Dive Smack ~ Demetra Brodsky review [@demetrabrodsky @torteen @StMartinsPress]

Dive Smack
Tor Teen
June 19, 2018
336 pages
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A 2018 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

Theo Mackey only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match.

Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.

But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make him question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone—including himself.

A dive - like those one by members of the a dive team - is the perfect reflection of how Dive Smack will make you feel: it is full of twists, turns and sometimes the unexpected, it's fast and can seem confusing from the outside, but can be amazing at the finish.

Not to mention just how wrong you know things can go in an instant.

There were times when I really did not know what was going to happen in the story. I wasn't sure what genre the book fit into, whether things were really happening the way they seemed to be - or if it was a trick on the mid of the character and/or readers.

You don't know why Theo doesn't know what happened the night his house burned and his mother died - and you aren't really sure if you want him (or readers) to discover the truth. Will it be more painful than what he's imagined? Than the not knowing?

I loved that Theo was the captain of his school's Dive Team. Not only were the diving definitions at the top of each chapter great little peeks into what might be to come, it really was the perfect sport/hobby/pastime/skill/talent/passion for both Theo and the story. The notion of control and what that meant for not only his diving but his life away from the pool; the real danger that not being completely present and cognizant could put him in, really amps up the tension and your desire for answers.

The secondary characters in the book were real fun while still playing important roles in the story. I loved Chip (with his lack of a filter), his mother (and the dog she'd so smartly trained), even GP and his less than stellar parenting style. At first I was not sure about Iris (she seemed more what Theo, or a general teenage boy, would want her to be than a real, actual teenage girl) but she definitely grew on me.

Everything, from the losses Theo experienced to his current living situation to his friendship with Chip to his not-stalking of a girl to his not-really-Uncle Phil to why he wants to dive so well to the school project he has to do, all made for this perfect confluence of factors and events for both the character and the story. Dive Smack,, its characters and its story were very original and creative and made for an incredibly entertaining read.

finished copy received from publisher, for review consdieration

Dread Nation ~ Justina Ireland review [@justinaireland @epicreads @harperteen @BalzerandBray]

Dread Nation (#1)
Balzer + Bray
April 03, 2018
455 pages
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Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

I love alternate history stories . . . butt I get a bit nervous when the thing they make 'alternate' about history is something we can all (or should all) agree was something good/positive/that needed to happen.

In Jane's America, slavery has ended but things are far from equal. The dead have risen, putting a stop to the War Between the Sates and leaving everyone with a whole new danger, a new enemy. TO keep people safe  the Native and Negro Reeducation Act, declares that Jane (and other African American and Native American children) will be trained to kill the dead. To protect white people. As is their place.

Here is the thing about a novel where character think that way (you know, that racial superiority is a thing and that it makes sense): It is a brilliant way of demonstrating the fallacy of that precise way of thinking. It is easy to see the wrongs when a story is set during the time of slavery in the Untied States, but the injustices can be less obvious when set afterwards.

In Dread Nation author Justina Ireland gives readers a time when slavery was gone, but the dichotomy of how whites and blacks (and 'Natives') is nearly as profound. Without technical slavery there as a backdrop, we are able to see (and hear) more of how the characters think, how they justify the inequality (and wow is a lot of it not only horrible, but also out there - which is worse because it wasn't out there to them).

That's not to say, though, that Dread Nation is only about the societal structure of Jane's America and full of sociopolitical lessons on race and equality. (There's also bits about gender, as well.) It is a fresh and unique sort of historical fiction, zombie book. Much as the 'why' was bad, the idea of the combat schools was pretty awesome.  I like that these people were so sure that they were 'superior' that their plan involved training the 'inferior' people in combat. Yeah.

I really loved how thoroughly different, yet still very similar and recognizable this alternate America was to what happened.

The characters are very well written. There are some that you really, really want to get shot or bitten or something, and others that you want to help defend (whether or not they need it). I appreciated how the relationships developed during the book and how we learned more about the characters and their history.

Knowing what I do now of how and where things are in Jane's time and of her past, and being truly invested in the characters, their stories, and their relationships, I very much want to read Book 2 and find out what happens. And how close - or how very far - things may get to real history.

Time Bomb ~ Joelle Charbonneau (earc) review [@jcharbonneau @HMHKids]

Time Bomb
HMH Books for Young Readers
March 13, 2018
352 pages
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A congressman's daughter who has to be perfect. A star quarterback with a secret. A guy who's tired of being ignored. A clarinet player who's done trying to fit in. An orphaned rebel who wants to teach someone a lesson. A guy who wants people to see him, not his religion.

They couldn't be more different, but before the morning's over, they'll all be trapped in a school that's been rocked by a bombing. When they hear that someone inside is the bomber, they'll also be looking to one another for answers.

The beginning of Time Bomb does a fantastic job setting things up: you know from the start that one of those trapped inside the school is believed to be the bomber.

The story then jumps back several hours, though, and you see how the students started the day and some (but not quite all) of why they were headed to school. Between the way they're vague about their reasoning and knowing what we do from that radio announcement, it is easy to question each of the characters.

Even as you wonder if they could be responsible for the bombing, you get to know them and care about them. They are characters you can relate to - and sympathize with. Each is facing something (or more than one something) that makes them 'different' and/or makes then feel alienated or unable to be themselves. (They are not quite all likable, however, but that makes sense and fits who the characters are.)

Having both readers doubts about the characters and the characters own doubts, suspicions and fears about each other paired with the congressman's proposed bill was smart storytelling.  You notice more that you're suspected people capable of something (and why), only to usually be proven wrong. Time Bomb is a timely and smart story that unfolds quickly and will keep you reading until the last page.




Another Book You May Also Enjoy:  Trapped by Michael Northrop (Goodreads)





digital review copy received from publisher via NetGalley

A Kiss in the Dark ~ Gina Ciocca (earc) review [@gmc511 @simonteen @simonkids]

A Kiss in the Dark
Simon Pulse
March 06, 2018
341 pages
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When the lights go out at a Georgia high school football game, Macy Atwood finds herself in the arms of a boy who kisses her senseless – but is gone by the time the lights come back on. All she knows is that there was something special – and oddly familiar – about her mystery kisser.

Noah Granger, Ridgedale’s resident bad boy and newest transfer student, has no problem taking credit for the kiss, but Macy can’t shake the feeling that he’s lying. Especially since a photograph of Macy and former star football player Joel Hargrove resurfaced online moments before the blackout, a not-so random reminder of how hard she fell for Joel last year. And how doing so ultimately sent her lifelong friendships with Meredith Kopala and Ben Collins up in literal smoke.

Soon junior year’s wounds begin to reopen as Macy realizes the events that unfolded are somehow tied to her mystery kisser. Discovering how means finally facing what really went wrong with Meredith, Ben, and Joel – and finding out what Noah is covering up.

But the closer Macy gets to figuring it all out, the more she starts to worry that the boy who kissed her in the dark and the boy who is stealing her heart might be two very different people.

While reading A Kiss in the Dark, I couldn't help picturing it with the cover of Gina Ciocca's novel published in January, Busted.

Last year Macy Atwood was a cheerleader, with best friend Meredith. Now, for her senior year, she and Jadie are yearbook photographer. So much about Macy's life has changed in just one year - but what it was that caused all those changes is what you, the reader, have to discover.

The way that Ciocca split the story between Macy's Junior Year and Senior Year, with each happening in the run up to Homecoming was great. We get to see a lot of the repercussions - the strained relationships, the emotional fallout, the lingering questions - of what happened around Homecoming last year, before we experience it in the Junior Year half of the book.

While some of the larger elements of the story - who the characters were to each other, how they felt about each other - were easy to see long before the characters acknowledged and/or realized them, it worked. It was very lifelike that Macy was unable to see what, to an outsider seemed to be, right in front of her. (You also can't guess at the details or how things will play out.)

I loved the different relationships author Gina Ciocca presented to readers. There were different kinds of friendships, different romantic relationships, different parent/child relationships that were all interwoven and played into the story really well.

A kiss in the Dark was sweet and cute but the characters faced uncertainty, difficult decisions, and possibly ruined friendships, as well. The things that weren't easy for the characters made the story that much more real and enjoyable to read.  After Last Year's Mistake and now A Kiss in the Dark, I hope we get more novels from this author that split the story between 'then' and 'now'  - it's great storytelling with true to life characters, emotions and relationships.









review copy received from publisher via NetGalley

Autonomous ~ Andy Marino (earc) review [@DisneyHyperion]

Autonomous

Disney Hyperion
April 03, 2018

398 pages

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William Mackler is about to go on a road trip of a lifetime. After winning a contest—and nearly dying in the process—he becomes the proud owner of Autonomous, a driverless car that knows where you want to go before you do. #Worthit! To sweeten the deal he gets to pick three friends to go with him on a cross-country trip to see their favorite band. For William, a reckless adrenaline junkie, this is the perfect last hurrah before he and his friends go their separate ways after graduation. But Autonomous is more than just a car without a steering wheel. It's capable of downloading all of the passengers’ digital history—from the good, to the bad, to the humiliating. The information is customized into an itinerary that will expose a few well-kept secrets, but it will also force William to face some inner demons of his own. Think you know Autonomous? The real question is, how much does Autonomous know about you?

Autonomous is a bit like KITT, the car from Knight Rider meets 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL with just a bit of the TARDIS thrown in (namely some spatial bits). Really, it's everything that seems cool about self driving cars, only turned so that they will now really creep you out.

Readers know from the very beginning of Autonomous that there is something a bit (or more than just a bit) sinister about the car. That it is not only this amazing technological wonder. How much that is true is what you get to find out as you read.

For me the characters' ages (just graduated high school), their personalities their actions, and the book's tone did not quite match up with each other. It felt like their ages were older so that they could be facing certain challenges or have certain issues, but then, somehow, the book also felt younger. (Though, it's hard for me to identify how or why as there was language, actions, thoughts, etc that were definitely not younger.)

Discovering what a 'thinking' car was capable of and what that could mean when you put four teenagers, with their secrets, lies, expectations, and desires inside it and gave it full access to their social media (and any other digital information) was interesting. It could be fun and unsettling. It could also be predictable (you kind of knew what two characters were up to long before the others.)

Mainly, there was a disconnect for me between the gravity of the characters' actions/issues/challenges/decisions/actions and any consequences or repercussions. I liked what the author was saying about people and relationships through Autonomous and the group's road trip, but for all of the, often, very serious things the characters were dealing with, things were just too okay at the end.

Still,t his can be a fun read for older readers not looking for anything too heavy, for those who aren't sure they like the idea of driverless cars who can 'think' and 'talk' to each other.


(maybe 3.25 stars)





digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Internet Famous ~ Danika Stone (earc) review [@danika_stone @SwoonReads]

Internet Famous
Swoon Reads
June 06, 2017
312 pages
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High school senior and internet sensation Madison Nakama seems to have it all: a happy family, good grades, and a massive online following for her pop-culture blog. But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.

Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.

Internet Famous was one of those books where I had forgotten much of the premise before I started the book (that or it was from Swoon Reads so I didn't really read all of what it was about) so a lot of the story was a surprise for me. A very pleasant surprise.

This is absolutely a very sweet and cute romance, but the other parts of the story - and Madi's life - really take the story to the next level. The different dynamics at play in Madi's family were unexpected but something I was all to glad to see.

"Difficult sibling dynamics are rarely explored in teen films, and this was one of many happy surprises from this rewatch." (pg 253)

Switch up a few words in Madi's statement (films to books, rewatch to read) and you have my feelings about this novel. Madi and Sarah's relationship was not your typical, teenage sisters relationship and the responsibilities Madi had to shoulder put her in more of a parental role sometimes. I really appreciated that we not only got to see her struggle with all of that, but that it was addressed by the characters, as well. The girls' relationships with their mother and father could also be strained and tricky. These extra layers of stress made Madi, her life and her story fuller.

One of the problems Madi encounters did not garner as much sympathy from me as, maybe, it was supposed to . .. I felt bad for her but also did not think she was wrongly penalized.

Madi's blog, MadLibs was fun and something different for a character. I liked how, while it was her escape, it had also impacted her daily life - and then was impacted by it, too.

I began reading Internet Famous expecting a cute, fun, if somewhat fluffy romance. It was definitely cute and fun (and sweet and romantic and goofy) but it was not fluffy. There was an unexpected depth to the story and Madi's character that rally impressed me. I will be reading the author's previous novel All the Feels (which includes some of the same fictional fandom) and anything upcoming.









digital review copy received from the publisher, via NetGalley

Hamilton & Peggy! ~ L.M. Elliott review [@L_M_Elliott @KatherineTegen ‏@epicreads @KTegenBooks]

Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship
Katherine Tegen Books
February 13, 2018
448 pages
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The ebook of Hamilton and Peggy! is currently only $1.99, so hurry up and buy it! (Kindle / Nook)

For fans of the extraordinary Broadway musical Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author L. M. Elliott delivers a richly detailed historical novel about the lively Peggy Schuyler and her devoted friendship to Alexander Hamilton during the drama of the American Revolution.

Revolutionary. Friend. Lover. Sister.

Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she’s existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and the beautiful, sweet Eliza. The three of them have a magnetic pull—they are stronger together than they are alone. But it’s in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, and friends and family. Charming, quick-witted, and clever beyond compare, Peggy is determined to use her talents to make her own mark on the Revolutionary War.

When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes an eloquent letter to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, General Philip Schuyler, and the danger to all their lives is real. Everything is a battlefield—from the front lines to their carefully coded letters—and Peggy must put herself in harm’s way to protect the people she loves. But will her bravery and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe?

It has been far too long since the last time I read a truly captivating historical fiction YA novel - something that Hamilton and Peggy! absolutely was.

Aside from some of those Dear America books I read in middle school, I have read remarkable little about the American Revolution. Most of what I know about it probably from history class and a few TV documentary type shows. It was really interesting and enlightening to read something that showed me the people behind some of those Names I knew factually.

I really, really loved how L.M. Elliott showed us Peggy Schuyler through a modern eye but still in keeping with the time period and what is known about her, her family, the time, etc.

"...Would consider any man "a poor thing," who seeks to entertain and garner the friendship of other men by gossiping and criticizing women." (pg 304)

As her author bio for the book says, this story combined "her passions for research, American history, theater, ad early feminism." Pairing the hopes and desires of Peggy (and several other female characters) with the fight for American independence was very well done; it is a logical pairing.

That the men were working so hard for independence, for freedom and the ability to make their own choices while still subjugating women and owning slaves is confounding, to say the least, when you think about it. But I am happy that the author did not ignore either fact, it really helps you to recognize how frustrated - and later, disappointed - some must have been when 'freedom' was won.

Peggy -and really the entire Schuyler family are people I am sorry I did not previously know more about. Her story and how it fits with that of Alexander Hamilton (whether you know it from the musical or reading or just what was mentioned in school) really beings the Revolution to life.

Hamilton and Peggy! is a fantastic YA historical fiction. The author does a great job using both historical fact and a bit of (reasoned, logical) imagining to allow us to meet Peggy and, through her, learn about some of the less often portrayed elements of the period and the war.








finished copy received, for review consideration, from publisher

The Precious Dreadful ~ Steven Parlato (earc) review [@SimonTeen @parlatowrites]

The Previous Dreadful
Simon Pulse
February 13, 2018
352 pages
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Teddi Alder is just trying to figure out her life.

When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi fears she’s losing her grip on reality—as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky new boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own.

As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored.

The Precious Dreadful was just not the book for me; Teddi's character and, especially, the romance really did not work for me. I did not love the writing in the beginning but as the book continued it either changed or I started to like it more. Sadly, I still had issues with Teddi and her relationships.

The romantic relationship in this novel really bothered me. It felt unhealthy and possibly dangerous. The male character had issues - that, weirdly, were stated to the other character very plainly but did not cause any alarm or hesitancy. Even if Teddi seemed fine with the actions, behaviors and words, I wanted one of the other characters to address the potential trouble. No one did (at least not with any follow through).

There's a 'big romantic gesture' that, possibly because of my feelings on the character and the relationship felt more controlling and troubling than sweet and romantic.

Maybe if I had felt more development of the relationship - it seemed to go from an interaction she remembers as 'hostile' (pg 37) to something she thinks could, "end up being for real." (Pg 39) Beyond his physical attractiveness, I had trouble seeing what the character's appeal was to her.

The mystery of this novel was fun and intriguing. The general picture of what happened was easy to guess fairly early on but why it is something the characters need to figure out and how it pieces together was compelling. This was a mystery that I would have enjoyed if I had cared about or understood the characters. At times I liked Teddi's acerbity but other times she felt mean and petty.

It felt like I was too old or too responsible or something for this book. There were too many things that characters did not care about, did not notice, or where there wasn't follow up/consequences.

Also? Teddi was awfully judgmental of people's names for someone named Teddi.

Interestingly, after I finished the book, I found myself wanting Brenda, Teddi's mother's, story. From where she failed Teddi to the things Teddi was so dismissive of and the bits her past mentioned, she could be more sympathetic than her daughter.

So, no, this was not the book for me but if you see the novel's romance differently and are able to connect with and/or relate to the characters more, The Precious Dreadful may be a book for you to read.

digital review copy received thanks to publisher, via NetGalley

Piglettes by Clémentine Beauvais (earc) review [@PushkinPress]

Piglettes
Pushkin Children's Books
August 08, 2017
288 pages
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A wickedly funny and life-affirming coming-of-age roadtrip story - winner of France's biggest prize for teen and YA fiction.

Awarded the Gold, Silver and Bronze trotters after a vote by their classmates on Facebook, Mireille, Astrid and Hakima are officially the three ugliest girls in their school, but does that mean they're going to sit around crying about it?

Well... yes, a bit, but not for long! Climbing aboard their bikes, the trio set off on a summer roadtrip to Paris, their goal: a garden party with the French president. As news of their trip spreads they become stars of social media and television. With the eyes of the nation upon them the girls find fame, friendship and happiness, and still have time to consume an enormous amount of food along the way.

Originally published in 2015 as Les Petites Reines in France, the English version, Piglettes was translated by the author.

Mireille, Astrid and Hakima are ugly. So sayeth the annual vote by their classmates on Facebook, at least. Mireille, for one, absolutely agrees and insists it no longer bothers her, that it's something she accepted. The other two girls have not quite reached that point (if they ever will or, you know, should).

Mireille's self deprecating and often (really) dark sense of humor was very funny, but at times it was hard to know if it was really how she saw things, or the protective barrier she'd built for herself. And if it was funny or just sad. ("I think you made the wrong choice. In retrospect, I mean. Seeing what I turned out to be like, personally, I'd have aborted myself." [pg 179])

The more the story progressed and the more we got to know the three girls, the more I appreciated that we weren't going to get that She's All That makeover scene. These are three girls who are not physically attractive. But you know what? So what. Their physical appearance is only that, it isn't reflective of their knowledge or their ambition or what they can achieve. It's not who they are.

Piglette's characters takes its characters on a great journey, both literally and metaphorically. I loved that what they learn and how they grow was simply a part of the story and that you often did not realize it was happening, at the moment. (We weren't given little asides pointing out what X character had just realized or learnt.) It was all very natural and made for a great read.

I do not think I will ever forget Mireille or the other characters and their trip to Paris (with all of its food and drink and history). This was a funny, smart, touching read and I also think it's fantastic that the author is also the translator!







review copy received, thanks to publisher, via NetGalley

This Darkness Mine ~ Mindy McGinnis review [@MindyMcGinnis @KatherineTegen @HarperTeen]

This Darkness Mine
Katherine Tegen Books
October 10, 2017
352 pages
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*This novel is one of those that I suggest maybe not reading the description before you read the book. So, if that is something you ever do - or will do - skip over what this one's about.*

Sasha Stone knows her place—first-chair clarinet, top of her class, and at the side of her oxford-wearing boyfriend. She’s worked her entire life to ensure that her path to Oberlin Conservatory as a star musician is perfectly paved.

But suddenly there’s a fork in the road, in the shape of Isaac Harver. Her body shifts toward him when he walks by, her skin misses his touch even though she’s never known it, and she relishes the smell of him—smoke, beer, and trouble—all the things she’s avoided to get where she is. Even worse, every time he’s near Sasha, her heart stops, literally. Why does he know her so well—too well—and she doesn’t know him at all?

Sasha discovers that her by-the-book life began by ending another’s: the twin sister she absorbed in the womb. But that doesn’t explain the gaps of missing time in her practice schedule or the memories she has of things she certainly never did with Isaac. As Sasha loses her much-cherished control, her life—and heart—become more entangled with Isaac. Armed with the knowledge that her heart might not be hers alone, Sasha must decide what she’s willing to do—and who she’s willing to hurt—to take it back.

Edgar Award–winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a dark and gripping psychological thriller about a girl at war with herself, and what it really means to be good or bad.

Safe to say that was not where I was expecting the book to go - either for the story or for the character. True, I did not read the description before I started the book (it was by Mindy McGinnis and that was enough for me to want to read it) but I am glad I did not know what the book was supposed to be about. This story had me wondering, "What is going on?" at almost every turn but I truly loved discovering what was coming as it happened,. The not knowing what to expect was fantastic.

Even as the story grew darker and stranger and more startling, it somehow still made sense and felt very real. What happened and how it did were things I never would have expected or guessed (even if you given some sort of multiple choice test type option) but it all still fit.   I won't say it was logical, per se, but weirdly . . . it was?

This Darkness Mine is a weird, almost confusing at times, twisty, turny, dark and thrilling tale that truly did surprise me. There were times I was not even sure what genre the story would end up being so I really did not know what to expect. The only thing I knew for sure, the whole time, was that I had to keep reading it.

(I also need to mention how much I loved some of the characters. They were part of what made me not sure what genre the book would ultimately be - or made me want it to be something else. It is really noteworthy even in a dark, twisty, psychological thriller like this, I found some of the characters really sweet or really odd or really whatever. It was not just about Sasha, there were some brilliant characters in this novel.)

Dear Martin ~ Nic Stone review [@getnicced @penguinteen]

Dear Martin
Crown Books for Young Readers
October 17, 2017
210 pages
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Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack

Dear Martin  is what a lot of other novels about race and/or racism - both adult and YA books - have tried to be. The author has picked an ideal setting and characters to tell this story. There was great diversity in Dear Martin's characters: racially (at least with black and white characters, less soc with other races or ethnicities), socioeconomically, even when it came to view points on race and race relations.

Justyce was someone planning for an Ivy League education and at the top of his class. He was also someone who had not always been a part of that privileged, prep school life.  I enjoyed that we had his character who was familiar with both 'worlds' but also characters who only knew one or the other. It gives readers some great perspective and great insights.

We get a lot of very frank, very honest, not always educated and not PC discussion through the characters debate class. I loved the range of their opinions and how the author didn't dismiss any of them, even if they were horrible or ludicrous or misinformed (or just plan racist). Those discussions were a very smart way to have the characters talk about things they otherwise might not have, in ways and with those they would not have, otherwise.

I especially loved how real Nic Stone's characters were. They each held whatever beliefs they held for their own reasons - things that had happened in the past, information they gathered (or a lack thereof), familial beliefs, pop culture, current events, etc. Yet, neither the characters nor their beliefs were set in stone. There were great allowances for change and growth - even for those characters (okay one or two in particular) that I had all but written off. It was very hopeful while not feeling naive.

Nic Stone's Dear Martin is an incredibly real, pertinent, smart, thoughtful and though provoking read and I am absolutely eager to see what she publishes next.

Berserker ~ Emmy Laybourne (earc) review [@EmmyLaybourne @FeiwelFriends @FierceReads]

Berserker (#1)
Feiwel & Friends
October 10, 2017
352 pages
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Are Hanne's powers a gift from the old Norse gods, or a curse?

Her brother Stieg swears their powers are a gift from the old gods, but Hanne Hemstad knows she is truly cursed. It's not Stieg's fault that their father is dead, their mother has left, and their brother Knut has been accused of a crime he didn't commit.

No, the fault lies with Hanne and her inability to control her murderous "gift"--she is a Berserker. When someone she loves is threatened, she flies into a killing state. The siblings must leave Norway for the American frontier or risk being brought to justice.

Aided by a young cowboy who agrees to be their guide, Hanne and her siblings use their powers to survive the perilous trail, where blizzards, wild animals, and vicious bounty hunters await.

Will they be able to reach their uncle, the one man Hanne believes may be able to teach her how to control her drive to kill? With Berserker, Emmy Laybourne, the author of Monument 14, presents her vision of an American west studded with Viking glory.

Emmy Laybourne's Berserker does a great job blending the story of a family immigrating to America in the 19th century. This was one of the first books I have read that featured any kind of Norse mythology and I liked that it wasn't so much about gods and goddesses but about what they might have given to people, to mortals.

How we are introduced to Hanne and learn of her 'gifts' was nicely done. We are able to see what she can do and to see her relationships with her family before we get the facts. I liked her being someone you probably already connected with before you learn how she can kill.

The danger the siblings face and how it was compounded by Hanne's gifts added tension to the read ad made it more exciting. It was not so simple as them leaving Norway, finding somewhere to stat a new life and that being that. As they tried to adjust to a new land and life, come to terms with what had happened and who they were, we really did learn a lot about the characters.

The bleaker things became, the more they had to use their abilities but also the more of a threat using those abilities might pose.  Berserker really does a fantastic job with its sibling relationships, with four young people coming to a brand new country and to a whole new life, and forcing its characters to deal with both seemingly magical abilities and very human emotions.

Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14 book and series were fun and fast paced, but her new novel delves more into the characters lives and emotions and feels a bit more. . . grown up, maybe. Berserker is  a creative, sometimes tension filled read that expertly combines Norse mythology, ancient abilities and the human lives of those affect.







digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Every Heart a Doorway ~ Seanan McGuire review [@torbooks]

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)
Tor.com
April 05, 2016
173 pages
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Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

"Call it irony, if you like, but we spend so much time waiting for our boys to stray that they never have the opportunity. We notice the silence of men. We depend upon the silence of women."  (pg 59)

Every Heart a Doorway is a brilliant fantasy tale. I loved that the story focuses on what happens after: after children disappear from their homes, through magical doorways, and spend however long in these magical worlds. After they come home, back to the normal, non-magical world.

It is both unexpected and wonderful that Nancy, Sumi and the others are not thrilled to be back in the real world. They aren't 'rescued' now that they're home, in fact, they want to go back.

Why they left in the first place, where they each went, how they feel about being back (home first, now at Eleanor's school) and their hopes for the future have definite similarities but it's the amazing differences that make the story such fun. Sumi is so very different from Nancy who's so very different from Jack, etc. and it manages to feel like a school social environment while also involving the Hals of the Dead, mad scientists, vampires, skeletons, and the Countess of Candy Floss. It is both fantastically magical and wonderfully realistic.

I both adored and appreciated the diversity of Every Heart a Doorway's characters. When why they were at the school/home was factored in, their eccentricities, their identities (however you want to interpret the word), really all of who they each were made even more sense. With such a small group of characters, the story was that much better for each of them having a strong personality and for their differences. It also allows you, once something horrible happens, to see how many of those 'differences' don't matter and how similar we all are.

Every Heart a Doorway manages to be great fantasy and a great mystery and have great characters who offer some important, smart, thoughtful insights. Once you read this, you'll want Down Among the Sticks and Bones to start reading right way (Book 3, Beneath the Sugar Sky, is out in January).

This Mortal Coil ~ Emily Suvada review [@emilysuvada @simonteen]

This Mortal Coil (#1)
Simon Pulse
November 07, 2017
412 pages
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Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.

That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.

Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?

It has been a long, long time since i was so wonderfully, pleasantly surprised by a book as I was with This Mortal Coil. When I first saw the book cover online it immediately drew me to it (and I like it even more now, knowing what it represents). For whatever reason, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it, though . . . I have absolutely no idea why now.

Emily Suvada's debut novel gives readers one of the creepiest, most unsettling portraits of a near future dystopia.  Maybe one of the easiest to imagine actually happening, too.

The way that people can use apps to modify their bodies, to heal injuries, to treat and defeat illnesses is definitely very science fiction, but it's also presented in such a way that you can believe it - and understand both the how and the why. I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of coding and science in This Mortal Coil, it elevated what could have been this inconceivable, implausible future and made it something real.

I loved Catarina's character, from what she had to do, alone in the cabin for so long, to survive the outbreak to why she was limited in the apps she could run and what it meant for her, her to coding abilities and her relationships. Through her we learn a lot about Hydra, about how people can modify themselves with code and apps, about Cartaxus and who now is in charge of society. We also get some fantastic questions and things to try to unravel.

Just when things seemed to be concluding, something huge and significant would be revealed that was both startling and surprising and something you couldn't believe you didn't see coming. It was all brilliant

As Amie Kaufman, co-author of Illuminae  and the Starbound Series said, "This Mortal Coil redefines 'unputdownable.' A thrilling, exhilarating read that's crackling with intelligence. Compelling characters and and incredible twists come together perfectly—I loved this book. This is brilliant science fiction.."

This is what I want from a scifi, dystopian, near future read. This. This Mortal Coil was a fantastic debut and I am very, very much looking forward to Book 2!

Not Now, Not Ever ~ Lily Anderson (earc) review [@ms_lilyanderson}

Not Now, Not Ever
Wednesday Books
November 21, 2017
320 pages
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The sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.

Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer.

1. She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento, where she'd have to sit through her stepmother's sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
2. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
3. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mother's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn't appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she'd be able to defeat afterwards.

What she is going to do is pack up her attitude, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she's going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?

This summer's going to be great.

Just when I was starting Not Now, Not Ever I got a bit of news that felt sort of like .  . .well this:

Which wouldn't matter except that I think it's why I didn't realize how this book and The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You connected. I knew they were supposed to but somehow I did not connect the characters from the first book with those (now older) ones here. That lets me tell you that I did not love these characters simply because of their connection to or presence in the earlier book. 

But I did really, really, really love them and I love the book as a whole more now that I do remember. So, you do not have to read The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You first - this is much more a companion book than a sequel - but I recommend that you do. Actually, read them one right after the other for maximum: 

I have so, so much love for Ever. From her take on time travel and it's issues around language (Then again, I wanted an Oxford linguistics textbook because of something Doctor Who made me look up . . . .) to her math grade ("I knew I was smart, but I'd only pulled a B minus in geometry.") to her desire that science fiction and fantasy not mix (at least on bookshelves).

The mix of familial expectations, personal goals and dreams, a camp of geniuses, and the contrast between the military discipline of parts of Ever's family and the summer at Rayevich College made for a very full, enjoyable, memorable and compelling story.

There was a great collection of characters - both those you may already know from TOTWTMIY and new ones - with a myriad of reasons for attending the summer program. Their personalities, how seriously they took things, their motivation for being there and how they interacted with each other made for a lot of fun but also for believable, realistic relationships and frictions.

Now Now, Not Ever is a fantastic second novel that does a really great job bringing in characters from Anderson's first book but making them older so they can play a different role in this story and so that the focus is really on Ever (and that boy on the cover, too!). Lily Anderson's characters are brilliant and

 I would absolutely read a dozen more books with these characters, or a mix of these and new ones like TOTWTMIS and Not Now, Not Ever.

Oh, and of course Ever can like Firefly but not Buffy but, I do so here's a random Buffy GIF::

digital review copy received via NetGalley thanks to publisher

All Rights Reserved ~ Gregory Scott Katsoulis review [@HarlequinTeen ]

All Rights Reserved (Word$ #1)
Harlequin Teen
August 29, 2017
400 pages
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In a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked, one girl elects to remain silent rather than pay to speak, and her defiant and unexpected silence threatens to unravel the very fabric of society.

Speth Jime is anxious to deliver her Last Day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood. The moment she turns fifteen, Speth must pay for every word she speaks ("Sorry" is a flat ten dollars and a legal admission of guilt), for every nod ($0.99/sec), for every scream ($0.99/sec) and even every gesture of affection. She's been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt, and can't begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that she's unable to afford.

But when Speth's friend Beecher commits suicide rather than work off his family's crippling debt, she can't express her shock and dismay without breaking her Last Day contract and sending her family into Collection. Backed into a corner, Speth finds a loophole: rather than read her speech - rather than say anything at all - she closes her mouth and vows never to speak again. Speth's unexpected defiance of tradition sparks a media frenzy, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family and the entire city around them.

All Rights Reserved is a book that will make you think, if not about what you say, then about your ability to say it. Or the different movements and gestures you make throughout the say.

In Speth Jime's world it is absolutely astounding how many things, how many little aspects of daily life have been monetized. Nearly everything - every word or gesture is trademarked, ads are everywhere and everything from buzzing someone's apartment to medical procedures requires agreeing to Terms of Service.- is a transaction. It's not a fair economy either.

People like Speth and her family have to pay for every word they say, trying to live a life while avoiding Collection.

Ordinarily, I want background on dystopian worlds, to know how things devolved from what we know now - or can foresee - and what the characters are experiencing. It was one hundred percent for the better, though, that we don't get that in All Rights Reserved. The story is told by Speth, which is necessary given that she doesn't speak, and to her the world is what it is. Those in Speth's world don't have a US history class that teaches them about freedom of speech, so they can't wonder, let alone know how things got so bad.

Having the characters not aware of how different their world is from ours, really allows readers to experience their world and lives. We don't get that objective view point saying, "Well this is wrong," or, "Here's how this came to be," Instead you get things from Speth's view point. And it's that much more rewarding and exciting as her knowledge and view evolve and grow.

I am really eager to see what the sequel Access Restricted holds for Speth and the others and if we get more of that background information.

Doctor Who: Myths & Legends ~ Richard Dinnick (earc) review [@richarddinnick @bbcdoctorwho]

Adrian Salmon, illustrator
Doctor Who: Myths and Legends
BBC Books/Penguin Group UK
September 12, 2017 (International)/June 29, 2017 (UK)
288 pages
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For thousands of years, epic stories have been passed down from Time Lord to student, generation to generation. The truth of these tales was lost millennia ago, but the myths and legends themselves are timeless.

These are the most enduring of those tales. From the princess Manussa and her giant snake Mara, to the Vardon Horse of Xeriphin, these stories shed light on the universe around us and the beings from other worlds that we meet. Myths hold up a mirror to our past, present and future, explaining our culture, our history, our hopes and fears.

A collection of epic adventures from the Time Lords’ mist-covered past, Myths and Legends is an unforgettable gallery of heroes and villains, gods and monsters.

Earlier this year when a hurricane knocked the power out for several days and I realized how many more stars you could see*. Looking at all of those stars, it was hard not to wonder what could be on or around them.  Doctor Who: Myths and Legends presents some possibility.

Some of the myths and legends re-imagined to involve Time Lords were ones I was familiar with:  including Medusa, King Midas; and those I was not: stories with the Argonauts, the Cumaean Sibyl. Interestingly, I think I more enjoyed those stories where they myth was already known to me. I liked seeing how the author changed things up, where Doctor Who characters and/or ideas were inserted into these well known tales.

The more you know of Doctor Who, the different Doctors and all of the different alien planets and species they've encountered, the more you will recognize in Myths and Legends. These are not all sttories where the Doctor comes in, obvious in who they are and saves the day. Some give us more insight into Gallifrey, its past and attempts to extend its reach.l while others show us how certain beings go to be where they were when viewers encountered them (like, say, a Soviet sub in 1983).

Some of the stories did fall a bit short for me, seeming to not really resolve themselves or have satisfactory endings. (Though it could have been that I was unfamiliar with what Doctor Who episode/character/story they were involved in .) Others though, were fun, imaginative and did a great job both re-imagining the myths and legends we already know and including Whovian characters, lore, facts and ideas.

This collection is likely more enjoyable for Doctor Who fans  (and more so the more of it you've retrained) but fans of re-imaginings and science fiction may also find it a fun read, as well.




*This needs to be a thing everywhere






review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

There's Someone Inside Your House ~ Stephanie Perkins review [@DuttonYR @naturallysteph] #TheresSomeoneInsideYourHouse

There's Someone Inside Your House
Dutton Books for Young Readers
September 26, 2017
289 pages
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Love hurts...

Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.

Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.

Somehow, There's Someone Inside Your House was both sweet and creepy. It seems like it shouldn't work: let's be honest, in a horror movie, you might like characters and be pulling for them to come out of it all alive, you might even want them to get a happily ever after together. But the relationships aren't really the focus of the story.

In There's Someone Inside Your House, though, I really liked the characters and they had well written, real relationships. From Makani and her grandmother (and the lack of her parents) to Makani and Alex and Darby - and Makani and Ollie, they are characters you care about, their bonds seem real and you want them to figure out what's happening but to stay safe while doing so.

The novel managed to be unsettling and anxiety inducing through some small occurrences/more so than big, dramatic ones. Even after students had been murdered, it was some of those small things that set you on edge. It was hard to know who was truly safe . . . or for how long.

The answers we get by the end of the novel are almost more dramatic for their lack of being something big, showy or over the top. It is something that seems so absurd, yet also makes a lot of sense.

I really appreciated the way that why Makani was sent to live in Nebraska, what had really happened, worked into the story. It was both completely separate from the killings and not at all, at least for her. Her struggling with that secret, the relationships she was trying to build, and the horror and fear around a killer all worked together better than I anticipated. This is a sweet, cute story that will also set your nerves on edge and have you watching the shadows.