman Books, 2011
278 pages
YA; Historical Fiction
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an uncorrected galley via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not a big Egyptian fan but I loved Carolyn Meyer's Tudor historical fiction novels so I thought I'd give this a try.  I really don't know much Egyptian history other than Cleopatra and her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, which are among the few verified facts about her life, as shared in the author's note.

I had some annoyances with young Cleopatra, who was kind of dumb and annoying.  I mean, intellectually, she's a smart girl with command of multiple languages and to the delight of her tutor.  But she makes the same stupid mistake twice in regards to her scheming older sisters, thereby jeopardizing her safety.  Furthermore she didn't seem to have much of a grasp on how people work, which just made me want to shake her.

But the characters who supported her were fascinating: her tutor Demetrius, her dancer friend Charmion, and captain Mshai were sympathetic characters who I enjoyed reading about.  The political situation was also interesting; as I mentioned, I don't really know Egyptian history so the reign of her two older sisters completely surprised me.  I also learned more about the Egyptian economy. I had assumed that it was strong and rich but there are frequent famines and money troubles that belie that assumption.

Overall: A nice look at Cleopatra, elaborating on the little we know about her. Does not cover her entire romantic relationships but goes from age 11 to 21 as well as mention of her death.

Cover: I actually find this cover pretty creepy and not very appealing; however I knew that I had enjoyed Meyer previously so I chose to read this.

The Summer Before Boys

The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
196 pages
MG; Contemporary
3/5 stars

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

Why haven't I read any other books with the main character's parent deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan? I prefer contemporary YA and yet I don't think I've read any other books that touch on this war. Any recommendations?

Anyway Julia and Eliza are best friends and family.  While Julia's mother is deployed overseas, Julia is spending her summers with Eliza.  Both girls are twelve and share many similar interests.  But Julia's interest in a boy and fears for her mother disrupt their usual harmony.

I enjoyed following the story but there didn't seem to be a main conflict or point to the story.  It's not entirely in chronological order as Julia would narrate something and then go back in time to explain the events.  She's a pretty mature twelve-year-old and the two girls have a fun friendship.  They liked to pretend the lived in the olden days, although the shifts to accommodate that perspective were awkward.  The boy who Julia likes isn't very well-defined and the other characters don't have much personality either.

The other side of the story is Julia's anxiety over her mother's tour.  Throughout the book, information about women serving in war are included, focusing on the deaths as Julia fears that most of all.  She also shares these fears with a boy from her school Peter, whose dad is also serving.  I liked their scenes.

Overall: A sweet meandering story of pre-adolescence.

Cover: The girls should probably be wearing shorts given that they are summering in humid New York state but it's okay.

Small Acts of Amazing Courage

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
209 pages
MG; Historical
4/5 stars

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

I wanted to read this book after seeing that it was set in 1919 India and was somewhat concerned with the India independence movement because I'm taking a class about Indian history this semester. Personally I would have liked more about Gandhi but Rosalind is an engaging main character.

She and her mother have lived in India while her father served in WWI.  Upon his return, he is disappointed with the freedom Rosy has enjoyed while her mother battled various illnesses.  He wants Rosy to be a proper English girl who spends her time at the club instead of traveling through the bazaar or listening to treasonous statements.  To that end, he has her sent to England to be with her two aunts who will have her brought up properly.

Throughout the book, Rosalind performs "small acts of amazing courage" from saving a little boy from poverty to nursing during a cholera epidemic to empowering her aunt.  This is not a big, flashy story but instead a sweet coming-of-age story.  Rosalind learns more about herself and about the world and I think she might be destined for big things.

There's also a cute boy in the person of Max Nelson, who served under her father in WWI and has one more year at Cambridge.  While he does not play a large role, it is fun to speculate how his India independence sympathies will be used to help in the future.

Cover: Very pretty and the design is continued inside the book. 

This books is set to be released April 19; to buy, check out:
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Wither

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
358 pages
YA; Dystopia
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC from publisher

Summary: In the future, the perfect child has been created without illness or deformity.  Unfortunately he will die at 25 and she at 20, resulting in a world where wealthy families buy up poorer girls for polygamous marriages to ensure the continuation of their line.  Rhine is one of those girls bought for Linden by his father Vaughn and taken into a world of immense privilege but without the thing she most desires: freedom.

I really liked the relationships between Rhine and her sister wives.  The interplay of three women drafted into multiple marriage and struggling to figure it out was well-done. Rhine, Cecily, and Jenna had separate personalities and I was drawn to each of them. Cecily, grew up very poor and as the youngest, is also the most eager for this new life. Jenna, as the oldest, bears a particular grudge against Linden and Vaughn and waits only for her death.  Rhine, in the middle, will die at the same time as Linden and serves as a reminder of his beloved first wife Rose.

Oddly Rhine felt the least real to me, despite the fact that she narrated the book.  Sometimes she was worried about her twin brother who has no idea where she is but other times she seemed to forget about him; sometimes she's flirting with servant Gabriel; sometimes she's playing Linden and other times, she's genuinely concerned about him; sometimes she wants freedom and other times she seemed content to remain.  I couldn't quite get a grasp on her and consequently I don't think I like her very much, which is kind of a problem for me.  Linden was also somewhat of a cipher but his father Vaughn was a great villain-he freaked me out, even with very little page-time.

I originally thought of this book as dystopian but I would actually classify it more as science-fiction for a couple of reasons.  One is that almost all of the people are very aware that this is not a utopian world; some are willing to make the best of it that they can but no one really thinks that circumstances are ideal.  Two, the presence of science. Vaughn conducts many experiments on people in order to find that cure and the trilogy is even called "The Chemical Garden" hinting at the importance of science. Three, in my opinion, dystopian novels should have the greatest threat coming from the government with perhaps several characters providing the most menace as stand-ins.  Here Vaughn is clearly the villain and he was a great villain with a very real menace that terrified me but as far as I could tell, he was not a stand-in for the government despite its turning a blind eye to whatever he does due to his talents and riches.  Maybe other people would disagree but that's how I see it.

MINOR SPOILER: I did not like the ending.  I could not believe that it happened with so little violence. I kept waiting for Vaughn to appear and add some real danger but I was left with a bit of a "that's all?" face. I guess it somewhat avoids the cliffhanger ending while still leaving you wondering what will happen next. The conclusion somewhat reminds me of the end of The Graduate where the guy and girl are left staring at each other, wondering "what now?" This ending is a bit more optimistic but as there are two more books coming, their peace will definitely be shattered.

Overall: I didn't really think the book would live up to its hype and cover and I don't think it's by any means awful, but I'm not sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel.  I'm also not disappointed in the time spent reading this and I would recommend it for the YA dystopian fans out there.

Cover: I know I've talked about this cover a lot so I will hold my tongue for now (But it's sooooooo pretty)

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