Tag Archives: 2016 books

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

Posted in Books, diverse books by

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

Posted in Books by

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

Posted in Books, diverse books by

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

Posted in Books by

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 Review: Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

Posted in Books by

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.

Book Review: Evolution by Kelly Carrero

Posted in Books by

Evolution CoverBook: Evolution by Kelly Carrero

Self-Published by Kelly Carrero in October 2012|138 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: Evolution #1

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Paranormal

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Seventeen year old Jade Sommers’ life is turned upside down the moment she sees the inch long cut across her face heal right before her eyes.

Jade thinks she is going insane, but her boyfriend, Aiden Scott, knows better. He knows what she is. And like him, she was born this way.

Now if finding out that people like her shouldn’t exist isn’t bad enough, Jade’s best friend is kidnapped by the psycho who terrorises her dreams. With the help of Aiden, Jade has to figure out how to save her before it’s to late.

But what Jade doesn’t know is not everything is what it seems. She is merely a puppet in a sadistic game to find out what she is truly capable of, and that game has only just begun.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I’ve had Evolution for a while, and finally started reading it, but I also wasn’t a big fan of the book.  It had the potential to be really interesting, but it also fell short.

The book is sort of based on that idea that we only use a certain percentage of our brains, only in this book, there are people who have evolved to the point that they have special abilities because they can use a larger percentage of their brain.  Sort of like that movie that came out a couple of years ago with Morgan Freeman and Scarlett Johansson, Lucy?  That’s what I was reminded of, but without the whole drug-trafficking story line.

So, there were things about this book that didn’t make sense to me.  She was told she had all of these abilities, but her boyfriend, the only person she knows who has the same abilities as her, doesn’t really explain what’s going on, and why some people can do what they can, and others can’t.  The part in the summary where it mentions someone terrorizing her dreams, and that she’s a puppet in this huge game?  That didn’t really happen in the book. At all.  I finished this book (which was a lot shorter than I thought it would be) with more questions than I did when I started.  Did her boyfriend know the entire time that Jade has supernatural abilities?  Because the summary made it seem like he knew, and hung around in Australia for that reason.

I was also left wondering why someone kidnapped her best friend, why a select few have this ability, and what sort of “game” is going on?  Considering everything the summary says this book is about, I really expected a lot more to be going on.  I want more of an explanation than the idea that some people are born really advanced.  This first book makes it seem like it’s this very select group of people…and yet it also seems like it’ might be somewhat common.

And Jade’s mom is super-absent, but has no problem with her teenage daughter constantly staying at her boyfriend’s house.  That seemed a little weird to me, and it makes me wonder what was going on with her mom, because her mom constantly blew her off.  And it seemed like the mom was hiding something.

There’s just no backstory, and while the idea was interesting, I just didn’t like how it was told.  It was too rushed, too short, and really hard to believe. And I know I have said that there are no explanations for anything, but it was really frustrating.  Things happened for no reason, and the book didn’t make a lot of sense because of that.

The characters were a little too…boring.  Aiden was too perfect, and Jade was not memorable.  Actually, Aiden wasn’t very memorable either, and I could not tell you a single thing about them.  I really couldn’t.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

1 star.  The idea was sort of interesting, but the lack of explanation about pretty much anything makes me not want to keep reading the series.

Audio Book Review: Welcome To Night Vale By Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Posted in Audiobooks, Books by

Welcome To Night Vale CoverBook: Welcome To Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, Narrated by Cecil Baldwin

Published October 2015 by HarperPerennial|12 hours, 3 minutes (audio) and 401 (print)

Where I Got It: I own the audio book and I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult…I have no clue what genre to put this book in.  Um, general fiction…but that’s too broad, and doesn’t represent anything of this book. It’s a little bit of everything. Let’s go with that.

Blog Graphic-What It's About

From the creators of the wildly popular Welcome to Night Valepodcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves…no matter where we live.

Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.

Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked “King City” by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can’t seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.

Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton’s son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane’s started to see her son’s father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.

Diane’s search to reconnect with her son and Jackie’s search for her former routine life collide as they find themselves coming back to two words: “King City”. It is King City that holds the key to both of their mysteries, and their futures…if they can ever find it.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to talk about the Welcome To Night Vale book!  I’m a huge fan of the podcast, and I even dressed up as Cecil for Halloween.  I listened to the audio book for Night Vale (of course) but I also wanted to see how Night Vale was in print, and I wanted to wait until I finished both before I reviewed it.

It took me a few days to finish the audio (I generally don’t listen to audio books on weekends, which is why it took me a little longer than normal to finish it), and it was completely awesome!  I loved the story, even though there were times where it was really repetitive and repeated something that happened a couple of paragraphs earlier almost word for word.  And of course, the narration was completely awesome, which isn’t surprising, considering Cecil is also the voice of the Night Vale Podcast.

The book is very much how I pictured a Night Vale book to be, even though I wasn’t sure what a Night Vale book would entail.  It stands alone really well, so if you’ve never listened to the podcast, you jump right in, and know what’s going on.  For fans of the podcast, there are plenty of nods to the podcast, which was really fun.  But if you haven’t listened…you should, but it’s not necessary to this book, because it is very much a stand-alone book. There is something about the Night Vale book that lends itself well to an audio book format, and I think that’s largely because it’s based on a podcast, which is very much an audio…thing.  I’m not sure what word I’m looking for, but Night Vale the book is something I very much recommend as an audio book.

I didn’t enjoy it in print at all, though.  It took me a long time to get through the print edition- around 2 1/2 months- and part of it is the weirdness of December, where I didn’t read a single thing.  But part of it is that I had a hard time getting through Night Vale in print form.  I think the main reason why Night Vale in print didn’t work for me was because I am so used to listening to Night Vale that reading it was really weird, and I couldn’t quite get over that.  However, since I had listened to the audio and then read the book, I did hear Cecil’s voice in my head when I was reading it.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

5 stars.  Honestly, I really do recommend reading the Night Vale novel- but I’d definitely go for the audio book, because it’s fantastic whether you’re a fan of the podcast or not.  As for print, I’m really hesitant to recommend it for the reasons I mentioned above, but go for whatever format floats your boat.  And you definitely don’t need to be a podcast listener to enjoy it or understand what’s going on in the book (but really, if you haven’t listened to the podcast, you need to go do that now).

Book Review: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Posted in Books by

Crimson Bound CoverBook: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Published May 2015 by Balzer+Bray|441 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy

Blog Graphic-What It's About

When Rachelle was fifteen, she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless—straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her hunt for the legendary sword that might save their world. Together, they navigate the opulent world of the courtly elite, where beauty and power reign and no one can be trusted. And as they become unexpected allies, they discover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

Crimson Bound is a really interesting take on Little Red Riding Hood, and there are definitely a lot of parallels between Crimson Bound and the story of Little Red Riding Hood that we all know.  After reading Cruel Beauty, I was really looking forward to Crimson Bound, which I liked almost as much as Cruel Beauty.

I thought the mystery of the bloodbound and the Devourer was really interesting, but it did get sort of confusing at the end.  I definitely had to re-read parts of it to see if would make any more sense, and it sort of did, but not much.  Something about the world and the mythology made me think of the His Fair Assassins trilogy by Robin LaFevers, so if you like that series, you might want to check out this book.

It’s also pretty slow for a good chunk of the book, so it takes a while for anything interesting to happen, but I actually didn’t mind the slow pace, because there is a really interesting world we see in the book, and I just wanted to absorb as much of as I could.  There are a lot of hints and it seems really vague, so I might have to hunt down a more clear explanation of the mythology and everything with Zisa and Tyr to see if that will make it less confusing.  I did really like the description of the Forest, which seemed more metaphysical than anything else.

I didn’t particularly care for the love triangle, mostly because I didn’t feel like there was anything between Rachelle and either love interest.  I don’t have any strong feelings towards Armand or Erec, but I really liked Rachelle and how she tried so hard to hold onto her humanity.  It is a lot darker than I expected, even for a YA fantasy, but I really liked that about the book, even though it didn’t have the same spark that Cruel Beauty did. There wasn’t as action much as I thought there would be, given the summary, and while I didn’t mind, I think that’s why the book had a slower pace. And like I said earlier, I didn’t mind the slower pace, but a little more action throughout the book would have been nice.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

3 stars.  I liked it, especially the world and the mythology, but I also wish the mythology was a little less confusing.