Book Review: Joshua Dread by Lee Bacon

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Date Published: September 25, 2012
Number of Pages: 272 (available in print & as downloadable eBook)

Review: This book is probably best suited for young teens and tweens. It's full of  humor, zombies, and adventure. In the book, Joshua, his best friend Milton, and the new girl Sophie are thrown together on an adventure. In a world of superheroes and villains, Joshua's life as the child of two super villains is very extraordinary. When he develops superpowers his life really
starts to get interesting. When Joshua's parents are taken along with nearly every super villain in the world, Joshua turns to his friends for help. When they discover that Sophie's father, a superhero who may not be as super as everyone believed, might be involved with the kidnappings, things get messy. This story is full of plot twists and laughs,and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

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Book Review: Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Title: Symptoms of Being Human

Author: Jeff Garvin

Publication Date: February 2016

Pages: 335

Read the full synopsis on Goodreads!

Riley Cavanaugh is the child of a congressman running for reelection, so the pressure has always been on to be a model teen. The problem is, Riley isn’t exactly what the conservative South Orange county would call “model.” Riley is sarcastic, rebellious, and gender fluid, meaning some days, Riley feels like a boy. Others, Riley feels like a girl. No one else knows except Riley’s therapist, who encourages Riley to start a blog to work through the feelings and potentially overcome some of the more harmful ones. Riley finds the blogging therapeutic—that is, until the blog goes viral, and someone from school threatens to out Riley to the world, as well as threatening Riley’s life. Riley must make a choice—abandon the blog that has come to mean so much to a lot of people, including Riley, or stand up and face the world head on.

I could not put this book down. It’s so well-written, and Riley’s voice feels so incredibly authentic. I felt for Riley, and the roller coaster Riley goes on is so captivating. Though the bulk of the story focuses on the struggles Riley is facing, be it bullying at school, the worry that Riley’s words carry too much weight with some of the blog’s followers, or the feelings Riley is developing for Bec, another outcast at school, Riley is so very fully-formed as a person.

The same is true of all the characters in the book, actually. I love Bec, the mysterious and misunderstood (and delightfully funny) loner that Riley comes to have feelings for. Bec encourages, sometimes even indirectly, Riley to propel forward into this unknown territory of openness, but she’s not JUST there for Riley. Bec is her own person, too, and you see that in the writing. I LOVE Solo, Riley’s first friend at the school, who is a huge Samoan football player that is obsessed with Star Wars, and is generally just the greatest dude ever. I want him to give me a piggy back ride.

PLEASE read this book. It’s so engrossing and beautiful and wonderful and I love everyone. Even the bullies at school have their own crap going on, but the narrative doesn’t excuse their behavior, just explains where it might have stemmed from, and I love that. I also like Riley’s parents and therapist. There are also bits sprinkled here and there about how everyone is so obsessed about knowing what parts (“Girl or boy? Yes.”) Riley has, and the book makes a point to never actually tell you, because that’s the point. It doesn’t matter. The outside doesn’t matter at all, it’s how Riley feels on any given day that matters. That's why I haven't used any pronouns in this whole review. I don't know which to use, and the book never says. 

Ugh, everything about this book is SO GREAT.

Read it and let me know if you agree. 

--Kayla

Want to check out Symptoms of Being Human? Find it on the CMRLS catalog and put it on hold!

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Book Review: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Title: The Dead House

Author: Dawn Kurtagich

Published: August 2015

Pages: 440

Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!

                

Twenty-five years ago, there was a fire at Elmbridge High school that shut down the facility forever. Three students died and one, Carly Johnson, went missing. Very few details as to who caused the fire or the disappearances have been found…that is, until now. The charred diary of Carly’s twin sister, Kaitlyn, has been found in the ruins of the school, and has cast a vast shadow of suspicion on the activities of Carly and her friends. Except Carly doesn’t have a twin sister.

This book is complete and utter insanity, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The story itself is told through diary entries, video transcripts, police reports, and notes traded between the two “sisters” Carly and Kaitlyn. Are they really sisters trapped in the same body? What really happened the night their parents died? And are the tragic events at Elmbridge High the result of severely incorrect treatments for mental disturbance, or is there a more sinister source at play? I genuinely have no idea. If there’s one thing you’re not going to get from this book, it’s a definitive answer. On…just about anything. But that’s part of what makes it fun.

I really don’t know how to even begin to describe this book, and I definitely don’t know how to get into it without spoilers. There’s just so much that happens in it! It also manages to capture that deeply unsettling atmosphere that I feel makes horror truly successful, and then near the end, everything goes off the rails—but in a good way. The fact that it jumps between past and present and is told through various mediums is also a really effective tool to up the creep factor. When you’re reading Kaitlyn’s diary and the transcripts of Naida’s video clips, you feel like a voyeur, peeking in on something you have no right to see. And then, of course, everything becomes entirely unhinged and you feel like you can’t catch your breath.

Bottom line: This book, while not perfect, is incredibly compelling. Despite its hefty appearance, it’s an incredibly fast-paced read. If you can bring yourself to put it down once you’ve started, you’re stronger than I am.

Happy reading!
--Kayla
                 

Want to check out The Dead House? Find it on the CMRLScatalog and put it on hold!

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Book Review: Daughters Unto Devils

Title: Daughters Unto Devils

Author: Amy Lukavics

Published: September 2015

Pages: 231

Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!

Amanda Verner’s life changed last winter. From her fit of insanity—presumably a result of cabin fever—and her new, sickly baby sister who cries endlessly, Amanda has sought to forget the long, harsh winter in the arms of the post boy. Soon she finds herself jilted and pregnant, and on her way to a new homestead in the prairie, where her family, ignorant of her condition, has decided to try to stick out the upcoming winter that promises to be worse than the one before. Amanda thinks this may be her chance at a fresh start—that is until they arrive at the cabin, which is covered in blood, and Amanda’s visions from last winter begin to return. Amanda fears she may find out soon enough what lurks in the prairie fields.

I was, pardon my pun, dying to read this book. As soon as it came in the run on the new shipment, I snatched it up and checked it out for myself. I really, really wanted to love it. Which is why it was a bummer to find out that it was…alright, I guess?

Here’s the thing: Amy Lukavics is a very good storyteller. The eerie atmosphere of this book hovers over it like a blanket, and honestly, the almost glacial pace of the first 150 pages only lends itself to that feeling. I was willing to be led along slowly, and I love a good build up. The problem for me was the character development. Basically, there wasn’t any. Despite the ample opportunity we have to get to know these characters, we really kind of don’t.

That said, there was some stuff I really loved about this book. I love a good spooky story, and the last quarter of this book ramps it up to eleven out of nowhere. It’s been touted as Little House on the Prairie meets Stephen King, and that’s a pretty apt description. If you've ever seen the movie The Others, it's a little bit like that--a long, slow wind-up, and then the climactic ending hits you like a slingshot. I’ll warn you, though, the imagery in this book gets downright gruesome, so I wouldn’t advise it if you’ve got a sensitive stomach.

I can’t say much about the ending for fear of spoiling it, but I’ll say this: If you’re looking for a happy ending, you should look elsewhere.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

--Kayla

Want to read Daughters Unto Devils? Find it in the CMRLS catalog and put a hold on it!

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Book Review: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie with Alyssa Sheinmel

Title: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

Author: Paige McKenzie (with Alyssa Sheinmel and Nick Hagen)

Published: March 2015

Pages: 296

Read the full synopsis on Goodreads!

When Sunshine Griffith and her mother, Katherine, move from sunny Texas to dreary Washington state, Sunshine isn’t happy. She tries to stay positive for her mother’s sake, but leaving the only home she’s ever known and moving to a cold, dark, mildew-smelling house isn’t her idea of a good time. But there’s more at work here than just homesickness. There’s something definitely wrong in this house, and it’s up to Sunshine and her new friend Nolan to figure it out. If she doesn’t, her mother’s life—not to mention everyone else’s—may be forfeit.

Anyone who has read any of my reviews before knows I love spooky stuff, so with the intriguing premise, weird cover, and established YouTube series (on which the book is based), I was stoked to read this. I was hooked by the first couple of pages and read the whole book in one sitting. That said, some of it fell a little flat for me.

What I liked was the idea of the book. I’m always a sucker for a good ghost story, and this had the potential to be an awesome one. It is often very atmospheric; I could almost hear the footsteps on the second floor above Sunshine’s head, and I could practically see my own breath in front of my face in the wake of an invisible chill. The book delivers some really great visuals, and though I haven’t seen the YouTube series yet, I can absolutely see it being a visually excellent movie someday.

What I didn’t like as much was…everything else, I guess. Sunshine is very much the cute, clumsy girl with the unique eyes and mysterious past that has become customary in a lot of books like this one, and the other characters, despite having a lot of potential to be really fascinating, just don't work for me. Even the plot eventually got boring, despite Sunshine’s ~*One True Destiny*~ that is slowly revealed throughout the book. I guess that’s where it fell off the rails for me. The book starts as one thing and about halfway through becomes something different, and I feel like if it had been kept simple, it would have been more interesting. It also would have allowed for more of a slow build on the tension. As it is, it becomes a little too fast-paced and info-heavy for the creep factor to be given proper time to simmer.

All in all, I’d give it a C. There are sequels coming out, though, so I may try them when they come out to see if I like them. If you give this one a read, let me know what you think!

--Kayla

Want to check out The Haunting of Sunshine Girl? Find it onthe CMRLS catalog and put it on hold!

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Book Review: The Ghosts of Heaven

Title: The Ghosts of Heaven

Author: Marcus Sedgwick

Publication date: January 2015

Pages: 360

Read the full synopsis on Goodreads!

The Ghosts of Heaven weaves together four tales that span the beginning of man to our future and back, bound and connected by spirals. From prehistory when a girl is making the first written signs, to the death of a young woman the townsfolk call a witch, to a twentieth century asylum wherein a doctor learns the dark secrets of the sea, all the way to a far and distant future, where an astronaut holds the fate of mankind in his hands.

I fell in love with this book from the very first quarter, which is told in free verse from the point of view of a young woman during the dawn of man. She is drawn to the spiral that she sees in so many places, from the shell of a snail to the flight of a falcon, and as she finally begins to understand the symbol she’s become obsessed with, we’re on to another story. Each one evokes a different feeling in me. In the introduction, Marcus Sedgwick says the stories can be read in any order. I read them in the order they’re presented, but I’m going to go back and read them differently to see how it changes. 

This book is haunting and thought provoking. While the idea could have felt a little pretentious (spirals, mysticism, how spooky), the execution was, I thought, really well done. I got really attached to each of the characters, and it was beautiful to see how they all began to see and feel the same things, even separated by so much time. But that’s the point, really, is that time is not as linear as we think, and when we come back around we’re just a little bit deeper into the mystery.

It’s really hard to explain this book. It made me feel so much joy and so much sadness, and I couldn’t put it down as soon as I started. Despite the very individual nature of each of these narratives and how personal they felt (and, in some cases, how tragically they ended), it made even me as a reader feel connected to something so much bigger than myself. I would love to hear what you all think.

Happy reading!

--Kayla

Want to check out The Ghosts of Heaven? Find it on the CMRLS catalog and put it on hold!

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Book Review: The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Title: The Walls Around Us

Author: Nova Ren Suma

Publication date: March 2015

Pages: 336

View the full synopsis on Goodreads!

Amber is on the inside of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center for the murder of her stepfather. On the outside is Violet, a ballerina who is about to get everything she’s ever wanted. Stuck in the middle is Orianna, once Violet’s best friend and now on her way to rooming with Amber at Aurora Hills after she is charged with a gruesome murder. But what really happened that night?

The Walls Around Us is part mystery, part ghost story, and entirely a coming of age novel that examines human nature and what lengths we will go to in order to get what we want.

WARNING: I really, really enjoyed this book, but I can’t really describe this book without spoiling it a teeny bit. If you want to go in blind for the full experience, I suggest not reading any further.

The tale itself unravels in a slow, winding way. The reveal is entirely expected, but it’s still enjoyable to read, simply because of the people involved. Orianna almost feels too good to be true, which makes the crimes she’s accused of that much more heinous. Violet, on the other hand, feels both refreshingly realistic and horrifyingly so. The insight into her psyche is startling and mesmerizing. If you’ve seen Black Swan, the kind of morbid fascination you’ll experience is a lot like that.

Amber is probably my favorite character in the whole book. While Orianna is physically caught in the middle of the inside and outside world, Amber is caught in a more metaphorical sense. She’s the grounding, real-world character that makes a story like this work, and even though she did something terrible, you can’t blame her, and you root for her all the same.

This isn’t even touching the supernatural aspect of the story, which is off-putting for some readers. Personally, I thought it added a great touch, primarily because it’s through this aspect that the reader and characters achieve closure. I can’t say how, but by the end of the story I was almost viciously satisfied with how it turned out.

All said, this story may not be for everyone. But if you like a little mystery, a lot of suspense, and a solid ghost story, all with dynamic female characters? You should give this one a shot.

Happy reading!

--Kayla

Want to check out The Walls Around Us? Look it up on the CMRLS catalog and put it on hold!

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Book Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Title: The Darkest Part of the Forest

Author: Holly Black

Publication date: January 2015

Pages: 324

Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!

Everyone in Fairfold knows how strange it is. Hazel and her brother Ben have lived there almost their entire lives, and they know the rules: Never give thanks to a faerie. Never eat their food or drink their drink. Never venture into the forest without a little grave dirt and oatmeal in your pocket. For Hazel and Ben, the magic in Fairfold is almost normal—even the prince who sleeps in the forest, encased in a glass casket that no manmade weapon can break. What secrets Hazel and Ben can’t share with one another they spill over the casket on the deaf ears of their prince, knowing that he can’t hear them…until now. Now the prince has awakened, and all hell has broken loose in Fairfold.

I devoured this book. The characters were incredibly endearing, the love stories were a little unconventional, and the language transitioned back and forth from engaging but normal storytelling to a beautiful, lyrical kind of fairy tale.

That said, there’s something about it that doesn’t sit entirely right with me. I think it’s the pacing of the story that throws me off. I love that this is a story can stand alone. I like that our loose ends get wrapped up and I felt satisfied with the story I read by the end. But sometimes, it feels a little thrown together. It’s clear that the idea came together from a bunch of different threads, but they’re not woven together as tightly as they could be. The villain practically twirls his mustache through most of his dialogue, and the prince is…a little boring, actually? He’s fine, but I could definitely have done with more development on his end. Most of his story is expository.

What the prince lacks in character development, Hazel more than makes up for. I love Hazel. She’s going through trying times, and she’s a tough cookie, but not unbelievably so. I could feel her increasing anxiety as the story unfolded, though even when she blamed herself for things beyond her control, those fears are handled very well. I also love Ben. Though we spend more time with Hazel and her point of view, Ben is still really fun to read about. I wish he’d also had more development than he was given, though. Also, Jack. I could talk about Jack forever. I love him. He’s sweet and funny and a little scary. You can feel how he tries to keep a grasp on his control at all times. Basically, Jack is the best.

All in all, this is one of those books where I loved the concept more than the actual story, though the story is still enjoyable, particularly the interspersed chapters that read more like fables. Most of Holly Black’s books feel like that for me, like the idea is bigger than the actual story that gets written. Or maybe I’ve just been spoiled by other books (looking at you, Raven Boys). I give it a solid B.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

--Kayla

Want to read The Darkest Part of the Forest? Look it up on the CMRLS catalog and put a hold on it! 

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Book Review: The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

Title: The Accident Season

Author: Moira Fowley-Doyle

Publication date: August 18, 2015

Pages: 288

Read the full synopsis on Goodreads!

Every year during October, Cara and her family are inexplicably prone to accident and injury. They ban anything too hot or too sharp, cover every hard surface and sharp corner with padding, and try to make it through each school day without fuss. Still, cuts and bruises become a way of life, though those are the least of their worries this year. Classmate Elsie has gone missing, and no one seems to remember she even exists. As Cara unravels the Elsie mystery, she also comes closer and closer to discovering the source of her family’s curse.

This book is not what I expected. I figured there would be a witch, definitely a ghost or two, and maybe even a Great Moral Lesson for what exactly is causing so much trouble for this family.

This book is all of that and none of that.

First of all, Fowley-Doyle’s writing is absolutely stunning. This is a slow burn of a story, which can be off-putting for some people, but I found myself incredibly intrigued by the magic woven in each word. By description alone the story sounds like it would be scary, but it’s not. It’s triumph and tragedy wrapped up in an eerie little package, and the fact that it refuses to pigeonhole itself into any particular category really works. I’ve never felt as haunted by a book as I was this one.

The characters are all really solid, too. Everyone is just a tiny bit off and unpredictable. Our protagonist, Cara, is very sweet. She wants the best for her family and sees the good in people and situations, but often ignores the obvious warning signs that something is wrong. Alice, her older sister, will break your heart. There’s clearly something going on with her, but it takes a long time for it all to come to light, because she’s so good at pretending and everyone else is good at letting her pretend and even allowing themselves to believe it. Sam, their ex-stepbrother, is a rock that grounds them all. It’s painful to watch him break. And Cara’s spooky best friend Bea is the glue that holds them together, even when she can’t keep herself from falling apart.

I can’t say too much, because even though there are things you see coming, the way the whole story comes together is beautiful to watch. The story is told from Cara’s point of view, and with that comes her imagination. There is sometimes no indication as to when her reality slides into the unreal, though that’s kind of the point. As a reader, you’re never sure what exactly is real and what’s not, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

HEADS UP: There is some potentially triggering content, though it’s not at all graphic and more heavily implied than anything else. Also, there is a particular relationship that may be a little weird for some, so if you’re unsure, you may want to spoil yourself just a teensy bit ahead of time. Even so, knowing what happens doesn’t make the writing any less beautiful.

You’ll have to determine for yourself whether this is your particular cup of tea. That said, it’s definitely mine.

Let me know what you think!

--Kayla

Want to check out The Accident Season? Find it on the CMRLS catalog and put it on hold!

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