Book: Out Of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Book Info: Published by Atheneum Books For Young Readers; 304 pages; purchased for my Nook

Genre: Children: Realistic Fiction

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Goodreads.com Summary: Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can’t, because Melody can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you’ll never, ever forget.

I’m wavering between liking Out Of My Mind and thinking it’s just okay.

The characters are definitely cliche, and Melody is really the only one who is memorable.  I thought a lot of the characters were really irritating, from the mean girls at Melody’s school to her clueless teachers to her parents.

Melody didn’t feel like a real kid to me.  It really felt like Melody was an adult pretending to be a kid, and not an actual kid.  However, I did like that Draper tackled the issues of what it’s like to have a disability such as Melody’s.  I felt like Draper knew what it was like to go through what Melody and her family is going through, and she did a great job with that.  It’s almost like it happened to her in real life.

Overall, it gets a 3 out of 5.  Melody as a narrator is interesting, and I think it’s something kids would probably like.

Book: After by Amy Efaw

Book Info: Published by Viking Books; 350 pages; borrowed from the library (as an e-book)

Genre: YA/Realistic Fiction

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Goodreads.com Summary: An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made  Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible  she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

Holy shit.  Seriously, that’s my reaction to this book.  It’s intense in a weird, indescribable way.  The book unfolds in a very interesting way, with Devon having flashbacks as she remembers what happens the morning she has her baby.  She’s in such a deep denial that she didn’t want to admit to herself that she was pregnant- her denial was easy to believe and yet so hard to believe at the same time.  And it doesn’t seem to be just Devon who is in denial- it seems to be everyone around her who didn’t know anything was wrong.  While Efaw does a great job at conveying how deep Devon’s denial was (and that her pregnancy might not have been obvious), it is a little hard to believe that everyone around didn’t know and didn’t say anything.  No one suspected anything was wrong with her or bothered to ask?  That seems strange to me.

I absolutely HATED the ended.  Devon, after coming to terms with everything that’s happened, decides she needs to plead guilty.  It just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book; I also wasn’t surprised by the ending.  I think Devon didn’t think it through, but then again, it is her decision, and not mine.  Besides, who am I judge a fictional character?

As for the characters, they were pretty believable, but Devon’s mom was the most irritating character in the book.  She’s the clueless single mom who worries about money and doesn’t seem to care (or even notice) what’s going on in her daughter’s life.  And while Devon isn’t always likeable, she is still a fairly sympathetic character.

Overall, it gets 4 out of 5 stars.  I really liked it, and I haven’t read anything like it.

Book: Illuminate by Aimee  Agresti

Book Info: Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 544 pages; purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA: Paranormal/Angels

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Goodreads.com Summary: Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew.

Illuminate has an interesting plot, and there were a lot of things I liked.  Her angel/demon mythology was interesting, and I liked the tension between the “good” angels and the “bad” angels, even though that mostly happened towards the end.  I also liked Haven’s power to capture someone’s soul simply by photographing them.  It’s hinted that Dante and Lance have powers as well, so I’m curious as to what their powers are and if/how their powers will play out.

I also liked the setting, which takes place in a very posh hotel.  The details were definitely amazing, and I’d love to stay in a hotel like that.

That being said, there are some weird things with the plot.  The school just lets 3 kids go off to a hotel with very few details?  We never see them do any sort of homework, or get tutored in anyway.  While that would bog down the book, it’s strange that there’s no mention of how they’re keeping up with their classes.  The characters live in Chicago, and yet they’re required to stay in a hotel for several months in the same city they live in?  Why can’t they attend after school or on weekends?  There’s minimal contact with their families too.  I get there would be no plot otherwise, but it got irritating by the end of the book.

As far as the characters go, I thought Haven’s backstory was interesting, but the characters were boring and a bit cliche.  Agresti managed to stay away from the love triangle, but if it appeared in one of the other books, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Overall, it gets 4 stars of 5.  It was enjoyable, and even though I have a few issues with the book, I still can’t wait to read the next one.

Book: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Book Info: Published by Harlequin Teen; 267 pages; purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA: Mythology

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Goodreads.com Summary: EVERY GIRL WHO HAS TAKEN THE TEST HAS DIED.

NOW IT’S KATE’S TURN. 

It’s always been just Kate and her mom–and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld–and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy–until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she suceeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride and a goddess.

IF SHE FAILS…

I really liked The Goddess Test, and thought it was a refreshing take on Greek mythology.  I remember thinking at one point that the search for a new Persephone reminded me of the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride.

But I liked that the council, composed of the Greek gods and goddesses, made the decision and that there was a series of tests that Kate had to pass.  I also liked that Henry (or Hades) would fade if he didn’t find a new queen.  I’m glad the tests were contained to one book and weren’t spread out over several books.  Plus, I would like to see how Kate adjusts to being the “new Persephone.”

I think the only thing that irritated me was the “reveal” at the ending.  Finding out that she knew most of the council was predictable and while it did make sense within the confines of the novel, I still found myself irritated.  Did Carter even try to do something else with the ending?

The character development wasn’t great, which is a shame, because they clearly are more than just gods and goddesses.  But hopefully we’ll see more of them and who they really are in the next book.  The romance was okay- a little forced, of course, but not irritating.  And the relationship between all the different characters were just okay too.

Overall, I really liked it, and it’s definitely a really interesting take on Greek mythology.  I like that it focuses on the Hades and Persephone myth and I can’t wait to read the next one!  It gets a 4 out of 5.

Book: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Book Info: Published by Dutton Juvenile; 221 pages; hardcover; borrowed from the library

Genre: YA: Contemporary

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Goodreads.com Summary: Miles “Pudge” Halter is abandoning his safe-okay, boring-life. Fascinated by the last words of famous people, Pudge leaves for boarding school to seek what a dying Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.”

Pudge becomes encircled by friends whose lives are everything but safe and boring. Their nucleus is razor-sharp, sexy, and self-destructive Alaska, who has perfected the arts of pranking and evading school rules. Pudge falls impossibly in love. When tragedy strikes the close-knit group, it is only in coming face-to-face with death that Pudge discovers the value of living and loving unconditionally.

I LOVED Looking For Alaska!  It was sitting on my to-read list for a while, but after seeing it pop up on quite a few lists a few Top 10 Tuesdays ago and decided I needed to read immediately.

Initially, I wasn’t sure about the book, and was convinced that I wouldn’t like it.  But I kept reading, and I’m glad I gave it a chance, because it was funny and heart-breaking.

I loved the structure of it, with a countdown leading to the event, and then a countdown leading away from the event.  I liked that the event, which I’m not going to say here because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who might want to read it, took place halfway through the book.  And that you don’t know what the event is until it happens.

And!  A male lead!  I liked Pudge and his awkwardness.  Actually, I liked all of the characters, and thought the flaws they had were pretty realistic.  I think Alaska is my least favorite character, and while I don’t get why Pudge has a crush on her, I still thought their feelings and their relationship were pretty spot-0n.  And overall, I thought it was a pretty realistic book.

I give it a 5 out of 5.  I think this book has cemented my love of John Green!

Book: Anew by Chelsea Fine

Book Info: Published by Acacia Publishing; purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA: Fantasy/Romance

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Goodreads.com Summary: Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery…until she met a boy with a familiar voice. 

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet’s determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he’s kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer. 

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet’s world becomes even more muddled. While she’s instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she’s impossibly drawn to Tristan–and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past…might just be the death of her.

I liked Anew.  There are some great ideas out there, and Anew is definitely one of them!

The curse is definitely interesting, and I like that having some immortal blood makes her die and come back to life, over and over.  And I thought the Fountain Of Youth element was really interesting too.  I don’t know much about the Fountain Of Youth myths, but I thought her take was definitely interesting.

There is a love triangle (of course) and it isn’t terribly annoying.  While Scarlet is torn between 2 brothers, one can love only her, while the other’s presence slowly kills her every time, literally breaking her heart.  It is refreshing to see a love triangle that’s so interesting and isn’t predictable.

While Scarlet’s guardian rarely appeared, I get the feeling there is more to her story that we’re not getting.  I hope we learn more about her in the next book.

Speaking of all the characters, I just couldn’t connect with any of them.  While the plot was interesting and engaging, I just didn’t care about what happened to the characters.  I thought they were boring and they are your standard characters for a YA novel.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  Interesting plot but boring characters.

Book: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Book Info: Published by Ferral Dream; 255 pages; purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA: Paranormal/Post-Apocalyptic

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Goodreads.com Summary: It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Angefall…where do I start? So, I did like Angefall.  It’s definitely an interesting book.  You get dropped right into the book, with no real idea of what was going on or why things were so bad.  You get bits and pieces of what’s happening throughout the novel, and surprisingly, it didn’t irritate me like it normally would.  Actually, it kind of worked for the novel, because things go to hell in a handbasket.

I loved Ee’s version of angels, and how there definitely seems to be a hierarchy.    I liked that angels had swords that were loyal to them (until they weren’t) and that angels could die. The setting is interesting, and I like the idea of angel-human war.  It is fast-paced, and it was hard to get bored. Even though I liked it, it need a little more world-building.  The fact that you get dropped right in the book worked, but at the same time, it wasn’t perfect.  Things aren’t always clear, and most questions are not resolved by the end of the book.  It is an interesting world, though, and hopefully we’ll learn more about this world and why things were they were.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, but it doesn’t really stand out, and too many things were left unanswered.