Tag Archives: book review

Review: In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks

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I met Jen Brooks during a panel discussion we were both a part of last November, and I was fascinated by the excerpt she read from In A World Just Right. I bought a copy that very night, but I haven’t had a chance to dive in until yesterday. I started it yesterday. I finished it yesterday. I was home sick from work, so I legit just read for eight hours straight.

in a world just rightThis book.

Let me tell you.

The premise is clever: ever since Jonathan went through a traumatic accident at age eight, he’s been a world-maker, that is, he can invent worlds and come and go from them as he pleases. The one he spends the most time in is Kylie-Simms-is-my-girlfriend, where– you guessed it– Kylie Simms is his girlfriend. In real life, that’s not even close to being true. Jonathan is a bit of an outcast, mostly invisible to his classmates.

Fascinating, right?

Things get trickier from there, once the real Kylie Simms starts paying attention to him and Jonathan starts learning the extent of his powers and has to deal with some pretty huge moral decisions. Like, fantastically huge. He really, really wrestles through things, and I loved him for it.

Then things get even trickier. Really.

Let’s just say that this is as close to a YA Inception that I’ve ever read. That’s a good thing– no, a great thing.

About halfway through, I tweeted to Jen that “I can’t figure out how in the world(s) this will end,” and she tweeted back, “Fingers crossed you like where it ends up. :)”

After my eight-hour journey of my mind being blown, I tweeted her, “PERFECT ENDING!”

Not my typical read, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. You guys know I love books that make me think. This book will make you think.

Enjoy!

Review: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt

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It feels like a million years ago that Marisa Reichardt first contacted me– she wanted to interview me for The Sweet Sixteens (interview here). I sent her a PDF copy of Truest, since there weren’t even ARCs at that time. Since then, Marisa has become so dear to me, someone I can go to about all my writer-problems, someone who gets it and is brimming with compassion and empathy.

underwater3Now it was my turn to read her book!

Underwater is Morgan’s story– readers learn in the earliest pages that she was witness to a school shooting and has since been dealing with agoraphobia. Yes, Morgan has not left her family’s apartment in months. Then a new guy moves in next door, and things start to change.

My favorite part of this book was how much I understood what Morgan was going through– the panic, at first, then later, as she begins to venture out (starting with just the welcome mat!), the way she has to sit with so much uncertainty and fear– but how she accommodates to it! I had the distinct thought, “This is exposure therapy. This is also how you treat OCD.” Afterward, I looked it up online, to see if my guesses were right. The sites that I looked at talked specifically about exposure therapy being the best treatment for agoraphobia.

Mind. Blown.

Here I thought we with OCD had the corner on the exposure therapy market! Not so.

Some reviews I read said that the book is a little dark and heavy– but I disagree. Well, time out. Yes, it begins dark and heavy. But it should. We are dealing with PTSD here, people, not a hangnail! But what I loved most about Underwater was how it bent toward the light.

Review: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

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weight of feathersFirst of all, can we just pause and admire that cover? So gorgeous.

The Weight of Feathers a magical, enchanted story along the lines of Romeo and Juliet. The Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies for over a generation. Both are traveling Romani families who perform their “magical” shows– the Palomas have a mermaid show, and the Corbeaus have a winged-birds-in-the-trees show, both of which are fascinating. Each believes the other family uses black magic, and these families are serious rivals: to even touch a member of the opposite family could mean death or shunning. But when an accident happens, Lace Paloma is rescued by Cluck Corbeau, and that opens up the world of the Corbeaus to her.

It’s so beautifully written. It’s magical realism at its finest. I’ve seen comparisons to The Night Circus (which is one of my all-time favorites), and I agree with the description. Beautiful writing, lovely characters, fascinating setting, and a few WHOA twists and turns make this book a joy to read. I tore through it.

I wanted a little more from the ending (justice! revenge!), but overall, a lovely, lovely book.

Review: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

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salt to the seaI’m not sure whether to say that the paragraph below this is a spoiler or not. It’s not a traditional book spoiler– it’s the historical event this book is based on. But if you want to go into this book completely blind, best to skip it.

Last summer, when Ruta Sepetys was in St. Paul, I had the chance to hear her speak passionately about a bit of nearly-lost history: a ship called the Wilhelm Gustloff that was carrying WWII refugees to safety was torpedoed by the Soviets, and about 9,000 of the 10,000 passengers died. Most of them were children and youth. The Nazis tried to cover it up, so even though more people died than in the sinkings of the Titanic and Lusitania combined, many people don’t know about this tragedy.

Till now.

Ruta Sepetys brings it to life in Salt to the Sea, and it’s wonderful. There is a slow build throughout the story with the climactic event taking up a surprisingly small part of the story. The characters are well-drawn, there are plenty of secrets, and there’s a sweet romance too.

I did think the book wrapped up fast, but that was fine by me. I stayed up late to finish this one, and I was pretty emotionally ragged by the end. Also, it’s been a while since I read Sepetys’s debut Between Shades of Gray, so it took me a looooong time to catch a connection between the two books that was in pretty plain sight. Once I did, it delighted me.

This is one of those books where knowing the historical truth behind the story does nothing to diminish it. It only amplifies, and you hold on for the ride.

Review: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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brown girl dreamingBrown Girl Dreaming is a memoir in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, and it’s a treasure. Even if you haven’t read any other Jackie Woodson books, this one is still not to be missed. It’s a beautiful story about her childhood as an African American in the sixties and seventies.

My favorite parts were watching the author develop her love for stories and realizing the power of story and how to wield it. So lovely. It made me reflect on my own childhood as I was learning the same things.

Read it. You’ll be richer for it.

Review: Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

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CDChallenger Deep was another hard read. Hard– but incredible.

Meet Caden Bosch, a young man whose behavior has been growing increasingly curious to his family and friends.

Caden, who is on a ship headed for the deepest part of the earth: Challenger Deep, part of the Marianas Trench.

There are two stories but really only one.

This is a very well-drawn story of a boy battling a mental illness. There was so much I could relate to in this novel– the paranoia, the medications, the darkness.

I know that Neal Shusterman’s son inspired this story. It’s clear to see that Shusterman knows what he’s talking about. It mimicked my own experiences in such critical ways.

I highly recommend this book.

 

 

Review: A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T. Smith

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sense of the infiniteThis book was really, really hard for me to read. It covers some difficult territory that– for a time– almost made me dread reading the story. Now, that said, I tore through this book, and in the end, I think it was tremendously well-written. Smith is a genius with words, and she made me feel a hundred different ways while reading this book.

A Sense of the Infinite is ultimately a story about Annabeth and Noe, best friends since ninth grade and now having a rough go of their friendship as senior year ensues. Wow, could I ever relate to this storyline. You could have substituted Annabeth and Noe’s names with mine and my high school best friend’s. It was so interesting to see Annabeth make all these college plans for the two of them and know from personal experience, Girlfriend, it ain’t gonna happen.

There were some really serious storylines in this novel, most of which are too spoilery to share. It is not a fluffy book at all; it is hard but incredibly rich– like life.

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Is this tweet enough or do you need more?

six of crowsSix of Crows is a heist novel set in a fantasy land (the same as that of the Grisha trilogy). Picture Ocean’s Eleven with only six players– and now make those six be teenage outcasts with nothing to lose and everything to gain. That’s Six of Crows.

What makes it are the characters. For me, characters are always number one, and these characters will woo you, delight you, break your heart, terrify you, and humble you. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan.

Lots of great action and surprises. On one hand, I’m thrilled it’s a series so that I get to spend more time with this crew. On the other, now I have to wait!!!!

It’ll be worth it.

Review: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

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bone gapThere’s been a lot of buzz about Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, and so I finally purchased the book and read it. It was great.

Bone Gap is the name of the small town where the O’Sullivan boys live on their own, their father dead and their mother having run off. Sean is the big, strong, brilliant one, and Finn is the “spacey” but beautiful one. Roza is the lovely Polish girl who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared from their lives just as fast. The story is mostly told from Finn’s and Roza’s perspectives.

What’s missing from that description is Petey. Priscilla “Petey” is the beekeeper girl that Finn falls for, and she’s my absolute favorite part of this novel, maybe for reasons I can’t quite explain. I’ll try anyway.

Petey is unusual. She’s not traditionally beautiful. She’s brave and feisty and strong and weak. I love her for all those reasons, and so does Finn, and it’s adorable.

Roza is incredible. Total badass Polish heroine.

Sean is strong and broken. I loved him. He frustrated me too.

Finn is lovely, precious, amazing, boyish in the best way. I want to put him in my pocket.

Bone Gap is classified as magical realism. It may or may not surprise you that I loved the realism and could have done without the magical element, though it seems that it works for most readers.

Read this. You will love it.

Review: Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

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orbitingOrbiting Jupiter is incredible, a truly beautiful piece of work.

It’s narrated by 12-year-old Jack, whose life is changed when Joseph, his new 14-year-old foster brother, moves into his home on the family farm. Joseph has had a rough past, and– how’s this for ya?– he’s a father. At fourteen. His one wish is to track down his daughter, Jupiter. From there, the story unfolds.

It’s a very fast read. I listened to the audiobook, and it took about three hours. In just three hours, I was transfixed. A fire was lit in me. I cried like a baby.

This book was lovely and beautiful in a simple and stark and quiet sort of way. I will definitely be reading more Gary D. Schmidt books. By the way, I met Gary when I was in Chicago last month. He also gave a keynote presentation to the conference on Saturday. I should have guessed then by his gentle spirit and moving nature that this book would be the same.

Highly recommend.