The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

*based on an ARC edition

    This is my first foray into the writing of Ann Brashares. I never read the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (although I loved the movies) so I came into this without any preconceived notions about the type of stories she writes. Here and Now is a lofty endeavour. Time travel, apocalypse, super plagues, love, dictator-like control...this story has it all. And like any story with time travel, it is easier to not think too much into the paradoxes of it all, lest you end up with a headache. I personally love stories that involve time travel; who wouldn't want a chance to go back and change things? So I tend to never over-think it. It's nearly impossible to create a story that involves such things without mistakes.  And while there are a couple here, I may be one of the few who even notice them, because I am one of those annoying types of people. Overall it is very well done, and I can leave it with that.
   To put it into a nutshell, Prenna James and a select amount of people immigrated to 2010 from a period of time about 100 years into the future; a future destroyed by us because we ignored the warning signs of global warming. Most of the future's population is wiped out by dengue fever, and the mosquito is the weapon of mass destruction. It's a subtle and scarily possible message. The group that comes live by a very strict set of 12 rules, and to break those rules leads to no one ever hearing from you again. They have to take vitamins to ward off any 2010 viruses, and "something" about their trip make them barely able to see so they all wear special glasses. There seem to be eyes everywhere, always watching to see if someone slips. Which Prenna does, often, because she is not one to just let things lie. The biggest slip, one of the biggest rules to break, is to fall for a time native...and she does, despite trying so very hard not to. But even her love is more than meets the eye. In fact, nothing is exactly the way it seems- the past, the present, and even the future.
     I enjoyed Here and Now a great deal. It is a very interesting and clever premise, executed with near perfection. I can guess that it is a far cry from Sisterhood, but I, for one, think that is a good thing. 

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

*based on an ARC edition

     I was a lifelong fan of E. Lockhart's since I read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. We Were Liars has convinced me that my loyalty is quite deserved. I would read her grocery lists. Her writing flows like silk over water; she has the unique ability to be poetic and lyrical without being in the least bit flowery. One such example stands out, as the narrator describes her cousins and her love. She describes the love of her life as "He was contemplation and enthusiasm. Ambition and strong coffee". Her cousin, Johnny- "He is bounce. He is effort and snark." Her cousin, Mirren- "She is sugar. She is curiosity and rain." I have never read anything like the way Ms. Lockhart sees her worlds. It is beautiful and mesmerizing, as is We Were Liars. 
     Cadence Sinclair comes from a family rich enough that having a name actually means something. She is a Sinclair, through and through. In the summers, she and her cousins go to the family's private island with their mothers to stay with their grandparents in order to (at least as far as the mothers are concerned) show who among them loves their grandfather more. It's all about inheritance and blood and the kids couldn't care less. There is one boy, Gat, a dark Middle Eastern boy who comes along because Cadence's aunt is living with his father, and throughout the summers Cadence falls helplessly in love. Then, in summer fifteen (as they call it) something happens. Cadence doesn't remember what. She just remembers that she had an accident that caused brain damage and that there are whole chunks of time she has lost. It takes two years to go back to the island, and nothing is like it used to be. 
    This is a book that just needs to be read. It is beautiful, it is sad, it is tragic, and it is mysterious. It has surprises and shocks. It has characters that are amazingly alive. It holds entertainment and you won't be able to put it down. So go pick it up the second it comes out. 

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant

*based on an ARC edition

     The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant, all the way up to the end, was a breath of fresh air. Anne Merchant, after finding her mother dead of suicide, is sent by her father to what appears to be a rich boarding school. She's not rich, even though she lived all her life in the ritziest zip code in America; her father is a mortician for the super-wealthy. She's been a freak all her life, ostracized by her classmates. She's never had much contact  with boys, either...unless you count the time she kissed the cheek of  dead boy five years previously. She's an artist as well, and all these things together equal a childhood from hell. After her mother's death it seemed that in order to ensure her future at Brown and her ticket out of freakdom, Anne agrees to be sent to Wormwood Island in Maine, an uber-exclusive boarding school that she has no idea how her father could possibly afford. She discovers that a Senator friend of her father endorsed her application, but other than that tidbit, information is slim to none...and Slim left town. 
    It doesn't take long for things to get super-weird. No one hangs out with each other. Everyone walks alone, save the pre-requisite Mean Girl clique. Every student is assigned a Guardian that grades them on every waking moment, and something called a PT- basically a way to live that is solely THEM, and they have to live by this plan or they have no chance of winning the Big V race...V as in valedictorian. There's more, too. Everyone here is perfect. Perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect teeth. Except Anne, with her crooked tooth and wild curls. Agreements are signed in blood, there are dances in which you are not allowed to dance with anyone you actually like; in fact the rule is you must dance with someone you hate. There's a village you are not permitted to go into, or them to you. The penalty for breaking the rules is death. All in all, not your average boarding school.
     I figured things out fairly quickly, but that isn't a disparagement of the story or the writing. There were some excellent clever twists, and Anne is easy to like and easy to root for. This is one that no one who loves a good "What the hell is going on here??" story should miss.  My one, and only complaint is that it seems to be the beginning of yet another series and/or trilogy. I am sick to death of trilogies. I get the marketing perks, good for writers, etc, but as a reader I am way beyond tired of having to wait a year or more to continue a story that I am deeply into. What ever happened to just writing one amazing book with a beginning, middle, and end?! Sigh. In any case, trilogy/series aside, this is a great debut novel from a voice I am sure we will hear from many times in the future. 

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

*based on an ARC edition

I have to admit that when I got this ARC I mistakenly thought it was another author who wrote it; I was wrong, but after reading And We Stay I have become a faithful fan for life of Ms. Hubbard's. The copy for the book was slightly misleading, as was the dedication (in my opinion), as I thought it was about a girlfriend who survived after her boyfriend shot up their school- similar to the story in Hate List by Jennifer Brown. As this subject has been done before, I was pleasantly surprised by And We Stay. While the protagonist's boyfriend did in fact bring a gun into school there was so much more to the story than just that fact, and it was illustrated beautifully. It was about one moment, and another moment, and another moment...all of which contained a crossroad, and all of which turned the wrong way, which culminated in one last horrific moment. Emily Beam is sent to an all-girl's school (after her boyfriend commits suicide in their high school library) which at one time had educated Emily Dickinson. Our Emily is a poet and throughout the novel we can experience what she experiences by way of the beautiful poems that buttress the prose. And it is these poems that are the highlight of the book; while there is nothing I can find fault with in this book, it is the poems that will stay with me for a very long time. Typically I shelve my ARCs and may not visit them again, but with And We Stay I know I will go back again and again. 

The Companions by R.A. Salvatore

As a lifelong gamer, I love reading the novels set in the Forgotten Realms. I devoured R.A. Salvatore's books, loving above all others the tales of Drizzt Do'urden and his life both before and after his time with his Companions of the Hall. The Companions was my re-entry back into this new world, 100 years after the deaths of some of my favorite characters, the time after the Spellplague. I have my favorite Realms writers and I had previously stuck to only reading their books; however it had been quite some time since I had read any at all. 

Firstly I have to say that it was a joy to be reunited with Regis, Cattie-Brie, and Bruenor. Their mission to reunite after 21 years, having been given the choice of being reborn a century after their deaths to help Drizzt- although with what we have no clue. Only that Mielikki bade them too, and gave them the hope that they would still be alive the second time around and so would be there to help their friend in his time of need. 

However, and maybe this is because I am not as familiar with Drizzt's last couple of adventures, I was confused as to what that need was. I felt that the reborn Companion's journeys were too drawn-out. I had hoped for a reunion with Drizzt at the end, a great battle, or really any explanation of why this goddess would bring them back from their afterlives. I didn't get any of that. I understand that The Companions was only the first book in the Sundering series, but as I understand it these are all stand-alone books. Perhaps in the later ones I will gain the understanding I lack at the moment. I hope so. 

As always, though, it is a pleasure being back in the Realms. And as an active gamer I find myself thinking of the levels of each the spells that are used, the magic items that are mentioned, the saving throws the characters must have rolled. Hearing tale of the most infamous NPCs in the game makes me feel like I am home. So regardless of any slight shortcomings, The Companions is yet another win in R.A. Salvatore's prodigious column.

Champion by Marie Lu

As I usually do for trilogies, I read all three books in Marie Lu's Legend trilogy in one sitting. I believe doing so is the only way to truly appreciate the way the story flows, and this trilogy is no exception. Champion is a very good ending for this, one of my top ten YA trilogies. I often cursed Ms. Lu for not making June and Day's relationship go the way I wanted it to, and I did not much like Day's terminal diagnosis, but by the time I finished I knew it was perfect. 

The fate of the Republic and the Colonies was satisfactorily concluded, and the story clearly emphasized the flaws in both types of governments...and also how the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the quarantine zone. I was slightly skeptical about Day's plan to rally the citizens of the Republic; both the nature of humans and the vagueness of his plan make me think that things probably wouldn't work the way it did, but I forgave this weakness. My only other complaint is a scene in which Thomas, the killer of June's brother, gives June is whole confession of what happened the night of the murder. People simply do not talk that way. The dialogue was actually so painfully wrong I had to skip it. I got the gist, but I have a problem when characters speak in such a way that it becomes totally unbelievable. So while that was an issue, it only happened once. I'm surprised, actually, that Ms. Lu would have written something that way; her writing is at such a caliber that I can't believe she would have not felt strange writing in that way. 

These small issues aside, I was happy with the conclusion to the story. My heart hurt for awhile reading it, but it ended with hope. As much as I loved their story, I appreciated that the love story was not the most central part of it. 

In short, I believe that any reader and fan of Legend will not be disappointed by this conclusion. 

Halo by Frankie Rose

Halo is an interesting tale with a great deal of potential. It is clearly slated to be another trilogy (what is it with trilogies these days?!) so in this first outing the general foundation was laid, the pre-requisite love interest is met and fall for...for the genre these are the aspects we expect. In this world of Halo, there lies a town called Sanctuary, in which the caste system is heavily in place and they get their jollies by betting on gladiator style games involving the lowest class. These are called the Falin, who are forced to wear the titular halos that pump them full of a drugs that leave them completely devoid of all emotion. Which makes great fighters, after all. Our leading lady is one of the best fighters in Sanctuary and she is called to fight against her training partner whom she had known all her life. She expects to do what she is required to do. He, on the other hand, has a few surprises for her. He sacrifices himself, stabbing himself. While he is on the ground he reaches up and tears the halo from the skin around her neck, leaving her exposed to what life is like with feelings.

Her friend loved her and led clues so she could escape, which she did, and was found by a member of another town called Freetowne that has...different views on how women should act. But Kit has larger problems. Or I assume she does. Much of this first novel is exposition to the rest of the story, I feel. The beginning of her relationship with the obvious love interest almost made me mad because he was so deplorable, but that changed in a believable way. 

There are secrets abounding in these towns. There is a history we are not yet privy to- how did the world get this way? What are the castes and who decided things should be this way? Who are these mysterious Priestesses that law down the law and force Freetowne's own version of gladiator fights? And what do they want with Kit? 

These are all questions I actually want to know the answers to, and so, for that, I am looking forward to the next installment and would definitely recommend giving this one a read. 

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

*based on an ARC edition

This second book in The Darkest Minds series killed me. More so even than the first because by now I am fully in love with these characters...and it breaks my heart that everything is not exactly the way it should be. In fact, it made me a bit mad that things weren't just coming together the way I think they should. However, that is simply a testament to the skill of Ms. Bracken. In addition to the characters we already know and love (and a few we hate), we are introduced to Vida and Jude, kids from the Children's League, with whom Ruby had made a pact so as to protect the boy she loves. Despite Liam's hatred of the League that we learned about in the first book, following Ruby as she trains and becomes a part of this organization we find out that just like everything else, not everything is cut and dry. 

My heart hurt again as I read Never Fade, but as it ended there seemed a glimmer of hope in the horizon. There too were new questions and mysteries, more complications, and more tests for Ruby and her compatriots. Never Fade was a very satisfying and solid second book, escaping the "middle book" trap that some series find themselves in. No one who enjoyed the first book will be disappointed in this one, and like me they will all go quietly insane waiting for the next installment. 

On a personal note- Ms. Bracken, for the love of Pete, please let things go the way they should for Ruby and Liam!

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

*spoilers*

This will be an unusual review for me, because it will be full of spoilers, so only those who have read it should continue. I have never talked about plot points in reviews because I tend to just think that people are interested in opinions on the story overall- however, with this one I feel like I have to talk about the points because they are just that important. Spolier-y bits are in the last paragraphs.

To start, I have to say that the knowledge that this trilogy is moving to the big screen affected the way I read Allegiant, the final book in the trilogy. I LOVED the first two books, and I loved Tris and Four. Tris is a wonderful character, and I continue to be pleased at the tide of strong, powerful, female characters that are hitting the young adult bookshelves. But again, the movie thing. I watched the preview for Divergent and I got literally giddy. Then I finished Allegiant and realized there is no way that they can keep true to the written story on the screen, and that makes me sad. This doesn't necessarily take away from the book, but it is something I considered as I read.

Allegiant was not my favorite of the three books. I really enjoyed it, until the end, but not as much as the first two. I have to say I disapproved of Tobias continually not trusting in Tris' proven instincts, and also of Tris and her apparent death wish. I thought that the "genetically pure" versus "genetically damaged" storyline got a bit heavy handed with the its obvious nods to how the Nazis saw the Jews and how some see African Americans. The big twist of who the factions really are, why they are, and what lies beyond them I thought was more derivative than I would have liked. However, the plot was handled well and the writing has always been exemplary. The added bonus of genuinely liking the characters helped as well. 

Now, for the part that I was not happy about. These stories, these characters we fall in love with, become parts of us when we read them, and for the very special ones even after we've turned the last page. So what to do when one half of that love story is no more? This is an issue I as a writer have been struggling with. Is it right to end a story with the death of the most important character if that is how the story is meant to end? Anyone who writes knows that stories write themselves; we have almost nothing to do with how they grow and end except to be the typing monkeys. They have lives-and deaths- of their own. But then you have to think about how your readers will react. Will they want to stop reading right there? Or throw the book across the room, cursing your name? My reaction was somewhere in between. I kept reading because I kept hoping there would be some last minute deus ex machina that would make everything alright...but there wasn't. I didn't curse Ms. Roth's name, but I came close! But then, maybe that is just a testament to the quality of the writing because if you don't love a character, you cannot mourn them, either. 

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

*based on an ARC edition

I was thoroughly satisfied and happy with how this trilogy ended. It was suspenseful, thrilling, romantic, and sad, and happy...and I'm sure a bunch of other adjectives too. It tied up every end it needed to, while leaving me with a sense of hope about my favorite characters and the fictional universe as a whole. Ms. Rossi handled the issue of the hate between the Dwellers and the Outsiders with incredible subtlety and grace and I was happy to see the tide turning towards peace and tranquility among them all by the end. The love between Perry and Aria always felt true to me, even despite the problems I think all young adult books throw at romantic couplings. As an older reader I read the situations sometimes and want to scream at the characters but always, Under the Never Sky was true to how I think kids of that age not only approach love but also relate to it. Maybe in twenty years they'll know differently but it is nice for me to experience that kind of passion vicariously through these fictional people. I love Roar, and I wish things had ended up even better for him, but I guess that if it did it wouldn't ring true to his feelings for Liv. Throughout all three books I adored Roar and Aria's relationship almost as much as her's and Perry's because it illustrated beautifully the kind of love you can feel for a friend- and that you can love someone of the opposite sex with all your heart without it meaning something romantic. I have always felt that there were not as many of these types of relationships in YA fiction as there should be.

Anyway, as I said, Into the Still Blue was ultimately satisfying and beautiful. A perfect ending to a near perfect trilogy.

Ex-Purgatory by Peter Clines

*BASED ON AN ARC EDITION

The fourth book in the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Clines is the best of the bunch. I've enjoyed this unique concept throughout the series, but the twist of their brains being hijacked into a world in which there are no ex-humans was incredibly enjoyable to read. Further, this method allowed the reader to really start getting to know the heroes in a way we as yet had not been able. In a world full of the walking dead and superheroes, it's difficult to remember that these supers were people once with a much different outlook on the world. It makes it seem as though none of these characters would ever had met had the world not ended in the way it did. However things went down after reading this latest installment I am even more pleased that they did. I look forward to the next chapter in the saga.

Monsters: The Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa Bick

*based on an ARC edition


     Prior to reading this final installment of the Ashes trilogy I decided to read all three books right in a row, not stopping in between (except for sleep, sometimes). This was a wise decision. Reading the story with no gaps between the last page and the first brought the tale even more definition and fluidity. I adored this series. The new and refreshing take on a zombie tale (without the cannibals being dead, that is) is at once terrifying and lovely to read. I genuinely cared for all the characters, even the ones that maybe I shouldn't have.  The science of it all was vaguely explained, but then, that would be how it was, wouldn't it? Far too often characters in books have knowledge they shouldn't have just for the express purpose of explaining things to the readers. It's not necessary, as long as the seeds are there. And in this case, the seeds were planted and sown exquisitely. 
   Monsters, the conclusion to the trilogy, is non-stop action. Almost the entire book is fraught with something, and that speaks to the talent of the author in that the reader does not get bored, nor would they stop believing in what they are reading. The descriptions of the gore made me wince more than once- more than I can count, actually. Ms. Bick knows how to paint a picture, that is for sure. 
     I did spend a great deal of this book wishing that our Alex, Ellie, and Tom would find each other again, to the point that I had to squelch the desire to just flip to the end to see if it actually happened. If I have one complaint it's that there was just so much going on that it at times became hard to keep track of where everyone was. But that is a small complaint, and ultimately did not take away from the story in the least. 
     The entire trilogy is a do-not-miss, and Monsters did not fail to satisfy as a conclusion. I hope, in fact, that this is not really the end, and that we will hear from these characters again. 

Relativity by Cristin Bishara

*based on an ARC edition


     Who wouldn't want to go through potential universes until they found the perfect one? The idea of string theory is that everything that can happen, does happen, and each possible occurence splits into another parallel universe. Ruby, angry and upset about having to move from California to Ohio (and who wouldn't be) leaving her almost boyfriend/really flirty friend George so she and her dad can move in with his new wife and her violent and possibly disturbed daughter, discovers a way into these universes. She just wants the perfect life. Away from her stepsister. Toward George. With the mother who died when she was four. So she starts on a path to finding the perfect life, even though all of us unfortunately know there is no such thing.
     I really enjoyed this book. Ruby was fun to listen to, if not a tad pedantic, and she was likable and relatable. I found myself hoping that the next universe would be the perfect one for her, even knowing that it probably wouldn't end up that way. The characters were clearly and well drawn and the science that proliferated the pages was obviously very well researched. It was the science, and the fact that Ruby herself is so science minded that she has a math equation tattooed on the back of her neck, that made the story actually believable. Many stories about other universes and potential butterfly effects lose their way quickly in the quagmire that is that type of theoretical science. Relativity didn't lose its way, and I applaud that. 
     This is a definite recommend in my book. 

Inhuman by Kat Falls

    The basic premise of Inhuman is unique; I have to give it that. A plague broke out in the US 19 years before the beginning of the story, and it is explained that it was accidental outbreak caused by a Walt Disney-esque figure who wanted to create animal hybrids to display in her parks. When the plague hit there was an exodus to the West and the very same figurehead that caused the end of the country used her resources to build a massive wall called Titan that divided the safe and uninfected West from the wild and feral infected in the East. The virus has mutated, you see, and now it doesn't just kill, it creates hybrid animals that go through three stages of infection; the third stage is the one in which the infected becomes completely feral and is taken over by their animal aspect. Our protagonist is Delaney Park (almost all the children have been named for places their parents remembered or missed from the East) and she is summoned by the head of the military type body with an ultimatum- Delaney's father is a fetch (someone who goes illegally into the East to treasure hunt) and he will be executed unless Delaney can cross over, find him, and make him go to Chicago to retrieve her daughter's photograph. In the process of making her way over Delaney comes across a guard, Everson, and a hunter from the East named Rafe who was stealing medical supplies from the base at the Wall. The two boys are roped into helping her find her father and get to Chicago (although Everson does rope himself, to be fair).
     That's the gist. More happens, of course, but that's the main idea. I want to like this idea. I like the idea of ferals, kind of zombie-ish I thought until I read further, but the geek in me had an issue with the science of it. The humans infected with the virus don't just exhibit the behaviors of the animal, they look exactly like the animal they were infected with; fur, mole noses, walrus tusks and all. There are some who are infected with snake or other reptiles as well. It isn't explained how such experimentation as Mother Disney performed could have resulted in a virus that mutated the genes of the host. 
    There are a few other issues as well, in my opinion. There is the heavy handed racism issue (the only good feral is a dead feral sort of attitude) that may be accurate but still a bit much. The mother of the plague is still the richest and most powerful person in the country and I have problems believing that. My biggest problem, however, was the romantic implications for our Delaney. In classic love triangle mode, the book hints at a deep attraction between Delaney and both boys, and they for her. But there's no reason for it. And worse, it seems almost obligatory. 
    All that being said, Inhuman wasn't a bad book. There were storytelling snafus, yes, but it was still quite readable and a good way to pass the time. The main villain was reasonably frightening and while there was an unnecessary nod to The Emperor's New Clothes, I was still surprised at the small twist. My advice regarding Inhuman is that if you enjoy some new ideas and aren't married to the idea of a love story being necessary to complete a book, you should give it a try. 

Another Masterpiece by Maggie Stiefvater; The Raven Boys: The Dream Thieves

*review of ARC edition


Maggie Stiefvater makes me want to be a better writer. More importantly, she makes me think that everyone could be a better writer, provided they were more like her. The Raven Boys (book 1) was my favorite of all her books and I desperately waited for the second volume of the series. It did not disappoint. When I say she makes me want to be a better writer I was not speaking out of some hyperbolic need to be effusive in my praise. As I was reading I very much marveled at her skill and dreamed I could one day aspire to that level.

Dreams are the focus of The Dream Thieves (clearly), as is the most damaged member of the Raven Boys, Ronan Lynch. Book one focused more on Gansey, and I enjoyed getting to know Ronan more. In addition I got to get closer to some of the other characters in this rich world Ms. Stiefvater created, like the gaggle of psychics occupying 300 Fox Way in Henrietta. A new addition is one Mr. Grey, a man who totally embodies the name he has adopted, a man who is also an admitted hitman. It is a credit to the writing that although everyone knows what this man is, it is accepted as merely a quirk of profession rather than the more sensible reaction that the readers would have. Mr. Grey is looking for something, hired by a faceless figure we know nothing about; indeed even by the end we won't know who this employer is, or how he knows about the mysterious Greywarren. The mystery of Niall Lynch and the decree that none of the Lynch boys are to ever go back home again is explained to a satisfying degree. Or at least it is answered to the degree that I cannot wait for the rest of the explanation. I don't get into specifics in my reviews because I violently oppose any kind of spoilers, but suffice it to say that even if you are left knowing even less than you did at the end of book one, it is only because there is so much more now to know. 

The hunt for Glendower, and his hunters Gansey, Ronan, Adam, Noah, and our Blue, becomes more urgent and both closer to its end and further away. It is a beautiful thing to read. Their obsession is less about the king and the power he may bestow once awakened and about the singularity of all his pursuers. Gansey who wants the one thing that his money, power and charisma can't give him; Adam, who wants one thing that he can have that those with everything can't; Blue, who just wants her something more; Noah, who is both dead and alive because of this search; and Ronan, who's own motivations are the most complicated but just as particular. Glendower connects them. Death follows them. This magic defines them all in different ways. 

The strength of this and all of Ms. Stiefvater's works is that when you are reading it you are inside of it. This world, for all of it's 451 pages, is real and breathing. These people are as alive as you and I. But it is better than real life because you can watch its imperfection and yearn for them to find whatever they are looking for. You never want to leave these worlds, and in my opinion, that is the highest compliment one can give an author. 

If you have read Book 1 of The Raven Boys, you don't need me to tell you how good this second entry is; you already know and have pre-ordered it already. If you haven't started this journey yet, I can tell you you are missing out. So don't miss out.