Prized by Caragh M. O’Brien (11/8/11)

Gaia reached to pull Peony near in a hug for what little comfort that could convey. The choice was not simple for Gaia either, nor free from grief, but she had to support Peony in whatever she decided. Never again would she be party to the crime of taking choices away from mothers (p 58).

At the conclusion of Birthmarked (read my review), Gaia was fleeing into the wasteland. Now, on the brink of starvation, she and her little sister, Maya, are picked up by a rugged man named Peter and taken to Sylum, a town surrounding a marsh. For every girl in Sylum there are nine men and the ratio becomes more unbalanced every year. Women, led my a Matrarc, impose harsh social codes that punish uncondoned physical contact between the sexes and pregnant, unwed women.

Stick by Andrew Smith (10/11/2011)

Half my head is quiet.

 I was born this way.
Most people don’t notice right away, but once they do, I see their faces; I watch how they’ll move around toward that side–the one with the missing part–so they can see what’s wrong me with.
So, here. Look at me.

I’m ugly.

I’d like to preface my summary and review with a sentiment. I was enthralled by this book. Completely. I read it in one sitting.

Stick isn’t his real name. It’s Stark McClellan but everyone calls him stick. He’s thirteen-years-old, six feet tall and, well, a stick. His older brother, Bosten, who is in the eleventh grade, has always looked out for Stick, whether it is protecting Stick from school bullies or their abusive parents. The brothers have formed a loving bond so solid nothing can come between them.

There are many exceptional aspects to Smith’s storytelling. Stick is our first person narrator and the verity of his voice is immediately apparent and consistent.

Things get into my head and they bounce around and around until they                    find a way out.
My mother never talk about my ear. She hardly ever talks to me at all.
I believe she is sad, horrified. I think she blames herself.
Mostly, I think she wishes                   I was never born (p 7).

The prose echo Stick’s thoughts just as his thoughts echo and bounce around in his mind, trapped by his missing part. Stick believes himself ugly – a thought reiterated just often enough that we know it is never far from his thoughts. It is a thought that strips him of whatever fragile confidence he is able to build before the negative external forces in his life tear him down. It colors ever new interaction, magnifying his already meek nature. This is depicted as well as and perhaps even better than other excellent books dealing with physical abnormalities (like North of Beautiful and SLOB).

Sand and Water by Shae Conner (2011)

John woke to another morning without Liz (p 1).

It’s been five years since his wife died in giving birth to their daughter Beth and John is still grieving. He has retreated to Tybee Island, GA. While at the park, he meets Bryan who is watching his nephew, Jeremy. Over a series of play dates, John finds himself increasingly eager to spend time with Bryan, finally realizing he is attracted to the twenty-seven year old. But Bryan has experienced tragedy himself and a misstep by John could mean the end of a potentially amazing relationship.

This was a more character driven book than the last adult fiction I read, but what it made up for in character development it lost in mediocre writing (too much tell and too little show). The interactions with the kids helped ground me in reality but much of the relationship stuff was overanalyzed. Too many adjectives!

You need not expect to get your book right the first time. Go to work and revamp or rewrite it. God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention. These are God’s adjectives. You thunder and lightning too much; the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by. ~Mark Twain

NetGalley | August 2011 | Dreamspinner Press | 250 pages | ISBN 978-1-61372-090-5 | $16.99

Blind Items by Kate McMurray (2011)

The whole mess began with my fluke television appearance (p 9).

Drew Walsh is an openly gay columnist who has often criticised anti-gay politician Richard Granger. When he is assigned an interview with Granger’s possibly gay son, Jonathan, Drew knows he has a plum political piece. Immediately Drew knows the rumors are true. But Jonathan skirts the issue, calling an end to the interview when the questioning becomes uncomfortable. Against his better judgement, Drew finds himself attracted to the closeted Jonathan. When the two start dating, complications ensue.

This was a quick, easy read with some sexually explicit content. It was hard to see the relationship as anything more than physical when Jonathan didn’t seem to know himself. The tension here mirrored that in Tigers and Devils. One character is ‘out’ while the other is closeted and some external force (like a public career) prevents disclosure. It lacked the humor and witty bantor of Tigers and Devils, coming across as more melodramatic.

The political aspect was timely. I imagined Richard Granger as a Tea Party candidate.

NetGalley| July 29, 2011 | Dreamspinner Press | 195 pages | ISBN 978-1-61372-068-4 | $14.99

Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy (2009)

Declan kicked two glorious goals over the first quarter, but by the start of the second the strain on his body was starting to become apparent. The commentators were very pleased with themselves that they had a potential tragedy unfolding on the ground that they could talk about endlessly (p 99).

A large part of my love for the New York Mets baseball team (even in their darkest hours – of which there are many) is due to the excellent commentating by Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez and Kevin Burkhardt.  I’ve been hammered to tears by some commentators and their soap opera coverage of the tiniest disruption in a game. Remember when Brett Farve was injured?

As a hard-core sports fan disinclined to the melodramatic, I appreciated Simon’s snarkyness. And anyone who can work a Buffy reference into his/her snarky remarks gets points from me.

I sighed, watching the bags start to spill out onto the rubber tracks. “I got jumped by the press in the car park.”
Roger’s eyes widened. “Was there a rumble?”
Fran hid her smile behind her hand.
“Yes, there was a rumble. Luckily this cute blonde girl came out of nowhere and staked them for me” (p 286-87).

So it was with a smile that I read about Simon, a twenty-something film festival coordinator, and his tumultuous relationship with star footy player Declan Tyler. When Roger and his wife Fran drag Simon to a party, he acts the wallflower and hopes for a swift departure. Then he overhears someone bad mouthing Declan. Simon defends Declan’s playing but writes him off as appearing arrogant, unaware Declan is also at the party and eavesdropping. This meeting sparks a passionate but troubled relationship. Declan is not ‘out’ though Simon is. Declan is injured and anxious to make a return to the football field but he plays for an out-of-town team.

But Simon’s happiness is palpable. It brought me back to the first days of my current relationship.

On the tram ride home I smiled to myself like a loon and got the usual wide berth that the other passengers afforded to public transport crazies (p 25).

Folks who enjoyed David Levithan in their teens will enjoy Tigers and Devils as emerging adults. The book is a lot of dialog and a little description but it avoids over-analysis (which I always appreciate!) so it’s highly readable. I enjoyed learning about Australian football (which I researched a little on my own) and Australian slang and tradition. ‘Bog-off-to-the-Pub Fridays’ is something I hope to impliment at my workplace

A Seven Realms Novel: The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima (2011)

She’d never felt safer – she’d never felt more alive than when she lay dying in Han Alister’s arms (p152).

This is a review of an advance reader copy provided by the publisher, Hyperion, via NetGalley.

At the conclusion of The Exiled Queen, Raisa had escaped a kidnapping/forced marriage attempt by Micah Bayar while on route from the south to the Fells in the north. Han Alister and Amon were in pursuit. Raisa, the heir to the Gray Wolfe throne, had spent the last several months at school in the south. While there she and Han were once again thrown together and the two eventually began a romantic relationshp, albeit one based on lies.

In this next installment of The Seven Realms series, readers will follow Raisa on her perilous journey home to reclaim her title while wrestling power away from the Wizarding class, maintaining her independence from the Clan and proving to the common people of the Flatland that she is a monarch to be proud of.

Han will come to learn the truth about Raisa and must decide what he wants. The clan would kill him if they suspected his feelings for her while the wizard elite would just as soon remove Raisa from the throne should she throw in with a street thug like Han.

Still the assasination attempts continue. It seems like it will take a miracle to see Raisa to Queenhood.

This novel has a bit of a middle child feel as things take a turn for the political. I kept thinking, “If Gen were here he’d have this whole mess of who is doing what sorted out in a jiffy.” Raisa, however, has few people she can trust and so must rely on her own wits. Han continues to use Crow as a means to an end even after Crow’s identitiy as a powerful wizard is revealed. But this relationship is only touched on. I am sure it will play a much larger role in future books.

Fans will not be disappointed, only eager for the story to continue. The Seven Realms is turning out to be a well-plotted, immense world. I’m eager for more but not anxious for an end.

The Gray Wolf Throne has received a starred review from Kirkus.

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz (9/13/2011)

“You know how sometimes you don’t know something is stupid until it falls out of your mouth and then it’s too late?”
Travis didn’t have an answer for that one, since he usually kept his stupid thoughts in his own head (p 57-8).

One fish. Two fish. Red fish. Travis. The stupid bluefish. In a new town, Travis hopes to escape his label, but he doesn’t expect to. His Grandpa, a recently recovered alcoholic, is difficult to live with. There’s not much Travis cares about now his dog Rosco is missing. Then Velveeta takes an interest in him.

Velveeta is sharp-tongued and observant. Humorous, but with secrets of her own that we learn through letters to someone named Calvin.

Bluefish is a character story and a good one at that. Travis is illiterate until his new English teacher uses unique methods to engage and teach him. With copy of Haunt Fox in tow, Travis begins to set right the neglect he suffered. Velveeta connects with Travis while reading The Book Thief - sometimes helping, sometimes hindering – and learning plenty about herself in the process.

This is a quick read at a little over 200 pages and it leans a little on two established titles, but carves a niche of its own. Characters are revealed slowly (but not too slowly) and subtly (the only way I like it!) until we are endeared to them, flaws and all. The ending is abrupt but I find I liked it. The characters still have obstacles to face but its real. Life doesn’t tie things up in nice little bows, but personal discoveries will carry Travis and Velveeta through to another day and they may actually find themselves looking forward to it.

This is a review of an advance reader copy provided by the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. Read the Kirkus review.

Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy (US 2011)

Why, Pearl, didn’t you know
a poem doesn’t have to rhyme?
It does not have to be written
in a certain way
at a certain time.
No.
A poem comes
when it is needed
and writes itself
in the way it needs
to get its point across (p 63).

This novel struck me as rather unique. First, it is a novel in verse for young readers (I consider it a transitional book). Second, it tackles two delicate subjects, Alzheimer’s disease and death, not often addressed for this audience. And this is done well. Finally, Pearl, party of one, uses poetry to help make sense of the world. I don’t believe I’ve read anything that combines all of those qualities in a single book.

Pearl feels alone at school but at home, she has her mother and her grandmother. The harmony of their lives is disrupted as it becomes clear grandmother, who has taught Pearl so much, including poetry, is dying from Alzheimer’s disease.

When her class begins studying poetry, rhyme and rythm, Pearl finds her assignments difficult. How can she write rhyme and rythm in a world that holds neither for her?

Her humorous attempts to complete writing assignments, often at her teacher’s expense, earn her attention from a handsome boy in class. Reeling from the death of her grandmother and as even Pearl’s teacher comes to understand her poetry, Pearl discovers she is not a group of one. She is not alone.

A well-balanced read with a strong voice, I especially enjoyed the illustrations sprinkled throughout.

This review is based on an advance reader copy provided by the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. Read the Kirkus review.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty (4/26/2011)

The heavens opened for me at that moment. A twin! What a revelation! I made a choice right then and there not to mourn for the unknown parents I had lost, but to celebrate the sister I had found. My whole life I thought I was praying for my birth parents. Suddenly I knew who I was really praying for: My twin. My sister. My other half. Though I didn’t know my sister named Melody, I loved her already. Ma and Pa were never told about Melody and were even more stunned to find out about her than I was. Ma saw an opportunity to spread the Word (p 23).

This is a review based on an advance reader copy received via NetGalley by HarperCollins Publishers. Quotes are not final, nor are page counts. They should be checked against the final bound copy.

Some time in the near future, the spread of the Human Progressive Sterility Virus (HPSV) will inhibit 75% of the female population from carrying a full-term delivery in adulthood. Now, healthy, beautiful, smart teenage girls are in high demand. They can command large compensations for acting as Surrogates for infertile adult couples.

Melody is one such girl. At thirteen, just as she is Blooming, she lands a large contract with the Jaydens. At sixteen she is still pre-bump as the Jaydens search for the perfect sperm. Then she is contacted by Harmony, the identical twin sister she never knew she had.

Harmony has been raised on the Goodside, populated by pius church goers who believe pregging for is sinful. When Harmony learns of Melody, she immediately sets out for the Otherside to convert her sister. But Harmony is not all she seems to be and an a case of mistaken identity leads them on a journey of self-discovery.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What this novel does well is to flip contemporary teen pregnancy attitudes using a common plot device, a virus, to make teen pregnancy a highly desirable state and to put the focus on teens. The passages showing young teens eager to be bumped (aka pregnant), the mass market advertising that supports the industry of amateur and professional surrogacy infusing teen life and the pressure teens face to financially secure their own futures (and their parents’ futures) comes across strongly and poignantly. They will resonate with teens today who face parental pressure to achieve and crushing college debt.

I dislike FutureWords™. A lot. And McCafferty uses them in abundance: neggy, MiNet, Mallplexes, newbie-pubie, agriculty. For a novel set a little over two decades in the future, they are almost completely unnecessary (I’ll let preggers and drug names like Tocin slide). Otherwise, I found they bogged down the novel unnecessarily.

Harmony yelps from behind her veil. I can’t see, but I imagine the blood draining from her face, until her pallid complexion matches her colorless dress. There’s no way Trynn knew about the color-coded gowns without looking it up on the quikiwiki. She did it just to be neggy (p 25).

Unfortunately, plot and character development suffered at the alter of commercialized pregnancy. McCafferty ends up doing a lot more telling rather than showing. Melody came across as rather flat and Harmony’s revelations were highly predictable and rather anticlimactic.

There is some potential for secondary characters like Zen, Melody’s best friend, and Jondoe, a Reproductive Professional (or sperm for hire) but even they felt bogged down.

Clearly there will be sequels, though I believe this did a fine job of raising questions about teen pregnancy in one.

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheenan (8/11/2011)

The ocean from my dream returned in the form of a roaring surf, which blocked all sound and stopped my breath. Sixty years. Mom and Daddy, dead. Asa, dead. Xavier… my Xavier.
I think I screamed. The last thing I felt as the shadows overcame my vision completely was Brendan’s strong arms catching me as I fell (p 5).

This is a review of an advance reader copy provided by the publisher, Candlewick Press, via NetGalley.

In this science fiction re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty, sixteen-year-old Rosalinda Fitzroy awakes from a sixty-two year sleep when Brendan finds her stass tube in the basement of his apartment complex. His attempt at mouth-to-mouth, fearing Rose is dead, is something of a kiss.

Rose’s status as heiress to the world’s largest company, UniCorp, causes some distress for the current President, Reggie Guillory. Upon her 18th birthday, Rose will own the company but until then, UniCorp owns her.

Readers are introduced to this new world along side Rose.  Her parents, Mark and Jacqueline, died in a helicopter crash while Rose was still in stasis. Her tube was misplaced or lost. She was assumed dead. After so long in stasis, Rose is suffering from fatigue and will be weak for some time.

The Earth has undergone a transformation since her sleep began. The Dark Times wiped out a large portion of the population. Other planets and moons have been colonized. Everything Rose once knew has changed. Everyone she knew and loved is dead. She cannot bear to learn what has happened to Xander.

At first, Rose appears weak, physically and as a character, until, as her past is revealed, a horrible truth becomes evident. She has been the victim of a most cruel form of abuse and neglect.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Like Phoebe North, I was at first anticipating a limp, pandering science fiction novel starring a vanilla female character and an irresistible male hero. Sheenan almost looses me here, but she will lure in weaker critics. Then she succeeds in surprising both.

Prior to her long stasis, Rose was in love with Xander. A complicated love, as Rose began seven years his senior but, because of intermittent and prolonged stasis sleeps throughout her childhood the two eventually pass their teen years as peers, best friends, and finally lovers. We learn about this past in tender, heartbreaking flashbacks.

Once out of stasis, Rose’s new life begins. As she sorts out this new world, and her place in it – including a new school – she quickly forms an attachment to the handsome Brendon. From awakening her to befriending her at school, Brendan has been the only caring person since she emerged from her cocoon. When she declares her feelings, the novel really takes a turn. Bren’s reaction is so far from expected:

“Coit!” Bren swore. “Look. Rose. Oh, burn it.” He glanced up at the sky as if looking for strength. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, okay? I wasn’t trying to lead you on. I — I think this is probably my own fault, and there’s probably some kind of… cultural… thing… going on. It’s just that my granddad told me to look after you. I mean, he and Guillory are worried about the company, okay? They just told me to make sure you weren’t… I don’t know. ‘Led astray’ was, I think, the phrase Guillory used (p 136).

In the meanwhile, intermittent passages relate that someone or something is tracking the newly awakened Rose. This proves to be a rather ineffective assassin and Rose’s escapes are a little laughable.

My complaints also run parallel to Phoebe’s. The word substituting (mostly for contemporary curse words) Sheenan uses doesn’t really add too much to the story. I would have rather seen a change in culture reflected in turn of phrases rather than ‘I Comm’ substituting for ‘I know.’

Also, like Phoebe, I found Otto, a blue-toned alien/human hybrid who can transmit thoughts via touch and who befriends Rose, to be one of the most interesting characters (though I kept picturing a Na’vi from James Cameron’s Avatar!).

The relationship between Rose and her parents is the most interesting though, trumping even her romantic relationship with Xander. Here, Sheenan succeeds in creating two of most terrifying and abusive parents in YA literature. Rose is not a vanilla character, she is absolutely damaged. She survives more than one awakening in this novel. To see her, independent and beginning to gain confidence, completes her metamorphoses.

Ultimately, I was surprised to find this a layered story that left me in tears by its oh-so-satisfying end (neither too much nor too little ‘Hollywood’). A sequel may be planned but I find this a satisfying read on its own.

Read other reviews: GalleySmith, I’ll Read Anything Once, Presenting Lenore

I would recommend this to those who enjoyed: