Silent Echo by Elisa Freilich

*ARC from NetGalley-much thanks!

Published: September 10th 2013

Publisher: Diversion Books
Website: Author’s Website

Introduction

For 16 years, Portia Griffin has been mute. Her best friend is Felix, a deaf boy, and together they overcome communication obstacles to lead normal lives. On the first day of school she meets the new boy, Max Hunter, a genius musician. Then she discovers that her voice has returned, only it comes with the terrible power to entrance and seduce. Before she is poisoned by the evil of her heritage, the Greek gods step in to help before Portia ruins her reputation and her love life.  

Mythology

I’ve read Bullfinch's Mythology by choice in high school because, obviously, I am enamoured by mythology. There are some extra bits thrown in, some new names, some new sons of Gods. To make this a work of fiction, new history will have to be written. However, the author also messes with established lore. When the author made sirens Goddesses my heart felt a little bit like it was stabbed with a butter knife. Additionally, it killed me how useless all the other gods are.

I did like how the author made sirens not like mermaids, but a classical siren with wings. This is refreshing, as popular YA fiction tends to make this formula: mermaid=siren, and some try to make them both fish tailed and winged, and it doesn’t always work.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed how the gods are portrayed in the real world. It focused too much on technology and how old they were, but nonetheless, the reader gets to see how gods live among humans, or not.

Main Character

Portia Griffin is mute, and likes music and birds. Yet she doesn’t have much of a personality, other than “nice”. She has some rapid personality changes. Though these changes are cringe-worthy, and you’ll hate her as a character, they are integral to the story. Unfortunately, once she gets her voice, I wanted her to shut up because the dialogue was terrible. Yes, she is a teenage girl. No, not every teenager is vapid and unable to speak. Her introduction with the gods is so forced. Like, hey, I’m totally a normal girl, and it’s not like I’ve been taking an entire class on Greek mythology, so I’m totally going to mess this up all over the place. Don’t take me seriously, please, k? I’m just going to make a joke of myself because god-oh, sorry, gosh!-I totally don’t know what’s going on.  

  

Love Story

It’s another one of those stock stories where everyone is in love with the heroine. In this case, she is a siren, and it is in her nature to seduce with her voice. Alright. But before this a love triangle forms with the best friend and the new love interest. (This happens so early on that it isn’t even a spoiler.) Like with Bella Swan, everyone loves her because. They just do and the reader has to get over it. Sure she’s “nice”, but so is everyone else in her school. At one point the reader hears that another girl is “nice” but it isn’t enough. Oh, it isn’t enough in this other girl’s case? How fair.   

The love interest is an unexpected explosion of fireworks in the middle of a mall. Everyone around is thinking, Yeah, this is nice, I guess…but why is it happening? They love-love each other within days. Sure, this happens in real life, and it is dumb. Sorry, but it is. It’s difficult to expect a reader to care about their relationship.   

Lyrics, Poetry, Music

A lot of the rhyming is simplistic. I understand that the author had to write a small selection of original poetry for this book, and all poetry is subjective. I just can’t get over how terrible some of the rhymes are. This book focuses on lyrical poetry and music heavily, and I feel that more effort should have been put into it.

I detest Portia’s rapping. Max sings songs that are modern and are not raps…though that hardly makes them tolerable. Here are some versus:

“I’m Mario Andretti,

I’m stuck on the course,

And you, baby, are the Grand Prix.” (This doesn’t even rhyme…not even half rhymes)

“And what about Krispy Kreme-

Why can’t it just be

That iced, glazed, and sprinkled

Has one calorie?” (And this…isn’t grammatically correct)

Writing

Aside from the horrendous lyrics, the writing is alright. The deepest pits of my soul are glowing because this book is in the third-person, not the first-person. Why is everyone so fixated on reading first-person narratives? Is it because first-person narratives are easier to write, so authors are producing them, making readers accustomed to this type of narrative? /Rant.  

This book is too long, and yet crucial moments, like when Portia regains her voice, are skimmed over. Why, book, why?!

The book uses the word “Forasmuch” meaning: “in view of the fact that”.  This book might win the new award I just made up for weird words that are words but no one uses for a reason. 

Verdict

It is an alright book: it has some mythology and some originality. It is too long and the lyrics are painful. The premise was compelling and I find muteness interesting and a topic that I have not explored much. I recommend it to teens who are into mythology, but not fanatics about it because the changes might drive them away. 

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Published: December 7th 2010  

Publisher: Razorbill
Author’s website 

Introduction

            Jane was found in a rosebush after being hit by a car. She doesn’t die, but it is apparent that someone is planning to finish the job while she is recovering in the hospital. She’s a spoiled rich kid with spoiled rich friends and of course everyone is pretty much unstable and creepy because that’s what rich people are. Someone in her elitist circle of friends is after her, and she has to figure out who tried to kill her by piecing together flashbacks of her life.

Cover

            The view straight up the model’s nose is so unflattering. Aesthetically, no one could come up with a better position or camera position for the cover shot? It’s funny, because Jane is supposed to be a photographer and she gets this atrocity for a cover.   

Jane

            Ah, the protagonist.

Protagonists don’t have to be perfect, because people are not perfect. In fact, I like ‘em flawed. Give me the damaged, the character-flaws, the mean girls, the naïve, the downright stupid. Perfection is an illusion, and perfect characters are unrealistic.

But Jane is…here, let me make a list:

1)      Boring.

2)      Stupid (“I’m not paranoid or crazy!”-proceeds to rip out IV while laughing manically).

3)      A “people-pleaser” (though there is no indication that she is, other than people saying it).

4)      Whiney.

5)      A boy jumper (going from boy to boy to boy in an unhealthy way).

6)      Shallow.

I could add some more, but I think readers will get the picture.

Because I dislike Jane so much, I didn’t become invested. Therefore, I didn’t care that someone was trying to kill her. Oops.  

David

Then there’s David, Jane’s boyfriend. No. Just no. “Hi, I’m a pot-smoking jerk. The author gives me the semblance of a deeper character, but doesn’t go into it enough to make me a full character. I’m just a-” and I won’t finish that sentence because I have decided not to curse on this blog, but you can use your imagination and stick in a word of your choice.

The parts with his mental abuse make me sick and frustrated, and the author probably intended for that to happen (at least I hope so).

Kate

            Some of Kate’s story was inputted, in my opinion, for the author to announce that she is totally down with certain…hot topic issues. I do like Kate because she has the most realistic depth (at least as far as I can recall), but I see how she is a thin representation of certain things that the author wanted to put into her book. Instead of conveying a character, I see a cardboard cut-out.   

Boys

            The boys in this book are all ridiculously creepy. No normal guys in sight. Don’t expect to find healthy relationships here. Not that the girls are any less insane, but if you consider it, there isn’t a boy in her age range I’d date because they are all, more or less, insane-in-a-very-bad-way.   

Murder Mystery Aspect

            It is a whodunit story, and a “who will do it” story-someone ran Jane over with a car and then they are after her to finish the job. Overall, I liked the different directions that the book pulled me, though I didn’t particularly think that anyone had it in them to actually kill Jane, though everyone is a red herring at some point. There are lots of characters in this book, so there are many aspects to investigate.

            I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but let me say that I didn’t suspect the culprit because it would have been too obvious. And then the author gives some very lame reasoning for the motive.  

            I do wish people would stop referring to this as a horror novel. Please read something in the horror genre. This is a mystery, and while people lump the two together along with thriller (like Netgalley), they all are vastly different from each other.  

Verdict

Ultimately, it’s teen chick lit. Not that I’m interested in bashing the genre, but it’s not for me. I can’t stand listening to spoiled kids talk about their brand-name bags and shoes, and then complain about their privileges (Oh button, you have too much money and no responsibilities? Poor you!) Yet they go out and smoke pot and drink-while underage, mind you. Unfortunately, this book is little more than rich and entitled kids doing rich and entitled things. Nope, I can’t particularly care if they are trying to kill each other. I recommend this to girls, not boys-can’t see how boys in general would be interested in this-and I recommend this to girls who like chick lit like Gossip Girl.    

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden Reviews
Wither, Fever, and Sever

Published: February 20 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Website: Author’s Website
Author's Youtube

Introduction

After months of experiments, Rhine is captured once again, but at least the truth is out. Unfortunately, not many people are willing to believe her. Reed, Vaughn’s brother, is an unexpected ally. In the final installment of the Chemical Garden Trilogy, Rhine journeys to find her twin brother Rowan, discovers Vaughn’s secrets, the virus’s secret, and the truth about the world. Her genetics hold vital information for developing the cure, and her brother is closer to all of this than she imagined.

Title

I was hoping there’d be some severing of some limbs, and I am sorely disappointed that there are not. Only metaphorical severing.

In all seriousness it’s an appropriate title. It’s an end to certain ties, and this is the final book.

Could it have a better title? Probably.  

Cover

                The cover isn’t too bad. Ring’s off, there’s a bird NOT in a cage, and airplane, a globe. All fitting. What I hate are the bloody apples! NO.

                Stop with the apples.

                I’m so tired of the religious imagery.

                You can say that it’s the only thing she eats at Reed’s house. And it’s way too easy to associate the apples with the knowledge that she gets from Reed or his books.

                Can authors find some other way of being stupidly clever than inserting apples=knowledge and/or other religious themes with apple iconography? Please?   

Death

There’s a death or two in here. One, the HUGE one, confuses me. I’m not entirely sure how this character died. For such a pivotal moment, I think it could have been explained better.

All I know is that I read the page and…a character died. I’m like, oh wait what?!

I still have no idea what happened. They just died and the plot moves forward. I’d love to talk about this with people who have read the book, though I feel like this character has to die because of the way that the author has written the series. Urgh it’s hard to write this without spoiling it.

But as far as deaths go, this death is stupid. At least make it clear why the character died. Make it worth something.

Character Development

                What struck me in the first installment, Wither, was the character development and the wide away of cast members. Here are my brief thoughts: 

Linden

                With the end of Fever, I had such high hopes for Linden. The truth-about how brides are Gathered, what Vaughn does with dead bodies, everything- would finally come out!

                And Linden is the biggest tool, ever.

                It killed me inside when he denies everything. And this isn’t too much of a spoiler, as it happens at the beginning of the story. And the story would be much different if Linden believed Rhine.

But my emotional agony kept me emotionally invested in the story. And it pays off. Linden has spectacular character growth that I rarely see. What DeStefano did with the character is amazing, and a true testament to her ability to write.

Though there is a constant tugging of affection between Linden, Cecily, and Rhine that I disliked. With everything that has happened, it would be excessively unhealthy for Rhine to actually love Linden (not that I’m particularly convinced that Rhine loves Gabrielle). It is very frustrating that the author keeps hinting that Rhine actually loves Linden.

Cecily

                As hinted at in the second book, the baby grows up.

                In some ways she stays the same, which is something that I liked. A character, much like a real person, does not completely change, no matter how much personal growth they experience. She grows up and matures in ways that are suitable to her environment, and she still displays hints of her spoiled tendencies. I like her much better now than her bratty incarnation that we are introduced to in Wither. 

Vaughn

                Not sure if I can count this as character development. I think that the reader FINALLY gets the whole picture in the last installment of the series. We finally get the rationale, the truth, that has propelled this whole story into action.

                Even with his explanation, he is a typical evil villain who tries to explain away his motives for the greater good, though.

Rose

                Before I start, I like Rose. I liked her in Wither and Fever, which is an interesting feat for a character who died in the first portion of the first book. More information is revealed about her lineage in Sever, but I feel like it was so forced. Like the author looked at the grand scheme of the book and realized that she could insert Rose in yet another slot and twist up the story more. The revelations about Rose in this book just made me go “Meh, whatever.” 

Plot Holes? Spoilers!

                It’s hard to discuss this without major spoilers. This book explains that cell phones and radios barely work because of the equipment like signal towers not being maintained. There are communication issues. Ok. And like in basically every dystopia, the government is a bunch of liars. Ok. But…

                How does Hawaii not know about the virus? Sure, the American government can lie to their citizens, but how does Hawaii not have a clue?

How does Rhine’s and Rowan’s condition cure everyone if they are so unique?

                If everyone knows about Rowan and what he is about to blow up, why aren’t the police there to stop him?  

                Why doesn’t Rhine go about trying to find out if Gabriel is safe? Linden is right there, ask him.  

Ending

I know some readers will hate the final chunk of pages. I loved it. It reminded me of the ending of Alice: Madness Returns.  

I don’t want to give it all away. It has a quietness that I feel is so fitting. The chaos that has been inflicted is ended simply, suddenly, like the crumbling away of a cliff, and it leads to a sudden end.   

There are still some questions lingering in my mind. I am not entirely sure I get the concept of the chemical garden. I can take some stabs at it because I’m told I’m excessively clever, but I was hoping that it would be explained fully. I hoped that the concept would blow my mind and make me lose my vision for a second because it is so radical. Perhaps I don’t feel like I get it because the chemical gardens are only mentioned a few times.

Verdict

                The Chemical Garden series is a fine dystopia for young adults. The writing is detailed, the world is altered yet believable, and the characters are well-rounded with motivations and develop naturally. I highly recommend it for mature teens who need a book with more than the typical fashion and love themes. It is a suitable gateway into adult literature, especially for the dystopian genre. There are some plot holes that I think adults who are analyzing the book will pick up on. But the world is immersive, and now that I have finished the series, I’m going to wallow in self-pity.