Putting Makeup On Dead People by Jen Violi

What You Need to Know:   This is a well-done, quirky coming of age story with an appealing main character that struggles under too many divergent themes.

Summary:  Donna’s dad died her freshman year of high school.  Now getting ready to graduate, Donna realilzes that she’s walked through the last four years in a fog, just getting by, not making any connections or feeling much of anything.   She goes to school, goes to church and doesn’t do much else.  The death of a classmate wakes her up to possibilities, specifically, the possibilities of a career in mortuary science.  Investigating at a local funeral home, Donna discovers a talent for working with the dead and bereaved, and spurred on by the new girl at school, she starts to let go of her past and build a future.  However, letting go is easier said than done.

What Works:  Donna is a very likeable girl.  She is a little closed off, but as you come to understand her life, her distance seems reasonable (if sad).  Donna’s quirky voice and unique POV brings a lot of humor and tenderness to what could be a very bleak story.   The funeral home setting is unique, and the staff that works there nicely humanized.   Many unconventional characters populate Donna’s world, and they are convincingly portrayed, with warmth and understanding.  Also, Donna’s battles with her mom – about religion, life choices and boys -- felt very real, and the blame is equally spread on both sides.   

What Doesn’t: Whenever Donna begins to doubt herself, up pops another eccentric character to remind her of her choices and reaffirm her purpose.  It stretches credulity just a tad.  Also, the discussions of alternative religions and the role the church plays in Donna’s life aren’t as fleshed out as they could be. 

However:  I was not raised in a religious family, and have a very “whatever works, brah”  attitude towards faith.  Someone with a background similar to Donna’s might find more meaning here.  

Please Note:  Awesome cover! 

Who would I give this book to?  Teens seeking a different kind of bildungsroman.  Fans of shows like Six Feet Under and Pushing Daisies.  

Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

What You Need to Know:  This typical coming of age novel features lots illicit behavior, but ultimately falls flat.

Summary:  Charlotte's life pretty much sucks.  Forced to transfer her senior year, a learning disability keeps her from getting into an exclusive prep school.  That same disability keeps her from getting into the gifted and talented program at her new high school.  Going to a large public high school after years spent in an all girl environment is a culture shock, and Charlotte flounders.  However, she has the good luck to fall into the orbit of Amanda.  Brilliant, beautiful and eager to break every rule, Amanda is clearly the Alpha Girl of Shady Grove.  Charlotte soon becomes her willing flunky.  Following Amanda's lead keeps her from thinking about her perfect little brother, her newly pretentious author dad, and the cracks in her parents' marriage.  However, being Amanda's "friend" may cost Charlotte more than she realizes.

What Works:  Martin nails the voice of a young woman who is completely at sea.  Charlotte has nothing to hold on too -- dad's a jerk, mom's preoccupied and little brother tries, but is a little brother.   In a family of high achievers, she's the odd one out, who has completely internalized her family's (perceived) disappointment with her.    Charlotte's lack of self-worth makes her fixation on and loyalty to Amanda believable, and a little squirm inducing.  Charlotte is such a doormat, that some readers (me) might get annoyed with her, but her actions are realistic and understandable.

What Doesn't:   The secondary characters in this book range from weak to paper-thin.  Even Amanda is little more than a rebellious attitude and a hair color.  This weakness shows up the most with the adult characters, who play a large role in Charlotte's life, but are never fully fleshed out.   Also, there is just a touch of the after-school special about this book.  Charlotte is constantly pushed into situations where she's uncomfortable, substances are ingested and bad choices are made.  The result feels a little judgmental.

Also:  The way that Charlotte's learning disability is handled bugged the hell out of me.  It is hard for me to believe that a family like this wouldn't get Charlotte the help she needs.   However, my husband, who has the same learning disability that Charlotte has, says that his learning problems were ignored until college.  So maybe I'm just super optimistic.

Please Note:  This book has an awesome cover!

Who Would I Give this Book To:  Smart Girls, Stupid Choices books are always popular, and I can see girls looking for coming of age books liking this.  I would not give it to a teen dealing with a learning disability, as Charlotte never really comes to terms with her learning differences.

The Cellar by A.J. Whitten.

What You Need To Know:  This poorly-written Twilight-with-zombies will have fans, but there are far better teen horror books. 

Summary: Meredith lost her dad months ago in a car wreck caused by her sister Heather. Now, Heather has become an emo poster-child and Mom is a shopoholic. But when the amazingly handsome and charismatic Adrien St. Germain moves to town, Heather falls instantly in love. Meredith however, senses something not right about Adrien, and seeks answers in the decrepit house next door. But, can she believe what she sees?


 What Worked: The writing here is atmospheric; the death and decay of Adrien’s world is well communicated.

What Didn’t: (spoilers ahead) Where to start… Although I’m sure this isn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, it is certainly the worst book I’ve read this year. 

 I’ll start with my biggest gripe: halfway through the book, it comes out that Meredith has a condition, Fuchs’ disease, that causes her to “see things that aren’t there”. However, five minutes on Google proved that Fuchs’ doesn’t cause hallucinations. While there are macular diseases that do cause visual hallucinations, it is very unlikely that a healthy 16 year old girl with no other symptoms would start to hallucinate. Basically, the condition is used as a all-too-convenient excuse for why nobody believes Meredith’s suspicions. Sloppy research and bad writing make me Hulk-out.

Honestly, I am a pro at suspending disbelief.  I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy.  But what this book asks me to swallow is just too much..  Let me count them down. 

1.  Adrien, the undead guy,  is wicked hot. He’s a sexy zombie. Yes, you heard me.   "Zombie" and "sexy" are two words that should NEVER be put together. 
2. The undead guy wears sunglasses all the time. Because he has no eyes. Just maggot-infested holes. Nobody really comments on this, or it’s seen as being “hot”.  Yes, rotten parasites are so appealing! 
3. The undead guy has Cullen-like psychic powers. He can bring people, particularly women, under his spell and make them do whatever he wants. And he does. Repeatedly. 
4.  The undead guy also has powers over animals. He also has a host of carrion eaters – beetles, vultures, hyenas, piranha, doctor fish, and crows – that obey his commands.   Again, nobody seems to notice this, because hyenas are common in Massachusetts.
5.  The undead guy doesn’t just rely on his persuasive abilities; he has a whole medieval torture chamber set up in his basement. Which he uses. Repeatedly. 
6.  The undead guy has a slowly rotting mother with whom he’s engaged in a century long power struggle; however, that doesn’t stop them from feeding on the populace. Together.
7. The wicked hot eyeless psychic carrion-whisperer torturing brain-eating undead guy is the romantic lead.

Honestly, I could go on, but this whole story is one big contrivance. Obviously, Adrien finds the damaged (literally!) Heather. Naturally, he chooses her as his “forever love”. Certainly, they’re cast as the leads in Romeo and Juliet. And of course, it all comes down to a bloody and unbelievable zombie showdown, including the dead dad.

Who would I give this book to: Nobody. But, I can see it finding an audience.

Red Glove by Holly Black

What You Need To Know:  Cassel and his fascinating world of magic and crime return, in this strong second volume of The Curse Workers. 


Summary:  After discovering his gift, and how his brothers misused it, Cassel has more problems then ever.  Mom's out of jail, working her own game, and the girl he adores has been cursed to love him -- which sucks.  But when Cassel's brother turns up dead, and the feds want his help, he'll have to run the greatest con of all to make it out alive. 


What works:  Cassel Sharp is awesome, and Black nails his voice.  An honorable guy in a deeply dishonorable world, he's far from perfect.   Cassel is tempted, and makes mistakes just like any high school age guy would.  What makes Cassel awesome is that he uses his brains and skills to get himself out of trouble, and Black avoids the "magic fixes EVERYTHING" problem that fantasy writers can fall into. 


Although the central mystery at the core of this book is slightly less compelling than the first Curse Workers volume, Black manages to keep the suspense high, and work in a few surprises along the way.  As always, the world building is expertly done, showing instead of telling, and all in service to the story. 


What Didn't:   To me, the political subplot felt trite and overdone.  Yes, its good for a zinger in the end, and Black does her best to work it into the central mystery, but all in all, I could have lived without it.   


Who would I give this book to:  I think that this series would be a great choice for kids who grew up on Harry Potter, but are ready to move on to darker fare.   Guys who like the paranormal, but are iffy about romance would like it too.  

Shine by Lauren Myracle

What You Need to Know:  This amazing modern southern-gothic mystery is one of the best books of 2011.

Summary: Once upon a time, Cat was best friends with Patrick.  Now Patrick lies in a coma, the victim of a hate crime.  Although nobody in the small North Carolina town of Black Creek wants to look too hard for the criminal, Cat takes it upon herself to find out who hurt Patrick.  While local law enforcement looks for an outsider, Cat feels sure the victim lies a lot closer to home.  Along the way, Cat will have to come out of her self imposed exile, and face the issues she's been ignoring.

What Worked:  When I finished this book, my reaction was:  "Damn, Lauren Myracle could win the Printz."   A vibrant setting, timely issues, tight plotting, compelling characters, and polished writing -- this book hits all of the award criteria. 

For me, the best thing about the book was the setting.  The small, rural town of Black Creek, which is slowly dying, although nobody wants to admit it.  Cat is such a product of this place, she knows it like nothing else, so she is naturally the one to solve the mystery of who attacked Patrick.  Also, Myracle nails Cat's voice, a girl longing to break free of her small world, but not really seeing a way out, who feels a debt to someone she abandoned.

For once, I felt like the romance elements of the book were organic and well intergrated.  As much as this is a mystery, it's also Cat's coming of age.  Finding someone to connect with is part of that journey. 



What Didn't:  The ending is going to leave some readers (me) unhappy.  Without getting too spoilery, lets just say that the crime is solved.  Is the criminal brought to justice?  Well, that depends.  The choice made at then end is made honestly, but left me feeling cold.   

Who would I give this book to?  With Myracle's name on the cover, this book isn't going to require much selling.  However, I can see it appealing to teens with an interest in GLBTQ issues, and mystery fans.

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

What You Need to Know:  This Western masquerading as a zombie novel features lots of action and guy appeal.

Summary: Benny Imura can’t keep a job, so he decides to go into the family business – killing the undead.   When Benny was 2, the zombies rose, and humanity was forced into small, technologically deficient enclaves.   Benny lives with his older brother Tom, who like many others, makes a living by killing zombies in the rot and ruin beyond the town gates.   Many think Tom is a hero, but Benny knows better.  Tom is a quiet man, unlike the swaggering, boastful bounty hunters who pass through Mountainside.  When Benny is 15, he must work, or loose his food rations.  Not willing to take up the grunt labor that makes life possible, he apprentices with his brother.  Outside of Mountainside, Benny learns more about his brother, and the killers Ben once admired, than he wants. 

  

 What worked:  OMG – I LOVED this book.  Maberry nails Benny’s voice, a boy who thinks he’s a man, who has everything figured out, and then has the rug pulled out from under him.   Maberry also does some really nice world building in desc ribing life in Mountainside, building details naturally into the text, and not relying on info dumps or ominecent narration. 

Maberry builds a strong Old West feel into his future zombie dystopia.  Hand  cranks power the town, gaslamps light the darkness, bounty hunters are both feared and idolized, sherrifs and posses abound.  Everbody travels by horse, and news moves slow.  Westerns don’t often pop up in Teen Lit, so I was charmed by the novelty of the tropes being used.  

Also, Benny is half Japanese.  Characters of color can be rare in teen horror novels, so this was good to see.

And, Tom kills zombies with a samuari sword.  That is inexpressibly bad ass.  

What didn’t:  The romance elements of this book felt a little forced.  Benny goes from not wanting anything to do with girl-next-door Nix, to falling for a girl he’s only seen on a trading card, to risking everything to save Nix in rapid order.   

However: I have little patience for romance, as I’ve said before.  Less smooching, more decapitating!  And Nix is pretty bad ass herself.

Who would I give this book to:  Fans of zombie novels, such as World War Z or The Walking Dead, looking for a different type of undead story

Note the First:  Killer First Line “Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing”

Note the Second:  This would be an interesting book to pair with Black Hole Sun, another “genre Western”. 

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

What You Need to Know:  This is a romance-y spin on the current Greek Gods trend, featuring a strong heroine and an interesting premise.

Summary: Kate Winters has spent the last several years waiting for her mom to die, living to care for her, and shutting out everyone else.  Now, as her mom reaches end stage, Kate has come to Eden, Michigan, her mom’s hometown, to wait for the inevitable.   Eden is the smallest of small towns, and Kate attracts the attention of mean girl Ava.   When Ava dies playing a prank on Kate, a mysterious stranger named Henry appears from nowhere and offers Kate a deal – Henry will reanimate Ava, if Kate will agree to live in his home from Fall to Spring.   Eventually, Kate takes Henry up on his offer, but discovers there is more to the request.  See, Henry is Hades, and since Persephone’s death millennia ago, he has ruled Hades alone.  Now, he has little time left to find a queen, or else loose his purpose, and his existence. 

What works:  This is an interesting take on the Greek pantheon, that they existed before the Greeks gave them names, and have continued to exist after.  Kate is a likeable heroine, and her reasons for accepting Henry’s offer are clear and understandable.  Kate’s mom, Diana, is also an interesting character, who gives her daughter excellent, if not exactly selfless, advice.

As for Henry, he is a very engaging guy.  A little broody and aloof, but the reader can understand why Kate wants to save him. 

All through the book, the reader knows something HUGE that Kate doesn’t.  For me, this made the book an interesting experiment   -- my knowledge makes me see the characters differently than Kate does. It created a tension that I liked.    

What didn’t:  Is it written on a scroll somewhere that ALL YA paranormals must include a love triangle?  In this one, its between Henry, Kate and another god named James.  James is a twitchy bag of ticks, and more than a little underhanded, and why Kate might feel something for him is never clear.

The “Goddess Test” in the title is actually a series of 7 tests, but Kate doesn’t know when they are happening or what the tests even are.  So while the book is engaging, there is no epic quest, no training, and no huge denouement.  Kate lives in Henry’s home and… hangs out.   It’s a little bit of a bait and switch.

Verging into spoiler territory,   the “twist” at the end of the book left me feeling flat.  No, I didn’t see it coming (although Carter does drop hints, if you know what to look for) but it also felt a little contrived, and opened up some huge questions about the universe Kate and Henry live in. 

However:  The above makes it sound like I didn’t like the book.  But I did.  I liked it more than a lot of YA paranormal romances.

Who Would I Give This Book To?  Teen girls looking for more paranormal reads, who have had it with vampires,.  teen fans of Percy Jackson who liked the romance angle.    

Review copy downloaded from NetGalley. 

Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano

What You Need to Know:  This is an unique, imperfect, take on the current YA Dystopia trend, that raises some interesting questions about safety and gender.

Summary:  Having been kidnapped, 16 year old Rhine is now a sister wife.  Forced into a polygamous marriage with a wealthy man's son, Rhine does not care about the luxury of her new surroundings.  She only wants to get free and get home to her twin brother in the time she has left.   Like all children, Rhine has only 4 years left to live,  her brother 9.   However, Rhine can't help but care for her "sister wives", her child servants, even (a little) for her husband.  She cares more than a little for Gabriel, a house servant.  Overshadowing those feelings is her father-in-law, a geneticist obessed with finding a way to prolong his son's life.  When Rhine sees the depth of his obsession, she knows she must escape.

What Worked:  This is a very fast moving story.  Wisely, DeStefano doesn't give too much background on the cause of the early deaths, doling that information out as the narrative progresses.  She also doesn't back away from the less savory aspects of a world where young girls are truely commodified.  Rhine is kidnapped while looking for work.  Girls are sold into prostitution or shot if they are not purchased to be wives.   Sister wives are expected to pump out babies, fast. 

Most interestingly, DeStefano shows the effects of a world without adults through the three different sister wives.  The viewpoint character, Rhine, is fairly ordinary, having had a reasonably "normal" life.  Jenna, a street kid, turned to prostitution and looks at her forced marriage as a nice place to die.  Finally, the youngest, Cecily, raised in a orphanage, sees mariage and motherhood as her joyful destiny.  Each of these girls brings their own experinces to their "marriage" and their reactions and choices are believable.

What Didn't:  The world is apparently in a crisis beyond the early mortality rate, but DeStefano doesn't elaborate.  There's some mention of a war, but this is not expanded on.  Also, there is apparently a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor, but again, this is not fully explained.   A little more world building would have made the circumstances clearer. 

The big bad in the story, Rhine's father in law, Housemaster Vaughn, is little more than a shadowy grin and a sense of evil.  We know he's performing genetic experiments, and hear about them, but we don't see or hear them.  He obviously menaces Rhine, but his purpose remains doubtful.

Like all YA dystopias, this one has a love story, but the relationship between Gabriel and Rhine feels very tacked on.  Yes, Rhine is 16 and emotional, and yes, Gabriel seems like a nice guy, but their romance gets in the way of the more interesting aspects of the book. 

Who Would I Give This Book To?  I can see this book having a wide audience, as it plugs into a number of current trends -- dystopias, polygamy, genetics, strong girls.  It's less actiony than the Hunger Games, and less romancy than Twilight, but would probably appeal to both those audiences. 

Also Note:  This book has a really great cover, that plays up a lot of the symbolism of the story. 

Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce

What you need to know:  This collection of short stories, some previously published, expands the Tortall universe, visits some familiar characters, and gives an intriguing look at what else this popular writer is capable of.  


Summary:  In many of these 9 short stories, Pierce revisits Tortall, setting for the Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and the Protector of the Small.   Some major characters, such as Kitten from The Immortals and Nawat from Trickster's Choice are expanded on, and other characters, such as the Shang Unicorn and the Darklings get spotlight stories. 


What worked:  Although many of these stories have appeared in previous anthologies, it is nice to have them all collected.  There were stories here that I was not aware of, even as a Pierce fan.  


In the Tortall tales, "The Dragon's Tale" told from the POV of the orphan dragon Skysong, was the most surprising story, but fans will probably gravitate to "Nawat", as it continue's Aly's saga from the Trickster books.  Other fantasy stories are set outside of Tortall,  of these,  "Mimic" and "Plain Magic", are particularly well done.  Plain Magic, Pierce's first published story, picks up on the theme of "practical" magic  that she would revisit in the Circle of Magic books and "Mimic" is an engaging take on dragonlore.  


For me, the most intriguing story was "Huntress",  an urban fantasy.  Pierce is so strongly affiliated (in my mind at least) with the high fantasy of Alanna the Lioness that it was shocking to see her take on a contemporary setting.   The story is not perfect, but it does raise interesting questions of faith and answered prayers. 


What Didn't:  The stories "Elder Brother,"and  "The Hidden Girl,"  set in a part of Tortall that has a Taliban-like religion felt a little preachy.  "Testing",  a contemporary story set in a group home, is a fascinating look at Pierce's prior experiences, but says very little new about the setting or the girls who live there.  


Who would I give this book to?  Because more than half of the stories deal with Tortall and its environs, the audience for this book may be limited to Pierce's fans.  

Books I Didn't Finish: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Note: This not-a-review contains spoilers.  They are blacked out.  To read them, highlight the text in black. 

Total Finished:  25% (my e-reader doesn't always do page counts, but it did tell me 25%) 

So, why didn't you finish it? 

Trella is a scrub, she lives in an overcrowded, over controlled area, known as inside.  Trella's position as a duct cleaner gives her access to areas scrubs don't usually get to go, and her best friend gets her involved with a "prophet" preaching of "Outside".  Which gets her in trouble with the powers that be. 

Trella's life is boring.  She cleans duct work.  And describes it, seemingly endlessly.  Duct work is boring. Add in an overly complicated time system and flat characters, and the fact that nobody can figure out that they're on a freakin' spaceship, and my interest was gone. 

Dissenting Opinions? Always. 

 Blogcritics.org 

ReadingTeen.net

Final Word:  There are better "girl-takes-on-the-dystopic-world" books out there.  

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce

What you need to know: Pierce returns to Tortall, but opens new lands in this exciting, well written fantasy.

Summary: Aly, daughter of Alanna the Lioness and former rogue George Cooper, has a reputation as an empty-headed flirt. In truth, Aly is smart and determined, but the work she's best suited for -- espionage -- is forbidden to her by her parents. Sailing off in a fit of pique, Aly is taken captive by pirates and sold as a slave in the Copper Isles. While planning her escape, Aly makes a wager with Kyrpioth, the trickster god of the Isles. If Aly can keep her master's charges safe for the summer, Kyrpioth will return Aly to her home. Taking the wager, Aly discovers that the Balitang daughters, Dove and Sarai, are at the heart of a rebellion, where the dark skinned natives will overthrow their conquerers.

What worked: Full disclosure time -- I love Tamora Pierce. I love everything she's ever written. All of it. She and Neil Gaiman are tied as my favorite writer of all time. So, in my opinion, this book is nearly perfect.

But, you probably want anyalsis. Fine. Aly is a great feminist heroine. She's smart and strong and detemined to make her own choices. However, she's not perfect. She makes mistakes, she gets distracted.  She might be god chosen, but she's still human.   

An interesting aspect of this book is how it looks at power dynamics.  Aly choses to be a slave so that she may go unnoticed by the enemies of the Balitang family.  The native raka are thought to be sub-human by their luarin conquerers, which allows the raka to plot without fear of discovery.    

Aly also has a unique romance, as her suitor is a crow-turned-man.  This gives the book some welcome humor, as Aly's swain tries to court her by feeding her bugs and giving her sparkly stones.  

What Didn't:  O.K. -- raging fangirl, remember? 

However,  there are a LOT of characters in this book.  It can be difficult to keep them all straight. Also, without a prior knowledge of the women of Tortall, I'm not sure if this book works as well. 

However:  There's a cast of characters listing.  And if you haven't read the Tortall books, shame on you.  

Who would I give this book too:  I recommend Pierce's books all the time.  To everybody.  However, this one would work best for readers who've enjoyed Pierce's other books.  

Anna and the French Kiss

What You Need to Know:  This charming teen romance combines a fun Parisian setting and realistic characters in a sweet but believable story.  


Summary:  Anna was all set for her senior year in Atlanta, good job at the multiplex, cute boy to crush on, BFF to hang with.  It got shattered when her dad, a sappy novelist, decided that Anna will spend her senior year in Paris.  Stuck in a country where she doesn't know anybody or speak the language, Anna is miserable, until she meets Etienne St. Clair.  Short, cosmopolitan, and completely adorable, St. Clair would be major boyfriend material -- if not for his long term girlfriend.  So, Anna contents herself with being St. Clair's best friend.  As Anna and Etienne get closer, things get more and more confusing.  


What Worked:  Almost everything!  This book is wonderful -- fun and sweet and romantic without being sappy.  Anna is not happy about being uprooted from her life, but admits that being forced to spend a year in Paris is not the worst thing in the world.  What really sells this book is the realistic characters.  Anna sounds like most teens I know -- not sheltered, but not ready to be on her own just yet.  And even though she doesn't realize it, Anna is a charmer -- smart and fun and a little goofy.  One thing I liked is that Perkins lets you know Anna is attractive, but doesn't go on and on about how beautiful she is.  Etienne could be too perfect, but his exasperating unwillingness to take a risk with Anna makes him more believable.  The supporting cast of Anna's classmates are equally well drawn.  Anna and the reader get to explore Paris together, but this doesn't feel like a travelogue.  The descriptions are really nicely woven into the story.  


What Didn't:  Anna's "back home" subplot really didn't gel for me.  It was realistic, but it dragged the narrative down a little bit.    Anna and Etienne's "will they/won't they" dance gets a tad exasperating, as the reader can clearly see that they are crazy for each other. 


However:  Exasperating is a lot of what romance is about. 


Who Would I Give This Book To?   I plan on giving it to everybody I can!  But seriously, I would give it to girls who read Sarah Dessen or Deb Calletti, kids who want to travel abroad, teens looking for a good realistic fiction read. 


Also note:  This book would make an interesting paring with Revolution by Donnelly.  Anna and Andi are very different, but both of them find something they need in Paris!  

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

What You Need To Know:  This is a beautifully written epic fantasy with an interesting take on gender roles that suffers slightly from being overcomplicated and a bit too long.


Summary:  Years ago, the Kingdom of Lumatere was placed under a curse.  Now, half of its population lives as exiles in other kingdoms, while the other half is trapped inside the dark realm.  Finnikin, who was close to the royal family of Lumatere as a child, now travels the world seeking assistance for the exiles.  When a mysterious young woman claims to have the key to lifting the curse and reclaiming their home, Finnikin must assume a role he has both coveted and feared. 

What worked:  Marchetta is an amazing writer, with a gift for creating compelling characters.  Finnikin, the girl Evanjalin, the adults who surround them -- all are clearly drawn and interesting.  Marchetta also juggles the various elements of a complex plot well.  My favorite aspect of this book was its use of femininity, and the benefits and perils therein.  Femaleness (for lack of a better word) is a key issue in this book, and Marchetta trades on her characters and readers expectations of women and their roles to good effect. 

What didn't:  As interesting as the various characters are, there are a LOT of them, and not all of them are neccessary to the plot.  The plot itself is a bit over designed, and a casual reader might lose track of the all of the comings and goings, backstory and foreshadowing.  Also, the last 50 pages of the book are a letdown, as the climatic event has taken place, and its all over but the shouting.

However:  My tolerance for the conventions of "high fantasy" is notoriously low.  I don't need to know about everybody's ancestors and homelands, but some readers enjoy that type of worldbuilding.

Who would I give this book to?  Teen readers who are ready to move on from the strong female characters of Garth Nix and Tamora Pierce.  Guys with a taste for epic fantasy a la LOTR. 

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

What you need to know:  This is a beautiful, winsome romance that just happens to feature a trans-gender character.  


Summary: Logan, a small town boy in the flyover state of Missouri, is in a slump.  After finding out that his long-term girlfriend cheated on him, he can't seem to find any motivation.  But things change when Sage moves to town.  New people are a novelty in Boyer, and a new girl like Sage is revolutionary.  Tall, beautiful and fashionable, Logan crushes hard on Sage.  But when Sage reveals that she is a male-to-female transsexual, Logan must reevaluate his entire world view.  Does finding Sage attractive make him gay?  And in the end, what are his feelings for her? 


What Worked: This book is damn near perfect.  Logan, a throughly decent guy, has extreme, but understandable, reactions to Sage.   His cycle of denial, anger and acceptance might seem hackneyed to more sophisticated readers, but Katcher nails the voice of a fatherless teen boy who is both mature and naive.  Also beautifully rendered is Sage, giddy with freedom after years of homeschooling that was more like house arrest, making typical teenage mistakes, but finding the stakes to be much higher.  The sweetness of the romance, as these two work out their unique situation, made my heart melt, just a little.  I think my favorite thing about this book is the ending, which is not "happily-ever-after" perfect, but realistically upbeat.  


What Didn't:  The book is a little long, and might feel repetitive as the couple takes one step forward and two steps back.  Also, Sage makes some very stupid decisions, not the least of which is taking illegal Mexican hormones.  This is not a behavior to be emulated.   


However:  Katcher addresses this in the back matter of the book, warning teens about the danger.  


Who Would I Give This Book To?  Teens who love the weighty romances of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han.  Fans of David Levithan's books.  Teens with an interest in GLBTQ books and  teens looking for coming of age stories.  


Also Note:  This is an awesome cover!  It perfectly reflects the tone of the book!  

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

What You Need to Know:  This is a fast, beachy love story,  for girls who like their romance with a little bit of depth.  


Summary:  Belly, her older brother and her mom have spent every summer at the beach with her Mom's best friend, Susannah and her two boys, Jeremiah and Conrad.  Jeremiah, Conrad and Steven formed a trio of boys that Belly (short for Isabel) desperately wants to join.  She is also desperate for Conrad, the boy she will love forever.  While her Mom and Susannah spend time together, and the boys off on their own, Belly has always lived in the spaces between them.   However, this past summer, the summer Belly turned 16, something was different.  Belly isn't a little girl anymore, and everything  changed. 


What worked:  Han perfectly captures the tone of a summer vacation, that magical time that you look forward to all year, when there's nothing to do and you like it that way.  Also perfectly portrayed is Belly's voice, a girl who has grown up (happily) in the shadow of boys, who is just beginning to transition into young womanhood.  It's a testament to the power of Han's writing that I enjoyed this book so much without particularly liking Belly, who is a little whiny and pouty, like all little sisters.  I also adored Cam, the first boy Belly notices who isn't Jeremiah or Conrad.  He's the perfect first boyfriend. 


What Didn't:  Belly spends a lot of time telling the reader how wonderful Conrad is, but doesn't show much of that.  From what we see of him, he's a jerk.  There are reasons for this, but, he's a jerk nevertheless.  Also, I found the tense a little confusing.  Belly is telling the story of her 16th summer from a point in the near future, but also describes times in the more distant past.  Because the voice doesn't really change, it was tricky to figure out what happens when. 


However:  I tore through this book, and if I was taking more time, the tense thing probably wouldn't have bothered me. 


Who Would I Give this Book To?  Girls who are fans of Sarah Dessen or Deb Calletti.  Romance readers.  I might give this one to my mom, if she would ever take a book recommendation from me.  

White Cat (The Curse Workers) by Holly Black

The Curse Workers by Holly Black

What You Need to Know:  A supernatural/crime mash-up, this is the rare "teen paranormal" from a male POV with guy appeal.

Summary:  Cassel is a normal kid with an abnormal family.  His mother, grandfather and both his brothers are curse workers -- individuals able to do magic with touch.  Curse workers are criminals by nature, as curse work is illegal.  Most curse workers are tied to major crime families, and Cassel's are no exception.  Mom's in jail, both brothers are enforcers.  But family sticks together, even when Cassel is at a boarding school, trying to live down his dark past..  However, Cassel loves the con too much to go completely straight.  When a white cat keeps appearing in his dreams, it leads Cassel down a dangerous path.

What Worked:  Holly Black doesn't back away from the dark stuff.   Something I've always liked about her work is that she doesn't sugar-coat things.  Here, she shows exactly what a life of organized crime is like.  Cassel's family may love him, may even think they're protecting him, but they are not good guys.   

Black also does a lot of really nice, really subtle world building here.  Everybody wears gloves, as touch is dangerous.  There are different types of curse workers, some good, some bad.  Stones can be spelled against the curses.  Black doesn't feel the need to tell you this upfront, but organically weaves the details through the story.  In my opinion, this is what separates a great fantasy book from a good fantasy book.

What also works well is the voice here.  Cassel isn't a terribly reliable narrator (for various spoilery reasons) and he knows he's not one of the good guys.   He tries, but he just loves the con too much.   Also,  Cassel is a guy and sounds like one, which is a nice change in a paranormal focused series.  

Finally, there's the plot.  Like all good con jobs, shows you its cards then pulls a fast one.  I can't say to much for fear of being spoileriffic, but does a fantastic job of ducking and feinting, and ending with a sucker punch.

What Didn't:  There is a lot of plot and world building here, so some of the characters get shoved to the sides.  Particularly Cassel's brother Phillip, who can harm with touch, isn't as fleshed out as he could be.

However:  I honestly didn't care.  I tore through this in one sitting, and am now desperate for the sequel.

Who would I give this book too:  Teens looking for a paranormal with more bite than the crop of Twilight clones; guys who are secret paranormal readers, fans of twisty plots.

Books I Couldn't Finish: The Freak Observer

Total Page Count: 63 pages.

Why didn't you finish it:  Nothing happens!  It's all a sad girl, being sad.  Beautiful and sad.  Sad on the bus.  Sad at home.  Sad. Sad. Sad.  Dead sister. Dead friend.  Sad.

Dissenting Opinion?s: Oh, Yeah.
A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy 
Stacked
ALA Morris Award 

So, what's your verdict?:  Navel Gazing Emo B.S.

Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill

What You Need To Know:  This is a highly-derivative, but fun, fast-paced sci-fi book.

Summary:  Durango is out of luck.  A highly trained Regulator, he should have committed suicide for the disgrace his father brought upon him.  He didn't, and now he has to live on the fringes of Martian society.  His only companions are Vienne, his deadly but beautiful lieutenant and Mimi, the AI planted in his head.  When miners seek his help to protect their settlement from the cannibalistic Draeu, he has no choice.  So he rounds up what crew he can and sets off to the mines.  But the miners are hiding something; something that terrifies Durango.

What Worked:  This is a fun book to read, with lots of explosions, bullets and cannibal attacks. Things move fast, and the snappy banter, mostly between Durango and Mimi, keeps everything light.

What Didn't:  To put it bluntly, there's not much of anything that's original here.  I counted tropes from  Firefly, The Magnificent Seven, Total Recall, Red Mars, Bioshock,  and Star Wars. You could argue that there's nothing new under the sun, but that is a lot of borrowing.  Even the title (which doesn't have ANYTHING to do with the story) is lifted from a popular song.

However: I'm a middle aged geek.  I cut my teeth on some of this stuff.  So to me, this is just an old tale retold.  Your average 14 year old kid?  Not going to notice or care that Durango is basically a younger version of Capt. Mal Reynolds and that the plot is lifted from a 60 year old Western.*

Who Would I Give this Book To:  This is a great guy book, lots of action and a hot chick.  Fans of "space opera" would like it too.

* Yes, I know The Magnificent Seven is based on The Seven Samurai.  I've never seen the Kurasowa film, but I've seen Yul Brenner in that Mexican town more times than I can count.  Dad was a big western fan.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

* Note:  I'm trying a new format for the reviews, so this may look a little different.

What You Need to Know:  Revolution is a historical fiction book with a twist.  This is the story of a very modern, very screwed up girl who finds inspiration and hope in the diary of a girl who lived and died during the French Revolution.  Beautifully written and engrossing, I consider this one of the best books of 2010. 

Summary: Following the death of her little brother, Andi's life has fallen apart.  Her dad has split, her mom's gone crazy and Andi only survives due to medication and her music.  When Andi's mom is hospitalized, Andi is forced to go to Paris with her dad.  There she finds the diary of Alexandrine, a girl who lived during the French Revolution.  Alexandrine was a performer, who was a special companion of the Dauphin, the heir to the throne of France.  When the Revolution comes, and Louis-Charles is imprisoned, Alexandrine risks everything to give him what comfort she can.  As Andi becomes more engrossed in Alexandrine's story, the two girls' lives begin to converge in surprising ways.

What Worked:  Donnelly has a special gift, for instructing her reader with out lecturing them.  Although I had a pretty good background in the French Revolution, I learned without realizing it, as the information is seamlessly integrated into the story, not dumped in big chunks of exposition.   Donnelly also humanizes her historical characters, so that they are just as flawed and sympathetic as the characters she creates, not dusty cardboard cutouts.  Those two things -- history lessons disguised as narrative and stock characters  -- are two of my biggest beefs with historical fiction, and both are avoided here.

The amount of craft in this book is truly amazing, so many different threads -- the fate of Alexandrine, the implosion of Andi's family, the causes of the Revolution, musical DNA, the Paris catacombs, depression, survivor's guilt, art, The Divine Comedy -- all come together to weave a compelling and engrossing story.  Yes, at 500 pages, there is a lot of book here, but it doesn't feel overlong or padded.  The length is necessary for the complex tale.

What Didn't:  Personally, I could have lived without the love story angle.  I know from interviews that Donnelly took a lot of inspiration from The Divine Comedy and wanted to show an artist traveling through their version of hell with a guide.  Andi's Virgil is so smoking hot and wonderful, how could she not fall in love with him?  However, I'm not sure it worked.  I also felt like Donnelly was trying to make some paralells between the climate during the Revolution and the treatment of refugees in modern Paris that never really came off.  

However: These are quibbles, overall there wasn't much wrong here.

Who I Would Give this Book to:  Kids who share Andi's love of music.  Girls who like historical fiction.  Boys who would be intersted in the bloody Revolution.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

Sam Kingston didn't expect to die.  Not on the way home from a party, in a car accident, slightly buzzed from the vodka she and her girls have been shooting.  But die she does.

And then she wakes up, on the morning of the day of her death, to live it all over again.  And again. And again.  Seven times in all, till she learns to put things right.

I'll be honest, I put this book off.  Nothing about the premise appealed to me, however, it was considered a Printz contender and was named on the 2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults list.  More importantly, some of my co-workers read it, and liked it.  So, I dove in.

This book represents an interesting conundrum for me -- how to acknowledge the craft of a book, and  talk about it, without liking it.  Because, while I admire Oliver's writing and the skill she brought to her story, I had a strong visceral dislike for the book.  Mostly because of the main character.

To put it bluntly, Sam is a bitch.  The worst kind of mean girl, in my opinion.  She's not the instigator of any of the myriad cruelties and taunts that she and her crew hand out, but she always goes along.  She's not vile or despicable, just weak.  What makes her worse than the alpha girl she slavishly follows, is that she knows what they do is wrong.  She occasionally has twinges of remorse, but she manages to drown them in sea of consumerism and alcohol.

I'll freely admit, my perspective is skewed by my experience.  Girls like Sam made my life miserable.  Girl on girl social aggression gets me all steamed up, and it seems to begin earlier and earlier.  While reading Before I Fall I wasn't concerned with if Sam would find redemption, but with how I could keep my daughter from turning into a girl like her, or becoming one of her victims*.

Putting that aside is difficult, and I have to say, my dislike for Sam made it hard for me to engage with the story.  However, I can say that Oliver writes beautifully.  She manages to take you inside Sam's life, to help you understand how she became what she is.  For me, that understanding didn't engender sympathy, but, I can see how it could.  The poetic turns of phrase and the small, quiet moments that pepper Sam's struggle are what kept me engaged.  Oliver also has a keen understanding of teens, their relationships and how small, random things are what bind friends together.

Since I didn't like Sam, I didn't want to spend much time with her, so for me, this book is overlong.  About midway through, I wanted to scream "It's not about YOU!"  I'm also not sure that Sam evolved that much through the course of the book; in the end, I still felt like Sam was seeking for herself, not for others as she had claimed.  However, with a character like this, you can only expect so much growth.

One of my benchmarks for a successful teen book is: can I imagine the teen I would hand this book too?  With Before I Fall this is an easy task.  I can totally see teen girls with a taste for romance and melodrama devouring this one.  The length might put some readers off, but girls like Sam, or who wish they were, will eat it up.