Book Lovers' Day Aug 9!

Graphic from http://ghergich.com/

Tomorrow is Book Lovers' Day! If you've been too busy lately from the rush that has become our daily lives, take some time to relax with a book. Whether it is YA, or a mystery, thriller, romance, MG, non-fiction, whatever you want. Leave this world and expand your mind for a moment tomorrow and show your love for the written word.

This graphic is from Ghergich & Co. Nifty, isn't it? Someday I want a book shelf that is big enough to warrant a ladder.

Teaser Tuesdays #1

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my first foray into this meme, so here goes, I am giving you two teasers from page 60 of Sever by Lauren DeStefano:

 Prepared to be teased...!

#1 "You didn't contact sepsis from this place, did you?"

And...

#2 He wants the jars that have caught the morning light; I think he believes they hold little pieces of the sun.

Seven Deadly Sins Tag

GREED --What is your most expensive book? What is your least expensive book?

~Inexpensive: Need by Carrie Jones-$4.99. I feel awful because I got it at Walmart, and I now know that when books end up there, the author's don't really see the royalty money. This book is one of my favourite books ever *drools.

~Expensive: Strictly for YA books, I usually get the hardcovers because I want to read them the day they come out. Most YA hardcover books are around $19-$30 anyway. When I was about 14 I was really into The Wind on Fire Trilogy. The last of the series, Firesong came out, and my grand mother spent nearly $50 on it when it first came out "in exchange for chores". Funny, because I'm looking at it now and all it says for price is £10.99 for a hardcover.  

WRATH--What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?

~Amanda Hocking. The Watersong series is so...hit and miss with me. Her other books just don't interest me at all. But I like mermaids, so...you know.

GLUTTONY--What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?

~Need by Carrie Jones and The Golden Compass Philip Pullman. Pullman's work has honestly changed who I am as a reader, writer, and how I view the world.

SLOTH--What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?

~The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. (Plus everything else that is sitting on my shelf because I am a terrible person.)

PRIDE--What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?

~ The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. BECAUSE DID YOU GET THE RELIGIOUS IMAGERY AND UNDERTONES?! DID YOU!?

LUST--What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?

~Male: When they are more than white knights who save the day.
~Female: When they are more than their gender (pro tip: being a girl IS NOT a character trait).

ENVY--What books would you most like to receive as a gift?

~The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I only read the series once and I'd like to read the last two again. It's another one of those books where I want to scream about the literary importance of them.

Now copy and paste and answer, or make up your own questions! :D 

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden Reviews
Wither, Fever, and Sever

Published: February 21 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Website: Author’s Website 
Author's Youtube

*Fair Warning: I try to keep this as spoiler free as possible but it is difficult!

Introduction

Gabrielle and Rhine have escaped the gilded cage mansion and have washed ashore. They are promptly hit with the realization that they are in their cruel dystopian world that is unkind to people without a home. This installment is about them trying to make it back home to Manhattan, to Rhine’s brother, Rowan. They pick up another character, a girl without security in the world concerned with perfecting and correcting genes. Together they travel to Rhine’s former home, until the fever hits. What is it?   

The Scarlet Carnival

The first place to take advantage of them is Madame’s cruel carnival-a scarlet district prostitution ring. The girls are haggard with teeth rotten and wearing dirty exotic dresses. Madame takes a liking to Rhine and she falls into a dilemma: Vaughan cannot find her in the circus, but she is being used by a woman who is a predator in the business of selling pretty flesh until it is ruined.

Sound intriguing? I was bored. Like the first book, Wither, the circus is a confined space with a set domestic space and rules, like the mansion. I was craving for them to just LEAVE and explore and have more agency. I am supposed to be creeped out by the way Madame collects girls to sell their flesh until they die. In reality, this happens in real life. It is scary, though it is nothing new. 

Perhaps I am what you consider well-read, but I get the whole sexual enslavement issue. The whole scenario about how she’s there but not as a full prostitute made me stick out my tongue and go “PFFFT.” Yeah, right. As if she’d be kept there without having the dirty experience. It’s just because DeStefano wanted to give us the nitty-gritty inside of the sexual enslavement of the world AND keep her character extremely pure. This world doesn’t keep anyone pure, by the way, so this whole virginal main character concept is ridiculously unbelievable. If you read Oryx and Crake or The Year of the Flood , both by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, you’ll get a more realistic sense of what happens to women in a dystopian society that is driven by gratification.     

Ermahgerd guys, prostitution!  

Characters

I found this installment lacked the vibrant and complete cast of characters that its predecessor has. There are a lot of fleeting characters because the duo are on the move. There’s Lilac, the intelligent and beautiful prostitute, and her daughter, Maddie, a “malformed” child who does not speak. Madame, the ring-master of the carnival of tattered silk prostitutes.  The rest of the characters, to me, are replicas in different areas that serve the same roles. Ally, enemy, abuser. I understand that it is difficult to give depth to characters when you don’t spend much time with them because the characters are going elsewhere.

Cover

I like this cover as a cover much better Wither’s cover. The model still has the ring, she holds the card (part of a lame attempt at dramatic symbolism by the author), and she looks unwell. The title is Fever, and (surprise) everybody at some point feels unwell, but the model looks…not attractively unwell. You might say, well, duh, she’s supposed to be sick. But when you’re talking about modeling something artistically, there are ways to convey the idea right…and better. This girl looks…bored (oh hey it’s me when I was reading the circus passages!), or like she’s high, or like (as pointed out on Goodreads) she has some bodily functions to take care of. I think it would have been more effective to make her pale or flushed, sweaty, and give her dishevelled hair. In the first book, the rat’s nest was uncalled for. Here, it’s alright because she’s ill and has nowhere to go and no brush to untangle her hair.

Story Progression

The story of Fever is both linear and knotted. They are en route to Rowan. They get stuck in the carnival. The go on their way, towards Rowan. Little blips happen, and they get untangled and keep going towards their destination. It is not until the end when “stuff” happens and the linear, planned plot goes away. I like the ending much more than the whole first half of the book. It was hard to care too much when everything is so planned. Yes, “stuff” happens and it is interesting. Yet I found myself craving for when they are forced into something more unexpected. I wanted desperately for the plan to unravel and throw something at me that would make me squirm to read and turn the page. It does happen, but not until later. When it happened, putting the book down was impossible.     

Writing

Even when the plot isn’t terribly engaging…the writing is always well-crafted. Now, what does that mean?

The writing brings the world into reality: eerily dystopian and disgustingly beautiful.

Everything seems right in her writing this time. I wish I can one day write something that conveys the world to be so multifaceted like DeStefano does. There’s mansions, malls, pretty dresses, slavery, forced marriage, candy, kidnapping, family, prostitution, murders, sister wives, drugs, love…all these textures are weaved in the pages of the book. 

Next Book: Sever

Yes please! I am reading Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch (I ordered it in November from my library and it came in on July 30!) and then it’s off to finish The Chemical Garden Trilogy with Sever! I can’t wait! This trilogy is honestly the hottest thing on my mind (book-wise) and in my mind, the highest anticipated book in a series that I have encountered in a while.

Verdict

            An excellent sequel to the first book. It doesn’t quite deliver on the expectations that you might hope for from the first book. Instead of an adventure it is more like a boring road trip where you keep asking “Are we there yet?”. This book also lacks profound moments because the author places her character in a world of prostitution and squeezes her into an unrealistic role of purity there. Fever is excellently written, though the book doesn’t take us very far story wise. There is advancement between Gabrielle and Rhine, and some more characters that won’t mention to spoil it. The first half was dead-boring to me, but the last 50 or so pages keep me reading and excited for the next book.   

What I'm Reading...

When I'm my breaks at work, I'm reading these:

I'm really excited to finish the Chemical Garden Trilogy (Sever and Fever) because I LOVED Wither. Lullaby didn't blow me away (read my review here) but I want to fall in love with the series again with Tidal.* Rosebush I picked up on a whim from the title (though I hate the camera angle above the girl), cover, and blurb.

These are all from my city's library. The good thing about being in the city is getting services from a library that isn't completely disconnected from reality (yes, a rant for another time).

*I'm an idiot who picked up Lullaby thinking it was the third in the series, Tidal. I honestly can't say how it happened. Some days, I don't know how I function...

Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Published:October 9 2012
Publisher:Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Website: Author's Website

 

Introduction

            Velveteen was murdered by a ruthless serial killer named Bonesaw when she was 16. Now she haunts him. The real problem is that she is stuck in Purgatory, and she has a job: to bring back souls that are “stuck” in the daylight.

Story

            From the blurb you’ll find on the dust jacket, you’ll think that this is about Velvet’s revenge against the serial killer who murdered her and others. That would have been awesome, but it isn’t what this book is ultimately about. Let me save you some confusion and tell you to pay attention to the parts with the Departurists.

Setting/Writing

            There is a profound inability to explain the world in this book. There are a lot of unknowns, such as the concept of heaven, hell, and purgatory, etc, and that is alright. Can you imagine just arriving there with a biblical or other belief of an afterlife? And no one has the answers, just speculations. They just go with it. You fulfill some mysterious criteria-such as personal growth-and you fade away into ash. Fine. But the explanation of how souls arrive is vague, as is how the other team gets stuff back into purgatory, especially when you can’t take things, including your own clothes, into the daylight.  

            What is explained isn’t explained very well. Then Velvet and others explain everything again to the newcomer, Nick. Let me fix this, Mr. Author. The team explained the basics to Nick. He constantly questioned everything, Velvet was rude and ordered him to listen, belittling him in the process. Do you know how many pages could be cut if this was done?    

            In an early action part of the book, suddenly they become the A Team and it’s all, “Btw, we all basically have super powers.” Ok, that was extremely lame. Why do they, who are ghosts, all have different abilities? Is it how they died? How they lived? Don’t ask me; it wasn’t explained.

            The writing in this is muddy and erratic. The action scenes are so jumbled I hated reading them. The main conflict isn’t about Bonesaw, it’s about the Departurists, who come in about midway through the book. The characters are all obvious clichés. Has the author ever seen a group of young people sit around at a bar-like setting and heard them speak? The dialogue at the first salon is so forced I was bored to tears. Pro Tip: If you’re going to write about young people, have a clue about them.     

Cover

            The cover can’t be true to the book. In Purgatory, it seems that people wear mostly drab clothes-stuff that can be brought back can’t be that appealing or else it wouldn’t be “lost”. They also smear themselves with ash. There is Nick on the cover, crisp white shirt and black vest. Nothing like his outfit when he died. Velvet is there with a million earrings. So…who went out and got all those earrings to bring back? The whole thing just looks dumb. I almost put the book down without reading it, but I read the blurb first and decided to ignore the stupid cover.

Characters

            Velvet is supposed to be the bad-ass, in-charge, snarky one. She seems so inconsistent it’s ridiculous. I understand where the author is trying to go, but I don’t think he is a very convincible writer of real women. She comes off as selfish and annoying. I believe the author wanted us to look at her and think that she is so tough and cool. But she isn’t. She’s unrealistic and cliché and she needs a slap in the face most of the time.

            Nick is simply bland, or annoying. I know he is new, but he doesn’t seem to have a personality aside from liking Velvet, and that’s a quality, not a personality trait. Oh, wait, he’s a hawt boy, that’s something. No, wait, it isn’t a personality trait.

            Mostly, everyone else is terribly flat. I liked Manny, the Station Agent. She has an appearance that is different, and she has a personality and back story from when she was alive. Why wasn’t everyone else so interesting? Common, author, I know you have it in you!  

Love Story

            The love story is inconsistent because Velvet as a character is inconsistent and Nick feeds off her inconsistencies. She pretty much goes like this: Wow he’s so hawt I can’t stop staring at him. But OMG I can’t love him. He’s so hawt I hate him just for that. And he’s wearing a basketball uniform so I assume he’s a jerk and I’m a goth so I have to hate him. Wait, let’s make out. BTW, I still don’t know you, so don’t get any ideas. Oh, shit, I do like you. Never mind, I don’t want a relationship. It’s against the rules. Oh, rules be damned, lets make out! You know what? F-off. I don’t know you.

            Hey, you know what this is called? Inconsistent and bad writing.       

Degradation of My Name

            Page 45 of the hardcover has the following sentences: “It’s possible that Bart hadn’t heard the slur against his vocal prowess. He was busy chocking his girlfriend, Courtney, with his tongue. He seriously looked like he was going to eat her.”

            -10 points from Mr. Marks’s House.

The Ending

            The ending was so forced. I still can’t wrap my head about how absurdly obvious some aspects are, yet the why Velvet question, for me, remains unanswered. I’d really like someone to explain it more. The big battle and how it ends is also a bit jumbled in my head. I’d like to know how they got from point A, the battlefield, to point B, safety.  

Verdict

            Do I recommend it? If you’re bored. The Bonesaw bits were the most interesting, but she keeps leaving! Hey, you know all the stuff you want to do? Like save the girl in the barn? Why don’t you do it? Nope, she keeps going back to Purgatory. The world isn’t explained very well. The characters are only half-realized. Something good? Velveteen is an awesome name. If teens like paranormal books about the afterlife spiced up with some good action, I’d recommend this in a pinch, especially if they have read all the books in the library already. Better for older teens in high school, as the world is a bit hard to follow most of the time.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden Reviews
Wither, Fever, and Sever

Published: March 22 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Website: Author's Website
Author's Youtube


Introduction
            The First Generation was genetically modified to improve the human condition. The unexpected consequence lurked in their children; the children have a “virus” that terminates males at 25-years-old and females at 20-years-old. From perfection came disaster. With the population in decline, scientists are scrambling for a cure. Girls are being snatched off the streets by wealthy families to procreate and extend the family lineage. Rhine, a girl with heterochromia eyes, has been stolen from her life to be a sister wife to Linden. The mansion is a gilded cage, and with only four years left to her life, she plans on escaping the sinister family.

Cover
            I usually hate it when covers use faces. It stops the reader from imagining the appearance of a character. It is also worse when the cover looks nothing like how the author describes their character.
            In this case, I love the image. It has beautiful symbolism: the ring, the cage, the decadence. I hate the hair and the dress because #1 both are high-fashion messy and #2 nowhere in the book is Rhine in such a dress and has teased hair that looks a few strokes from a rat’s nest.
            With this explanation, I say that I love the image, but not as a cover. It’d be passable if the image was cut off at her neck to exclude her face and hair. In fact, it would add to the symbolism presented in the story about women being degraded.

Concept
            When I began reading, Wither immediately struck me as a stripped-down version of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale for teens. Not that it is bad or unoriginal. I recommend all older teens to read The Handmaid’s Tale and Wither (if the concept of forced procreation is something they can handle).
            This novel is an excellent “what if” scenario in regards to the possibility of population decline and women becoming “baby factories” to maintain the human race and to find a cure. There are other dystopian elements as well: a large social divide, generational divides, gender oppression, and mass poverty and the associated lack of security and chaos. Unfortunately, the world of the story is very confined; she is trapped in the mansion and only recalls what the real world is like. I suspect we will see more of it in the next two books.

Heroine
            I tried to like Rhine. She is like how most girls would picture themselves in her situation: rebellious. The heterochromia eyes and her name are interesting facts, but the book fails to make Rhine unique. She assesses situations and chooses her words wisely, but she does less of this as the story progresses. She becomes less hard, and I do not feel like the author meant for this to happen, just that the writing took the author there and she forgot that Rhine is supposed to be much more capable than she is at the end.

Supporting Characters
            The cast of characters for this novel is exceptional. There are the obviously evil characters, the not-so-evil, the victims, the willing, the unwilling, the blind. The main characters evolve as the story progresses and I am thoroughly impressed by the ensemble and their interactions with one another.
            As I tried to like Rhine, I fell in love with Jenna. She has a tragic backstory, and I understand her acknowledgement of the situation. She decides what to do, she makes the best of the circumstances, and she is humorous at times. Downside: her name is Jenna.
            At first I hated Linden. He’s complacent, weak, and oblivious to the suffering he is causing to his sister wives. As the novel progresses, I became more sympathetic to the character. Making me sympathetic to a character I once despised is not an easy feat, and it is a testament to the writing.
            Cecily, the youngest sister wife, brings life into the house in more ways than one. She is a willing wife, though she is an orphan and the mansion offers joys she could never imagine. Cecily is a fine example of how distorted the world has become: a willing captive, an eager mother, ignorant of freedom or the way the world was before the dystopia set in. Without spoiling anything, it is through her that the reader finds out about the babies sister wives bear in this world, and how cruel the process is.

Writing
            Luckily, I was intrigued by the overall concept and I didn’t just read the first few pages, because I probably would have walked away. I found the beginning to be overly written. I understand that Rhine has just been ripped from her world, shoved into a van, and brought to the mansion. Her mind is scattered, but I think the author couldn’t decide where to go either. She brings up too much in the beginning without dealing with the issues at hand. And she dwells and details too much when reminiscing about the setting-social values and her past and the history of the world-at inappropriate times.
            As mentioned, the characters are excellent. Each serves a purpose and the main ones evolve. You’ll hate certain characters at the beginning and by the end, you’ll change your mind.
            Other than the characters, the writing is nothing special. No particular voice or prose was burned into my mind, but it serves its purpose.

Verdict
            A fulfilling dystopian teen novel with a little romance (of course). I suggest this to slightly older/mature teens because of the sexual content (we are talking about making babies against your will). If the teen likes dystopia or other kinds of speculative (non-paranormal) fiction, I recommend it highly. The characters are vivid and dynamic, but it is the setting of the world and how it came to be that makes the novel truly special.