Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
This is showing as a 5 star rating, but in all honesty, I would give it a 4.5 if possible. That's not to say it's not a 5 star book, because it is, in many ways. This is a wonderful novel, full of all the pain and doubt and uncomfortableness that comes with growing up, coupled with everything that goes along with divorce and being adopted and just fitting in as a whole. That's a lot for one kid to manage. Ursu renders Hazel so fully, so real-ly; her bewilderment and her unhappiness are vividly voiced. But that's where I have a little trouble with the novel -- the adult voice (the writer's voice) comes through in bits and pieces here and I just felt a little distance sneak in every now and then. Not a lot -- just enough to make me aware of it. Otherwise, this is a magical book in every sense of the word. Ursu's take on "The Snow Queen" fairy tale is engaging and modern, with enough touches of the original to keep the reader enchanted. This is another novel that's going to mentioned on many award lists in the upcoming year, just wait and see.
Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
Maybe I was hoping for a miracle; who knows? After being so disappointed in Werlin's Impossible, I probably should've known better than to pick this one up. Again, the premise is interesting -- it's another tale of the world of Faerie intersecting with our world, but in a way that owes more to the old ballads and stories than what you'll usually find in YA these days. The problem isn't the story itself; it's Werlin's writing. Obviously, I'm just never going to like her style. First of all, it's really flat, with either long blocks of inner thoughts from the main character or long stretches of dialogue, with no defining actions, no tags, nothing. Just straight dialogue that, like the inner thoughts, doesn't read as real or authentic. I never end up liking her heroines either; I get that they are flawed and that's what makes them susceptible to fairy glamour, but it all just seems too contrived, too much like "This is how I want this character to be so that my story works out." I struggled through to the end, and there were some parts I did like, but overall, Werlin just isn't a writer whose work I enjoy.
Numbers by Rachel Ward
This has been on my to-read list for quite a while, long enough that I'd forgotten many of the details of the story's premise. All I could remember was that the main character would see a number when she looked a person in the eye -- the date of their death. In reality, the details surrounding this story are dark and gritty, even depressing in many ways. The story is solidly crafted, up until the ending -- which just seems a bit too pat. The shift midway to a love story left me a little dis-interested as well, but all told, it was an okay read. Nothing I would say you need to rush out and find, but it makes for a nice afternoon of reading.
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
I was bowled over by Lauren Oliver's debut novel Before I Fall, and I think that Liesl & Po was terrific too. But this novel -- aside from Oliver's assured prose -- just didn't do anything for me. Early on, I was reminded of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, and I just couldn't shake that comparision through the rest of the book. It's not that this is a bad novel -- Oliver is too strong a writer for that to happen -- it's just that this doesn't feel original or exciting or new. To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with the love story either; I found myself skimming parts. On the other hand, Oliver really has a way with details, and her lovely prose does an excellent job of addressing the topic of love through a series of exquisite sensory images. So there's good and there's mediocre here. Hopefully, the next book in the series will be less predictable.
The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson
I wasn't much of a fan of the first novel in this series (although my oldest daughter, Cassidy, really liked it -- she really enjoyed the genetic engineering topic). The same holds true for this one. I do think that the basic premise of this book is a bit more interesting, although the events leading up to the climax seemed too drawn out. The secondary characters were interesting, but sadly, they aren't enough to carry the book, especially when we spend 99.9% of the book inside the main character's head, which is just too boring and whiny a place to be. I have to give props to Pearson for writing a love story from the point of view of the guy, even if I kept wishing all along that he'd just SHUT UP about it for just one minute. If you read the first novel and are curious to know what happened with Locke and Kara, then it won't hurt to pick this one up. It's a quick read.
Light Boxes by Shane Jones
This is a tiny little book that I randomly picked up from the shelves at a used book store. The cool Penguin cover caught my attention, and the book description kept it. I'm always drawn to stories that have a fairy-tale or fable-like quality, and for $2.00 I thought I'd give this one a shot. It's an interesting look at Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) on one level, a surrealist fable on another, and one of the least pretentious metafictions I've read in a while. I read it quickly -- an hour, maybe -- and enjoyed it. Parts were enchanting, but some parts did fall a bit flat. Still, Jones crafts a nicely-turned phrase, employing spare yet evocative descriptions and creates a town populated with interesting characters. I'm glad I found this; it reminds me somewhat of Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams.
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
I picked up the audio version because the local library's hard copy wasn't available. This book has been on my to-read list for a while, and I'm determined to get a number of YA titles finished over the holidays (because my list is getting way out of hand! Partly because there are SO MANY sequels out there!) The novel picks up three years after the events from If I Stay, told from Adam's point of view. Again, it's nice to get a love story from the male's point of view (especially as written by a female writer) but ugh, does Adam have to be so emo? Yes, sadly, he does -- because I get it, that's who this character IS. It's made more bearable by Dan Bittner's narration; he does an excellent job on the audiobook, both male and female characters. In all honesty, it's probably Bittner's narration that made the climax of this book that much more emotional for me -- because I don't think I would've felt it had I just been reading myself (at least, that's how it was for me in the first book of the series). Took a while to get there, too. Not a bad read, but feels a little too much like One Day or Before Sunrise. (And as a side note, I would 100% cast Anne Hathaway as Mia. It's like the character was written with her in mind).
A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler
Cami loves Kessler's Emily Windsnap series -- by all accounts, they seem to be lively, entertaining, and well-written but definitely aimed at a middle grades audience. That's the case with this stand-alone novel as well. The time travel is not nearly as well done as Rebecca Stead's gorgeous Newbery award-winner, When You Reach Me. Still, the character growth is nicely done, and the plot moves along quickly enough to make this a pleasant enough read.
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me by Kate Bernheimer
Normally this is the type of anthology that makes me so excited to read. I really try to drag out the whole process, enjoying a story a day in the midst of all my other reading. If you look at my reading progress for this book, you'll see that it did indeed take quite a while, but that was mostly because so many of these stories were just so disappointing. Gregory McGuire's foreward was probably the most enjoyable piece in the entire collection, followed by a few gems. As for the rest -- most of these pieces were just too modern, too pretentious, too flat, or too disturbing. I'm well aware that fairy tales are not all "happily ever after" and that terrible things are done to others, often by those who profess to love them most. But I also believe that there is a way to convey that awfullness in a way that is not disgusting -- for example, if I have to read the word "suppurating" more than once in a story 5 pages long, then that is too many times; obviously, it's not something for me. And that was the case with many of these stories. I recommend the stories by Fowler, Bender, Gaiman, Link, Williams, Keats, and Bynum.
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
I was hopeful about this series, for the simple fact that the publisher (Feiwel & Friends) has put out some of my most favorite books (Lisa Mantchev's Theatre Illuminata trilogy, Cathrynne M. Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making); I thought for sure the streak would continue. Alas, it was not to be. The book is decently written, although I found the prose style to be a bit jumpy, and the narrative had too many holes. A lot of necessary background information was either left out or just not developed in the first place, and that created some issues with plausability (even taking into account that this is a dystopian future world). The lack of development extends to many of the characters, although the main character fares a little better. The book picked up by the final 1/3, but there's no climax; I'm thinking that perhaps this was, as one reviewer suggested, originally a longer book that was broken into a series to capitalize on the current market. Much of what is here has been done before, and done better.
Red Glove by Holly Black
I've enjoyed all of Holly Black's novels. She's got a writing style that I really enjoy -- nothing too flowery but not straight-up exposition either, just a great blend of both, plus an ear for excellent dialogue, a touch of snark, and a dab hand at humor. What I enjoy most about her books is that in her capable hands, typical YA fantasy becomes something more. That's the case with the Curse Workers series. It's not like anything that's been done in YA before. It's a great mash-up of boarding schools, curse magic, political commentary, and old-school crime lords. Even better, it's well-written and engaging -- I flew through this one in just a few hours. Can't wait for Book #3 to come out.
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
It was great to finally have this series wrapped up, although I think there were a lot of loose ends left hanging that I don't feel were resolved very well -- or even at all. It feels like everything worked out too well, as well, and I didn't feel emotionally invested in the final battle scene, nor in the decisions that the main characters had to make in order to make those things happen. Really just a very lackluster ending to what was otherwise a decent YA series.
The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma
As others have noted, the title is misleading; Alice never really discusses the books she shared with her father on their multiyear reading streak. Instead, she focuses on particular events during her coming-of-age, painting a portrait of a single father raising two daughters (although one is mostly out of the picture) after his marriage ends. Alice's childhood is not idyllic, as several events show, and to be honest, I found nothing charming about her father. There was potential here, but it is overshadowed by weak writing, particularly when it comes to dialogue. I am a firm believer in reading aloud to children of all ages -- my high school students enjoyed being read to -- and I'm also a firm supporter of libraries, but those two messages don't save this memoir.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
I've been catching up on my YA dystopian reads lately, and I have to say that this series stands head and shoulders above the rest of what's out there (even though I've only read the first book). It's well-written, engaging, with interesting characters, a fast-moving plot, and a romance that doesn't make me want to puke. I've read some of the more critical reviews, and while I agree with some of the points made in them, it comes down to the fact that this novel grabbed me right from the start and didn't let me go until the last page. It's just a well-crafted interesting story, and sometimes that is all I want and I'm willing to look past a number of other things if I have that.
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
I enjoyed the first book of this series, but was just utterly bothered by the narrator of book #2. The third installment feels more like the first book. Ryan is a strong writer and she's developed an authentic dystopian future. It's important to note that I am completely freaked out by zombies, yet I look forward to reading this series -- it's a testament to Ryan's storytelling ability that I'm able to deal with her zombies. My only real complaint about this novel (aside from the secondary characters) is that there's no real closure here, which means there must be another book coming out.
Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan
This is an e-book short story that gives us the background on Sister Tabitha from Ryan's first book. There's not much to it, to be honest; while it's nice to find out what led Sister Tabitha to make the choices she did, there's nothing earth-shattering about her decision. Everything is easy to figure out from the very start, so there doesn't seem to be much point to the story. It makes for a nice way to pass some time if you are sitting in a waiting room or something like that, but it doesn't add much to the world that's been developed over the course of the three novels.
Illyria by Elizabeth Hand
Every once in a while I'll come across a book that -- despite any number of reasons why I should hate it -- makes me fall in love with it. This is one of those. I'm not a fan of, nor am I endorsing, a sexual relationship between 14-year-old first cousins. But I kind of get the point of their relationship in the bigger scope of the novel, in the treatment of their talents/gifts and their passions. Hand's writing is magical, and I was quickly immersed in the story. It worked for me; I have a feeling that many others will hate it, and that's okay.
Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz
I only picked this one up because I've read all the others, and I was hoping that finally this series would be ended. Except that it's not --- there's one more to go, and I think I might die of poor writing before I get to the end of things. There's a little progress made, and the backstory with Allegra fills in some blanks but really it just ends up dragging on to make us wait through another novel to actually find out what we really need to know. More than anything, I'm amazed at how poorly these novels continue to be written; you'd think after a while, practice could at least make better, if not perfect.
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
This is a creative enough retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale -- and fairy-tale reimaginings are one of my favorite fantasy subgenres. That said, I prefer my retellings to have a lighter hand with stronger, more evocative writing and better characters. There was too much of the "ugly sister / pretty sister" dichotomy going on here, and the key plot element was evident from an early, early point in the novel. Still, the writing wasn't bad and the story was strong enough to keep me reading.
Among Others by Jo Walton
Of all the books I've read this year, this might be the one I've had the hardest time rating and reviewing. There were so many great things about this book: the narrator's voice is so distinct and real; the love affair with SF/F at an early age mirrors my own falling-in-love-with-books story; fairies and Wales and coming-of-age stories and boarding schools and magic and twins are some of my favorite book topics. So yes, there was lots to enjoy here. But somehow in the meshing of all these topics, a story was born that I'm not sure how to read. Do I take it at face value, which I'm willing to do? Or do I read it with the understanding that much of it is not real and is only Mori's way of coping, which I'm also willing to do? Or do I do both? I think, in order to really enjoy this book, that you have to have a deep and abiding love for SF/F and you have to be willing to let it be ambiguous.
Across the Great Barrier by Patricia Wrede
This book definitely falls prey to the dreaded "sophomore slump." The world-building is terrific, and Eff is a much more enjoyable character now that she seems to have come into her own (after the key events of the first novel). The problem is that nothing really happens. This novel basically exists to bridge the events of the first novel with the events of the upcoming novel. I think this is an instance where just writing one big book, rather than a series, would've done the story more justice. (As a side note, I wish YA editors and authors would quit focusing so much on series and do more stand-alone novels. I know it's about sales and readership and blah blah blah but I get tired of series...)
