Young Adults
Vampire Academy by Rachel Mead. Book Review.
I’ve read a lot of vampire stories and it’s hard to find something that’s new but this one sparked my interest. There are no coffins, crosses, or garlic in this story.
There are two kinds of vampires, strigoi, the dead who have come back and are fearful killers. and the vampires who were born. The strigoi are determined to kill the natural vampires but they are protected by half human teens, dhampir. Why these bodyguards sacrifice their lives to protect the vampires comes out in the story and makes perfect sense. They also have a good explanation for why people allow vampires to feed off them.
This story focusses on two young women one vampire, Lissa, and one bodyguard, Rose They have run away from the Academy and I’ve been brought back against their will. They have all the complications of normal teenagers, falling in love with the wrong person, not knowing who to trust, handling vicious gossip, bullying and ostracizing, in addition to the specific challenges of being magical creatures.
It was easy to read, fast-paced and engaging. I subsequently discovered that this is a series although this book didn’t have a number. The back story is complex enough to carry it through a series. This story focusses mainly on Rose’s struggle to fit in and her relationship with the young woman, Lissa, she is guarding. They are best of friends but have a unique twist. The Rose can feel, and eventually even see, what the vampire is experiencing.
Most of the vampires have a magical talent that develops as they mature. Some can control fire or other elements, some can change their environment in unique ways, but Lissa is developing the most dangerous and valuable talent of all. Bringing the ill back to wellness and the dead back to life is a gift that will destroy her. It must be kept secret and never used. It comes at a great cost to the vampire But Lissa’s resolve to suppress the use of her gift is sorely tempted in a frightening chain of events.
A fun read.
four stars
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Back home by Dan L. Walker- Book Review
This novel takes place in 1968 and focusses on two brothers who live in Alaska and are affected by the Vietnam war. The older brother, Joe, signs up to fight while the younger brother, Sam, becomes involved with the peace movement. When Joe is injured and returns home he is suffering from PTSD. He cannot understand his younger brother’s actions and their relationship suffers. Sam just wants to live a happy life fixing his car, dating girls, and hanging out with his friends. Life is complicated and major events affect everyone’s life. Unfortunately, the story ends with a cliffhanger. I hate not knowing the outcome of something so that always impacts my review of the book.
The voice is quite easy to follow and Sam is a likeable protagonist, not a perfect young man but a good guy. It’s easy to see viewpoints of both brothers. Perhaps a bit more background on the history of the war in Vietnam we help the reader understand Sam’s opinion better. Young readers may not know what triggered the peace movement.
It is it easy to read book about brothers, coming of age, family dynamics, and the impact of war on those who fight it and those who love those fighters when they return. It creates a fairly good picture of the 60s.
Suitable for grade 6 and up. There are a few fights but nothing too drastic and the encounters with girls are PG.
All in all a good read.
4/5 stars.
The Gate Guardian’s Daughter by K.T. Munson. Book Review.
Buy Link https://amzn.to/2JhjrVL
This prequel to a young adult fantasy series will give you a good idea if the novels would be to your liking.
The main character is intriguing and charming. Elisabeth is a mysterious creature about to transform from a child into something wondrous. She is cared for in a secluded home by a variety of “monsters.” She is not allowed to have contact with outsiders or to leave the premises but when a human boy climbs the tree on the border of the property things change.
The pace and story line are enjoyable to read although there is a tendency at times to add a necessary qualifiers which slow the pace. Shaking his head, he went straight to his seat as well.
The story focuses well on Elisabeth encounter with a mysterious boy and the fallout from her innocence.
We have one odd info dump which leads to nowhere:
“Later, when the Gate Guardians met, Malthael could discuss it with them. No doubt Meredith of Tym Resh would be displeased. He wondered if Brandon in Hystera would threaten the Det Mor Clan again. That could be amusing. Young Stella of Oran would no doubt remain as stoic as always. He had no idea how Yennifer would respond in Lyreane. She was always a hard one to read. All in all, he and Meredith would fight for everyone to keep a level head.”
but otherwise the text flows smoothly.
The prequel ends with both a resolution of the current crisis and an opening to a larger dilemma. I was intrigued to know what the future holds for Elisabeth.
The series promises to be filled with wonder, mystery, and likable unique characters.
(I would recommend a different font for the cover as this one is difficult to read.)
Julia Unbound by Catherine Egan. Book Review.
I won this book in a giveaway and didn’t realize until I received it that it was part three in a series. There was a lot of backstory that I had to figure out which made it difficult to connect with the main character. I suspect I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read the first two books.
The writer provides extensive detail into both the landscape and the history encompassing this novel. Her world-building is complex and rich. Thankfully there is a detailed map and the city and a list of the thirty-nine terms and characters introduced in this book. Again, someone who had read the first books would probably be familiar with most of these.
The major premise of the story focuses on Julia who, in order to save her brother, has agreed to allow a parasite to slowly infect her body and take over her brain. She has only a short time to defeat her enemy, remove a sabotaged bomb from her brother’s chest, and pull out her parasite before it takes over her mind. She has a watchdog reporting back all her movements to her enemy and must secretly fight against him or her brother will be killed even sooner.
Julia becomes embroiled in a fight for the throne involving witches and other powerful beings. To complicate matters, she develops a fondness for the rightful heir while being forced to support a false claim. But Julia has a special magical skill of her own which gives her a chance to navigate through the complex and deceptive political forays.
Perhaps because the story was so detailed and I had not read the first books, I found it difficult to connect with Julia and took quite a long time to finish the novel and tackle this review. Your experience, especially if you read the first two in the series, may be different. Eden is an excellent plotter and world builder. If you enjoy complex fantasies, this series is worth looking into.
Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten. Book Review.
Teresa Toten is the author of a remarkable book I have previously reviewed, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. This novel is quite different in style and substance.
Toten certainly knows how to use plot twist in creative ways. The book veered off into unpredictable situations that built the tension of this psychological thriller exponentially. The first third of the book was rather slow but the last third was riveting.
Toten reveals just enough about the two main characters, Olivia and Kate, to build our curiosity and suspense as the story progresses. These girls are in their senior year and aiming for Yale University. We know that something has happened to both these girls to damage them deeply in different ways. We know that they are both keeping secrets. We know that they are both afraid. We know that something isn’t quiet right with the handsome Mr. Mark Redkin who takes an interest in them.
The author cleverly reveals snippets of Kate’s life that makes us question whether she is the hero or the villain in this drama. She uses people. Does she care for them at all? The answer is as complex as the plot itself.
My major criticism of this book would be that the dialogue clunks in places and seems artificial and flat at times. As well, there are moments when the point of view is muddied. Although this is a suspense novel, character plays a major role and believable dialogue is essential. The two brilliant girls did made some very stupid choices.
Although it doesn’t have the genius of 13B, I think this would make a great suspense movie with the right script writer and director. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read.
Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton. Book Review.
This young adult book is about a middle grade student who has experienced sudden onset severe schizophrenia. He has been moved to a new school for fresh start. His parents demand that the staff keep his medical condition secret. Adam falls in love with an intelligent and strong young lady named Maya. He is terrified that when she finds out about his illness, she will drop him.
Adam is on a trial drug because the standard medications do not work to control his hallucinations which can be so severe that he has acted on them in the past including severe self injury. To complicate matters, his father has abandon him and his stepfather is nervous around him. Add to the fact that his mother becomes pregnant and we see that there are no simple solutions to a complicated issue.
The story was deeply introspective and this made it a little difficult to connect with the other characters who seemed flat in comparison.
This book is sure to elicit discussion and disagreement but it is also extremely informative as far as getting inside the head of a young man trying to cope with a extremely challenging condition. Adam is a likable and decent young man who deserves a better break than what life has given him. No matter how you feel about his family’s decisions with regard to Adam’s care and inclusion, you are bound to empathize and feel great compassion for this individual.
S.T.A.G.S. One Deadly Weekend by M.A. Bennett. Book Review.
S.T.A.G.S. stands for St. Aiden the Great School name for a Saint who made a stag invisible so the hunters couldn’t kill him. I couldn’t decide if it was ironic or deceptive that the school was called S.T.A.G.S. because the halls and rooms were filled with animal heads and the wealthy students participated heavily in a hunting for “sport” culture.
The protagonist, Greer, comes from a modest background and is one of the targets of the Medievals, upperclass, traditional, anti-technology students who seem to run the school. Inexplicably, Greer receives and invitation, along with two other shunned students, to a weekend at the Medieval leader’s home for “Huntin’ Shootin’ and Fishin”. The wording struck me as odd since tyhese people prided themselves on being upper class and traditional but it may have been a touch of snide subtly directed at the three students being invited.
The three main characters, the bullied ones, we’re likable, understandable, brave and hopeful, the way real teens are. I especially liked Shafeen, an East Indian prince, who gave the villains their real challenge. Greer was well written, naive but smart, courageous but flawed, and mature enough to interest adult readers.
Although the plot was a little predictable, the author kept our suspense. Even though we had a pretty good idea of what the three teenagers would have to overcome, we did not know how this would unfold and whether they would all survive. The tension was built well but the ending went in the expected way. I would’ve preferred a less obvious twist.
While it seems believable and a small group of people could indeed engage in psychopathic behaviour it seems a little far-fetched that so many people were involved and so a large part of the community supported and covered for them. There seemed little purpose for it all.
In spite of my questions, if you’re looking for a suspenseful and scary book, this is a great read. I kept turning those pages long into the night.
Buy link http://a.co/ipBSzyi
My Favorite Five Young Adult Books I’ve Read in 2017
These are my favorite five young adult books I reviewed this year. They are listed in no particular order. Click on the title to go to the review.
Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth.
Both the major characters are engaging, complex, and selfless. I read this book in one night as I could not put it down. I loved both Justine and Perry. Both have big hearts, protective natures, a sense of humor, and courage.
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner.
Zentner understands survivor’s guilt at the deepest level. This is a story about the tragic deaths of three teenagers and the impact it has on the fourth friend and their families.
Trell by Dick Lehr.
This young adult book is told from the viewpoint of a 13-year-old girl named Van Trell Taylor whose father, Romero, is in prison. She was a baby when he was convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old girl in a gang/drug related crime where someone else was the target. Trell’s mother, Shey, is confident that, even though her husband was a drug dealer and petty criminal, he was not capable of murdering anyone. Trell enlists the aid of a new lawyer and burned out journalist to find the truth about her father.
Optimists Die First – Life Ahead: Proceed with Caution by Susin Nielsen.
17-year-old Petula De Wilde is plagued with guilt over her accidental contribution to her baby sister’s death. In addition, she has become obsessed with the idea that anything less than constant vigilance can result in tragedy, leaving her parents with no children at all. As a result, she will not shake hands, walk anywhere near construction sites, get in elevators, or do anything that remotely endangers her safety.
Avians by Timothy Gwyn.
Timothy Gwyn has built a fascinating and completely believable world in his first 416 page young adult science-fiction novel. His expertise with flying gives authenticity to the events without overwhelming the reader with technical jargon. Girls whose lives are miserable may be able to escape by joining the avians, an aeronautical group of young women fiercely loyal to each other and in love with flying glider planes used for commercial delivery and rescue missions.
THIS WEEK
Monday – Favorite adult book
Tuesday – Five Favorite Young Adult Books
Wednesday – Five Favorite Middle Grade Books
Thursday – Seven Favorite Nonfiction Picture Books
Friday – Fifteen Favorite Fiction Picture Books
Trell by Dick Lehr. Book Review.
This young adult book is told from the viewpoint of a 13-year-old girl named Van Trell Taylor whose father, Romero, is in prison. She was a baby when he was convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old girl in a gang/drug related crime where someone else was the target. Trell’s mother, Shey, is confident that, even though her husband was a drug dealer and petty criminal, he was not capable of murdering anyone. Trell enlists the aid of a new lawyer and burned out journalist to find the truth about her father.
Although the story is action-packed and suspenseful with a plot filled with twists and turns, it is also an insightful and empathetic study of Trell and Shey. The impact of having a father or husband in jail colors the family’s entire life. Trell and her mother visit Romero in prison every week. Trell’s bedroom mirror holds a picture of her with her father in prison on every birthday. She keeps her father’s history as private as she can from classmates and copes with overbearing and assuming teachers with no true understanding of her family or life.
As the story progresses, the reader becomes more and more invested in the lives of this trio. We suffer with Trell as she learns of her father’s shady past and the evidence against him. It becomes apparent that, while Romero made some bad choices in his past, he is now a mature, responsible adult and loving father. The reader shares Trell’s concerns and increasing hopefulness for her father’s release.
What blew me away was the author’s note. The story is closely based on a true incident in Boston and the writer was the investigating journalist who broke the case wide open! Whenever I read the story of this type, I wonder how many men have been imprisoned (or in some countries, executed) for crimes they did not commit. Dick Lehr gives us some insight into the repercussions of these terrible events.
Personal note: This is one of many reason why I will always be grateful there is no death sentence in Canada as improved DNA tests have shown the imprisonment of the innocent is not as unusual as we think.
This book would interest anyone 13 and up and would be a catalyst for important discussions. Highly recommended.
Bonnie Ferrante - Books and More for Children 