Before I Fall Author: Lauren Oliver Genre: Romance, Death, Time-Travel Pages: 470 Publisher: HarperCollins Before I Fall follows Samantha Kingston's last day -- Well, her last day seven different ways. I've never been a huge fan of dying books, but this one painted it a little differently.
Samantha Kingston is killed in a car accident after a party. Before she completely leaves this world, she relives her last day seven times. Each time she makes different choices and learns a little more about the people she's leaving behind.
I enjoyed Oliver's ability to show people as the complex beings they are. Initially, the book starts with a very typical day of a popular high school girl. I was honestly really annoyed and didn't enjoy reliving the stereotypes of high school. But as the book progresses, it shows each character a little more complexly. Because the focus was on imagining people complexly, the book avoided becoming too didactic. Even though it does carry some heavy morals (Like, I don't know, don't drink and drive, don't have sex, don't put up with a crappy boyfriend, spend time with your family, be nice to people, to name just a few) it's not weighed down by them. The morals happen as a result of the storytelling, not the other way round.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Author: Ransom Riggs Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adventure Pages: 352 Publisher: Quirk Books Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children isn't like any book I've ever read. And I've read a lot of books.
The plot and premises are slightly similar to Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, but the novel includes enough fresh material to be completely different.
The story follows Jacob, a young boy with eccentric parents and a grandfather who tells stories. His grandfather's stories about peculiar children, a magical island, and frightful monsters seem a little tall to be true. But after a tragedy, Jacob starts to reconsider his grandfather's tales. His search for the truth takes him across the world on an adventure.
I didn't really know what to expect when I picked it up, but the strange pictures and the strong writing pulled me in. I stood reading in front of a Barnes and Noble bookshelf for 10 minutes before I accepted that I couldn't put it down and might as well buy it.
Ransom Riggs lets his voice through the pages, and his use of imagery and description is right on. I found myself on the verge of tears, panic, and laughter in every chapter. His vivid imagery moves the reader.
Even if the book didn't have a signature plot and voice, the pictures set it apart. Ransom Riggs collects old photographs of people he doesn't know. The book is illustrated with some of the strangest of these, which lend a validity and flavor to the story that other fantasy novels don't have. The photographs, like the story, are beautiful and haunting.
This is a moving, beautifully created piece of art.
Divergent Author: Veronica Roth Genre: Dystopia, Action, Romance Pages: 576 Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
I'll be honest, I was a little excited to read Divergent. I saw it on the Top Ten List on Goodreads, and a friend liked it, so I figured it had to be good.
And it was. But about 10 minutes into reading, about chapter 5, I found myself on a roller coaster. The old, white roller coaster at Lagoon, to be exact.
Just like that old ride, this book took too long to pick up speed, was a replica of everything remotely similar, and ridiculously predictable.
The book is set in a Futuristic-Dystopian Chicago and is told by a 16 year old named Beatrice. She must choose to spend the rest of her life in one of five "factions," tribes that focus on a single trait (Abnegation, Candor, Erudite, Amity, Dauntless). Her unexpected choice sets larger political wheels in motion.
If you took the Hunger Games, gave it 4 instead of 12 districts, made the protagonist blonde and slim, made the Games slightly less gory, and removed the sickening love triangle, you'd have Divergent. Like Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth tells her story in present tense, which tends to whip the story past textual gaps at a breathtaking pace. For a style that quickly moves the reader into the text, I found myself on page 301 wondering when something was going to happen. Eventually the expected bloodbath gets underway, and the plot hurdles itself into a lofty cliffhanger.
"The [no spoilers] guards close the gate and lock it behind them. The lock is on the outside. I bite my lip. Why would they lock the gate from the outside and not the inside? It almost seems like they don't want to keep something out; they want to keep us in." - Page 128
Too bad this great little piece of premonition never actually gets used in the plot. I could probably handle the ragged textual gaps, since the plot is still engaging, if it wasn't for the romance. OK, I know it's YA lit and it has to have some romantic interest for the fantasizing 13 year olds, but really? Does it have to come in this kind of packaging and volume?
"I know exactly how much space is between us. Six inches. I lean. Less than six inches. I feel warmer, like he's giving off some kind of energy that I am only now close enough to feel. " - Page 240
" 'Fine.' He leans his face closer to mine, his eyes focusing on my chin, my lips, my nose. 'I watched you because I like you.' He says it plainly, boldly, and his eyes flick up to mine." - Page 337
While I know that neither of these quotes is necessarily disgusting, it's the frequency that does it to me. Dear Veronica, can we have at least some interaction between characters that's not charged with teenage lust? It wears me out. Sincerely, Kate
Divergent is clearly riding the tidal wave of YA dystopia/brave female protagonist/Byronic hero novels, but it's still entertaining. Like the old roller coaster, it's a bit disappointing, but perhaps there's a reason people still stand in line for it.
Next Post: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Genre: Pure Awesomeness, Romance, Adventure, Journey.
Summery: Quentin grew up next door to the perfectly awesome Margo Roth Speigelman. They have adventures as kids and then eventually grow farther and farther apart as they grow older. By the time they're in High School, Margo has a brilliantly cultivated bada$$ image, and Quentin is a certified band geek. But one night, Margo pulls Quentin back into her life- right before she disappears. Quentin has to understand Margo before he can find her.
Response: Totally loved it. Although the plot may sound a bit stale, it's gripping and unpredictable. The characters are very well done- not at all the typical HS romance. I got a side cramp from laughing while reading it, but it also has some deeper themes woven into it as well. This is one book I had to buy.
Word of Caution: Language, sexual references, crude humor.
How Joe Succeeded Written by Mary Morrison Published by David C. Cook in 1905 64 pages.
Genre: Adventure, Journey.
Summery: Joe is a lazy 16 year old boy, so his uncle sends him to work at a lumbercamp. Joe learns to work, the value of money, the vice of gambling, and the meaning of success.
Response: A fun, quick look into the early 20th century. I enjoyed it. Not very deep characters or storyline, but a fun book.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Written by Ann Petry
Published by Amistad in 1995
256 pages.
Genre: History, Nonfiction.
Summery: This book tells the story of the remarkable woman named Harriet Tubman. It tells about her childhood as a slave, how she ran away as a young woman, her many years rescuing slaves, and her work as a spy in the Civil War.
Response: I enjoyed this book. I knew a little about Harriet Tubman, but this book helped me appreciate and admire her a lot more. Well-written as a story, not as dry as some history books.
Word of Caution: Tells about her sometimes violent life as a slave.
Summery: Everything seems to go wrong to Percy Jackson. He's never been to a school that he didn't get kicked out of. But this school will be better, right? Wrong. He gets kicked out, but this time he finds out why. He's a demigod, and Zeus thinks Percy stole his lightning bolt. Percy has to find it to prove his innocence- and soon.
Response: Loved it. Well-written, likeable characters, with a fast and mostly unpredictable plot.
