Tag Archives: 2015 books

Book Review: Ash by Malinda Lo

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Ash CoverBook: Ash by Malinda Lo

Published September 2009 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers|264 pages

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

Series: none

Genre: YA Fantasy/Re-telling

What It’s About: 

Cinderella retold

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

What I Thought:

I really liked Ash!  This is the third book I’ve read by Lo, and it’s my favorite of the 3 I’ve read.  It makes me want to read Huntress (a book, also by Lo, set in the same world as this one) even more…and I kind of wish I had read Ash before Huntress, but at least there’s re-reading, right?

Anyway, I love this re-telling of Cinderella, and there was something about the overall story that reminded me of the remake of Cinderella that came out a few months ago.  There are some differences of course- the main one being the romance, which is much more obvious in the movie.  For me, I got the sense that the relationship between Ash and Kaisa was just beginning, and it’s more towards the subtle side and I loved that in this world, no one cared, which I think is so awesome.  Ash is much more than a lesbian re-telling of Cinderella- it’s a very vivid and rich fantasy world.

It makes me wish there were another book set in this world, that’s how much I like it.  I liked Ash as a character and Sidhean was an interesting and unexpected take on the Fairy Godmother.  I liked it, though, and it fit in with this world so well.  I also liked Gwen, a servant, and she was so nice to Ash.  I feel like she and Ash would be good friends.  And I was surprised by Clara, one of Ash’s step-sisters, who seemed like she was the kinder of the two sisters.  At the very least, I think she has it in her, unlike her mother or sister.

My Rating: 

4 stars.  I liked Ash so much!  It’s one of my favorite fairy tale re-tellings, and it makes me want to read more about the original Cinderella story and how it’s different in different areas of the world.  It’s such a great re-telling of Cinderella, and I recommend it to everyone.

Book Review: Charm And Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

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Charm & Strange CoverBook: Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Published June 2013 by St Martin’s Griffin|216 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: 

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars…

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself. 

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable. 

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present. 

Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

What I Thought:

I’ve heard some really good things about Charm & Strange, but I had a hard time getting into it.  It was definitely frustrating to read, and it was confusing, and Win/Drew is definitely unreliable as a narrator, which is actually one of the things I liked about the book.

Since Win/Drew is so unreliable, you’re not sure what to believe or what’s going on, and that’s always interesting to me, but this was a case where my own confusion overshadowed everything else.  Win/Drew had to deal with some horrible things, most of which weren’t said outright, so you have to come to your own conclusions about what happened…and even then, you’re not completely sure if what you think happened was actually what happened.  At least, I have my ideas on what happened, but only in the vaguest sense, s if you’re looking for specifics, you’re out of luck.  And this is definitely one of those books where everything makes more sense by the end of the book.  Which is fine, but it’s not something I’m a big fan of in general.

I did like seeing what happened in Win/Drew’s past, but the mystery surrounding it made it hard for me to empathize with him.  It is an interesting way to deal with something so tough, and I don’t blame Win/Drew for trying (unsuccessfully) to move on.  It just didn’t work for me.  It was definitely drawn out and becomes obvious, and there’s something about it that makes me think of Liar, which I read and thought was okay.

I think I would have preferred that the issues be faced head on, instead of shrouded in mystery, because not knowing didn’t work in the vague way that the story was told.

My Rating:

2 stars.  Mostly because it’s an okay story, but also because I really can’t work up any energy to actually care.

Book Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

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PS I Still Love You CoverBook: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Published May 2015 by Simon & Schuster|260 pages

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

Series: To All The Boys I Loved Before #2

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: 

Given the way love turned her heart in the New York Times bestselling To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, which SLJ called a “lovely, lighthearted romance,” it’s no surprise that Laura Jean still has letters to write.

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of makes it so amazing.

What I Thought:

I liked P.S. I Still Love You!  It’s cute and light and fun and it’s a good summer read.

There is something that’s sweet about how much of a romantic Lara Jean is.  There is a certain innocence about her, and she is naive, and it’s refreshing and not irritating (well, to me, it might be irritating to you, but I like that about her).  I totally get that she needed to let go of Genevieve, and that it was hard for her, and especially when someone else comes into the picture.

I loved Kitty, who is just full of awesome, and she is my favorite character.  Peter Kravinsky is pretty awesome too, and while I liked Lara Jean, I kind of wish we saw more development.  Like, I like that she’s a hopeless romantic, and had a hard time not comparing her relationship with Peter to the one he had with Genevieve, and she has changed over the last couple of books, but not as much as I would have hoped for.

It hard, because I keep comparing to her Summer trilogy, which I loved, and it didn’t have the same charm and nostalgia that series had, but it did have its good moments (it is Jenny Han, after all) and there is something about her books that have a certain charm.

I also kind of wish that there was a happily ever after, because I felt like there was a happy for now ending, and I wanted a happily ever after for Lara Jean, who totally deserves that, because she’s Lara Jean.

My Rating:

3 stars.  I liked P.S. I Still Love You, but I really wish it had another book after it, as the second in a duology, it was a little bit of a let-down.  I wish that I knew why I feel that way, but I really don’t.

Book Review: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

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Antigoddess CoverBook: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Published September 2013 by Tor Teen|333 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Genre: YA Paranormal/Mythology- retelling

Series: The Goddess War #1

What It’s About: 

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. 

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out. 

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

What I Thought:

I was really intrigued by Antigoddess, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.  If there’s something I really like (or maybe even love, either way, I can’t help but read anything Greek mythology related).  This one just didn’t really work for me, but it is a really interesting idea.

I really do like the idea of gods and goddesses, who are supposed to be immortal, flickering out or killing off rivals and becoming super-corrupted.

Something about it…I was a little bored, and I felt like I was reading a lot of set-up in order to understand everything that was coming.  Even though first books tend to have set-up, it actually felt like I was reading an extended prologue or even a prequel.  Something about it was really dry, which made the book less interesting than it should have been.

Another thing I thought was interesting was the fact that at least some of the gods and goddesses were reincarnated.  I wish we knew more about that, and how they figured it out, or if they always knew.  I know Cassandra didn’t remember, and had to be awakened or whatever, but I really wish we saw that.  I liked that they were young but also felt like they were gods and goddesses.

Antigoddess really made me wish that I knew more about the actual myths- I will say that it really felt like Blake knows and is super-familiar with Greek mythology, and I wonder if maybe that’s why I had a lot of trouble getting into it.

My Rating:

2 stars.  I do like the idea of a war between gods for their immortality, which is why it’s getting 2 stars (instead of the 1 I thought about giving it), but I was bored reading it.

Book Review: Orleans by Sherri Smith

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Orleans CoverBook: Orleans by Sherri Smith

Published March 2013 by Putnam|324 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic

What It’s About: 

First came the storms.
Then came the Fever.
And the Wall.

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct… but in reality, a new primitive society has been born.

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other’s last hope for survival.

Sherri L. Smith delivers an expertly crafted story about a fierce heroine whose powerful voice and firm determination will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

What I Thought:

Orleans is such an interesting book.  I think it might be one of the more interesting books I’ve read so far this year.

Hurricanes have battered the Gulf Coast, which has lead to those states being cut off from the rest of the U.S., because of a horrible, horrible disease.  Of course, Orleans is pretty resilient, and is bouncing back.  One thing I liked was the list of hurricanes over the years, and also the order that the states along the Gulf Coast were quarantined.  It’s a hard world to live in, and you definitely get a really good glimpse of the struggles people have in surviving in this world.

The world-building is so interesting!  It is a world that I can picture so well, and New Orleans is such a different place that it’s now called Orleans, and a shadow of the city it once was.  And the fact that people live according to blood type, which is fascinating because Delta Fever affects each blood type differently, from what I could figure out.  The book doesn’t go into a lot of detail about it, and I want to know more about it, because that is definitely different.

Daniel’s part of the story really balances out Fen’s story, because you learn what’s happening in the rest of the country.  Which leads me to the fact that this book is a stand-alone, with no apparent sequel in sight.  The book ends, and you are left wondering if that was all.  It’s very open and ambiguous, and you’re left wondering how things work out, since Orleans is a stand-alone.  I didn’t mind it, because it works really well as a stand-alone, and it wraps up the story really well.  And even though I have some questions, especially with what happened to the characters, I didn’t mind that it’s a stand-alone (even though I would love some sort of sequel, hopefully without a tacked on sort of feeling).

My Rating:

3 stars.  I liked it, and the world is different and there’s so much more to the world than what we get Orleans, but I wish that we had a sequel, to tie up some of the things that weren’t resolved in this book.

Book Review: The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

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The Sin Eater's Daughter CoverBook: The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Published February 2015 by Scholastic Press|312 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: The Sin Eater’s Daughter #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

What It’s About: 

I am the perfect weapon.

I kill with a single touch.

Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favour of the Gods has it’s price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla’s fatal touch.

Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla’s chilling role to the girl she truly is.

Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen’s, some truths should not be told…

What I Thought:

I’m not sure what to think about The Sin Eater’s Daughter!  I really liked the overall feel of the book, and in some ways, I was very much reminded of a lot of other YA fantasy.  Not in a bad way, because I haven’t read enough YA fantasy to really compare it to other books, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of them.

I thought the idea of a girl who has to ingest a deadly poison every month because she was chosen is really interesting.  She was previously destined to become a sin eater, and while we get an idea of what her life would have been like if that had been her role, I expected it to be more important than it was.  Probably because of the title, and the fact that I don’t pay attention to summaries before I read a book.  But it was more a background thing that her mother did, and not something Twylla did, so I was really disappointed that it wasn’t something Twylla did.  Still, I get why she wasn’t a sin eater, even if I was expecting that to be more of a thing.

I loved the mythology of the world, and how it come to be.  It really stood out, especially with the religion in Lomere.  And how it wasn’t what you originally thought, and everything the Queen went to make sure things went the way she wanted…she’s appropriately evil and twisted, and it’s more than what I expected for YA and yet I liked how twisted she was. It made me wish that we saw more of the world, but since this is the first in a series (I’m assuming trilogy, because you don’t see many non-trilogy series out there), I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of the world.

I’m not sure how I feel about either love interest.  I get the prince, and even the guard makes sense, but I didn’t really feel it with either one.  (But between you and me, if I had to pick, I’d totally go with the prince, because there is no way I’d want her with the guard after everything we learn).

I’m also not sure how I feel about Twylla.  Honestly, I’m feeling neutral, because I really couldn’t tell you anything I particularly liked or disliked about her, even though it hasn’t been that long since I’ve finished the book.

My Rating:

3 stars.  I liked it, especially the world, but I’m also not sure about the romance or about Twylla.

Book Review: Taking Flight: From War Orphan To Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince

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Taking Flight CoverBook: Taking Flight: From War Orphan To Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince

Published October 2014 by Knopf|249 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Non-Fiction/Memoir

What It’s About: 

The extraordinary memoir of Michaela DePrince, a young dancer who escaped war-torn Sierra Leone for the rarefied heights of American ballet.

Michaela DePrince was known as girl Number 27 at the orphanage, where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a “devil child” for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But it was at the orphanage that Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would help change the course of her life.

At the age of four, Michaela was adopted by an American family, who encouraged her love of dancing and enrolled her in classes. She went on to study at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre and is currently a member of the Dutch National Ballet’s junior company. She has appeared in the ballet documentary “First Position,” as well as on “Dancing with the Stars,” “Good Morning America,” and “Nightline.” 

In this engaging, moving, and unforgettable memoir, Michaela shares her dramatic journey from an orphan in West Africa to becoming one of ballet’s most exciting rising stars.

What I Thought:

I really liked Taking Flight!  It’s such an inspiring story, and to go from being an orphan to a ballerina and and she had to overcome so much to do that.  She’s accomplished so much, and at such a young age, and there is a part of me that feels like I’ve accomplished nothing in my life.

But I liked seeing her chronicle how hard it is to not just be a professional ballerina (which is something that just fascinates me, especially as a very uncoordinated person), but also as a minority.  She doesn’t feel sorry for herself, and she keeps going because it’s what she wants to do, and she’s very determined to not only have her dreams come true but to be a role model for future ballerinas.

Her parents and brothers are truly amazing- her parents for adopting her, and two other girls from her orphanage, and her brothers (especially Teddy) for making her feel welcome and like she was part of the family.  They are very supportive, amazing people, and it’s clear that they love each other.

We also get a lot about her childhood, which is awesome, and I wish we got a lot more about the dancing.  It did seem a little like a resume, but I’m very much interested in seeing First Position, the documentary that DePrince is a part of.  It’s been on my netflix queue for a while, but having read this book, it’s definitely going up on the list of things to watch.  And I enjoyed it so much that I really wanted it to be longer, especially since there were a few points where I felt like there could have been more detail.  I know it takes a lot of time to write a book, especially a memoir, and it’s such an inspiring story that I’m sad there isn’t more to the book.

My Rating:

4 stars.  I really liked Taking Flight, and DePrince is such an inspiration.

Book Review: Jane And The Unpleasantness At Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

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Jane And The Unpleasantness At Scargrave Manor CoverBook: Jane And The Unpleasantness At Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

Published July 1996 by Bantam|289 pages

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

Series: Jane Austen Mysteries #1

Genre: Adult Mystery

Where I Got It: 

For everyone who loves Jane Austen…a marvelously entertaining new series that turns the incomparable author into an extraordinary sleuth!

On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel’s husband,a gentleman of mature years, is felled by a mysterious and agonizing ailment. The Earl’s death seems a cruel blow of fate for the newly married Isobel. Yet the bereaved widow soon finds that it’s only the beginning of her misfortune…as she receives a sinister missive accusing her and the Earl’s nephew of adultery and murder. Desperately afraid that the letter will expose her to the worst sort of scandal, Isobel begs Jane for help. And Jane finds herself embroiled in a perilous investigation that will soon have her following a trail of clues that leads all the way to Newgate Prison and the House of Lords’ trail that may well place Jane’s own person in the gravest jeopardy.

What I Thought:

I’m not sure what to think about Jane And The Unpleasantness At Scargrave Manor.  I am very much intrigued by the idea of fictional Jane Austen mysteries, and I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen, so I definitely wanted to check it out.

What I really liked was how well Barron wrote- all in the style of Jane Austen herself, and there were times where I forgot it was Stephanie Barron writing, and not Jane Austen.  That’s how well she wrote as Jane Austen.  Jane Austen writing and solving mysteries is relatively believable, and I really liked that aspect of it. Granted, Jane Austen solving mysteries doesn’t completely go with the fact that the real life Jane Austen had a relatively quiet life (from what I know), but overall, it worked quite well.

But I couldn’t get completely into it- maybe it’s because I’m not a big mystery person.  But it’s also possible I haven’t found the right mystery, and I don’t think this was the right mystery, even though it involves Jane Austen.  It is very slow-paced, and it seemed to take a good chunk of the book before things really got going.  But I know this is the first of quite a few books in the series, so maybe the other ones are a little bit better paced.

There were also a lot of characters, and I kind of wish I had taken notes to keep track of everyone.  And what was going on, because things seemed really complicated to me.  But it was still an enjoyable read, especially as a Jane Austen fan.

My Rating:

3 stars.  I really liked how much I was reminded of Jane Austen’s writing, and Jane Austen the detective worked really well for me, but I also had a hard time getting completely into it.

Book Review: Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

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Glimpse CoverBook: Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

Published June 2010 by Simon & Schuster|484 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: 

In one moment,

it is over.

In one moment

it is gone.

The morning grows
thin, grey
and our lives-
how they were-
have vanished.

Our lives have
changed
when I walk in
on Lizzie
my sister

holding a shotgun.

Twelve year old girl Hope’s life is turned upside down when her older sister Lizzie becomes an elective mute and is institutionalized after trying to kill herself.

With raw and haunting writing reminiscent of Ellen Hopkins and Elizabeth Scott, Carol Lynch Williams is a promising new YA voice.

What I Thought:

I didn’t like Glimpse as much as I thought I would.  It definitely deals with some very tough issues, namely with Lizzie and what she goes through, and with Hope, who finally figures out what her sister was going through.

I really felt like the story being told in verse took away from the characters and the emotional impact of everything going on. What happened with Lizzie was horrible and I really felt for both Lizzie and Hope, and it’s so sad that the mother would do something like that (and yet it doesn’t surprise me).  I feel like the story was better suited to being told in prose.  I don’t know that verse is something that works for me in print, maybe listening to it would have made the book more enjoyable.  Or if it were arranged in really interesting ways on the page.

The mother working as a prostitute, and forcing Lizzie to do the same…I really wanted the mom to get into massive trouble for what she did to Lizzie, and she just kind of disappears, which is slightly frustrating.  I’ve read one or two books before that dealt with similar issues, and in Glimpse, it just didn’t sit right with me. Lynch Williams handles it well, but there was something about it that felt a little forced to me, and like it was there to make the book different and edgy.  I don’t doubt that it happens in real life, and it is horrible, but it just didn’t work for me.

Still, the book went pretty fast, and there was something compelling about it.

My Rating:

2 stars.  Glimpse was okay, and the verse didn’t work for me, but I did feel for Lizzie and Hope.

Book Review: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie

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Purple Hibiscus CoverBook Review: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie

Published October 2003 by Algonquin|307 pages

Where I Got It: Borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction

What It’s About: 

Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. They live in a beautiful house, with a caring family, and attend an exclusive missionary school. They’re completely shielded from the troubles of the world. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less perfect than they appear. Although her Papa is generous and well respected, he is fanatically religious and tyrannical at home—a home that is silent and suffocating.

As the country begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili and Jaja are sent to their aunt, a university professor outside the city, where they discover a life beyond the confines of their father’s authority. Books cram the shelves, curry and nutmeg permeate the air, and their cousins’ laughter rings throughout the house. When they return home, tensions within the family escalate, and Kambili must find the strength to keep her loved ones together.

Purple Hibiscus is an exquisite novel about the emotional turmoil of adolescence, the powerful bonds of family, and the bright promise of freedom.

What I Thought:

I really liked Purple Hibiscus!  I am really impressed with how Adichie can tell a story, because I couldn’t wait to see how things would go for Kambili and her family, and if things would get better for her.

Reading the book, I realized how much I take for granted.  Like being able to get gas for my car, and not have to worry about if there will be gas available, or food going bad because of random power outages.  She makes a dysfunctional family compelling and different and fascinating, and it’s just brilliant.  You feel everything, and she makes you feel it and she does an amazing job with making you feel every single thing.  She shows everything really well, and so you don’t need to be told how suffocating it is to be at home.

The characters feel like they’re people you’d meet in real life, and you really understand why people acted the way they did, and that people aren’t just good or bad but both.  I loved seeing Kambili experience the world as it changed around her, and the safety she found when staying with her aunt and two cousins.  She really is sheltered, and it’s so easy to relate and empathize with her, because you see how new some things are her. And I feel like I have a much better of what living in Nigeria is like during this time (which is never mentioned, and I’m really curious about when the book takes place).

My Rating:

4 stars.  I’m just really impressed with this book and with Adichie.  It’s hard to believe it’s her first book (not that all first books are bad or have to bad or whatever) but I really am looking forward to reading her other books, just to see how her voice and her writing changes and grows.