Book Report: Blood Red Road

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I listened to the audiobook of Blood Red Road, and when I didn't like something in the narration, I often asked myself, "but would I appreciate it or understand it more if this person's voice wasn't bothering me so much?" So, this review may be unfairly lopsided, especially since I heard such great things about this book (and it's sequel, Rebel Heart). I heard Hunger Games comparisons mentioned. I'm sorry to say that Hunger Games for me this is not, but it's still an interesting (and fast paced) post-apocalyptic journey.

I did really like how the novel starts; it showed exciting promise. Our heroine, 18 year old Saba, lives an isolated existence in a shack made of tires with her twin brother, Lugh, her dad and her little sister. The author does a really great job of subtly hinting at how food and water have become increasingly hard to come by for this family in a place once appropriately named "Silverlake". Young also establishes the dynamic of the family deftly, just in time for a big, red, menacing dust cloud to blow "into town" and cause all sorts of turmoil. Lugh is abducted by black robed riders under mysterious circumstances that hint at some cult-ish, quasi-religious world beyond Silverlake in a very intriguing way. And so Saba hits the road, hell bent on finding her twin.

Great start, right? And there's plenty of non-stop suspense, action and even romance (!) to come. So what's my problem with not loving this book? I feel like Young didn't reach 100%, though she showed awesome promise. There were some characters and situations that just fell flat for me, or (worse), weren't consistent. Let's just say there were a couple of "oh, come on!" moments for this reader. The thing that bothered me the most was the evil king that supposedly rules just about everything in this area (whatever area it may be) of what was probably once North America. He is a total wiener, and I just could not realistically believe that people would obey him, or that someone wouldn't overthrow him the first second they had. I can't go into much detail without spoilers, but he was the worst, and it just didn't jive for me that all this woe would be caused by such a total loser of a monarch. I did, however, really like how grotesque he was both physically and mentally. King of the creeps, for sure.

Other than that, I did like this book. If I decide to read the sequel, I'm definitely going to read the print copy to give Saba's real voice a second chance.

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Book Report: Seraphina

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I struggle with enjoying high fantasy. For example, I slogged through LOTR (though was ultimately glad that I did). That said, I barely struggled with Seraphina, which is a huge accomplishment in my reading habits.

It's no wonder this book is on several best lists for 2012. First off: the world building is awesome and awesomely achieved! Dragons who can transform into human form? Yes, please. But Hartman doesn't just stop at unique ideas; she really goes all-out in describing through her characters the differences between humans and dragons, AND creating an air-tight fantasy world and a history in which they both dwell. Our narrator and protagonist, Seraphina, is half-dragon, and I thought it was masterful how Hartman subtly depicted the characteristics of both species in her. (Did you know that dragons can swiftly calculate distance, velocity and time in their heads? Well, they can. They also love to hoard coins [shocker!] and only have to go to the bathroom about once a month.)

Even the language and the settings are intricately created. I loved Seraphina's frequent exclamations of shock, surprise or frustration, in which she utilizes a bevy of made-up saint names. There is no lazy writing to be found in this book. Plus, the intrigue and the romance are suppressed, secretive and simmering, as they should be in any medieval court worth its salt. Mandatory reading for those of you who love high fantasy, and highly recommended for those (like me) who are on the fence about it.

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Calling All Canandaigua Teen Artists--TBF 2013 T-Shirt Design Contest

To all my budding Canandaigua-area teen artists out there, here's your chance to put your stamp on something BIG. Submit your entries for the (Annual Greater Rochester) Teen Book Fest T-shirt Design Contest. Your design could be worn by hundreds of fellow teens and TBF volunteers. How cool is that? Details are linked below:

TBF Teens Read: 2013 Design Contests: T-shirt Design Contest

Don't know what TBF is? Stop missing out!

Visit www.teenbookfestival.org and be amazed.

And stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved with TBF, where 30+ awesome YA authors will descend on Rochester in May 2013.

-Kelley, (your) Teen Librarian

Book Report: Days of Blood and Starlight

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Days of Blood and Starlight is the sequel to the super excellent Daughter of Smoke and Bone, one of my favorite YA titles from last year. If you haven't read the first book, I highly recommend that you do so... now.

The first book was all magic, atmosphere, swoon and mystery. We meet our blue haired heroine Karou in modern day Prague, where she spends her days filling her art school sketch books with fantastical half-animal creatures so vivid and detailed you believe they are real... which, of course, they are. They're Karou's chimera family, living on a portal between our world and another, sending their "daughter" out around the globe to gather teeth from nefarious sources (for mysterious purposes). Into this picture comes one smoking hot seraph (see: angel), propelling Karou into a chaos of self-discovery. THRILLING. Intrigued? GO READ THIS BOOK.

Now on to the sequel, an excellent middle-book in a planned trilogy. Daughter of Smoke and Bone ended in destruction and loss, but also realization and awakening for our protagonist. The sequel finds Karou and a small band of warrior chimera attempting to recover from the destruction of their home, camping out in a kasbah in the middle of the desert in our world, building a resurrected army. In the world of Eretz, Akiva reluctantly aids the seraph forces in the emperor's attempt to wipe the decimated chimera off the face of the planet. The "blood" in the title belongs there. We gots-lots of death, pain, violence and fear going on here; lots of longing, sorrow and regret. Both sides seem hell bent on mutual destruction. Yet Taylor excellently teases out the scantest threads of hope for survival. (Personal note: due to the violence, themes, and sophistication of the writing, I would recommend this to my high school readers and up; I just don't think the middle school set is ready for this one). 

While our main characters suffer and struggle, the secondary characters from the first book are more fully flushed out and explored. The scenes with Mik and Zuzana especially provided necessary doses of tenderness and beauty in the otherwise bleak landscape. I also loved watching the humanity bloom in Akiva's sister Liraz, hereto depicted as a steely, unbending warrior.

I was so excited for this to be published and was not disappointed in the least. Taylor has such excellent pacing, her images are so evocative, and her writing so uniquely poetic. I can't wait for the third book, especially thanks to a particularly smoldering cave scene in the last few pages. There is much to look forward to. Whatever will I do to pass the time until then? :)

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-Kelley, (Your) Teen Services Librarian

Book Report: The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book belongs in the lovely, rare category of "I sat down and read this for hours and it felt so good". Bray gives us an atmosphere and intertwining plot that is a pleasure to get absorbed in. She masterfully unfolds the ways in which her characters are connected, and her research (discussed in her very cute author's note) is evident. I feel like there's a lot of YA out there that takes an historical setting and uses it like flimsy window dressing. The Prohibition era/Roaring Twenties, for example, is such an appealing time to write about (and many have tried). I believe that Bray really captures the language, time and place without sounding forced or hokey. She accomplishes the same thing with her paranormal elements, which are everywhere in YA fic, but here feel so fresh, frightening, and magical. Loved. Can't wait to hunker down with the next installment. Highly recommended if you enjoy richly layered mysteries, historical fiction, twenties era NYC, the occult, and if you want to believe in the thin veil between spirits, dreams, evil and ourselves. Yeah, it's a tall order that satisfies.

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Book Report: Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: Yes, I finally read the first book in this series. I fully realize that I am a negligent librarian for not reading it sooner. Now, let's move on.

There were a few details that I truly enjoyed about this book but they all seemed to fizzle out over the course... I loved the Southern Gothic setting and the atmosphere the authors created, but I found myself more than once being frustrated by character inconsistencies and plot weirdness. Yes, I know it's a book about the supernatural (trust me, my belief if very easily suspended), but some actions just didn't match up with those previous. Ya know? Also, and this is completely personal, but I cringed every time Ethan called Lena "L" for short. Those nicknames belong in the realm of Gossip Girl and just about nowhere else. Every time he said it, it made me like him less. That said, I found their romance subtle and interesting. And I really loved the character that is Ridley. Everyone loves a bad girl with a lollipop.

I STILL think this will make a striking film, so I'm excited for the movie to come out. Preview looks awe-some. Personally, I'm not going to rush out and read the next book, but I can see where this would have much appeal to those who love stories in which creatures, magic and spirits walk among us. Do you like the Twilight franchise? You will probably really dig this series.

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Happy Trails

Traveling this week for the Thanksgiving break? Visiting relatives far-away in December? When you're a teen, these trips can be, well, a little boring. May I suggest you pick up an audiobook for the road? Get lost in an awesome book with an amazing narrator? (Jim Dale, the narrator of all Harry Potter audiobooks as well as one of the titles I suggest below [The Night Circus], well... let's just say I could listen to that man read the phone book or the nutritional label on a Twinkie and still be completely enthralled.)

Twinkies

Whether you're playing a disc in your car stereo or listening to your iPod on a long flight, audiobooks are THE BEST (in this librarian's humble opinion). Here are just a few YA audio titles that I've really loved lately:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline* (dystopian video game awesomeness)

Hold Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride (hilarious paranormal cleverness)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern* (magic in our world a la later, darker Harry Potter)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (magic in our world + all-boy boarding school = yay)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (a thrilling horse book... but the horses live in the ocean and eat whatever raw flesh they can get their teeth on)

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (fascinating WWII historical fiction, narrated by Death himself)

Intrigued a bit? Remember that you can pick up a physical audiobook here at the library, OR you can download free audiobooks for your iPod or MP3 player at OWWL2go. You don't even have to come to the library to download audiobooks from OWWL2go - all you need is your PLS library card and (compatible) device of choice. You can listen to audio samples on OWWL2go, and check items out from home or as far away as Kalamazoo. Plus, that little owl with the headphones is just so dang cute:

*You'll find these titles filed under "Adult Fiction", but they're both Alex Award winners, indicating "adult books with teen appeal"

-Kelley, (your) Teen Services Librarian