Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun (review)

Paperback, 377 pages
Expected publication: June 25th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they’ll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Review:

Anyone who is a fan of Jpop/Jdrama/Manga will find the setup of Ink really familiar. Except, in this case, the main character is a foreigner. A “gaijin,” as authors seem fond of saying. I am not saying I understand the context the word is used in in Japan but in Fiji, when we said the word equivalent to “gaijin,” it really wasn’t in a complimentary tone. Anyway. Katie Greene finds herself in Japan after the death of her mother. She’s a stranger among people who do not look like her, speak her language or act in a manner she’s familiar with. Then she happens on arguably the most gorgeous boy in school breaking up with his girlfriend in a very callous manner and she is fascinated. Yes, I am still wondering about that but more on that later.

I recently wrote a research paper on cultural appropriation in children’s literature – it is not something that is generally discussed. At all. I plan on changing that. But my point is, I am sensitive to issues of cultural appropriation but unlike in Stormdancer, I felt that the author respected the culture she was writing about and used the language appropriately without trying to redefine words and traditions to suit her ambitions where the plot of the novel was concerned. Somewhat. I felt that she researched her topic and skillfully wove some of that research into the narrative. Somewhat. I want to give credit where its due so I will say that it was handled with a lot more finesse than in the other book I mentioned. That said, there were more subtle and equally problematic discourses in the subtext of this novel.

First are the threads of post-colonial discourse implied in the novel. Katie Greene is white and shown to be “superior,” because she’s the one who will be deciding the course of the novel. She’s the one who comes in from outside and is somehow more important than all the natives combined. Yeah. No. Her refusal to care about the traditions gradually peters away to her accepting the culture and she does accept Japanese “culture” as the author defines it but that, too, is problematic.

There are several times in the novel when Katie speaks of “shame” in her interactions with Hiro. I don’t understand what she means by shame – unless she is insinuating (and thus creating the Oriental woman) that since she has absorbed the Japanese culture, she is reacting as Japanese women are usually portrayed as doing (submissive, timid, timorous, you get the idea) which doesn’t make sense because she has been brought up in North America and there is no way she has completely assimilated in the Japanese culture in a matter of months. Apart from exoticizing women, this is problematic for the feminist in me.

I also found it extremely bizarre that Katie was accepted so wholly by the friends she doesn’t really treat very well. Anyone who has any sort of familiarity with Japanese culture will know that your peers will not accept you without question or without hesitation and reservation – more so in a culture so emphatically closed off. Katie is also a bit of a Mary Sue. There are three boys extremely interested in her and she chooses the dangerous one, of course. There is barely any character development. Katie goes on vacation with her one friend just so that friend’s brother can move the plot forward by revealing some information. The brother remains a cardboard character.

Katie makes all these proclamations but the one I found most ridiculous was one that occurred on the vacation where she hears the name “Amaterasu” and her “blood runs cold.” Like really? She knows nothing about this goddess, there has been no information or world-building and why would the name of a goddess make her blood run cold? It’s bizarre how everything is all about her. Katie seizes the notion that she is somehow part of this “kami” culture or population even though her obvious foreignness makes it impossible. This unexplained connection is used to delineate Katie’s special snowflake status and is reiterated (usually by Katie) once and again.

The mythology could have been fascinating if handled more deftly than it unfortunately was. The romance is troubling because Katie does not consider that this boy broke up with his girlfriend seconds earlier in a notsonice way. The ex-girlfriend’s absence is also puzzling because considering the manner in which they broke up, I’d think the ex would have some bones to grind with Hiro. The ending has the most ridiculous cliffhanger I have ever come across and rather than make me want to read the next book, it made me roll my eyes and swear “never again.”

I went into this book with great expectations. I expected it to be good. It was researched acceptably where daily life and traditions are concerned. However, the novel is extremely unconvincing in its creation of a mythology that buoys the novel. The main character is entirely unlikable and the subtext is problematic. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Outcast by Adrienne Kress (review)

Paperback, 324 pages
Published May 16th 2013 by Diversion Books
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
After six years of “angels” coming out of the sky and taking people from her town, 16-year-old Riley Carver has just about had it living with the constant fear. When one decides to terrorize her in her own backyard, it’s the final straw. She takes her mother’s shotgun and shoots the thing. So it’s dead. Or … not? In place of the creature she shot, is a guy. A really hot guy. A really hot alive and breathing guy. Oh, and he’s totally naked.

Not sure what to do, she drags his unconscious body to the tool shed and ties him up. After all, he’s an angel and they have tricks. When he regains consciousness she’s all set to interrogate him about why the angels come to her town, and how to get back her best friend (and almost boyfriend) Chris, who was taken the year before. But it turns out the naked guy in her shed is just as confused about everything as she is.

He thinks it’s 1956.

Set in the deep south, OUTCAST is a story of love, trust, and coming of age. It’s also a story about the supernatural, a girl with a strange sense of humor who’s got wicked aim, a greaser from the 50’s, and an army of misfits coming together for one purpose: To kick some serious angel ass.

Review:

I just finished this book and I would like to take a moment and sigh. Yes, sigh because this was a good book and it hit me in all the right ways in all the places. I wish I didn’t have to speak about it because it is the kind of good that you want to keep to yourself. To savour it because somehow speaking about it brings home the point that it’s over and it’s gone and just, the story is done. I think it’s a standalone and for once I wish it wasn’t. I wish it was a series. Please let it be a series.

I read Adrienne Kress’s debut and while I found the characters engaging, the plot didn’t much do it for me and so I didn’t finish it. For that reason, I was understandably wary about her sophomore work but the title is intriguing as is the synopsis and so when it popped up on Net Galley, I jumped on it. Also, Ashleigh Paige seemed to enjoy reading it and I was craving something YA-ey, so I thought, hey, read it, you have a two hour commute! So I did. Useless ramble aside, you guys, this book is fantastic.

It’s an angel book and if you know me, you will know that I dislike angel books mostly. I mean, there is the odd one that will confound my expectations but I am just really burnt out on them and the authors have pretty much exhausted the mythology available for angels. Unless they go invent angel zombies or angel vampires (would that even work?), I don’t’ see them moving past Nephilims, Guardian Angels, Lucifer, Watchers and stuff like that. Anyway, so the mythological terrain was familiar in this one but it contained something new. Something different. Hard to believe I know but there you have it.

Also, it has a kickass protagonist who is just…amazing. She doesn’t make me want to gouge out anyone’s eyes. Or kick someone in the balls. Or even scream. Not even once. That’s a good thing. Riley was one of the biggest reasons I enjoyed the hell out of the novel. Kress has this way of creating characters who are real, who act naturally and grow as the narrative unfurls. She also challenges stereotypes and turns them upside down on their head. Like where the mean girls trope is concerned. Kress totally took that and used it as a platform from which she launched her friendship plot. Which was a totally cool side-plot that I dug.

I also like how the sneaky details are set in place so when the twist comes, it doesn’t blindside you. It is more like an unveiling and things fall into place with a click. Also, I love the romance in this one. I am not a fan of romances in YA novels because I often feel that they subsume the original premise of the story but in this one, I thought it was handled beautifully. I liked how Riley’s mother totally calls her up on letting boys dictate her life and I wish other mothers in other YA novels did the same.  And the love interest, you guys, is a character in his own right. And he just made my heart catch and stutter in so many places in so many different ways. I’m still sighing over him. The ending is what made the novel for me. Funny as it may seem, it ensured that I will not forget this novel no matter how many others I read in the future.

This book, to me, is what YA is all about. Hopeful, poignant and brave. Sure, it could have spent more time on the mythology and the ending sequence was a bit rushed but on the scale of things I really loved about this novel, the things that could have been done better are insignificant. This novel puts Kress firmly in my list of authors to look out for and if you like good YA that packs a punch, it should do the same for you. Strong recommended.

The Pirate’s Wish (The Assassin’s Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke (review)

Paperback, 336 pages
Expected publication: June 18th 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Review:

I remember that my reaction toward The Assassin’s Curse was rather lukewarm. I mean, I liked it but I wasn’t crazy about it. The Pirate’s Wish, on the other hand, was ah-may-zing. I like how you can almost document Clarke’s growth as a writer through her books. So far, I have read everything she has written and while I haven’t loved all of the books (like two of them so not really too many), I have appreciated all of them.

My loyalty was paid off by The Pirate’s Wish as Clarke delivers and oh, she delivers so well. Where shall I start? At the beginning, obviously. It took a while for me to get situated into the story. It has been almost a year since I read the first one but it took off quite  nicely once I knew where I was and who was who. I was quite peeved, I remember, in the last book because there was a distinct lack of kissing and I wanted some kissing! However, I didn’t grasp the consequences of a kiss until it actually happened and it was quite lovely, the way it was handled with just enough anger and hurt.

The romance is really well done in this book and I love how refreshingly different it is from many other YA novels that have romance subplots. I liked that Ananna remains her own person despite being in love with Naji. Even the ending is different from how one would expect it to turn out and I like that Clarke challenges the stereotypes and brings something new to the table. The manticore is also a wonderful character, so totally clueless about humans except how they taste. Ahem. The conflicts in this novel are rather varied and there is no primary conflict (apart from getting rid of the curse) (which I guess is primary?) and that sometimes made me feel like I was scrambling for something solid to hold on to. However, that wasn’t too big of a deal.

What matters is that I enjoyed the heck out of this sequel and it left me feeling very excited to see what Clarke will come up with next.  It plays with the politics of power, female sexuality and personal liberty in lovely ways. If you haven’t checked out The Assassin’s Curse yet, you really need to go do so. Happy reading.

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon (review)

Paperback, 304 pages
Published May 7th 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she’s learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she’s feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn’t enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she’s started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can’t deny what she’s feeling.

Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what’s happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she’s actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients… or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year….

Review:

This book and I had a rather turbulent reading history. It annoyed me, frustrated me and at the end, I grudgingly accepted that it had, at times, impressed me. We’ll talk about the good things first before I speak about things that could have been done better.

Schoon builds his Martian world believably and the issues faced by the human settlers are realistic and faithful to logic. A fact I was grateful. He spends a lot of time and effort in imagining and creating alien animals and other beasts that are strange in both appearance and habits. Also, judging from the ease with which he tackled medical procedures, he either did his research really well or he has some veterinarian background. I think it was a combination of these elements that kept me reading the novel long after I had grown frustrated by the lack of anything happening.

The biggest problem I had with this book was the very slow pace. I mentioned once and again in my reading updates on Goodreads that this book was boring me to tears. I appreciated the information about the various animals and the little details that went into keeping them happy and alive, but a little less of that and a little more of things happening would have done a whole lot more to give the story the verve it so desperately needs. Zenn Scarlett, for all that she is the titular character, has very little time and space devoted to her – she is not truly as developed a character as one would hope. Her uncle Otha, has nothing but my scorn for being stupid and refusing to give Zenn the respect he should by hearing her out and believing her. I also did not dig how the culprit is so obvious and yet no one seems to be able to comprehend it. The flimsy justification Zenn gives failed to convince me.

There are a couple of scenes in the novel that have a staged feel to them and veer away from the realistic portrayal that I had become accustomed to. Things do happen but they happen far too late and the denouement is rushed over. If I were the editor, I would have cut half of the book and pushed the climax scene to the middle of the book and told the author to push start the adventure from there. I understand that the animals are important but they did not make the book interesting. I would have recommended the author put in a glossary or an index of the alien animals at the end which would have given him the space to geek out as much as he wanted to over them and left space in the novel itself for actual adventures to occur. And don’t even talk to me about the romance. If Zenn is stupid enough to forgive and forget, then ugh.

Honestly, while I did appreciate this novel, I don’t know if I’m going to go back and read the second one in the series. While the setting is fascinating and the animals are interesting, the pace is frustrating and the characters poorly developed. This is a debut, however, so I think that Schoon will improve with his second book. We’ll see.

Hot Blooded (Jessica McClain #2) by Amanda Carlson (review)

Paperback, 320 pages
Published April 23rd 2013 by Orbit
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
It hasn’t been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge — but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she’s the only female werewolf in town…it comes with its own set of rules…and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

All in a day’s work for a girl.

Review:

The Jessica McClain series continued in Hot Blooded where Jessica, her twin brother, another werewolf, a cop and two vampires (whew) set off to rescue Jessica’s mate from a vengeful goddess who is determined to keep Jessica’s mate for herself. That was a mouthful.

The novel continues in the same vein as the first one in the series. It is chocked full of action, supernatural creatures, danger and goats. Yes, man eating goats that provide much needed humour in the novel. The vampires are interesting and though there are some corny bits in the writing (kind of cheesy, actually) the novel is fun.

Jessica discovers new things about herself and she gains some new powers or rather discovers abilities and skills that she didn’t know she had or could access. She makes a female friend in  the vampire (there are barely any females in the novels). The male to female ratio is extremely skewed but ah well, this series is a guilty pleasure.

The goddess is on the wrong side of crazy (and not in a good way either) and the ending complicates things even more. However, the mate is rescued (as if there was any doubt) and then commences a lot of snogging and some extremely cheesy dialogue until things go crazy once a gain and this is when we take a breath which we will release when the third book in the series is released. Hopefully soon. As I said before, fans of Ilona Andrews, Karen Chance and Seanan McGuire will appreciate this series.

The Shambling Guide to New York City (The Shambling Guides #1) by Mur Lafferty (review)

Paperback, 368 pages
Expected publication: May 28th 2013 by Orbit
Source: Net Galley

Syopsis:
Because of the disaster that was her last job, Zoe is searching for a fresh start as a travel book editor in the tourist-centric New York City. After stumbling across a seemingly perfect position though, Zoe is blocked at every turn because of the one thing she can’t take off her resume — human.

Not to be put off by anything — especially not her blood drinking boss or death goddess coworker — Zoe delves deep into the monster world. But her job turns deadly when the careful balance between human and monsters starts to crumble — with Zoe right in the middle.

Review:

I have made it a mission to check out all accessible UF novels as I am attracted to novels featuring kickass female protagonists. Who are flawed but have qualities that make me root for them and their happiness despite their flaws. Protagonists such as Rachel Morgan and Cassandra Palmer. Though Lafferty has quite an impressive backlist, I haven’t read anything by her so I went into The Shambling Guide intrigued but not expecting anything. I was very pleasantly surprised. The writing is smart, crisp and to the point.

Urban Fantasy is a genre in which lyrical prose really doesn’t work. It is fueled more by the plot unfurling than by character development. Lafferty delivers perfectly on that count. We meet Zoe as she searches around a seemingly decrepit bookstore. There she sees a job ad for an editor in chief. A position she has just lost due to her affair with her boss without realizing he was married. I am a bit skeptical about that. How does a man hide his wife? Especially when she’s the chief of the police in the area? Wouldn’t she drop by the office? Wouldn’t other people know? Do men really hide their wives like that?

Anyway, I’m getting distracted. As I said, flawed protagonist. And while I don’t condone adultery and cheating at all, I will take Zoe’s flimsy excuse that she didn’t know he was married. The novel is jam packed with action. Things are happening at full speed and there is just the right amount of tension and danger. There’s even a slightly yoda-ish lady and a crazy surprise at the end that I liked. There is a little romance and Lafferty does awesomely well in making the romance a side plot. I hate books that promise to be UF and end up as romance novels disguised as UF.

What I especially liked about this novel is that while the setting and characters are fantastic, they’re realistically fantastic. There are overweight vampires, zombies who bring brains for lunch, incubi who are creeps and change appearances according to their targets and hunger level (that was quite fascinating). All the supernatural creatures mentioned are fascinating and unique and have something to themselves other than the stereotype popular culture has foisted on them.. Zoe is a very likable protagonist and she completely won me over. I look forward to following her on more adventures as she writes/edits traveling guides to other cities. Strongly recommended.

Full Blooded (Jessica McClain #1) by Amanda Carlson (review)

Paperback, 322 pages
Published September 11th 2012 by Orbit
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared.

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can’t control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there’s no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.

Review:

I really like how this book begins. We meet Jessica when she is in the middle of changing. In Carlson’s world, there are no such things are female werewolves so when Jessica does the impossible and becomes one, things get messy quick.

It has been a while since I read urban fantasy that I liked much. I’ve learned to go to my trusted authors and not try anyone new because of previously unsavoury experiences. However, Carlson has created a world teeming with interesting supernatural creatures, a likable heroine and fun side characters. There is a reverse harem of sorts and while the novel is sexy, it is moderately so and not the orgiastic deluge that comes with Laurell K. Hamilton’s novels.

The pacing is very fast. Things happen and keep on happening and then we take a breath and read the next book but that’s another review. The breakneck speed works for the genre so I didn’t mind it at all and I also liked how Jessica gains her powers gradually. It’s not all “I woke up one day and I was awesomely powerful.” I liked how Carlson created Jessica’s “wolf.” She seems to be a personality of her own, independent of Jessica’s feelings and thoughts. And okay, their internal monologues are funny, especially where one werecat is concerned. I think the “mate” thing came about a bit too soon because I would have liked Jessica to become more comfortable on her own, as a werewolf, before being saddled with the emotional drama that comes with having a mate who is not even your own species.

However, the series is off to a snazzy start. I like it and people who like Ilona Andrews, Karen Chance and other similar authors will appreciate this as well.

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets – Evan Rostos (review)

Hardcover, 320 pages
Published March 5th 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
“I hate myself but I love Walt Whitman, the kook. Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”

Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant.

Review

A few weeks ago, we were discussing constructions of masculine identity in children’s literature. We had read an article by the fantastic Perry Nodelman about the stereotypes applied to men and boys where their masculinity is concerned. These stereotypes were collected under headings such as “phallic masculinity” and “group masculinity.” To cut a long winded ramble short, it was an interesting read and if you want the name of the article, ask me.

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets constructs masculine identity in a very different way than Nodelman discussed. This is not to imply that traditional definitions and normative behavior (and expectations of said behavior) weren’t present in the novel – they were – but the novel showed an alternative masculine identity in James Whitman. He is broken – almost gloriously so and Roskos pulls no punches in showing us how exactly he’s broken. The novel is a painful journey about a boy who is hurting and keeps on hurting and every time he asks for help from the adults in his life, he is spurned.

It took a while for me to actually get into the story. At first it seems a little choppy and awkward but then the rhythm of the sentences settles in, a certain cadence present in the prose becomes more explicit and the whole Whitman and poetry affair becomes more apparent. I was horrified by James’s parents and touched by the relationships between James and his sister and James and his best friend. This novel, despite James talking to an imaginary pigeon who acts as his shrink, is far more realistic than others in the same genre and perhaps the more poignant for it. I also liked how this book gave a positive perspective on emotional illnesses, depression and other similar problems and show therapy as something positive. More kids need to know that it’s okay to reach out and talk to people than the usual YA novel would have you believe.

I don’t know if this book will appeal to everyone. I do know that while the pace is slow and sometimes languid, the payoff is worth it.

Escape Theory – Margaux Froley (review)

Hardcover
Expected publication: March 12th 2013 by Soho Teen
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Devon Mackintosh has always felt like an outsider at Keaton, the prestigious California boarding school perched above the Pacific. As long as she’s not fitting in, Devon figures she might as well pad her application to Stanford’s psych program. So junior year, she decides to become a peer counselor, a de facto therapist for students in crisis. At first, it seems like it will be an easy fly-on-the-wall gig, but her expectations are turned upside down when Jason Hutchins (a.k.a. “Hutch”), one of the Keaton’s most popular students, commits suicide.

Devon dives into her new role providing support for Hutch’s friends, but she’s haunted by her own attachment to him. The two shared an extraordinary night during their first week freshman year; it was the only time at Keaton when she felt like someone else really understood her. As the secrets and confessions pile up in her sessions, Devon comes to a startling conclusion: Hutch couldn’t have taken his own life. Bound by her oath of confidentiality—and tortured by her unrequited love—Devon embarks on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of Hutch’s death, and the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined.

Review

Escape Theory has two things that I cannot usually resist: a mystery and a boarding school. The novel itself is like a fruit salad. There are some sour moments and some sweet ones. Escape Theory has its issues and I will talk about them and get them out of the way before I talk about the good things.

The pacing is way too slow. Things happen very slowly and a lot of events and “clues” end up going nowhere. The administration (the token adults) are portrayed in a very menacing manner but it goes nowhere and I am left wondering if there was something I missed. Like many other YA novels out there, there is a strong othering, a creation of a binary between the adults and the teenagers. An “us versus them” mentality with the “them” being completely absorbed into the “system” which is what the rebellious characters are either fighting against and embracing wholly. The denouement of the story is a bit of a letdown and challenges the suspension of disbelief when it shouldn’t as this is a realistic novel and I expected more…realism. I’m talking about the conversation between Reed and Devon at the end. Realistically, a teenager, no matter how bright and intelligent, will never be given the kind of power it is hinted that Devon gets. The whole thing is very ambiguous so I don’t know if there is going to be a sequel or what but I was thrown out of the narrative by it. Reed is an interesting character but we don’t get to delve into the facets of his being because there are so many other characters that in the end, do not really matter.

The romance is also a bit…forced. Grant does not get the development necessary to evolve into a character whose actions would have substance and lasting effect. And his reform at the end? Totally not believable.

You may be wondering, did she even like the book? And I did, honest, I did. Because what Froley does magnificently is create a character who without even being present occupies so much space. And I’m talking about a fictional character, mind, whom the reader only sees in flashbacks or shared memories. Hutch is real and I felt his loss acutely. This surprised me because I usually do not feel grief for characters I have spent the entire book with let alone someone I have only met through other people. His absence gnaws at you and the realization that he will never exist in the pages of the book except as a memory is heartbreaking. That takes talent, you guys. It makes you want to know what happened to him. Why it happened to him. So while I wasn’t too enamored with the book in its entirety, I loved Hutch and I loved who Devon was when she was with him.

So would I recommend this to you? Well, the mystery is a bit flimsy, the pace lags and Devon is not very inspiring but Hutch? Read it for Hutch. He’s one of those characters who lingers with you. I’m still sad for him, damnit.

 

The Nightmare Affair – Mindee Arnett (Review)

Hardcover, 367 pages
Expected publication: March 5th 2013 by Tor Teen
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Review:

You know, when a girl grows up there are many things she may wish to be. But a nightmare, I am pretty sure, is not one of them. Dusty manifests her Nightmare powers when she turns sixteen. A Nightmare, if you were like me and unfamiliar with them, are a kind of supernatural species who must feed on the dreams of other people to survive. They usually sit on the chest of an unsuspecting victim who is necessarily asleep and while the victim slumbers, they feed on the dreams. The process is never wholly explained so I am not sure how exactly the dreams provide succor but we are told that they do so they must.

The Nightmare Affair will appeal to fans of Hex Hall. It’s breezy, snappy and quick. The characters are interesting and the pace is fast. Things happen quickly and there is no languorous rehashing of events that occurred for lengthened periods of time. Dusty is a fun character and as alien as her species is to the average human, she is remarkably easy to relate to. Her non-relationship with her mother is fun and her friendship with her best girl friend is also fun. I also appreciated that the mean girl actually has a reason to be mean. I also liked the whole school full of supernatural, a boarding school at that. It’s very easy to suck me into a story that features a boarding school.

Now for the things that I had trouble with. The love interests. Eli is obviously one of them though his part in the entire triangle is implicit rather than explicit until at the end. The other boy – it’s just that it is so obvious what is going on with him that Dusty’s failure to question and suspect him throws her into a rather bad light. Her eagerness to believe the worst of her mother is also troubling because the author did not build up their relationship in such a way that I would accept Dusty’s heartlessness where her mother is concerned.

However, I did enjoy the novel overall. It had interesting characters, a strange world and a relatable protagonist. I see myself reading the sequel and enjoying it if Dusty doesn’t go that doom and gloom and oh my God, I’m so tortured by my romantic woes business. Do I recommend it? Well…do you like Hex Hall? If you do, chances are you will like this one a lot.