I thought the month of May wasn't going to have very many books for me to review, because things started out pretty slowly. But somehow, miraculously, the month seemed to go on forever, and I got like four books read in the last week or so (I'm still trying to figure out how that happened). So here goes:
I saw this book displayed at the library and the cover immediately caught my attention (clever librarian!) - it was so darn creepy I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, reading A Good Idea, by Cristina Moracho, was not a good idea. I hated this book. If I hadn't been trapped somewhere for hours with nothing else to read, I would have chucked it aside on page 36. Why? Too much behaving badly (see my previous post here). Way too much. Too much getting drunk, having casual sex, smoking weed, slashing tires, taking pills, trying to steal pills, and then all over again. And again. The worst part? It was all completely unnecessary to develop the main concept of the story. It was just thrown in there as if it is a perfectly normal way for perfectly normal teenagers to live. Ridiculous. Don't believe any of the praise on the back of the book cover. It is NOT "dark and twisted," NOT an "unsettling thriller" with a "haunting end," NOT an "irresistible page turner," NOT "harrowing and beautifully crafted," and it definitely does NOT have "lushly evocative writing." I can think of about fifty books I've read that fit that description 1000 times more than this one. Don't waste your time on it.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson has a lot of things going for it. It is a thought-provoking novel (a nice change from the just-for-mindless-entertainment type of book), but not the gut-wrenching, compelling kind (so you can have your thoughts provoked without becoming sad or depressed or angry, leaving this a good choice if you want something deeper but life already has you feeling overwhelmed). I figured out what was going on really early in the story, which was disappointing at first, because I was like, that was too obvious, but it turns out the point of the story was not to be suspenseful by dropping clues throughout, but to get us to think about what was going on. And kudos to Mary Pearson for surprising me with the ending. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. And about that ending - the book wraps up like a stand-alone novel, even though it is the first book in a trilogy, so there would be no problem reading just this one, or going months on end without reading the second one (the book isn't so complicated that you are going to forget things and be confused). Oh, and it is pretty short - I read it in like four or five hours, so it is great for those of you who don't have a lot of time to read. (Reading Level: 3.8/Middle Grade+)
The Stranger Game, by Cylin Busby, is about a teenage girl who goes missing and then turns up four years later. Or someone turns up anyway, and we are supposed to try and decide if it is really her or not. The book is actually about the sister, though, and the relationship the two girls had. We finally do find out what happened in the end, pretty much for sure, not just a vague maybe. I read a book similar to this one years ago, only that one was a boy. The two approach the topic in different ways, though, and have different outcomes, so I guess this one is still pretty original. I haven't read another one like it, anyway, and I've read a lot of books. The writing was nothing special, but I didn't have any complaints about it either. A nice solid three-star book. And another quick read - a few more like this and I'll finally get caught up toward my reading goal for the year (I'm three books behind schedule right now!). (Reading Level: 5.2/Upper Grades)
Infinite Risk, by Ann Aguirre, is the final book in a trilogy. Unfortunately, I read the first one right after it was released, which meant I had to wait a year for the second part, and again for the third. With this series that was frustrating, because the books just pick up where the last left off, with no review of any sort, and the little details are important. Lucky for you, they are all out now, so you won't have that problem. Anyway, I really liked this series. It was original, and interesting, with all kinds of unexpected twists thrown in all over the place. It had romance, and action and adventure, and time travel and secrets and heartbreakingly beautiful characters. Everything that makes a book good. Except maybe a deeper, underlying message, but that's okay, because this is meant to be entertainment, and entertainment is definitely what it delivers. (Reading Level: 5.?/Upper Grades)
Lady Thief, by A. C. Gaughen, is part two in a Robin Hood themed trilogy. I read and gave a mini-review of the first book back in March (here). I'm not going to say much about it now, other than it was a really good book, because I am currently working on a longer post about it. So, for a full review, check back some time in June. (The full review is up now! You can read it here.)
I really liked Allegedly, by Tiffany Jackson. I really liked it until the last two chapters, that is. It tells the story of a girl who is living in a group home after getting released from "baby jail," having been sent there at the age of ten for 'allegedly' killing a baby. The girl becomes pregnant, and after finding out that she will not be allowed to keep the baby, decides she needs to exonerate herself by telling the truth about what really happened. I really liked the character development, the depiction of the brutality in the group home (not that I liked the brutality, but I liked the way the author exposed what the system is really like), and I liked the way transcripts and book excepts were used to tell parts of the story and give hints as to what actually happened. When I finished reading the book, I hated the main character and immediately sat down at the computer to tell you all that I didn't like the book after all. But...after sitting here for a few minutes of typing and thinking about the ending, I have to admit that the author did a fantastic job of creating a psychological thriller, and dropping little clues along the way that should have made me see what was coming. So, if you don't mind feeling like the rug has been pulled out from under you or having your after-school-special inspirational ending trampled on, you might enjoy this book. (Reading Level: ?/Upper Grades)
Revenge of the Evil Librarian, by Michelle Knudsen, is the sequel to Evil Librarian, which I read about six months ago (see mini-review here). I liked it, but not as much as the first one. It was funny, but not as funny, and while the first book had action and adventure with characters falling in love and getting together, this one had less action and more of characters getting mad and falling apart. Which is not nearly as fun to read. It was still a good solid three star kind of book though, so you should give it a try, but only if you've already read the first one, because this is one of those sets that really need to go together to make a lot of sense. (Reading Level: ?/Middle Grades +)
I probably shouldn't have read It's a Wonderful Death, by Sarah J. Schmitt, right after another humor book. This is because, even though it was supposed to be funny, after reading a funnier book it just didn't seem to be so much. The basic premise is that a girl gets accidentally taken by a grim reaper, and makes a big fuss in the afterlife until she gets a do-over at her life as a mean girl. Too much of the book is spent on the making-a-big-deal portion, and the do-over part of the book is pretty much unbelievable. I only really liked the ending. Don't get me wrong - the book wasn't bad or anything, just not my cup of tea (or in my case, coffee, I guess). (Reading Level: ?/Middle Grades +)
So, Unbreakable, by Kami Garcia, is a teenagers-in-a-secret-society-fighting-supernatural-forces kind of book. Yea! I love that kind of book! This particular book, though, not so much. It had all of the good stuff - mystery, clues that led to other clues, action, romance . . . but . . . the details! So many of the little details either didn't make sense, or were needed but missing, or were just plain stupid. You'd think that with little details, it wouldn't really matter, but put enough of them together and it becomes distracting. And annoying. It's enough to turn a great premise into a just so-so book. Oh, and add to that that the love triangle thing involved twins that I just couldn't tell apart, and it all boils down to disappointment. Because, seriously - look at that cover! I'll still read the second (I think final?) book, though, because it wasn't super bad and I need to know what happens. (Don't you just hate that?) (Reading Level: 4.9/Upper Grades)
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