Review: This Song Will Save Your Life

This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales
Pages: 288
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Read: September 11-12, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher

Description from Goodreads:
Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

First Sentence: "You think it's so easy to change yourself."

Review:

Just the other day on Twitter, I mentioned the fact that I couldn't really think of any YA heroines whose high school experience in any way recalled my own, and along comes This Song Will Save Your Life. For this reason, This Song was a really personal read for me, one that I found immensely moving, comforting, and beautiful. As a teenager, I wish Leila Sales' book had already been out, because it would have immensely helped and comforted my teenage self.

In the opening chapter of This Song Will Save Your Life, the reader meets Elise Dembowski, an incredibly unhappy but brilliant girl. Elise does not struggle academically and has a loving family; her divorced parents have worked out a great system, and do the best they can for her. However, Elise has never fit in with the other kids at school, and she's sick of being friendless and lonely. Being a girl who generally can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, she spends the whole summer learning how to be cool and just like the other kids. However, the first day of sophomore year does not go as planned and Elise decides to skip the second half of the day and commit suicide, all hope lost. And, I promise, this really is all in the first chapter.

Now, this may seem melodramatic to you, but all of this resonated with me so incredibly strongly. I see so much of myself in Elise Dembowski: her bitterness and desperation, her thoughts that maybe it won't be better and that it would be best to end it all. In my case, I never seriously contemplated suicide, but I did think about it, imagining everyone fraught with guilt and sadness that they never appreciated me in life. Like Elise, I really didn't have friends and could not understand why everyone was either antagonistic to me or completely ignored me. In her, I see what I also later learned about myself: the fact that part of the reason people avoided me was my own attitude, one I hardly realized I had. Though I was not actively bullied like Elise (at least in high school), everything she felt and experienced was so close to my own life in that period.

From there, Elise's experience no longer mirrors my own, but continues to be emotionally resonant and touching. This Song Will Save Your Life really is a story of a girl finding herself and discovering her passions. She's learning to accept who she is and how much happier life is when you stop judging yourself by the rules of society, and do and be what makes you happy. Accepting society's definition of yourself is so easy to do; learning to reject this is a crucial life lesson. I myself learned that in college and I have been so much more satisfied with life since, because I could finally quit chasing after things I don't actually want just because society says I should want them.

Unlike so much YA fiction, This Song Will Save Your Life focuses much more on family and friendship than on romance. I love Elise's family so much. Sales depicts a healthy example of both divorce and remarriage. Both her single father and her mother, remarried with two more children, love her and take good care of her. Elise's family situation is healthy, and, even when Elise misbehaves, they support her and really do encourage her in her pursuits. Even Elise's little siblings are adorable, and her relations with her younger sister Alex broke my heart.

With regards to friendship, Sales presents a realistic portrayal of high school dynamics. There's the stereotypical mean girl and brutish jocks, as well as the outcasts. However, Sales goes beyond the stereotypes and shows the ways that people can surprise you if you let them. Again, Elise's journey highlights the way that she pushes people away without realizing she's doing so, all the time desperately wishing for someone to like her.

Finally, the romance, which me being the person I am, I can't not talk about. Elise differs so greatly from the average YA heroine. There's not an instaloving bone in her body. She clearly distinguishes between lust and love. When a guy does something questionable, she will call him on it, being the forthright person she is. For once, I understand the motivations and logic of a YA heroine in her reactions with guys. All I'll say is that the romance was handled perfectly, precisely the way I hoped, and entirely in an atypical way for young adult novels.

This Song Will Save Your Life is a book that I could see saving lives. I sincerely hope that young people who are friendless and desperate, who do not understand why no one likes them, find this book and know that they're not alone. It will get better, maybe not as soon as it did for Elise, but, out there in the world, there are kindred spirits and, if you hold on, you'll find them.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote: "Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don't know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn't you. That isn't you at all."

Don't Take My Word for It:
Birth of a New Witch's word: "took far too long for a book just 288 pages long" - 2.5 stars
The Social Potato's word: "painful (in a good way)" - 4 stars
Lili's Reflections' word: "It took me to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows." - 5 stars

Sadie Hawkins Sunday Review # 31: Kinslayer

Kinslayer
The Lotus War, Book 2

Author: Jay Kristoff
Pages: 464
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Read: August 19-23, 2013
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review
Recommended by: Lynn

Description from Goodreads:
A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

Previous Books in Series:
1: Stormdancer

First Sentence: "Now witness the end of the beginning."

Review:
Last year, I was really blown away by Jay Kristoff's debut, Stormdancer. Though this often isn't the case, I'm actually more impressed with the sequel. This does seem to have been a trend lately, and I do hope it continues, especially if the book world is going to continue to be overrun with series. But I digress. Kinslayer is darker, creepier, and more intense than its predecessor. If you're one of those people who thinks characters meeting gruesome ends is a necessity in epic works, get excited, because Jay Kristoff has a real flair for murdering his characters in nasty ways.

The one weakness Stormdancer had, if it can be counted as one, for me was that it had that typical fantasy slowness at the beginning. Building a world takes time, and characterization took a back seat while that happened. In Kinslayer, the world's already built, so the action kicks off right from the start. Of course, Kristoff does lull you into a nice little unsuspecting place by not doing anything particularly cruel in the first half, and then he pounces on your hear and tears it to shreds. But we'll come back to that.

In the opening, we spend some time with Yukiko and Buruu, who remains magnificent. Yukiko on the other hand, well, girl's not doing so hot. The Kenning has really amped up, and is inducing serious headaches and bleeds out of facial orifices. To silence the voices, she's got a drinking problem. Also, Yukiko's fiercely angry and desirous of vengeance, because, well, she was scorned and apparently that guy still has ways to mess with her. Basically, Yukiko's not heroic. She's not a role model. She's not particularly likable. While this will no doubt be tough for a lot of readers to fathom, I thought it was a nice change of pace from more saintly heroines. Kristoff's world is one where even the good guys have a lot of the dark side in them.

Introducing new characters can be tricky, and often backfires. In such large casts, it's hard enough to keep everyone straight, though, thankfully, there's a handy dandy guide at the opening of the novel that lists the pertinent cast members, which totally saved me. Actually, in this case, I love the new additions to the cast. Hana is probably my second favorite human character. She's on the lowest rung of society, fit, literally, only to carry shit, which she does in the palace. One-eyed and spat upon, she still dreams and dares, having joined the rebellion. I also love her brother Yoshi and his boyfriend Jurou. The healthiest relationship (which may not be that healthy, but let's remember how Jay Kristoff hates happiness) is a gay one, which gives me joy. Momentarily. Until Kristoff stomps on that joy.

Kristoff is also doing some interesting things evolving the characters we knew from the first book. The character arcs are really impressive. Kin shows signs of doing something intense in book three, which could be for good or for ill and the fact that I have to wait forever to find out is frustrating. Aisha has a part to play, and it is intense. My new favorite (human) character, though, is Michi, who we didn't really get to see in action, and, oh man, is it a thing of beauty. She's way more lethal than Yukiko, who, let's face it, mostly has animals do the work for her. Again, I like that, though Yukiko's the figurehead, she's really not any sort of savior; other people are doing the bulk of the work. Of course, one of my favorite animal characters bit the dust. THANKS FOR THAT SCARRING PAIN, JAY.

The plot of Kinslayer moves a bit slowly, but if you wait for it there's some crazy stuff going down. Some things caught me entirely off guard, and now I just have to wait and find out what happens. There's a bit of a second book element in that most of the happenings here are clearly moving the players into place for the epic, bloody showdown to come. Still, I don't feel like Kristoff was just biding his time and I was never bored, so I really don't mind that. Some of Yukiko's journey does seem a bit out of place, but I suspect that something that happened there will become absolutely crucial, so, again, really not an issue for me.

Kinslayer is intense and heart-punching. Are you ready? Probably not. Will you venture into the storm anyway? I think you should.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

"Look, I know that might make me a bitch, but at least I'm not a stupid bitch."

---

Up Next:

The next Sadie Hawkins Sunday book will be The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. This actually wasn't going to be next book, but it's jumping to the top of the list, so I could gift the ARC to another blogger, but then I learned Michelle doesn't sign on Saturdays because of the sabbath. So I bought her a copy but I'd already started it. Whatever, it's all made up and the order doesn't matter.

Want to tell me what to read? Fill out the following form with a suggestion! For more details, check this post.

Review + Giveaway: Rogue

Rogue
Croak, Book 3

Author: Gina Damico
Pages: 384
Publisher: Graphia
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Read: August 3, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher

Description from Goodreads:
Lex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.　

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed…but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

Prior Books in Series:
1: Croak
2: Scorch

First Sentence: "Grotton wondered, for a brief moment, if there were a special circle of hell reserved for someone like him, or if Dante would have to cobble together an entirely new one."

Review:

This review will be spoiler-free for the series.

Dear blog readers, today I shall exhort you to begin reading Gina Damico's Croak series, assuming you haven't already. If you stop by here often, then you probably know that I'm pretty stingy with my 5 star ratings, giving them out only in cases where a book has made me an emotional mess, sucked me in so much I forget the real world, AND been, from my limited perspective, unimpeachable in quality. Most series go out with more of a whimper than a bang, but, in this case, the finale is the strongest book in the series, which is why I am going to fangirl as hard as I can, and encourage all of you with good senses of humor to read this as soon as possible.

From Croak onward, Gina Damico has excelled at humor and narrative voice. She writes a mixture of black comedy and straight up silliness that I find positively enchanting. The sort of people who enjoy television shows like Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies simply MUST read this series. Her style has a really unique flair. She chooses really weird terms or phrasing at times, but somehow they're completely perfect for the moment. A good example is her creativity in coming up with swear words. Ordinarily, I find invented swear words in novels irritating, rather than amusing or clever, but Damico's are perfection and likely to enter my actual vocabulary. Here are some examples: "shitballs," "everdeathing," and "douchecrate." While probably not to everyone's tastes, if those make you giggle, it's a sign that Damico's writing is meant for you.

However, there's more than just humor in this series. Though Croak is, so far as my memory can recall, largely a darkly comic fluffy book, with a bit of intensity right at the end, both Scorch and Rogue have far more serious moments. In Scorch, they weren't quite as well balanced and that ended up being my least favorite in the series. By Rogue, Damico's got it down, handling serious moments with proper seriousness, making me want to cry, and then lightening the mood on the next page so that I'm grinning like an idiot. It's a bit of an emotional roller coaster, with much of the comedy being of the sort to help keep them moving in the face of overwhelming odds.

The characters all sparkle with wit, vivacity and uniqueness. I love each and every one of them, basically, though Mort is my special favorite and going on my book boyfriend list. Gina Damico writes banter between characters like no one else. All of the grim reapers in their little group make fun of one another constantly, but there is real love underneath that, so completely evident through it all. Even better, Damico doesn't neglect the supporting cast at all. In fact, by book three, there almost isn't a supporting cast because they're all so important to the plot and accomplishing what must be done. There's an ending for all of the characters you've come to love, whether happy or sad, and it's not just about Lex and Driggs, who I do ship something fierce by the way.

Since I'm not going to delve into any spoilers for the series, I'll keep this high level and relatively brief (for me anyway). The last thing I need to say is that Damico has guts. She steps outside of traditional YA lines and takes big risks. The stakes are high and she kills a lot of characters, with rather a Whedonesque flair. She gets the utmost respect from me for that. The series also abounds with twists, some of which I called and some which totally blindsided me, all combining to make a wholly engrossing and emotional reading experience.

Gina Damico's Croak series is officially ranked among my favorite books ever, and rereads in the future will be essential. As of this writing, Damico has another book deal for a book called Hellhole about a devil, and I'm already wondering who I have to do what to in order to be able to read that ASAP. So, friends, if you have a similar taste in humor, then you want this in your life. Trust me. If you don't trust me, why are you here?

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote: "'My undercarriage is a national treasure.'"

Giveaway:
Because I love this series so damn much, I'm giving away all of the books or however many you need to complete your collection. Winner's choice as to which books in the series you want, so that you can complete your collection or get it started!

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Audiobook Review + Giveaway: Golden Boy

Golden Boy

Author: Abigail Tarttelin
Narrators: Keith Nobbs, James Langton, Abigail Tarttelin, Christian Coulson, Kate Reading, Anita Sabherwal
Duration: 12 hrs, 40 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Source: Publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
The Walker family is good at keeping secrets from the world. They are even better at keeping them from each other.

Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he’s the perfect son, the perfect friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He’s even really nice to his little brother. Karen, Max’s mother, is a highly successful criminal lawyer, determined to maintain the façade of effortless excellence she has constructed through the years. Now that the boys are getting older, now that she won’t have as much control, she worries that the façade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband, Steve, has chosen this moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their lives.

The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won’t his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and from each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about where it all leaves him and what his future holds, especially now that he’s starting to fall head over heels for someone for the first time in his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Will anyone ever want him—desire him— once they know? And the biggest one of all, the question he has to look inside himself to answer: Who is Max Walker, really?

Written by twenty-five-year-old rising star Abigail Tarttelin, Golden Boy is a novel you’ll read in one sitting but will never forget; at once a riveting tale of a family in crisis, a fascinating exploration of identity and a coming-of-age story like no other.

Review:

This is one of those times where I'm incredibly glad that I'm a book blogger. You see, were I not blogging, I would not have the reader friends I do, and I would miss out on books like Golden Boy. I never would have picked this up in the store, because the cover is weird and doesn't really convey the subject matter. Thankfully, a couple days after I got an email with Golden Boy as one of the audiobooks available for review, my dear friend Jenni of Alluring Reads told me that she felt certain I would love this book. Jenni was right.

This cover is a strange one, and, once I knew what the book was about, I can see what they're doing, subtly calling out the gender issues with the two bikes, one intended for males and one for females. Why moving a bar from straight to slanted suddenly makes a bike girly or changes it in any practical way, I can't say. Still, I do think it's a shame there's nothing on the cover to speak to the subject matter, because I seek out books about different sorts of sexuality/gender and would have missed this.

Golden Boy tells the story of Max, a handsome boy who seems perfect in every respect, popular, athletic and intelligent. Max has a secret, though: he's not actually a boy. Nor is he a girl. Max is intersex, the new politically correct term that replaced hermaphrodite. Because Max has both a penis and a vagina, he's avoided serious relationships, though he has developed a reputation because he makes out with a lot of different girls. His being intersex didn't really impact his life.

Until it did. At a family party, Hunter, Max's best friend growing up, rapes Max. The scene is rather graphic and intensely emotional. Max has always felt like a boy, and not really questioned that. With this incident, Max has to truly face that he's not a regular boy, and, in the fallout, so does his family. What follows is an honest, beautiful, heart-wrenching look at Max's journey to become comfortable with who he is and to decide who he wants to be as an adult.

The subject matter in Golden Boy is quite dark and unflinching at times. The discussion of the issues of being intersex is frank and honest. However, Tarttelin makes the brilliant storytelling move of including more than just Max's perspective, which cuts on the melodrama. She does six separate perspectives: Max, his family (mother, father, little brother), his girlfriend Sylvie, and his doctor Archie (a woman). Since I listened to the audiobook, I can't say how individual they felt in print, but in the audiobook they were all brilliantly performed, with a narrator for each perspective.

In some books with multiple perspectives, characters are added for no discernible reason at all, not adding anything to the narrative, or particular perspectives are incredibly boring, to be suffered through while the reader waits impatiently for the main character to return. Not so with Golden Boy. Each perspective brought something to the table, even Max's father's, which only appears twice. Max is so confused and lost and depressed that it's wonderful to see him from an outside perspective. Daniel, for instance, hero-worships his brother. Sylvie thinks he's hot. Neither of them know, of course, but we get a true look at the golden boy. Then there's his parents, who love him and do the best they can, but, through their perspectives, the reader really gets a sense of how uncomfortable they are with his intersexuality now that it's known he's actually of age for sex.

Archie's point of view adds a whole other dimension. As a doctor, when Max comes in, he really lights a fire in her when she realizes how little she knows about being intersex. Her medical schooling included almost nothing on the subject. She begins to really research, because she very much wants to help Max, who comes to her office the day after his rape for a morning after pill. Archie's perspective really drives home how little attention the medical community is paying to such gender issues and how much they push to "normalize" with surgery.

Since there's a lot I would spoil if I went any more into the plot, I'm going to speak in general terms. The way Tarttelin wrapped everything up is incredibly touching and what convinced me this book deserved the full five stars. Some of the choices Tarttelin made surprised me, but they were just right. I'll leave it at that.

If you're going to read this book, which I really think you should, the audiobook is an excellent choice. With six talented narrators giving voice to the six perspectives, there's a strong sense of voice. The narrators for Max and Sylvie are particularly compelling. I've listened to quite a few full cast narrations, but this one is I think the best I've read so far.

LGBT (I know this doesn't cover everything, but the term QUILTBAG looks a bit silly - I intend this as all-encompassing) issues have not been covered nearly enough in fiction and I love Golden Boy merely for existing. However, Golden Boy is not just wonderful for covering a tricky, sensitive topic, but for doing so with heart, honesty and compassion. Abigail Tarttelin, welcome to my auto-read list.

Rating: 5/5

Giveaway:
Since I loved this book so much, I want to share that love with one of my readers. I know audiobooks aren't for everyone, so the winner will have their choice of a gifted Audiobook from Audible or a hardcover to be shipped from either TBD or Amazon, depending on which of those ship to you. This contest is international. Just fill out the Rafflecopter to enter!

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Guest Review: Death in the Vines

Death in the Vines
Verlaque and Bonnet, Book 3

Author: M.L. Longworth
Pages: 304
Publisher: Penguin Books
Source: Publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
Fans of Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri, mystery lovers, Francophiles, and foodies will adore this who-done-it with a beautiful European setting. In her riveting follow-up to Death at the Chateau Bremont and Murder in the Rue Dumas, M. L. Longworth evokes the sights and sounds of late-summer Provence, where the mistral blows and death comes in the most unexpected places. Olivier Bonnard, the owner of Domaine Beauclaire winery, is devastated when he discovers the theft of a priceless cache of rare vintages. Soon after, Monsieur Gilles d’Arras reports that his wife, Pauline, has vanished from their lavish apartment. As Judge Antoine Verlaque and Commissioner Paulik tackle the case (with a little help from Marine Bonnet), they receive an urgent call: Bonnard has just found Madame d’Arras—dead in his vineyard.

First Sentence: "Olivier Bonnard sat on the bottom stone step of his cellar, his hands gathered around his head as if he were attempting to soothe a migraine.” "

Review:
Hello again, Christina’s readers and friends. Once again Christina had too many books with a deadline to handle them all herself, so she asked me whether I would do a second guest spot since the first contribution was well-received, and readers said that they would like to hear from me again. Then she contacted the publisher to see whether that was acceptable to them, and it was. As it turns out, when the book arrived, Christina knew that she would have had a hard time picking out a more perfect book to give me as a gift. So, not surprisingly, the publisher should be happy with my review. One thing you should know about me is that I am a wine fancier as well as a reader and someone who loves puzzles and games, travel, crafts, genealogy, and good food. Can you guess how many of my favorites are covered by a book called Death in the Vines?

This is the third book in a series called “A Verlaque & Bonnet Provencal Mystery.” While I had read the second book, but not the first, I do not believe there is any reason to suppose one must have read the earlier books to enjoy this one. While some of the characters do carry over (they are investigating the crimes), and you get glimpses of their personal lives, this book can stand on its own. And I am going to include a bit of a primer on some of these characters, just in case.

First, though, as an American, used to our crime and law shows, I looked up a little about the French judicial system since that gave me some pause in both books. Rather than the prosecution and defense system that we inherited from the British, the French have the juges d’instruction, or investigating magistrate. This is Antoine Verlaque in this series. Marine Bonnet, his serious girlfriend, is a law professor at a local university in Aix, which is what the locals call Aix-en-Provence most of the time. Her parents were covered more in the second book, but do appear here. Her father is a doctor and her mother a retired professor of religion; they were far from ideal parents but are still somewhat in her life since they all live in Aix. Antoine Verlaque grew up rich in Paris, Normandy, and other parts of northern France, and he visits Paris once in each book. His family will be mentioned occasionally in his thoughts, as well as a former girlfriend named Monique, and through both of these books we know she hurt him badly; we learn about that late in this book.

To continue on: the investigating magistrate, who in this book has a staff of investigative lawyers, as well as the police commissioner and all the policemen also reporting to him, is holding much of the “trial” of evidence in secret, during the course of the investigation; confronting witnesses, recreating the crimes at the scene, developing profiles of the criminals, and ordering DNA tests as well as working with the coroner. While in real life this might take several years, this book, like our TV crime shows, compresses the time frame considerably. The investigating magistrate then prepares a report that contains both the defense and prosecution information. Trials in France and other countries that use this system are then usually short. This French system is felt to be superior in cases of corruption within political and corporate spheres, but less so for street crimes. In real life the French examining magistrate may be handling 100 cases at a time; in this book there are five mysteries, four of them official ‘crimes’ being pursued.

So for the background on supporting characters in this book, most of whom were also in the second book, the next main one after Verlaque and Bonnet is the commissioner of police. His name is Bruno Paulik. He is a native of the countryside in Provence, a rugby player, and a member of a large extended family. His wife, Helene, manages the estate of Olivier Bonnard and is his chief winemaker; she is also an up-and-coming winemaker with a growing reputation, but no hope of ever being able to buy her own vineyards, unless perhaps she were to move to Chile or some even ‘younger’ wine area. They have a ten-year-old daughter, Lea, who is a gifted singer and taking special classes. In real life the police officers generally do not like the examining magistrate and his lawyers. One side-effect of the French system is that the police are often less involved in the actual investigations, according to my research. However, in this instance, the lawyer Roussel is often held in lower regard than Alain Flamant, who does much of the computer work on the case, and two newer officers in the department: Jules Schoelcher from Alsace and Roger Caromb from Marseilles. However, it is clear at the beginning of the book that the lower-level police dislike Antoine Verlaque.

This book is set as much in the wineries and other areas outside Aix and around France as within the town (where most of the second book Murder in the Rue Dumas took place). Death in the Vines opens at the winery where the theft has just been discovered and returns there several times while investigating both this and other crimes. There is quite a bit of wine information included – from the winery owner and staff, the judge who is a gourmand, in some of the interrogations, and also in the travel descriptions. We have taken Christina to wineries around America and in Germany and France, so she knew how much all of this would thrill me. The author conveys much of the glory and heartbreak involved with this fascinating offshoot of Roman culture spread throughout Europe (the Catholics built churches with vineyards and produced wine for themselves and the Roman legions as they marched across Europe and up to Britain). That is an example of the sort of things you may learn in this book, although it was not in this volume.) But there are references to ancient Rome that you will uncover when you read this book.

This is a good who-done-it mystery; did the thief connect to the death on the property; is there a serial killer? Along the way the reader learns more about Alzheimers, historic Citroen automobiles, and prejudices the French have for others from some of the different regions of their own country, too. It amazes me how many things were assembled into this book, in just under 300 pages, and it all fits together smoothly and interestingly.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quotes: "It was a rugged countryside, more rugged than Aix: sparsely inhabited, its hills smaller and older, and the plants that covered them even drier and more meager than in Provence. He rolled his car windows down and let the smells waft in. It was a landscape for cloistered nuns and monks, medieval hermits, and fanatical winemakers. It couldn’t be any more different from his green Normandy, and he loved it."

Sadie Hawkins Sunday Review #12: Mistborn

Mistborn: The Final Empire
Mistborn, Book 1

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Pages: 541
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Library
Recommended by: Dragana of Bookworm Dreams

Description from Goodreads:
Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale spinner, author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises and magical martial-arts action that begins in Mistborn.

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Readers of Elantris thought they'd discovered someone special in Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn proves they were right.

First Sentence: "Sometimes, I worry that I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am"

Review:
Holy shit balls of awesomesauce, I cannot even handle the feels of this book. Gah, my emotions are in a right state, okay, because this book is one of the very best I have ever read. It's not every epic fantasy novel that I can read in little more than a day without it feeling like torture. In fact, the torture was any time not spent reading. Brandon Sanderson does everything right here: the world building, the characters, the writing, and the plotting.

In epic fantasy, it is so rare to find a book that's good from the very beginning. There is just so much world building to be established, that it's sort of a given to have to sit through quite a lot of world building. This generally is totally worth it in the end, but makes the read a bit slow. Sanderson, however, manages to keep the pace quick from the very start. Rather than overwhelming the reader with the way this world works, he unravels the information bit by bit, following the arc of Vin's training, keeping everything manageable.

In my experience from The Way of Kings, I already knew that Sanderson is a marvelous writer, though I do think Mistborn: The Final Empire is much stronger. Sanderson devises such original magical systems, so unlike any I've read before, and he makes them come alive. He also has a real knack for description, one almost unparalleled by any author I've read. Not being a very visual reader, I often have difficulty picturing battle scenes, but Sanderson's burst off the page, leaving me breathless with worry. There's so much movement in Mistborn, but all of it was so well-described that I never felt lost or confused.

Then there are the characters. I love them all. SO HARD. Kelsier is a serious BAMF, and he's full of swagger and cleverness, and always deeper than you think he is. Actually, that's true of every single character, I think. You suspect you know what they're capable of and then they do something to surprise you. The feels are insane. Right, Kelsier. Anyway, he is a Mistborn, which means that he can manipulate metal to give himself powers, and that's as much as I'm going to explain that, because just read the book. Kelsier has big plans, like overthrowing the immortal ruler of the empire.

The other main character is Vin, a skaa (essentially serfs) thief has a power she thinks of as Luck. She lives her life in fear, trusting no one, abandoned even by her brother. Kelsier finds Vin and teaches her what she is, and how to be a Mistborn. Watching this girl find friendship and love for the first time in her life gave me all of the happy feels. I love Kelsier and Vin's relationship, the way he mentors her is so touching. Also, it makes my heart so happy to see a female character not always being weaker than her male counterpart. Vin's still learning, but girl has some serious power. She grows so much through the course of Mistborn, but she's obviously not done yet.

The supporting cast is just as well-drawn as Kelsier and Vin. Every single member of Kelsier's crew, the one trying to overthrow the despotic Lord Ruler, is dear to me: the philosophizing Thug, Ham, the insouciant Breeze, the dialect-spouting Spook, the grumpy Clubs. Then there's Elend, the heir to the wealthiest noble family. Let's just say that he's the kind of guy who would rather read than dance at a party, and that I am kind of in love with him.

Top off all of that awesomeness, Sanderson also knocked me for a loop with that last two hundred pages. He set everything up so well that, once it happened, I knew it was just as it had to be, but I also hadn't believed he could possibly go there. Sanderson got me right in the feels, and oh my how I loved it. I never expected the way the book would end or that final twist, which is just what I needed after a stretch of predictable books.

Without a doubt, Mistborn is one of the finest epic fantasy novels out there. I say this confidently, even though I've still read relatively few. Every aspect of this book was well done, and I can't think of a single thing to criticize. Basically, I urge each and every one of you to read this book.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote: "'My behavior is nonetheless, deplorable. Unfortunately, I'm quite prone to such bouts of deplorability—take for instance, my fondness for reading books at the dinner table.'"

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Up Next:

The next Sadie Hawkins Sunday book will be Angelfall by Susan Ee, suggested by Cuddlebuggery. I've heard nothing but awesomeness about this one, so I'm sure I'll love it. Well, mostly sure. *crosses fingers*

Want to tell me what to read? Fill out the following form with a suggestion! For more details, check this post.

Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Pages: 336
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Source: For review from YA Books Central

Description from Goodreads:
"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says. "So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers. "I’m not kidding," he says. "You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen." "What about Romeo and Juliet?" "Shallow, confused, then dead." ''I love you," Park says. "Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers. "I’m not kidding," he says. "You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

First Sentence: "He stopped trying to bring her back."

Review:
Eleanor & Park sets itself apart from they typical young adult read on just about every level: the setting, the main characters, the touching plot. These elements combine to make a read that moves the reader and warms the heart. Whatever expectations I had going into Eleanor & Park were simply blown away, and it will no doubt be on the list of my favorite reads of 2013.

Set in the 1980s, Eleanor & Park is the story of two misfit teens in Omaha. Many YA novels purport to be about teenagers who simply do not fit in, and, truly, almost every teen feels that way inside. However, Eleanor, and to a lesser degree Park, really do stand out from the rest of the teens at their high school. Park is Asian, the only Asian kid in school, except for his brother who takes after their white father in appearance. Eleanor, well, she doesn't dress normal or look normal or act normal.

Eleanor & Park opens on Eleanor's first day at school, having been away from her family for a year. She gets on the bus that first morning and everyone eyes her thrift store men's clothing over her chubby frame. They immediately recognize her as a target of mockery, dubbing her "raghead" and "Big Red." As she searches for a seat, every available space is suddenly filled with a backpack or saved for someone. Finally, Park, just to make it stop, allows her to sit with him, regretting his kindness even as he does so, fearing that he'll earn the attention of the popular, bullying kids. I love that their first encounter is so awful, and how unflattering Park's first thoughts are. So much of high school is about avoiding embarrassment, and the awkward new girl is just that. This portrayal is so honest.

Of course, as time goes by, Eleanor and Park slowly bond, not even speaking at first. He reads comics everyday on the bus, and he begins to notice her reading along. He starts flipping pages more slowly, giving her time to read the whole thing. Then he starts loaning them to her over night. From there, they enter into conversations, whispered quietly on the bus. Their thoughts on the X-Men (feminist or not?), Batman (boring or cool?), the pirate storyline in Watchmen (to be skipped or crucial to the comic?) shift gradually into conversations on music. Park brings new life into Eleanor's drab existence with the best of 1980s pop culture.

Eleanor and her four siblings live with her mother and their drunken, abusive step-father, Richie. Her home life has no charms. The kids wear odd clothing grabbed by theit mother with any extra money. They fight over toys, like boxes that fruit come in, because that's the best they ever really hope to get. All five sleep in a single room, often hiding in there from the shouts of Richie. Eleanor, especially, knows how terrible Richie can be, and she never ever feels safe.

Park becomes Eleanor's safe haven. Their relationship unfolds slowly, growing at a steady pace into a strong burn. I loved watching them learn to know one another's insecurities, and to accept them. This acceptance doesn't make the insecurities disappear entirely, but it does help. Neither Eleanor nor Park ever felt right in their own skins, and their burgeoning love comes as close to making them feel whole as anything could. I don't usually believe to much in young love, but I really hope these two crazy kids can make it, despite or because of all of the real world difficulties they have to face. Rowell doesn't overly romanticize their relationship, but she also doesn't attempt to diminish their feelings.

Eleanor & Park is, without a doubt, one of the best books of 2013, though much of it remains. Rowell has written an incredibly moving story about first love, and about the importance of having a support network, even if it's not your family. This book is brilliant, and I will most certainly be reading any more Rowell novels I can get my hands on.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

"'I love you,' he said.
     She looked up at him, her eyes shiny and black, then looked away. 'I know,' she said.
     He pulled one of his arms out from under her and traced her outline against the couch. He could spend all day like this, running his hand down her ribs, into her waist, out to her hips and back again. . . . If he had all day, he would. If she weren't made of so many other miracles.
     'You know?' he repeated. She smiled, so he kissed her. 'You're not the Han Solo in this relationship, you know.'
     'I'm totally the Han Solo,' she whispered. It was good to hear her. I was good to remember it was Eleanor under all this new flesh.
     'Well, I'm not the Princess Leia,' he said.
     'Don't get so hung up on gender roles,' Eleanor said."

Review: Second Helpings

Second Helpings
Jessica Darling, Book 2

Author: Megan McCafferty
Pages: 357
Publisher: Broadway
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
“Knowing that I’ve just done something that will take decades off my parents’ lives with worry, you’ll excuse me for not getting into the fa-la-la-la-la Yuletide spirit this year. . . . The only difference between Christmas 2001 and Christmas 2000 is that I don’t have a visit from Hope to look forward to. And Bethany has already packed on some major fetal flab. Oh, and now Gladdie doesn’t need to ask a bizillion questions about my boyfriend, because she’s already gotten the dirt from you know who.”

Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she can’t seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessica’s parents won’t get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.

With keen intelligence, sardonic wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty again re-creates the tumultuous world of today’s fast-moving and sophisticated teens. Fans of Sloppy Firsts will be reunited with their favorite characters and also introduced to the fresh new faces that have entered Jess’s life, including the hot creative writing teacher at her summer college prep program and her feisty, tell-it-like-it-is grandmother Gladdie. But most of all, readers will finally have the answers to all of their burgeoning questions, and then some: Will Jessica crack under the pressure of senioritis? Will her unresolved feelings for Marcus wreak havoc on her love life? Will Hope ever come back to Pineville? Fall in love with saucy, irreverent Jessica all over again in this wonderful sequel to a book that critics and readers alike hailed as the best high school novel in years.

Prior Books in Series:
1: Sloppy Firsts (Review|Goodreads)

First Sentence: "Hope, by the time you get this, I will already be attending the Summer Pre-College Enrichment Curriculum in Artistic Learning."

Review:

I will do my best to refrain my flailing and fangirling in this review, but it's going to be really difficult, because this series gives me so many feels. SO. MANY. FEELS. Seriously, if you like contemporaries at all and are not easily offended, then you really need to read the Jessica Darling series posthaste. Second Helpings follows Jessica through her senior year of high school, and had me even more on the edge of my seat than the first one.

As I mentioned in my review for Sloppy Firsts, I love Jessica. She is so well-characterized that I feel like I know her up and down. I can tell you her strengths, her weaknesses, and how she fails to see herself properly, as most people do in high school. Jessica grows up a lot in this book, learning to go for what she really wants and to see herself more objectively. In Sloppy Firsts, Jessica did a lot of things to please others, but now she's focused on herself.

One thing (out of many) that I love about this series is that it's so obvious that Jessica doesn't know what she wants. Though, from my perspective, I can tell the right choice from the wrong one, I know Jessica so well that I understand when she missteps. She works out her difficulties in her journal, rehashing them over and over again, trying to process her feelings, particularly about boys. Relationships are confusing, and it can be really difficult to tell how you actually feel about someone, especially if they're also your friend. McCafferty shows that all teen relationships don't last forever, and that romance isn't easy or found at first sight.

In my previous review, I mentioned that I was still a bit unsure about Marcus Flutie. Let the record show that I am no longer unsure. Before I got too far into Second Helpings, I was shipping Jessica and Marcus something fierce. Basically, in book one, he didn't really overcome his sketchy past enough to be someone I could really endorse as a hero, but, by now, he's made good, now using his talents for good rather than substance abuse. He and Jessica have such a strong mental connection, and chemistry like whoa. Also, it's hilarious how, for two forthright, honest people, they have a huge amount of trouble admitting their feelings for one another.

Though I've decided not to rate down for this because I just loved this book so much, this edition had a surprising number of typos. Also, that ending was mean. Just mean. I am very afraid that I will not like the next book, mostly because I have no idea what will happen and I have nerves just thinking about all the bad, but realistic, decisions I will need to watch Jessica make. MAKE GOOD CHOICES, JESSICA.

To reiterate, you should probably be reading this series. Do it. So you can flail with me. Please?

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote: "I was going to say how this is easy for him to believe because he is a romantic.  was going to point out how I am a realist. Actually, how I am a defensive pessimist. I always assume the worst, so if the reality is even a wee bit better than my disaster scenario, it's a cause for celebration."

Review: Sloppy Firsts

Sloppy Firsts
Jessica Darling, Book 1

Author: Megan McCafferty
Pages: 298
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment--from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

First Sentence: "Hope, I guess your move wasn't a sign of the Y2K teen angst apocalypse after all."

Review:

When I was a teen a did very little reading of books from the teen section, which I now inhabit on a regular basis, because I like to do the unexpected. Anyway, one of the exceptions I made was Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty, which I remember totally loving. Also, I remember being disappointed by the sequel (or sequels, as I really do not remember how far I read). Having reread this, I commend my younger self for liking this one, but I am unsurprised that my love was short-lived, because I liked happy, escapist reads and this is not that.

Oddly, I do not remember this book having a profound impact on my teen self, which is ridiculous, because Jessica Darling is a heroine I relate to even now, in my dotage. She's intelligent, way more studious than I ever was. She uses her intelligence to be a smart-ass and to over-think everything (hey, soul sister!). I love the way she thinks about everything, because the way she delves into minor details and thinks herself into an endless cycle of worry is completely identifiable. Her constant mental whirlwind reminds me a lot of the Ruby Oliver books by E. Lockhart, though those are a bit on the lighter side tone-wise.

The writing is pitch perfect, capturing the personality of Jessica Darling. Her mental landscape is a very familiar place, and it's frankly terrifying how much I still identify with so far as her insecurities go. Those easily offended by swearing or the use of terms like 'ho' or 'hoochie' will probably be offended by a lot of what Jessica writes in her journal, but McCafferty's not making a statement with those things. This is how a lot of teens talk and think, and she uses these words not to be shocking but to be real. I love watching Jessica evolve throughout, working through things and changing opinions she previously held based on new information.

As with many contemporary teen novels, Sloppy Firsts focuses on popularity and friendship in high school. Jessica's best friend, Hope, has moved away, leaving her to navigate the social minefield of high school alone. Now, Jessica's actually in a pretty popular crowd, but she does not feel any less alone, because, really, she hates their guts. If she left she would have no one, and she's not brave enough for that (and, honey, let me tell you, not having friends is worse). Where most stories would be about embracing your true self and finding perfect happiness as a result, a group of kindred spirits appearing to embrace you, Sloppy Firsts isn't. The themes of being true to yourself are, but sometimes your kindred spirit moved away or just doesn't exist, and it's sad but true. However, she does find that maybe things aren't so bad as she thought they were, too, in that she can be more connected, even if the people here aren't Hope.

Romantic relationships and sex are also a huge part of the novel. Most of Jessica's 'friends' are very sexually active, whether they've done the deed or not. Jessica has had just one (really gross) kiss. Teen sex lives are very openly discussed, and I love McCafferty's frank attitude towards this topic. I'm especially impressed since the book came out in 2000, not in the more permissive current YA landscape. Way to go, McCafferty.

The Darling parents receive quite a bit of focus as well. They are present parents, but highly flawed ones. Due to the death of her brother from SIDS before her birth, they're both emotionally damaged. Her mother spends all of her energy planning Bethany's (Jess' much older sister) wedding. Jess' father only cares about her as an athlete, raising her like the son he didn't get to keep. Jessica struggles with her parents' treatment of her, feeling inferior both to the living and departed sibling. Their familial relationships ache with honesty and miscommunication, as well as naturally disparate personalities.

Marcus Flutie. If you mention this book to anyone who's read it, their first response will invariably be something like this, "MARCUS FLUTIE!!!! WAZZAHHHHH!" Now, I remembered Marcus Flutie vaguely. Basically, I recalled that he eventually becomes the love interest, but that's about it. Imagine my surprise when he's a drug-doing guy with dreads. That threw some serious cold water on my memory. If the book has any weakness at all (a point I'm undecided on, so I'm going for the full rating because this book is really good), it's how quickly Jessica becomes obsessed with Marcus when he's Krispy Kreme, when there's no way I could crush on a guy like that. However, I am not Jessica, and she lives her life in fantasies, so, on a lot of levels, that really makes sense. He pays attention to her, even an irritating non-flattering sort of attention, when she feels incredibly alone. Thankfully, Marcus does evolve as a character, because he's super icky at first. I'm not fully sold on him yet, but I am desperate to find out what happens next because that ending was mean.

You've probably heard of the Jessica Darling books by now, but, if you haven't, I highly recommend giving them a try. Sloppy Firsts is daring, funny, sad, thought-provoking, and unflinchingly honest. If you enjoy E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver books, you most definitely need to read Megan McCafferty.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

"Right now I feel guilty to be alive. Why? Because I'm wasting it. I've been given this life and all I do is mope it away.
     What's worse is, I am totally aware of how ridiculous I am. It would be a lot easier if I believed I was the center of the universe, because then I wouldn't know any better not to make a big deal out of everything. I know how small my problems, are, yet that doesn't stop me from obsessing about them.
     I have to stop doing this.
     How do other people get happy? I look at people laughing and smiling and enjoying themselves and try to get inside their heads. How do Bridget, Manda, and Sara do it? Or Pepe? Or everyone but me?
     Why does everything I see bother me? Why can't I just get over these daily wrongdoings? Why can't I just move on and make the best of what I've got?
     I wish I knew."

Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare

A Midsummer's Nightmare

Author: Kody Keplinger
Pages: 304
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Own

Description from Goodreads:
Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.

First Sentence: "Hangovers are a bitch."

Review:

When I read The DUFF a couple of years ago, I really, really liked it, though I didn't expect to because of the title. However, my memory being the mostly useless contraption that it is quickly faded. Jenni of Alluring Reads reviewed The DUFF a few months back and completely panned it. She pretty much loathed the book, and that stunned me. While Jenni and I certainly don't always agree, we often do, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about A Midsummer's Nightmare. Well, I still don't know for sure about The DUFF, but I loved this one.

For one thing, Keplinger writes like a teenager so well. Both here and with The DUFF, I don't think anyone open-minded can deny that she has the lingo and cadence and emotional landscape down. In a lot of books, I mentally age the characters up in my head, because their circumstances (absent parents, not actually attending any high school classes) and way of conversing just do not necessarily seem teenage. In Keplinger's, even though her characters do things I may rather wish a 14 or 17 or any age person wouldn't do, I never feel for a moment like they're not teenagers.

To be entirely frank, though, this book did begin with a pretty major disappointment for me. I was convinced that this book was inspired by Shakespeare. For some misguided reason, I even though I had read a synopsis and that it was set around a high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ummm, seriously, what the hell? Where does my brain get this stuff? That's not what it was about at all. I confess. I was VERY wrong. However, that title! It promises Shakespeare, and I wanted it okay.

However, A Midsummer's Nightmare did turn out to be inspired by a classic work of fiction, just not the bard's. Actually, Keplinger got some amount of inspiration from Catcher in the Rye, a book I personally really did not like. The connection, while not an incredibly strong one, lies in the mental state of the heroine, who shuts herself off from emotions by making bad life choices. She doesn't see the point in friends, because people are just phonies anyway. I'm quite proud of myself for having picked up on the reference before I read the blurb. Also interesting is that her step-family's last name is Caulfield. Nice one.

Roughly the first half of this book really hurts to read. It's a good hurt, the kind John Mellencamp might approve of, a straight punch right to the emotional gut. Whitley makes so many bad choices. She gets completely wasted, hooks up with whatever guy she can find, and avoids any sort of real emotional interaction. In the opening scene, Whitley wakes up on the morning following graduation to discover that she's in someone else's bed, having had sex with some (admittedly quite attractive) guy whose name she does not even know. Worse still, he wants to chat, when she just wants to get the hell out and not talk about it, so she tells him she never, ever wants to see him again, which, conveniently, shouldn't be too hard since he's moving.

Her parents, in stereotypical YA style, neglect her. Whitley's mother and father divorced six years previously, and she was glad of that, but her mother never got over it, still ranting and raving about how awful her father is to this day, and her father only spends time with her once a year. Still, she lives for these summers with him. Unsurprisingly, Whitley wants to throw a shit fit when she discovers that her father has sold his quirky condo by the beach and moved into a suburban monstrosity of boredom. With his new fiancee. And her two children. One of whom is that guy she had sex with the night of graduation. Apparently, his name is Nathan.

Whitley has always been called unflattering things for her drunken, boy-seducing ways: slut, skank, easy, whore. That never really bothered her before. In this new small town, with less people to blend into, the label really starts to hurt, particularly when someone she cares about calls her a whore or when she discovers a Facebook group formed to talk about her lewd behavior. Obviously, this is a hugely touchy subject, and I was really concerned about how it would be handled. Thankfully, Keplinger, after setting the stage and delivering a harshly truthful depiction of how cruel teens can be, sends precisely the message that I was hoping for. Since I know these issues can be an automatic DNF for a lot of people, I want to share Nathan's apology for having called Whitley a whore:

"'I'm sorry for what I said to you that day.' Nathan's hand slid from my elbow to my wrist. 'It wasn't okay for me to call you a whore. It's not okay for anyone to say that. Not the people online. And definitely not me.'"

What Nathan said was not okay, but he owned up, and he stepped up from there on out to make sure that she never lets her think he truly feels that way. When she doubts herself or blames herself for an attempted rape, he reminds her over and over again that it was in no way her fault. Honestly, I loved Nathan. He fucked up in anger, yes, but who doesn't? He wasn't violent, and he apologized wholeheartedly, and was completely supportive from that moment onward. Of course, he also happens to be both nerdy and built, so...can I have one? Seriously, he wears shirts that say things like "MAY THE MASS TIMES ACCELERATION BE WITH YOU" or that have the hand sign for live long and prosper. Also, the boy can kiss. Seriously, if you like hot kissing scenes in books, Keplinger has got your back. Just make sure you have some sort of fanning implement handy.

Even better, as much as I loved the way that Nathan and Whitley's relationship slowly evolved, that was not the central plot line of the book. A Midsummer's Nightmare focuses more on Whitley overcoming her issues with her parents, and learning to not be so self-destructive. Just for the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with her sleeping around or getting drunk occasionally or being a loner, except that those things did not make her happy. She needed to grow, and, as much as she hated it for a while, being thrown into a different family environment was the shock to her system that she really needed.

Keplinger's characterization rocked. Whitley, of course, rocked, confident and broken and funny and bitchy and insecure. However, the others did not take a backseat to her. Nathan, of course, gets quite a bit of development, but I've already talked about him. Bailey, Nathan's younger sister about to start high school, hero worships Whitley. Bailey begins as obnoxious to both Bailey and myself, but grows to be this irresistibly adorable kid. After a rocky start, Whitley does actually help Bailey open up and feel a bit more confident. Also, I have to say how much I loved Whitley's first friend Harrison. He is gay and utterly tenacious, simply determined to make Whitley accept him as a friend. The boy has style and totally has her back, but is also not a stereotype at all. There's a real affection between the two of them that is touching. Even Sylvia, the soon-to-be stepmother gets some good characterization. The only exceptions are Whitley's parents, but that has to do with the plot arc more than anything. Basically, I cared so much for Whitley, Harrison and the Caulfields; I rooted for them so hard.

I debated with myself (and my delicious glass of vodka and lemonade) whether A Midsummer's Nightmare deserved a full five stars. Maybe it's just my friend vodka talking, but I feel like any book that can make me feel such a full gamut of emotions and leave me grinning like a fool afterwards, in that insane post-book bliss has earned that five stars.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote: "'College starts in just over two weeks. I know I'll see you there, but I don't have much summer left to spend with Bailey and Harrison. So I'm going to take advantage of it. Fuck Dad. Fuck the people in this town. They're not going to ruin this for me, goddamn it.'"

Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green
Pages: 313
Publisher: Dutton Books
Source: BEA

Description from Goodreads:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

First Sentence: "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death."

Review:
In a strange way, I always sort of dread reading anything by John Green. Weird, right? See, I live in perpetual fear that one day he will let me down and his book will be less brilliant than I'm expecting. My expectations when it comes to John Green are ridiculously high, because, basically, he's like the god of the nerds and, even in the books I like less, his writing makes me laugh and makes me feel. Despite this constant fear, his books have, so far, improved every time, with The Fault in Our Stars being his best yet, dark and funny and honest and touching and hopeful and depressing and painful and perfect.

*wipes away tears*

When people talk about this book, the first thing they mention is the sadness of it, of how many tissues are requisite to getting through this novel without emerging a snot monster at the end. What struck me much more strongly, though, was the sense of humor and optimism running through the book, even the darkest moments. The humor doesn't subtract from the pain or the suffering; it humanizes it, and enhances the strength of the characters.

In the past, my main complaint about John Green's books (no, I did not think they were all completely perfect) were the characters. They were real, but they were annoying and repetitive (especially with Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. None of them did I fall completely in love with, although Tiny Cooper was close. In Hazel and Augusta, John Green's characterization has seriously hit its stride in my opinion.

Hazel's voice is just...incredible. Her sarcasm, her brutal honesty, her anger, her intelligence and her wit all made her one of the most wonderful narrators I've ever encountered. I love the way she phrases things. I love that she uses some words that I don't know the meaning of, which really doesn't happen often in my reading. Hazel feels wholly like a kindred spirit, like we would be friends if we ever met, which would totally never happen since we're both so anti-social. Also, she feels one hundred percent like a female to me, always a remarkable thing for a male author to accomplish.

Hazel and Augustus meet and there's an immediate attraction. Though they immediately feel for one another on some level, John Green deftly doesn't go anywhere near instalove territory. For one thing, there's Hazel's cancer, which holds the two apart. Even if there weren't and they immediately leaped into a relationship, I would have been okay with it, because the two legitimately develop a bond. They wisecrack and have this insane rapport; they share a love of word play and navel gazing. They trade their favorite novels and both go into the experience with an open mind, even though the novels were not what they were expecting. They are, without a doubt, one of the best, most convincing, most well-matched couples I have encountered in fiction.

Throughout The Fault in Our Stars, John Green has woven a lot of thoughts about the value of fiction and about what a novel really is, both to the reader and to the author. Hazel's favorite novel, An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten, is a work of literary fiction about a young girl with cancer; Augustus' is a series of novelizations based on a video game about the adventures of Staff Sergeant Max Mayhem. While there's clearly a difference of literary merit between the two, I loved how John Green stressed the importance of both.

I feel like there isn't much more that I can say about this without cutting into your enjoyment of the book. I realize I didn't talk about the cancer at all, but I suppose that was intentional, because the book isn't so much about the cancer as about the people who are partially made of cancer. The cancer is them after all, not a foreign element. The book is wholly about cancer and wholly not, though I know that probably doesn't make any sense. What I mean is that this is in no way simply some weepy tearjerker stereotype of a cancer book.

My words are failing me, so I leave you now with this: The Fault in Our Stars is everything I dreamed it would be and more. John Green constantly increases his awesomeness. With this novel, he will break your heart, repair said heart a few sizes larger, make you laugh, give you hope, rip your heart to pieces again, and basically tell you the utter truth about a lot of awful things also known as life.

Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

"‘I’m like. Like. I’m like a grenade, Mom. I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?’
    My dad tilted his head a little to the side, like a scolded puppy.
    ‘I’m a grenade,’ I said again. ‘I just want to stay away from people and read books and think and be with you guys because there’s nothing I can do about hurting you; you’re too invested, so just please let me do that, okay? I’m not depressed. I don’t need to get out more. And I can’t be a regular teenager, because I’m a grenade.’"