Book: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Published April 2011 by Viking Children’s|349 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Magical Realism

What It’s About: 

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she’s albino. She’s a terrific athlete, but can’t go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a “free agent,” with latent magical power. Soon she’s part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

What I Thought:

I loved Akata Witch!  It is such a great book, and I am so glad I read it!

I really liked Sunny, and she’s pretty awesome!  She’s awesome at soccer, and she finds some really cool friends who introduce her to a world she never knew existed.  I liked seeing her learn more about her own powers, and how being an albino turns out to be a strength for her, instead of something that makes her stand out.  I also really liked seeing her learn more about the grandmother that no one talks about, and why her family really moved back to Nigeria.

What I loved most about Akata Witch was seeing Sunny studying magic, and how connected it was to Nigerian folklore and myths. I know nothing about Nigerian mythology, and I feel like I learned so much just by reading Akata Witch.  It was a little hard to get into at first, because I’m not at all familiar with African myths, but this book is worth reading because it’s very richly imagined, and now I want to read more about African myth in general, but especially those from Nigeria.

Another really cool thing about this book is that there are different levels that Leopard People have to go through as they learn more and more about magic.  While they don’t have to be at a certain age to go through the different levels, it is a really good idea since there are really bad consequences if they fail- and I like that they really do take it seriously, which (to me) is really different than other fantasy (and even paranormal) books where there aren’t really consequences and the characters can be sort of…whatever…about being introduced to a world they never knew existed.

I also loved that they have a teacher, and that they also have their own mentors.  They have so much to learn, and this book is definitely the start of Sunny’s magical journey, and I am so glad that there’s a sequel in the works because I want more set in this world.  I feel like I wouldn’t do the world justice if I tried to describe it, but it’s so different than anything I’ve read before.  Just trust me when I say that the world-building is amazing.

My Rating:

5 stars.  Akata Witch is amazing, and I loved that it wove in Nigerian folklore and mythology,  It’s one of my favorites of the year, and I can’t wait to read Okorafor’s other books.

Book: An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Published April 2015 by Razorbill|366 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: An Ember In The Ashes #1

Genre: YA Dystopic Fantasy

What It’s About: 

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

What I Thought:

It seems like there’s been some buzz around An Ember In The Ashes, so I’m really glad that I read it not too long after it was published, because I have a tendency to not like books that have a lot of buzz surrounding them.

Anyway, I really liked An Ember In The Ashes!  It’s really different, and there is an Ancient Rome feel to it that I really liked. It was a lot darker than I expected, and this is a really cruel, harsh world that I wasn’t expecting. But it really worked, and made you hope that things would get better, and that Elias and Laia would change things.

I thought the dual narration worked really well in this book!  It’s something that’s hit or miss for me, but I really liked seeing two people who are against the Empire for different reasons, and you see how two very different people see the Empire.  I have to say, though, that I really liked seeing how much Elias changed, and his part of the story was infinitely more interesting to me than Laia’s.  Her story was interesting too, but it didn’t really get my attention the way that Elias’ did.

I found the world really fascinating, and there’s this…atmosphere that’s horrifying and creepy, and it’s a world I wouldn’t want to live it.  I could picture the Masks so well, and it’s the same with Blackcliff.  There’s so much more to this world than we see in the book, and it seems really intricate.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading the sequel, and I’m really glad there is one, because I want to be in this world more! Plus, with how the book ended, it’ll be nice to actually see where things go.  But if it were a stand-alone, I think I might be okay with that, because while it leaves things open enough for a sequel (again, I’m glad there is one), it would also be interesting to imagine where things would turn out.  I’m glad I don’t have to!

My Rating:

4 stars.  I really liked it!  It’s definitely a dark, cruel Ancient Rome-type world, but it’s such a great book!

Book: Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Published March 2015 by Putnam|374 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

What It’s About:

Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail.

This beautifully written debut is an exciting adventure and heart-wrenching survival tale. But above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.

What I Thought:

I really liked Under A Painted Sky!  As much as I love history, I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, and pretty much every single time I read it, I always wish I read more of it.

Under A Painted Sky initially came across my radar because I follow a few blogs that focus on diversity in books, but I was really intrigued by the story.  I’m really glad I read it, because it’s such a great story about friendship and people who accept you no matter what.

I really liked Sam- she’s definitely a survivor, and I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her.  It was the same with Annamae.  I loved how they looked out for each other, and how bonds can form, even in horrible circumstances.  I loved that they were so accepting, and that they became close with a group of cowboys who were awesome.  I instantly cared for Sam and Annamae, and I also came to care about the cowboys and even Sam’s dad, even though we didn’t see a lot of him.  Sam missed him, and that made me miss him.  I also really liked how connected Sam was to her Chinese heritage, and how we saw the Chinese Zodiac and Chinese folklore throughout the book.

Really, West, Cay and Peety are quite awesome too.  I LOVED how accepting they were of Sam and Annamae, and how strong their bond was.  It really does stand out, and both girls trying to hide the fact that they were girls disguising themselves as boys made for some really funny moments.  It’s normally something that irritates me (and I have no idea why) but it worked really well in this book. because the Oregon Trail is dangerous enough as it is, much less for two girls on the run.

It was the characters and their journey that really stood out and shined in Under A Painted Sky.  They definitely had obstacles, and adventures but their actual journey across the Oregon Trail…it was part of the book, and how their friendship got strong, but Under A Painted Sky is really more about the characters than the plot.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s some action-packed scenes throughout the book, and even though the Oregon Trail is an awesome setting (and now it makes me want to play the game), I found it didn’t really matter that much to me.  Still, you definitely feel like you’re on this epic road-trip, Old West style.

My Rating:

4 stars.  I didn’t fall in love with it, but everyone needs to read it!  It’s such an amazing book about friendship and hope.

Book: Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Published September 2009  by Bloomsbury|371 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: 

Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.

What I Thought:

I thought Liar started off really strong and I initially liked it, but I slowly became indifferent towards the book by the end of it.

What really lost me was the revelation of the family illness- that her family were werewolves.  That was when the book started to lose me- and while it was first at first, by the end of it, it just felt like a lame excuse for why she lied all the time.  I get that things run in the family, which I could have handled.  And if the werewolf thing is a stand-in for something else (mental illness and period-related issues seem like the best possibilities, but the second one doesn’t explain the fact that her one uncle seems to be affected by the family illness), I thought it didn’t really do a good job of it, just because it turned into something I wasn’t expecting, and it felt out of place.

I’m fine with unreliable narrators, and one who’s a compulsive liar makes for a really interesting unreliable narrator because you’re never sure what’s true and what’s a lie.  What became really clear to me was that Justine really needed help.  She really did- her brother being a good example of this.  At different points in the book, she has a brother who hates her, he never existed, or he died and she was involved somehow.  Not only that, but it’s never resolved, and it’s randomly mentioned, but you don’t really hear about it after a certain point.  Which makes me wonder why it was even included…I guess to show how much of a liar she is, but you definitely get that throughout the book.  Maybe to show family issues?  Anyway, one of the very few things that you could actually trust is that she’s in desperate need of help, and it’s a shame that she doesn’t get it.

She gets sent up to the Greats (how they’re related to her, I could never figure out) in the country, and she runs away because her life will end if she’s not in the city.  I really wish we could trust her stories about her family, because I am oddly curious about what they’re really like, and if they noticed that Micah needed help.  And if they did, why they didn’t try to get her more help. Maybe they did, but Micah never talked about it?

While you couldn’t trust a lot of what Micah said, something I could trust (and actually liked) was how she felt out of place- race being a big one, since she’s bi-racial.  Part of me wishes that had come up more, because it really doesn’t in the book.  Which is fine, because there are so many other things going on, and just because a character is bi-racial doesn’t mean the story has to focus on that.  But there is a part of me that wishes we saw the impact it had on Micah’s life.

My Rating:

2 stars.  Micah definitely has a strong voice, and I liked that she’s such an unreliable narrator, but the big reveal about the family illness made me feel indifferent about the book.