The Last Winter of Dani Lancing - P.D. Viner

I received this in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

Goodreads:  A riveting psychological thriller in the tradition of Before I Go to Sleep and Memento that introduces P. D. Viner as a master of suspense

Twenty years ago, college student Dani Lancing was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The killer was never found, and the case has long gone cold. Her parents, Patty and Jim, were utterly devastated, their marriage destroyed. While Jim fell apart, Patty was consumed by the unsolved case. She abandoned her journalism career and her marriage to spend every waking hour searching and plotting. She keeps contact with Tom, Dani's childhood sweetheart, who has become a detective intent on solving murders like Dani's. When he finds a lead that seems ironclad, he brings Patty in on it. After years of dead ends, her obsession is rekindled, and she will do anything for revenge, even become a killer herself-dragging her whole family into the nightmare once again, as lies and secrets are uncovered.

Thoughts

I really don't know how I feel about this.  Did I like it?  I honestly have no idea.  I think a big part of it is that it wasn't what I was expecting.  In some ways, that was a really cool thing, and in others..it's just not the sort of book I would have picked up knowing some things about it.  So take this review with a grain of salt.

Let me start by saying that I almost had to DNF the book in the beginning because it starts out with a bang.  And by with a bang, I mean lots of blood, and graphically so.  I wasn't expecting it to be so...graphic.  That was in part my difficulty getting into to story to begin with (along with a couple other things I'll talk about later).  Now this is a thing other people love, so it's definitely not a criticism of the book.  I've already mentioned on the blog what a baby I turn into when it comes to scary things.  So this is nothing against the book, and everything to do with my cowardly imaginative mind.  But I refuse to DNF books, so I pushed through and I'm glad I did, because there were things I didn't expect that I did like.

Most mystery novels I read or watch on tv focus on the investigators, not on the family itself.  This book chose to reverse that situation.  It gave a very interesting point of view on the story - especially with the story lines alternating between Dani's father, mother, and her best friend.  It gave a much more intense emotional impact because of this, and I think in part it's also why the gory parts bothered me so much.  It's a little easier to distance yourself from an investigator's part in all of this, because they see this sort of violence every day.  That being said, because it was character based, it is rather helpful if you actually like the characters.  From the start, I didn't like Pattie very much.  She's rather...driven, in an unattractive manner.  Tom is somewhat more likeable but the longer I spent with him the more I was equal parts repulsed by him and pitied him.  Neither are particularly pleasant emotions.  Jim is by far the most enjoyable character.  I was a bit thrown by *slight spoilers, you'd be fine if you chose to read this I think * the ghost of Dani hanging out with him, which is weird and definitely not what I would have expected in this sort of mystery novel.  I am not quite sure how I feel about this addition other than the fact that I liked this version of Dani much more than the glimpses of her past even if she didn't seem to do much to add the story so I'm not really sure what her purpose was *end spoilers*, but overall he's a well-meaning, likeable guy.  We see glimpses of Dani's past but you should read the slight spoilers to see my thoughts on that.

Some people might not like the different timelines being told simultaneously (well in alternating chapters) as well as a focus on different characters in each chapter (not first person, but third person limited), but I thought it was a really effective way of revealing just enough information with just enough bait to keep you going.  Others have criticized the book for being too twisty and convenient, but honestly in a mystery novel that doesn't bother me too much.  I will say that it's definitely not who/what you are expecting.  As soon as you think you know...trust me you don't!

So the characters are ok, and I enjoyed the way the plot was unfolded...but then...THE EPILOGUE.  Wtf was that??  Is this supposed to be a series?  Was that a conclusion?  WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!  It seriously felt like the story ended...but then it ended again like mid sentence!  What??  I don't read unfinished series. Or I at least wait until there's more than one book out.  And I hate discovering only at the the end of a book that it is not a standalone!  I mean it's definitely not marketed as a series - I checked.  I think that's more the fault of the business side of the book, but I can't say I would have been a fan of the way the author chose to write the epilogue anyway had I known this was going to continue.


Overall

I think this was an interesting way of writing a mystery novel.  I liked that it focused on the family and not  the investigators - I thought that was really effective.  It may have been more effective had I liked most of the characters, but that's a personal feeling as was the fact that parts of it were too gory for me (because really...I'm not exaggerating when I say that I can't handle scary/gory things!)  Basically this book wasn't so much for me, but I think there are plenty of people out there who will enjoy this.

Halloween Blog Hop: What book gave you goosebumps?

Don't forget to check out my giveaway!

Hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Let me preface this story with an explanation.  Guys, I can't handle horror.  I won't watch any scary movies unless forced (to my friends who drove me to your house and then innocently put on Saw KNOWING I COULDN'T LEAVE BECAUSE YOU WERE MY RIDE...that was just cruel!) except the occasional zombie movies...although those are usually brought on under duress as well.  To put this into context, I had to stop watching Death Note because it gave me nightmares.  Guys.  This is an anime.  I can't even handle a CARTOON.   So I don't know why I thought I could handle scary books, but I did.  So when I had to stay up late to catch the camp girls sneaking out to meet the boys, I didn't think it would be a problem to start reading my first horror book...at midnight...alone... (*cue looks of everyone looking at me like I'm an idiot*)

That's right guys, I thought this book would be a piece of cake to read as my first scary book ever.  Alone.  At midnight. 

So needlesss to say when I finished this book at 3 AM everything was NOT OK.  That book is freaking terrifying!   I WAS SO WRONG ABOUT SCARY BOOKS.  They might be even worse than movies.  Scratch that, they're definitely worse because this is a time when having an overactive imagination is very, very bad.  I was barely holding it together when I heard noises out in the hallway.  Noises I most certainly didn't want to investigate.  Cautiously making my way across the room to grab a pair of pants to put on (only after checking under my bed of course.  Only dust bunnies were there, thankfully)...when...A SPIDER CRAWLED OUT OF MY PANTS!!!!!!   After quickly checking the hall for any errant students, I returned to my room.  Only to discover that I now had no idea where that spider had gone.  If there is anything worse than knowing there's a spider near you...it's knowing there's a spider is near but not knowing WHERE near you.   Now some of you might not know much about spiders and me.   Let's just say I don't usually handle them well, and my state of mind after reading Misery was not helping.  But I think anyone who was already in a Misery induced state of heightened terror could be excused by acting like this:

Which is more or less how I spent the rest of the night, until I fell asleep.  With the lights on.  And that my friends, is the story of how I read my first (and most likely last) scary book.

Giveaway and Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) - Michelle Hodkin

I bought this at a bookstore, so this is all me here!

 This is officially my 100th post on the blog!  To celebrate I decided I'd give away a copy of The Evolution of Mara Dyer to one of my lovely readers (and also to protest that they moved the publishing date because I am DYING waiting for the third book!).


Summary

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.
She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.
They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.
She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?


Thoughts




Oh my god.  Like seriously, excuse my french, but holy shit.  Whatever thoughts I had have been completely obliterated by the ending of this book.  I bow down to the power of your plot twists Michelle Hodkin.  And your suspense.  And your unreliable narrators.  I seriously...my mind is sort of shattered by this ending.  I don't think I've been so...EVERYTHING about an ending before.  I suppose I should actually review the book now as I can't actually tell you about the ending but...OH MY GOD.  My brain is rejecting the madness that just happened!  Sorry.  I am going to try and focus right now.  I knew I should have waited until tomorrow to read this book!  Now I'm going to spend all night thinking about this damn ending!  I am so glad I waited to read this until now as the next book should be out fairly soon (next month? WHAT? I just looked it up and it's not expected to publish until June?! I thought was supposed to be out this fall.  AGGHHHHH).  Ok focus.  Really.  I'm going to do that now.

First, let me get the bad out of the way.  I'm going to put this out there and I'm sure it's going to provoke shock and outrage...but I'm not a Mara/Noah shipper.  Honestly I would have been way happier without any romance.  In fact, if Noah was Mara's bff I would TOTALLY be into this book Ok I already am...but...I would have no faults with this book if Noah was not Bella a person who continues to support someone who isn't even sure she herself is not crazy.  And when those options are either she's really, really insane, or her powers will kill you when she kisses you...shouldn't you be running far, far away?  I honestly skimmed the kissing because I just can't bring myself to care.  I can't remember if it was actually instalove in the first book, but considering how intensely into each other they are, it feels that way.  Luckily, romance in this book definitely takes a chill pill in comparison to the first

Onto the good.  Yay more Jamie!  I love Jamie!  And it looks like he's going to be playing a big role in the next book, which makes me happy.  I also love that despite Mara's issues and the strain it puts on her family, she's honestly from a good home and loves her brothers and parents, even when they don't understand her.  And they are really struggling to do right by her, to balance what she wants with what they think is best for her.  And when one of those decisions might mean putting your daughter in a mental institute, it is a really heartbreaking thing to go through.

Onto the insanely good.  This book...I don't think I've ever read a less predictable book (in a good way).  Part of this comes from Mara having an unstable mental state - she's missing time, and she's unreliable as a narrator.  I mean half the time I'm not convinced that Mara isn't crazy.  Like I seriously don't know if at the end of the series it's going to be this huge mind twist and Mara is actually insane.  YOU HONESTLY CAN'T TELL HALF THE TIME.  And it drives me nuts, but in all the right ways!  I know I've read books where the narrator isn't sure what's going on and it usually falls flat, but Michelle Hodkin seriously ratchets up the suspense and tension and mystery and EVERYTHING because it feels like you are slowly slipping into insanity reading this.  And there were some seriously creepy moments - like when she leaves a journal she doesn't even remember receiving on her brother's bed...and she had written help me help me help me over and over in the book.  And she didn't remember doing that either.  Or the fact that Jude is back and stalking her (or is she crazy?).  Or her grandmother's doll that appears to move on its own...and oh man I can't WAIT to find the mystery behind her grandmother...and things I can't tell you about! You. Need. To. Read. This. Series.  And then find me so we can go crazy on this together because I don't have any friends I can freak out about this to since they are all lame and don't read awesome things.


So, basically to sum this up:




It is terrifying.  Somehow it is more terrifying that Mara doesn't know what's real or not, if she's crazy or not, or if she can kill people or not.  And all the mysteries...and the doll...and that help me journal scene.  AND ESPECIALLY THE ENDING.  Read this with a friend.  Because when you finish this you are seriously going to need someone to explode with mind explosionness. 


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Conjured - Sarah Beth Durst

I received this from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

Goodreads:  Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.


First sentence:  "Your name is Eve.  Remember that."
 

Thoughts

I'm still a bit daydreamy after reading this (I often get this way after good books, but it's been an hour or so and it hasn't worn off quite yet), so I'm still a bit...spacey.

This story has cemented an opinion in my mind.  I've decided I have a new favourite genre (actually I've never really had a genre I would call my favourite before, so I suppose it is my only favourite genre haha)- one that I didn't even know existed until a couple weeks ago: magic realism.  It is the reason why I am a huge fan of David Almond (most notably known for Skellig and Kit's Wilderness) and Alice Hoffman.  I think I've found the some of the best writing I've ever read...poignant isn't really the right word for it.  Delicate and fantastical and...real.  I don't really have a word for that, so whatever that word is, that's what I've found in this genre.   

First, let me say that this book was so, so beautifully written.  The prose was never overly flowery (although, admittedly I do tend to like very flowery prose), but it wasn't sparse like a Hemingway novel either.  It was just...perfect.  There are all these descriptions..of people with diamonds in their dreads, or women with antlers growing out of their heads...and I could see them.  I'm a pretty imaginative person, so I usually see when I read, if that makes sense (I've heard that it doesn't work that way for everyone, but I know some of you will know what I mean).  Usually it's just sort of a vague sense of things, but everything I saw in this book was so...vivid.  And it's not even that Durst spent hours describing the way things looked - she really didn't.  Honestly, it was just perfectly done.  And this story was so dark, so beautiful and fantastical - everything I would want from a carnival story.

There is so little I can write about this novel without giving away anything!  And you really need to know nothing more than what is written in the summary, or it spoils things.  I want to reread the book when I have time so I can read through it knowing everything that happens - so much makes sense when you know the ending!  But, of course I should stop teasing you, since I know the ending and you don't.  Just know that I never would have guessed it, not even a bit, but it's not one of those solutions that seems contrived, like you couldn't have known because you weren't given the information. 

I have decided that I need to stop looking at people's reviews of books on Goodreads, because more often than not I am wordless with shock and just can not possibly understand why people feel a certain way about a book.  I just looked over some of the reviews for this book on Goodreads, and I was shocked.  How could you NOT like this book??  I mean if you are looking for a wham bam romance or gun toting action packed book, you're not likely to enjoy this book.  I suppose it is slow paced, in the sense that it takes you quite a while to even get an inkling of what's going on, but it certainly didn't lose momentum with the time it took to get there.  If anything it built it!  At a first glance, it doesn't appear to be a character driven novel (and I tend to prefer character building over anything else).  But at a closer look it's because Durst has done a very impressive thing:  not once are you told a character is a certain way.  You are always shown.  Sometimes it's Eve's instincts, which is sort of telling, but it's always backed up with a character's actions.  That's quite impressive, actually.  And in the same sense, it's not really plot driven either, since things aren't actually happening.  So much is told in flash backs, but, again it doesn't get boring.  It really hikes up the tension as this goes on.  Maybe part of it is that it doesn't read like a typical YA novel.  The writing is more isn't scattered with slang, and in fact there's little dialogue now that I think about it.  I'd say my only complaint is that I wasn't hugely connected to Eve's love interest.  But it's not really a big complaint, and he wasn't really the point of story for me.

Another big selling point of this book for me?  I love that this isn't part of a series!!! Alleluiah, thank the lord! All in all, I really loved this book...but it's a quiet sort of love, not a shout from the rooftops sort of love.   I'm sorry I can't list all the reasons why this is a wonderful story, but it's not all because I don't want to ruin it for you, it's many ways it's simply indescribable.
 

Would I recommend this? 

Absolutely.  But if you are looking for heavy romance or a fast-paced plot, this isn't the book for you.  It's got great mystery, great suspense, twists you'll never see coming, and  such beautiful writing you'll imagine you're in an entirely different world!

Hunger (Gone #2) - Michael Grant

 Summary

Goodreads:  It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.


Thoughts

It was absolute drudgery getting through the first 2/3 of the book.  Everyone's starving and rebellious and Sam's got too many problems and you start to feel as stressed out as he is.  I get it.  Again it feels exactly like it would feel if you were literally in that situation.  And maybe that's part of my problem - I read for escape, and the utter madness these kids are going through are not a fun escape.  The first chapter was horrifyingly graphic and terrifying and great!  But then after that it's mostly just 20 billion problems all happening simultaneously and I was getting really overwhelmed and I wasn't sure I was going to make it and AHHHHHHHH  When the action picks up, it's really awesome and intense and I think I a sweat a puddle into my bed I was freaking out so much! 

The book introduces some new characters and fleshes out some of the more minor characters in the first book (particularly Quinn) which I liked, although I can't fathom keeping track of anymore characters because I couldn't even tell you how many there are at this point.  I honestly can't talk much about this book without spoilers, but I'm not really sure how the story is going to progress judging by the ending.  It felt a bit like a filler book.  I don't know why I'm not getting more into it than I am.  The world building is awesome as is the level of detail.  I think part of it is that there are just too many main players for me to really feel connected to them in any way. Although I really like Lana but I think that might primarily have to do with this:

"I am Lana Arwen Lazar," she cried with all the shrill force she could manage.
"My dad was into comic books, so he named me Lana for Superman's girlfriend Lana Lang."
You will serve me.
"And my mom added Arwen for the elf princess in The Lord of the Rings."



I seriously had a total fan girl moment when I got there (also she references "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel earlier in the book.  Just yes.  SO MUCH YES.)  

And I think I'm going to like Orsay.  Which is interesting since they both spent the majority of each book surviving on their own rather with the townies or rich kids.  

I had more problems with this book than I did with the first one.  I was upset about parts of the ending, but I can't tell you why as the spoilers are too big.  It's not how I'd expected it to go down and it seemed a bit of a cop out.  Actually a really big cop out.  There were some issues brought up - Orc's alcoholism and Mary's bulimia keep getting mentioned over and over, but there is so much else going on that they aren't really dealt with, or what is dealt with is very short.  Maybe this is going to get resolved in another book, because it seems weird to keep bringing it up and not doing anything about it.  I get it, again things like would be going on as well, but this is a novel and not real life, so everything has to have a point.  I also want to know why the villains are so messed up.  We see why some of the sort of bad guys (like Orc) are messed up, but we don't know what's got Diana and Caine messed up, although I can accept Drake just being a psychopath.  But not the other two.  And why does Diana stay with Caine?  She says that she is out for herself, yet she stays with Caine instead of Sam where she knows life will be better in the first book, and she helps him in this book when she knows it will mean high chance of death to help him, and after she helps him it'll get even worse!  And she isn't even trying to hide that she loves him, as far as I can tell she really doesn't love him.  At the very end after big fight everything is resolved (sort of), but it's sudden and there is no explanation of how things were dealt with to get there.  Since the majority of the book was about these issues, I would have liked a little more time spent here. 

That being said, there were still lots of things to love.  The issues are still relevant - particularly because we have this huge divide going on about "normals" and "freaks" - easily seen as any time people see others as threatening (ex: Nazis vs. Jews).  The story line is freakishly believable, even though one wouldn't think of supernatural powers and space invasion? or weird radioactive things? being a particularly believable subject.  And once again, I was blown away by the diversity!  Not only do we have latinos, blacks, whites, and asians, we have this:

"Sam, that's a great concept.  And maybe you believe it.  But I'm black and I'm a lesbian, so let me tell you:  From what I know?  Personal experience?  There are always lines."

I never thought I was going to get to use this .gif and I'm super excited I can now haha

The last chapter of the book is SUPER creepy and it really makes you want to keep reading the books.  And I'm going to.  As much as I'm not loving this series, I can't come up with a good reason to stop.  But I can come up with a million reasons why I should love the series, and I really recommend them to any dystopia lovers because I think I've just not been in the right frame of mind when I read the first couple of books.  So I'm going to give myself some space from the series and then dive right in because I am so, so ready to fall in love with this series!

Gone - Michael Grant

Summary

Goodreads:  In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.  Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Thoughts

I'm going to start out with the disclaimer that I somehow missed  that this book is part of a series.  I mean, I thought maybe it would be a trilogy (let's be real, everything is a trilogy these days).  I have no idea how I missed that as there's an ENTIRE 6 BOOKS so clearly this has been common knowledge for a while.  So it's my own fault I was frustrated, as I didn't realize is was a series.  On the upside, at least all the books in the series are out so I won't go mad waiting to find out what happens.  So just note that although I might have a frustrated tone, some of that is caused by my own idiocy.

 This is a really mature middle grade novel.  In some parts it's clear that it's for a younger audience, like when the author has a character say words (Astrid is a smart girl as one of the main characters, so she uses big words constantly), and then explains what they mean.  But on the flip side, Grant deals with some pretty mature concepts and it can be really graphic.  When all the adults disappear, it doesn't just gradually slip into Lord of the Flies territory.  People died in car accidents when adults suddenly disappear.  Stoves and ovens were left on from those who were cooking.  Babies were abandoned in homes and died since there was no one to take care of them.  It's pretty dark honestly. 

On the flip side of dealing with the reality of everything that would happen (and I think Grant made a very accurate description of how things would go down if this happened), there are also super powers involved.  I think I would have loved the book just from what I was describing above.  The super powers I think in the long run are going to play an important role, and I did like them here, but it started to change the feel from survivalist to super hero. 

To make this a little easier as I talk a little more details I'll give you a quick lowdown on the characters I mention, as they aren't mentioned at all in the summary.

Sam:  Natural leader, has super powers
Astrid: Genius, Sam's love interest
Quinn:  Sam's ex? best friend
Cain: Anti Sam
Drake - psychopath

There are actually easily about 10 more important characters.  That may actually play a part in why I had a hard time loving this book.  There are so many main characters it's overwhelming.  I mean if you were to simplify it, I suppose Sam is a main character?  But the other characters are side characters in the way that Ron and Hermione are side characters (aka, they aren't at all).  The criticisms I'm about to give aren't reasons I'm not loving the book, I honestly could look past all of them, so again, I have no idea why I'm not crazy fangirling over this series.

I found the romance really distracting and weird.  I think it's just that I found the rest of the book so engaging that I could honestly care less about Sam and Astrid. I also wish we saw more moments where Sam and Quinn are very good friends.  The disappearance happens in the first sentence (or two?) of the book, and things start getting jenky really quickly, so their relationship deteriorates pretty much right from the start.  We're only told they were best friends, we don't ever see it.  I'm also torn on how Quinn was portrayed.  He's the only one who is portrayed as not being able to handle his fear and I think this is the only part Grant didn't nail realistically.  I think there would be a lot more people willing to betray others, people who are inherently good, but who are cowards.  Quinn desperately wants to be brave, but he just couldn't do it.  This may partially be a set up for a long term plan Grant has put into motion as there are 5 more books, I'm not sure.  But he really seemed to focus on Quinn being a coward (*note, I'm adding this in as I've just finished the 2nd book, and Quinn really is a pretty cool guy. I wish we had seen more of that character in this book)

I also don't understand why Caine becomes the focal point for the epic battle at the end.  Yes he is clearly set up to be Sam's nemesis, but

*SPOILERS* It turns out he's Sam's twin brother, younger by a few minutes.  So technically he'll go through the FAYZ after Sam as when you turn 15 you get "blinked" out.  So wouldn't you want to focus on getting rid of Drake who is legitimately a psychopath?  Technically Caine is going to be gone too, so beating him doesn't seem like a smart end goal to me *END SPOILERS*

I think the other reason I couldn't really get into the book is the slow pacing.  Slow pacing usually doesn't bother me, but the book is so fast paced that it's weird.  Here's what I mean since that seems contradictory:  You have NO idea what is going on at the beginning.  Not a clue.  Is it God?  Is it aliens?  Is it the military?  Are they in a parallel universe?  Is there a world outside the FAYZ?  You get a lot of theories and a hint of an answer at the end, but that's it.  NONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED AND IT KILLED ME.  On the flip side, it is so action packed you don't even have a moment to take a breath, so it is very fast-paced in that sense.  I found it extremely frustrating, and a good part of that is likely that I thought this was the only book.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book and I'm beginning to believe either there is going to be a really shoddy resolution covered in ten pages or something really fishy is going on.

I'm about 20 pages from the end and google what on earth is going on because NOTHING HAS BEEN EXPLAINED.  Discover there are 5 more book.

Honestly, those are my only negative criticisms of the book.  There is so much I LOVED about this book.  I really think that if this ever happened in real life, this is exactly how it would go down.  It was scarily realistic, I could definitely imagine myself in their situation.  And while I'm not sure having so many main characters is logistically great for a novel, it is also exactly how it would be going down in real life, with everything coming up simultaneously.  I also think that Sam's portrayal is great - I mean he is a 14 year-old kid having to deal with the responsibilities of a government leader and a parent in a way, over a bunch of other scared kids.  And he doesn't want to do it.  But I do believe certain people just fall into those roles because people automatically look up to them (unlike people like Caine...and all politicians ever who DO want that role).  Also oh my goodness the diversity!  There are kids of all races!  There wasn't one token guy from a race - there were a few scattered here and there, just like you would expect in a small town in California.  And the women aren't damsels in distress.  It was so, so nice to have an even playing field for race and gender.  Very refreshing.

Overall

I think this has the potential to be an awesome series.  I'm a bit frustrated that more information wasn't given.  I'm only about 2% less clueless as to what happened than I was at the start of the book.  That being said, there's five more books in the series, so the slow development can potentially be forgiven.  If you are ok with a slow paced, but very intense series, definitely check this out.  There were so many great things about the book that I am extremely interested in where Grant is going to take this series!


Bechdel Test

"Hi, Mary," Dahra said.  "What do we have here?"
"I'm so sorry to bother you," Mary said.  "I know how busy you are.  But she has some kind of pain in her stomach."

The conversation actually lasts a full two pages.  This is particularly impressive since this book primarily follows a male character, although occasionally we get glimpses of the other characters of the book (like this one)

Enclave & Outpost (Razorland Series #1 and #2) - Ann Aguirre

 Before I start this review, I just wanted to note that my younger readers (or those of you who are squeamish) may not want to read this review and especially the book because it deals with some very, very dark subjects.  This is also a suuuuuper long review (I ended up summarizing a good bit of the novels which I ordinarily try not to do), so if you want to know about the books without having to read the entire review, skip down to the bit where I summarize my feelings in the Overall section.

I read both of these books in one night (as well as 1.5, but it’s just a shorter story following Deuce’s bffs, so I won’t go into it here)!  I love the world that Aguirre sets up in our post apocalyptic future (and not one that far in the future I might add).   I honestly think her world building is probably my favourite part of the books, particularly in the first book.  I also enjoyed her characters, even if I didn’t necessarily like them all as people.  While at a first glance they might not appear to bring anything new to the table, they are easy to relate to and bring up issues about blame and forgiveness that I thought were really interesting and that I don’t often find in YA fantasy.

The first book opens with a quick background on where humans are now.  Small communities are spread underground, and they have to have very strict control on population and hygiene because communities are easily wiped out with lack of food and disease.  There are three categories people are sorted into when they come of age: Breeder, Builder, and Hunter, each with more prestige attached respectively.  Deuce has always known she wants to be a Hunter, a job that requires members to protect the community from what we would call zombies, as well as scavenge for any food in the tunnels.  Each hunter works with a partner, and Deuce is paired up with Fade, the only person in the community who was brought in as an outsider (they allowed him to live because he survived for a few years on his own without help, and was therefore seen as useful to the community).  Until she was paired with him, she never questioned the rules her community set, and this questioning gets both of them exiled to the Topside, which is seen as a death sentence.

While I can see the rules coming off as strict and unreasonable, for the most part I actually agreed with the community leaders, and I think that is part of the reason why the book isn’t one I’d put on my favourites list.  When survival is the only thing you can think of, putting people in strict roles and not allowing marriage for love, only allowing certain people to have children…yes it seems despicable.  But communities that close to complete destruction simply don’t have the capability to support more members.  Of course, when (spoilers), obviously things have gone too far.  So again, while I would never wish the lifestyle on this community on anyone, I also feel like it is feasible this is how communities would be run after an apocalyptic event like the one in their world, and that a lot of knowledge would be lost.

In the middle of the first part of the book we are introduced to a community of people Deuce nicknames the “Burrowers”.  They more closely resemble what we would call dwarves (in the physical and mythological personality sense) and have evolved to adapt to their environment.  Not a whole lot of description is given to their community structure, but I loved that Aguirre not only put in varied ways societal structures, she also had people evolve to adapt to the post-apocalyptic world physically, not just socially.  

After Deuce and Fade make it Topside, they stumble into gang territory.  Topside in the city, everything is run by various gangs.  It’s survival of the fittest, and that only applies to boys.  While below, where Deuce is from, people don’t live long likely because of malnutrition and humans being unsuited to living underground, people don’t live long topside because it is eat or be eaten.  Boys never grow to be old because they die brutal, violent deaths.  This is where the story started getting really dark for me.  Girls are seen as objects.  They are rape victims, beaten into total submission to the “men” in the gang.  And not only are they raped, more specifically they are gang raped.  This is the environment Deuce and Fade stumble upon when they are captured by gang members.  

 I don’t want to summarize the whole novel (which is sort of what I’ve done so far I guess haha), but they gain two members to their party:  Tegan and Stalker.  And here is where I got really torn on my feelings on the book and where many of you will get outraged.  Stalker is the leader of the gang that captured Deuce and kept Tegan captive.  Where Tegan was gang-raped and had not one, but TWO still births.  Where Stalker was the ultimate figure of power.  Deuce and Fade force Tegan to travel with Stalker, her only option to simply return to the city and be eaten by Freaks or be forced back as a gang victim.   While Stalker himself did not rape her physically, by leading those who did and making her powerless, in a sense he is still one of her rapists.  And even if he didn’t rape her, that this was common place means he definitely has raped other girls, and as the leader, probably many, many other girls.  Despite this, Deuce feels a connection with him as she too has done unspeakable acts (letting her people kill an 8 year old boy) that she would not have done had she known what she does now.  Stalker was raised in this gang rape culture, and it is the only way he is able to rise to the top.  This book and the next try to explore whether he should be forgiven and whether it was his fault at all.  Those are questions you will have to ask yourself.  That being said, I was disgusted at how easily he IS forgiven in the book, and if you are going to pose those questions, you can’t just pretend that part of the character doesn’t exist.  Even WORSE is when Deuce questions why Tegan didn’t fight until she died instead of being raped.  It is NEVER the victim’s fault.  And this is another reason I am torn – I believe that is how Deuce would react.  At this point she doesn’t understand vulnerability.  Later in the books she admires Tegan for her strength to go on, so this is not a message that continues through the book.  On the other hand, that is a message that should never, never be sent especially in a book aimed at young adults.  I feel like this is either a situation Aguirre should have left out of the books, or if Aguirre felt that including it was important she should have dealt with the situation using a great deal more finesse than she did.

The first book ends where the second book begins – the third civilization we deal with.  This one is a return to a much more religious time.  Women’s roles have been dealt a blow that returned us back centuries.  There is much gossip because of Deuce’s lack of education, dress, and her skills at fighting.  Women are expected to be charming and pretty, nothing more.  Deuce finally finds a family and gains quite a few more traits that make her more human and likeable.  The bulk of discovery about the Freaks’ evolution is described here, and there is a brief love triangle.  By the end of the book Deuce has been exiled due to superstitious beliefs, especially perpetuated by the women in the community who are threatened by Deuce’s challenge to their accepted social roles.  This is another area where I was frustrated.  To my memory, it is almost entirely the women in society who act this way.  There are a few men who believe that Deuce dressing as a man and fighting makes her wanton, but they are not in positions of power the way the women are.  All the men in positions of power support Deuce and act rationally, whereas most of the women don't.  I kind of find that offensive, that this blow to feminism appears to be perpetuated by women.  I don’t disagree that some women WOULD act this way, but I find it hard to believe men would be more welcoming to this change than women.  The only woman I remember accepting Deuce as she is, is her mother figure, and she does that lovingly, but reluctantly.  She is shunned by the rest of the women in society.

Throughout the series they show the evolution of the Freaks.  They begin as what we expect of zombies - mindless humanoid creatures who feast on human flesh, and their own flesh if one of their own kind is injured.  But then they start showing signs of sentience – creating war and ambush strategies, their own villages and social structures, as well as expressing facial emotions.  Especially in the second book they start to show what appear to be true hatred towards human beings as a race, seeing us as mortal enemies (a sentiment that is returned wholeheartedly).  Freaks now have families – yes even little Freak children and wives. This poses a whole new batch of morality issues that weren’t there before.   With the dawn of more human attributes and a definite ability to make conscious decisions as a human would, does this change them from being just evil (to humans anyway) beings?

Overall

I thought the world building in this was amazing.  The questions asked about what makes us human, and what is unforgivable were very thought provoking.  That being said, the way rape and rape culture was dealt with especially in the above questions were…almost unforgiveable.  While I applaud Aguirre for trying to question how much Stalker was at fault, his transgressions were too easily forgiven, and more appallingly, Deuce originally sees the victim at fault.  The way women are dealt with outside of Deuce in the last two cultures we encounter are….horrifying and frustrating respectively.  

I enjoyed the books, particularly for the outstanding world building, and the action and adventure aspects were excellent as well.  If my above statements about women sound like you wouldn’t be able to get beyond these scenarios, then this series is not one for you.

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Interview With The Vampire - Anne Rice

Synopsis                                   

Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force–a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.

(Not really many plot synopses on this out there - but if you somehow DON'T know what it's about, wikipedia has a very detailed synopsis - lots of spoilers though)

Thoughts

I just found this...disturbing.  And boring.  I had a flight where all I had with me was this and The Virgin Suicides - needless to say it was a very, very long flight.  I can count the number of books I haven't finished on one hand - this is one of them.  The other is The Silmarillion (which I WILL finish someday! I refuse to let it beat me!).  So take this review with a grain of salt - perhaps things spiced up after I gave up on the book.  The story is very slow paced.  I usually appreciate detailed descriptions, but man, listening to Louis narrate is like listening to an angsty teenage boy...for 400. Whole. Pages.  I had a hard time reading some of the more graphic violent scenes - something that surprised me as I wholeheartedly approve of scary vampires, but I suppose I don't like vampires enough to stomach it.  Most disturbing to me was the really weird relationship between Claudia, Lestat, and especially Louis.  I get that she became a woman trapped in a child's body but...it was a little too...sketch for me.  Between the long winded prose, an unlikeable character, an icky child-woman/man relationship, and a general disinterest in vampires (I know, I know I was reading a book that is almost 400 pages about vampires), there was nothing to interest me, and I'd already been through the torture of The Virgin Suicides.  Needless to say, clearly this book wasn't for me.  This is not to say it isn't for everyone - I did appreciate that Rice didn't flinch from a more gothic view of vampires, and the history is interesting.  And if you like vampires, you should really read the book that inspired the more modern view of vampires.

Recommended

I mean, if you totally dig vampires, this series is a classic.  Again, this is another book to read to see what all the hype was about.  Read it if you've seen the movie and want to know about the book...but if you are interested in seeing what Anne Rice is like, I really don't think this novel displays her strongest writing style.

The School for Dangerous Girls - Eliot Schrefer

Synopsis

Bookmooch: Angela's parents think she's on the road to ruin because she's dating a "bad boy." After her behavior gets too much for them, they ship her off to Hidden Oak. Isolated and isolating, Hidden Oak promises to rehabilitate "dangerous girls." But as Angela gets drawn in further and further, she discovers that recovery is only on the agenda for the "better" girls. The other girls -- designated as "the purple thread" -- will instead be manipulated to become more and more dangerous . . . and more and more reliant on Hidden Oak's care.

Thoughts

This was another novel I was surprised by. I was expecting lots of lol's and like omg! However, it quickly captured my attention with the mystery behind this school. It had a gripping, and unique story line. While many of the girls have real problems, not all do. Separated into two groups - those that can be helped and those that can't, you discover the huge differences in the treatment. One group learns how to be assimilated into society. When the main character - who finds out she is borderline on the to groups - acts out again, she is thrown into a basement where the girls act like gangs and remain unsupervised except for the cruel and inhumane punishment doled out by the faculty. As I read the story I was overcome with the injustice of these treatments and caught up in how the heroine was going to escape this situation. Unfortunately after all the tension, the ending was a let down. All of a sudden things just sort themselves out. Although the heroine catalyzes this action, it doesn't really explain how that happened and what happened in the process of this solution and a few of the characters are just kind of written out. Although I enjoyed the spy-like aspect to this and found the story line, it wasn't very believable. The situations and many of the characters just didn't seem real.

Overall

Intriguing, but in the end a bit of a let down. Worth reading if you have absolutely nothing else to do and need to pass the time. A quick read.

Recommended for:
Young adult readers