Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review: Dreams of Gods and Monsters

dreams of gods and monstersDreams of Gods and Monsters
 by Laini Taylor
Published by: Little, Brown & Company
Form: Purchased Hardback
Big Themes: War, Peace, Love, Friendship, Death, Reincarnation, Fate, Prophets, Angels, Chimaera, Universe, Multiple Dimensions, Rebuilding, Wishes

This is a spoiler-free review.

Summary:
The final installment of the trilogy that began with Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  Karou is fighting for peace for her people against insurmountable odds.  She finally has people she can trust and allies on her side, but will it be enough?  The future balances on a precipice and could tip either way…

Review of Book 1: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Review of Book 2: Days of Blood and Starlight

A Conflicted Review:

I’m breaking from my usual review format because this review is tough enough to write without being constricted to a template.  This series was vying for a spot in my Top 5 Books of All-Time.  I’ve spent much of today reading other people’s reviews of Dreams of Gods and Monsters, and most people love it.  I can’t say I feel the same love.  It was good.  But I am disappointed more than in love.

I feel an overwhelming sense of irony because in my final words of my review of Book 2, I wrote:

“It is rare that I have total confidence in the author to finish a series when I’m only on the second book of a trilogy. I have total confidence that Laini Taylor will have a perfect third and final book, and I can’t wait to see how she pulls the whole thing together.”

It rips me apart to say I’m disappointed in this book because I sincerely believe Laini Taylor is a genius when it comes to writing.  I wonder if I just don’t understand what her vision was, or if I’m justified in my dissatisfaction as a reader.  So I’m going to express why I was disappointed, without spoilers, and I definitely invite discussion in the comments.

I was so excited for this book that I purchased the book on the day it came out.  But as I began reading, I started to get an uneasy feeling that perhaps this wasn’t going to be as satisfying a conclusion as I hoped.  The first reason for this uneasy feeling was the book’s pacing.

I have a low tolerance for slow pacing in general.  But in this case, it wasn’t just that there was a lack of action or suspense.  The pacing was slow because of point-of-view changes.  The book would repeatedly switch to the POV of completely new characters that were just being introduced in this final book.

The problem with this is that I have no emotional attachment to these newbie characters, nor did Taylor build emotional attachment for me.  There were times where I actually felt like Taylor was instructing me to care.  “Hey!  You should like and care about this person!  She’s cool.”  I never once felt like this particular character did anything to earn my respect and admiration.  We got a heck of a lot of backstory, that I think was supposed to make me sympathize and understand.  It didn’t have that effect.  Instead I found myself bored whenever the POV would switch to a newbie character (and there were many newbie characters, not just one).

Which brings me to my biggest problem with the newbie characters: they were all immensely powerful.  The newbie characters were all stronger than the original cast of characters.  And rather than let the original cast of characters fight through and solve the major conflicts of the novel… the newbie characters solved some of the most major conflicts.  This had a very deus ex machina feel.  I really struggle with this because I think Laini Taylor must have had some purpose behind her decision to allow new characters to resolve the overarching conflict.  I think she’s too smart a writer to rely on any resemblance of deus ex machina to resolve the conflicts she’s established.  But this is exactly how the story’s resolution came off to me, and I wonder what I’m missing.

My final dissatisfaction with the novel is how little resolution we get for so many of the secondary characters we grew to care about in previous books.  Did Amzallag find his family?  What purpose or ending came to Rath the Dashnag?  What happened to the deer-girl refugees Sveva and Sarazal?

When you have such a wide cast of secondary characters, many of whom received their very own POV chapters, then I feel as though I’m owed some sort of resolution for those characters.  And there I run into a dilemma.  When does an author owe a reader resolution?  Does the author owe a reader some level of satisfaction?  Or does an author not owe the reader anything?

I think the biggest reason I felt dissatisfaction in this conclusion is that so much of the resolution of the war was told off-screen.  The resolution was recapped.  I had invested in this dream of peace between two groups at war, but I did not get to witness the final battle, the surrender, the two groups working together, or the rebuilding of society.  All of this happened off-screen or was told as if it was a bit of backstory that we missed.

Did I want to see happiness and rainbows?  No.  I realize that war is messy and the rebuilding after war can oftentimes be just as difficult as war itself.  But you can’t spend two books on fighting and violence, and then treat the resolution as a sidenote (a sidenote of deus ex machina no less).

My last issue with the book is the introduction of a larger, more powerful, vague enemy in the final pages of the book.  We get an ominous and overwhelming threat that every single character is going to have to physically battle.  The end?  This is a trilogy.  This is the third book.  Laini Taylor herself writes in the acknowledgements:

“An ending is reached.  It’s deeply satisfying, a little bewildering, and unbelievably sad to be closing this chapter of my life.  A trilogy, completed!”

So you introduce a completely new threat, as they are rebuilding from total devastation, and say case closed?  That’s supposed to be satisfying?  It’s one thing to leave a series open-ended for spin-offs or sequels.  It’s another thing entirely to literally introduce a threat that impacts the lives of the characters in a very real way, and then say “The End” without any resolution.

If the purpose of this new threat was to emphasize metaphorically that even after achieving peace there will always be danger in the world… then that was a very literal and not very subtle metaphor.  I don’t understand if Taylor was trying to buck the trend of neatly tied-up endings?  Was she setting up a spin-off series with her newbie-powerful-characters?

Most reviewers seemed to find this book satisfying because of the romance.  Lots of happy couples.  And most reviewers like Zuzana.  I agree.  I love Zuzana.  She’s loyal and fiesty and hilarious.  And most reviewers praise Taylor’s prose, which I agree is still extraordinary in its lyrical qualities and vivid imagery.

Overall:
I can’t get past my feelings of dissatisfaction.  I originally gave this 4 stars on Goodreads, but after typing up my review and really mulling things over, I am going to have to say 3 stars.  I do question whether I, as a reader, am owed anything by the author.  Does she owe me a satisfactory resolution (sans deus ex machina)?  Does she owe me information on what became of secondary characters, considering we spent time in their POV?  Or does an author have the freedom and right to bring her vision of the story to light without regards to her audience?

This series was poised to go on my All-Time Favorites list, but now I see it instead as a cautionary tale to myself as a writer.  I never want to leave my readers dissatisfied and disappointed.  The story will be my own, but I will be sure to spend enough time on my resolution and secondary characters to leave my reader satisfied.  If they spent several hundred pages of their time, then I personally feel like I owe them something.  I currently have some plotlines and secondary characters that are unresolved, and I will definitely be working hard to find a resolution for each of them.

Discussion is welcome.  I wanted to like this book, so I’m definitely open to anyone who can share thoughts and ideas that will put this book in a more favorable light for me.

After Note:
I wrote up this review, and then did some internet research.  According to an interview with Laini Taylor on Hypable, it seems that Laini prefers to write without a plan or outline:

“I have fear, as a writer, because of my process, which involves a lot of faith in my future self. (“Future-me will figure this out. Just leave it to Future-me.”) But the alternative—plotting it all out in advance—has just never worked for me, so this is what I do.”

So now I doubt that Taylor had a purpose or end destination in the first place.  I’m fine with writing a first draft without a plan.  Personally, I find outlines helpful, but some of my favorite scenes are the ones that I did not plan out.  The scenes that came out of some subconscious part of my brain.  However, I am now of the belief that Dreams of Gods and Monsters could have benefited greatly in the revision process if beta readers or editors had asked some key questions about the choices Taylor was making as an author, the direction the plot had taken, and how certain subplots were resolved.

Because ultimately, I feel cheated out of a resolution between the angels and chimaera.  That’s what the series led me to be invested in, but the final book did not deliver a satisfactory resolution.  An all-powerful other swept in and solved it all for them and an entirely new conflict was introduced.

Having no plan initially is fine, but that’s what the revision process is for: making sense of the pieces and ensuring you deliver a story that is whole and cohesive.  Without a satisfactory resolution, I don’t feel like this book delivered a whole and cohesive final product.  There is a bond of trust between author and reader.  I feel like Laini Taylor broke my trust as a reader.  Do I still think she’s a beautiful writer?  Yes.  Did she create an engaging world?  Absolutely.  Did she create memorable characters?  Yes, characters I cared immensely about.  But will I trust her again, with hundreds of pages of my time and invest in another series by her?  Right now, my answer would be no.  I don’t want to invest my heart in a world and characters if I can’t trust her to craft a satisfying resolution.  And that makes me really sad to say.

Book Review: These Broken Stars

these broken starsThese Broken Stars
 by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Form: Purchased Hardback
Big Themes: Survival, Social Class, Space Travel, Love, Death, Ghosts, Mental Illness, Strength, Trust

Summary:
Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen are from two different worlds.  Lilac is a socialite and focus of the paparazzi as the daughter of the wealthiest man in the universe.  Tarver worked his way up in the world as a military hero.  When their spaceship, the ill-named Icarus, is thrown from hyperspace and crashes on an uninhabited planet.  Lilac and Tarver are forced to depend on each other for support and survival in a wild, mysterious setting where social class means nothing and anything–even love–is possible.

What I Loved:

Totally Fresh and Original: This book didn’t feel like it was trying to be like any other book out there.  It felt fresh.  As I read, it felt like diving into something fun and different.  The book is described as Rose and Jack from Titanic, but where the ship sinks in the first five minutes, and then they land on the island from LOST.  So yes, there are hints of ideas we’ve seen before: poor boy loves rich girl, post-crash survival story, and mysterious setting.  Despite those familiar elements, the authors pulled off making this something entirely new and original.  Between this book, Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles, and Beth Revis’ Across the Universe series, I think YA science fiction is showing great mainstream potential.

Unpredictable Plot: The twists and turns in this book were exceptional.  There were many, many parts of the book where I wasn’t sure what was going on.  Without spoiling anything, I will say that the elements that were similar to a ghost story were completely unexpected and a pleasant twist.

Slow, Authentic Romance: It takes a really, really long time for Tarver and Lilac to admit any sort of feelings for each other.  I enjoyed getting to know them as individual characters, especially since the book switches back and forth between both of their voices.  That dual perspective allowed readers insight into what each character respected about the other.  For example, Tarver is in awe of Lilac’s determination, though he does not express this to her.  Seeing how both characters grow to respect and admire each other was a refreshing perspective in teen romance.

Smooth Writing: This book was co-authored by two people who were living on different continents.  DIFFERENT CONTINENTS.  Technology clearly made this sort of endeavor possible (I think they specifically mentioned Google Docs.)  I am totally fascinated by the idea of writing a book with another person.  I just can’t fathom what the process would be like and how to begin meshing two different writing styles.  But this book flowed seamlessly.  Never was it obvious that this book was written by two people instead of one.  In fact, when I heard Meagan Spooner speak at the NoVa teen event last month, she said that it is difficult to remember who wrote what in the book.  They each started out writing one character.  However, I guess the editing process was more of a free-for-all.  Because Spooner said that they would tell each other “I love that line you wrote!” and the other would say, “I didn’t write that line, you did!”  I love that.  I love that a story would get to a point where no one person can take ownership.  I love that this book was such a collaborative effort!  🙂

Overall:
Five Stars.  I just thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I can definitely see myself picking it up to re-read one day.  Highly recommend!

Book Review: Wonder

wonderWonder
by R.J. Palacio
Published by: Knopf
Form: Purchased Hardback
Big Themes: Acceptance, Popularity, Bullying, Friendship, Siblings, Loss of Loved Ones, Growing Up

Summary:
August Pullman (Auggie) was born with rare and severe facial deformities.  Despite years of surgery, Auggie will never have a normal face.  Growing up in and out of hospitals, Auggie has never been able to attend normal school.  But with no more surgeries on the horizon, Auggie’s parents decide 5th grade (the start of middle school) would be the best time for Auggie to start getting a mainstream education.

What I Loved:

Different Perspectives: The first chunk of the book is told from Auggie’s perspective.  We need to hear his perspective first.  We need to understand what his life is like, how he feels about himself, and most importantly, how utterly normal he is (other than his face).  Within the first dozen pages, I was flying through the book because I was rooting for Auggie.  Because we began in his perspective, I learned how stacked the odds were against him, but also how lovely he was on the inside.  I can’t imagine the book starting from any other character’s point-of-view because we needed to see life as Auggie did in order to love him and root for him.

However, I thought the different perspectives as the book progressed were brilliant.  Each perspective showed how characters dealt with getting past appearances and also dealing with societal pressure/peer pressure for being different. Many of the characters who befriend Auggie also have to deal with being bullied due to their association with Auggie.  Your average kid reader won’t ever be in Auggie’s shoes, but they definitely will be in the shoes of someone with a choice to make: befriend the outcast, bully the outcast, or ignore the outcast.  Seeing how different kids deal with the pressures of befriending an outcast/victim is so valuable both to the story as well as relevant to a child’s real life experiences.

Authentic Voice: The author so clearly understands kids and teens.  She nails the voice, thought processes, worries, behaviors, and interests of the kids/teens in the book.  I truly believe this is one huge reason why this book has done so well.  The heart of the book is about how kids/teens interact with each other, and if the author hadn’t gotten this right, the whole book would have fallen apart.  Her readers wouldn’t have bought the story if the actions/reactions of the characters didn’t feel 100% authentic.

Balance of Happy and Sad: I tend to avoid sad books, but especially depressing contemporary fiction.  I avoided John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars for the longest time because I didn’t want to read some depressing, contemporary book about kids with cancer.  I read for fun, and that book did not sound fun.  I felt similarly about this book.  Yeah, it was getting rave reviews from everyone.  But after reading the description… I did not want to read some depressing book about a kid with a deformed face.  However, the author manages a beautiful balance of happy and comedic moments with sad, tough scenes.  I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and there is an uplifting ending.

Relevant Themes: Bullying has certainly been front page news, and this book addresses so many different angles on the topic.  In a perfect world (where teachers actually had some say in book selection and curriculum), I’d love to teach this novel (ideally in whatever grade kids begin middle school) in conjunction with Gordon Korman’s Schooled, Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl, and perhaps also Cynthia Lord’s Rules.  It would provide a great opportunity to look at how different authors approach topics as well as do comparative character studies.  But most of all it would give students an opportunity to examine the choices we have in the roles of bully, victim, and bystander.  I believe a unit composed of these books would foster empathy and positive decision-making at an age when growth of character is so important.

Overall:
An excellent book that I would recommend EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOLER read.  Great food for thought regarding how we judge people on appearances and how individuals can make small choices that have a ripple effect on their community as a whole.  Five Stars.

Book Review: Cress

cressCress
by Marissa Meyer
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Form: Purchased Hardback
Big Themes: Rebellion, Survival, Responsibility, Space, Love, Friendship

Reviews of Previous Books in the Series:
Cinder (5 stars)
Scarlet (4 stars) And… I can’t find my review ANYWHERE.  So confused.  Basically, from what I remember, I really liked this book, but parts were really scary and reminded me of a zombie apocalypse.  And I hate zombies.

Summary:
The series continues, but this time adding to the cast of characters: Cress.  A girl who has lived as a hacker and spy for the past seven years from a satellite orbiting Earth.  But her satellite is a prison, and Cress feels no loyalty to those who have trapped her there.  With her hacking skills and knowledge from years of spying, she would make a fine addition to the rebellion against Queen Levana.

Spoiler Free Section:

If you like book series with a wide cast of characters and expansive world-building, Marissa Meyer is delivering.  Her characters are lovable, well-developed, and quirky.  The history and depth of the world she’s created makes this a great escapist novel.  But most of all, her series is FUN.  For me, this book was the perfect read to curl up with after a long day at work.  I caught myself actually smiling and giggling as I read.  Meyer is highly influenced by Star Wars, and it’s fun to spot parallels between the two.  If a grand space adventure with a fun cast of characters sounds like your thing, I urge you to give this series a shot.

If you don’t want the series ruined for you… then I suggest you stop reading.

What I Loved:

Characterization: What I find especially remarkable is how the friendships and relationships between characters is making each character stronger.  Marissa Meyer is doing a beautiful job of using characters to bring out the strengths and flaws of each other.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Thorne’s character until this book.  I felt like he was a bit of a caricature–too perfect, too handsome, and with too many one-liners.  But when paired with Cress, he became more human, more real.  Cress herself was quite naive and idealistic.  But when the two were paired together, it forced realism upon them.  Thorne couldn’t be as perfect as Cress believed him to be, and we saw his flaws.  Cress, seeing the bad in the world along with the good, grew into a character that was stronger as she shed some of her naivete.

Another dynamic that I think worked beautifully in this book is Cinder and Kai.  They started the series on unequal ground.  Kai as emperor and Cinder as the lowest of the low, a cyborg servant.  Despite this, there was still chemistry between them.  As the series has progressed, Cinder has grown not just in strength of character but also in what responsibilities she has undertaken.  In one of the final scenes, where Cinder and Kai have their first real talk since the ball in the first book, the sense of understanding between the two characters is breathtaking.  Both Kai and Cinder feel the weight of responsibility, and it brings depth and beauty to their relationship.

Cohesiveness of Plot and World: With each book, the world and plot get larger and more expansive.  Meyer’s ability to make it all work is impressive.  From the futuristic technology to the plague to the intergalactic war, Meyer has managed to not just have it make sense, but also to interweave these elements.  The addition of bio-warfare was a twist I didn’t see coming and it further tightened the plot.  I admire how Meyer weaves some science into a series of books that would be considered too light and fun to be hardcore sci-fi.

Raising the Stakes: Meyer does one of my favorite things: throws her characters into the worst possible situations.  I looooove this.  Oh look, the whole gang is safe together in space… LET’S SEPARATE THEM.  Cress is going to finally escape her satellite… LET’S CRASH LAND HER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SAHARA WITH NO SHOES AND A BLIND MAN.  Marissa Meyer is AWESOME.  I want the characters in the worst possible situation.  I want to be on the edge of my seat.  I want to see them fighting to get out of it, using their skills and wits.  And please, no magical resolution.  Make them work for it and make the resolution an earned pay off for all that struggle.  Meyer does this 100%.

Humor: If you like witty dialogue and banter…  If you like when each character has their own voice and quirks…  If you like when quirkiness results in humorous interplay between characters… Then you’ll love the humor that Meyer has going on.  One of my favorite bits in Cress was Iko, the robot with the ridiculously girlish personality.  The scenes with Iko provided just the right levity and humor.  Her character is absolutely hilarious.

HR sealofapprovalOverall: Five big beautiful stars and I’m giving this book the official Hughes Reviews Seal of Approval.  That’s how much I loved it.  This is, without a doubt, my favorite book in the Lunar Chronicles series.  It just hit all the right notes for me.  I’m anxiously awaiting the final book, Winter, though I can’t imagine it topping my warm fuzzy feelings for Book 3.

Cress on Goodreads

My post on meeting Marissa Meyer

Book Review: Austenland

austenlandAustenland
by Shannon Hale
Published by: Bloomsbury USA
Form: Kindle eBook*
Big Themes: Jane Austen, Obsession, Love, Authenticity, Identity, Regency Era

Summary:
Jane has an obsession with Jane Austen, but more specifically with Mr. Darcy and the BBC production starring Colin Firth.  Her obsession with Mr. Darcy seems to ruin her love life because no man can live up to Darcy’s fictional character.  A wealthy relative passes away and bequeaths to Jane an extravagant vacation: a three-week trip to Austenland, where women pay to live the Austen experience firsthand.  Jane hopes the trip will help her cure her obsession by getting her Mr. Darcy fantasy out of her system.  However, will the gentlemen remain just actors to her?  Or will something real, love perhaps, blossom in this fantasy land?

*I’ve had a fierce moral struggle with purchasing eBooks from Amazon.  However, I have a bunch of eBooks that I purchased before I started boycotting.  And I’ve decided to read those, since I already paid for them.

Reading an ADULT book?!  What?!
I don’t normally read books aimed at adults.  I’m normally a middle grade and YA reader.  But I met Shannon Hale at the National Book Festival and LOVE HER.  I’ve read nearly all her middle grade/YA titles, and knew she had this Austen-based series.  So I decided to give Austenland a shot, considering I’m such a devoted fan of her other books.

What I Loved:

Cute Concept: I think most girls who enjoy reading period piece or watching films set pre-1900’s would admit to fantasizing about wearing long, beautiful dresses and attending a ball.  We modern gals still love our blue jeans, yoga pants, and mini-skirts.  However, the 21st century certainly does not present a young lady with many opportunities to don a ball gown.  Hence, why I think many ladies out there would love the premise of Austenland: a vacation where you get to wear empire waist gowns every day and be courted by gentlemen in breeches, culminating in a romantic ball.  Uh yeah.  Sounds pretty fun to me.

Authentic Conflict: As fun as this whole Austenland vacation sounds, the conflict created by this very premise is what had me turning pages.  How would I feel playing pretend and knowing the gentlemen in Austenland were actors being paid to sweep me off my feet?  I empathized with Jane because I would have had trouble tricking my brain into buying the experience and playing along.  I would have constantly been questioning whether the men wooing me were just acting or if there were some real sparks flying…?  This was a very organic conflict that kept me reading.

Criticism:

Predictability: Readers with knowledge of Pride and Prejudice will be able to predict the story’s ending with ease.  That’s the tough part when you’re doing any sort of retelling–making the ending both similar to the original but fresh enough to be satisfying.  I felt like the ending wasn’t quite satisfying enough.  The final scene was cute, but lacked pay off for me because I saw it coming so far back.

Depth of Romance/Execution: I think the romantic tension could have been heightened had the author played around more with the fake actor/real love dilemma.  I felt like it was all too obvious who was real and who was just acting.  Jane was confused, but I wasn’t, so that leads me to think the drama was not executed as well as it could have been.  I wanted to be feeling the confusion and tension along with Jane, but instead I felt like I was simply watching her figure out what I already knew.

Overall:
Three stars.  It was cute.  Austen fans will likely enjoy it.  Not something I’d reread, and as much as I love Shannon Hale, I won’t be picking up the sequel.  I’ll stick with Hale’s wonderful middle grade/YA stuff.

Review: The Truth About Forever

truthaboutforeverThe Truth About Forever
by Sarah Dessen
Published by: Penguin Group Inc.
Form: Kindle eBook*
Big Themes: Loss of Parent, Identity, Friendship, Falling in Love,

Summary:
After losing her father unexpectedly to heart attack, Macy struggles with her grief and her identity.  She strives to be perfect, but soon realizes that this fake perfection isn’t what makes her happy.  And perhaps, she’ll have to take some risks to find true happiness.

*I’ve had a fierce moral struggle with purchasing eBooks from Amazon.  However, I have a bunch of eBooks that I purchased before I started boycotting.  And I’ve decided to read those, since I already paid for them.

I’ve been wanting to read something by Sarah Dessen since I saw her speak at the 2011 National Book Festival in DC. She was just so adorable.  Below is a picture showing her adorableness:

03aa6-sarahdessen

What I Loved:

Characterization: There are some really memorable characters, but most of all the characters felt very real to me.  Kristy with her spunky personality, Monica with her limited conversation skills, Bert with his post-apocalyptic obsession, and Delia the pregnant caterer on the edge of disaster.  Most of all, my favorite character was Wes, and not just because he was the hunky romantic lead (though that helped).  I was pleasantly surprised by Wes’ character because he is a welder/metalworker/artist!  Was not expecting that hobby in this book!  I’m writing a character with the same occupation for my own novel right now, which gave me quite a soft spot for him.  I also really liked the Truth game that Macy and Wes play together because it’s sort of like a game I’ve played with guys I’m dating. And I think it helped show the two characters taking time to get to know each other, and not just highlighting the physical chemistry that is often associated with quick, teen romance.

Emotion: Sarah Dessen is an expert at the emotional journey.  This is something I really struggle with plot-wise, and I could probably benefit with reading more of her books and breaking down how she takes her characters on these emotional journeys.  The core of the emotional journey was definitely between Macy and her mother, and this mother/daughter relationship was well-done with the right young adult issues at its core.  Communication between mother and daughter is something a lot of teens struggle with, and I think Dessen handled this theme beautifully.

Criticism:

Heavy Flashback in Exposition: The book had an incredibly slow start due to all the flashbacks concerning Macy’s dad.  I realize that the flashbacks were essential to setting up Macy’s character, but I wonder if they could have been executed in a way that didn’t bog down the beginning of the novel.

Heavy Description: There were whole pages of description that I sort of just skimmed.  I have a low tolerance for description.  I think a few well-worded sentences or no more than three descriptive details is enough, and then you allow the reader to fill in the rest based on the mood you’ve created.  But that’s my personal taste.

Overall:
At first I struggled to get into the book because realistic fiction isn’t really my genre and the beginning of the book is heavy with flashbacks and description. HOWEVER, I definitely got into the book with time and can  say I enjoyed it and will read another by Sarah Dessen.  Four Stars.

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight

ad103-daysofbloodandstarlightDays of Blood and Starlight
by Laini Taylor
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
Form: Purchased Hardback
Big Themes: War, Terrorism, Peace, Death, Reincarnation, Angels, Chimaera, Leadership, Choices, Love, Friendship, Trust

My Review of Book 1: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

*This is a spoiler-free review.

Summary:
After learning who she is and what has happened to those she loved, Karou must make difficult choices regarding who she can trust and who to ally with.  The world of angels and chimaera is further revealed in this sequel and we see the deep hatred and animosity that have torn their world apart.  Will Karou abandon her dreams of peace or will she live up to her name and bring hope to a ravaged land?

7f5e8-sealofapprovalRecipient of the Hughes Reviews Seal of Approval
This award only goes to those books that I see as perfect works of genius.  The kinds of books that leave me speechless.  Recipients demonstrate exceptional creativity, gripping storytelling, memorable characters, grand world-building, beautiful writing, and make a positive contribution to children’s and young adult literature.

What I Loved:
Consistent Characters– I adore so many of the characters in this series.  Even the villains are masterfully crafted and easily loathable.  But what really makes me satisfied and happy with this second book of the series is that the characters are consistent.  It’s clear that Laini Taylor did enormous behind-the-scenes planning on what each individual character wants as well as what they fear.  These wants and fears dictate their actions as well as allow readers a deep sense of empathy and understanding of that character’s core.  This really stands out to me because I’ve read other 2nd and 3rd books in a series and been confused by characters’ actions.  I’ll feel as if I don’t know that character anymore.  With one particular book that I won’t name here, the author suggested that the reason her protagonist was making bad choices and behaving strangely was because she’d just lost people she loved.  Well, Karou lost everyone she loved as well.  And I understood every choice she made and she still felt like the same Karou from book one.  I attribute that to Taylor’s skill as a writer.  Bravo for consistent characters!

Every Scene is Purposeful– This is a chunky book, which could lead people to assume that the writer doesn’t know how to edit and cut out unnecessary bits.  But Taylor doesn’t have that problem.  When you look back on the novel as a whole, you realize how each scene contributed to the overall whole.  Whether it was a character insight or development of theme or an important plot point.  Such purposeful writing is the kind of thing that leaves me in awe.  It also leaves me with confidence that book three will be a satisfying and beautiful conclusion to the series.

Unexpected Twists– There were so many things that I didn’t see coming.  However, these twists aren’t just the author throwing things out and saying, “Ha! Bet you didn’t see that one coming!”  Instead, Taylor is a master of subtle foreshadowing and building overwhelming obstacles.  Once something happens, you see that it HAD TO HAPPEN that way.  Even if it is horrible, you know that it was unavoidable.  Every twist is foreshadowed or built to in some way.

Big Themes– I love when fantasy tackles big themes that readers can take away and apply to the real world.  One of the big themes of this book is terrorism.  Violence for the sake of revenge and instilling fear.  Another is forgiveness and trust.  Can you forgive someone who has betrayed you?  Can they still be someone you can trust?  So many good discussion topics could come out of this book!

Gorgeous Writing– This is just my expectation for Laini Taylor at this point.  All her writing is stunning.  Her imagery and word choice show that she is a master of the craft.  Below are a few sentences that I hope you will find as stunning as I do:

“Night came and the caravan made camp, posted guards.  The dark was pocked by small sounds: a scurry, a snap.  The guards’ hands were hot on their hilts; their blood jumped, eyes darted.” (Pg 72)
“In the cycle of slaughter, reprisal begat reprisal, forever.” (Pg 76)
“And in the highest reaches, ice formations looked like crystal cities from a distance, but proved desolate wind mazes up close.” (Pg 127)

Overall Rating:
Five big beautiful stars and a spot on my favorite list.  It is rare that I have total confidence in the author to finish a series when I’m only on the second book of a trilogy.  I have total confidence that Laini Taylor will have a perfect third and final book, and I can’t wait to see how she pulls the whole thing together.

Content Warning:
Due to violence and sexual content, I would recommend this series to ages 14 and up.

Book Review: Boundless

Boundless
by Cynthia Hand
Published by: HarperTeen
Form: Purchased eBook via Kobo
Big Themes: Angels, Destiny, Love Triangle, Family, College

Review of Unearthly
Review of Hallowed

Goodreads

Some minor spoilers for earlier books in the summary, but I did NOT include spoilers in the actual review.

Summary:
This book begins after the death of a loved one and at the start of Clara’s freshman year of college.  Clara, Angela, and Christian are all having new visions.  They can’t figure out what their visions are telling them, so they focus on navigating college life.  Clara tries to move on and forget about Tucker, but even when she’s around Christian… it’s challenging to forget her first love.

Excellent World-Building:
The angel mythology that Hand created for this series is so excellent.  I’m sad this is the last book because I want more of this world she’s created.  In the first book, I was skeptical about Hand’s world-building.  I didn’t understand the visions or what a purpose was.  But that’s because Clara didn’t understand yet.

And now, having finished the series and seen Clara’s growing understanding of her purpose as an angel, I can say that Cynthia Hand does a marvelous job of tackling a topic of having a “purpose” in life.  This was one of my favorite parts of the series: seeing how everything fit together and how the visions played into each character’s choices and destiny.

Bonus: Angels have awesome abilities.  They make logistical sense, and we see them in action in Boundless.  There’s some awesome angel training scenes.

Action Packed:
I was really surprised at how much action and suspense was in this book.  I had a moment where I thought that surely I was at the end of the book, but then I wasn’t!  I’m always a big fan of conflict and tension and this book delivered on that.

Family Relationships:
One of the things I praised highly about Hallowed was Clara’s relationship with her mom.  It’s so refreshing to see positive parental relationships in a YA book.  I’m not saying Clara doesn’t have conflict with her parents, but it’s clear that they love each other and can talk to each other.  This book continues the positive parental bonds by giving us more of Clara’s dad.  And interestingly, Clara’s dad still felt quite dad-like despite being an angelic being.

There’s also a great subplot with Clara’s brother that further shows that family bonds are important.  While their sibling relationship is rocky, it’s also clear that they love each other.  It reminded me of my own relationship with one of my brothers, where we feel this need to compete with each other and be right all the time.

Love Triangle:
Gosh.  What can I say that won’t spoil anything?  Some people are very disappointed with how things ended.  And I can understand where they are coming from.  With a love triangle, readers can’t help but predict and imagine how something might turn out.  I think I could have ultimately been happy with Clara choosing either Christian or Tucker.  I was a big fan of Tucker after Unearthly.  However, both the books and other reader’s arguments have also swayed me to see Christian as a good choice for Clara.

Ultimately, I was happy with the book’s ending.  I cried.  And ultimately was happy.  I have read reviews and discussions where people are disappointed with the results of the book’s love triangle.  But I can’t deny that my emotional reaction upon completing the book was joy and satisfaction.  I understand other’s issues with the ending, and do wonder if I could have been equally happy if Cynthia Hand had written the love triangle differently.

Overall Rating:
I did not expect to enjoy this series as much as I did.  The books read like contemporary novels with great world-building based in angel mythology.  I would have readily continued this series past three books, and will miss the world and characters that Cynthia Hand created.  I give this final book in the series five stars.

Book Review: Long Walk to Water

Long Walk to Water
by Linda Sue Park
Published by: Clarion Books
Form: Text for School
Big Themes: True Story, War, Refugees, Water, Family, Disease, Leadership

Goodreads

Summary:
This book is a dual narrative about two children in Sudan: a boy named Salva in 1985 and a girl named Nya in 2008.  When civil war reaches Salva’s home, he is separated from his family when he must run for his life.  Salva walks thousands of miles as a refugee, and most of the book chronicles the true story of his grueling travels.  Nya’s story reveals the state of current life in Sudan in 2008.  While violent and heartbreaking to think of what these children have endured, the ending of this book is hopeful and inspiring.

Kid Approved:
My students LOVED this book.  The book we read previously was Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, which is hilarious and has tons of kid appeal.  But most students said they liked A Long Walk to Water better, despite it being a much more serious book.  I had students getting upset when I’d announce that we were done reading for today, and many students would sneakily read ahead.  I’ve never had students so engaged in a book before.  They couldn’t believe it was a true story and loved seeing videos of the real Salva when we were finished reading.

Fast Read:
You could easily read this book in just a couple of hours.  I read the first two chapters one night, and when I sat down the next night to read a little more… I ended up finishing the entire book instead!  The story is gripping, especially knowing it is a true story.  But it’s also a slim book at 128 pages.  If you need a quick, but worthwhile read, definitely check this one out.

Dual Narratives:
The dual narratives do a beautiful job of accentuating certain themes in the book and drawing parallels between Salva and Nya’s lives.  I don’t want to spoil the book’s ending, but the ending is wonderful in how it connects the two narratives.  (My students LOVED the ending.)

Educational and a Reminder of How Lucky We Are:
I didn’t know anything about the country of Sudan before reading this book, and now my ears perk up whenever I hear mention of it in the news.  I have a better understanding of this region of the world now.

This book is also a great reminder of things we take for granted here in the United States, especially water.  We are so incredibly lucky to have access to clean water from the tap inside our homes.  I’ve taken to drinking less bottled water and more tap water since finishing this book.  There’s really nothing wrong with tap water where I live, and it’s much better for the environment for me to drink from the tap.

Overall Rating:
This is an excellent book for ages 11 and up (due to some violence).  This amazing true story will leave you inspired.  I give it 4 and a half stars.

Book Review: Raven Boys

The Raven Boys
by Maggie Stiefvater
Published by: Scholastic Press
Form: Autographed Hardback
Big Themes: Death, Psychics, Magic, Legends, Ghosts, Mystery

Goodreads

Summary:
Blue lives in a house full of psychics, including her mother.  And while Blue doesn’t have any special psychic abilities herself, that doesn’t mean her life is normal.  In fact, she’s been told that if she kisses her true love… he’ll die.  But what will happen when she is irrevocably drawn into the lives of four boys on a quest to find a lost Welsh king?

Autographed Copy:
I seriously love Maggie.  I’ve heard her speak several times, follow her blog, and have read every book of hers… except Scorpio Races… which I promise I will get to!  (I’ve started this book twice and… well… I don’t know what’s wrong with me!)  I pre-ordered this book from Fountain Bookstore and received a beautiful autographed copy, pictured below:

Originality:
This is probably the book’s biggest strength, and I think something we can come to expect from Maggie.  Especially with her two most recent books, Maggie is fresh and original in every possible way.  This book is so different from anything you’ve read before.  I can’t say, “It’s kind of like this book combined with elements of this book and fits inside this genre.”  You could even go so far as to say this book is a little strange, and even a fan like me wouldn’t disagree with you.  Before reading Raven Boys, would I have ever heard of ley lines?  Nope.  Would I have thought teenage boys with legendary Welsh king obsessions are hot guy material?  No way.  Even the names of characters in this book (Blue, Gansey, Ronan) are completely unconventional.  If you want to read something fresh and different, then Maggie is your girl.

Maggie makes me feel smart and edgy and cool:
Just look at the cover.  It’s not the kind of YA book cover I’m ashamed to walk around with.  That brushstroked raven is cool.  The title is serious with a no-nonsense font choice.  There’s no half-naked men or girls with hair blowing in the wind or dramatic dresses made of smoke or flowers or butterflies.  Even though I read books with those covers, they don’t make me feel like an intellectual when I’m out in public. (Oh the wonders of the eBook and hiding what you’re reading!)

And, not only is the cover cool, but this is also a smart person book because Maggie is a phenomenal writer.  She’s the kind of writer who makes me weep a little inside because her writing is so beautiful and eloquent and purposeful.  I feel smarter after having finished one of her books, like I’ve absorbed new writing techniques and observed a master writer.  And I am pretty proud of the fact that I’ve been reading Maggie’s books since before she hit the NYT bestseller list.  I’ve loved watching her find success and knowing before the rest of the world that she was a superstar.

Vivid Characters:
This was the strongest pull of the book for me.  I felt like these characters were real people, despite their very unrealistic names… Blue?  I’m a teacher, and I’ve seen some CRAZY names.  But I’ve yet to have a kid named after a color.

There were several reasons why these characters came to life for me.  The first was the multiple points-of-view.  A novel with multiple POVs is tough to write, but this isn’t the first time Maggie has done it.  In Raven Boys, we see the story from several characters, and I think getting inside their heads and each having a different outlook on the world really brought you closer to them as a reader.

The second reason why I felt these characters came to life was because Maggie does a brilliant job of showing instead of telling.  She doesn’t tell you that Gansey is obsessed with a Welsh King.  She shows you.  With Gansey’s notebook.  With his conversations.  With his actions.  She puts her characters in conflict and shows you who they are by how they deal with conflict.  One of my favorite characters was Adam, and he was a character who was revealed slowly through the conflicts he faces.

Pieces to the Puzzle:
Maggie has woven a complex story around lesser known mythology.  There is a lot we don’t know in the beginning, and as this is a series, still a lot we don’t know at the end.  I’m impressed with the story and mystery she’s created weaving together a legend, a murder, and a prophecy.  I adore books that deal with fate and strange coincidences and this book is full of them.  It makes me so happy.

At times there were things that happened or things characters said that I’m still not sure if I’m supposed to understand yet.  (Chainsaw the raven being one thing I don’t understand.) As the first book in a series, this is probably to be expected.  But it is holding me back from rating this a “five star favorite.”  I reserve the right to come back later and bump up the stars.  But for now, I want to wait and see how everything pans out.

Overall Rating:
This is a fresh and original story that is beautifully crafted by one of my favorite authors.  If you love a good mystery or legend and great characterization, then this is a must-read!  I give it four and a half stars.