Book review: "Navigating Early" by Clare Vanderpool

Title: Navigating Early
Author: Clare Vanderpool
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2013

After his mother dies suddenly, Jack Baker is sent to a boy's boarding school in Maine, far from his home in Kansas, his distant father who has just returned from the warfront, and all of his memories of life before. He doesn't feel at home at Morton Hill Academy and tries to fit in with mixed results until he meets Early Auden, "that strangest of boys." It becomes clear that Early's brain works differently than most people's, and this eventually leads both boys on an adventure in the Maine wilderness, up the Appalachian trail in search of something. Whether it's the end of the story of the number pi, the great Appalachian black bear, or something a little less attainable, Jack and Early go and seek it out.

I enjoyed this 2014 Printz Honor title much more than I thought I would. It is a grand adventure, with pretty real danger, a fully human cast of characters (with perhaps the exception of the bear and dear old Bucky the frog), and grief in many forms. I think every character deals with some sort of grief, and each processes it in a different way.

I'm not sure I completely liked the parallel of Early's story of Pi, who is a character with his own tale, and Early and Jack's story. There was just a bit too much suspension of disbelief that these two stories so closely mirrored each other, mostly with the Ancient One part. It just felt off to me. But it's a small quibble, because in the end everything comes together beautifully, with some nice twists and turns in the journey, much like the Appalachian Trail itself.

Take a look at this book if you like a tale within a tale, reading about the Maine wilderness, mystery, quests, or a good old-fashioned adventure story.

Disclaimer: I received a free galley of this book from the publisher... a year ago. Sorry it took so long!

Book review: "Will in Scarlet" by Matthew Cody

Title: Will in Scarlet
Author: Matthew Cody
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013

Will Shackley has grown up in a life of privilege, the son of a lord and sole heir to his father's household and keep. He spends his free time causing mischief, but must grow up quickly when he is forced to flee the only life he knows for one of uncertainty, danger, and revenge. Luckily, he is captured by a band of outlaws known as the Merry Men, who hope to gain a ransom for the young lad on such a fine horse.

Will, who renames himself Will Scarlet after a childhood nickname, manages to extend his life long enough to convince Much (a girl disguised as a boy), John Little the giant, and Rob, the band's drunk, to join him on a raid of his former home with the promise of a treasure. Of course, things don't go according to neither Will's nor the Merry Men's plan, and life gets even more interesting.

You really have to go into this book not expecting a straight-up Robin Hood retelling. This is much more of an origin story, before Robin was heroic and confident, before Will Scarlet was part of the Merry Men, before the Sheriff of Nottingham was the low and dastardly man we know. It really gives us a different way of looking at the characters, and as an adventure story it's very good, though a bit slow in the beginning. If some of the part about Will in his childhood home (also a castle) were trimmed a bit, I think it would be easier to get into. Yet once the action started I flew through it. 

I'm hoping there will be a follow up, since I'd like to hear more about these characters and their history. Plus, we haven't gotten to Friar Tuck just yet, and Maid Marian only has a not-even-really-passing mention. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good medieval adventure tale with swords and trickery and good-hearted thieves. Knowing the Robin Hood tale is a plus, but if you're a huge fan just keep an open mind and stick with it because it won't be what you expect.

Disclosure: I received this e-galley from Edelweiss as a librarian reviewer. NetGalley rejected my request, boo.

Book review: "In Too Deep" by Coert Voorhees

Title: In Too Deep
Author: Coert Voorhees
Publisher: Disney Book Group; July 9, 2013

This is a good old-fashioned treasure-hunting adventure. Well, maybe not exactly old-fashioned. Annie is an expert scuba diver, seeing as how her mother owns a dive shop in Los Angeles, and she is way into the historical treasures that have been lost over the centuries, thanks to her history teacher and treasure loving father. These two things lead Annie to an adventure she never dreamed she could be a part of. During a spring break trip to Mexico, her teacher who also happens to be a part-time treasure hunter enlists her help in finding the Golden Jaguar, a mythical golden statue that was said to have been lost centuries ago and was purportedly hidden by Cortes. Annie eventually finds herself on a secret treasure hunt with her super huge (and super rich) crush, Josh, son of an Oscar-winning actress—and trying to stay one step ahead of dangerous men who want the jaguar even more than they do.

While I was reading this book, I eventually came to the conclusion that I felt like I was reading a book version of a Disney original movie. It had that playfulness I associate with those cheesy movies, and the dialogue was pretty similar as well, though it might have been a bit funnier and wittier. I found myself chuckling a few times at some of the things Annie or her friends say.

If you like traveling through literature, this is a nice choice to take a quick vacation. They hit Mexico, Hawaii, and go up and down the coast of California, all while looking for clues to this treasure. I could have used more description of setting, but I'm greedy like that when it comes to Hawaii. Side note: I am kind of upset that they went to Molokai and there is only a passing reference to the fact that the island was a leper colony for years. Voorhees had the opportunity to talk about real history and decided to forgo it for "history" that is most likely largely fabricated.

This is pretty fast-paced with a cute little romance, helped along by enormous amounts of money. Annie is not rich herself, but her friends are all either in show business or related to someone in show business. Funds eventually become unlimited, leaving plenty of room for the action to progress without a financial hitch. Not exactly believable in most circumstances, but after all we're reading about treasure hunters and what I guess you could call pirates, so I'm already fine with suspending my disbelief.

If you want a cute, action-adventure rom-com, especially one set in sunny and exotic locales, give this one a shot.

Disclosure: I got this e-book via NetGalley.

Book Review: "Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman

Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012

You may have read some rave reviews of this high fantasy novel lately, and all of them were right. This is a wonderfully refreshing return to what fantasy should be, with a fully realized and well-constructed world and dynamite characters.

In Goredd, a tense peace exists between humans and dragons, the latter of whom can transform into human form. Seraphina, the new assistant to the royal music coordinator/conductor/composer, has the most dangerous secret she can have in this world: she is half dragon. Passing as fully human, she must hide what she is, something that is so unthinkable that humans and dragons alike cannot conceive that something like her can exist.

Right at the beginning of the novel, we discover a member of the royal family has been killed in a particularly draconian way. Because of her insight into dragonkind, taught to her by her tutor and relative Orma, she finds herself deep in the intrigue and conspiracy that follows the murder, all while trying to stave off visions and keeping the characters in these visions from driving her insane.

Set in a medieval fantasy world, Seraphina reminds me of the classic fantasy from days of old. It's not only incredibly well written, it seems to be very well researched as well. Hartman did her homework when it comes to instruments, tools, and other aspects of medieval life that she worked into Goredd and the countries surrounding it. I also found her construction of the religion of Goredd fascinating, though I'm not entirely sure I understand it—basically they worship a large number of saints and believe in Heaven, but no one deity. I'm hoping we learn more about it in the next book.

It's clear that dragonkind and humankind pitted up against each other is metaphorical for race relations in our world, and it works very well. Having to hide her parentage affects Seraphina in distressing ways, but it is inspiring and heartening to see how she handles it and uses it for herself and for her people. Again, I'm interested to see where Hartman takes this in the next installment.

Coupled with the carefully built world, we have a thrilling plot, mystery, and a bit of romance. Seraphina and Lucian Kiggs, the captain of the royal guard who is also a prince of the kingdom, investigate the murder of Kiggs's uncle, leading to some very dangerous situations. Seraphina also discovers things about her mother, dragon intrigue, and what she truly is a part of bit by bit through her visions and unexpected meetings at the palace. All through the book I wanted to find out who did what and what would happen next. I still want to know, since it's quite clear there will be a sequel, though the ending here is satisfying and no intense cliffhanger.

One note: There is a glossary and list of characters at the very end, which is nice to have. After reading through them, a few things were a bit clearer to me about the world.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Book review: "The Grimm Legacy" by Polly Shulman

Title: The Grimm Legacy

Author: Polly Shulman

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2010

Elizabeth's new job is one she never thought she'd have. She works at the New York Circulating Material Repository, a lending library of sorts that loans out objects instead of books. She's delighted with her new position as page, one she got on the recommendation of her social studies teacher after she writes a research paper on the Brothers Grimm. And being the new girl at school coupled with a new stepfamily who treats her as a lesser, she is happy to have a place to spend her time. Soon she is let in on the secret, special collections that are kept in the basement, objects that come straight from the land of what she once thought was fiction. But all is not well in the magical world, and Elizabeth, along with her fellow pages, set off on a dangerous quest to stop the evil from destroying the Repository.

This book was recommended to me as a read-alike for A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, but now that I've read it I'm not sure why. The only similarities are the fantasy elements and the quest story, in addition to the main character's self disgust of her looks. However, I did really like the premise, and it's a great one: the Grimm fairy tales (along with other myths and folklore) actually did happen, and the Repository has some of the objects in its special collection, the Grimm Collection. Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired for me.

I found the writing style overly simplistic, with a lot of explanation of the magical world, and the job of page itself, told through dialogue in the form of Elizabeth asking somewhat ridiculous questions and giving us the benefit of the answer. For example, when explaining the job of page, Elizabeth asks her coworker Marc something along the lines of, so am I a dishwasher or something? Marc rightly looks at her likes she's crazy, and she goes on to say it's because she was asked if she washed dishes at home in her job interview. Other things like this happen throughout the book, and it just made me crazy, especially at the beginning.

The exposition really bugged me too, which went mostly as I mentioned above. We learn that Elizabeth's mother passed away and her father, who remarried, is using all his money to put her stepsisters through college without leaving much for Elizabeth. I hated the way her stepfamily is the stereotypical fairy tale stock characters, pretty much straight out of Cinderella. This was most likely done on purpose, but I found it mostly unneccesary unless you count needing a reason for Elizabeth to not have her parents present at all in the story.

I also didn't really understand why Elizabeth disliked herself so much. She had no friends at all, as her best friend had conveniently moved to California, and she was often getting down on herself. This coupled with her irritating propensity to misunderstand pretty much everything (EVERYTHING) made me want to stop reading early on.

However, I kept at it, and it did eventually turn around a bit. The best part is by far the Grimm references and all of the objects from the tales, and the adventure portion is pretty good too. Elizabeth dials back the annoying-ness, and the ending doesn't have all the loose ends tied up quite yet (though most of them are). Once I got about halfway through the book it was pretty easy to finish, and I'm glad I did get all the way through.

This was a fun story with a great premise, just a bit of a lackluster execution. I'd say this is a good book for middle schoolers looking to read about teens and magic. It's all very tame, both in romance and violence, with enough to interest and engage.

Disclosure: I got this book from my local library.

Audiobook Review: "Chomp" by Carl Hiaasen

Title: Chomp
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Publisher: Listening Library, 2012 (print available from Knopf Books for Young Readers
Narrator: James Van Der Beek

Wahoo Cray lives in the Everglades on what most people would call a zoo. His dad, Mickey Cray, is an animal wrangler, and takes care of animals like raccoons, snakes, and gators, including the enormous Alice. It is Alice that gets the attention of the survival reality TV show, Expedition Survival! They want to do an Everglades episode, and Wahoo takes the job on behalf of his dad. They need the money since Mickey got knocked in the head by a frozen iguana and started getting debilitating migraines and double vision as a result. And so they put up with Derek Badger, the show's idiotic, spoiled, and phony host. But things start to get out of hand when Derek insists on doing the show in the actual wild. Wahoo and Mickey meet and bring along Tuna, a girl with an abusive father who really wants to find her, and Derek ends up bitten by a bat and runs off into the Everglades on his own. It will be a miracle if they all get out of this alive.

I haven't read much of Hiaasen's work, just Hoot, but I already have an idea of the flavor of his writing. I'm guessing his adult novels are similar, with more mature subject matter and probably less animals. What I love about Hiaasen's writing is the fullness and roundness of all of his characters. He gives almost every character who enters into the story a background and a reason why they are the way they appear in the novel. Mickey is probably my favorite character out of them all—sure, he's Wahoo's dad, but he is such a part of the novel in a way that you don't necessarily expect adults to be in literature for children. Wahoo often has to watch after his father because he tends to let his mouth run when he sees something he doesn't like, but Mickey is also a very smart man with a strong desire to protect those who need it.

The story itself is something of a survival story, though not in the way the characters expected. With his signature humor, Hiaasen takes Wahoo, Tuna, and Mickey, as well as all of the other characters they meet along the way, on a thrilling and dangerous adventure full of tension and suspense.

James Van Der Beek does the narration, and he does a great job. It wasn't the very best narration I've ever heard, but it is certainly a job well done and very enjoyable. I appreciated how he didn't really give Tuna a high voice that sounded fake, and he did the accents pretty well. He really did a great job giving the different characters different sounding voices, especially one character named Link. There were just a few spots where I wish there were more pauses, but I think that had more to do with production and editing than with Van Der Beek's performance. Also, Dawson read me a story.

All in all, a very enjoyable audiobook experience with great characters and action. I'll be picking up another of Hiaasen's audiobooks for younger readers soon.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Review: "Unraveling" by Elizabeth Norris

Title: Unraveling
Author: Elizabeth Norris
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2012

Janelle knows she died that day the truck hit her. All she remembers is seeing it hurtling toward her, then darkness. Then excruciating pain—and her classmate, Ben Michaels, standing over her. She knows she died, but she knows Ben brought her back.

This is freaky in and of itself, but things are starting to get even stranger in Janelle's life. Her father, an FBI agent, is investigating cases where unidentified bodies are showing up, with the cause of death being extreme radiation burns. They can't figure out where the bodies are coming from, or what caused the burns. In addition to all this, they've found a device with a countdown, though they aren't sure what the device does (is it a bomb? something worse?) and are unable to deactivate it. Janelle and her best friend Alex start their own investigation, eventually joined by Ben and his friends, but they may have gotten in over their heads—the fate of their world might be at stake.

Unraveling is a page-turner, for sure. It is a mystery, an apocalypse story, a love story, an action story all rolled into one. Janelle is an interesting character, and I enjoyed being in her head. She swears a lot, which I found pretty typical for a teenager, and she has a no-nonsense attitude that I liked.

As far as plot goes, when one of the big reveals happened (those who've read the book know which one I'm talking about), I did an eye-roll and thought, Really? But once the initial inner groaning stopped, I got back into the story. I really wanted to know why these strange and supposedly unexplained things were happening. I also loved that Norris made Janelle, her younger brother Jared, and her dad huge X-Files fans, which probably got me more excited about the unexplained stuff. Not that I was ever a huge X-Files fan, but it lent a nice flavor and atmosphere that would have been missing otherwise.

I read Anna's review for this on her blog while I was reading the book, and one thing I couldn't agree more with: I had a hard time believing Janelle's dad would leave his FBI files out everywhere for Janelle to find. It should not be that easy to hack into the federal government's system, even if it is your dad. Or, you know, go into his office and just grab papers and read them. Not likely. I almost wish Janelle had been older and an FBI agent herself; I think it would have been more believable.

Lovers of romance will be happy, too, since Ben turns out to be a romantic interest for Janelle, though *gasp* it's a forbidden romance! To me, this wasn't a huge plot point in the novel since I wasn't that interested in their quickly developed relationship/didn't really care if they ended up together, but I know I'm speaking only for myself. The more important aspect for me was the adventure and mystery of it all.

A couple more things that annoy me. 1) The cover. Janelle is described as olive-skinned, and to me the girl on the cover seems a bit whitewashed for my tastes. Also, I usually hate covers with models. 2) There were some characters that I found to be unnecessarily added in. Not a whole lot of development, not a whole lot of purpose, but in there enough for me to wonder why they were important. There were also a few subplots that didn't really turn into anything and I couldn't help but wonder why they were even included at all, since they were distracting from the real story.

Despite a few weak plot points and issues with suspension of disbelief, Unraveling was enjoyable. Not the greatest sci-fi book I've read in the past year, but fun. If you like high stakes, sci-fi, X-Files-y stuff, and a bit of edginess, this might be worth a read for you. Just beware: it's a bit think, weighing in at 464 pages.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Audiobook Review: "The Emerald Atlas" by John Stephens

Title: The Emerald Atlas
Author: John Stephens
Publisher: Listening Library, 2011 (print version available from Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Narrator: Jim Dale

Kate, Michael, and Emma have been bounced from orphanage to orphanage ever since their parents disappeared when they were small children. All they know about their former life is that their last name is P, and that their parents will be back for them someday. Ten years after that fateful Christmas Eve when the children were separated from their parents, they are kicked out of yet another orphanage to find themselves at a creepy looking mansion, supposedly an orphanage, in a town called Cambridge Falls where they are the only orphans. After some exploring, they find a book and manage to whisk themselves into the past where a beautiful and terrifying Countess has abducted all the children in the village of Cambridge Falls in order to get the men of the village to find something in the mountains she wants. Unfortunately when they try to get to the present again, the girls accidentally leave Michael behind. In order to save him, they need to go back. But once they do, they are in for much more than they bargained for—the fate of Cambridge Falls and everyone in it rests with them.

This magical adventure fantasy is a great beginning to what I hope will be a trilogy, if the hints within this book are anything to go by. Full of magical creatures, not to mention truly evil, vile villains that you really hate, each event leads to another to keep your attention and interest in the lives of these three children and their companions.

The characters themselves were well done, too. Kate feels a deep responsibility for her brother and sister since her mother told her to take care of them the night they left, and it shows throughout the story. Every decision she makes is for their sake, or the sake of someone other than herself. She is very selfless and buries her own emotions to a point, yet it's clear she desperately wants to be with her parents again.

Jim Dale does a fantastic job as the narrator. At first I was annoyed that he had an English accent, not because I don't like them, but because Kate, Michael, and Emma are American and this whole story takes place in America. But I quickly got over that, since it wasn't a huge plot point. Dale had a different voice for every character, and all of them were fantastic.

Readers who like Harry Potter will enjoy The Emerald Atlas. It's not a book that borrows plot points from that other famous series, but it has the elements of adventure, sacrifice, and magic that made the Harry Potter series so enjoyable. This book is its own entity and an original fantasy that I'll be sure to continue when the next book is released.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Review: "Eve" by Anna Carey

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2011

In the not-so-distant future, a plague has wiped out most of the world's population. Eve has grown up at School, where she has led a simple life filled with education—literature, math, science, and Dangers of Boys and Men. Her whole life she has been warned not to go beyond the wall that keeps the men out, and keeps the girls in. But the night before graduation, Eve learns a truth that shocks her to her core and forces her to flee a tortured future. But she doesn't know what the wild will bring, or what the men beyond the wall will do to her.

This is another post-apocalyptic novel with not much new material to offer the already saturated genre. Basically Eve is traveling a road to a place called Califia, where she believes she will be safe. Along the way she must avoid the government, since she's being hunted down by the king himself (yes, of America), while also trying not to get raped or killed. It's a rough road, but she meets a man near her own age who is willing to help her and her friend along the way. Of course there is a love story in there, and sacrifices and misunderstandings and tragedy. It's all fairly predictable, to be honest.

That's not to say it's not entertaining. It is, and I finished this very quickly. I wanted to know what happened to everyone and whether Eve would succeed.

Eve made me really angry, though. She made some really stupid decisions that had really bad consequences, and I wanted to shake her a lot while I was reading it. I didn't particularly like her, and so I never really connected with her or the other characters.

I don't think I'll be picking up the sequels that will be coming out down the road, despite the cliffhanger ending of the first one. This was really just a mix between Cormac McCarthy's The Road and all the other post-apocalyptic teen books out there right now.

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from the library.

Review: "Ashes, Ashes" by Jo Treggiari

Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiari
Publisher: Scholastic, 2011

In a world that doesn't seem to be too far into the future, global warming has melted the ice caps and most of the coastal world is now underwater. This wasn't such a big deal for Lucy at first, since she was fine in her New Jersey town, but three years later an even deadlier enemy claimed 99% of the population of the planet: the plague. Lucy somehow managed to survive without contracting the disease at all, but her family was not so lucky. After a year of wilderness survival on her own in the Wilds of what used to be Central Park, Lucy finally finds a group of people who she might be able to live with. But she could spell the end for them all; there is something about her that makes her very valuable to those who are barely holding on to power.

While reading Ashes, Ashes, I often found myself thinking how awful the lives these people led sounded. I was very creeped out during the beginning of the book, when Lucy was still on her own, but I kept flipping the pages, eager to discover Lucy's past and what would happen next.

I didn't find out much as far as back story, unfortunately. We learn that Lucy is largely unremarkable (this is repeated many times), with no special talents other than survival. I can tell there is more to her, but I never found her history besides brief flashes of memory, which was disappointing for me. The same is true for the secondary characters in this book—we get clues, but no real stories.

What didn't disappoint was the action. There was a lot of it, and Lucy was nearly always at the center of it. I was compelled to find out the mysteries behind the Sweepers, what I'm assuming are government officials, who kidnap survivors of the plague. Those kidnapped are never seen again. And when Lucy becomes their target, I wanted to know what made her special.

The next part might be a bit spoilery, just a warning. We never really get the answers to the burning questions in the book, kind of a letdown, especially when much of the book focuses on this aspect of Lucy and how the Sweepers are after her for some reason. I'm guessing there will be a sequel to answer some of these questions.

Overall, I don't feel strongly about this book one way or the other. It provided entertainment while I was reading and did give me something to think about as far as how the way we are treating our planet might turn out, but I don't think the story or the characters will stay with me too long afterward. If a sequel does come out, I will most likely pick it up to find out the secrets behind the characters and the government that were left unrevealed in Ashes, Ashes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher at one of their events.

Review: "Ruby Red" by Kerstin Gier

Title: Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co., 2011
Translator: Anthea Bell

Gwyneth is in a fine mess. Her perfect, know-it-all cousin Charlotte was supposed to have the time travel gene in her family and has been preparing for time travel since childhood. But as luck would have it, turns out some secrets are revealed when Gwyneth is the one to jump back in time, completely unexpectedly, instead. Sure, she could talk to ghosts, but time travel? So with no training whatsoever and only a quick run-down of what's going on and what their mission is, Gwyneth is thrust into the role of the ruby, last of the time travelers and the one to complete the circle. But is everything what the Guardians say true? Why did her cousin Lucy and Paul de Villiers run off 16 years earlier? Who can she trust?

To be honest, I was not expecting much from Ruby Red when I picked it up. I thought it would be a fun, light read, but I underestimated it. Not only is the text funny, engaging and full of British slang (win), it is a fast-paced adventure bundled up in mysteries. I loved Gwyneth's reactions to pretty much everything. She's funny, and she has a backbone, willing to listen to others when no one else will. She doesn't really take anything lying down, which is good since everyone around her is trying to control what she does.

Anthea Bell, the translator, does a wonderful job. I couldn't tell it was translated at all—it's like it was written in English by a Brit, the language is so spot-on.

Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of the cover. It's pretty boring, and doesn't really reflect the spunkiness of the main character or the plot very well. It's very plain.

I'm very intrigued by where this is going. I certainly will want to read the sequels, the next of which is Sapphire Blue, out next spring.

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by Zeitghost Media in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex

Title: The True Meaning of Smekday
Author: Adam Rex
Publisher: Listening Library, 2011 (print available from Hyperion, 2007)
Narrator: Bahni Turpin

Starting off with a short essay on what she thinks is the "true meaning of Smekday," 12-year-old Gratuity Tucci tells a short story of how she knows the reasoning behind the new holiday—only to be told by her teacher that she needs to elaborate. So she tells a more full version of her story, basically how her mother starts talking about aliens who talk to her through a mole on her neck, how she ends up with a Boov (the aliens previously mentioned) named J. Lo, and their trip in a floating car named Slushious to Florida, the land allotted to humans by the Boov. After that abridged essay is written, she continues a secret, full-length version of how she and J. Lo cross the country to Arizona in Slushious, meet a number of colorful (and often eccentric, to put it mildly) characters, learn about a bigger threat to Earth than the Boov, and attempt to save the world.

This book is so incredibly rich in symbolism it's fantastic. I could not listen to Rex's words without thinking of Native Americans and relocation; it's pretty much impossible to not think of it if you know the history. It's an incredibly smart and often hilarious post-colonial piece of literature, disguised as a science-fiction story about alien invaders. Oh, did I mention all the satire Rex slips in about American culture? It's great.

Don't be scared away by that description though. This is also a fast-paced road trip story, complete with alien weaponry and battles, and lots of humor. Rex is truly a genius when it comes to poking fun at fantasy cliches, my favorite involving a blob of taco sauce. He also incorporates themes of family and friendship incredibly well, without making it hokey or sappy.

As for the audio version, Bahni Turpin is a master. She gives the Boov great voices, to the point where I believed it was J. Lo talking each time she read his dialogue. Everyone had a distinct voice, and her sound effects added so much to it all. This was one of the best performances I've listened to in a while, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good way to pass the time on their commute.

If you're looking for a smart and incredibly entertaining sci-fi novel, look no further. I've become a huge fan of Rex after this beauty of a book.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Review: "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperTeen), 2011

In a futuristic Chicago, people belong to factions and exhibit the trait most valued by the one they belong to. Beatrice has just turned 16 and therefore must make a choice that will affect her life forever. Should she stay in the faction of Abnegation, where selflessness is valued, and where she has grown up and lives with her parents and brother? Or does she dare to abandon everything she knows for what she most desires? Once her choice is made, she plunges into an adventure she never imagined, not even after all the thinking she has done. And she has one very dangerous secret she must keep... if she wants to survive.

In the influx of dystopian novels out recently, it's hard for one to stand out from the crowd. Surprise! Yep, this is another very positive review of this book. Divergent succeeds in being original, suspenseful and completely enjoyable. In the world Roth has created, people are put into strict groups, which is not a new concept. What is new (at least to me) is the concept that the people of each group have ONE trait or quality that they value above all others (selflessness, peacefulness, courage, intelligence and honesty) and live their lives accordingly.

What I loved about this so much was that the characters aren't on a grand mission to overthrow their government or society or whatever because they recognize it's a flawed society or that they want to be FREE, dammit. No. I'm pretty tired of that, honestly. These characters all completely accept their lives and do the best they can in the world their given, which is what I would expect. Sure, things happen that show these flaws, but it's not like a light bulb ever goes on about how awful their world is. Only hints here and there. (This might change in the other books of the series, I don't know, but I liked that part of this volume.)

And speaking of characters, I loved how flawed they all are. No one is perfect, ever. In fact, I hated Tris, our narrator, a few times during my reading. But I was glad for it. Tris is often something of an anti-hero, though she shows some cojones quite often. I admired her and despised her, which makes a pretty good case for Roth's writing. And another awesome thing: There is some diversity in this cast of characters, hallelujah. What's interesting is people's skin color is not noticed so much as their way of dress, which indicates their faction. There is still prejudice in this world, just a different kind than we're used to.

Oh, did I mention I could barely put the book down for all the action and layers of mystery within the plot? Yeah, that was pretty great. This book has nearly 500 pages but I flew through it.

I am very impressed with Roth's debut, and I will most definitely be picking up the next book when it comes out (whenever that may be—soon please?).

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the (very awesome) publisher.

Review: "Paper Towns" by John Green

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books, 2008

Margo Roth Spiegelman is a legend. She has led mass TP-ing efforts; has gone to Mississippi for days with the only clue being the four letters M-I-S-P she left in her alphabet soup; has broken into many of the theme parks around her subdivision in Orlando, Florida. Quentin, known as Q, has loved her for pretty much his whole life. And so when she comes to his window around midnight with the proposal of helping her with a revenge-seeking mission, he only hesitates for a moment before agreeing. What follows is an incredibly awesome night.

But the next day, Margo isn't at school. After a few days it becomes clear that this isn't like when she ran off before. And then Q starts to find the clues. With his friends Ben and Radar, and the indispensable online user-generated encyclopedia Omnictionary, Q begins to piece it all together. But the closer he gets to an answer, the more nervous he gets. Where is Margo? And will he want to find her?

Let me just start out by saying John Green is one of the greatest teen writers of all time. I love him and the craziness he comes up with in his books. All of Margo's pranks? Pure genius. Not to mention the easily grasped philosophical musings Q has in his internal monologues. There's a lot of deep thinking going on here, and this in turn makes the reader consider his or her own life and the way they live it. In particular, how we all imagine others to be what we expect them to be without ever really getting to know them. Green keeps coming back to this over and over in the book, in a bunch of different ways.

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a key part of the story and Margo's clues. Not only does he use it in a clever and incredibly useful way for the plot, he also does a lot of analysis with it that readers can actually begin to understand what Whitman is talking about (and believe me, that poem is not easy). How many readers went out and read some Whitman after reading Paper Towns? I know the answer is at least two—I did, and so did one of the (12-year-old!) girls in my teen reading group. This is awesome; I mean really, how many authors can get teens interested in American poets like Whitman? I feel like I'm a better person for it, and I actually learned something about poetry (sidenote: hooray National Poetry Month!).

The characters are so much fun. Ben is absolutely hilarious and completely over the top in pretty much everything, and Radar is a nerd-tastic Omnictionary-obsessed dude whose parents own "the world's largest collection of black Santas." No joke. Q is also very likable, but unfortunately his personality kind of pales in comparison to his even more eccentric friends. That said, their friendship might be the best part of the book in my opinion. The dynamics of their interactions and snappy dialogue make me all smiles—I certainly laughed out loud at parts (in public, I might add). I was glad to see so much of them in the story.

My only complaint is that, despite all his philosophizing, I feel like I didn't really get to know Q, or rather he lacked personality. At times it almost felt like Green was using him as a mouthpiece for his (admittedly outstanding) ideas. But this complaint is not enough to make me like this book less than I do.

About a year ago, I listened to this on audio, and I have to say the narrator, Dan John Miller, was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. All of his voices were different for each character, and his characterizations were superb. I would absolutely listen to this again.

Disclosure: I bought this book from Amazon.com for my personal library.

Review: "The Ask and the Answer" by Patrick Ness

Title: The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking Book Two)
Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2009
Where I got it: My library.

**Spoilers for The Knife of Never Letting Go**

After a terribly hangy cliffhanger, Ness continues the story of Todd and Viola on New World, this time as they process their new surroundings and situation in the colony of New Prentisstown, under the direction of Mayor (now President) Prentiss. Kept separate by the new regime, Todd and Viola both narrate their own stories and experiences; Todd as a prisoner and then worker under Mayor Prentiss, and Viola in the healing house under the formidable and strong Mistress Coyle. Things aren't as terrible as they feared at first, but as time goes by they both notice things that aren't humane or right. It doesn't take long before they must choose what side to support, whether they agree with everything going on or not.

This second installment of the Chaos Walking trilogy is no disappointment. Though not as heart-poundingly intense as the first, it is still chock-full of tension and twists that I wasn't expecting. Ness is more subtle in this one, and that's not a bad thing.

Though the plot certainly kept me turning the pages, this is very character-driven as well. We see a lot of development in certain characters, especially Davy Prentiss, that I never would have imagined after reading the first book. There is also a little development in Todd and Viola's relationship, despite the fact that they are separated for most of the book.

The way Ness portrays the Mayor is truly terrifying. An ally, or a foe? He is alternately kind and maniacal, and I was never quite sure which way it would go; I always wanted to believe everything he stood for is evil, but Ness wrote him in such a way as to confuse me enough to wonder. Mistress Coyle is similarly handled. I was never sure if I should trust her motives or not. For those of you who read Mockingjay, I was reminded of Snow and Coin by these characters, respectively. I'm not saying they're the same by the way, I'm just saying that these two characters put me in mind of those two.

It was interesting to hear Viola's point of view in this book. Part of why I loved The Knife of Never Letting Go so much was Todd's voice and the way Ness wrote him and his vernacular. That was lost when Viola narrated, as she is from a more educated background than Todd, and she has no Noise. Todd's stream-of-consciousness style is still beautifully written here, but I missed it when I read Viola's portions. That said, I am glad we get to hear her story as well.

Ultimately this is a story about the cause, effect and practice of warfare. Ness goes into the decisions made during war, and the ethics involved on both sides, yet he is not black and white about it. There is some very philosophical debate within the pages, and it will certainly raise some discussion questions if you read this for a book club or in a class.

And the ending? Be prepared for another massive cliffhanger. I think I'll take my time before reading the third book (which I have taken out of my library already), just to recover a bit from this one, but I fully intend to find out what happens.

Review: "The White Darkness" by Geraldine McCaughrean

Title: The White Darkness
Author: Geraldine McCaughrean
Publisher: HarperTempest, 2005
Where I got it: The library.

Fourteen-year-old Sym knows all there is to know about Antarctica—the landscape, the history, the explorers and how they survived (or didn't). Especially dear to her is Captain Oates of the failed Scott expedition of 1, in whom she confides all of her hopes, dreams, and fears within her head, a character all his own within the book. When her Uncle Victor surprises her with a trip down south—way south—she is thrilled. But Victor is not telling her everything, and she eventually finds herself on the terrifying mission of a madman. Does Sym know enough to keep herself alive in the white darkness?

The White Darkness has gotten much acclaim, and managed to snag a Printz award. The writing is often quite lyrical, with original and evocative similes ("...everything was so still, we could have been at the bottom of a glass of milk" (187)). The premise is also great—trapped in the Antarctic with no one to rely on but yourself. Yet despite all this, the execution was not good enough.

Though the writing was very good, it was hard to like Sym as a character. She has a lot of self-esteem issues, it's true, but I didn't really feel any sympathy for her. Perhaps it is her detachment from her family and her father's death, and her complete lack of passion for anything besides Antarctica and Titus. Her father recently died, but she is convinced that he didn't like her. However, she gives no reasons as to why except her uncle told her so. She doesn't seem to have any affection for her mother either, even though she should be the most important person in Sym's life. Somehow Victor has brainwashed Sym, and we as readers can't figure out why—the relationship is too poorly developed.

Despite the supposed action of the book, I found myself bored with it most of the time. Sym is not a very interesting person, despite all McCaughrean does to try to develop the character. She is bland, while struggling with her insecurities. McCaughrean tries to make this into a book where her main character comes to terms with her sexuality and interest in boys, which seems wildly out of place, especially with how it is resolved at the very end. Her ruminations on sex and romance are what distracts her from her predicament, but it seems very wrong that she should remove herself to the point where she's distracted from surviving.

Though The White Darkness did very well with critics, I can't see many teens getting through this book. There are too many words and too much irrelevant thought to the adventure to make this a good adventure story.