Prom and Prejudice - Elizabeth Eulberg

One of my dirty little secrets is I am super into Pride and Prejudice to the point that I read fanfiction, sequels and adaptations.

This Pride and Prejudice reinterpretation takes place in a modern day Connecticut at the very fancy, very posh Longbourn Academy. Lizzie Bennett, a scholarship student and musical prodigy, cannot stand most of her rich classmates and vice versa. When her best friend Jane drags her to a party she encounters snobbish Will Darcy. She automatically labels him as another rich jerk. But they keep running into each other as Jane and Will's best friend Charles spend time together.

The plotting of the book is very parallel to Austen's Pride and Prejudice, except for the time change. However, what was missing is the depth of emotion. While this adaptation is adorable and fun, it lack the emotion in Austen's story and the characters seemed mainly shadows of Austen's. Especially Will Darcy. Sometimes the events felt designed to follow the Pride and Prejudice plot and did not naturally fit the modern day setting of the story. It felt more like a modern outline of Austen's book.

There is a bright light to this and it's the witty dialogue. The characters are very well spoken and kept the story flowing. The dialogue does not lack, nor does Eulberg ramble on for hours. It's perfect for teenagers looking for a fluffy, fun read. And hopefully it will introduce a whole new generation to Austen's Pride and Prejudice and prompt them to read the original.

Publisher: Point
ISBN: 9780545240772
Pages: 288
Book Source: Borrowed from Library
Author Website | Indiebound |Goodreads

The Goddess Test - Aimée Carter

Publisher: Harlequin

Goodreads Summary:
It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

Review:
The Goddess Test is the first e-book I ever read/finished. It was not easy since I partly was reading this on my itouch. It's also the first ARC I got off Netgalley.

The story behind why I choose to request this ARC is simple. It is because I am a sucker for mythology. As a child, I would check out all the books on myths, fairy tales, fables and folk tales the library had. So I was very drawn to this Hades and Persephone retelling.

One of the best things about this novel is the relationship between Kate and her mom. In YA, majority of stories feature absent/dead parents or conflicts with them so it was refreshing to see a different side of the teen-parent relationship. Kate and her mom have a loving relationship and Kate would do anything to keep her mom from dying... include agreeing to Henry's bargain. Sometimes my skeptical self flares up and questions Kate's selfless nature - no way can she be this good! But she is.

Speaking of the bargain, I thought Carter's the creation of tests is a clever twist to add and make this myth more original. However, I had some issue with how easily Kate accepted this world of magic. As well as living with a complete stranger and entering into a bargain with him. Henry never seems fully nuanced to me - he appears to simply react to the events and never exhibits an independence of his own.

Despite some shortcomings, I enjoyed myself and will look forward to the continuing story.

Book Source: E-ARC from Netgalley

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Draw the Dark - Ilsa J. Bick

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Goodreads Summary:
There are things the people of Winter, Wisconsin, would rather forget. The year the Nazis came to town, for one. That fire, for another. But what they'd really like to forget is Christian Cage.

Seventeen-year-old Christian's parents disappeared when he was a little boy. Ever since, he's drawn obsessively: his mother's face...her eyes...and what he calls "the sideways place," where he says his parents are trapped. Christian figures if he can just see through his mother's eyes, maybe he can get there somehow and save them.

But Christian also draws other things. Ugly things. Evil things. Dark things. Things like other people's fears and nightmares. Their pasts. Their destiny.

There's one more thing the people of Winter would like to forget: murder.

But Winter won't be able to forget the truth, no matter how hard it tries. Not as long as Christian draws the dark...

Review:
What drew me to this book was that it wasn't like many of the fantasy novels lining up the young adult shelves. It wasn't a paranormal romance. It wasn't a mocking of the genre either. Rather, it was a blend of fantasy, mystery and history. And it was history part caught me. I wouldn't say I'm a history buff, but I do like learning about parts of history that rarely make it in the textbooks I had. Like when the White House was burnt down in 1814 by Great Britain. Or the forced sterilization of certain individuals and groups in the 19th and early 20th century. So when I saw "Nazis came to town", I was intrigued.

In this story, debut author Bicks weaves 1940s American into the life of contemporary teen, Christian. As Christian sleepwalks and draws, he is pulled into the town's past. Into a history that many would like to keep buried. I was amazed at the skill Bicks had in combining the historical with the fantastical to build a suspenseful mystery. She didn't veer off into too much history, though I probably wouldn't have minded, nor did she overdo the fantasy. It was just the right mix of both to move the story along.

While I initially picked it up for the historical elements, it was hard not to care about Christian Cage. His parents disappeared as a child and he was raised by the town sheriff. Due to the rumors about the disappearance of his parents and an unfortunate suicide of his first grade teacher (which some of the townspeople blame him for), he grew up pretty much a loner. The only thing he cares about is his art and finding a way into the 'sideways place'. Christian is a gifted artist, but his gifts extend beyond his drawing skills. He draws the things people fear the most. Their deepest, darkest secrets that they lock away. So he isolates himself from people. To keep them from getting hurt. To stop himself from unintentionally hurting other people.

Draw the Dark is a great book. Once I started, I lost myself in Winter, Winconsin as Christian attempts to figure out the messages his blackouts and dreams are telling him. Ilsa J. Bick definitely created a intricate mystery that will engage readers, both male and female. And with some loose threads at the end, I hope that means a sequel will be forthcoming.

Book Source: ARC borrowed from librarian

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Wither - Lauren DeStefano

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Goodreads Summary:
Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Review:
I wanted to read this since I saw the eye-catching cover. It looks more like a photo that belongs in the covers of a fashion magazine then on the cover of a dystopian YA novel.

Wither is compelling and completely hard to put down. I started it on an evening and sat in bed reading until 2AM. The last book I did that for was Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay. I tried telling myself to put it down, but I could not sleep until I finished the book. The book literally swept me away with its prose. The amazing writing connect me with Rhine and I rooted for her as she maneuvered and manipulated to gain freedom. She is an easy character to root for - strong and determined. Her emotions are believable as she moves from initial anger to homesick misery to unexpected empathy towards her captor and husband. While Rhine was flushed out, I felt many of the secondary character were not quite as complex. The other two sister wives seemed somewhat stock character like - the young, naive, romantic and the older, jaded, realist provides contrast to Rhine, but I would have like to see them develop more. Additionally, I felt Gabriel did not develop as much as Linden and therefore, could not buy the romance between Rhine and Gabriel. I felt like she latched on to him, as a mode to retain her self in this walled world.

DeStefano created a creepy world where genetic engineering has doomed the human race. While the first "perfect" generation is healthy and illness free, the generations following would be doomed to dying at the ages of 20 or 25, depending on gender. Rhine lives in this dangerous world, where Gatherers kidnapped women to be brides for wealthy families to ensure the line continues. It is a fascinating premise of a world, but there are still some holes I hope is addressed in future books. For example, where's the police? The Gatherers are human traffickers and its obviously a brides black market so where is the judicial system? I would think that despite the bleak world, basic rights, such as freedom, would be intact. And despite the panic, it's hard to think citizens would just accept the fact that women are nabbed ALL THE TIME.

If this world is so deprive of rights, why would parents want to have children in this environment? Knowing they themselves will pass at 20 and 25 respectively, therefore leaving their child/ren to fend for themselves in a cruel and dangerous world, I find it hard that parents would want to bring children up in a world like this. I understand the wealthy might want to have kids since they live in gated homes and so not exposed to the horrors of the average person, but why would others do when they might not be around thereby turning their kids into orphans. Wither has a promising world, but I hope to see it be cultivated more.

Book Source: ARC from publisher

Author Wesbite | Indiebound | Goodreads

Avalon High - Meg Cabot

Publisher: HarperTeen

Indiebound Summary:
Avalon High, I was starting to think, might not be so bad after all.

Maybe it's not where Ellie wants to be, but if you have to start at a new school, Avalon High is typical enough: There's Lance, the jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy.

But not everyone at Avalon High is who they appear to be . . . not even, as Ellie is about to discover, herself. As a bizarre drama begins to unfold, Ellie has to wonder, what part does she play in all this? Do the coincidences she's piecing together really mean—as in King Arthur's court—that tragedy is fast approaching for her new friends?

Ellie doesn't know if she can do anything to stop the coming trouble. But somehow, she knows she has to try.

Review:
The impetus that actually drove me to read this book is watching the Disney Channel movie of Avalon High. I enjoyed it and so the saying goes "the book is usually better than the movie", I had to get the book. While the overall story line is similar, the movie differs a lot from the book.

Avalon High is a modern take on the Arthurian legend. Ellie, named after Lady Elaine of Astolat a.k.a Lady of Shalott, knows way more on medieval life, especially King Arthur and his court, than any teenager should know. That's because her parents are medieval scholars and when they move their family to Annapolis for their sabbatical, Ellie notices that her new classmates have way more in common with the Arthur legend then coincidence. Then strange things begin happening and Ellie needs to figure out what's going on before everything ends up in tragedy.

The plot seemed obvious; Will is so-Arthur like with the girlfriend named Jennifer and the best friend named Lance and they were seeing each other behind his back and crazy step-brother Marco is obviously the evil Mordred with his antics to hurt Will; that not a lot of the story surprised me. But despite this, I delighted in the story because of the awesome characters and Cabot's style of writing. No matter how cliché or plot-obvious Cabot gets sometimes, I always get drawn into her stories because her characters' voices is always so damn well-done. In Avalon High, Ellie's the voice of the story and she's funny and witty - just a very bright voice:

My dad grew up in the Bronx, where there aren't any snakes. He completely hates nature. He totally ignores our cat, Tig. Which of course means that Tig is crazy about him.
And if my dad sees a spider, he screams like a girl. Then my mom, who grew up on a ranch in Montana and has no patience for spiders or my dad's screaming, will come in and kill it, even though I've told her a million times that spiders are extremely beneficial to the environment.

I had a great time snickering as I followed the course of events through Ellie's perspective. And I love how wacky her parents are.

SPOILER (FOR BOTH MOVIE AND BOOK)
The thing that I liked in the movie over the book was that it changed the gender roles of Arthur and the plotting made it less obvious who was the bad guy and who really was King Arthur. I found that way cooler than the book's Lady in the Lake role it gave Ellie. Lady of the Lake is cool and all but Allie (as she is known in the movie) as King Arthur is even more awesome.
END SPOILER

Book Source: borrowed from library

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

Publisher: Hyperion

Goodreads Summary:
Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.

Review:
I was really surprised when I heard about this book a couple of weeks prior to release day. As a bookseller, I cannot believe this escape my notice. I did hear rumors floating around about a new series that features more Camp Half-Blood, but I thought it was just whimsical whisperings due to people's love of the Percy Jackson series. But I am glad that Riordan revisits Camp Half-Blood and the characters from his previous series - Percy Jackson, Thalia, Annabeth.

The Lost Hero focuses on three new characters - Jason, Piper and Leo and the story switches off from each of their voices. While these three are the focal persons of the story, Annabeth and other loved characters from the Percy Jackson series appear as secondary characters. Since the story is set a few months after the end of The Last Olympian, I would heavily recommend reading the Percy Jackson series before starting this one. I was initially disappointed that it wasn't a focus on the much loved characters in his past series, but as the story went on, I started liking and rooting for these characters.

I'm not going to go into detail about the story much because I don't want this to be one of those reviews that blow some of the adventures. I went into this with no prior readings of reviews and stuff, except for the jacket description and it was a joy imagining their adventures and quests with no expectation about when is this going to happen or when does this character appear. And I want other readers to have the same experience. So I'm just going to say, when I started reading I slipped seamlessly back into the world Riordan created and had a blast being a viewer to their daring pilgrimage.

Book Source: borrowed from work

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Hunger - Jackie Morse Kessler

Publisher: Graphia

Indiebound Summary:
Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

Review:
This slim book about a young girl with an eating disorder is anything but trite. Kessler approaches a been-done topic with an uncommon premise of a girl suffering from anorexic who becomes Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A big, fat stamp of approval for the unique supernatural spin! The last time I remember anything being done about the Four Horsemen in pop culture was in one of the Charmed episodes. I have yet to see a YA book approach this until now. And this doesn't feature supernatural romance. Rather, Kessler uses the Horsemen as allegories of issues that people face. And for those who like series, Hunger is simply the start of four books.

Obviously, Famine is an analogy to Lisbeth as she struggles with anorexia. When she takes on the scales that represent Famine, she travels the world seeing people that indulge themselves to the point of gluttony as well as the reverse, the impoverished many that have barely anything to eat.

Kessler is an impressive storyteller, as she describes in detail the physical agony of not eating, the mental battle for control and the emotional distress of never being thin/pretty enough. Hunger is obviously about the destructive impact of eating disorders, but what makes this appealing is that Kessler never veers into a preachy tone. She simply tells a story about food issues and lets readers come up with their own conclusions.

And I have to say, as an international relations major, I love the incorporation of global food issues into Lisbeth's personal struggle.

Book Source: ARC borrowed from library group

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Losing Faith - Denise Jaden

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Indiebound Summary:
A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.

Review:
I read this book for The Contemps challenge they are hosting. Overall, Losing Faith is a story about death, the people left behind and how they grieve. The thread that connects most of the character is their loss of a love one and how each person has a unique way of dealing with the pain. Jaden adds a twist to the story with Brie's investigation on the mysterious death of her sister, Faith.

What shines in this story is how Jaden approaches the themes of death, grief and faith. Through the different families, Jaden reveals how the death of a love one can tear apart a family. In Tessa family, her mother left because her father could not move on. Brie's father buries himself in work, while her mom loses faith in religion and closes herself off. Both become overprotective of Brie, yet ignoring Brie's longing for comfort. Alis' father spend long periods of time on the road and his sister finds salvation in religion. Also using the different character, Jaden displays different ideas of faith. How faith can be a balm of the living and how faith can sometimes go too far.

What needs polishing is the mystery element of the story and some of the relationships between characters. Why would Alis tell Brie (who he just met) all about his crazy sister, especially if it might implicate her in Faith's death? Especially since she's all he has since his father never there. It was a little too unrealistic for me. And the mystery plot needed some work. The climax where everything was revealed seemed rushed and forced. I didn't think there was enough of a established foundation to have to cult thing thrown in so late and I don't know if I missed it, but how did someone with Faith's strong testament in her religion get involved in something like that? I just think that the mystery needed some tighter plotting.

Losing Faith was a good distracting read and has its good parts, but there was nothing extraordinary about it. It could have been great with stronger characters, a tighter mystery and a more tied up plot. To sum up, I liked it, but with reservations.

Book Source: borrowed from work

Author Website | Indiebound | Losing Faith

Scorch Trials - James Dashner

SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK AHEAD.

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Indiebound Summary:
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Review:
The Scorch Trials pick up moments after the end of The Maze Runner, where it is revealed that the Maze was an experiment by the group WICKED. In the real world, solar flares have destroyed most of the world and a disease called The Flare turns people into zombie-like creatures. When Teresa goes missing and the group of Gladers are told they have contracted the disease, they must journey across a hot blistering desert to receive the cure.

Once the story starts, it's pretty much non-stop, continuous action. I hoped for some answers about WICKED and the project Thomas was part of, but The Scorch Trials just created most questions that hopefully will be resolved in the final book.

I wasn't feeling this book as much as the first one. I felt like there was too much action, that the book never pauses to let the reader take a breathe. This also lead to more questions being asked, than anything being answered. It is a great move to ensure readers pick up the last book, because nothing gets fully answered in this story. But I felt very disconnected to the characters and the plot because the big WHY puzzle never gets remotely addressed. Because the motivation for the Maze project and now forcing the boys on a dangerous trek because they supposedly have caught the virus wasn't fully there, the plot felt very forced and contrived.

It felt like The Maze Runner all over again with no answers, except set in the real world. While the plot moves, the characters' understanding of the situation never grows.

I will probably pick up the last book to this trilogy, if only to get the answers for this whole mystery. Dashner pulls a risky move and I feel like the end could end up being a completely great series or a really sucky one.

Book Source: ARC borrowed from library group

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Elixir - Hilary Duff

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Indiebound Summary:
Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

Review:
'Hilary Duff wrote a book?!' That was the reaction most people had when they realized what I was reading. To be honest, my reaction was the same when I first found out she was writing a YA novel. But when I read the summary, I was pleasantly surprised. It actually sounded promising. After finishing it though, I had problems with the execution of the plot and the characters.

One, Clea's background. Okay, so she's the daughter of a famous surgeon and a politician that has felt the spotlight her whole life. I might buy that she grew up kind of famous, but not to the extent portrayed in the novel. The America I know is more obsessed about the children of actors, models and the like. Unless you're the president or vice-president, most of America probably won't know who their politicians' kids are. I like to think of myself as sort-of politically savvy and I don't know who my senator's kids are, much less the kids from a senator from another state.

Two, Clea's characterization. Clea is rich, smart, famous, etc. Which probably won't be relatable to many readers. However, her sense of loss from her father's death, her drive for independence from her celebrity parent, and her strong friendship with Rayna does bridge the gap between her character and the reader's. That's a plus. However, Clea never felt completely fleshed out to me. She never becomes a three-dimensional person in my mind. I feel like with Clea and all the other characters is that Duff was just skimming the surface. There was so much to explore with these characters. But Rayna is the stock best friend. Ben is the boy who secretly crushes on her. And Sage is the mysterious boy who Clea is drawn to.

Three, Sage and Clea's relationship. I didn't buy it. It was one of those typical YA cliché where they have an instant connection and fall in love in a span of a couple days. Yea, that didn't sit well with me. I like my romances to build up. And it's not really about the days, but the fact that you barely know anything about him.

SPOILER POINT:
Clea, I can't believe you slept with him after knowing him for less then a week! And in a car?! I pretty much loss a lot of respect for you when you made that decision.
END SPOILER

Four and last point, the plot. The premise was oh so promising. But there were so many plot holes. A lot of the plot seemed forced and engineered to get to where the author wanted it to be. Nothing felt natural. The home schooling is mention a continuous amount, but that was seemed like a way to explain all the jet setting all the time. And the two groups after the Elixir. They never really get explained. They become convenient villains. And a web forum?! For groups that sound like secret cults, a web forum?! Way to broadcast your not-so-secret group to the rest of the world. And the climax, a complete dud.

I really wanted to like this book. But there were so many problems. It's an easy read, if you can get pass the undeveloped plot and 2-D characters. I couldn't.

Book Source: ARC copy from publisher

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney

Publisher: Little, Brown

Indiebound Summary:
Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

Review:
The Mockingbirds opens with Alex waking up in an unknown person's bed with no memory of the night before. She had sex, but she never remembers consenting. As fragments of the night comes back, Alex realizes that she been raped. What follows is an exceptional debut book about a young girl's stand for justice. Complex and authentic, Whitney weaves a story that's part courtroom drama and part emotional journey as Alex struggles to find her self and her voice in the aftermath of her rape.

I really love this book. It was one of my favorite debut novels of 2010. The characters and plot were so skillfully crafted that this is an impressive story that I would advocate every teen and their parent read this book. Alex's characterization felt very spot-on and realistic as she struggles with her feelings of doubt, guilt, shame, etc. as she attempts to feel 'normal' again. Her vulnerability and strength as she confronts her demons and her rapist definitely got me rooting for her. I also enjoyed the strong secondary female characters Whitney writes. Maia, Amy, T.S., etc. were all incredible characters as they help support Alex through her healing process. My internal feminist was definitely jumping up and down as these characters appeared on the page. Additionally, Whitney does not fall into the trap of characterizing all the boys as one-dimensional stereotypes. There were the jerks (Carter), but she also has Jones and Martin, boys who have a strong moral code and different ideas on how to approach justice.

One major aspect that I notice in many reviews is the commentary that Carter did not get a fitting enough punishment for his crime. That date rape is something that need to be address by the public legal system and that he should be given time in prison, etc.. I don't disagree with that statement. Rape is a serious issue and I completely agree that Carter should be given a harsher sentence, but given the confines of the premise, the punishment the Mockingbirds give for the guilt sentence is as far as their power can go. Because the Mockingbirds is a student-run society, anything harsher is out of their reach. The other comments I notice is about the version of justice that the Mockingbirds use on Carter. I can understand their point, but my counterpoint is that since the Mockingbirds is not a formal court of justice, they have to use other avenues to ensure that the accuse show up for the case and accept their punishment if found guilty. If they did not use ways to compel the accused to show up, how will they try the case or punish someone, the Mockingbirds will be an ineffective group. And it is very checks and balance as attest by Alex when she signed the contract. If Alex was found lying, she'll have to accept punishment.

"Sexual assault is against the standards to which Themis students hold themselves. Sexual assault is sexual contact (not just intercourse) where one of the parties has not given or cannot give active verbal consent, i.e., uttered a clear "yes" to the action. If a person does not say "no" that does not mean he or she said "yes." Silence does not equal consent. Silence could mean fear, confusion, inebriation. The only thing that means yes is yes. A lack of yes is a no."

This quote above is one of the most candid messages I read about rape in a YA book and one of the best messages in this book. Especially today, where society still stigmatize women for not being a virgin or acting morally (getting drunk or high, dressing provactively, etc.). And if they do act unmoral, they are therefore "asking for it." The Mockingbirds empowers women with its strong message that rape isn't simply the act of sexual intercourse and that being drunk or expressing sexuality through clothes or words is not an agreement to sex. That silence does not equal consent. And a lack of yes is a no. This message alone makes The Mockingbirds a must-read for anybody and everybody, but combined with the awesome characters and plot, its not only empowering, but page-turning as well.

Book Source: Brought my own copy

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

The Maze Runner - James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Indiebound Summary:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Review:
I actually got this book a long time ago and I finally got around to reading it when I got the sequel from the librarian that runs my book group. Honestly, this book wasn't too high on my to-read list partly because the main character is male and this seemed very much a book marketed for boys. I can't really explain it, but I am just not a big fan of most boy books. I'm a pretty girly person and my reading tastes reflect that. But since I got The Scorch Trials, I figure it was time that I read The Maze Runner.

It starts with a boy in a dark box with no memory. When the box opens, Thomas finds himself surround by a ragtag group of boys. Where was he? Who were they? Why is he here? What happen to his memories? As Thomas finds out more about the Maze, the reader learns along with him since the whole story is from Thomas's perspective and voice. There were moments where I was intensely frustrated with Thomas and his lack of knowledge because I wanted to know why were they in the maze, who put them there, why is there only boys, etc. I almost gave up because the pacing in the beginning moved too slow for me. I wanted more about the world to be revealed, but it's a good thing Dashner did not reveal a lot since the mystery kept me reading.

After the beginning, the story picks up and is filled with well-placed cliffhangers and hooks. While some questions are answered, new questions were being formed. Dashner keeps the mystery going using those hooks, but also moves the story steadily along. Another one of his strength is his writing style - it is incredibly descriptive and Dashner spends a lot of time building this world of the Maze with the changing walls and creepy Grievers. I definitely don't want to bump into one of those in a dark alley anytime. I really enjoy the vivid world he created.

On the other hand, his characters did not have as strong of an impact compared to the setting. The only female character, Teresa, wasn't that fleshed out and felt very flat. She was always needing to be rescued by Thomas, which did not jive with my feminist sensibilities. Thomas didn't stand out either - a very typical boy hero figure to me. A big problem with Thomas is that he seemed too perfect - he comes in with no memory and saves the day. There was no emphasize on Thomas's flaws which would have made him more realistic, more human for me.

Despite some flaws, I did enjoy The Maze Runner. Once I got through the beginning, the plot really moved, the action was fun and the questions grew. The main compelling element throughout the book was the mystery of the maze.

Given that YA lacks boy books, I'm glad this book is out there for me to recommend to the boys. The mystery and the action will definitely draw boy readers. And since it ended with more questions than answers, I'm off to read the sequel to satiate my curiosity.

Book Source: own copy

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Things I Know About Love - Kate Le Vann

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Indiebound Summary:
Things I know about love.

1. People don't always tell you the truth about how they feel.
2. Nothing that happens between two people is guaranteed to be private.
3. I don't know if you ever get over having your heart broken.

Livia Stowe's past experiences with love have been nothing but disappointing, but all that is about to change. After years of illness, she's boarding a plane for the first time to spend the summer in Princeton, New Jersey, with her brother who's studying abroad. This Brit is determined to make the most of her American summer and to record every moment of it in her private blog.

America is everything that Livia's ever dreamed of. And then she meets Adam.

Swept up in the promise of romance and the magical New York City that Adam shows her, Livia is smitten, but with all she knows about love, is Livia really ready to risk her heart again?

Review:
At first sight, I expected this 150 page novel to be a fun, fluffy story about love. When I delved in, I got much more than that. Things I Know About Love is a fast-paced story that explores Livia Stowe experiences with love as she journeys from the UK to visit her brother in the USA.

Livia is an easy character to root for. Since the story is set up in blog posts, the readers gets to hear Livia's voice as she recounts the one relationship that she had, her desire to find true love, and her experiences and emotions as she starts falling. It's definitely something every teenage girl can relate to.

What I love most is how the author avoids the cliche rampant in YA of absent/indifferent parents. In this story, Livia has a strong relationship with both her mom and brother. It's heartwarming to see how that kind of open relationship is showcase in the story.

I had some reservations with the ending, partly because it didn't seem that realistic, but overall, a touching book on love - all different kinds of it.

Book Source: borrowed from library

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

The DUFF - Kody Keplinger

Publisher: Poppy

Indiebound Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Review:
I'm not quite sure what to make of The DUFF. On one hand, it is an amazingly authentic YA book. On the other hand, I spent most of the story annoyed at Bianca and frustrated by the plot.

Bianca comes off as jaded, sarcastic, cynical. She judgmental of the world and self-absorbed. I couldn't stand the negativity. Right at the start of the book, Bianca is at a teen club watching from the sidelines and she jumps right in to judging people who were enjoying themselves dancing. Even her actions toward Wesley seem sort of extreme. When she kisses him in the beginning, she stopped herself and proceed to yell at and hit him. Violent much? Even her treatment of her friends, who were amazingly loyal and awesome, grated on my nerves. And her decision to sleep with Welsey… argh, I wanted to shake her. How was this empowering to women - sleeping with the guy that called you the ugly friend. It's a horrible lesson on self-esteem.

But, I was ranting to my friend about this character and she pointed out that the character is acting like a teenager. And she was right - Bianca portrays a typical teenager that many people can relate to. As a teenager, when haven't we made stupid decisions or fallen for the bad boy. Okay, so maybe I can't relate to the bad boy thing, but I made plenty of dumb decisions as a teen. Nothing as serious as sleeping with a boy, but still dumb choices. And I think that what's appealing about this book is that Bianca is not a flawless heroine and that she is easily relatable. When haven't we compared ourselves to our friends and felt inadequate. I know that sometimes I still feel like the DUFF when I'm with my friends. But as this novel points out, everyone feels like the DUFF sometimes.

I had some problems with the plotting. There were some issues, like Bianca's father battle with alcohol, that I felt she took shortcuts with. But overall, I didn't regret reading this book. I enjoyed the character development and Bianca improved in the end.

Book Source: ARC Copy borrow from library book group

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads

Not That Kind of Girl - Siobhan Vivian

Publisher: Push

Indiebound Summary:
Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things.

But life is messy, and it's very hard to be in control of it. Not when there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they're no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up being the boy you wants to sleep with yourself - but only in secret, with nobody ever finding out.

Slut or saint? Winner or loser? Natalie is getting tired of these forced choices - and is now going to find a way to live life in the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful in-between.

Review:
Siobhan Vivian is an author that I placed on my radar ever since I read A Little Friendly Advice . Like Sarah Dessen, Dana Reinhardt, and Deb Caletti, Vivian writes about contemporary teens and the realistic issues they face. To be honest, I enjoyed A Little Friendly Advice and Same Difference, but they weren't exceptional to me. They provided a good couple hours of escape, but I don't remember much about them now. So when I got Not That Kind of Girl, I just expected the same thing. A good book, but nothing that will make a strong impression. And I couldn't be more wrong. Not That Kind of Girl is smart, sassy and full of girl power. And I love it.

Natalie Sterling represents every parents dream child. She's always on the honor roll, participates in student council as president and has clear future goals. She's strong, sensible and in control. Most of all, she prides herself on making the right choices. And that means not getting involved with boys because trusting them is as dangerous as drunk driving. But her beliefs were challenged as Spencer, a girl she use to babysit, enters high school as a freshman. Natalie's belief of feminism is to be as good as the boys and not demean oneself by hitting on boys and sleeping around. When Spencer comes into the picture with her overt sexuality and "sexual power" war cry, Natalie is determined to correct it and to make Spencer see it her way, until things happen and Natalie is suddenly questioning her beliefs and the choices she made.

Not That Kind of Girl is a great representation of the gender relations still going on today. Girls are still stuck between the "good"/"bad" girl dichotomies, while boys get to be more varied. Being a good girl means abstinence and dressing chaste. Whereas a girl that explores or displays her sexuality is seen as "that kind of girl", the bad one - a slut and/or a whore. Vivian explores this issue with complexity, but she never pushes her point. I definitely give her props for taking on a challenging concept and making it work. The well-defined characters, the authentic relationships they had and the realistic dialogue all combine make this a great book.

Note on the cover though: I think it's a cute cover and there is a romance element to the story, but the bubblegum, cutesy cover screams chick-lit and this book is definitely more than that. So don't judge this book by its cover (unless you think the cover is great, then go ahead and judge away). A must-read for any teen feminists!

Favorite Line: "I just needed to be okay with all the kinds of girl I was."
p. 317

Book Source: borrowed from library

Author Website | Indiebound | Goodreads