The Unwritten Rule (YA)

Scott, Elizabeth. 2010. The Unwritten Rule. Simon & Schuster. 210 pages. (April 2010, tentatively)

I liked him first, but it doesn't matter.
I still like him.
That doesn't matter either.
Or at least, it's not supposed to.

Sarah has liked Ryan for years. (Since he asked her to a dance back in eighth grade.) But when her friend, Brianna, makes a (successful) move on the new-and-improved Ryan at an end-of-summer party, Sarah feels guilty for wishing things were oh-so-different. Everything is complicated because Brianna is always insisting that Sarah come along when the she and Ryan hang out and when they "study" together. The three do get along together surprisingly well. But. Sarah can't help wishing that she was with Ryan.

Does she have reason to hope? How does Ryan see her? Does he see her like that? Would it matter if he did? Would she still choose to play by the rules if she knew that he cared for her too?

There are a million rules for being a girl. There are a million things you have to do to get through each day. High school has things that can trip you up, ruin you, people smile and say one thing and mean another, and you have to know all the rules, you have to know what you can and can't do. And one of them is this: You don't kiss your best friend's boyfriend. You don't do it once. You certainly don't do it twice. (116)

I enjoyed this one. The friendship between Sarah and Brianna is complicated. Good, bad, ugly, it's all there. And it's nice to see a book explore how some friendships can turn toxic somewhere along the way. But that's not to say Brianna can be summed up in a simple little word like toxic. She plays both victim and bully. Both Brianna and Sarah are human, flawed. And I love that. I love it when a book takes the time to develop characters and relationships. Scott's characters are always unique and quirky and have interesting (or sometimes not so interesting) lives. (Sarah's thing is for designing sneakers.)

I really love Elizabeth Scott. I really have loved all of her books: Love You Hate You Miss You, Something Maybe, Living Dead Girl, Stealing Heaven, Perfect You, and Bloom. Each has its place. And I'd definitely recommend all of them.

The quotes are from the ARC, so they are subject to change before the book is published in the spring of 2010. (The ARC was provided by the publisher.)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Jacquelyn (MG, YA)

Gordon, Jeffie Ross. 1985. Jacquelyn. Scholastic. Sunfire Romance. 332 pages.

Christmas vacation! Home, presents, and time to spend with Broderick!

This one is set in the Depression. In Chicago. Beginning at the end of 1931, to be exact. Jacquelyn, our heroine, may seem like a spoiled brat at first. But she's about to lose it all. Will what she's learned be enough to keep her and her family together?

The book opens with her coming home for Christmas. What she learns turns her world upside down. Her father has lost it all. There is no family fortune. Not anymore. And the family will have to struggle to survive--to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads. Her family becomes her responsibility when her father suffers a stroke and her mother loses herself in the past and loses touch with reality. Forced into the workplace, Jacquelyn learns just what she's made of. That she's stronger than she ever thought possible. That independence is a good thing.

Jacquelyn is just one of the delightful 'name-books' in the Sunfire Romance series. And it is one of the best in my opinion. It's richly detailed and the writing was so well done. The character development is above and beyond what you might expect. And the story has substance. It had been years--probably at least fifteen--since I'd read it yet I could still recall specific details, scenes, from this one.

I loved this one so very much. It was just as magical for me now--all these years later--as it was the first time around. And it is sad to me that these are out of print. I would so love to see a revival of these!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Crossing Stones

Frost, Helen. 2009. Crossing Stones. FSG. 184 pages.

You'd better straighten out your mind, Young Lady.

Loved, loved, loved this verse novel by Helen Frost. It's historical fiction. A drama following the lives of two families. The Jorgensens and The Normans. The year is 1917 (and 1918). We've got many narrators (both male and female), many stories. Emma and Frank Norman. Ollie and Muriel Jorgensen. Frank loves Muriel. (Does she love him like that though?) Ollie loves Emma.
But war has its own role to play in the lives of these two families. It changes everything. It changes what should be and what could be. It confuses everyone, taints everything. Will anyone be the same after it is all over?

Women's suffrage. World War I. Spanish influenza. Muriel, Ollie, and Emma are coming of age at a difficult time in American history. Muriel is arguably the strongest narrator of the bunch. She believes in peace, hates that American soldiers are getting involved in the war, hates the fact that the men in her life--Frank and Ollie--are wanting to go to war, enlisting. She's a suffragist--in her dreams at least. She supports the cause. Even though she's not actively involved in marches and protests and such. Like her aunt.

The book examines how war--this war in particular--shaped the men and women of that generation.

What did I love about this book? Just about everything! I loved the setting. Felt it very rich in detail. Loved the feeling of losing myself in another time and place. I loved getting a look at what life was like (or what it could have been like at the very least) during this time period. So much of what I read--when it comes to war--is set during World War II, so it was refreshing to see this one about World War I. It was interesting to me. Compelling. The poetry was great. Loved the different voices--each narrator was unique, and I appreciated all the different perspectives. I loved that it made me think, really think. It's one that I'd definitely recommend to those in my life that can't get enough historical fiction.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Never Slow Dance With A Zombie (YA)

Van Lowe, E. 2009. Never Slow Dance With A Zombie. Tor Teen. 253 pages.

Do you think I'm a failure?

This one was fun. In a way. Definitely not for everybody. I think you have to have a certain sense of humor to like zombie books. Especially zombie books that are more funny than scary. (Though me, I'll take a funny zombie book over a 'scary' one any day). Our heroine Margot Jean Johnson is not happy with herself. Here it is her junior year in high school, and she has failed to do anything on her list. She's not popular. She doesn't have a boyfriend. She doesn't go to parties. She doesn't have a car. Things are just not going like they're supposed to. But when the entire high school (well, almost all) turns into zombies (students and teachers alike), things begin to look up for her. Is this her chance to be everything she was meant to be? Popular and bossy and in control? Is this her chance to get her dream boyfriend? Even if it means bribing him with raw meat? Does she really know what she wants?

This isn't just Margot's story--though she is the star--it also features her best friend, Sybil, and her best friend who-happens-to-be-a-boy, Baron.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Dance With A Vampire (YA)

Schreiber, Ellen. 2007. Dance with a Vampire. HarperCollins. 178 pages.

I awoke from a deadly slumber entombed in Alexander's coffin.

I haven't decided if I'm going to keep going with this series of vampire books or not. Dance With The Vampire is the fourth in the Vampire Kisses series. (The first three books were recently released in a single book entitled Beginnings.) On the one hand, they're quick--very quick. Like eating a pixy stick. And depending on what you're looking for in a book--it could be satisfying enough I suppose. But I didn't find it necessarily 'filling' enough for me to really enjoy. What is this one about? It's about Alexander (the vampire hero) and Raven (the mortal heroine) and their romance--can it survive the danger from other vampires coming into town and making threats? (For the record, the vampire threat is a tween.) And there's also a dance--prom, I think. Expect melodrama--and only melodrama. (In fact, I think I did a bit of eye rolling with the dialogue.)

My eyes filled with tears. I grasped his arm. "I'm happy to know that you thirst for me the same way I thirst for you. I want us to be together--in your world."
"I know, but--"
I put my fingers on his lips.
"That's always been my dream. Since I was a little girl. My middle name is 'Vampire.'"
Alexander took my hand in his. "I never meant to put you in any danger--and that's all I've ever done since I met you...I am a threat to you--on many levels."
"I've never felt threatened by you--only loved..." (176)

I'm sure there are some readers out there who will enjoy this. So do you think I should keep reading and complete this series? Is the fact that they're just so short and easily read reason enough to keep going?

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Twenty Boy Summer (YA)

Ockler, Sarah. 2009. Twenty Boy Summer. Little, Brown. 290 pages.

Frankie Perino and I were lucky that day. Lucky to be alive -- that's what everyone said. I got a fractured wrist and a banged-up knee, and my best friend Frankie got a fat little scar above her left eye, breaking her eyebrow into two reflective halves. Up one side, down the other. Happy, sad. Shock, awe. Before, after.
Before, all of us were lucky.
After, only me and Frankie.
That's what everyone said.

There's a rightness about Twenty Boy Summer. I don't know how helpful it is to you to know that I felt the novel to be just right. To feel natural and authentic. But it's important to me as a reader to connect with a book, to connect with the characters. And with Twenty Boy Summer, I definitely did. From the start, I began to feel for Anna.

Frankie and Anna are best friends. Always have been, always will be. And when the novel opens, these two share the same pain. Two hearts mourning the loss of one boy, Matt: a brother, a best friend. But is this enough to hold them together during a difficult time? Their friendship is about to be tested when past secrets are brought to light. But just who betrayed who? Can this friendship survive a summer vacation?

It's a novel about friendship, love, and loss. It's about wanting to both hold on and let go. It's about wanting to hold on to yesterday and yet choosing to live for tomorrow. It's about not knowing exactly what you want but knowing that something has to change or is about to change. It's a bittersweet novel--in a way--because it deals with death and grief. But it's good. So I definitely recommend it.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Lips Touch Three Times (YA)

Taylor, Laini. 2009. Lips Touch Three Times. With illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo. Scholastic. 272 pages.

Will I close my eyes?
Will I hold my breath?
Will I wanna cry?
Will our souls connect?
I've been thinking about it when I go to bed
at night I wonder - wonder.

--Mandy Moore, "First Kiss"

Lips Touch Three Times is a collection of three novellas by the oh-so-amazing Laini Taylor. Goblin Fruit. Spicy Little Curses Such As These. Hatchling. Each story revolves around a kiss. Sometimes for good; sometimes for bad.

Are you familiar with Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market? Goblin Fruit uses that story quite cleverly as a basis. If you're already a fan of Goblin Market, I don't know how you could resist this little story. If you're unfamiliar with the original, give this one a try. Trust me. And maybe just maybe you'll want to go back and read Rossetti at some point.

First paragraph of Goblin Fruit:

There is a certain kind of girl the goblins crave. You could walk across a high school campus and point them out: not her, not her, her. The pert, lovely ones with butterfly tattoos in secret places, sitting on their boyfriends' laps? No, not them. The girl watching the lovely ones sitting on their boyfriends' laps? Yes.
Them.
The goblins want girls who dream so hard about being pretty their yearning leaves a palpable trail, a scent goblins can follow like sharks on a soft bloom of blood. The girls with hungry eyes who pray each night to wake up as someone else. Urgent, unkissed, wishful girls.
Like Kizzy. (13)

Kizzy, no questions asked, has a weird family. She grew up listening to her grandmother tell stories about goblins. And her grandmother believed them. Does Kizzy? Everything she knows will be put to the test when Kizzy attracts the attention of the new boy, the oh-so-dreamy new boy at school.

Spicy Little Curses Such As These is the second novella in the collection. And it *may* just be my favorite of the three.

First paragraph of Spicy Little Curses Such As These:

Kissing can ruin lives. Lips touch, sometimes teeth clash. New hunger is born with a throb and caution falls away. A cursed girl with lips still moist from her first kiss might feel suddenly wild, like a little monsoon. She might forget her curse just long enough to get careless and let it come true. She might kill everyone she loves.
She might, and she might not.
A particular demon in India rather hoped that she would.
This is the story of the curse and the kiss, the demon and the girl. It's a love story with dancing and death in it, and singing and souls and shadows reeled out on kite strings. It begins underneath India, on the cusp of the last century when the British were still riding elephants with maharajas and skirmishing on the arid frontiers of the empire.
The story begins in Hell. (69)

This story was a 'wow' one for me. So I don't want to tell too much. I'll just say it's really good and leave it at that. After all, if you're not curious by reading that little intro above, then there's nothing that I can say to persuade you to pick it up! And I don't know about you, but she had me at hello with that name!

The last story is Hatchling. And it is my least favorite of the three. I'm not saying it's a bad story. It may be quite a good story. I don't know. This is one of those where it could be the fact that I was too drowsy to really enjoy it. Or to even understand and appreciate it. Or it could just be that I loved the others so much that this one was a bit of a let down. So it might work for you. (I hope it does!)

Here's how it starts off:

Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turned from brown to blue. It happened in the night. (145)

It does start off promising, doesn't it?

To set the mood, create the right atmosphere for each novella, each is introduced by a series of illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo. And each novella ends with a closing illustration. (For example, Goblin Fruit has around thirteen pages of illustrations in all.)

This is my first Laini Taylor, but it won't be my last. She has a way with words, a way with fantasy. While not all of the novellas were equally compelling (for me at least), all of them had some oh-so-magical moments. I don't know how to convey just how good she is at creating the right atmosphere for these stories.



Other reviews: Teenreads.com, Reading Rocks, WLS Teens, Em's Bookshelf, Shelf Elf, Charlotte's Library, The Compulsive Reader.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Almost Perfect (YA)

Katcher, Brian. 2009. Almost Perfect. Random House. 360 pages.

Everyone has that one line they swear they'll never cross, the one thing they say they'll never do.

Our hero, Logan Witherspoon, is about to be tested. When we first meet him, he's depressed. Ever since he was dumped (after being cheated on) he's been down. His friends have almost given up hope on him. Until. He meets the tall and strangely beautiful new girl. Her name is Sage. And she wows him. It's not that she's oh-so-beautiful. But there is something about her, that just gets to him. She likes him too. Though she seems a bit shy. But he's willing to take a chance on love again, for her. Willing to cross Sage's strict parents. But is there something about Sage--a secret she's keeping--that will doom this relationship before it even has a chance?

Take my advice. DON'T read the jacket flap. All you need to know about this one is that it's a coming of age story with a bittersweet romance. You don't need to know Sage's secret before Logan does.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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(Re)Cycler (YA)

McLaughlin, Lauren. 2009. (Re)Cycler. Random House. 273 pages.

I hope you know what you're doing, sweetie.

This is the sequel to Cycler. I had some issues with the first book, I admit. So what made me pick this one up? Maybe it's just the kind of reader I am. I give second chances. I can't help myself. Did I change my mind about these characters after the second book? Yes and no. First, the little things that irritated me in the first book didn't irritate me as much in this second one. (Yes, I noticed a lot of mal's and deeply's. Though not as many.) So I did think the second one was better.

What is this one about? To put it simply, it's about a young woman who transitions several days a month into a guy. Yes, instead of having her period, her body goes from all female to all male. (The process was painfully described to readers in the first book.) Obviously, the male persona, (the Jack to her Jill) has different priorities. He's in love with Jill's best friend, Ramie. (Jill is in love with a guy, just so you know. And this guy is someone that Jack doesn't like at all. He doesn't like having memories of being intimate with a guy. Because Jill has spent her life repressing Jack, she doesn't have clear memories from Jack, of being intimate with her best friend.) Jill and her two friends, Ramie and Tommy, have graduated from high school. Ramie wants Jack (and subsequently Jill) to go to New York with her. Tommy wants Jill (and subsequently Jack) to go on a road trip with him over the summer. Who will s/he choose?

This book has an interesting premise. A strange premise true, but one with some potential. I still have some issues with this one. Not as many as the first one. I did enjoy it more than that. But this book asks you to suspend your disbelief quite a bit. Okay, more than a bit.

One issue that I had with the book, one thing that made it a bumpy ride (for me) is that it is told in alternating chapters. Which makes sense, in a way. Since Jack is only there a few days a month, and Jill is there the rest of the time, you'd expect to find Jill doing more, saying more, feeling more. But that's not the case. Perhaps this says more about me than about the book itself, but I find the Jack portions stronger than the Jill ones. Yes, Jill has a few moments in this one. But mostly this is Jack discovering Jack. And learning that just because he's been a victim (in a way, if being repressed and locked up makes you a victim) doesn't mean that he has to stay one. He learns a lot about himself, about life in the larger world, and about love. Ramie whom he considers his one-and-only reason to exist, isn't perfect. And Jack realizes that he doesn't know much if anything about love and relationships. Yes, he has Jill's memories. But he doesn't really understand women. He's a guy even if he doesn't know how all guys act.

Have you read either of these? What did you think?

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Vampire Kisses: The Beginning (MG, YA)

Schreiber, Ellen. 2003. Vampire Kisses. 2005. Vampire Kisses: Kissing Coffins. 2006. Vampire Kisses: Vampireville. HarperCollins. 562 pages.

It first happened when I was five. (Vampire Kisses)
It was like a final nail in the coffin. (Kissing Coffins)
I was ready to become a vampire. (Vampireville)

I'll start with the good news. This is a fun series for tweens and teens who can't get enough vampires. Our heroine, Raven, loves vampires. Or the idea of loving a vampire at least. She's been obsessed with all things vampire since she was a toddler. In fact, in kindergarten that she told her teacher and classmates that she wanted to be a vampire when she grew up. We get a very brief snippet of this vampire-loving child, and then we get to the center of the story--Raven as a teen girl with one obsession.

But what happens when Raven actually meets a vampire or two (or three)? Does Alexander meet all her expectations? Is he her dream come true? Is he her destiny? Will loving him, knowing him be the best thing that ever happened to her? Is she ready to face danger in the name of love? Will Alexander's enemies prove too much for her?

So, if you like this sort of book about girls who idolize vampire lovers (or boyfriends)--even if Alexander doesn't sparkle--then you should probably pick this series up. This edition contains the first three novels in the series. (I believe there are six or so in all.) The books read really quickly.

Is the book as great as the cover? That may depends on your age. (It's not exactly fair to say it is all an age thing. After all, I know of women who can't get enough vampires. They are always looking for more, more, more.) I think there's a time and place for everything. And I think for those in a vampire phase, this series has much to satisfy. If you're growing tired of the vampire trend, if you wish that romance authors would look elsewhere for inspiration, then maybe you shouldn't pick these up.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Evermore (MG, YA)

Noel, Alyson. 2009. Evermore.

Can you guess what kind of book this is based on the cover? What do those red tulips mean?

Ever Bloom, our sixteen-year-old heroine, has a gift--secret of course like most paranormal gifts are. She hasn't always had this gift--the gift of seeing people's auras, of reading their thoughts with just the simplest, barest trace of a touch--but since her near death experience, well, she's different. (Her parents, her sister, her dog--all died in a car crash.) Now, Ever is living with her aunt. And she has ever material reason to be happy. But guilt haunts her--well, guilt and her little sister. Yes, her ghost-of-a-sister still pops up ready to chat and giggle. She's got two friends to chat with as well. One, Haven, an attention-hungry twelve-step addict. The other, Miles, a gay sidekick who always knows just what to say.

What is Evermore about? Well, it's focus is on the strange new boy who comes to town. His name is Damen Auguste. And he's the only person whose thoughts (and aura) she can't read. He's her silence. He is also oh-so-dreamy. All the girls (and some of the guys) think he is ever-so-hot. But not Ever. Well, at least that's what Ever claims. She's not interested in having a boyfriend. Do you believe her? Or are you a skeptic like Haven?

Who is Damen interested in? That's a good question...since judging purely on appearances...he's an ultimate player. But there is only one girl he's giving red tulips to. And that's Ever. Is that enough for her?

Some of you may be wondering how much does Ever whines? Well, less than Bella. But she's not whine free.

First sentence: "Guess who?"

Here are a few of my favorite bits:

"Haven is what you'd call an anonymous group addict. In the short time I'd known her, she's attended twelve-step meetings for alcoholics, narcotics, codependents, debtors, gamblers, cyber addicts, nicotine junkies, social phobics, pack rats, and vulgarity lovers. Though as far as I know, today is her first one for overeaters. But then again, at five foot one with the slim, lithe body of a music box ballerina, Haven is definitely not an overeater. She's also not an alcoholic, a debtor, a gambler, or any of those other things. She's just terminally ignored by her self-involved parents, which makes her seek love and approval from just about anywhere she can get it.
Like with the whole goth thing. It's not that she's really all that into it, which is pretty obvious by the way she always skips instead of skulks, and how Joy Division posters hang on the pastel pink walls of her not-so-long ago ballerina phase (that came shortly after her J. Crew catalog preppy phase.)
Haven's just learned that the quickest way to stand out in a town full of Juicy-clad blondes is to dress like the Princess of Darkness. (31-32)

I see dead people. All the time. On the street, at the beach, in the malls, in restaurants, wandering the hallways at school, standing in line at the post office, waiting in the doctor's office, though never at the dentist. But unlike the ghosts you see on TV and in movies, they don't bother me, they don't want my help, they don't stop and chat. The most they ever do is smile and wave when they realize they've been seen. Like most people, they like being seen. (47)

"I know what it's like to lose the people you love," he whispers, reaching across the table and placing his hand over mine, infusing me with a feeling so good, so warm, so calm, and so safe--I close my eyes and allow it. Allow myself to enjoy the peace of it. Grateful to hear what he says not what he thinks. Like an average girl--with a much better than average boy. (49)

If I thought his voice was amazing with the way it envelopes me in silence, if I thought his touch was incredible with the way it awakens my skin, well, the way he kisses is otherworldly. And even though I'm no expert, having only kissed a few guys before, I'm still willing to bet that a kiss like this, a kiss this complete and transcendent, is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. (82)

What did I think of this one? I'm undecided. Part of me thinks that as light entertainment, it does the job just fine. I think if I was fourteen or fifteen, I probably would think it much more entertaining that I do now. (In some ways, it's clean enough that it could even go more towards middle school. A Twilight-esque book that serves a definite need for readers.) Is it original enough? Yes and no. I think some readers find originality overrated. They just don't care if it's all been done before. They want a book that fits a formula, a mold, that they like. In this case, it's the incredible paranormalness of it, this true-love-for-eternity theme. I think this one *may* be a book that teens love more than adults. But that isn't a bad thing. I think any book that gets people reading can be a good book.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Indigo Notebook (YA)

Resau, Laura. 2009. The Indigo Notebook. Random House. 336 pages.

Yeah, you've got that something,
I think you'll understand.
When I say that something
I want to hold your hand...
-- The Beatles

It's always the same, no matter where in the world we happen to be. Just when I get used to noodle soup for breakfast in Laos, or endless glasses of supersweet mint tea in Morocco, or crazy little tuk tuk taxis in Thailand, Layla gets that look in her eyes, that faraway, wistful look, as though she's squinting at a movie in the distance, and on the screen is a place more exotic, more dazzling, more spiritual than wherever we are.

I love Zeeta, the heroine of The Indigo Notebook, and her "wild" free-spirited mother, Layla. Zeeta is a teen girl who dreams of having a normal life. A life that doesn't involve moving to a different country every single year. When the novel opens, these two are on the move again. This time the destination is Ecuador. (Otavalo to be exact.)

Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. That's something that Zeeta learns in The Indigo Notebook. Wendell, her love interest, has to learn that lesson as well. The hard way. These two meet in the market place. In an adorably clueless way. He doesn't speak Spanish. And she does. He's on a mission, a mission that's doomed unless he finds a friend to help him out. His mission is to find his birth parents. He's adopted, you see, and he knows that his parents are from the area. He has no idea how difficult this could prove to be. How dangerous this could prove to be.

Life in Ecuador certainly is interesting, Zeeta finds. Full of adventure, mystery, magic, danger, love, and laughter. It's a coming of age story as well. A story of discovering who you are, what you want, and what you really need. It's a complex story exploring family dynamics and relationships.

I think one of my favorite things about it is that it's multicultural without being "multicultural." It doesn't scream and shout, "Hey, look I'm multicultural. I'm all about the other." It feels authentic and natural.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Ash (MG, YA)

Lo, Malinda. 2009. Ash. Little, Brown. 272 pages.

Aisling's mother died at midsummer.

This one is a retelling of Cinderella with a twist. You may have already heard about that. This book is getting buzz on many blogs. The twist? Our Cinderella heroine falls in love with the huntress. (The prince doesn't even enter into it). That's not to say that the road to happily ever after doesn't have obstacles. But a human prince isn't one of them. No, this love triangle features a fairy, Sidhean. He is the fairy that bargains with her and grants her wishes. And there is a price to be paid for her wishes--her wishing to go to the ball, etc.

Some of the trappings of the traditional Cinderella remain, a young woman, Aisling (or Ash) is being raised by her stepmother alongside two stepsisters. Ash does work hard--taking the place of several servants at least. (Acting as cook and maid, etc.)

What did I like about this one? Well, I liked that Ash liked fairy tales. That her reading of fairy tales shaped her life, who she was and what she wanted. One of her favorite tales involved a woman, Kathleen, becoming so enchanted with the fairy world, with a fairy prince, that she lost herself. (This is found in chapter seven.)

Ash read and re-read the story as if it were a map to her own future. Though she knew it was meant to be a cautionary tale, now that she had seen the fairy, she thought that Kathleen's fate was not so cruel after all. (77)

I had a hard time connecting with Ash in a way. For the first half of the novel, Ash is so withdrawn from life, so depressed, so saddened by the loss of her parents, so obsessed with fairy tales and 'old ways' that she's hard to relate to. Her focus seems to be on death and not life.

This could be me, but it felt like we were being told more than shown. Her few encounters with the fairy world seemed a bit lifeless. In all honesty, I had a hard time connecting with this fairy world, with Sidhean. I don't think he was as fleshed out as he could have been. As Ash begins to awaken to life--and part of this is due to her friendship with the Huntress--she becomes a more interesting heroine.

The second half is more compelling, more vivid. Perhaps this is because the author gave more attention to the Huntress? To fleshing her out as a character? To giving her a strong personality and a life of her own?

I had high expectations for this one. I wanted to really like this one. I wanted to be wowed.

I wasn't wowed. Not for the first part. (The novel is divided into two parts: The Fairy and The Huntress.) But the second half of the novel worked for me; with each chapter, I became more and more impressed. The book was wooing me a bit slower than I was expecting, but it did begin to work it's magic on me towards the end.

Other reviews: Presenting Lenore, The Story Siren, Pop Culture Junkie, Zoe's Book Reviews, Melody's Reading Corner, Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, Steph Su Reads, Patchwork of Books, A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Ask and The Answer (YA, Adult)

Ness, Patrick. 2009. The Ask and the Answer. Candlewick Press. 519 pages. (Releases September 2009).

"Your noise reveals you, Todd Hewitt."
A voice--
In the darkness--
I blink open my eyes. Everything is shadows and blur and it feels like the world's spinning and my blood is too hot and my brain is clogged and I can't think and it's dark--
I blink again.
Wait--
No, wait---
Just now, just now we were in the square--
Just now she was in my arms--
She was dying in my arms--
"Where is she?" I spit into the dark, tasting blood, my voice croaking, my Noise rising like a sudden hurricane, high and red and furious. "Where is she?"
"I will be the one doing the asking here, Todd."
That voice.
His voice.
Somewhere in the dark.
Somewhere behind me, somewhere unseen.
Mayor Prentiss. (3-4)

The Ask and The Answer is the sequel to Patrick Ness's Knife of Never Letting Go. I don't know how to review this second book in the series without potentially spoiling the first one for readers. So if you plan to read the first book, then you might want to skip this one...(at least the plot summary)... for now. BUT before you go, I'd just like to say that you should read both books because this series isn't to be missed. IF you like science fiction, OR if you like dystopias, OR if you like wonderfully amazing oh-so-thrilling suspense novels. But don't assume that this one is so plot-driven (action, action, more action) that the characterization suffers. Far from it.

My attempt at plot summary. (Don't worry, the plot summary only covers the first few chapters.)

The first novel ended in a cliffhanger, a big cliffhanger. (One that frustrated me to no end and left me bitter.) The second one picks up soon after. Todd and Viola have been separated. And each fear the worst for the other. (Todd is panic stricken at the thought that Viola could be dead...or could be being held captive and being tortured. Viola fears the same. What has happened to Todd? Is he alive? Is he being tortured?) The two arrived in Haven--the place they thought offered some hope and relief--only to discover that Mayor Prentiss beat them there. Mayor Ledger, or should I make that the former mayor, decided to surrender the town to Prentiss--the rumors of Prentiss' army being way too much for him to handle. (Not everyone in the town agrees with this decision. There are some that are plenty angry that they didn't get a chance to fight, to defend themselves. There are some that want war.) Now Todd finds himself held captive by President Prentiss (Yes, he promoted himself!). And Viola finds herself in the care of one of the city's healing houses. (The healing houses are run by women, by healers. Remember, the men can't hear the thoughts of the women.) President Prentiss is putting on quite a show. But is his "I only want peace" routine for real? What do you think? There are some who are not buying it. Not for a minute. But the more important question may be can Prentiss convince Todd and Viola? Can he turn either one of them (or both of them) to his side?

My reflections on the novel...

What did I love about this one? Where to begin?! I loved the characters. Let's start there.

I loved that this one was narrated by both Viola and Todd. While Todd was more than okay as a narrator, I really appreciated Viola. It helped me get to know her better, of course, and this story couldn't have been told half as well as it was without this additional perspective. One person could have never told this story.

I loved the fact that both Viola and Todd are flawed. Wonderfully, perfectly flawed. As in they're so completely fallible and messed up that you can't help but love them all the more because of it.

Minor characters that are anything but minor. There is not a single character in this one that isn't developed. Okay, maybe we don't spend equal amounts of time with each of them. But nonetheless you get the idea that each one is real, that each one is living their own life outside the pages of the novel. (If that makes any sense.) Each one has their own story, their own journey. We don't get the complete story--that would be impossible. What this means for the reader is that instead of having one or two characters you care about, you come to care for a lot of them. And some of these are characters that you might feel--heading into it--that you shouldn't. Each character is so interesting, so fascinating, so human that you want more. Want more not because what is there is lacking--far from it--but because what you do have is so good.

The writing. It's impossible to do justice here. How many ways can I say that Ness amazed and wowed me? Seriously! What was awesome? He has a way with words. There were scenes and passages that just wowed me. Wowed me in different ways. I'd be reading along and find a passage and just have to stop myself to go back and reread. I'd think, "This is what reading is supposed to be like!" I can already tell you that I want to reread the whole thing again. Just to catch all those little things that I might have missed the first time round. I want to spend more time with this one.

The pacing. He knows how to build suspense that's for sure. And he knows how to properly do twists and turns. And he knows how to craft everything just right so that it all fits together amazingly well. There's "action and suspense", and then there's action and suspense. (This one doesn't play around like so many others.)

The complexity. The plot. The characters. The timing. Everything is so very complex. Not in an overwhelming this-is-so-over-my-head way, not in an I-need-to-go-get-the-dictionary-way but in a wow, I didn't know it was even possible for writers to be so brilliant way. It's a smart book. You know how some books are like, "I'm literary look at me." This isn't that type of book. It's literary--don't question that--but it's not stuck on itself. It has all the entertainment value you'd expect. (Probably more than you'd expect if you're a skeptic like me.) But it's got substance and value.

Other reviews: (Spoiler-free) Nymeth, Kids Lit, The Bookbag, Spoilers-beware Persnickety Snark, Strange Horizons, Karin's Book Nook, YAreads.com, Oops...Wrong Cookie,

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Look For Me By Moonlight (MG/YA)

Hahn, Mary Downing. 1995. Look For Me By Moonlight. Houghton Mifflin. 198 pages.

Sometimes you can pinpoint the exact moment in your life when things begin to go wrong.

Before Bella there was Cynda. Can Cynda out-Bella Bella? Read and see for yourself in Mary Downing Hahn's Look For Me By Moonlight.

Cynda is sixteen and going to live with her father. Her mother, you see, has remarried. And Cynda isn't all that fond of her new step-dad, Steve. Her father has remarried as well--in fact, he remarried first. Cynda will be meeting her stepmom, Susan, and her half-brother, Todd, for the first time. Where will she be living? In an out-of-the-way corner of the globe, at least in the middle of winter, an old, historic (reputedly haunted) inn in Maine. The winter is typically slow for the family business--the summer being the busier season for tourists. But their inn is about to have an unexpected guest, a strangely handsome (and silver-car-driving) one at that. His name... (Get ready for it...) is Vincent Morthanos. He's 30ish. But to Cynda, he's perfect. Just listen to her...

A stranger stood on the porch. The light shone full on his face, shadowing his eyes but accentuating his pale skin and high cheekbones. Sparkles of windblown snow clung to his dark hair and black overcoat. Even though he was at least thirty, he was the handsomest man I'd ever seen, the sort you stop and stare at in disbelief. (48)

His voice was deep and rich, colored with a faint accent. British, I thought. With that accent, anything he said, even the tritest phrase, would sound beautiful and fresh and new, as if no one had ever spoken it before*. (48)

The sound of his name was dark and sweet in my mouth, richer than the richest chocolate. (50)

And this one might just be my favorite of the bunch. Maybe.

Poetry--how perfect. It was just what I imagined Mr. Morthanos writing. Unlike Dad, he wouldn't depend on a word processor or even a typewriter. He'd use a fountain pen with a fine, gold point. Sepia ink on ivory parchment, the kind calligraphers buy. His handwriting would swirl gracefully across the page. (52)

She has quite an imagination doesn't she! I think she's living in her own little world. So naive. So innocent. So immature. So gullible.

More than once I'd caught him looking at me with an intensity I didn't understand. His eyes were dark, unreadable--did he find me attractive or simply amusing? It was hard to imagine a man his age being interested in me, yet I could have sworn something intangible quivered in the air between us, a knowledge, a familiarity, a scary sense of destiny fulfilled. When I fell asleep at last, Vincent followed me into my dreams... (59)

Those were his footsteps I heard, soft and deliberate, crisscrossing the floor overhead.
I sat still and listened, entranced by Vincent's nearness. The clock ticked, the wind blew, shadows shifted on the wall. Our guest continued to pace.
By noon I'd accomplished very little. Unless you counted the hundreds of times I'd written Vincent's name in my notebook. (63)

Are you cringing yet on her behalf??? Maybe this will get you...

Vincent took my hand and we walked on. "As you come to know me better," he said, "you'll discover I have a morbid streak which may not be to your liking."
I stared up at him, thrilled by his nearness and the touch of his hand. "I can't imagine disliking anything about you, Vincent."
His grip tightened. "You've just met me, Cynda. You have no idea what sort of man I am." He was smiling, teasing me, his voice full of humor.
"That's true," I said, trying to match his bantering tone. "I don't know where you were born, where you live, what sort of family you have. Why, I don't even known how old you are."
"I'm older than you think," Vincent said lightly.
"You can't be more than thirty."
He laughed. "Give or take a few centuries."
I laughed too, sharing the joke, and he gave my hand a squeeze. (75-76)

The title of this one comes from a line of poetry--from The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, you may be familiar with it.

Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight,
though hell should bar the way.

And it's used thematically throughout the book. Which works for the most part. At one point, Vincent reads the poem aloud to her and says...

"What a girl Bess was. Can you imagine loving a man enough to die for him?" (80)

Can you guess her response?

There were so many things I enjoyed about this one. It's definitely a darker romance. A romance with consequences**. Hahn chose to go with the more traditional (hence infinitely more dangerous, and definitely less sparkly) vampire hero. So expect blood, blood, and more blood. Also expect some ego.*** I'd definitely recommend this one.

Big thanks go to Leila who reviewed this one for the R.I.P. IV Challenge. She really, really sold me on it :)

*I love the fact that Cynda thinks this at a time when she's only ever heard him say one sentence.
**(Something I found severely lacking in Meyer's works, by the way. Little Miss Bella always got everything she ever wanted without ever having to sacrifice anything. She was rewarded for being whiny and naive.)
***The scene where Vincent is telling his history to Cynda just made me giggle. It's in chapter 16.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Tear Collector (YA)

Jones, Patrick. 2009. The Tear Collector. Walker (Bloomsbury) Books. 272 pages. September 2009.

"Are you crying?" I ask as I tap on the driver's side window of the white Chevy Impala.

The Tear Collector has an interesting premise. From the back cover, "readers beware of a new kind of vampire--one that feeds off tears instead of blood." Our narrator, Cassandra Gray, depends on human sorrow--tears--to survive. Which wouldn't be so horribly bad if she wasn't the one responsible for collecting tears for her great-grandmother, Veronica. She's collecting for two, you see. Fortunately, tears are relatively easy to come by. Cass works as a volunteer at the hospital--and it's easy for her to find folks grieving there. And then, of course, there's high school. On any given day, any given week, Cass is always finding heartbreak and sorrow there. So Cass plays sympathetic friend. Cry on my shoulder--my bare shoulder--says she. Sometimes Cass has to help things along--tell a lie, start a rumor, spread some gossip, etc. But Cass thinks she knows the boundaries. There are things she'd never, ever do. Unlike her cousin. She suspects he'd do anything to collect tears. But she's different...or is she?

Cass doesn't make for a sympathetic heroine. She's cold, calculated, manipulative. She excuses this with the I'm-not-human-don't-blame-me routine. The Tear Collector is about her quest to change all that, her quest to become more human. Can she make a real friend? Can she really fall in love? Or is her life destined to be all make believe.

I had a hard time connecting with Cass. Then again, Cass had a hard time making genuine connections. So I think it was just part of who she was as a character. Is she trustworthy and reliable as a narrator? Was she meant to be? I don't know. I personally didn't trust her. But that could be just my take on it. Could the reason I loathe Cass be because Cass loathes Cass? Here is a character that despises who she is. That despises the life she lives. Despises the choices she's forced to make.

I found some of the scenarios a bit far fetched as well. The overflowing sloppiness of the tears.

"It's okay to cry, Robyn," I say softly, encouraging another emotional outburst. she listens, letting loose a torrent of tears. I slip off my jacket--actually my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Cody's varsity jacket--then pull her close, letting her tears fall on my bare left shoulder. I'm wearing a simple gray tank top set off by the tie-dyed bandanna holding back my long multi-colored hair. My hair is like my life: mostly dark, but with a few streaks of light and color added in.
I don't say anything; instead, I let her cathartic tears soak into my skin. (3)

"Sometimes I think it would be better if I were dead."
I don't respond; instead, I let more drops soak into my shoulder and I feel a rush from the energy in the tears, probably like an addict feels getting his fix from his drug of choice.
When I'm so full that I'm almost disoriented, I take a white linen monogrammed handkerchief from my back pocket. I gently transfer the tears from her face to this old-fashioned invaluable family heirloom. I pull her close, so she can't see the smile forming on my face as a waterfall of tears continues to cascade from her eyes. Robyn needs to cry, but what she doesn't know--and nobody outside of my family could imagine--is that I need her to cry even more. Just as a vampire needs to suck blood to live, I need these human tears in order to survive. (9)

I think it is an interesting premise. It was nice to see some role reversal going on. A "vampire" girl in pursuit of the ordinary boy-next-door.

I think for those that seek this genre, sub-genre of books--darker romances with supernatural and/or horror elements...that this one might make for a nice read.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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A Map of the Known World (YA)

Sandell, Lisa Ann. 2009. A Map of the Known World. Scholastic. 273 pages.

Somewhere, things must be beautiful and vivid. Somewhere else, life has to be beautiful and vivid and rich. Not like this muted palette -- a pale blue bedroom, washed out sunny sky, dull green yellow brown of the fields. Here, I know every twist of every road, every blade of grass, every face in this town, and I am suffocating.

Meet Cora Bradley. An unhappy often frustrated teen grieving the death of her brother, Nate, and the loss of her parents. Since the death of her brother, her mother and father have each in their own way disconnected from the family. Cora feels alone. Like her mother and father don't care about her, that they don't see her. Only one thing is known, her art gives her life meaning. The time she spends drawing (and painting and whatever else) is her time to just be. It is through her art that she explores herself--her thoughts, her feelings, her hopes and dreams. Her art is her connection to her soul, if you will. Her art keeps her going.

What Cora didn't know--couldn't know--was that Nate, her brother, was also an artist. How does she discover this? Well, Cora starts to fall for Nate's best friend, Damian. They're in art class together, and though they are far apart in ages--one being a freshman, the other a senior--they find a connection that brings them together. Something more than just shared grief.

This YA novel has some traditional themes, recognizable ones. The theme of loss--anger, confusion, sadness--as our heroine, Cora, is grieving the loss of her older brother who died in a car accident. The theme of art saving the day--you know, where being artistic and creative unleashes all the good things in life and allows the character to thrive and come into her own. (Yes, you'll find the sympathetic art teacher that "gets" the heroine like no one else quite can.) The theme of a small-town girl dreaming of the day when she can get out, find freedom in the world, and be her own person. (Cora can't wait to get out! She wants to see the world, the whole world, she wants to travel, see and do it all.) And there is the theme of unraveling friendships as life-long friends grow apart as they want and need different things in life.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Secret Life of Prince Charming (YA)

Caletti, Deb. 2009. The Secret Life of Prince Charming. Simon & Schuster. 322 pages.

When it came to love, my mother's big advice was that there were WARNING SIGNS.

I haven't always appreciated each and every Deb Caletti novel. Some I've loved, some I've only liked, and one I've disliked quite a bit. But what Caletti does--and quite well--is write beautifully and authentically. She has a way with words, a way with phrasing things just right so that the reader can relate. She's good at capturing the little things, the small details, that make up ordinary life. The Secret Life of Prince Charming is the story of a girl. It's not an ordinary, traditional romance. If anything it is more of an un-romance. Here we have all the gritty little details of the unhappily ever afters.

Quinn, our heroine, has heard all these stories about men all her life. How they can disappoint you, hurt you, break you, scar you, anger and frustrate you as well. Her mother. Her grandmother. Her aunt. Just to name a very few. Quinn has taken these words of warning seriously. Opting to go for the obviously-safe choices when it comes to love than the more dangerous (albeit more temptingly fun and passionate) choices. But even being safe when it comes to her love life--the ever-boring Daniel--doesn't keep her safe. Boring doesn't mean safe; nice doesn't always mean good. Does Daniel breaking up with her hurt her? Yes and no. Her pride more than anything, since her relationship lacked spark and life. He was there, but that was about it.

But the more significant relationship--though a bit off screen--is the relationship between Quinn and her father. Though her parents have been divorced a long time, though her mother never loses an opportunity to complain about her ex, Quinn feels the need to have him in her life. She wants to have a good relationship with him, even if it means allowing for his mistakes and ignoring the stupid things her father does.

But some things can't be ignored. When she discovers that her father has 'stolen' sentimental (and sometimes quite valuable) items from many (if not all) of his former lovers, then Quinn along with her two sisters (one older, one younger) set out on a quest, a road trip, to return all these items to their rightful owners. Along the way, she'll speak with each ex and learn more about her father; she's trying to piece together why her father is the way he is. Trying to make sense of who he is from what he has done.

If you're looking for a young adult book that is strictly romance, then this one may disappoint. If however you're looking for a complex story showcasing humanity--for better or worse--then this one should satisfy. It's about dynamic family relationships--Quinn's relationship with her mother, her father, her younger sister, Sprout, her older half-sister, Frances. It's a coming-of-age story as well.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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David Inside Out (MG, YA)

Bantle, Lee. David Inside Out. Henry Holt. 184 pages.

Driving along Minnehaha Parkway on my way to see Kick, I felt like Archie going over to Veronica's. Not because she lived in a massive stone house and I mowed lawns for cash. Or because I was prone to Archie-type screwups. I felt that way because our relationship was two-dimensional. And that was the test. Could I make it to the third dimension with her?

Will he or won't he? That's the big question. Will David admit to himself, to his family, to his friends, to the world that he is gay. When the novel opens, David is trying his best to deny his homosexuality. He's trying his best to "make it to the third dimension" with a girl. The girl, in this case, is nicknamed Kick. And she's a good friend to both David and Eddie. Who's Eddie? Well, he's the newly-out-of-the-closet best friend of David. His friend's coming out is making David uncomfortable. Perhaps because his own thoughts, his own desires make him uncomfortable. David tries to be straight--tries not to notice guys in the locker room and the showers; he tries not to fantasize about guys at all. But he's forcing it. And it's just not working. No matter how many times he tells himself no...he can't stop the feelings, the desires, the thoughts.

David's not the only one questioning his sexuality. One day in class, he receives an anonymous note:

Want to get it on with a guy?
Wear your red jersey on Friday.
Wait on the steps outside after school.
I'll meet you.
Don't tell anyone!!!
Don't show this note to anyone!!!
I am not messing with you. (54)

Could this mystery-note be from Sean, one of his teammates? He hopes it is. But will he have the courage to even show up? What if it's a joke, a prank?

This is a coming-of-age novel about coming to terms with who you are and what you want.


Other reviews: Shooting Stars Mag, Reviewabook123, Guys Lit Wire,

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Tricks (YA, Adult)

Hopkins, Ellen. 2009. Tricks. Simon & Schuster. 625 pages.

Ellen Hopkins is dependable. You know what you're going to get. No surprises. At least not after the first--once you've read one, you know what to expect: the raw, ugly, vulnerable side of teen life. The side that some adults would rather not know about--the broken and desperate side. Addictions like drugs and alcohol. Eating disorders. Cutting. Suicides and suicide attempts. Abuse--be it sexual, physical, or emotional. Hopkins' verse novels are all about the angst of growing up. Hopkins writes verse novels. (So don't let the length fool you.)

In Tricks we've got the interconnected stories of a handful of teens--two guys (Seth, Cody) and three girls (Eden, Whitney, Ginger)--who for varying reasons all end up as prostitutes. Five teens, five different circumstances, one very ugly story. This one won't be for everyone. As you can imagine--if you choose--this one is heavy in graphic depictions of sex--both homosexual and heterosexual. And that may be a turn off for some readers. You should also know that it deals with addictions. Drugs. Gambling.

It's a novel that makes you think. In the beginning, each of these teens is in a seemingly stable place. If you were to ask each character, would you ever, could you ever sell your body--each would answer, never, no way.

But while it can't please everyone, for those who have enjoyed (though enjoy is really not the right word) Hopkins' previous books, this one is undoubtedly good. I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you haven't read any Hopkins before, this might be a good place to start.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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