Book: Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

Book Info: Self-Published by Stacey Wallace Benefiel; 262 pages; read on my Nook

Goodreads Summary: Zellie Wells has a devastating crush on Avery Adams, the son of her mom’s high school sweetheart. At her sixteenth birthday party, held in the basement of her dad’s church, she finally finds the courage to talk to him. Turns out, the devastating crush is mutual. 

As Avery takes her hand and leads her out onto the makeshift dance floor, Zellie is overwhelmed by her first vision of his death; shocking because not only are they both covered in his blood, but they’re old, like 35, and she is pregnant.

Afraid to tell anyone about the vision, (she’d just be labeled a freaky black magic witch, right?) Zellie keeps the knowledge of Avery’s future to herself and tries to act like any other teenager in love. When they get caught on their way to a secret rendezvous by her mom and his dad, they are forbidden to see each other.

Convinced that their parents are freaking out unnecessarily, Avery and Zellie vow to be together no matter what. They continue their relationship in secret until Zellie learns that their parents are just trying to prevent her and Avery from suffering like they did. The visions are hereditary, they’re dangerous, and if they stay together the visions will come true. 

Now Zellie must choose between severing all ties with Avery, like her mom did to prevent his father’s death, and finding a way to change Avery’s future.

Here’s the thing.  I really the idea of the novel.  I like that there are seers, and different kinds of seers.  I like that they have a look-out, who helps them with their visions.  I like that there’s a mysterious society, who seems to have regulations in place, and that in Zellie’s family, it’s hereditary.

But the first half or so seemed really convuluted.  Like, she has a vision, and there really isn’t any explanation.  And then all of a sudden, you find out her mom had visions, and there’s this whole story that kind of comes up out of the blue.  I mean, you know there’s something weird going on, but you’re not sure what.

Things felt rushed, the romance moved way too fast, and the characters weren’t really engaging.  Avery wasn’t consistent- at first, he seemed shy, and then he started acting like a jerk, and then he realizes he acted like a jerk, and wants her back.  I understand his dad dies, and some other horrible things happen to him, but it still doesn’t excuse some of his behavior.

I did like it, though, and it is an interesting idea.  It has a lot of promise, and while I’m not rushing out to read the other books in the series, I’m not leaving them off my to-read list either.  I give it a 3 out of 5.

Book: Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer

Book Info: Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 227 pages; hardcover; borrowed from the library

Goodreads Summary: The story of Mary Tudor’s childhood is a classic fairy tale: A princess who is to inherit the throne of England is separated from her mother; abused by an evil stepmother who has enchanted her father; stripped of her title; and forced to care for her baby stepsister, who inherits Mary’s rights to the throne. Believe it or not, it’s all true. Told in the voice of the young Mary, this novel explores the history and intrigue of the dramatic rule of Henry VIII, his outrageous affair with and marriage to the bewitching Anne Boleyn, and the consequences of that relationship for his firstborn daughter. Carolyn Meyer has written a compassionate historical novel about love and loss, jealousy and fear–and a girl’s struggle with forces far beyond her control.

It was different reading a YA book about the Tudors, since I tend to read Tudor non-fiction or adult historical fiction.

So here’s the bad.  It was more about what happened to Mary than it was about Mary herself.  And while you got a fairly good sense of who Mary was, I would have liked more depth to both Mary and the people surrounding her.

That being said, I thought it was a pretty good introduction to the Tudors and some of the people, places and events of the time period.  It was easy to read, and pretty well-paced.  A lot of details are skipped but you do get the basics, and Meyer does a good of introducing everything to an audience that might not know about it.  It feels like Meyer knows her stuff about Tudor England, and for historical fiction, I thought it was a very realistic and believable portrait of Mary Tudor.

I also liked reading about the time period through Mary’s eyes, and it was refreshing to read about her, instead of her half-sister Elizabeth.  I think I would recommend it for younger teens, since it seems to be written for the younger end of YA.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  I enjoyed it, and it gets the job done, but it needed a little more detail.

Book: Legend by Marie Lu

Book Info: Published by Putnam Juvenlie; 305 pages; hardcover; borrowed from the library

Goodreads Summary: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

I finally read Legend!  I am so torn about this book, because I’ve been hearing about it for a while, and I’m not sure if it lives up to all the hype.

There are quite a few things I like.  I thought Day and June were interesting characters, and there were things about the world they lived in that were really interesting.  There’s the Republic and the Colonies, and the conflict between the 2 is really interesting, as is the plague that comes up in the Republic every year.  There’s a lot of mystery, and a lot of action, which keep me interested for most of the book.

I thought the dual narration was interesting, and I thought it worked rather well.  You get 2 different sides of the story, and it actually felt like 2 separate people were narrating the story.  That was a nice change, because usually, the narrators sound exactly the same.  What was also interesting, and very different, was the fact that the font for Day was a completely different size, color, and font type than the one for June.  That made it really easy to tell who was narrating.

But.  I want to know more about what happened between the East Coast and the West Coast (or Colonies and Republic).  Why are they fighting?  What is going on with the plagues and is it really engineered?  What is the Republic hiding?  Did they alter Day’s Trial results as part of some weird experiment?  And what is going on with his brother?

There were two many things that were left unanswered, and there wasn’t a lot to it.  I expected…more from it.  Not only that, but the “romance” felt random.  Like it was thrown because a dash of romance was needed.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, but it was a little lacking.

Book: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Book Info: Published by Harlequin Teen; 394 pages; paperback; borrowed from the library

Goodreads Summary: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The Iron Knight is the last book in the Iron Fey series, and I loved it!  I think it’s my favorite book in the entire series, and I’m glad it ended on such a strong note.

I love that it’s told from Ash’s perspective, and we learn a lot more about his history with Puck and we finally learn Arianna’s story.  It was nice to see them without Meghan, and to work together so that Ash can be with Meghan in the Iron Realm.  I thought their journey (especially Ash’s) was amazing, and the difference in Ash in The Iron Knight and The Iron King…he really was conflicted, but at the same time, you did see his softer side.

It was a bit darker than the rest of the series, but considering the Wyld Wood, the End Of The Earth and the gauntlet, it’s not really surprising.  The creatures were a little scarier and a little more vicious.  I liked seeing that darkness.

And Grimalkin!  I really do love him, but he was still himself.  He’s one of my favorite characters, and his relationship with the Big Bad Wolf was interesting and funny.  Now that I think about it, though, their relationship kind of reminds me of the one between Ash and Puck.

I was surprised to learn that the series was originally meant to be a trilogy, because this book didn’t feel like it was tacked on.  It was a really good resolution to the series, and I’m glad Kagawa wrote it!

I give it a 5 out of 5.  It really was a good ending to the series, and I loved the imagery.

Books: Mornings On Horseback by David McCullough

Book Info: Published by Simon & Schuster; 370 pages; paperback; borrowed from the library

Goodreads Summary:  Mornings on Horseback is about the world of the young Theodore Roosevelt. It is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and nearly fatal attacks of asthma, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household (and rarefied social world) in which he was raised.

His father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, “Greatheart,” a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. His mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, Teddy Roosevelt’s first love. And while such disparate figures as Abraham Lincoln, Mrs. John Jacob Astor, and Senator Roscoe Conkling play a part, it is this diverse and intensely human assemblage of Roosevelts, all brought to vivid life, which gives the book its remarkable power.

The book spans seventeen years � from 1869 when little “Teedie” is ten, to 1886 when, as a hardened “real life cowboy,” he returns from the West to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and begin anew, a grown man, whole in body and spirit. The story does for Teddy Roosevelt what Sunrise at Campobello did for FDR � reveals the inner man through his battle against dreadful odds.

Like David McCullough’s The Great Bridge, also set in New York, this is at once an enthralling story, with all the elements of a great novel, and a penetrating character study. It is brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship, which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. For the first time, for example, Roosevelt’s asthma is examined closely, drawing on information gleaned from private Roosevelt family papers and in light of present-day knowledge of the disease and its psychosomatic aspects.

At heart it is a book about life intensely lived…about family love and family loyalty…about courtship and childbirth and death, fathers and sons…about winter on the Nile in the grand manner and Harvard College…about gutter politics in washrooms and the tumultuous Republican Convention of 1884…about grizzly bears, grief and courage, and “blessed” mornings on horseback at Oyster Bay or beneath the limitless skies of the Badlands. “Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough,” Roosevelt once wrote. It is the key to his life and to much that is so memorable in this magnificent book.

In my quest to read more American history, I decided to pick up this book.  I’m not sure what to think about it, though.

It was nice to learn more about Teddy Roosevelt, but a lot of it went over my head.  It felt like McCullough was throwing every possible person and place in Roosevelt’s life onto the page.  It really felt like it was more about the people and places in his life than his actual life.  It was very detailed, which is surprising for something that’s only 370 pages.  I felt like it jumped around a lot, and it seemed very random and rambling.

That being said, it was very readable and I did learn more about Roosevelt.  Like he had asthma, but he tried not to let it slow him down.  And he wanted to study natural history, but the biology program at Harvard didn’t do anything for him, and so his desire to do something with natural history and science faded.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, and I certainly learned from it, but I don’t think I’ll be reading it again.

Book: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Book Info: Published by HarperTeen; 248 pages; read on my Nook

Goodreads Summary: For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn’t prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Hallowed is the sequel to Unearthly, and I thought it was a really good sequel.  It’s so compelling, and it was hard to put down.  It broke my heart, and made me want to squee while jumping up and down.

The Tucker-Clara-Christian love triangle is certainly interesting, and it is surprisingly not boring.  I love Tucker and Clara, but Christian and Clara also make a lot of sense.  It didn’t annoy me, and it’s not perfect by any means.  But again, it didn’t annoy me, so I can’t really complain too much about it.

Clara’s mom was really irritating, with not wanting to tell Clara anything unless she had to.  Jeffrey was also irritating, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to.  It turns out he set one of the fires, because it was his purpose.  And in the end, he disappears without a trace.  While most of the plot points were resolved, there are a few things that are left untied.

As much as I loved the book (and series), I wonder what Clara’s purpose really is, and if it will ever be resolved.  I can see the series going on for a really long time if Clara keeps resisting her purpose, but hopefully the next book will have a lot more clues.

I give it a 5 out of 5.  Hand clearly put some thought into the series, and the imagery is beautiful.

Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Book Info: Published by Laurel-Leaf Books; 179 pages; read on my Nook

Goodreads Summary: In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community’s Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.

The Giver is set in a future society which is at first presented as a utopia and gradually appears more and more dystopic, so could therefore be considered anti-utopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. Jonas’ society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to “Sameness”, a plan which has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of “Receiver of Memory,” the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. As Jonas receives the memories from his predecessor—the “Giver”—he discovers how shallow his community’s life has become.

I finally finished my re-read of The Giver.  It’s been a long time since I’ve read it, and I’m glad I decided to read it again.

The world Lowry created is an interesting one.  Everything is very precise and very controlled- to the point that there is no color, and there are no choices.  Everything seems perfect, and then you start to realize that things are not as perfect as they seem.  One person with the burden of all the memories, in the history of ever?  I certainly wouldn’t want that.

When the previous receiver fails, and everyone receives the memories she received, they are unable to handle it.  That is really interesting, because you realize they’ve done everything everything they can to get rid of emotional pain.  They’re just not able to handle it, which is really interesting.

We seriously need to talk about release for a minute.  It went over my head when I read it as a kid.  It wasn’t until sometime in the last couple years or so that I realized what release really was.  It was the hardest scene to read this time around, knowing that it was the society’s way of letting people go.  I think this time around, I had a much better understanding of release.  So reading it as an adult was really weird but also really cool.

It’s a pretty simple and straightfoward story, and yet there’s a lot there.  I really like that the ending was ambiguous, because you get to think about how things might have turned out for Jonas and Gabe.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  It held up pretty well, and it’s a pretty good story.