Category Teen Books

Jan 20 2016
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Book Review: Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch

perfectedTitle: Perfected

Author: Kate Jarvik Birch

Series: Perfected #1

Genre: Teen Dystopian [ish]

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Perfection comes at a price. As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows… and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating. But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving… and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.

The Review:

Perfected was my FAVORITE read of 2014. That’s right, 20-frigging-14! And I loved it so much that I hadn’t felt ready to compose a review for it up until this point (which is really stupid considering how often I find myself talking about it, even over a year later). Have you ever enjoyed something so much that no matter how much you gush about it in a review, it never seems to do it justice? That’s how I feel about Perfected – it was such an experience!

I’m a self-proclaimed addict of the sub genre “girls wearing pretty dresses in a slightly dystopic era” and Perfected is right up there alongside Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden Trilogy. Birch created an intriguing fraction of society that puts on a glamorous, prestigious face to hide some pretty messed up practices. I mean, breeding and selling tiny, genetically engineered girls as pets?? That’s pretty disturbing, and it comes along with a whole host of nasty issues that Birch does an excellent job of acknowledging without dwelling on it (until the second book, which expands on many of these dark issues in a way that breaks your heart while at the same time giving the main character insights and epiphanies she needed to grow in strength and determination… more to come on that in my upcoming review of Tarnished).

Despite all this grit surrounding a fascinating main character, Birch found a way to tell a beautifully innocent love story, and do so with writing that was beautiful and poetic without ever becoming flowery or overdone. It struck a chord with me, which is why I can still vividly remember every bit of Perfected over a year later, and I’m already feeling the itch for a reread.

Overall, Perfected has landed itself as one of my all-time favorites, and I find myself talking about it often and passionately. It was just so well done and unique! If you enjoyed any of my recommends below, I suspect (and hope) you’ll love Perfected just as much!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

 

Jan 12 2016
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Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen #1

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart …

The Review:

If I’d stopped reading Red Queen about a third of the way in, my rating would’ve been close to five stars and my review would’ve been praises out the wazoo – I loved the concept, the setting, the organic relationships, and the trajectory of the story. However, in the pages that followed, I found myself becoming increasingly disengaged with the story until it was honestly a struggle to finish. O_o what happened?! Loads of people LOVED this book, which made me wonder what was wrong with me and had me earnestly considering the possibility that I’m burnt out on YA. Okay, I know that’s a bit mellow-dramatic, but seriously, this is not the first time I’ve lost patience with a YA book/series that the blogosphere was going apeshit over (Throne of Glass #3 & The Winner’s Crime, to name a couple). Although I have read a handful of teen books I absolutely loved over the last couple of years, it is clear that the more I read, the higher my expectations become.

My desire for this review is not to bash the book, by any means – I know a ton of people are going to really love it – but I feel the strong need to analyze exactly why the last two thirds of the book just didn’t work for me. Here goes:

There was one circumstance surrounding my reading experience that helps shed light on my opinions of Red Queen: I had just finished the most recent book in the Game of Thrones series (A Dance with Dragons). I’d had 1100+ pages to get use to expansive world building, complex and widespread conflicts, and (most notably) a memorable cast of shrewd royals who always demonstrated clear motive, direction and, even more importantly, a fierce protectiveness over their children – heirs to the thrones representing the pivotal futures for each family. Switch gears to Red Queen, it really bothered me how casual the decision-making of the royals was (lacking any clear motive that I could see at the time) and how seemingly illogical that decision-making manifested in regards to the heirs. Some motives became clearer as the story went on, but unfortunately that did nothing to alleviate all the frustration I felt early on, it just slapped a Band-Aid on after my patience had long since bled out.

Recognizing motives and getting a clear sense of character early on is really important to me, and there were parts that were done brilliantly (like with Mare’s family) and parts that left me wanting (enter the royals, where it felt almost as if the author assigned them certain M.O.s early on, only to change her mind halfway through the story and start over).

I also really liked the main character at first, finding her lack of ambition and skills oddly interesting in a market where the heroines always seem to be adept at EVERYTHING. But when the story needed her to be clever, putting her in a position where she could really manipulate gameboard and affect change, she contented herself with incessantly complaining that things were unfair without EVER presenting an idea to help make it better. I found it insufferable. I mean, offer a solution or shut up – you’re not helping the problem. My trending thought was – the royals are sure lucky she wasn’t a bit more clever or autonomous, else the entire plot would have crumbled. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe her personal story arc will be that she finally figures out how to stop being a pawn and start moving the chess pieces herself. That would be great, I just don’t think I have the patience to keep reading long enough to see her get there.

Overall, how much I loved the first part of the book balances out with how much I didn’t love the rest. There were a ton of awesome story elements that just didn’t quite all come together for me. I doubt many other readers would be nearly as critical as I was, and will probably recommend this one a fair amount despite my own personal reservations. It has many elements that account for its popularity and I am (as usual of late) in the minority.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 7 2016
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Book Review: How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Title: How to Ditch Your Fairy

Author: Justine Larbalestier

Series: N/A

Genre: Teen Fiction

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: Welcome to New Avalon, where everyone has a personal fairy. Though invisible to the naked eye, a personal fairy — like a specialized good luck charm — is vital to a person’s success. It might determine whether you make a sports team, pass a class, or find that perfect outfit. But for fourteen-year-old Charlie, having a parking fairy is worse than having nothing at all — especially when the school bully carts her around like his private parking pass.

Enter: The Plan. At first, teaming up with her archenemy Fiorenze (who has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy), seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart’s desire, it isn’t at all how she thought it would be, and she’ll have resort to extraordinary measures to set things right.

The Review:

I admit I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book of my own accord, but my best friend (who has impeccable taste in books) claimed it early on as one of her favorites, talking about it for years. When it got chosen for our book club, I finally had the excuse I needed to drop everything else and pick it up. And you know what? I liked it.

I will also admit that I was a bit wary at first – I haven’t had the best patience with books geared towards younger audiences lately, so I was worried it would be too immature for my tastes. While it definitely had a younger feel (largely because of the subject-matter) the author wrote it in a way I found accessible (and entertaining) as an adult. It made me nostalgic of all of the books I read when I was a tween, and that aspect was easily my favorite component of the book.

I also loved the concept – come on! A fictitious world in which people towed around invisible fairies who offered them various forms of luck? Not to mention the rules surrounding this phenomenon were as complex as they were weird. It was a recipe for fun, and led to a couple of laugh out loud moments for me as the main character fought to get rid of a fairy she most desperately despised. This concept made for both entertaining reading and some excellent discussion at our book club meeting – we all tried to figure out what type of fairy each of us had and, even more fun, speculate on the types of fairies we’d like to have (for example, it was unanimously determined that I am in the possession of an “organization” fairy, as I always manage to make things fit (gorgeously) into a given space… with a possible “color-coding” fairy as my secondary. If I could, I’d opt for a “sleep” fairy that would allow me to wake up refreshed no matter how little I slept – just think of all the books I could read with all that extra time!).

Anyway, back to the actual book, aside from some weird made up words that led to some confusion (which could’ve been avoided had I realize there was a glossary at the back… why don’t they ever indicate that within the text?), How to Ditch Your Fairy was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend it for younger teen girls or adults in the mood for something 100% lighthearted and fun.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 8 2015
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ARC Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Soundless by Richelle Mead

Title: Soundless

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Stand-Alone

Genre: Teen Fiction

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation. But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

The Review:

Since I’d been stalking the author, the publisher, and all my blogging friends for the chance to snag an early copy of Soundless since the cover was first revealed in March, you can imagine how off-the-wall excited I was to be selected by Penguin’s First to Read program to receive a digital copy (thank you First to Read – you made my year!).

And, at the end of the day, all that clamoring was worth it – Soundless was a great read!

The setting, cultural immersion, and unique conflict (nobody in this mining town can hear, and now they’re all starting to lose their vision, too) were easily my favorite elements to the story. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything quite like it, so major kudos to Mead for originality.

But all the great atmosphere in the world wouldn’t be worth as much if there weren’t also compelling characters to go along with it. I really enjoyed seeing the world through Fei’s eyes (and hearing it, for that matter – it was fascinating to be immersed in someone experiencing sound for the first time). I also loved her interactions with the other characters – specifically with her sister and the love interest. Fei always seemed a strong, capable girl, and that’s definitely what I like to see in my YA heroines. Could she have possibly used her sharp wit a little more often? Probably, but I think that over-criticism stems from how enamored I still am with the brilliance that is Sydney Sage (Bloodlines), so I guess maybe I should cut Fei some slack. :-)

I’ve read everything Richelle Mead has published, and one of the main reasons she’s one of my top authors is the experience she creates by building this amazing momentum across each respective series. The stories always climb steadily for a long while before finally hurtling towards the end like one giant snowball. It’s truly fantastic! And while I feel Soundless had a decent bit of that momentum, at the end of the day, there’s just no way for a stand-alone novel to compete with a six book series – there’s just simply not enough time! I believe this is the only reason I wasn’t quite as emotionally invested as I have been with her works in the past, but Soundless was still a great story – one I’m sure I’ll find myself recommending often.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 22 2015
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Mini Book Review: Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Title: Bitter Kingdom

Author: Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns #3

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Elisa is a fugitive. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight. Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy’s kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history. But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for. Even of those who hate her most.

The Mini Review:

Since The Girl of Fire and Thorns solidified itself as my favorite YA Fantasy last year, I have lost a lot of fangirl points by not posting a review of this 3rd book long before now. Since Carson’s new book, Walk on Earth a Stranger (which is most excellent – review to come), is out today, I figured now is as good of time as any. While reflecting on the series, I think the 1st one was the best, but definitely appreciate Bitter Kingdom for its satisfying resolution to the story. I feel like I’ve gotten to see the many wonders this world has to offer and that exploration is easily one of my fondest takeaways from this series (and the love story, and the strong/memorable characters, and the inspiring conflicts… Okay, I’m basically fond about everything). I’m still thinking about the ending to this book over a year later (yeah, my TBReviewed log goes back that far… #fail) and that’s part of the reason why the series is among my all-time favorites – it’s the type of story that sticks with you.

Overall, the Fire and Thorns series is my #1 recommend for the teen fantasy genre, even over Throne of Glass. The main character, Elise, is amazing, the love story is epic, and the adventure is endless! Read it. Read it NOW! ;-)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 21 2015
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Book Review: The White Rose by Amy Ewing

October 6, 2015Title: The White Rose

Author: Amy Ewing

Series: The Lone City #2

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude. But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm. But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

The Review:

I admit that, even though I fangirled over The Jewel for several months after finishing it (heck, even before I actually read it – have you seen that cover??), I didn’t think the second book would be nearly as good (jaded reader, party of one). But you know what? The White Rose was awesome and I take back all of the judgy, negative feels I had about it.

It started out with a bang and didn’t really let up until the end. Great pacing aside, I loved the half-dozen amazing things I learned in this book about the characters, the city, the magic… I could go on, but suffice to say it was basically one big revelation after another as many of my questions were answered (and were inevitably replaced by several much more desperate ones). So I’m basically torn between happiness and how much I liked The White Rose and FREAKING OUT that I have to wait another year to find out what happens next (seriously, why does this always happen to me? ::sobs::). Okay, I’m done being a baby (mostly), but it’s worth noting that I think The Lone City series is totally worth the wait.

In my review of The Jewel, I stated several very specific reasons why I liked it (yes, I’m quoting myself):

I found everything about The Jewel a mite unexpected. The love interest was fantastically unconventional, all of the characters showed duality, the subject matter was slightly more serious than a typical YA, and the plot never followed the route I thought it would. All of these elements were delightful twists that made the book stand out that much more.

And the best thing is, all of these things are still true about The White Rose. I still don’t know where the story is going (even though I have several speculations), and in a world of predictable YA storytelling, that’s an exciting thing!

I’m a huge fan of The Selection Trilogy, and the series will definitely put you in a similar kind of mood. While the Lone City (so far) lacks just a little bit of the magic that made The Selection so addicting, it makes up for it with the great writing, more robust world building, fewer plot holes, and loads of memorable moments. My only qualm is that the ending felt too rushed (which I bet I wouldn’t have noticed if the third one were out because I would’ve just kept going #getoveritalready). The moral of the story is, I happily recommend this series along with these:

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes