Cloaked

This book was quite obviously written by a female, I'll just say it straight out.  I mean, seriously?  The main character is named Johnny and is obsessed with shoes.  I'm not judging: only really good female authors can write realistically from a boy's (first-person) point of view.  That being said, the book wasn't bad.  The ending was predictable from the very beginning, but it wasn't so bad that the story was boring.  There were quite a few really good plot twists all throughout, and the fact that she melded seven different (rather obscure, at that) fairy tales to make this book really elevated this novel to the next level.

Meet Johnny, a cobbler in present-day Miami.  He runs his family's shoe-repair business and faces poverty every day - not in the people's shoes he fixes, but in his own home.  He works to take care of his mom, dreams of adventure, hangs out with his best friend, Meg, and in between all of this, draws (what else) shoes.  But when a magic-loving princess from Aloria comes to stay at the hotel his business is located in, his life changes forever.

A good read, though predictable at times, definitely check it out for its coverage of obscure fairy stories.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

3/5

Reincarnation

This is probably one of the most surprising books I have ever read.  Expecting a nice, shallow chick-lit book to while away the time, I was instantly immersed in an atmosphere of mystery: with time periods flowing seamlessly into one another and references to past lives blending beautifully into "the present", this is no simple teen romance. 

Our two main characters have many names.  They belong to tribes and dynasties and strip clubs.  They fought in the civil war together.  They live in New York City as teenagers.  But throughout all of their lives they have felt a calling to be with one another.  Events from their various incarnations haunt them, though they don't know exactly what they are (for instance, in ancient Egypt, the girl drops a heavy pot on her foot.  In her next lives, she walks with a limp or has to favor that foot).  It's really beautifully done; an imaginative and well-written way of showing that love conquers all.

I definitely reccomend this book to not only the young-adult crowd, but more advanced and experienced readers, too.  It covers deep themes and is extremely intricate, but you can always tell who the characters are and what their story is, making it perfect for readers of all ages.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4.5/5

Suzanne Weyn actually has several more publications out - I'll have to get ahold of them soon!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I originally chose this book to read because of its original title and interesting cover art.  I was hooked immediately, drawn in by the old feel of the book, perpetuated by the sometimes-chilling and always wacky vintage photographs scattered throughout the book.  That being said, the story lacked any sort of pacing - all of the action happens in the last 30 pages and feels almost hysterically rushed (I was actually anxious for the book to be over).  The first three-quarters of the book are really quite good, very suspenseful but not without humor.  It's a little slow, but it keeps moving forward nicely up until, as I said, page 200 or so when this whirlwind of events seems to blow through, ending with a really poor cliff-hanger.  All this could be forgiven (this is, after all, Mr. Ransom Riggs' first young adult book) if the story actually made sense, but while Riggs did a fantastic job of explaining everything in the first half of the book, the rest seemed to go by too fast with not nearly enough reasoning behind the action.  I believe these problems could've been solved, not be speeding up the beginning, but simply making the book a little longer.

Props to Mr. Riggs, however, for including some great historical deets about Wales and WWII; it made the book seem very realistic.  Even though many of the ideas are completely improbable, his beautiful descriptions and sympathetic characters made it much more real than your average "ghost" story.  This is definitely an author to watch out for.

Will I be reading the sequel?  Probably.  Let's hope Riggs fixes these problems in the near future; he seems to be competent enough to make writing a career, something few authors manage to accomplish.

For a synopsis of the book and more editorial reviews, click here.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

3/5

Th1rteen R3asons Why

13 Reasons Why is a sensitive and touching story concerning the controversial topic of teen suicide.  Two weeks after Hannah Baker commits suicide, Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package on his doorstep containing seven double-sided tapes, each with a number painted in nail polish in the corner.  As he listens to the tapes, first through his dad's old boombox, then with a stolen Walkman, he hears his first love's (Hannah's!) voice explaining the 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself.  Clay is one of these reasons.

This book explores an interesting premise as it alternates, not chapter-by-chapter, but sentence-by-sentence, the narrative between Hannah's words and Clay's reaction to what he's hearing.  Although some may find this confusing, I thought it was the perfect way to realistically convey his grief over the new information he's discovering.

Hannah comes off bitter at first, sometimes snarky and even plain mean, but as her story progresses and you begin to delve deeper into the depressing world she was living in, you can't help but feel sorry for her, her circumstances and even those around her who drove her to kill herself.

I would reccomend this book to just about everyone (younger audiences be warned, there is a Peeping Tom and a scene that deals with rape).  It paints a picture of suicidal teens in a realistic and poignant way, not callously with stereotypes, but without holding much back.  Teenagers should read this, their parents should read this, teachers and students should read this.  A truly amazing book.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4.5/5

City of Fallen Angels

I cried when I finished the third book of this "trilogy".  After all, why not?  Cassandra Clare had created lovable characters who were easy to relate to, and really fascinating storylines and plot twists.  So whilst browsing Amazon a few weeks ago looking for new books for my Kindle, I came across this book and bought it without a second thought.  It was a good buy.  Although I didn't really feel the need for another sequel after the third book was so nicely wrapped up, Clare didn't disappoint, and actually pointed out some loose strings that she had left untied at the end of her last novel.  New characters are introduced and really add to the story; overall, I'd say this is one of the best books in the series.

The story is largely told by Simon, giving you a better shot at knowing and understanding his previously-undeveloped character.  He has more guts and says some really funny lines and is one of my new favorite people in the saga as he struggles with teenage relationships, family problems, and of course, being the most powerful vampire in existence.

Before I bought this book, I read some of the reviews from Amazon.com.  Many people stated that Clary is whiny and her relationship with Jace is overly strained - they should just be together, period.  I actually liked the new problems that came between them and found Clary to have matured since the last novel.  Although there were a few dry pages of "He loves me/he loves me not" on Clary's part, the majority of their relationship is accurate to real teen drama, and Clare delves into the action pretty quickly.

I finished this book in a day and a half and absolutely can't wait for the next one to come out.  My only problem:  Magnus and Alec didn't play a very big role and only made an appearance in the last quarter of the book.  You can infer from the mild cliffhanger, however, that they will be back and important in the next part of this story.

All-in-all, Clare did a seamless job blending mythology and religion in this new book that will leave both avid readers and less-enthusiastic teens wanting more.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4.5/5

February posts

Alright.  So I recently finished combining my previous blog and this one, and I came to the realization that ... my old reviews were pretty bad.  So pay no heed to them; I will be re-reading those books and developing more constructive reviews within the next few weeks.  I will start with Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and work my way down, if you're interested in reading along with me :)  Sorry about the confusion:)


Also - we have a new contributor, David Brwstyr, who will be reviewing most of the adult books.  Within the next few weeks you should have a review or two from him as well!


Just keeping you updated on the changes, no worries, this blog is getting off to a good start!  :)  happy reading.

Book list

Here is a list of books that I'll be reading in the near future. The majority of these are young adult fiction; my next list will include more books for older readers, as well as a few more autobiographies and non-fiction pieces.

- City of Fallen Angels (Book 4 in the Mortal Instruments series), by Cassandra Clare (4.5 stars/5)
- Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
- Linger (Book 2 in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series), by Maggie Stiefvater
- *Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
- The Unnameables, by Ellen Booraem
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley
- Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
- *If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
- Soul Enchilada, by David Macinnis Gill
- The Dust of 100 Dogs, by A.S. King
- *Hold Still, by Nina LaCour
- Purple Heart, by Patricia McCormick
- Love You, Hate You, Miss You, by Elizabeth Scott
- *How to Say Goodbye in Robot, by Natalie Standiford
- The Uninvited, by Tim Wynne-Jones
- **Stitches: A Memoir, by David Small
- * ** Blankets, by Craig Thompson
- * ** Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self, by Lori Gottlieb

A single asterisk (*) by a title means that I have read the book already and will be re-reading it for the purpose of reviewing it.

A double asterisk (**) indicates non-fiction books. There will definitely be more of these in my next list.

Obviously, three asterisks (* **) means both of the above.

Greetings, avid readers ...

We've all reached that moment when we've finished the last book on our book shelves for the twelfth time, exhausted the library for eye-catching reads, and scanned nearly every literary-review website, trying to find a new group of page-turners. It can be difficult to find a book that interests you, even when you're standing in the middle of a book store with cash to spend. But this blog is here to open your eyes to the little books, the inobtrusive octavos, the thin volumes that sit, unnoticed, in the back of the bottom shelves in your local libraries. Join me as I read my way through every type of book: young adult fiction, teen romance, adult thrillers, morose autobiographies, and the occasional cookbook. And with every book I read, I guarantee you there will be a posted review to go along with it.

Please comment on any of my posts with recommended books, thoughts or your own additional feelings about the book in question.

Happy reading, y'all :)