Category Archives: Books

Book Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

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Every Last Word CoverBook: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Published June 2015 by Disney Press|257 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

If you could read my mind, you wouldn’t be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn’t help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she’d be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam’s weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more “normal” than she ever has as part of the popular crowd…until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

This book is so, so special!  It’s my favorite book of the year so far, and I love it for so many reasons!

Like, I love that there’s a book about a character who’s OCD.  It’s nice to see a book about someone who’s not depressed/suicidal.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic books that deal with depression/suicide, but it’s really nice to see a book that deal with mental illness- and something that’s not depression.  Reading this book really makes me want to read more books that deal with mental illness that’s not depression.

I also love that she sees a psychiatrist, and that we actually see her sessions- and that while she worries about her friends finding out, she does work hard to not let it take over her life.  I loved that she had swimming and that she had the Poet’s Corner, and that poetry became such a great outlet for her.  The poetry throughout the book was beautiful, and she has such good friends in the Poet’s Corner.

The ending had me crying, and it was one I didn’t see coming, but at the same time, it somehow fit with what was going on in Sam’s life.

I also really liked the aspect of Sam’s friendships with the popular girls.  It was interesting to see her have such toxic relationships, and how hard it was for her to let them go because they had such a shared history.  But she really did become a lot stronger than she already was, and she really become someone completely amazing.

The note that Stone had at the end of the book was also really nice to read because it felt like Stone put a lot of care into the book, and into making sure that her portrayal of Sam was authentic and accurate as possible. Something about Sam’s story rang true, and while it isn’t representative of every single experience of OCD,  I also thought it was a really great representation of one person’s story.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

5 stars.  I think this book is really special and amazing, and words cannot express how much I loved this book!

Book Review: Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

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0-545-05055-3Book #1: Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Published January 2009 by Orchard Books|304 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: Randa Abdel-Fattah’s new novel about about finding your place in life…and learning to accept yourself and your culture.

“At school I’m Aussie-blonde Jamie- one of the crowd. At home I’m Muslim Jamilah- driven mad by my Stone Age dad. I should win an Oscar for my acting skills. But I can’t keep it up for much longer…”

Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn’t want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself. Even if it means pushing her friends away because she’s afraid to let them know her dad forbids her from hanging out with boys or that she secretly loves to play the darabuka (Arabic drums).

What I Thought: I really liked it!  After reading Does My Head Look Big In This? last year (and really liking it- it was in the running for one of my favorite books), I knew I wanted to read Abdel-Fattah’s other books!  I really liked Jamie, and I feel like she’s someone we can all relate to because I think we all have parts of ourselves that we want to hide from others.  And with how some of her classmates treat people from other ethnic backgrounds, I don’t blame her for wanting to hide that part of herself, especially with how people see Muslims and people from Middle East. Abdel-Fattah did such a great job at showing how she struggles with her identity within two cultures.  I did like that she became more open at the end of the book, and that she revealed Jamilah to her classmates- and it really made me wish we saw a little bit more of that in the book!

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked it, and it’s definitely worth reading!

Rebels By Accident CoverBook #2: Rebels By Accident by Patricia Dunn

Published December 2014 by Sourcebooks|223 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: Mariam Just Wants to Fit In.

That’s not easy when she’s the only Egyptian at her high school and her parents are super traditional. So when she sneaks into a party that gets busted, Mariam knows she’s in trouble…big trouble.

Convinced she needs more discipline and to reconnect with her roots, Mariam’s parents send her to Cairo to stay with her grandmother, her sittu.

But Marian’s strict sittu and the country of her heritage are nothing like she imagined, challenging everything Mariam once believed.

As Mariam searches for the courage to be true to herself, a teen named Asmaa calls on the people of Egypt to protest their president. The country is on the brink of revolution—and now, in her own way, so is Mariam.

What I Thought: I thought Rebels By Accident was just okay- overall, I’m feeling sort of ambivalent about it. There were some things about the book I thought were odd.  Like, Mariam’s parents, who are really strict, are somehow okay with sending her to Egypt to stay with her grandmother…with the best friend who she went to the party with. Really?  You think her BFF is a bad influence, and you’re really strict, and yet you’re completely okay with the two of them flying to Egypt by themselves?  I really don’t get it, but I’m hoping there’s a cultural aspect I’m missing.

I also thought there would be more about the dissent in Egypt, and yet we don’t get a lot of it.  I get that it’s before things really got going, but for some reason, I thought it would have a bigger role in the story.  I also felt like it was more of a fun outing that staying with her grandmother as a form of punishment.  I didn’t care for Mariam- we all have insecurities, but it seemed over the top with her, and a bit too stereotypical.  Also stereotypical was her best friend, who seemed to be trying a little too hard to learn everything possible about Egyptian culture (it could have been nice, but it was just annoying).

My Rating: 2 stars.  It’s okay, but her parents sending her to Egypt made zero sense, I really wanted more of the dissent/political issues going on, and Mariam and her best friend fell flat.

Proxy CoverBook #3: Proxy by Alex London

Published June 2013 by Philomel Books|384 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: Proxy #1

Genre: YA Dystopic

What It’s About: Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

What I Thought: Proxy was a book I was really intrigued by, but I end up thinking it was okay.  While the actual concept of a proxy is interesting, I didn’t really like it as much as I thought.  For some reason, I thought we see more from that part of it, but we only see Syd get one punishment.  I guess it makes sense, because you need to focus on one thing, but honestly, something about it didn’t work for me.  It was a lot more boring/uninteresting than I thought, and it’s a pretty forgettable book.  I did like that Proxy’s are named after literary figures.  And that Syd is gay added something to the book, though I can’t explain why.  It did seem like there might have more to that story line, and it fizzled and got lost in everything else going on.  Knox was obnoxious, and Syd is a little sympathetic, but overall, I wasn’t terribly invested in what happened to Syd.

My Rating: 2 stars.  It’s an interesting idea, but overall, pretty forgettable.  Even though the ending was interesting, it wasn’t enough to make me want to pick up the next book.

Book Review: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

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All American Boys CoverBook: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Published September 2015 by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books|196 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

In an unforgettable new novel from award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.

A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement?

But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.

Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

This is a book everyone needs to read!  This book is so, so important, because it’s a story that is all too familiar because of the different news stories we’ve seen recently.

What I really liked about this book was that we see Rashad and Quinn narrate the book, and how they both have to deal with what happened.  I loved seeing the friendships and family and decisions that both boys had to face, and the consequences of those decisions.  Kiely and Reynolds, overall, do a wonderful job of telling this story. It’s so realistic that there were times where I forgot I was reading fiction, because it really felt like I was reading something right out of the news.

We have a moment where we learn something about Rashad’s dad that made me seem more real somehow, and I sort of wish we had that for Paul, the police officer involved.  There were points where I was so angry with what he said, especially when he was talking to Quinn about what happened.  It totally contradicted what we see happen earlier in the book, and he really comes across as a horrible person- and as much as I want to believe that he’s a good person, it was really hard to see that after what he did to Rashad.

I really wish the book were longer- even though we see such a violent incident, and the week after, I really wish we saw more of what happened after the protest.  There were a few loose ends that I wish were resolved or tied up somehow, but all things considered, the book is very powerful as is.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  All-American Boys is such a powerful, important book that everyone needs to read.

Book Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

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Pivot Point CoverBook: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Published February 2013 by HarperCollins|248 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: Pivot Point #1

Genre: YA Paranormal

Blog Graphic-What It's AboutKnowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier…

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through…and who she can’t live without.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I’ve wanted to read Pivot Point for a while, but now that I have, I’m not sure how I feel about it.

On the one hand, I love the idea of a girl who can Search her future.  It’s an interesting concept, and the idea of a paranormal compound full of people who have paranormal abilities is a pretty cool idea.

I also like that we see both futures side-by-side-, and how they’re different from each other…but also how they mirror each other.  The book alternates between her life in the Compound and her life outside the Compound, and we’re basically getting two sides of the same story, which is really unique, and it’s pretty well-plotted.

That’s also where the book lost me.  At first, I didn’t realize that we got two different stories, and I was confused by the random jumps between inside the Compound and outside the Compound.  Especially because we had nothing in terms of chapter headings and where we were.  I did go back to the beginning and started over just to figure out what was going on because I was really confused, and that was when I figured out we got the two different futures.

Once I got my bearings (which is sort of a weird way to put it, but it also describes how I feel about the book), I really enjoyed the book and the story and the two different paths the story took.  It did lose me a little at the end too, because I thought the ending was a little too weird.  It took me off-guard, and it was definitely unexpected, because I had no idea where it was going or how it was going to end.  But that last chapter was sort of confusing because I wasn’t expecting a time jump and it was a little disorienting.  While I want to re-read that chapter to see maybe a re-read will sort things out, I also feel done with the book.

Still, I am curious about the sequel, and what’s in store for Addison.  I’m not in any hurry to read the next one, but I will get to it eventually, because I am pretty intrigued by this world.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

3 stars.  I’m on the fence with this one- I liked the dual futures we see alternating, and I like that they’re just different enough from each other to be distinct, but also have similar enough stories to see that some things don’t change no matter what path you take.  There were times when the dual paths lost me, notably at the beginning and the end, but overall, all of the things I really like outweigh everything else, which is why it’s not getting a lower rating from me.

Book Review: Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

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Shadowshaper CoverBook: Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

Published June 2015 by Arthur Levine Books|392 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra’s near-comatose abuelo begins to say “No importa” over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep…. Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.

Sierra soon discovers a supernatural order called the Shadowshapers, who connect with spirits via paintings, music, and stories. Her grandfather once shared the order’s secrets with an anthropologist, Dr. Jonathan Wick, who turned the Caribbean magic to his own foul ends. Now Wick wants to become the ultimate Shadowshaper by killing all the others, one by one. With the help of her friends and the hot graffiti artist Robbie, Sierra must dodge Wick’s supernatural creations, harness her own Shadowshaping abilities, and save her family’s past, present, and future.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I really liked Shadowshaper!  It’s really different than a lot of other books I’ve read, and I like that Caribbean myths are a really strong focus.  I feel like any time you see a story that re-tells myths or mythology or legends, it tends to be Greek, maybe Egyptian or Indian, if you’re lucky- though if it’s not Greek, it’s probably going to be Egyptian or Indian.

Back to Shadowshaper.  I really liked the Caribbean legends we see throughout the book, and that really makes the book stand out, in a good way.  It really makes me want to read more about them, particularly the shadowshapers. I did feel a little confused at times, but I think it’s because I wasn’t paying a lot of attention during those parts, because I found myself having to re-read certain parts again because I felt like I missed something.  There’s a lot going on, and it’s really action-packed, but there’s always something going on, and it made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next.

There is something about Shadowshaper that was very ordinary- we see Sierra living her life, and that was really refreshing, because it felt accessible, like I could see the people in Sierra’s neighborhood on any corner.  It’s an especially nice contrast to art coming alive, and it’s also nice to see considering the genre.  It was also nice to see that Shadowshaping was relatively normal, and that it wasn’t seen as something different or unusual.  It would be really easy for Older to portray Sierra and her community as Other, and yet you see things some mild racism that Sierra experiences, and a comment from her aunt about her hair really add something to the book.  Her community really comes to life, and it really felt like it was both a fantasy setting and a real place that was appreciated for being a completely awesome place.

I also really liked seeing Wick get what he deserved, and how protective Sierra is of her heritage, especially when someone tried to take it away from her.  She is such an amazing character, and I loved her so, so much!  I love that she’s happy with how she looks, and I love that she’s willing to stand up to people who try to tell her otherwise.  I don’t throw out strong female character, but that phrase describes her very, very well.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  I didn’t love it, but I really, really liked it.  If you’re looking for a YA urban fantasy that’s different, this is a great book to read.  Actually, it’s a great book to read no matter what you’re looking for.

Book Review: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

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Red Queen CoverBook: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Published February 2015 by Orion|383 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: The Red Queen #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Blog Graphic-What It's About

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart…

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I really liked The Red Queen!  I can’t believe it took me so long to read, but I was glad to finally have picked up a copy from the library, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

There were quite a few twists and turns, and some of them took me by surprise…but looking back, they probably shouldn’t have.  I like the idea of people thinking Mare is fake because she has red blood but the ability of silvers…and that she’s not the only one with the ability…or that horrible things happen to people like Mare.  I feel like she has a little bit of the chosen one thing going on (which isn’t that surprising, considering it’s fantasy), and something about the plot reminds of more than a few sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal/dystopic novels out there.  I don’t read enough fantasy to know how the plot stacks up against other fantasy novels.  As for the other genres, I try to mix things up enough that it was noticeable but not too noticeable.

I wish we saw more of this world, and everything that happened before the start of the book, because it seems like there’s a lot going on that we don’t see.  Maybe we’ll get more in the books to come.  I really hope so because I want to know more!

Still, it was a pretty cool book to read, and the ending really took me by surprise!  I liked Mare, and I liked seeing her change and become such an awesome character.  There is the teensiest bit of a love triangle in this book, with two brothers, but I honestly didn’t particularly care for either one…although, to be honest, I can’t remember which brother is which at this point (since it’s taken me over a week to write a review), but if I had to pick a brother, it would be the one who didn’t do the horrible thing towards the end of book.  I don’t know if that will make much sense, because I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t read it, but one of them really made me hate him.  And even though I understand why he did it, I also felt like it was a horrible thing to do, and he made me like him, and it seemed like he was cool and then he wasn’t.  It’s weird, because now that I think about it, I don’t think I liked either of them at the same time.

And it seemed like there is potentially something with the one friend, but I just didn’t like him, and I hope he’s not a love interest in any of the other books, but he might be, and I don’t want that!  Actually, I kind of wished there was a little more romance, because I felt like it was hinted at, which is weird, considering she gets engaged.  But at the same time, I get why the book is more about her new-found abilities, and some of the stuff going on in the country.

It’s interesting, too, because it’s such an interesting combination of past and future in the book.  It’s not contemporary, but there are times where it felt like the distant past, and other times where it felt like the distant future.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  I really liked it, and it’s a really cool premise!  It definitely had its twists and turns.

Book Talk: Harry Potter And Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

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Book Talk is an occasional feature where I talk about non-book review bookish things!

Book Talk

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but it also seems like a good time for one, because there are things I want to talk about!

First, Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, because I also want to talk about some Harry Potter news, and I’ll probably ramble on about that for a while.

So, I saw Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, and it was a lot of fun!  I haven’t read the book…well, I’ve read Pride And Prejudice, but not P & P & Zombies, but it was basically Pride And Prejudice with some zombies thrown in, so you’re not missing anything if you haven’t read Zombies.  I will say that Lily James was a good choice for Elizabeth Bennett, and Matt Smith was the perfect choice for Mr. Collins.  Seriously, I can’t think of anyone better for that role, especially in a zombie-fied version of Pride And Prejudice.  And now, I really want to re-read Pride And Prejudice.

On a random book-to-movie adaptation note: I still want to see The 5th Wave, but it looks like it’s on it’s way out of theaters, if movie times are indication.  I don’t know if I want to see it in theaters badly enough to try to see it tomorrow, or sometime this week, or if I just want to wait until it’s on DVD.

And HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m sure by now everyone’s heard the news that the script for The Cursed Child is going to be published as a book.  I first saw the news on The Broke And The Bookish, and I was jumping up and down screaming because I was so excited.  I took me a while to calm down down, and it still makes me really happy every single time I think about it. I’ve pre-ordered my copy, of course, and I can’t wait to read it.  I know it’s not the same as actually seeing it, but still.

WE GET TO READ THE SCRIPT!!!

I’m very, very excited, and it’s very fitting that it’s going to be released on Harry’s birthday.

Pottermore also brought back the Sorting Hat quiz and the Wand quiz.  I’m not kidding when I say that I was having massive anxiety over the possibility that I might not be sorted into Hufflepuff again, because that’s a strong part of my Harry Potter identity.

Thankfully, I was sorted into Hufflepuff again, so I was worrying about nothing, but I do feel for all the people who were sorted into different houses.

This time around, my wand is pear wood, unicorn core, quite bendy, and 10.5 inches, and overall, it fits me pretty well.  I wish I had my wand from the original Pottermore quiz to see how how it was different, but I apparently never mentioned it on the blog, and I didn’t print out that certificate in time, so I have no idea how long it was or how flexible (but I do remember that it was on the more flexible side, but not quite as flexible as my current wand).  I feel fairly certain I had a unicorn core last time, and I feel like maybe the wood was acacia?  Maybe, but I’m not sure. At any rate, it was very exciting to be a Harry Potter fan last week, and while I’m still not in love with the new Pottermore, I’ll probably still check it out sporadically.

I just feel like it’s harder to find the information we saw on Pottermore previously.  It seems much more random and disorganized, and I feel like if I see something cool and want to read it again, there isn’t a way to favorite it so that I can read it without having to go looking for it again.  But I also haven’t spent a lot of time on it, so maybe I’ll spend some time on there, to see what’s up.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Book Review: Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

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Walk On Earth A Stranger CoverBook: Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

Published September 2015 by Greenwillow Books|432 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #1

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I really liked Walk On Earth A Stranger!  I am really glad I read it!

I really like that it’s set during the Gold Rush, and that you see Leah on the Oregon Trail.  The time period made me think of Under A Painted Sky by Stacy Lee, so chances are, if like one book, you’ll like the other one. But really, why are more books not set during this time period?  I want to read more books set during the Gold Rush.  Especially Gold Rush-era books that have a hint of the paranormal.

I really liked Leah, and I felt for her, losing her parents becasue of her ability.  And if people found out, what would they do to get to Leah?  Like her uncle.  Oh, how I hated her uncle.  He’s just horrible.  I did like that that the people she traveled with supported her, and took her in, and stood up to her uncle.  They’re definitely a good group of people, and I hope we see more of them in the next book.  Even though I didn’t like her uncle, and don’t want to see him again, I’m pretty sure we have not seen the last of him.  And I will admit that a lot of the characters could have been a little bit more developed, but I’m hoping that comes later, and I feel like there’s more to them than what we see in the book.

The Oregon Trail really was a dangerous journey, and yet, for people like Leah and the people she traveled with, it was worth it for a different life. If I decided to pack up and move across the country, I probably wouldn’t think anything of it, but for Leah, and others like her, it was a pretty big and dangerous decision and journey, and I can’t imagine the obstacles she had to deal with.  Because of all of the traveling, the book moves at a pretty slow pace, but it was something I hadn’t thought of until right now.  But in this case, it works well for the book, because of everything that happens on this part of the journey.

And her ability to sense gold!  That’s definitely different, and yet it works for the time period.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to know where gold is, and how dangerous it would be to have that ability during the gold rush.  Or that time period.  It could be handy, as long as people don’t figure it out. And really, Leah is just awesome.  She is really tough (though I imagine she would have to be) and she is one determined young lady.  I want things to work out for so, so much.  I like that she wants to be herself, and that she wants to be more than what society expected her to be.  Sometimes, characters like Leah frustrate me, but with her, it wasn’t frustrating at all!  I think there’s a certain vulnerability to Leah, and that was really nice to see.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

4 stars.  For some reason, I didn’t quite love it, even though it is the sort of book I would love, but I still really liked it, and I can’t wait to read the next one!

Audio Book Review: Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Posted in Audiobooks, Books by

Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac CoverBook: Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, Narrated by Caitlin Greer

Published August 2007 by Listening Library|6 hours, 40 minutes

Where I Got It: I borrowed the audio book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn’t have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn’t have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn’t have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her “Chief.” She’d know about her mom’s new family. She’d know about her dad’s fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn’t have wanted to kiss him back.

But Naomi picked heads.

After her remarkable debut, Gabrielle Zevin has crafted an imaginative second novel all about love and second chances.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I liked Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac!   I didn’t love it or anything, but it’s a cute story about a girl re-discovering things after losing her memories from the last few years.

Even though the book had its predictable moments, I also had no idea how things would be resolved or where they were headed.  I really liked that, and I think it fit really well with Naomi’s story.  I didn’t quite connect with Naomi, because she definitely came across as selfish and spoiled and stupid at times.  I did feel for her, though, because I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to have an accident and lose the last few years of your life. It’s amazing how one moment can change everything, and this book really highlights that.

A lot of the other characters were really interesting (like Will and James), and I thought their stories really brought out Naomi’s story.  There’s definitely a lot going on, but overall, the book had a really good balance of serious moments and some more light-hearted moments.  And I really liked the narrator!  Her voice sounded so familiar, and I don’t know why, because I’ve never listened anything narrated by Greer before.  But her voice was perfect for Naomi, and she was exactly how I pictured Naomi’s voice to sound.

I don’t really have much else to say about Memoirs.  I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve forgotten what I wanted to say, or if it’s because not a lot stood out to me.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

3 stars.  I liked it, and it was really cute, but I also didn’t love it.

Book Review: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Luna CoverBook: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Published September 2008 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers|248 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Regan’s brother Liam can’t stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister’s clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change-Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam’s family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives? Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen’s struggle for self-identity and acceptance.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I’ve heard some really good things about Luna, and figured I’d read it.  I have mixed feelings about it, though, and it’s mostly because of the characters and (to me) the reliance on stereotypes and lack of nuance.

It was really frustrating to read Luna’s story through Regan’s eyes.  Regan came across as really selfish and whiny, and I felt like she was the stereotypical “it’s so hard and it’s such a burden to have a sibling who’s different, woe is me because I have to keep their secret, and if people find out that my brother is transgender, I’ll never have my own identity because I’ll only be seen as the sister of someone who is transgender” sibling.

Instead of feeling for her, and how hard it has to be to be your sister’s confidante and secret keeper, I instead spent most of the book feeling like she needed to get over herself.  Considering how close they were supposed to be, all I can tell you about Luna is that she is very stereotypical female. That’s not a bad thing, but we get no insight into Luna as a person and how much Luna is struggling to be accepted for who she is.  Luna is going through a lot, and Regan’s selfishness and need to be a martyr really took away from Luna’s story.

I felt very much removed and distanced from what was going on, and even the flashbacks we get are more about Regan than they are about Luna.

I also thought that Luna needed a lot more development, and she wasn’t very nuanced to me.  I did mention that Luna was a little too stereotypical- very into make-up and clothes and shopping, but not all females are. I’m not sure if the lack of nuance is because of the filter in which we see Luna, or if there’s just a lack of character development.  Maybe both.  Either way, this book is not about Luna and her transition, it’s about how Luna is ruining Regan’s life and how much better Regan’s life would be if Luna were “normal.”

Looking back at what I just wrote, it’s definitely clear to me that my feelings aren’t as mixed as I thought.  I wanted to read more about Luna, not Luna’s spoiled brat of a sister, and I wish we saw more of Luna.  Both Luna and Regan narrating could have been interesting, but given how stereotypical the characters were, I don’t know if Luna narrating even a few chapters would have made a difference.  Luna felt more like an object than an actual person, which was really disappointing because Luna’s story seemed much more interesting than Regan’s.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

1 star.  Regan was too frustrating and hard to care about, and her selfishness really took away from Lu0a’s story.