YA

Book Review: Divergent

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Divergent
Book #1
by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA dystopian

Set in a fairly nebulous, dystopian Chicago, the people have split into 5 factions, each prizing a different character trait as most important—selflessness, bravery, intelligence, peacefulness, and honesty. Upon turning 16, each person must choose between staying in the faction in which they were raised or choosing a different one, leaving their family behind. Beatrice Prior has a difficult decision before her, which is made all the more complicated when she discovers that she is Divergent, which means she is suited to more than one faction. But she’s told that this information is dangerous, so she keeps it to herself as long as she can. Unfortunately, it makes her stand out more than she’d like.

My first reaction to this book is that the world Roth has built doesn’t really seem realistic to me: in a a war-torn world of the past, the people picked a character trait, like aggression or duplicity, that they thought was the biggest reason for all the bad and decided to focus on being the opposite of that trait, forming five separate factions. It seems like a pretty silly way to try to avoid war, and it made me scratch my head to start the world building on this foundation. However, that is the foundation, so I figured that I just needed to accept that to be able to move on and enjoy the story for what it is. Past that sketchy start, it was a lot easier to believe that what started with good intentions could devolve to something much less good, because, well…people aren’t good. Don’t let anyone tell you different—on our own (meaning without God), we aren’t truly good. So discovering as the plot unfolds that at least one of the factions has been corrupted to be less of a pursuit of that faction’s trait and more of a pursuit of power is not surprising.

I had to go through a similar self-explanation and acceptance of the Divergent factor, which I took to be a kind of commentary on conformity and control and an “us vs. them” mindset. There were some unnecessary plot elements and a bit more focus on the physical in the relationship that builds throughout, but outside of that, I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. The melding of different childhood factions during initiation is intriguing and some of characters are complex and well-crafted. The climax was not at all what I was expecting, and in some ways, I wish it had gone a different direction. But in the end, I’m glad I read the book and look forward to seeing where the story goes. (I also would really like to know what on earth is going on in the world outside of Chicago? Will that come up later in the series? I hope so!)

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Book Review: Abby’s Letters

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Abby’s Letters
Book #1
by Dana Romanin

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Christian YA romance

When 17-year-old Jane’s mom dies and leaves her and her 13-year-old sister Abby alone, Jane is determined to keep her sister out of foster care and does her best to pretend that her mom is still alive until she turns 18 and can file for guardianship of Abby.

The synopsis, as given above and the official one for this book, intrigued me a lot. The official synopsis includes an explanation for the title—thinking her mom is still alive, Abby writes letters to her, through which Jane comes to see a different side of her mom, who became an alcoholic after her husband’s death. This aspect intrigued me the most, especially considering the loss of my own mom earlier this year and hearing my sisters talk about a somewhat different mom than I really knew. Sadly, Abby’s letters don’t come into the book until much later than I expected and are mostly short and shallow. The connection they cause Jane to feel with her mom felt forced to me.  Instead, the plot was largely dwarfed by the all-too-common tropes often found in YA and/or romance. A love triangle casts a heavy shadow, and Jane lets herself be goaded into doing things she wouldn’t normally do because someone called her “boring,” thus making the character feel cliché and detracting from the otherwise strong personality I think the author was going for.

The book has 4 perspectives—all 3 sides of the love triangle and Abby. I felt it was a bit much at first, but I don’t really remember having any issues with it throughout the book (on the other hand, I don’t really need to see how perfectly perfect Jane and her body are from two male perspectives). I took issue with Jane’s seemingly cavalier treatment of both guys, though, as she would touch the friend on the chest or something, right in front of the boyfriend, as if she had no idea (at 17, mind you) of the intimacy of such a gesture.

Despite its shortcomings, the book did have some touching moments. I liked the conversion story, though it’s relegated to near the end of the book. It is a big part of the reason, though, that I am interested in seeing how this series continues, despite giving this book such a low rating. That and because I had an inkling that something was going on with Lindsey, who briefly turned the love triangle into a square, and the synopsis for the next book confirms my suspicions. As for this first book, though, it had the potential to be a poignant story about loss and discovery, but the love triangle and other YA/romance tropes got in the way.

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Book Review: The Final Spark

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The Final Spark
Michael Vey #7
by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Prisoner of Cell 25.

After Michael’s sacrifice, the rest of the Electroclan tries to go on without him. Hatch and the surviving Elgen are still a threat to the world and need to be stopped.

I was so disappointed in this book. Evans built Hatch up to be just about the most sadistic bad guy in history, which is something that’s bothered me about the series, yet I was still looking forward to the downfall of him and his people. I had my ups and downs with the series up to this point, intrigued by the plot while actually not being a fan of the writing and characters, but as I came to what was meant to be the final book in the series at the time it was written, and certainly still the wrap-up to the books-long plot, it’s not a stretch to say I was looking forward to seeing some Elgen butt being kicked by some electric teens. But that is not what I got. Instead, the electric teens are sidelined (yet again), there’s lots of military strategy filler from characters we just met in the previous book as well as some brand new characters (who are all just about as sadistic as Hatch himself), and there’s even suddenly supernatural abilities from characters that aren’t electric or teens. The two “nonels” in the Electroclan, Ostin and Jack, get a chance to bond in this book, which is probably the only good thing that came out of it.

It’s pretty safe to say that no reader is going to go into this book believing Michael to be dead (sorry if that’s a spoiler), but Evans still could have done something less predictable to bring him back than what he did. Michael is barely even in this book and only shows up to be one of the most boring, lazy tropes in writing. And murder lots of people who aren’t even Elgen, who are just following orders. And not even bat an eye or feel bad about it later. The ending was not just unsatisfying, it was completely saccharine and unrealistic, not to mention leaving us without any wrap-up for several plots and characters. I would echo comments from other reviews that I’ve read that say it seems like Evans was bored with the series by this point and just wanted to get it through it without much thought, except that 5 years after this book came out, he started the series back up! And you know what the worst part is? I know I’m going to read the newer books. I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to help myself with this series—I know it has major flaws, and I have a hard time deciding whether or not I’d really recommend this series (it’s ridiculously brutal for the age group it’s meant for and way too angsty for adults), yet I can’t seem to help but want to see where it goes.

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Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Book #1
by Holly Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA mystery, suspense

Using her senior school project as a guise, Pip decides to dig into the cold case of a girl that was supposedly murdered by her boyfriend, who then killed himself, five years in the past. At first, she just wants to come up with reasonable doubt that Sal Singh killed his girlfriend, and it’s not long before she comes up with quite a few potential suspects. But the more she digs into her town’s secrets, the more someone doesn’t like what she’s doing, and Pip and her loved ones might be in danger.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from this book—something more shallow, maybe, or full of teen angst—but instead I found it to be an enjoyable, fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing! There was a major Veronica Mars feel to the story (a show that I love), though Pip is much less jaded than Veronica Mars. Pip’s progression through the clues, adding suspects to her list, and re-arranging those suspects all coincide with her attempt to maintain her friendships and get a college application and essay done on time. There were some decisions that Pip made that I thought were pretty terrible, all the way up to the end, though I don’t know if that’s a fault in the writing or in her teenage decision-making skills. And I have to admit, at some points along the way, I was worried the ending and reveal would be anti-climactic, but it was anything but. Even when you think you know what’s going on, there’s a little more to uncover.

My 13-year-old daughter read this book as well; she might be a little on the young side for its target audience (not even being in high school yet), but she loved it! For those who want to know about content, there is some language, including 3-4 f-words, and plenty of references to teen sex and drug use, though nothing explicit. If you’re concerned, I’d definitely recommend reading it before your teen does (especially a younger teen). In the end, though, I’m glad I read it and look forward to continuing the series.

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Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Hunger Games prequel
by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA dystopian

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for The Hunger Games trilogy.

This is the kind of book that is difficult to rate and review, because it is a book that is meant to be at least somewhat disturbing, as we follow a major villain’s descent into the dark. I’m not normally one who’s interested in a villain’s origin story, and it was no different with President Snow, especially after reading the part in The Mockingjay about his ever-present floral fragrance covering up his rotting mouth. It made my disgust more literal. But I decided to read this book to finish out the series; it just felt like something would be missing if I didn’t. Keep in mind, though, as you read the rest of this review, that I only read The Hunger Games trilogy for the first time pretty recently. That almost definitely makes my view of this prequel different in some ways from those who’ve known and loved the series for a long time.

Through parts 1 and 2, I was invested in the story. I think Collins did a good job giving us a somewhat sympathetic protagonist who feels trapped by circumstances. And he’s really as manipulated in some ways as Katniss is in her story. I’m not sure I ever fully understood what gives Dr. Gaul so much power, but she’s Snow’s own version of himself to Katniss in some ways. The main difference, though, is that Snow actually does begin to see things from Gaul’s point of view, which is part of the indication that he’s beginning to lose his grip on morality. This book’s Hunger Games and the lead-up to them, while being totally primitive compared to those in the main series, provide a compelling backdrop to Snow’s beginning steps toward depravity—the deception, the cheating, his first kill—things that he can rationalize at first.

Part 3 took a large turn that involved a fairly steep drop-off in action and interest for me, but the psychology of the villain’s slide was still there. And while it looks like things could actually go well for Snow, of course we know it can’t end happily, because we know who he becomes later, and it’s not this family man he envisions himself becoming. In truth, I don’t think he ever had the capacity for a normal, happy life. I’ve read several reviews that say his downturn happened suddenly at the end, but I would maintain that those people weren’t paying close enough attention during the rest of it. Snow makes many decisions that he justifies as being out of love—for his family, for his tribute—but really, the most important decisions he makes are only for himself, for family pride, to maintain his standing in society, however you want to spin it, it’s all selfishness. I do think he cares about his cousin and loved his mom. But even his cousin he puts one over on in the end for his own selfish gain. Yes, there’s a turning point at the end of the book where he makes a more deliberate choice, but I can see the rest of the book pointing right to it.

So that’s why my rating is 4 stars. And when I re-read this series in the future, which I definitely will, maybe even soon, I will probably not always finish with this book, but I will read it again at some point, I’m sure. I don’t know that I ever felt the need to know what made President Snow the monster he is in the original trilogy, but I still really appreciated this book. It’s quite polarizing, though, so if you’re wondering whether you should read it or not…that’s up to you.

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Book Review: Dragon and Soldier

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Dragon and Soldier
Dragonback #2
by Timothy Zahn

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

In an attempt to help Draycos, the dragon-like symbiont that uses him for a host, track down who killed his people, Jack enlists as an indentured soldier for a mercenary group. After meager training, he’s placed into a perilous situation, along with other soldier children, and must stay alive while also trying to find the information Draycos needs.

The unlikely duo of the boy trying to overcome his con-artist upbringing and the noble poet-warrior of a morally superior race is one of my favorite things about this series so far. But the plot in this book, though I didn’t think I’d care much for the soldier aspect, was also intriguing. When it became evident that there was more going on than met the eye, I speculated about what might be going on. In the end, it might not have been quite as exciting as I expected, but there were a couple of revelations that still made for a great ending and left me with a desire to read more.

I appreciate Zahn’s writing style worldbuilding, maybe more so because it’s meant for teens, so it’s not too dry or serious. The overarching story set up in the first book and continuing in this one definitely makes me want to know what’s going on. I look forward to continuing this series!

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Book Review: Fall of Hades

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Fall of Hades
Michael Vey #6
by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Prisoner of Cell 25.

Along the way to trying to cripple Hatch and the Elgen’s, Michael Vey and most of the rest of the Electroclan are sent on not one, but two rescue missions.

I am absolutely baffled by my own reaction to this book, and to a greater degree, to this series. I struggle so much with some of the writing—the teen drama, the dialogue, the over-attention to food details, and the overabundance of facts that we’re supposed to believe are all in one kid’s head—and yet, I generally have enjoyed the series and want to know what’s going to happen in the next (but no longer final) installment. I do appreciate that this book has more forward motion than the previous, and it also has a killer ending. 

On the other hand, how on earth has Hatch not already been overthrown by his people when he leads like he does? He basically “makes an example” of everyone who looks at him the wrong way. I’m not sure it would be as easy as it’s portrayed here to keep the loyalty of as many subordinates as Hatch does. But I’ve said since book #2 that Evans has made his villain so over-the-top evil that it’s a little disturbing, and that hasn’t lessened…only worsened, really. On top of that, these “good guy” kids are starting to get way too cavalier about killing anyone that does them wrong in the slightest bit, which bugs me a little, especially in a YA series. There’s also an over-abundance of random thug-type characters (gang members, elk hunters) that are way too quick to jump to violence and even murder as well. 

I think that what I’m realizing is that I’m just not a fan of Evans’s writing, and I will most likely never re-read this series, yet there is enough intrigue in the overall plot that I want to see it through. So that’s something, even though I usually have more complaints than compliments. And though this review may not seem like a 4-star review, I felt like even 3.5 was just too low for what I thought of the book in the end. It’s the highest rated book in the series, which I suspect has something to do with the ending.

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Book Review: Storm of Lightning

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Storm of Lightning
Michael Vey #5
by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Prisoner of Cell 25.

Michael Vey and most of the rest of the Electroclan are faced with the loss of the rest of the resistance and, for some of them, members of their own family. While they try to find some answers, Hatch goes forward with the plan that the sinking of the Ampere only delayed, rather than stopping.

This isn’t the first book in this series to feel full of filler, but it is the one that seems to be most full of filler. There’s not really any one main quest, even the kind that doesn’t get started until far into the book. I suppose technically going back to help Taylor’s parents can be seen as the quest of the book, but it’s not set up until well into the book, so until then, all we get is Michael and the gang trying to get answers or get to safety. And they’re mostly led around by other people. The only powers that are really used are when Michael is (yet again) stupid and draws attention to himself. Add to that the wholly unnecessary format that Evans uses, which he’s probably always done but is just a lot more noticeable now, of starting a new “part” every time there’s a new perspective to show, and this book doesn’t really feel like action—it’s more like one long rest hold.

Other things in this book that would have been minor points if the rest of the book had been more interesting became bigger distractions. For example, why wouldn’t Quentin’s power that is basically an EMP knock out the locator beacon he’s been implanted with? How does he even have a phone that works? Since the first resistance base was kept super secret, yet Michael managed to reveal its location to the bad guys, why on earth do they tell him the name and location of the next one? And how are we supposed to take Hatch seriously as a super powerful (if not over-the-top) bad guy when one of his favorite methods of punishment is to lock his enemy in a cage with monkeys? I don’t really have a problem with the cliffhanger at the end, though the way it was written was maybe a bit unnatural-sounding. I’m still interested in the series, but while a filler episode in a TV show can sometimes be excused (especially if it’s enjoyable in its own right), my investment in a nearly 300-page book leaves me much more dissatisfied with filler (plus, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable in its own right). Though if you’re reading the series, you probably shouldn’t skip it, unless you find a recap somewhere that gives spoilers.

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Book Review: Mockingjay

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Mockingjay
The Hunger Games #3
by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA dystopian

If I were rating this book by just the story, I’d give it 5 stars like I did the previous books in the series. But the gratuitous violence and death that I feared when I started reading the first book came in full force in this book. Much more death and much grislier deaths than necessary were spread throughout the latter portions of this book, but especially in part 3. And the pods, though of course they had already been in the first two books, but to a much smaller degree, reminded me a lot of the bizarre methods of attack in The Maze Runner series—over the top and completely unnecessary.

The story itself, including the ending, though, I liked. I can understand why some people didn’t, but I totally got it. I always knew this wasn’t going to end in rainbows and sunshine for Katniss after all the horrors she’d been through and the terrible things she’d been forced to do. Her PTSD would have to be more extreme than anything most of us can imagine, which is exactly what I saw in her in those last chapters. Add to that the fact that she still wasn’t really free, and it’s really no wonder she had no real fight left in her. I was still hooked, reading it as often as I could come back to it, which has not been as common for me in recent months, so that must say something.

I still think it’s funny that I was adamant I’d never read this series, yet I ended up loving it. I haven’t watched the movies yet…I suppose I will try to get to that soon. I am already looking forward to reading the series again though.

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Book Review: Doon

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Doon
by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

My rating: 1 / 5
Genre: YA fantasy romance

When Veronica starts seeing a blond man in a kilt in various places, including in Scotland, where she travels with her best friend, she is certain there’s more going on than her mind playing tricks on her. Then she begins to hear about a mysterious land that is only accessible to those who learn the secret, and she just knows her visions are leading her there. Taking her best friend Mackenna along, she stumbles into the mythical land of Doon, where medieval meets modern, the blond man she’s been seeing is a prince, and an evil witch threatens to destroy the land.

Before I discuss plot or characters, I want to address the content. You may have seen in some places that this is a Christian book, though it’s not strongly advertised to be such. My first clue was the publisher, which is listed as Zondervan in some places. It’s actually published by Blink, a YA imprint of Zondervan, which purports to publish clean books. I would not call this book clean. It’s not explicit, but it’s way more graphic than I prefer, and there is even some language. After several references to “hot” and “delicious” guys, I knew this wasn’t going to be quite what I was expecting, but it really bothered me to see the references to “girly parts.” And then it got worse… I won’t go into more detail myself, but I think this review on Amazon is very comprehensive, even to the point of pointing out things that didn’t bother me.

As to the plot and characters, if the above paragraph was my only issue with the book, I might have given it 3-4 stars (though it’s hard to say, especially since it really is billed as Christian in some places, and that is a huge problem for me). But to make it worse, I didn’t like the characters at all. Veronica is far too concerned about the possible romance with Prince Jamie, to the point where it distracts her from way more important matters. The book is written in 1st person POV, mostly from Veronica’s perspective, but it switches to Mackenna sometimes. There’s barely any difference in their voices, so it’s really hard to remember when the switch has been made. The main difference is that Mackenna is super into musical theater, so much so that she often thinks and speaks imperatives like, “Sweet Baby Sondheim!” and, “For the love of Lerner and Loewe!” (who, by the way, made the musical Brigadoon, of which this book is a retelling, though I really know nothing about that). It’s a bit over the top, really…real people don’t talk like that. As for the supposedly swoon-worthy princes, as much as I dislike that term, the only way I can really say that they are such is because I’m told. Literally. Right there in the book, it tells me that Prince Jamie makes all of the girls swoon. Okay, so he’s unnaturally good-looking…being “swoon-worthy”, to me, is about much more than that, and Jamie is mostly just a jerk for much of the book. He has his reasons to keep Veronica at bay, but he also leads her on only to shut her completely out when he remembers that oh, she might be in league with the witch!

And so, that leads me to the issues with the plot. The evil witch has been banished from Doon, but is always looking for a way back in to destroy it. Every hundred years (real time), the bridge between the real world and Doon (the Brig o’ Doon) opens to allow people from the real world who have been called to Doon to enter and decide whether they want to stay. Because Veronica and Mackenna came 2 weeks before that time (though how the people of Doon know when it’s going to open, I don’t know, since the amount of time that passes between each Centennial fluctuates in Doon), most of the people of Doon assume they’re working for the witch. They used magical rings to get in, rings that had been used to pass through the barrier outside of the Centennial before, but that doesn’t matter. The possibility that they might be working with the witch is too high for them to be trusted. Except that while they wait for the bridge to open naturally, so the two newcomers can leave Doon and let everyone feel safe again, they take them on tours of the kingdom, let them spend time alone with the nation’s princes, and conveniently forget that they might be evil, so that the romances can progress. And why did no one take note of the incredibly obvious transformation taking place right under their noses?

Add to that the “Calling” angle that is equated to soulmates finding each other, which leaves me a bit puzzled. Are they saying that if two people are brought together by a Calling, then they will have a perfect marriage? Never have to work on it? Never even consider divorce. I don’t necessarily have a problem with the general idea of soulmates, as I believe God can and does bring two people together as part of his will (though it’s generally much less obvious in real life than the Calling is here, and we can more easily decide not to follow that leading). But it seems to me that two people who meet through a Calling could easily become lazy in their relationship because it was “meant to be” and end up even unhappier than two people who met the normal way. It’s a huge flaw in what is supposed to be a romantic story, if you ask me, but I suppose the reader isn’t really supposed to think too much past the “happily ever after” at the end of the current story. On the other hand, this series goes on to further books, so maybe the authors will delve into that more. I won’t be reading more though, so I’ll never know.

I learned long ago that I should avoid contemporary romance, because I rarely like it. Though part of this book takes place in a sort-of-in-the-past land, it’s still completely contemporary. Veronica and Mackenna both make sure the reader knows that the other is beautiful and adored by men, while each thinks of herself as plan, hideous, or whatever, which made me roll my eyes. All of the people of Doon have the same accent, yet whenever Jamie says Veronica’s name, it’s written as “Verranica,” yet everyone else just says her name normally…I guess because it’s supposed to be romantic? I don’t get it, and I didn’t really get this book. And I really don’t get why it was published by a company that is said to publish clean fiction and is associated with a Christian publisher.

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