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The Graveyard Book October 20, 2009

Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young-Adult Fiction.
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Halloween Book Review #3!!

—4—

For anyone who hasn’t read Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, Halloween is fast approaching and this is a great time to do it!  But considering I’m the last one to read it, that may be irrelevant.  But I am going to review it anyways, perhaps to encourage the last few of you to pick it up.

Nobody’s family was murdered when he was an infant, but he escaped into the local cemetery.  There, the “residents” take it upon themselves to raise and protect Nobody (Bod), and adopt him as their own.  Bod is granted full run of the graveyard, which means he acquires some of the ghosts’ abilities, such as being able to fade.  He is taught by characters from all different eras of history.  His guardian is Silas, a figure who is able to leave the graveyard to gather food and items for Nobody, as well as protect him from the man who is still hunting him.

You would think a story about a boy growing up in a cemetery would be morbid, and at times it is a bit frightening, but overall it is a story about a community, unusual as it is, coming together to love, teach, and raise a child.  At first Bod is confined to the graveyard, but he is taught to survive and thrive outside of it as well.  And what a wonderful set of characters!  Ghouls and a witch, a Roman and a poet, and a little girl from the outside world who befriends young Bod even though her mother thinks him her imaginary friend.

I was definitely stressed at the end when the murderer known as Jack finds Nobody, and Bod must escape him and save his best friend.  Besides this, the story is not too frightening or dark.  I think it is perfectly appropriate for most children, and is great for adults too!  Love it!

4/5

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy September 11, 2009

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—3.5—


As further evidence of my extreme listlessness, I am combining three book reviews into one!  Pathetic, huh.  Well, besides my disgusting laziness, there are other reasons for this.  First, this is obviously a trilogy, and so I have the excuse of wanting to consume and then review the work as a whole.  Second, I listened to these on audiobook, and for some reason this make writing reviews more difficult, especially detailed reviews.

So here’s what I have to say about The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, by Libba Bray.  The first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty turned me off a bit, mostly because I did not realize that these stories would involve witchcraft/magic/other realms, etc.  It’s not that I dislike those topics, quite the contrary.  But do you ever find yourself disliking a book just because it was not what you had expected?  I guess I should have read the synopsis.  However, by the end, strong-willed Gemma Doyle had won me over.

The trilogy begins with the death of Gemma’s mother, and Gemma’s exodus from her home in India to an English finishing school.  Gemma is different from the other girls in many ways, but the biggest is that she has visions and can enter other realms (that’s pretty different if I do say so).  Gemma has also been followed, by a young man, Kartik, and he tries to convince her of the danger of her visions and the realms.

The next books continue Gemma’s adventures, as she learns more and more about the realms, and herself.  The experiences in the realms bind her to a few true friends, power-hungry Felicity, timid Ann, and beautiful Pippa.  By the end of the trilogy Gemma learns the power of the realms, and how much strength she has as well.

I sometimes felt that these books were dragging out the story a bit too much.  So much time is spent in the realms, and I began to feel it was getting repetitive.  I loved the characters however; every teen girl (or woman who was once a teen) will be able to identify with one of the characters, if not parts of all of them.  My favorite of the three was the second, Rebel Angels, because this story takes the reader away from the boarding school and into Victorian London, and we get to learn a little more about Gemma’s family.  This was a decent teen trilogy, but when comparing it to series such as the Hunger Games, it still falls short.

3.5/5

Catching Fire September 7, 2009

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—5—

This weekend I devoured the sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  And it was wonderful, and now I’m heartbroken that I must wait for the last in the trilogy. Catching Fire picks up Katniss’ saga where it left off; she has returned home with Peeta, victorious in the last Hunger Games, and now must try to resume life in District 12.  But of course things are irreversibly changed, including her relationship with her best-friend Gale, the life of relative ease her family now lives in, and even the mood of the Districts themselves.  There is unrest among the oppressed in the Districts, and Katniss unbenowenstly becomes the figurehead for rebellion.  And the Capitol can’t have that, so they set another plan in motion to make sure that the uprising, and Katniss herself, are stopped once and for all.

Catching Fire expands on life in the different districts, and so the reader is allowed a better view of the world Collins has created.  Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, and Gale are all still the magnificent characters they were in the first installment.  Katniss is pulled in so many directions, and she must realize what Peeta and her have set into motion cannot be contained, and that they have no choice to help finish what they started.  It is deliciously suspenseful!

I can’t wait for the next one!  Lovers of The Hunger Games will not be disappointed by Catching Fire.

5/5

And Thanks to www.galleysmith.com for this:


The Hunger Games July 2, 2009

Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.
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—5—

I find it maddening that I struggle to right reviews for the books I enjoy the most.  I read Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games MONTHS ago, and I loved it, and I never wrote a review because I could never express how great I thought it was, or put into words the reasons why I felt it was so great.  And so I remain idle, and everyone else publishes their review of The Hunger Games and now my task seems even greater because WHAT COULD BE LEFT TO SAY?  But by now everyone knows of this book, and most are anxiously awaiting the sequel Catching Fire, so I can just give a quick summary and once again say that this book is wonderful, and then we can all move on.

So here’s the summary.

Katniss is a teen in post-apocalyptic America, trying to hunt and forage enough to keep her mother and younger sister alive.  As if that is not enough of a task for a young women, the leaders of land demand that 2 children between the ages of 12 and 18 be taken from their homes in each of the 12 Districts.  These young-adults are then forced to participate in reality-tv gone terribly wrong, a fight to the death in which only one will survive.  Katniss and a boy her age, Peeta, are sent to The Games, but their chances look grim since they are from the poorest district and have not trained for this as other children have.  Their strategy?  Peeta and Katniss have to convince the audience that they have feelings for each other in order to win funds that pay for the supplies they need while in the arena.  But Peeta is not acting, and Katniss is dense, and Gale, her best friend from home, may be in love with her as well.  And all the while children are being massacred!

See what I mean about not being able to convey well books that I loved.  It sounds like a trite teen romance plus some gore, but it is not!  It is one of the most intelligent YA reads I’ve read in a long time.  You are forced to wonder how you would fare in the arena, what your weaknesses would be, and your strengths.  Would you lose your humanity in a struggle to survive?

And Katniss is such an excellent and strong female protagonist that she  makes you wish you were a little more like her as a teen.   And it is breathtaking the way the different Districts are described, some so abundant and wealthly and others in which their citizens barely survive day to day.  This is definately an allegory for the United States of the present, and it is chilling and believable.

And just because everyone now compares every teen read to the Twilight series, I will make my obligatory comment.  I think Katniss is ten-times the role-model of Bella, and the book is throughougly PG even with the violent storyline.

But, you all know all this because everyone has already read it.  And if you haven’t PICK IT UP!

5/5

Wake June 15, 2009

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—4—

There wasn’t much to Wake by Lisa McMann, as was evident by my reading the whole book in one sitting.  And yet, I really enjoyed it, perhaps due to its simplicity.  This is a YA novel in all definitions of the genre, but it had enough substance and uniqueness to keep myself satisfactorily entertained.

Janie is 17, but she has more problems than even the average 17 year old.  When people around her fall asleep, she is pulled into their dreams.  And it’s getting old.  She hates study hall, she can’t escape her fellow classmates weird fears and cliche fantasies.  And of course she can’t divulge her secret “affliction”; people would think she was nuts.  So she goes along counting down the day until she can disappear to college (although I’d like to point out that more people fall asleep in college courses than in high school).

Everything changes for Janie when she falls into a terrible nightmare of one of her classmates, Caleb.  But this boy realizes what Jamie can see, and so they forge a new relationship over Janie’s strange “talent”.  Janie learns that she can help people in their dreams, and so a new course is set.

I thought the premise of this story was pretty interesting.  Janie’s character really struggles to control what is practically uncontrollable, and must do a lot to avoid the slumbering of the world.  And Caleb is a bit of a mystery himself.  The book jacket has made this book seem much spookier and darker than it really is.  A quick read, but entertaining.

4/5



Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn December 31, 2008

Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.
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—4—

—3.5—


—4—

—4.5—

I read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer so long ago, I don’t even know what to say in a review right now.  I have been putting off writing a review because I didn’t know what I could write that hadn’t already been said, and I still don’t, but I suppose I’ll write a few quick notes anyways.  I decided to review them all as one for time’s sake, and because I don’t know if I could write full reviews on each.  I think everyone knows the basic plot of these books by now, Bella Swan, typical teenager, moves to a new town and falls for Edward Cullen, who happens to be a vampire.  This results in a lot of danger for Bella  and Edward, from other vampires and retaliating werewolfs.  Twilight is the first in the series, and we are introduced to Bella and Edward, and we see the progression of their relationship.  New Moon is a continuation of this story, with Edward leaving Bella “for her own good”, and Bella moping around because her heart has been broken.  Eclipse really sets us up for Breaking Dawn, the finale where we find out what will become of Edward and Bella.

My favorite was Breaking Dawn, although this seems to be the most heavily criticized of the bunch.  I was happy with it because finally things started to happen!  Often in the other books, especially through New Moon, I felt frustrated with the lack of progression of the story.  A lot of the same problems arose; nothing was ever resolved.  I was happy with where Bella and Edwards lives took them in the end, and I know a lot of people thought it all wrapped up to nicely, especially with Bella’s best friend Jacob, but I think the ending served it’s purpose.  Anyways, I don’t have much else to say, so how about a poll?!

And another?


Life as We Knew It December 6, 2008

Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.
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—4.5—

Susan Beth Pfeffer has written a remarkable book with her Young Adult novel, Life as We Knew It.  Miranda is just your typical sophomore, dealing with a split family and changing friends, when an asteroid hits the moon.  Everyone is out to witness this historical event, but each soon realizes that something has gone wrong.  The moon has been knocked closer to earth.  Now it looms way too large and way to near.  The effect on the climate and tides is disastrous.  Tsunamis hit the coastlines, wiping out the entire east and west coasts.  Dormant volcanoes reawaken, sending their ash into the sky and blocking out the sun.  There is a run on food, water, and ways to stay warm.  Some try to leave to better parts of the country, but no one knows if any part of the country is truly better; almost all long-distance communication has ceased.  Quickly, there is no power, no heat, no fuel, and Miranda and her family must try to survive.  During it all she keeps this diary, and through it we see her progression from frightened, to angry and hostile, and finally to resigned in her fate.  

This book is wonderful because it is so plausible.  As I read it, I kept wondering what actions I would take, whether I could be as resilient, what decisions I would make, who I would protect, how I might survive.  Would I be altruistic?  If I was, would I survive?  Would I be a bad guy or a good guy?  Miranda leads the reader through all these emotions and decisions, and you wonder if she will survive in the end, if there ever is an end, or if all the suffering is just prolonging the inevitable.  An awesome book!

4.5/5

Try Life as We Knew It if you enjoyed Meg Rosaff’s How I Live Now.

Coraline September 7, 2008

Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.
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—4.5—

I saw that the children’s book Coraline by Neil Gaiman was being made into a movie and decided that it was time to pick it up and read it before the film was released.  I read the standard book, but there is a graphic novel version that recently came out that some may be interested in.  

Coraline lives in a big house that has been divided into smaller apartments.  She has several entertaining neighbors. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are former actresses, who are now rather round, and they love to regale Coraline with the stories of their past glory.  Stranger still is the old man who lives above Coraline who tells her that he is teaching his mice to play instruments.  But, Coraline is bored.  She loves to explore, but on a rainy day she is trapped inside.  She counts all the doors, and finds that one is locked.  When her mother unlocks it, the doorway is blocked up with bricks.  One day however, the bricks are gone, and there is another world on the other side of the door.  A world that mirrors her own, with an other-mother, and an other-father, who have button eyes, and don’t want Coraline to leave.

Yes, it is as ominous as it sounds.  But I think Coraline works as a children’s book because kids will see it as a fantasy, dark as it may be.  Adults, however, will understand how creepy this book is.  I really enjoyed the simplicity of this book, and the strength and wit of little Coraline.  The story plus the excellent drawings accompanying it remind a lot of Tim Burton or The Nightmare Before Christmas.  I would recommend this short read for older children and adults alike!

4.5/5

Read my review of Neverwhere and Stardust by Neil Gaiman too!

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1 The Pox Party May 20, 2008

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Octavian Nothing

—3.5—

Like the title, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1 The Pox Party is long and odd.  It is categorized as Young Adult Fiction, which may be a deterrent for some readers, but I believe that adults and teens alike would enjoy this book.  The narrator is young Octavian Nothing, a boy who lives in a strange house where only he and his mother go by their names; everyone else answers to numbers.  The members of this household are philosophers and scientists, experimenting on everything and everyone–including Octavian.  Set at the beginning of the revolution in Boston, Octavian discovers his role in a disturbing experiment, and the meaning of his dark skin and enslavement while the country fights for it’s freedom.

Octavian Nothing is beautifully written.  It’s passages are poetic at times, and Octavian’s narrative is incredibly intelligent.  Through the novel we witness Octavian’s awakening and heartbreak.  I loved all of this novel, except for a portion in the last section.  This part was told in a series of letters from a revolutionary soldier, and I found them cumbersome and unexciting.  I loved Octavian’s voice so much that I wished he would resume narrating his story.  In addition, I sometimes felt that things were unfolding a bit too slow, and Octavian should be realizing some obvious things earlier than he did.  However, besides these flaws I did enjoy the book very much.  It offers some interesting perspectives on the biases that can be mistakenly justified by crooked science, and the novel can make you question the foundations this nation was built upon.

3.5/5

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book.  I think it is a good representative of the poetic writing-style, as well as the intelligent questions the book poses:

“They told me of substance and form; they told me of matter, of its consistency as a fluxion of minute, swarming atomies, as Democritus had writ; they told me of shape and essence; they told me of the motion of light, that it was the constant expenditure of particles flying off the surfaces of things; they told me of color, that it was an illusion of the eye, an event in the perceiver’s mind, not in the object; they told me that color had no reality; indeed, they told me that color did not inhere in a physical body any more than pain was in a needle. 

And then they imprisoned me in darkness; and though there was no color there, I still was black, and they still were white; and for that, they bound and gagged me.”

 Pg. 316, Candlewick Press paperback edition, 2008

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows July 24, 2007

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

—5— 

Finally, the review I’m sure everyone’s been waiting for (just kidding, I’m not that deluted), the last in the J.K. Rowling’s series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Now I’m gonna try very hard not to have any spoilers in here, so it’s going to be pretty generic. Bear with me.

The book is FANTASTIC.  Finally we get the answers we were looking for.  Is Snape good or bad?  What really happened to Dumbledore?  Will Voldemort win?  Will Harry have to die? And most importantly, are Hermoine and Ron EVER going to hook up? 

Characters return from previous books, some leave forever.  There is happiness and quite a bit of sadness.  The Deathly Hallows is probably the darkest in the series, but also one of the most rewarding.  Although finishing it is bittersweet, because over the years the characters had become friends, and now there is no more to look forward too.  The only negative is I would have liked more out of the epilogue, I wanted it to be longer with more details about my favorite of Harry’s friends!

Overall, a glowing review.

5/5