Christina's Review: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis from School Library Journal: In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old KatnissÆs young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining districtÆs female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

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I want to write like Suzanne Collins. This lady took an issue of which she is adamantly passionate (child violence) and wrote an amazing science fiction novel that reaches into your soul and twists around until you feel vehemently against war and famine. Written in first person, the story follows the journey of a young girl who-for the love of her little sister-decides to fight against 23 other teens in a battle to the death (chance of survival= 4%).

THE BAD

Hmmmmm, I don't like the ending. But don't worry, this isn't a spoiler; all I'm saying is that she shouldn't have left us not only dangling but gripping the rock at the top of a cliff with only our index and middle fingers still holding on and sliding precariously further down. I honestly can't think of anything else that bothered me in this book, although my brother complained that the writing was choppy and especially hated the first person present voice (which I thought intriguing).

THE GOOD

Everything. I loved the heroine, cleverly written with depth, personality, a good dose of bravery, and a girly love for nice clothes (but not enough to make us want to toss a dirty t-shirt at her). I loved Peeta, the guy that liked/didn't like? her throughout the book; whenever he started going flat, the author instantly threw another story into the mix to update his personality with a new flaw or endearing characteristic. And the story itself? Brilliant, deep, intense, thought provoking.

THE VERDICT: AWESOMENESS

Any book that makes me cry AND tremble with excitement within the FIRST CHAPTER deserves my highest rating; so for Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games, I hereby bestow a 5 out of 5 in hopes that a little of her brilliance will rub off on my own writings in the future. Thank you, Suzanne, for a wonderful read.

Susie's Review - The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

When two young girls disappear from their homes one early morning, the answers to their disappearance lie in the secrets of their past. The Weight of Silence is a book that really starts off with a bang. It was one of those books I picked up and just had to finish as soon as possible so I could know what was going to happen. However I didn't reach the end and think 'wow, that was just incredible', I reached the end and thought it was just pretty good.

The book is definitely suspenseful, although I felt the author took an easy route writing from the different people's perspectives. One chapter will be from the mother's perspective, the next one will be from the detectives perspective, etc,...
I wouldn't have minded so much if the author had given each of the characters different voices. They are all so varied, in age and upbringing, yet there is no variation in voice or writing style. I felt like, at times, the writing was very amateurish. I also found a few of the characters really disappointing. However, the three children featured in this book; Calli, Petra, and Ben are all fascinating and you'll keep flipping pages so you can find out what happens to them.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars, and I hope that Gudenkauf will continue to write great stories, only next time I hope her writing is a little improved.

Christina's Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Synopsis from Publisher's Weekly:

The last normal moment that Mia, a talented cellist, can remember is being in the car with her family. Then she is standing outside her body beside their mangled Buick and her parents' corpses, watching herself and her little brother being tended by paramedics. As she ponders her state (Am I dead? I actually have to ask myself this), Mia is whisked away to a hospital, where, her body in a coma, she reflects on the past and tries to decide whether to fight to live. Via Mia's thoughts and flashbacks, Forman (Sisters in Sanity) expertly explores the teenager's life, her passion for classical music and her strong relationships with her family, friends and boyfriend, Adam. Mia's singular perspective (which will recall Alice Sebold's adult novel, The Lovely Bones) also allows for powerful portraits of her friends and family as they cope: Please don't die. If you die, there's going to be one of those cheesy Princess Diana memorials at school, prays Mia's friend Kim. I know you'd hate that kind of thing. Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living.

Overall . . .

This story was more of a "lemme sit you down and tell ya what happened last week" story than an organized novel. There are no chapters in this book, just a continual flow of dialog broken periodically by time references that held no meaning for me (i.e. 7:35AM) because I didn't really care how long she had been in a coma; I more just wanted to know what would happen next, who would be visiting her in the upcoming section, and what we would learn about her past. From the beginning, I was intrigued by the plot: within a few pages her entire family is out on a snowy bank, covered in blood, with the car on its side a few feet away. Definitely a quick start.

The Bad . . .

A few things really bugged me. First, everyone in her family seemed a little too "good." Even her friend, Kim, fit into a little box of "bitchy yet sweet" or something like that. And although I liked the vignettes about various people, I was sometimes bored as if wondering "have I heard this already?" because by about halfway through the book, I could have told you the story. Let's see, Mia is going to have another Cello experience, Adam will show how cool and collected he is, Kim will blow off steam on someone, her mom will be unusually punk rockish for a woman with two kids, and her dad will be overcoming his rocker past.

The other thing that bothered me was the ending. Not to give away any spoilers, but despite the fact that Mia seemed perfectly set on her decision to stay/leave (not giving that away here!), it was very obvious she had no real explanation as to why. There was no surprise in the end when she at the last minute changed her mind. Because of that, I did not cry at all in the book, more just rolled my eyes and said "c'mon already, we know what you're actually going to do, Mia."

Finally, although this won't bother a lot of readers, I was a little miffed by some of the sexual content in the book. I would have loved to suggest this book to teens I know because of the thought-provoking ideas in the book, but I wouldn't want to give a young girl a book that encourages high school aged sex with guys you have just met. So that was definitely a negative to me. (If this book was not in the Young Adult section, I would not even mention this.)

The Good . . .

Despite my negativity above, I will say that there were many good things in this book. I like Forman's idea to show a young girl at the brink of womanhood suddenly finding herself in an out-of-body experience where she has in an instant lost so many things she holds dear. And at first, I truly wondered what she would do in the end, seeing that staying in her life without her family would be very painful. I love the coma-victims-can-see-whats-going-on idea. Very clever and eye-opening.

Secondly, Forman's voice was super fun and quirky. Mia has a lot of spunk. I especially love that she is obsessed with the cello. I love music and I wish that I could play the cello and date a rocker and all of that. Very cool. I also really liked Adam, her boyfriend. He had more depth than some of the other characters; you're never quite sure what he's going to say and that's how it should be I think.

Finally, although her characters weren't immensely complex, they were very fun and lovable. And I will confess I walked around the house, cooked meals, fed the baby and worked in the church nursery while reading the If I Stay. And I don't do that unless I'm really enjoying a book.

Summary . . .

Gayle Forman's If I Stay was fun, quirky and filled with intriguing stories and thought-provoking topics, but because of the predictable ending, I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Christna's Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

The reason I have not posted a review in so long is not because I have read nothing but rather than I have read so many things I've had no time to you about them. Just the fact that Wings, by Aprilynne Pike, is the book I am now reviewing scares me. I think I've read about 15 books since then, all of which I should review here soon!

When I read Wings, I had an experience unlike anything most will have when reading it. This is because the first half of the book sounded nail-bitingly similar to Behind Every Illusion, the book I wrote last year. Yikes! The main character turns out to be a fairy, her best friend is cool and probably the only nice and level-headed person in the book, and then she starts to sprout something . . . .aah! At that point, I got really nervous and started reading in high gear. What happened in the end? Would I be sued for plagiarism (despite the fact that my book was out before hers)?

Thankfully, halfway through--at the sprouting part, in fact, the book took on an entirely different spin (i.e. trolls, plant people, open mouth life-saving kisses, etc). And there was no environmental cause whatsoever. So, whew.

My review?

THE BAD

I felt that the book was a little simple, the characters fairly one-dimensional, the story-line predictable, and the love triangle confusing and unpassionate. Her best friend, Chelsea, came in at random times during the book, said highly confusion and irrational things and then disappeared again. The love triangle between Laurel (main girl), David (best friend) and Tamani (fairy-dude) felt very forced and awkward. Every time Laurel was kissing David, she was thinking about Tamani and every time she was with Tamani, she thought about David. It was weird. At least enjoy it while you're there!

THE GOOD

I absolutely loved Pike's idea of making fairies actual flowers. Not only do they live in the flowers or whatever, they are actually flowers themselves, so they look like humans but inside their biology is completely plant. Laurel pretty much just drinks sugar (Sprite, peach juice, etc) and during a certain season she sprouts flowers out her back that look like wings (hence the name). Also, as I read the book, I couldn't help but feel that Aprilynne and I are probably highly similar in personality. Her stories and ideas were all things I'd thought of writing before and that was fun and exciting (and highly weird!).

OVERALL

Adding the shallowness of the book with the brilliance of plant fairies, I'd give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. Read it if you are looking for a fun book about fairies that will be turning into a movie with Miley Cyrus next year (yes, you read that correctly). If you don't like Miley, fairies or Sprite, skip it.

Christina

Susie's Review - A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns takes you as the reader to Afghanistan during 40 years of its bloody, brutal history. Through the eyes of two remarkable women we get to see what life was like during the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance, and then to the rise and fall of the Taliban.

The story begins with Mariam, a young illegitimate girl who's life revolves around her father's visits. Her father is a rich, respected man in Afghanistan and thus Mariam is kept at a distance because he doesn't want her to bring shame to his family. She lives with her mother in a hut but dreams of the day her father will take her under his wing and let her be part of his family. Her life takes an unexpected, terrible turn when her father forces her to marry an older man, Rasheed, whom she has never met when she is only fifteen-years-old.

Later on, when the Soviets invade Afghanistan, another woman is born, Laila, and the story shifts to her perspective. Laila's mother is in mourning for the death of the two sons who joined the jihad against the Soviets and were killed. The paths of Mariam and Laila cross only once in these early parts before their lives become irrevocably linked in Part Three.

Mariam's husband, Rasheed, is a harsh, twisted individual and the story of how Mariam and Laila become allies in trying to survive while taking care of their children makes a fascinating story. I was up till 3 or 4 in the morning turning page after page, getting angrier and angrier about what these women were forced to live with, and recognizing even more how lucky I am to live in this country. Women in Afghanistan had almost no rights, aside from when the Communists were in power. They had absolutely none when the Taliban ruled; they could be beaten at the whim of almost any man if they committed even the slightest of transgressions.

This story affected me on a number of levels. Most of us have no idea what it's like to live in a war zone, never knowing which hour will be your last. Hosseini's been through that in Afghanistan, and he draws that experience into his story in a way that's brutal but beautiful at the same time. It was also saddening to see just how some governments, when applying their form of Islamic rule, utterly destroy the personhood of women. The will to survive and persevere under crushing oppression from men really made an impact on me. It's hard to imagine that this "story" portrays what daily life is like for millions around the world. Finally, the concept of love and duty portrayed here is beautiful. Love isn't a warm, fuzzy feeling that comes and goes depending on whether you happen to feel good about the person you're with. Often it means sacrificing everything (including life) for them. While there wasn't much that was lovely in their lives, these women learned the true meaning of the world through their devotion to others.

My suggestion? Read this book if you get the chance - although some of it is hard to swallow, what you'll take away from it is definitely worth it.

Susie's Review - The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

If you've ever asked yourself the question "Why does a loving God allow so much pain to exist?" then you really need to read this book. C.S. Lewis takes all those arguments that stump us (me in particular) and answers them one by one. I have to admit that a big roadblock in my faith has always been the dilemma of "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty, He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both." C.S. Lewis explains this in a way that I think anyone can understand and He uses clear Biblical principles.

This book isn't easy to read, the language is very heavy and elevated, but the overall message is a gift that is exceedingly valuable to the person who has always asked the questions I mentioned above.

Lewis' tackles heavy subjects like why God allows pain, why pain is inevitable even though God is powerful, why free will is necessary, and whether or not God is egotistical.

I've had countless arguments with other believers about the subject of pain, and why a loving God could allow it, and whether or not God is egotistical. I remember telling my mom that God must be egotistical, because He created us to praise and worship Him, and in doing so, has put us in a world filled with pain and suffering. We are tempted by sin constantly, yet He demands us to overcome it. It's all some big play that He gets to sit back and watch from a distance; if there is pain and hell then if God loved us so much He should just not have created us at all to save us from these things. That's what I really felt at the time anyway. I was never one to fall easily into the Christian faith. Faith never came naturally to me. I had to know for sure that I really truly believed it, and I wanted facts, not faith. Any loophole to Christianity that could be found, I found it. I wanted to believe, but for a while I gave up because it didn't make enough sense to me. Even though I've been a real legitimate Christian for four years I still have struggled with these questions. For someone like me The Problem of Pain is an invaluable book. Finally questions that have plagued me for my entire life have been made clear, and I really recommend this to anyone else who's had those same questions.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book. I warn you, they're quite long:

"When we fall in love with a woman, do we cease to care whether she is clean or dirty, fair or foul? Do we not rather then first begin to care? Does any woman regard it as a sign of love in a man that he neither knows nor cares how she is looking? Love may, indeed, love the beloved when her beauty is lost: but not because it is lost. Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal. Love is more sensitive than hatred itself to every blemish in the beloved..."

"Love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved; that the mere 'kindness' which tolerates anything except suffering in its object is, in that respect at the opposite pole from Love."

One of the most memorable sections in the book (forgive me, this is long):

"My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity to-day, a holiday or a new book, when suddenly a stab of abdominal pain that threatens serious disease, or a headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps, by God's grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys: I am even anxious, God forgive me, to banish my mind theonly thing that supported me under the threat because it is now associated with the misery of those few days. Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had me for but forty-eight hours and then only by dint of taking everything else away from me....And that is why tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless."

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

I've been working on this book for weeks. In fact, it was the first book I got out of the Swanton Library after moving here at the end of July, and needless to say, while reading this book I've also managed to finish Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Wings, as well as start Evermore, Maximum Ride, and well, you get the idea. It took a while to get into.

So, why did it take so long to finally reach that point where I couldn't put the book down?

1. Every even chapter in the book is non-fiction talks about parasites. Parasites? Yep. Mealworms, lice, tapeworms. They infect your blood, your eyes, your brain, your imune system. And all of it was true. As Scott Westerfeld says many times, "Ew. Yuck. Repeat."

Okay, in case that wasn't enough for me to stop reading, why else did I sluff off instead of read?

2. The book is sci-fi, not fantasy. Like Uglies, this book has no "magic" in it whatsoever. Everything is scientifically based. Even the giant worms. That can get a little boring to me sometimes. Especially when the book's theme is explaining vampirism through scientific theories. Yawn. Sleep. Repeat.

But, you protest, I DID read this book! In fact, I finished it about 5 minutes ago. So, here's my review:

Peeps was written by one of my very favorite authors, Scott Westerfeld. The first half of the book was slow in my opinion. Too much about parasites and vampire history (in a scientific way) and too little about the cute girl, Lace(y), who pops into our narrator's life as he tries to discover what happened to the girl who infected him. I read on and off for a while, enjoying the parasite talk (while imagining all the conversation's Scott had with his poor wife about the subject the year he wrote it), but hating the science.

However, once Cal tells Lacey what the heck is going on, things get interesting and I couldn't put the book down at all. Yes, I ate dinner while reading about mealworms. Fun times. But it was amazing! All the parasite talk fit in perfectly with the story so that by the end, huge worms from the underground made perfect sense and only aided in making the story BETTER! Yes, better!

I can't tell you what happens to Lace (although, even just from reading this review, you're probably guessing it's a) she's infected and becomes a cannabalistic vampire, b) she runs to New Jersey to escape and lives happily ever after or c) she gets eaten by a giant tapeworm).

I know this review is a bit basic, especially since I had to keep mentioning the parasites all the time (did I tell you there are giant worms in this book?), but remember: the book was highly fascinating, finally giving us a logical reason for Vampires and making them believable. (And no, in this book, becoming a Vampire does NOT mean you sparkle. Sorry!) It was funny (laughed out loud many times, as the narrator has my sarcastic sense of humor). It was romantic (despite all the raw meat eating going on). It was interesting (did I mention the giant worms?). And it was really really good.

So, thank you Scott, for writing yet another thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi adventure to blow my hatred of the genre right out of the water again. Even if it did include giant worms.

Christy

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

[SPOILER ALERT: The ending isn't given, but some interesting information not told until 1/4 way through the book is revealed in this review]

Trouble-prone teen Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out school - but that's the least of his problems. The gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology texts and into his life - and they're not happy. Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, Percy and his friends must embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true thief, save Percy's family, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

In reading this book, I broke my two unbreakable rules:

1. Never read a book with a kid under 14 as the lead

2. Never read a book where the (even potential) romantic interest is under 16

However, ten minutes into reading--and Percy has shot water out of a fountain unintentionally spraying everyone around him while remaining dry himself--I was completely hooked. A kid whose dad is the god of the Sea? Um, that's just a no brainer to me. I absolutely love stories about demi-gods because they are partly human and partly super-awesome. So, I pretended Percy was 15 and the girl he befriends is 16 and all is well. In fact, I think that Chris Columbus, who is directing the movie coming out next February, had the exact same idea.

My review? If you love demi-gods and boys with a strong sarcastic sense of humor who also have water powers, and you can ignore the lame idea that kids like him go to "Camp Half-Blood" where they are trained in fighting and (yawn) magic items and stuff, then you will adore Percy Jackson. It's a fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud kind of book that keeps you reading to see what will happen to him next. What I truly loved about the book, aside from the fact that all the side characters were a hoot (especially Grover--Grover? where did that name come from???--his best friend and satyre), is that Percy himself is super lovable. At least, to me, because he's an out-spoken, spunky, dyslexic, ADD twelve-year-old, and those are my favorite kinds. Add in superpowers and I'm hooked for the entire series.

So, this review will excite you if you are exactly like me, and may turn you off if anything in here is just not your thing. All-in-all, you've got a story that is cute, entertaining and will teach you A LOT about Greek Mythology. Oh, and this is a little hint (that if I'm famous someday, people will wish they'd read this review): My next series will also be heavily focused on the gods of Greek Mythology.

I've included the preview for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, coming out President's Day 2010. Enjoy.

Susie's Twilight Review

The first thing I said about Twilight after reading the first book was "this is not my kind of love story". I continue to stand by that. Stephenie Meyer is not a great writer, but to her credit, every time I felt like throwing a book across the room she introduced another cliffhanger that had me turning 'just a few' more pages. I also have some very close friends who love the series, so please take no offense to what I'm going to say.

Twilight managed to take the dark, dangerous world of vampires and turn it into a Harlequin romance. No, not all vampires are dangerous! In fact, if you can get past their overwhelming desire to kill you, they really are sweet, sparkly, sugary-scented supermodels. Bella is described as being mature beyond her years, but there is really nothing to back up that assessment. She stomps her feet, whines, grunts, hisses, cries, spits and faints. Somehow every male in the town of Forks is drawn to her, but we never really find out why. I have no problem with an introverted, pale, socially awkward teenage girl - I was one of those. I do have a problem with reading 300+ pages about how Edward is "godlike", "angelic", and how his perfectly perfect chest makes Bella get all warm and gooey inside. I have no doubt that Bella is 'irrevocably in lust' with Edward, but I don't need to read a 500 page book about it.

New Moon was semi-bearable for me. Why? Because they introduced a character with personality: Jacob. We get a good 300+ pages of an actual story; not just the 'Edward was hot and I want him so bad' nonsense. Bella refers to Jacob as her "sun" and he makes her laugh, makes her a motorcycle, and brings her out of the deep-dark depression that her obsession with Edward caused. There's some humor, some good writing, and for a while I could understand why people loved the series so much. Then...the return of Edward! Please, say it isn't so! We're back to the same old 'I love you', 'I love you more', 'no I love YOU more' melodrama....seriously....

At the end of reading Eclipse I was so bewildered that as I was getting up from the table I did a mortifying Bella-esque move and knocked a plate onto the floor and it shattered everywhere. UGH. Not good.

Back to the book....Bella is as annoying and self-absorbed as ever and Edward is only slightly more bearable just because he has no personality, so there's really no personality to hate. Bella's obsession for Edward is really extreme, to the point of becoming downright annoying, even unhealthy. She worships the ground he walks on, and is all too ready to ditch her parents and friends just so she can spend more time with him without growing old. She doesn't seem to have any serious problem with the idea of making her parents worry, or the thought of never seeing them again... she's willing to stomp over anything that isn't Edward, even things that can enrich her life. The character of Jacob has some merit, however. He wasn't perfect, but he was fun, honest, and very human, making big mistakes, but always trying to do his best. He was real, not a perfect porcelain doll with no flaws. Sadly, he was mostly wasted.

Breaking Dawn finally takes us to the big climax in Bella's life; can you guess what? However, they can't just leave it at her becoming a vampire; they have to throw in an unexpected pregnancy with ridiculously freak-ish results, and I don't mean freak-ish in a good way. As for the story development, my greatest frustration is that Meyer created a very intricate world, complete with detailed descriptions of what could and could not happen in it. Then she decided not to play by these rules. Yes, I am referring to the sudden and inexplicable ability of a vampire to father a child. This felt very contrived and unbelievable, and introduced such an absurd, nightmarish chain of events that I found myself wishing I could take back all the hours of my life I'd spent on this series. Bella has to drink human blood, while she’s still human, to save the life of her child - And she LIKES IT! The same Bella that turned green and almost passed out while doing blood typing in Biology class, right? Okay, obviously her aversion to blood was going to go away after becoming a vampire. But while she was still human? Really? I felt sick the whole time I read about her drinking gallons of blood a day to sustain the child. Blech. I still don’t get the whole scene where Edward asks Jacob to offer to make babies with Bella. Seriously?! Is this Meyer's attempt at showing us the extent of true love? It was twisted and disturbing.

My biggest problem with the book? This whole imprinting idea. They take the only redeemable character in the whole series (Jacob) and turn him into a pedophile....yes, I know, he doesn't think of her THAT way till she's um...what, seven? I don't care how you spin it, that whole storyline is just plain wrong and clearly contrived so that everyone has their happy ending at the end.

Meanwhile, a series of events which I don't feel like explaining happen which lead the Volturi to come to try to kill Renesmee; a.k.a. Spawn of Bella. Concerned, the Cullens gather seventeen other vampires as witnesses. Don't ask me why, I don't feel like explaining.

And of course all of these vampires get along, even though most of them prey on humans and a whole neighborhood of them live a few miles away.

And as if that weren't enough, all of them have superpowers, completely deflating one of Meyer's earlier claims.

So here they are, all gathered, we're ready for the final big battle scene, when suddenly the Volturi get convinced that Renesmee is not a threat and they all leave peacefully--though not without killing Irina, who ratted all of them out but did so on a false claim.

And then everyone lives happily ever after.

Yes, that really happened. The title of the last chapter was even "Happily Ever After."

OK, so to sum it all up this series is completely absurd, takes all the folklore about vampires and throws it down the drain so that we think they're 'angelic' as opposed to dark and dangerous. I have a bad habit of not wanting to leave a series unfinished, even if the series isn't worth my time, so I did read all four books. However, I would like to save anyone else the trouble and just suggest now not to waste your time.

Susie's Book Review: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

When it comes to Chuck Palahniuk, it seems that readers either love or hate his work. In fact, this particular book was Palahniuk's first, and was rejected by publishers for being a bit too 'out there'. Often his books are alarmingly grotesque, and you aren't quite sure whether to cringe or laugh at what he's presenting. Invisible Monsters definitely pushes the limits as far as "bizarre-ness" is defined, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

So here's the story: Shannon McFarland has a career as a picture-perfect supermodel, but her days of glamour and attention are ruined the day her lower jaw is shot off while she is driving down the highway. Her face is hideously deformed, and she finds herself abandoned by all the people who were close to her; including her best friend Evie Alexander who has a prominent role. Now instead of being looked on with admiration, people now are mortified by her appearance.

During speech therapy classes Shannon meets Brandy Alexander; a pill-popping transgendered woman, who has modeled her body after Shannon's previous appearance. The drag queen and Shannon embark on a journey of self reinvention and revenge. The climax of the book includes a rifle-toting Evie and lots ( I mean lots) of blood.

This book isn't for anyone with a weak stomach; there is quite a lot of drugs, a lot of violence, and the characters are demented and troubled. Yet somehow you can't stop yourself from laughing at all the grotesque or absurd situations these people get themselves into. Don't read it if you're too young, and certainly don't give it to mom or grandma for Christmas is all I'm saying;)

The deformed heroine says, "If I can't be beautiful, I want to be invisible". Although the story and the writing isn't necessarily 'beautiful', the book is sharp, exciting, and has pointed commentary on the culture of beauty, consumerism, and cosmetic surgery. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes off-the-wall satire and cinematic-style storytelling.

FYI: There are also rumors that a movie will be made of this book, with Jessica Biel starring as Shannon McFarland. I hope the rumors are true!

Christy's Book Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere's protagonist, Richard Mayhew, learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. He ceases to exist in the ordinary world of London Above, and joins a quest through the dark and dangerous London Below, a shadow city of lost and forgotten people, places, and times. His companions are Door, who is trying to find out who hired the assassins who murdered her family and why; the Marquis of Carabas, a trickster who trades services for very big favors; and Hunter, a mysterious lady who guards bodies and hunts only the biggest game.

I will say that having my attention captured by a book revolving around people who live in a dark sewer underneath a dirty city is quite remarkable. The lead character, Richard Mayhew, was an ordinary guy with a big heart and that's why I enjoyed the book. He meets so many fascinating characters (some of them drove me crazy, however!) and proves over and over that people with kind hearts can do a lot to save the people they love.

My favorite kind of story is one where an ordinary guy (or girl) finds that he's actually extraordinary in the end. I kept hoping that at some point he'd gain some special power or prove that he was born for this particular adventure. Nothing quite like that happened, but the thing is... I still loved the story! Richard grew and overcame difficult circumstances, which is very important.

One thing I did not enjoy was his companion, Door. She drove me a little crazy with her mood swings. One moment, she was running to him for help and guidance; in the next chapter she was ditching him due to his incompetant ways in the underworld. I was never quite sure how she felt about him. Maybe that was the point...

Overall, great job from a wildly successful author! And although I didn't enjoy the theme (again, the sewage thing was a turnoff) as much as his screenplays (i.e. Coraline, Mirrormask), I would still give this book a 3.5 out of 5.

Review of The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

OK, I am an Alice Hoffman addict. This means I read her blog, have her web site listed in my favorite places, and whenever I hear about a new book she's writing I am filled with excitement and count down the days till I can go and buy it. The Probable Future is one of my all-time favorite Hoffman books. There's a whole lot of realistic, fully-realized characters, a big mystery, and a little witchcraft thrown in just for fun.

The whole story is centered around a New England family who are blessed (or cursed, depending) with special gifts. Each of the Sparrow women, upon reaching her 13th birthday, is given a supernatural gift. Elinor, the dying matriarch of the Sparrow family, has the ability to discern liars. Her estranged daughter, Jenny Avery, can divine other people's dreams. Jenny Avery is a single mom who never liked having this so-called 'gift'; she wanted to be normal. She left home as soon as she could, trying to get away from a mother who didn't seem to care for her, and a town where she was kind of an outcast. As a mother she is wholly dedicated to giving her daughter a normal, happy life. She worries about her daughter constantly. She's a hard worker, she's responsible...and obviously she's my favorite character in the book! She hopes when her daughter Stella turns 13 that everything will stay the same, but alas, this isn't the case. Stella's 'gift' is the ability to see how people will die.

When Stella asks her father, Will, to try to prevent a death, he ends up becoming a murder suspect, and her mother sends her to live with Elinor at the mysterious Cake House where Jenny grew up. It's a murder mystery, it's a character story, and it's completely magical.

One thing I love about this book (and about most of Hoffman's writing) is that none of the characters are one-dimensional. Even Jenny's ex-husband, who you begin to think is just an alcoholic, philandering, jerk has another side, and you get to see the sadness and deep pain of a man who's been careless with the things that mattered most to him. Each character has their own story and I was fully immersed in each one. I found myself missing my favorite characters after I put the book down, and wishing there was a sequel so I could find out how they were doing. Ridiculous really, but a sign of a good book!

- Susie

Susie's 'Uglies' Review

Well if you have read Christie's synopsis of The Uglies series, then you will know what the basic premise of the stories is about. If you haven't read it, then you can scroll down to see it:

The minute I started reading The Uglies I knew I was in for a ride. I don't read a lot of Young Adult fiction or science fiction, so this was a perfect introduction for me. I felt like I was on some kind of roller coaster ride that I really didn't want to get off of. The atmospheres are beautifully written, and I felt like I could envision every scene perfectly; from the mountain of white flowers that goes up in flames, to the towering, decapitated buildings in 'the rusty ruins'. The landscapes that Tally encounters on her travels are both beautiful and treacherous, as she's discovering the vastness of the world outside of 'new pretty town'.

Out of the three books, The Uglies was my favorite. I liked the precarious situation that Tally was in, I liked her life-risking travel to 'the Smoke' where one minute everything was fine and the next minute she's in the middle of flames or falling down a cliff. It was all very exciting, and I found myself ignoring the housework and the dishes while I read it as fast as I could.
The book gave an interesting perspective on how much importance is placed on looks, and the idea of everyone having this 'makeover' surgery when they're 16 doesn't seem that strange anymore. The line "I'm Tally Youngblood. Make me pretty." goes through my head a lot since I've read it. The book really ends with a bang.

The Pretties was my least favorite of the three. I just had a hard time appreciating any of the characters as 'pretties' and the futuristic lingo got a little old after a while. I guess it wasn't a problem with the book being flawed, as much as I just didn't enjoy the atmosphere, the characters nearly as much when they are 'pretty minded'.
I think Shay was one of the more interesting characters in this book, forming her own group called 'the Cutters' who cut themselves in order to be able to stay 'bubbly'. 'Bubbly' means that they can see things more clearly even though their brains were altered when they underwent 'pretty' surgery. The people running this futuristic world want everyone to be pretty, happy, and very, very stupid...this way (they hope) everyone will get along and there will be no more wars, etc,..

Specials was nearly my favorite, it was so good. I really love seeing Tally more as a loner type, and this book kind of brought that back. It was very cool seeing her as "the bad guy" and seeing the conflict as she struggles with feelings of love and right and wrong, versus the feelings she has been programmed to see. As a special she has been designed to feel superior, and hate others inferiorities, and to obey the orders of the villain, Dr. Cable. I really actually find myself liking Dr. Cable in a really weird way.

Specials is darker, which I generally like. At the end I definitely felt good about having read all three books, and was glad I had given them my time. I would very much recommend these books to anyone.

Review: Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

I'm wracking my (very fried) brain and I can't think of where I first discovered this series, but I loved the plot idea and, although I wasn't willing to buy the series and resorted to loaning it from friends, I read all three books in rapid succession.

I got this synopsis from IMDb.com because they are turning the series into movies!!!

In the future children are "Uglies" until they turn 16. On their 16th birthday they get to become "Pretties" by surgery. Tally, a rule breaking teen befriends a girl named Shay. Shay is unsure about the surgery and runs away. When Tally's 16th birthday comes Tally must make an awful decision:she must either betray and turn in Shay on never turn "Pretty" and be "Ugly" forever Written by Selena

In 300 years, normal people are "Uglies" until they turn sixteen and have plastic surgery done to be transformed into the bubble headed "Pretties" who move to the glamorous part of town. The main character, Tally, is threatened with being denied the procedure unless she spies on a friend, Shay, who skipped the operation and joined a rebellious group, The Smoke.

Uglies focuses on Tally's relationship with Shay and with a "Smoke" boy named David. Of the three books (Uglies, Pretties, Specials), I enjoyed this one the least. I felt that it was fairly shallow and I didn't really relate to any of the characters. Perhaps this was simply because I was getting used to the "fluffy" writing, which I believe Westerfeld did on purpose. When I read Pretties, I began to appreciate the author's consistant "from the character's personality" writing that drove the book (very important since the theme of book 2 was about being a shallow "bubblehead" pretty). Book 3, Specials, was by far my favorite. I loved LOVED that Tally was turned - through brainwashing surgery - into one of the "bad guys" but we still felt for her. The book was written from her (unknowingly) skewed perspective, making the reader question who was actually right - Tally or Shay or David?

Although the adventures were fairly quick and not that engaging (aside from the finale in book 3, which I loved), the concept drew me in. I guess I'd call myself an environmentalist, and like to read anything that shows YA that we are destroying the earth by drilling for oil, warring with each other, building huge metal buildings and cutting down all the trees. This book gives a fair description of what could happen if we continue with our destructive behaviors. And for that, I have made Scott Westerfeld my "most want to meet in person" author. His backstory and ideas are ingenious.

If I had a rating system (which we need to get set up!), I would give this book:

5 out of 5 for concept ideas
4 out of 5 for engaging story
4 out of 5 for writing
3 out of 5 for character development

- Christina

Twilight Review

She may not be my favorite author, but I can't escape the fact that I am insanely jealous of her easy entrance into the world of cult fiction. What I wouldn't give to be able to have that kind of fan energy....

So in honor of a woman I admire - and to answer my (modest amount of) own fans who've asked my opinion of the infamous Twilight Series, here goes.

When I first started reading Twilight, I was nearly shaking with excitement. The books were long and I like that (more good stuff!). I read the first book July of 2008 within about 48 hours and enjoyed it quite thoroughly, disappointed when it ended. I loved many of the characters, especially Alice, Esme, Jasper and Carlisle.

Regarding Bella: I enjoyed reading about a girl who is bad at sports, has very white skin and isn't regarded as "the cool girl." However, I found her relationship with Edward displeasing almost instantly. I love a good romance; I do NOT like a romance that is held together by an insatiable need to...what? be together forever? be with someone who excites you? be near someone just because you HAVE TO BE? I wasn't exactly sure WHY they were together and thus my love of Bella began to fade. As the series continues, Bella becomes a very needy girl who can't be away from Edward at all.

Edward? Well, something about the books always bothered me. I didn't exactly know what it was until those "Team Edward/Team Jacob" tees came out. That's when I realized that I was - unintentionally - a Team Jacob girl. Edward makes Bella desperate, heart stricken, shaking from the cold, and, well faint just from kissing him! Jacob builds her a motorcycle, takes her for walks on the beach, and makes her smile!

My conclusion: The premise was fun (cute girl stricken by boy she can't exactly have), the writing was fast and easy to read (not JK Rowling, but nothing to complain about really), and although I wanted to throw Eclipse across the room (or rather, the London airport, where I read the entire book last summer) because of her unrationalized need for a vampire who refuses to turn her, I read every book (and re-read many parts of Breaking Dawn). I mean, let's face it: it's not every day you turn into a gorgeous, super fast and strong, immortal vampire. But when it comes to the romance, a little "why I love him" would be nice. And no, the answer can't be "because I can't be without him."

The Time Traveler's Wife Review

I was very enthusiastic about reading the Time Traveler's Wife after seeing the incredible reviews it got. This book certainly did not disappoint. Just as I was thinking 'this really doesn't make sense', everything started fitting together perfectly.

The Time Traveler's Wife is about a man, Henry, who has "Chrono Displacement" disorder. This means that he has the ability to spontaneously jump to different sequences in time. He does this by no will of his own, and he has no control over where or when he will appear (completely naked I might add) in time. That's right. Every time he passes through time he appears, stark naked, without any idea of where he is or what year he has arrived in.

He first meets his wife, Clare, when he is 28 and she is 20. She runs up to him and exclaims that she's known him her entire life. This is all news to him however, as he's never seen her before. However, when he reaches his 40's he finds himself traveling back in time to Clare's childhood and meeting her as a 6-year-old. She knows a whole lot about Henry that he doesn't know, and the book alternates between his viewpoint and hers. The reader gets to experience the frustrations Clare experiences, as a woman who never knows when her husband will disappear and for how long, or if he is safe. We also get to 'travel' with Henry as he ends up in sometimes beautiful, sometimes precarious situations.

Instead of being purely science fiction, this book weaves together an amazing love story that deals with complex ideas - time travel, marriage, children, religion, death, loss - and it weaves them all together in an honest way that really makes you feel like you can understand the characters. These aren't perfect people; they each have flaws, and make mistakes, and at times I found myself not liking things that they did. However, at the end if you haven't shed at least a few tears for them then you have a heart made of stone. Seriously.

So I highly recommend this book, and I also highly suggest that you read it before it's upcoming theatrical release on August 14th. I have no idea if they will destroy this story on screen or make it worthwhile. I'm posting the trailer here if you're interested, but in my opinion the trailer is severely lacking the darkness or the science fiction aspects of the book. It kind of looks like they took this amazing book and turned it into a really sappy chick flick. The book has many male and female fans, and many feel the same way I do about the trailer. Some love it, some absolutely detest it. I'm not really liking it, but I'm hoping it will surprise me. I will definitely see it either way.

Susie's July Book Reviews

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I am currently on page 140 of this twisted, mind-bending love story. I'll let you know what I think (and if I can apply logic to it at all) when I'm done!

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
This has been a favorite of mine since I first read it five years ago.
Alice Hoffman is always gifted at combining a supernatural storyline with realistic, believable characters. Check back to find out what you're missing if you don't read it!

Upcoming Book Reviews - July 2009

During the month of July, get ready for reviews by Christina Harner of the following books:



Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
Now that I'm a YA author, everyone asks what I think of the Twilight series. So, I'm going to just give my opinion once and for all and be done with it!





The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
I'm just about finished with Specials, the final book in a trilogy that sheds new light on what our future could look like as nature-thwarting human beings.


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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
One of the books that spurred me on to a higher standard of writing.

Our First Post

Welcome to our BFF Blog! I will update this post in the future.

Susie - I think if we both review the same book, we should just edit the post of whichever of us started it. So that it will be like "synopsis, links, my review, your review" all on one post.
Also, I'll change our header once we get the pic. I'm so excited!!!!

Christy