Review: "Something Like Normal" by Trish Doller

Title: Something Like Normal
Author: Trish Doller
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2012

Trish Doller brings us into the mind of a young Marine who comes home on leave after being on tour in Afghanistan. But it's no happy homecoming for Travis. The 19-year-old has nightmares every night, sees his dead best friend everywhere, and can't connect with his old friends as he was once able to do. To make matters worse, his parents are having marital issues, and he gets along even worse with his father and brother than he did before. But there is a bit of hope when he reconnects with Harper, that is, after she punches him in the eye for ruining her life. The two begin a tentative friendship, which turns into something a bit more. But their relationship will have to go up against Travis's troubled mind.

I really enjoyed Trish Doller's debut. It seemed very genuine to me, and it was clear she did her research—that much is confirmed in her acknowledgements. I'm so glad it was told from Travis's perspective, as I don't think I've ever read a contemporary novel told from the perspective of someone who had been at war, especially a war that is continuing right now.

It's clear from the beginning that Travis is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt. His best friend, Charlie, lost his life while they were on tour, and he was there to see it happen. He feels incredibly guilty that Charlie was the one to die and not him, and he struggles with that every day of his life. The language is raw and very real, as are the experiences the teens in this novel have.

A note about the characters. Not everyone is likable at once. Travis's buddies are rough around the edges, as is Travis himself, but I appreciated that. I really liked the relationship he had with his mother, which develops from one where Travis has trouble expressing his feelings to one where he is able to stick up for his mom and help her out in whatever way he is able to. His dad was pretty much just a jerk, and I kept waiting for Travis to put him in his place. His brother too.

The main relationship in here is between Travis and Harper. Initially, Harper hates Travis because of an exaggerated story that took on a life of its own when they were freshmen in high school that pretty much destroyed her reputation. But somehow they get past that, and slowly they become closer. Harper is able to calm Travis in a way no one else can; she manages to ground him and keep him steadier than he is able to keep himself alone. And Doller doesn't wrap everything up in a nice bow, either. Travis is still dealing with his demons at the novel's end, and he and Harper are still working on their relationship, which of course becomes long distance since he is not finished with his tour of duty. We don't know where they end up, but the last lines are filled with hope and promise of having a life that isn't perfect, but is bearable and as normal as they can hope.

This is a really important book for teens to read, especially those who know someone who is fighting overseas. It might help them to understand a little bit better what soldiers go through and what they deal with when they come home.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Audiobook Review: "Behemoth" by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Behemoth
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2010 (print version available from Simon Pulse)
Narrator: Alam Cumming

Starting off where Leviathan ended, we're thrown back into the world of Darwinists and Clankers, this time with the added bonus of Ottomans who have sort of combined the aesthetic of the Darwinists with the mechanics of the Clankers. For those of you new to this world, this trilogy takes place in an alternate steampunk past during the Great War, or World War I as we call it today. Darwinists are people from the United Kingdom who use genetic engineering to create animals that work as tools, including entire ships and weapons of war. Clankers are Germans and Austrians, among other peoples, who use advanced mechanics and machines as those tools.

In Behemoth, Deryn (disguised as a boy named Dillon in order to be in an airman in the army) is dealing with her growing feelings for Alec, the prince and heir to the Austria-Hungary throne (she is one of only a handful who knows his true identity). Alec, on the other hand, is treated as a prisoner of war aboard the Leviathan, and he must find a way off the ship if he is to keep his secret and fulfill his destiny. Things get complicated when a new friend joins Alec along the way, and as he and two of his men explore the city of Istanbul and join a band of resistors, Deryn muddles through the city on her own after a successfully completed yet badly ended mission. As they find their way to each other, they soon realize the fate of the Leviathan and the English army's fate lies with them.

There was a lot I loved about this volume in the Leviathan trilogy. The number one thing is probably not going to be as loved by most anyone else, but I'm going to say it anyway. There was a character with my brother's name. You might not think that's totally crazy, but here's the thing: My brother's name is Zaven. You don't see many characters with Armenian names like that unless it's a book about Armenian history. And Zaven in the book is Armenian! I loved that bit.

Anyway, Westerfeld does a fantastic job of continuing his story. There's plenty of action, a little romance, the most confused love triangle I've seen since Twelfth Night, and a new alternate culture to explore. I kept hoping that more secrets would be revealed, just because there are so many that either we as readers are privy to that the rest of the characters are not, and those that are mysteries to us as well as the characters.

Quick note on the audio: I love Alan Cumming. I love him in pretty much everything he does, and I love how he can get accents pretty much spot on. He does a fantastic job with the narration. The only thing he did wrong was mispronounce the Armenian word "Nene," a form of the word grandmother. But other than that, he is everything I love in a narrator. Or maybe that's my bias talking.

I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, Goliath, especially on audio since it is once again narrated by Alan Cumming. I'm interested particularly to see if Westerfeld writes anything about the Armenian genocide, which happened in 1915; Behemoth ends in the year 1914. I'm not sure if the next book will go that far into the future, but I'm eager to see.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Audiobook Review: "Robopocalypse" by Daniel H. Wilson

Title: Robopocalypse
Author: Daniel H. Wilson
Publisher: Random House Audio, 2011 (print available from Doubleday, 2011)
Narrator: Mike Chamberlain

In the not-so-distant future, robots are everywhere. There are ones that act as servants, smart cars and buildings that can operate on their own, military robots, and hundreds more. They are everywhere, performing millions of functions. When man's quest for knowledge goes too far and a powerful artificial intelligence, known as Archos, is summoned, this is the beginning of the end. Archos takes control of all robots that are online, and humankind is under attack by the things it depends on in everyday life. This is the new war, in which billions will die. But humans aren't going down without a fight.

Told as a framed narrative by Cormac Wallace, who, at the end of the war, finds what he calls the "black box" of the whole robot uprising. It contains the stories of what it calls human heroes, starting from the very beginning and going to the very end. Cormac decides he needs to write these stories he sees played by this surviving robot in order for future generations to know and understand what their ancestors endured, and what was sacrificed.

This book has been getting a lot of praise, including winning an Alex Award (given to exceptional adult books with teen appeal), and it is all deserved. I have been wanting to read this since before its Alex Award, and I'm so glad I finally got around to it. This is a sci-fi book that belongs up there with the classics. Slowly building up to what becomes known as Zero Hour with isolated incidents having to do with what are dismissed as malfunctions, all hell breaks loose when Archos unleashes the full power of robot kind on humans.

I loved how the narrative was constructed. Cormac recounts each person's story either in their own words as he hears them on the recordings, or as he sees them from captured video. It was incredible to see how each person or group affected the rest of the characters or how they helped humanity with their actions. I loved seeing them all come together or connect through the course of the book. Though this book is filled with carnage and unspeakable tragedy, there is an undercurrent of the fierceness of the human spirit and the unbreakable hope that comes with it. It is filled with the deepest pain and love; when it comes down to it, we see what each character is made of.

My only problem with the book as a whole was how each first-person narrative was told in the present tense. I couldn't imagine people recounting these events in the present tense out loud, which is what we are told they are doing. But that's my only problem.

Mike Chamberlain did a decent job at narration. He made voices just different enough that the different speakers could be distinguished from one another, and he did a great job at unrolling the story at the right pace. Nothing stood out too much to me, but he told the story well and never took me out of it unnecessarily. And really, that's all this book needed.

Be warned, this is not a book for those who get queasy easily. There is a LOT of blood and guts. People die in horrible ways, in great numbers. But if you can get past that, I promise this book is worth it. It certainly deserved its Alex Award, as I can easily see teens reading and really enjoying this, and I hope more adults will pick it up too.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the 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: "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff

Title: How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004
Where I got it: Took it out of the library.

15-year-old American-born Daisy is shipped off to stay with her aunt and cousins on their farm in England, when war breaks out. All is changed forever—Aunt Penn left for Oslo a few days before The Occupation, and Daisy and her four cousins are left alone to fend for themselves. In the beginning, it's wonderful—especially when Daisy and her cousin Edmond find they feel more for each other than just cousinly love. But they are soon forced to remember that they are living in the middle of a war, and paradise can't last forever.

I've heard others say this book is not so much about the war as it is about Daisy and her relationships. I'm going to have to disagree; this is unequivocally a war story, albeit one that heavily relies on the relationships between Daisy and her cousins, especially Edmond. The Enemy is never named, and we never find out who invaded, who is bombing, or who the foreigners are, making it that much scarier; it is deliberately left ambiguous. Life is not pretty when people around the country are dying, often violently, and despite the early days of ignorance for these five children, they learn this fast and the hard way.

At first the run-on style of Daisy's narration kind of bugged me, but as the story went on it started to fit really well with the events. Her rush to get the words out just worked with the events, though it did work much better once the war got into full swing. When she was just with her cousins it seemed out of place.

Another thing other people mentioned was the relationship between Daisy and Edmond, and how it didn't seem so strange, even if they are first cousins. I have to say, I couldn't quite forget all about it, and it did bother me a little, but not enough to stop reading the book. It would be a shame to put this one down because of that. The descriptions of war and how Daisy and her cousins managed to live through it are the real reason to read this. And yet, despite the triumph of surviving, it is quite a dark book with a somewhat problematic (though hopeful) ending.

This is another Printz Award-winner, and I have to say I like this one better than The White Darkness. The story kept me reading late into the night, and once I got past the beginning it was hard to put down. Rosoff gives us a horrific and graphic look at war from the perspective of a younger and reluctant participant, a girl who started off apathetic about the whole situation and is quickly forced to see that it does matter, even if you don't think it can touch you.

Did this deserve a Printz? I'd say probably. It is very well-written and is pretty powerful, not to mention does not shy away from gore or sexuality and has a pretty riveting plot. I liked it well enough, though I'm not sure it will stay with me for very long. I'll remember it for sure, but it won't be something I find myself deeply contemplating.

This reminded me of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, though I liked Pfeffer's book better. If you liked How I Live Now, you might want to consider taking a look at Pfeffer's trilogy.