Book: Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Published May 2013 by Atria|343 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: Adult Contemporary (but I think it has a lot of crossover appeal)

Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he’s the perfect son, the perfect friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He’s even really nice to his little brother. Karen, Max’s mother, is determined to maintain the façade of effortless excellence she has constructed through the years, but now that the boys are getting older, she worries that the façade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband Steve has chosen this moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their lives.

The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won’t his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and from each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about where it all leaves him and what his future holds, especially now that he’s starting to fall head over heels for someone for the first time in his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Will anyone ever want him—desire him—once they know? And the biggest one of all, the question he has to look inside himself to answer: Who is Max Walker, really?

Written by twenty-six-year-old rising star Abigail Tarttelin, Golden Boy is a novel you’ll read in one sitting but will never forget; at once a riveting tale of a family in crisis, a fascinating exploration of identity, and a coming-of-age story like no other.

I have so many thoughts about Golden Boy!  Golden Boy was a frustrating/okay read for me, but I also get why people love it so much.

I think I’m going to start off this review with everything I didn’t like, because it’s hard to talk about what I did like without mentioning what I didn’t like.

From this point forward, there are going to be spoilers, because I just can’t be vague in this review.

Initially, when Max was raped by Hunter (his cousin in the sense that they’re not blood-related but grew up together, thus making them related), it seemed like Hunter knew that Max was intersex, but Max didn’t know.  At least very least, it seemed like Max knew something, but wasn’t sure what.  The rape scene was hard to read (it’s about 20 pages in, and is over in a couple of pages if that’s a trigger for you) but it does set up everything else that happens in the book.  We do learn that Max does know, but we also see throughout the book how little he knows.

Karen, by far, was the most frustrating character in the book, and at one point, I reached for a highlighter before remembering that highlighting in a library would be a very bad idea.  So instead, I used those sticky flag things to mark a few things I wanted to remember for later.  Basically, the mom’s way of dealing with everything is to have her husband deal with it, and to pretend like it isn’t happening.  Max being moody makes her uncomfortable, and she’s terrified of losing him to adolescence. I’m not a parent, so I can’t speak to that, but the thought of not being in control seems to bother her.

She also sees intersex as a disease, and that Max will no longer be intersex if he has a hysterectomy.  It has to be hard, but…it also doesn’t mean it’s going to magically go away, and it seems like she has a really hard time accepting it.  Understandable, because she’s a person and a mother, and maybe she blames herself, but… She wants him to have it right after having an abortion to get it over with.  Max needs some time to think about the abortion, because everything moves so fast, but his mom ignores it, and doesn’t say anything to the doctors.  This, of course, causes problems with her husband and Max.  It just really seems like what Max wants isn’t super-important to her- it’s a lot to handle, especially for a teenage boy, and he is, I think, old enough to have a significant part in things.

As for the other characters: the doctor does seem to care, and willing to explain things to Max, which is more than I can say about the other characters.  His opinion seems to matter to her.  Sylvie- I honestly can’t remember much about her, but she is also awesomely accepting of Max.  His younger brother seems to handle Max being intersex remarkably better than Max and his parents, more than you’d expect for a 10 year old. He’s mature enough that I kept forgetting he was 10, so he either needed to be less mature or older.  And Max’s dad wasn’t really in the picture- he’s there enough, and it seems important to him that Max have a say, but no one really seems to talk about it either.  Until they have to, of course.

As for Max, he seems to be really well-adjusted with everything, until he’s not.  Then again, he does try hard to be perfect, and I wonder if it’s because he feels pressure from his mom to be perfect.

I can also see why it would be shelved in the YA section, but I felt like the narration from the adults were too frequent for it to be in the YA section.  Plus, there was something about the tone and feel of the book that seemed more towards the adult end of things, but there is something about it that I think older teens would like.

Still, as frustrated as I got when reading Golden Boy, I did like the family dynamic, and how they did (or didn’t) deal with Max’s pregnancy/intersex-related issues.

2 stars.  The family dynamic was interesting, and I certainly felt for Max, but I found myself frustrated enough with the mom that I couldn’t overlook it.  I would still recommend it, though, because it deals with issues most people probably don’t think about.

Book: Mismatch by Lensey Namioka

Published February 2006 by Delacorte Books|217 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Sue Hua just moved from racially diverse Seattle to a suburban white-bread town where she feels like the only Asian American for miles. Then she meets Andy, a handsome and passionate violin player who happens to be Asian American. Sue feels an instant attraction to Andy, and her white friends think they’re “made for each other”–after all, they both use chopsticks and eat a lot of rice, right? But there’s just one problem. Andy’s last name is Suzuki. And while that may mean nothing to the other students at Lakeview High, Sue knows that it presents a world of problems to her family.

I’m not sure how I feel about Mismatch!  There were some things I liked, and some things I didn’t like.

I thought Mismatch did a great job at highlighting racism and stereotypes.  I did find it to be repetitive at times, which did get frustrating, particularly by the end of the book.  But at the same time, I can put the book down and walk away from it, but people who experience it can’t do that, so it did get me to think about that.

I totally understand why her grandma hated the Japanese.  You don’t get a lot of detail, but you do get enough to see why.  It’s the same with Andy’s dad, and even Sue’s mom.  You do get a glimpse of the history between China and Japan, and some of the things that happened during World War 2 and after, especially once Sue goes on the orchestra trip to Japan.

Some of the conflicts seem to be resolved really fast, and overall, the book skews towards the younger end of YA…maybe (MAYBE) the older end of middle grade.  (That’s a strong maybe, though, it sort of depends on the kid).  I wish there had been a little more to it, but I also think it’s a good way to talk about history and stereotypes and racism.

2 stars.  I don’t have a lot to say about Mismatch, other than what I’ve already said.

Book: Guardian Of The Dead by Karen Healy

Published April 2010 by Little, Brown & Company|342 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Re-telling

“You’re Ellie Spencer.”

I opened my mouth, just as he added, “And your eyes are opening.”

Seventeen-year-old Ellie Spencer is just like any other teenager at her boarding school. She hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; she obsesses over Mark, a cute and mysterious bad boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline.

But then everything changes. The news headlines are all abuzz about a local string of killings that share the same morbid trademark: the victims were discovered with their eyes missing. Then a beautiful yet eerie woman enters Ellie’s circle of friends and develops an unhealthy fascination with Kevin, and a crazed old man grabs Ellie in a public square and shoves a tattered Bible into her hands, exclaiming, “You need it. It will save your soul.” Soon, Ellie finds herself plunged into a haunting world of vengeful fairies in an epic battle for immortality.

Debut author Karen Healey introduces a savvy and spirited heroine with a fresh, strong voice. Full of deliciously creepy details, this incredible adventure is a deftly crafted story of Māori mythology, romance, and betrayal.

I really liked Guardian Of The Dead!  What made this book really unique was the fact that it was a re-telling of Maori mythology, which is such a nice change from the Greek mythology re-tellings that are everywhere these days.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Greek mythology re-tellings, but it’s also nice to see myths from the rest of the world.

Guardian Of The Dead takes place in New Zealand, and you can tell there are a lot of traditions, which was really nice to see! There wasn’t a lot of info-dumping, which was nice, but at the same time, it made me wish I were more about New Zealand and Maori myth.  It’s not that you can’t understand what’s going on, because you can (and you can always read more about it) but I think part of why I didn’t love it was because everything was slightly unfamiliar to me.  Which also made it interesting and pretty awesome because there is so much I didn’t know and it makes me want to read more about Maori myths.  The glossary at the end of the book was really helpful, and I liked that Healy had some recommended reading at the end. And that she explained the inspiration behind the book.

I’m not really sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book, but it was quite the journey! Everything starts to come to get as you keep reading, so definitely give the book some time for everything to be revealed.  And the fact that the myths were there as long as people believed in them was a really cool concept that really reminded me of Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (but in a completely different way).

Another thing I really liked about the book is the fact that Ellie’s best friend is asexual.  I liked that it wasn’t a big deal (except to anyone who has a crush on him, which seems to be quite a few people) but there was a point where I felt like it was there to make a certain plot point really stand out.  (Thankfully, that feeling didn’t last long, and it wasn’t really something that came up in that way again).  And I’m actually willing to overlook it, because I was just really excited about an asexual character.

4 stars.  Guardian Of The Dead is a really unique book, and I love that it re-tells Maori myths!

Book: 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: 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: 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.

Book: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Published April 2011 by Viking Children’s|349 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Magical Realism

What It’s About: 

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

What I Thought:

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

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

Book: An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Published April 2015 by Razorbill|366 pages

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

Series: An Ember In The Ashes #1

Genre: YA Dystopic Fantasy

What It’s About: 

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

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

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

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

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

What I Thought:

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

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

Book: Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Published March 2015 by Putnam|374 pages

Where I Got It: borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

What It’s About:

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

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

What I Thought:

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

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