Callum and Harper by Fisher Amelie

Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The issues that made this book a one star read:

One-dimensional wish-fulfillment heroine. Harper was unflawed, perfect, so gorgeous that all of the men who encountered her immediately fell in love with her.

Seriously awkward writing, which causes disasters like this sentence: "Callum was as selfless a man could be and in a world where an attribute of that caliber was more rare than a pink diamond, I clutched him tightly to my heart, fully aware of just how priceless he undoubtedly was." The next time Ms. Amelie writes a book, she should put down the thesaurus. Because that sentence is INSANE, and it is one of many that are just as awful.

Totally unrealistic financial situations: in what world do two completely unskilled, homeless, and unemployed high school graduates in NYC manage to earn 5K in two weeks by grabbing odd jobs? Whether the author can do the math or not, I can. This is $1200 a week, which is a whopping 62K a year per character. Why would anyone ever get a college education or a job if they could make more than the average teacher by washing dishes under the table on an ad hoc basis. Let's not even talk about the ridiculous "wedding" that a bunch of (basically) strangers threw for our H & h, on their own dime, for no other reason than that they were pretty

Random tense changes within the same sentence, which led to this:  "Heat coursed through my arm and when he removes his hand, I felt a lacking I'd never known I could possess."

WARNING: THIS PART IS SPOILERIFIC

Two freaking years of being fake married. Two freaking years of being fake married. Two freaking years of being fake married. Yes, seriously. Totally in love with each other, yet living together in an unconsummated marriage for two years, afraid to admit their feelings for each other. I could've believed six months, but two years of unrequited, yearning, celibacy is just completely unrealistic and absurd.

Finally, as the piece de resistance, beautiful Harper is stalked by a serial killer who is also a former foster kid, in a story line that really just devolves this book into farce. He burns down their apartment. He murders a bunch of women who either share her name, her address, her hair color, or some other attribute, and when the police finally catch him after he nearly murders her in a library, they are so in-fucking-competent that he escapes by bashing one of them on the head and running away. And then, instead of issuing an APB for him, he blithely boards a plane with Harper and kidnaps her on her way to Seattle so she can confess her love to Callum. Then he hauls her all over Seattle, makes her dress up and pretend to love him, and then nearly beats her death. While she is hospitalized, he conveniently throws himself from a pier and his body washes up as she recuperates.

END SPOILERS

Ack.

When I bought this book, I was hoping for a simple, cute story about a pair of foster kids growing up and falling in love. What I got was a poorly written, unrealistic, absurd, wish-fulfillment, nonsense-filled pseudo-crime-drama.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, I love the cover. It's gorgeous, even on a computer screen, and is a nice change from the ubiquitous pretty girl in a ball gown which seems to be on about every third YA book being published these days. The drawing is fabulous, and really helped me to visualize how the Hartmann saw the world that she was building.

Second, the world building. Far be it from me to go all squealing fan girly, but dang it, this was some good world building. The richness is unbelievable, from philosophy to religion to music. I loved everything about the world of Goredd and the dragons and the dragon/human interaction.

Third, the richness of the characters. Seraphina is internally conflicted, and occasionally filled with self-loathing, which is her birthright. As the daughter of a dragon and a human, she is considered a freak, and an abomination by every one who knows about her parentage, right down to her own father. Her status of a half-breed, though, in a sense, is freeing. Her loyalties are not with one, nor the other, and she can choose who, and what, to believe in based upon what is right, not what is expected. Lucien Kiggs, her love interest, is almost always worthy of her regard. And how refreshing is it to have a Princess - Gisselda - who is not inane, who is not petty, and who is more than just a pretty face?

The first half of the book is a bit of a rough go, but the last half is a headlong rush to the finish. It's not that the first half is poorly paced, it just took me a while to warm up to the characters and to become so deeply engrossed in the story that it played itself out across my mind like actors on a stage.

Finally, the love story between Linn - Seraphina's mother - and Claude - her father - is almost unbearably poignant. I don't know if Hartman plans to write a prequel, or a story, that tells Linn's story, but I hope she does. Just the little bits and pieces that she gave her readers in this book, through Seraphina, about Linn and about her decision to leave behind her people because she fell in love with a human is so compelling that thinking about it hurts a little bit.

I really, really liked this book.

The Witch In Winter by Ruth Warburton

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Having just finished two really exceptional books, this book suffered a bit by comparison. It's not a bad book, and is fairly well written, but it didn't possess that spark that separates the awesome from the pretty good.

There are things that I liked about this book. I liked the characters, especially Maya. I am a bit of a sucker for witch stories, especially where the story incorporates historical witchcraft elements. I also really enjoy stories set in England, and written by English authors.

Overall, though, I would say that the book had a lot of weaknesses. First, I found Anna's untrained ability to manipulate her power to be completely unconvincing. There was not an adequate explanation of how her power could be so latent, yet when she started using it, was so substantial. It is also absolutely inconceivable to me that she would've been able to fly under the radar for as long as she did. Perhaps some of these questions are answered in the second book.

In addition, I always have a problem with romances that develop too quickly and unrealistically. Infatuation, and even too rapid professions of love, are all well and good, but they don't convince me that the love is genuine or deep. The relationship between Seth and Anna felt like it developed far too quickly without anything genuine behind it. Hopefully, this will also be remedied in the second book.

The final conflict was resolved far too easily, and the idea that Anna could've tapped that latent power and overcome witches and warlocks who far outstrip her in training and resources is simple unbelievable. While I am prepared to suspend my belief to some degree - this is a story about witchcraft, after all - this is sort of the equivalent of the girl from my local raquet club managing to win Wimbledon after receiving a couple of tennis lessons. I don't care how good of an athlete you are - the untrained prodigy doesn't beat the well-trained expert.

If I had to sum up this book, it is an acceptable first effort by a new author. It felt very shallow, and I could see it being developed as a television show for the Disney Channel or Nickleodeon. It was a bit too "Witches of Waverly Place" for my taste, without enough convincing conflict to keep me satisfied. Having said that, I liked it enough that I think that I will read the sequel and see where Ms. Warburton takes the story next.

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

I have decided that I am not going to do plot summaries on my reviews anymore, because I am just that kind of a rebel. And, because they are boring to write and to read. If you want a plot summary, the author has kindly provided one on the book page.

Now, who is this R.L. LaFevers who wrote this book, and where has she been all my life? I see from looking at her backlist that she has written two separate middle grade series. This book is targeted toward an older, late YA audience, but if her other books are as enjoyable as this one, I'm prepared to give them a try.

I really liked this book. In spite of the cover, which does a poor job communicating how unique this book is (don't get me wrong, the cover is lovely. But it looks like every other YA paranormal cover with a pretty girl in a ballgown standing about looking fabulous). For starters, it is set in Breton, in the 15th century, and is very much a piece of historical fiction. In addition, the main character, Ismaie, is a nun. A nun who is also an assassin. Which is awesome.

The main character, therefore, is a treat. Her romantic interest, Gavriel Duval, is also a treat. Ismaie is tough as nails, knows 300 ways to kill a man (or a woman) and is doing the work of her god, Mortain, the god of death. She is well versed in the subtle art of the poisoner, is capable of freeing a man's soul from his body with the prick of a blade, and is a protector of Breton's independence and freedom. There is lots of court intrigue, and more than a spot of treachery. This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, and has enough magic to satisfy the YA reader who likes a good paranormal romance. It is a genuinely genre-busting read. Can't wait for the sequel.

4 1/2 of 5 stars.

Vampires: Reloaded

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Andrew Fukuda has returned vampires to their rightful spot at the top of the food chain.

***Plot Summary***

Boy is human (or heper, as they are called in this book). Boy doesn't want vampires to know that he is heper, or they will eat him. Boy is very good at hiding the fact that he is heper. Humans have been basically hunted to extinction, except for the few that are kept in a breeding program by the government. People are unhappy with government (good to know some things never change . . . even vamps are anti-government) so government announces that there will be a Hunt to catch and eat those last hepers. Lucky vampires want to be chosen by lottery to participate in the Hunt. Unlucky Boy gets chosen instead. Disaster ensues.

***Review***

This is a very fast read, which I consumed, like a vampire consumes a heper, in about two and a half hours. By the end of the book, I was flipping screens frantically to get to the resolution.

Pros: it's pacey. The vampires are bloodthirsty, and not even remotely emo. Yay for non-emo vamps! They also do not sparkle in any way, shape or form. There are no heper/vamp romances, mostly because the vamps are so overcome by bloodlust at the scent of a human that they simply tear into any heper they happen to find. The book is also interesting, because it really reimagines a society of vampires, who have become just as rulebound and civilized as the humans they replaced. There are some interesting twists, one of which is pretty obvious, the other one took me by surprise.

Cons: the book is somewhat predictable. There are some minor issues with the believability of the world building, especially the attitude of the MC toward the captive hepers. It also felt a little incomplete, although this leaves plenty of room for the sequels to fill in the gaps.

I really did enjoy this book, though, and look forward to the next installment in the series. The issues with the book were relatively minor and did not interfere with my enjoyment of the story. And, again, yay for non-sparkly, non-emo vamps.

View all my reviews

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my second John Green book, although it will not be my last. I already have An Abundance of Katherine's available, and I am certain that I will, at some point, read Looking for Alaska. Mr. Green is an exceptional writer who writes lyrical and compelling books about his youthful characters. I loved this book only slightly less than I adored The Fault In Our Stars.

***Plot Summary***

This book is primarily character driven. The plot is quite slender, actually, set in the final few days before the main character, Quentin, is set to graduate from high school. The book begins with a flashback of an event that occurred when Quentin was younger, and still best friends with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin is an ordinary young man, while Margo is quite extraordinary - one of those crucible-like characters that tends to clarify and refine the people in her orbit. Quentin has been in love with Margo from afar for years.

The book begins with a crazy night of brilliantly vindictive revenge, planned by Margo to extract vengeance from the people who, at this point, have wronged her. Margo seeks an accomplice for her adventures, and asks Quentin to accompany her. The first part of the book is consumed by their edgy, Bueller-esque adventures. After that night, Margo disappears, and Quentin and his friends spend the remainder of the book trying to discover where she has gone, and whether she wants to be found, through the clues that Margo has left behind.

***Review***

I loved this book. The first part of the book is genuinely funny - Margo is a criminal mastermind par excellence, plotting and executing her revenge with extraordinary precision and cleverness. I laughed out loud several times while I was reading it. Once that night of high-jinks and mayhem is completed, however, the book quickly becomes much more serious.

John Green has created a set of supporting characters that I will remember for a long time. Ben and Radar, Quentin's best friends, and Lacey, who was Margo's best friend and was the victim of one her crazy revenge plots, who was a much better friend to Margo than she realized. Somehow, when Margo leaves, Quentin manages to fill her power position in the school - a spot of blackmail always being useful - and Ben, Radar and Q really come into their own during the waning days of high school, in a way that anyone who has ever graduated from high school will appreciate.

Overall, this book is not as mature, perhaps, as The Fault In Our Stars, but it is the work of a writer who knows teens, who knows how to put together a sentence and tell a story. John Green has a knack, more than any other current writer, for avoiding cliches when he writes about teens. His characters are real, not merely stock representations pulled from the bank of angsty teen characters. They are flawed, interesting and complete.

If you aren't reading John Green, you should be.

Easy by Tammara Webber

Easy by Tammara Webber


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tammara Webber consistently writes and publishes books that are high quality. There is no need to qualify the review of this, or, frankly, any, of her self-published books with a tag along the lines of "excellent for a self-published book." I've read all four of the books that she has published. They have attractive covers, and the prose inside of them is well-written, grammatically correct and largely error free. Kudos.

So, with that introduction, there are a few things that I want to say about this book, both about the romance and then, in a moment, about her realistic and sensitive exploration of the subject of college acquaintance sexual assault.

So, first, the romance. This book has been compared to Beautiful Disaster by some of my reader friends. This comparison does a disservice to this book. Easy is better than Beautiful Disaster. So, so, so much better.

I love Jacqueline. She is strong and intelligent and exhibits more than a little bit of backbone. She has a great deal of self-confidence, but even more importantly, she treats herself as though she is a worthy person. She is saddened by the break up of a long term relationship, and is appropriately emotive, but never does she devolve into a caricature of a heroine who wallows in self-pity by collapsing into a mass of self-indulgent drama. Fiction could use a lot more Jacquelines.

The romance is sweet and unfolds naturally. Lucas is a genuinely likeable guy, who treats Jacqueline with respect as their relationship develops. He is the kind of guy that, if you are the mother of a teenaged girl, you hope your daughter will meet when she gets to college. Hardworking, intelligent, unentitled, compassionate, and strong.

This book is worth reading for the romance.

It is, however, the backstory where Ms. Webber really shines. I have no idea what her personal experience includes, but, as a sexual assault prosecutor, I felt that her treatment of college acquaintance sexual assault was beautifully done.

There are only three things required for a rape to occur. A victim, an opportunity, and a rapist. All too often, even in fiction, writers treat rape, especially acquaintance rape, as though, somehow, non-rapists sort of accidentally commit it. This book, thankfully, takes a much more realistic, appropriate, non-victim blaming approach. It is empowering to young women who may have been the victim of this crime, while acknowledging that society, often, treats rape victims in a disparaging, irresponsible, and cruel manner. It is not uncommon for the community to rally around the rapist - the Buck's of the world - while treating the victim as though she has committed some sort of a crime by reporting that she was sexually assaulted.

I don't want to allow this review to digress into a public service announcement, but there is a reason that rape, and especially rape committed by an acquaintance, is an extremely underreported crime. Ms. Webber's book provides an explanation of that phenomenon in a way that is sensitive and well-done. I very much admire her for her treatment of this subject. If she makes one victim feel better - as though it isn't her fault - then she will have accomplished something truly remarkable with this story.

Overall, I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars, and would just say "thank you" to the author.

I wave the white flag of surrender

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare


My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I've been reading the Mortal Instrument's series through somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 pages at this point. I made it to 40% of this book before I finally had to admit it.

I simply don't care anymore.

The first three books were flawed, but reasonably entertaining. Book 4 had great promise, although the cliff-hanger ending mildly annoyed me. I should've known that the story was going nowhere when I wasn't consumed by rage at the fact that Cassandra Clare left me in Book 4 at the point that she left me.

So, this book. Yes, it's a DNF. No, I don't think I will be reading anymore of the series. I'm bored with the characters. I get it that Jace is all golden hotness. For the love of all that is holy, I understand that he glimmers, glistens, is luminescent in his goldenness. Can we move on, now, please? He's hot. Fine. And Clary, well, she has evolved from a moderately engaging mundane into one of the worse cases of wish-fulfillment I've. ever. freaking. seen. in. fiction. Can we just call her Clary-Sue and be done with it, please?

As for the secondary characters, I still love Magnus. But he's just not enough to keep me reading. Simon - yeah, I liked him too, until the author stripped him of every single interesting aspect to his character. He's a vampire? Really? He's the most boring vampire I've ever seen. He makes the vampires from Twilight look positively ferocious.

So, yeah, I didn't like this book. I'm done with the series. Because by 40% of the book, nothing has actually happened. Not one thing. Although, it gets an extra star because the cover is really pretty.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

This was a very productive reading weekend. In addition to reading Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, I finished:



Which is a YA take on the Hood mythology. This is a departure from my recent reading because it is not PNR, not UF, not fantasy. There is no magick, no wizards, no werewolves, nothing paranormal at all. Scarlet is straight historical fiction, set during the period when King Richard is on the Crusades, and John as taken over ruling in his absence.

I have read a lot of historical fiction set during this time period, including the adult historical fiction novel by Sharon Kay Penman, which includes The Sunne in Splendor:



and the Marshal/Bigod books by Elizabeth Chadwick, which are generally set during this time period. King John is historically reviled. It was during the end of his reign that some of his barons revolted, and forced the signing of the Magna Carta at Runnymede, an event that is considered by some historians to have begun the English evolution to a constitutional monarchy. It isn't necessary to understand this historical background to enjoy the story, but an understanding of English history certainly doesn't hurt.

Overall, I found the book to be a nice combination of historical accuracy and anachronism. The main character in the book, Scarlet, is a girl. Her behavior is historically anachronistic given the status and education of girls during the Middle Ages. Knowing this, however, didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. This is fiction, and in fiction, even medieval fiction, I expect my girl heroines to be fairly kickass. Scarlet was, indeed, a tough girl.

There is, as always, the ubiquitous YA love triangle in this book. Few people know Scarlet's feminine identity. The two boys who do, are both in love with her. It is slightly more convincing in this book than it is in others because Scarlet is genuinely exceptional for her time. In any event, the love triangle aspect didn't overwhelm the story.

The book didn't end on a classic cliffhanger, although there is plenty of room to continue the story, and I am curious to see where the author takes these characters, and the people of Nottingham in what I hope will be another installment of this series.

This book is a solid and enjoyable twist on the Robin Hood mythology for young adults. It doesn't quite reach a 4 star read for me, so I'd give it 3 1/2 stars. It's well worth buying and well worth reading.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

This first novel by Lish McBride:




was the first book club pick for my Goodreads Group.

Plot Summary:

Samhain Corvus LeCroix lives in Seattle, where he works for Plumpy's, a fast food restaurant. He is a young, male, underachiever who dropped out of college, and who lives with his best friend, Ramon. He likes to hang out with his Plumpy's coworkers, Brooke and Frank. His life is fairly uneventful until a fierce bout of potato hockey ends up breaking the taillight of a very powerful, very evil, necromancer named Douglas. Necromancer: one who controls death.

Douglas realizes that Sam is also a necromancer, albeit a very weak one. The rest of the book is a dramatic and slyly humorous romp, with Douglas-the-evil engaging in all sorts of evil-doing related to Sam. There is also a subplot related to a werewolf named Bridin, the next in line as the alpha of the local were pack.

Review:

This book is the first in a new series. There were a number of things about it that were different -- that I really liked. First, the main character is a male, which is sort of unique in YA. Generally, books that are written in the first person have a female MC. It flipped back and forth between the first person perspective of Samhain Corvus LaCroix, to a third person perspective of some of the other characters. The transitions between perspective were well done, and not confusing.

I also really liked the fact that there was no YA love triangle. Yes, the author did avoid that particular trope. There is a bit of romance, of course, but it doesn't overwhelm the story. This book is not a romance -- it is, first and foremost, a story of friendship.

I live in Portland, and the book is set in one of my favorite cities, Seattle. I also really loved this. Seattle is a great setting for paranormal -- something about all of that drizzle, verdant greenery and grayness sets a very compelling scene.

However, if I had to choose one attribute that I enjoyed above all others, it has to be the humorous bent of the book. There were several opportunities to laugh-at-loud at Sam and his friends. This book is not full of teen angst. These characters are clever, and they all have their tongues firmly in their cheeks. I enjoyed the lighthearted aspect of the book.

Finally, I was genuinely surprised by the ending. I didn't see it coming. I had expected an entirely different progression for the story into book 2 of the series.

I'd give it 3 1/2 stars here. For amazon, I'll round up to 4 stars.

Why I read YA

I don't always read books with ridiculously handsome men, and their abs, on the covers. I go through cycles as a reader. One of my *other* favorite genres is Young Adult. And yes, I'm 46 years old.

I read YA for a number of reasons. One of the most important, for the last decade, has been my daughter. She is 15 years old now, and we've been reading together since she was a baby, but it really took off when she was around 5 years old.

We've read through Little House on the Prairie, Tamora Pierce, and Harry Potter, through Twilight, and Percy Jackson, and any number of books about the fae and werewolves and vampires. Most recently, she read The Hunger Games trilogy, and then, along with another friends, pestered me incessantly until I picked it up and read it myself.

So, one of the reasons that I read YA is because it gives me something to talk about with my kid. Something important. I raised a reader, and I am prouder of that fact that, maybe, I have any right to be. Because dammit, I am so proud of my brilliant, insightful daughter.

But that's only part of the reason that I read YA. The other part is because I love it. And because a lot of the writers who are currently choosing to write YA can really write. They respect the teenager -- and teenagers get far too little respect in our society, actually. The best teenagers are awesome, amazing, hilarious, ambitious, idealistic kids. And the writers, like John Green, and Rick Riordan, and, yes, JK Rowling, who are writing for those kids have to be at the top of their game. Do not insult the intelligence of a smart teenager.

Sure, there are some tropes in YA that I am sick of, starting with the YA love triangle, It's trite, and it's been overdone to the point of ridiculousness. But tropes exist in all genres, and they are no more prevalent in YA than in romance or mystery. They may actually be less prevalent.

No one rights clever as well as Rick Riordan. No one plot better than Rowling. No one writes teen angst better than John Green. And they are just barely scratching the surface of awesome YA writers, like Julie Kagawa, and Patricia Wrede, and Shannon Hale.

So, the main reason I read YA is because a lot of it is really, really good. As in, exceeds the quality standards of a lot of adult fiction.

The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

As I posted in the sidebar on "The Streak" we listened to the audiobook of The Hunger Games coming and going on our vacation. It is very well done, and I highly recommend it.

Nonetheless, there comes a time when one is completely riveted by a book, that the audiobook just can't keep up with a reading speed of 150 pages an hour. I managed to hit that point at midnight, our first night home from the vacation. I have occasional insomnia, which is often inconvenient, but also provides a fabulous opportunity for undisturbed reading if work is not scheduled for the following day. My insomnia roared to life at midnight, and didn't relent until 4:30 a.m. By that time, I had finished book 1,




and read all of book 2, Catching Fire:




and 1/2 of the third book, Mockingjay:



Doing a series review is risky, because plot spoilers are almost inevitable, and I can't fully air my thoughts about this series without providing major spoilers. So, if you haven't read the trilogy, let me start by saying the following:

These books are worth reading. I am a huge fan of YA literature. It is my opinion that some of the best books being written today are in the YA genre. It is true that much trash is published in that genre as well, but someone who is looking for big themes and risk-taking in fiction shouldn't turn up their noses at YA. I previously gave John Green's A Fault In Our Stars a five-star review, and I genuinely loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The Hunger Games is an example of this phenomenon. These are brave books, that take a serious look at humanity, and don't shy away from bleakness. They define the reason that people read dystopian lit. Because when we look into the heart of darkness, we learn something about ourselves.

So, if you haven't read the trilogy, stop reading here. Go and buy the books. Read them. Then come back, if you are interested in what I thought.

***Spoilers . . . . Spoilers . . . . Spoilers . . . . Spoilers . . . . Spoilers ***

For purposes of this section of the post, I am going to assume that everyone reading has already read the entire trilogy. Therefore, I'm not bothering with a plot summary.

I really loved the first book. I loved the author's voice. I have read very few books written in the first person present, and even fewer that could actually pull it off. Suzanne Collins did this masterfully, and through the use of the first person present tense, drew the reader into Katniss Everdeen with devastating thoroughness. Because this is not an easy book to read in any respect. We start with the drama of The Reaping, and the slow, horrifying unfolding of the purpose of The Hunger Games, and then the volunteering of Katniss to take the place of her younger sister, Prim. This entire process is deeply affecting, in a nightmarish way. Panem is the stuff that nightmares of made of, where children are forced to become brutal assassins, to commit murder for public entertainment. Even the seemingly idyllic sections of the book -- Katniss and Gale hunting in the forest -- are based in a horror story where children become criminals if they ensure that families don't die of starvation.

Once Katniss gets to the Capitol the book becomes even more compelling. In the third book, Ms. Collins uses a phrase from Roman history to describe the people of The Capitol: Panem et Circuses, which is also where she gets the name of her fictional dystopian world. The reason behind that name becomes clear as the series develops. Because the people of The Capitol are utterly corrupt in their uselessness. Their absurd styles, their gluttony, their abject exploitation of the Districts, detail the most shallow and worthless humanity. The Hunger Games -- child murder as entertainment -- are merely the most obvious examples of their corruption. In reality, they have created a constant version of The Hunger Games in the lives in the citizens of the Districts, where people die of starvation, while surrounded by forests and fields teeming with food and life.

Book two of the series, Catching Fire is equally compelling. Katniss and Peeta have both survived The Hunger Games. Katniss's brilliant emotional manipulation at the end of the games both ensured their survival and has served as a rallying point for a rebellion in the Districts. The power structure of The Capitol, and particularly the reptilian and evil President Snow, is deeply angry with Katniss and intends to have their revenge. It is difficult, in this book, to remember that Katniss is really still a child of 17. She has been providing for her family, surviving under the worst of circumstances for half a decade at this point, and things are about to get even uglier in District 12.

Catching Fire, as the middle book of the trilogy, does a remarkable job of sustaining interest in the series. It doesn't fall victim to many of the middle book issues, and, while it doesn't stand on it's own, significantly advances the story. New characters are introduced, including one of my favorite characters in the trilogy, Finnick.

Katniss continues to serve as a rallying point for a rebellion against the excesses of The Capitol. Even some of those within the Capitol's power structure itself have come to recognize the inhumanity and emptiness that is the government of Panem, and a rebellion is empowered.

It is the final book, though, that gives the series it's genuine power. Mockingjay is not nearly as popular with readers, because it is a hard book to read. We see our favorite characters broken and, in many cases, outright killed. Because, as it turns out, the leader of the rebellion, and much of the movement itself is nothing more, or less, than The Capitol 2.0. Just as corrupt, just as inhumane, just as horrifying. And the rebels use Katniss as their symbol, with her willing participation, while entirely stripping her of any meaning or personhood. Mockingjay is a bleak indictment of humanity.

And, in the end, Katniss saves the world. Unsung, in an act of criminal rebellion for which she, were the book real, would have been executed. This is deeply symmetrical. Katniss has been forced to murder for her survival through her participation in not one, but two, versions of the Hunger Games. She is the perfect assassin -- able to execute someone in cold blood, simply because the ends can justify the means. She is what the Capitol has created, and what was exploited, and, in the end, her inherent understanding of what will happen should President Coin rise to power results in a decision to commit one more act of cold-blooded and premeditated murder where she saves, not herself, but the soul of her world.

Thankfully, Collins spares us the final horror that would be her execution. Her life is spared, and she ends the book sinking into relative obscurity with the one character who is just as broken as she is, and between the two of them, they try to find some way to live out their lives not entirely in darkness.

Finally, a word about the ubiquitous YA love triangle. Yes, I, too, am completely tired of the need to install a love triangle, with a single exceptional female being fought over by two extremely compelling males, into every single goddamned YA series being written. However, do not make the mistake of thinking that the love triangle in this series is the point. That is the least compelling aspect of the book to my mind, and it is easy to get sidetracked by the question of "who will she choose." Peeta is her rock, her friend and her protector, and he would be all of those things regardless of whether he ended the series as her husband. Gale is her best friend, but he is in love with fire and justice, and with the idea of Katniss -- the symbol, the survivor, the warrior -- much more than he is in love with Katniss the person.

Among the most touching moments in the book occurs at the end, when Peeta asks Katniss:

"You love me. Real or not real?" And Katniss responds. "Real." By that time, neither of them truly know what is real and what is not.

This was an incredibly brave series, and I appreciate the author not ending it easily. Lives are lost, including some very important and beloved characters, and the toll of war is acknowledged. Because, as Collins puts it: "something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its childrens lives to settle its difference."

There is much more that I could say about these books. The use of propaganda, the impact of dehumanization on a culture, the importance of symbols, and the toll of war. But this post is already incredibly long and I'm drained, thinking back through the experience that is the reading of this trilogy over the course of about a day. So, I'll simply end with a definition of Collin's beautiful metaphor:

Panem and Circuses: the abdication of political and civic responsibility in return for a life of frivolous irresponsibility. A message for our time, perhaps.

Review: Wither

I just finished this one:



which falls into the general category of YA dystopian, same as Ashes, Ashes.

Wither is set in the unidentified future, and starts from the premise that, approximately 70 years earlier or thereabouts, humanity learned how to genetically engineer children who would be in perfect physical condition their whole lives. This eradicated cancer and other childhood diseases, as well as congenital defects. These people, called "First Generation" are genetically perfect and extremely long-lived. The experiment was a resounding success.

Except, of course, it wasn't. Because as the First Generation went on to procreate, their own children turned out to be victims of an inalterable, and mysterious, ailment that kills them in their youth. Females live to be 20. Males live to 25. And in this world, the wealthy live behind gates, and they steal brides for their boys to make babies that are born to, probably, die, and the geneticists continue to seek a cure for the disease that is killing their children. Add to this a post-apocalyptic world where all but North America is gone (or at least believed to be gone) and you have the violent, misogynistic world of Wither.

The MC, Rhine, was kidnapped out of New York, separated from her twin brother Rowan, and shipped to Florida as a bride for Linden, 20 year old son of Housemaster Vaughn. Linden's first wife, Rose, is on her deathbed from the disease when Rose, Cecily and Jenna arrive at the house, having been abducted and bought by the Gatherers.

What comes next is told from the perspective of Rhine. It is a limited narrative, and we only learn what Rhine learns as she learns it, but what we do learn is enough to horrify us. Cecily, the youngest bride, is a mere 13 years old when her marriage to Linden is consummated, and she becomes pregnant. Rhine, 16 years old, rapidly develops into Linden's favorite. And Jenna, 18 years old and only 2 years away from death, hates Linden but has decided that this place that she is in is as good a place to die as any. There is precious little warmth and almost zero hope for any of these girls.

Wither is well-written, and at times the horror of the book is hidden beneath beautiful prose. The mansion, where the brides are kept captive, is a gilded cage, with hologram games and a pool, and an orange grove. Linden is a remarkably weak and oblivious young man. Even at the end of the book, the reader is left with more questions than answers, particularly about Linden's father, Housemaster Vaughn.

There are some things that don't make sense, and this book does require a willing suspension of disbelief. There is no real explanation of how, and why, people universally stopped reproducing naturally, and the reader is led to believe that there are no naturally-procreated human beings left. I suspect that the reader will find, in Fever, that this is not true, and that there are enclaves of "real," and by real I mean, of course, naturally conceived, human beings that are living secretly, away from the population of the First Generation and their doomed offspring.

I anxiously await Fever:



scheduled for publication on February 21. One burning question does present itself -- who on earth thought that cover was a good idea? That ugly ass cover gets my "WTF" award for the week.

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a YA fantasy title by Laini Taylor.



It's not her first novel, but it feels like her breakthrough novel into the big leagues.

And what a breakthrough it is.

This book is simply gorgeous. It is set in Prague, which has the benefit of being both familiar and exotic. It is also a city that has always fascinated me, so one of the things that I really loved about the book is that it is set in Prague. The main character, Karou, is also familiar yet exotic, an artistic girl with azure hair. The fantasy elements are also beautifully realized. One of the things that really sets this book apart from others is the world building.

I read the book on kindle, but I feel like I need to drive to Barnes and Noble so I can hold this book in my hands, because there are aspects of it that I suspect will be lovely in print form. Sections of the book are separated by pages that are empty save two poetic lines and an image of a feather. This works well on kindle, but may be breathtaking in print.

The only real complaint I have is that it ended with the obligatory cliff-hanger. This is common in series novels, and it drives me crazy. Mostly it drives me crazy because I don't know when the next novel will be published. I do know that I will be reading it.

In summary, I loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved the mythology that Laini Taylor created to define the two warring races, I loved the way that the worlds, and the wishes, worked. Ms. Taylor took risks in the writing of this book. The risks paid off. 4 1/2 stars (5 on amazon).

Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Every once in a while, I find a book that I really, really fall in love with. This is one of those books. John Green is the real deal.



Having been sucked so deeply into this book that finishing it felt like coming up for air, I find that it has continued to weigh upon me many hours later. And, yes, this book made me bawl because it was so freaking sad and beautiful, and even though I could see the end coming, that didn't stop it from being freaking sad and beautiful.

There are some things about the book that are hard to swallow. The teenagers don't talk like real teenagers -- they talk like Rory Gilmore if she had terminal cancer. They talk the way we (and they) wish teenagers talked. But, this book is so good that I can forgive the author that little conceit.

There is little to say that hasn't already been said, and I am reviewing this book only because I swore that I would review every book I read in 2012. Nothing that I can say about The Fault in Our Stars will even begin to say what I want to say as well as John Green already said it. So, I'm going to inflict a few of my favorite quotes on the readers of this review and then I am going to yell at everyone reading this review to GO READ THIS BOOK. Because this John Green guy is totally the bomb. In a pile of dross, he is the gold.

"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said, Isaac shot me a look. "Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is."

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."

and last

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/but in ourselves." Easy enough to say when you're a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!), but there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars.

Read this book. That is all.

Review: Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

I finished reading this:



Although it was a bit of a struggle. Just not very good.

REVIEW (2 stars):

Dystopian is where it is at with Young Adult fiction these days, and this book attempts, without much success, to jump on that bandwagon.

This book is deeply, deeply flawed. That's actually too nice. It is really bad. Let me count the ways.

First off, I do not have any problem willingly suspending disbelief when it comes to fiction. However, if I am going to suspend my disbelief, then the author has an obligation not to insult my intelligence. This book insults my intelligence. There is a massive, monumental, devastating climate change that goes literally unexplained for all three-hundred-odd pages. Weather patterns have changed. In a mere five years, summer has stopped being summer and has become "The Big Wet." Things are submerged. Parts of the U.S. have apparently simply disappeared into the ocean.

Yet, all of this climactic activity has, apparently, no explanation at all. I guess that the polar ice caps have melted. Unfortunately, this is an event that takes half a millenium (or at least a couple of decades) to impact the climate. And we are to believe that all of this happened in less than five years? For this reader, at least, by page 70, I was done (the final straw came at the point that the author had Mt. St. Helen's erupting and burying my hometown of Portland, Oregon, in ash and molten rock. Portland is 70 miles from Mt. St. Helen's, it has erupted in my lifetime, and there was no burying of Portland in ash & molten rock. Part of writing a book is researching it, and part of researching would involve looking at a map, or reading about the actual eruption that occurred in 1980.) There is no reason that melting polar ice caps would cause volcanic eruptions. No scientific reason at all.

This, however, is a small thing when the real problem is the ridiculous story of the virus that ate humanity, which is apparently a version of smallpox. And yet, the author kills off the precise population that would have been immune to smallpox from their childhood vaccinations and has the teenagers survive. It is fine for an author to take some creative license. But when an author uses an actual disease for which people were actually vaccinated 50 years ago, but aren't today, having some of the teens live and pretty much all of the middle-aged ones die is ridiculous. Just wanting to write about remarkably attractive teens living in a devastated world with no parents is no excuse for sloppy plotting. Since I don't want to post spoilers, I'm not even going to get started on the enormous, gaping, quantum-mechanic-esque black hole that is at the center of the whole conflict/villain aspect of the book.

In the end, I'm giving this book 2-stars only because it has obviously been professionally edited, which at this point in history is something that a reader can't take for granted. However, in all other respects, it was an altogether unpleasant stew. I am left wondering what Scholastic was thinking in publishing this one, when there are so many others out there that are better.