31 December 2015

Review: The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses

The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses by Kevin Birmingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ulysses is not a book I've read. Yeah, I've read close to 1000 books in the last four years, but Ulysses is not one of them and is likely never going to be one of them. This book, however, is sort of a biography of Ulysses, from Joyce's writing it to the publication of it to the censorship battles waged over it.

I'm always curious about how society and governments handle subversive art in whatever forms they come in, so the benefit of this book is less the discussion of whether Ulysses was art or obscene or both (although there is some discussion), but rather how the work survived some of the worst times in semi-modern history for this sort of censorial activity. Especially coming from a time where we discuss banned books even though the ban usually amounts to not being on the shelf you'd expect, the sort of smuggling operations for a work like this were impressive to read about. That we get a glimpse into the character of James Joyce is also a plus, especially considering how fundamental it is to the overall tale.

A good read overall. Maybe more meaningful to those who enjoy or appreciate Ulysses, but I got a lot of out this book in a lot of ways.

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Review: An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A compendium of fifty unrecognized and largely unnoticed states

An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A compendium of fifty unrecognized and largely unnoticed states An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A compendium of fifty unrecognized and largely unnoticed states by Nick Middleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been intrigued about micronations and unrecognized nations for a long, long time. I used to make little maps as a kid, devour atlases and such. It's just always been there. I was told about this absolutely gorgeous book a while back and knew I needed to own a copy.

In terms of presentation, this is one of the best I've seen. The maps are cut out from the pages before them, allowing for basic demographics on one page and capsule histories on the following. You get a very basic look at each "nation" and then move right on to the next one. It's a lot of fun, and perhaps more of an introductory piece.

The book ultimately loses points for me because of the overall lack of detail and the choices made as to which to highlight. For every oddity like Sealand, you get a lot of indigenous lands or annexed provinces that maybe don't belong in a volume like this in this sort of presentation. Plus, giving what amounts to one page of detail for each nation (for example, much of Sealand is given to the armed attempt to take it over by the British government and not much else; even the 99% Invisible introductory piece gives more detail in their shortform piece than this does) simply doesn't give the sort of weight or depth that a lot of these deserve. I wanted more!

Overall, though, this is just as much a conversation piece as it is a conversation starter. Absolutely a must have for those who love pretty books or want a good starter to the micronation/lost nations discussion, but if you're already well-versed and data presentation isn't your cup of tea, you might want to look elsewhere.

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30 December 2015

Review: Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't remember exactly when the first time I listened to Night Vale was, but it wasn't too long after they started. While it's maybe gotten a little long in the tooth even as a trailblazer, the book version of this was a welcome surprise. A story within Night Vale even if it's not just like the podcast (although it does have interludes of the radio program within), the benefit of this story is twofold:

1) It gets the charm and feel of Night Vale down pat. You feel like you're there, and the tone and quality of the writing holds up in a more narrative format.

2) It's a great entry point. You don't have to know the show for this to work, but it absolutely helps. Even on its own, it's a solid stand-alone weird fiction tale. I would have enjoyed this without the Night Vale brand, and maybe even might have liked it more.

So if you're still into the podcast, or even feeling a little burned out on it, this is worth some of your time. It's a solid read and one you'd probably enjoy if weird stuff is your thing.

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Review: George

George George by Alex Gino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've read a lot of middle grade/YA trans experience books recently, and George, at least in my circles, is commonly referred to as The Book in this subgenre. For me, it's a solid, quiet story, but suffers from a lot of the same issues the other books like it are suffering from.

In this one, George is in fifth grade and knows she's a girl, but no one else does. The class is doing a school play of Charlotte's Web, however, and that may be her opening to be who she really is.

For now, I'll put aside the point that this is a complicated issue for kids to start for a lot of reasons, and dive in more that the book, like many others, doesn't really delve into that complexity for most readers. The result is a book that scratches the surface of the issue, but still makes a lot of references to issues and concerns that are too old for the intended audience. While it's probably impossible to discuss the issue without having the characters in question discuss genitalia, for example, having read many of these books indicates at least a lack of trying to get there.

Then again, I could be approaching this one incorrectly. The intended audience in this case may in fact be trans kids, which is a very laudable goal but also an exceptionally small market, so it may be why there's a lack of resonance here that we get from other books in the subgenre. That's not a knock against the book, but may be why it's just okay to me. While there's merit to the idea that books need to reflect the broad audience out there, there's also the ability of books to expose readers to characters and people not like them, and this might be a failure in terms of grabbing them.

Overall, though, the story is probably just a little too quiet. We're asked to feel for George, but the emotional weight isn't there. We see some positive developments at the end, and it leaves with a message of hope, but in terms of books that get the weight out there, this one might just be too quiet to be the one.

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28 December 2015

Review: The Sculptor

The Sculptor The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Man, this book.

So Scott McCloud is sort of legendary in graphic circles, and for good reason. I heard great things about this one, but I really honestly didn't expect this sort of great story. It's sort of a love letter to art and creation and such, but also really grasps what trying to be an artist can be like.

We follow David Smith, who is a sculptor who can't seem to get any traction. He meets a man who offers him a deal he can't refuse: 200 days to be able to sculpt anything with his hands, but he dies when his time is up. What follows is a trajectory that's unpredictable and maddening.

I get it. I haven't been as creative as I used to be as of late for a myriad of reasons, but the sort of craziness that can sometimes inhabit you comes across in full force here. I feel like this hits upon a lot of the artists I know, along with the personality quirks that go with it. The book handles mental illness in a pretty real way as well, which is a nice change of pace even if the "mentally disturbed artist" trope has a tendency to be overdone. What's best, though, are the surprises. Even though this has a Faustian angle to it, I kept being surprised as the book went on, and that's always a good thing. And the artwork is gorgeous, and is definitely in the more traditional comic medium without sacrificing the clarity and beauty of it all - it's a different kind of gorgeous than what modern graphic novels with amazing art tend to be.

Still, this is a great example of the best graphic novels have to offer. Really should be up there in terms of required reading for those who love the medium or want to see what it's about. I know I would have fallen in love with graphic novels much earlier if I had seen this a decade ago. Simply a must read, amazingly done.

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Review: The Sculptor

The Sculptor The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Man, this book.

So Scott McCloud is sort of legendary in graphic circles, and for good reason. I heard great things about this one, but I really honestly didn't expect this sort of great story. It's sort of a love letter to art and creation and such, but also really grasps what trying to be an artist can be like.

We follow David Smith, who is a sculptor who can't seem to get any traction. He meets a man who offers him a deal he can't refuse: 200 days to be able to sculpt anything with his hands, but he dies when his time is up. What follows is a trajectory that's unpredictable and maddening.

I get it. I haven't been as creative as I used to be as of late for a myriad of reasons, but the sort of craziness that can sometimes inhabit you comes across in full force here. I feel like this hits upon a lot of the artists I know, along with the personality quirks that go with it. The book handles mental illness in a pretty real way as well, which is a nice change of pace even if the "mentally disturbed artist" trope has a tendency to be overdone. What's best, though, are the surprises. Even though this has a Faustian angle to it, I kept being surprised as the book went on, and that's always a good thing. And the artwork is gorgeous, and is definitely in the more traditional comic medium without sacrificing the clarity and beauty of it all - it's a different kind of gorgeous than what modern graphic novels with amazing art tend to be.

Still, this is a great example of the best graphic novels have to offer. Really should be up there in terms of required reading for those who love the medium or want to see what it's about. I know I would have fallen in love with graphic novels much earlier if I had seen this a decade ago. Simply a must read, amazingly done.

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23 December 2015

Review: Nest

Nest Nest by Esther Ehrlich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book broke my heart into a million tiny little pieces, and I'm still trying to find a way to put it back together again.

A little girl nicknamed Chirp lives on Cape Cod in the early 1970s. Her mother, a dancer, is quickly stricken with a disease, and later depression, and Chirp has to learn to kind of cope with everything that goes along with that.

It's a heartbreaker for a lot of reasons, both personal and otherwise. As someone who has his own depression issues and is a parent, this book hit close to home even if I'm not anywhere near the extremes of Chips's mom. But there were moments in this book where I literally had to toss down my Kindle in frustration and sadness because, guys, this book is so sad. And the way Chirp and her friend cope with everything in the end is both empowering and heartbreaking in its own way.

I don't have a relationship with this book the way I do, say, The Start of Me and You. There's one flaw in this, and that's the unfortunate fact that this is a story that's too heavy for younger readers, but written toward younger readers in a way that might lose the older ones who would benefit the most from it. Still, as a basic work of fiction? Geez. Just one of the more impactful and solid reads I've experienced in a long time.

This is one of those books everyone should track down and read. It won't take you long, and it will really do a number on you in a good way. I wish all books impacted me the way this one did, and I hope it finds its way into the hands of kids who would really benefit from it, if only so they know that there are other people who understand the sort of suffering in play.

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01 December 2015

Review: Not If I See You First

Not If I See You First Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes a book takes some time to hook you in, other times you can pinpoint the exact moment the book charms the heck out of you. Not If I See You First is a pretty great book, but the benefit of it is the little moments along the way that rope you in, making the whole so much more pleasurable.

The story follows Parker, a girl who was blinded in a car accident years earlier. Both her parents have since passed, she's in school, and things are about as difficult as you'd expect. She does have a good support group of friends and does enjoy running, though, so that's something, but now there's a boy involved and that's when things start getting a little complicated.

There's a scene about a quarter of the way through when she goes shopping for running shoes that changed this to a sort of standard teen romance with a twist into something a little more. The way Lindstrom handles the blindness issue, the way we get to see the personalities around Parker similar to how she experiences them is a nice touch, and there are some pretty great messages in here throughout. Is it perfect? Not at all. I'm sure many people could take some issue with the portrayal, but it got me thinking more about the issue and as a good starting point, I'm in favor.

If you like YA books, like teen romances, this one should really be on your list. There's a lot here to love.

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30 November 2015

Review: Ninja Timmy

Ninja Timmy Ninja Timmy by Henrik Tamm
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Closer to a 2.5.

Ninja Timmy, at its core, has a lot going for it. The anthropomorphic animals in a steampunk-style setting works for this age group, and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. On the other hand, the plot (involving stealing the souls of children to give a robot a soul so it can feel love) is more than a little bizarre.

The worst parts, though, are twofold. For one, the translation (in whatever form, whether from the original author or someone else), appears to have sucked a lot of the life out of the story. Everything feels declarative and matter-of-fact, especially action sequences (which you'd expect in spades in a book with "Ninja" in the title). Perhaps worst of all, though, is that the "final battle," as it were, is basically written away as "this happened, but no one was there to witness it," which completely took away from all the buildup. Incredibly disappointing.

Overall, this just didn't work for me. It's a shame, too, because stories like this should be better, and when you have illustrations this good to go along with the tales, it should be an absolute winner. At least in English, it fails on both counts.

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28 November 2015

Review: Restless Waters

Restless Waters Restless Waters by Jessica Park
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm continually intrigued by Jessica Park's books in a way I'm not with others. I can't quite explain it, as I'm compelled just as much by the stories as much as her success first as an independent author and now using some of the more mainstream outlets. Restless Waters is a sequel to Left Drowning, a book I enjoyed even though it felt a little fanservicey, and this continuation of the story feels different while still having the same sort of soul to it.

The sort of family of broken pieces is broken apart yet again, but the story really feels more like a reunion as Blythe and Chris visit Sabin in his new digs across the country. What starts as an excuse for the holidays becomes one of real soul-searching and figuring out how to survive independently while still relying on each other.

It's a complicated situation with a love triangle of sorts that both is and isn't your standard fare. The story works for feeling kind of unique, but the already-credulity-stretching romance between Blythe and Chris (complete with their similar sexual exploits) almost hits a breaking point with the Sabin storyline. It's realistic in a sense, and given the ages of the characters in the story, reasonable, but I spent a lot of time thinking "oh, come on at some of the stuff that could have been more easily resolved with a simple conversation. It may be a little nitpicky, but it almost feels like we need everything to be extreme in order to buy into the already-existing extremes, and it doesn't always work.

I wouldn't not recommend this, especially if you enjoyed Left Drowning. But this is ultimately closer to a 3.5 because of the melodrama, and I'm just more intrigued by what's next more than anything.

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Review: Restless Waters

Restless Waters Restless Waters by Jessica Park
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I'm continually intrigued by Jessica Park's books in a way I'm not with others. I can't quite explain it, as I'm compelled just as much by the stories as much as her success first as an independent author and now using some of the more mainstream outlets. Restless Waters is a sequel to Left Drowning, a book I enjoyed even though it felt a little fanservicey, and this continuation of the story feels different while still having the same sort of soul to it.

The sort of family of broken pieces is broken apart yet again, but the story really feels more like a reunion as Blythe and Chris visit Sabin in his new digs across the country. What starts as an excuse for the holidays becomes one of real soul-searching and figuring out how to survive independently while still relying on each other.

It's a complicated situation with a love triangle of sorts that both is and isn't your standard fare. The story works for feeling kind of unique, but the already-credulity-stretching romance between Blythe and Chris (complete with their similar sexual exploits) almost hits a breaking point with the Sabin storyline. It's realistic in a sense, and given the ages of the characters in the story, reasonable, but I spent a lot of time thinking "oh, come on at some of the stuff that could have been more easily resolved with a simple conversation. It may be a little nitpicky, but it almost feels like we need everything to be extreme in order to buy into the already-existing extremes, and it doesn't always work.

I wouldn't not recommend this, especially if you enjoyed Left Drowning. But this is ultimately closer to a 3.5 because of the melodrama, and I'm just more intrigued by what's next more than anything.

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22 November 2015

Review: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been a fan of Sarah Vowell's take on history since I found Assassination Vacation however many years ago. So it's been difficult for me to figure out what it is about this that feels like a miss.

Lafayette being the French general who was one of the instrumental cogs in the successful American Revolution, this sort of attempts to get inside his contributions a bit more. In a sense, he's a compelling figure, but he's also perhaps a little misunderstood.

So why did this fall a little flat for me? Maybe it's because I've read so much Revolutionary stuff over the years? Maybe he's just not compelling enough for this sort of treatment? Maybe I might be over Vowell's approach altogether?

I honestly don't know. But this is the first time I've read a Vowell book and didn't leave happy. I won't say to skip it, but maybe wait on it a bit.

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15 November 2015

Review: They All Fall Down

They All Fall Down They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes the best books are the ones that surprise you. They All Fall Down comes across in the first part of the book as yet another catty teen girl story, and then it goes sideways and becomes a super-fun read.

The school in question has a "Hottie List," where the hottest girls in the class are ranked. This is typically a good thing, but then the girls start dying in weird ways one by one. Is it a curse or something more?

This is a book that ties itself in and out of knots so well, and throws a lot of fun curveballs in your direction as you go about it. It has a very Final Destination vibe to it, for sure, but I think the horror of it all is less the eventualities and more of the way the characters interact and the mystery behind it all. Playing up some classic horror tropes doesn't hurt, either, especially with the "is it a curse or not" idea.

Overall, a fun read! Definitely a little different than what I've come to expect from YA, which is nice, and worth a read if you're into this sort of story.

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Review: Soundless

Soundless Soundless by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lot of people are going to flock to this book due to hashtag politics or other agenda-driven reasons. While I'm hesitant to fault anyone for reading books for any real reason, the good news is that Soundless is a great read that feels very familiar without running on the same road when it comes to fantasy stories.

This tale is about a village at the top of a mountain. There's no sound at the village, but there is a mine that the people of the village use to trade for food and goods with the city below. Things are getting bad, though, because the town with no sound is also experiencing citizens losing their sight. Then, one day, Fei begins hearing, and everything changes.

The story reminds me, in ways, of The Knife of Never Letting Go in the use of senses to drive a narrative. This book is both more interesting and, in ways, more brutal, and also relies on some existing Eastern folk tales to drill down to this story of oppression. There's a lot to love on the surface, but the more I thought about this story, the more it ended up sticking with me. It loses some points with me because I really felt like the ending was a bit of a deus ex machina cop out, but it doesn't change what was great about the story along the way.

A good YA tale, handles ideas of deafness and disability in general in an interesting and accessible way, and has a lot of good, fun fantasy/YA elements to keep those reading at a more surface level entertained as well. Ultimately closer to a 4.5.

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11 November 2015

Review: Max Helsing And The Thirteenth Curse

Max Helsing And The Thirteenth Curse Max Helsing And The Thirteenth Curse by Curtis Jobling
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly closer to a 1.5.

I should have loved this book. It's a nice little concept of a monster hunter who, well, goes around and hunts monsters. It borrows heavily from existing tropes, it's part Buffy and part Dresden, it's like a good bad monster movie.

And yet.

For a book for kids, okay. I can see where there might be some appeal. What I don't get is why it's so poorly executed. Plotlines are dropped, language use is inconsistent, it tries to be too many things all at once and yet doesn't seem to succeed at any of them at all. On one hand, this should be a winning hand in any regard - the descendant of a great monster hunter dealing with growing up while still having responsibilities and duties to deal with, as well as the expectations that go along with the name and actions. It almost makes me want to try and write it myself. Instead, this just really doesn't work. With mostly action in a medium that lends itself to at least coherent plotting, this just doesn't work on many levels at all.

Be wary.

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10 November 2015

Review: Autumn's Kiss

Autumn's Kiss Autumn's Kiss by Bella Thorne
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Bella Thorne's debut novel, which deftly handled issues of learning disabilities, navigating school, and dealing with the loss of a loved one while having an interesting, consequential magical element that tied a lot of it together.

Autumn's Kiss takes all the good stuff out and instead provides us with a surface-level romance that barely matters and isn't all that compelling.

The book that granted wishes still exists, but the emblem on the cover is gone and it doesn't seem to grant wishes anymore. Autumn can't figure it out, and the love triangle that she's kind of fallen into is taking up a lot of her headspace. Plus, her friends are being weird, her family situation is still difficult, and nothing seems right. Exploring the book further, however, unveils a map on the cover, and she can write in where she wants to go and be instantly transported. This is a game-changer for her, and she starts to get a lot of answers to some questions, including answers she doesn't really want.

The whole thing is just kind of dumb and ridiculous, especially given the qualities of the first book. Everything feels surface-level, there's no real stakes, nothing to set things apart. It's all just very straightforward, and, frankly, not great. If you loved Autumn in book one, you'll likely hate her in book two. If you thought her love interests were weird in the first book, just wait until this one comes along. Everyone is forgettable, no one improves, and it's just rough.

Skip this.

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08 November 2015

Review: KLF: Chaos Magic Music Money

KLF: Chaos Magic Music Money KLF: Chaos Magic Music Money by J.M.R. Higgs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I only have a passing knowledge of music group The KLF, and a side interest in Discordianism in general, so this short book ultimately does a good job combining the two in the best way it possibly could given the metric ton of deliberate misinformation strewn about by all parties involved. While this is billed primarily as about The KLF, it's really better as a basic primer of Discordianism in popular arts and culture, and that's not to say a larger piece would be more interesting, but as someone who decidedly cannot take the time to become more obsessed with yet another weird arcane "thing," this was more than enough to satiate my overall interest.

This is short enough to be engrossing and whet anyone's appetite, but might not be detailed enough to truly delve into everything people would like to about the topics within. For me, it was pitch perfect, and I'm glad I took some time to read this one.

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Review: Old School

Old School Old School by Jeff Kinney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been continually impressed by how high the quality of the Wimpy Kid books have been as the series has progressed. We're close to 10 years worth of the books now and, while at one time this was rumored to be the final book, that might not be so anymore. I wonder if that's part of the reason why this one was just okay.

The charm of the books comes from the seemingly tied together stories to go along with the broader arc. I'd say the issue with this one was that the story with Greg's grandfather wasn't terribly engaging, and the rest was ultimately forgettable almost as soon as I read it. Not a great combination for a book that sort of requires a little more to keep it going.

Kids will keep loving this in any regard. If you've read the first nine and you're a kid obsessed with this series, this won't be the thing to change your mind. For this adult reader, though, it really felt like a rather broad misstep of stories maybe better relegated as subplots for a better tale.

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Review: The Weight of Things

The Weight of Things The Weight of Things by Marianne Fritz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a beautiful, strange book.

The best way I can describe this short novel is that it's really a bit of a weird, uncomfortable existential dread that doesn't devolve into scary bits or anything like that. It's fear of the mundane, it's sort of about the choices made over a lifetime and over generations, and it just works.

I struggle with really giving this a full accounting, as it's a book that ended up being more about what the book evoked rather than what the individual contents were. This book won a prize long ago and this translation appears to have kept the mood throughout, which is great, too.

As I slowly move through the Dorothy Project books, I found that this one stuck with me quite a bit. I wish I could pull something like this off. If you can get a copy, do so - it's one that might end up sticking to your gut, too.

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05 November 2015

Review: How to Be Brave

How to Be Brave How to Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Closer to a 3.5.

The whole "bucket list" book for YA is absolutely a trend right now, and I don't think I expected that from this book going in, but it does handle it in a slightly different way - instead of it being a bucket list for Georgia alone, it's a bucket list in honor of her late mother as part of her road to recovering from that loss. It has all the general tropes, from crushes to skinny-dipping to trying risky things, but with the added problems of friendships and a father who may be a little too lost in his own grief as well.

It doesn't always work, which was a little frustrating. Too much of the time, I was trying to figure out why Georgia stuck with the people she stuck with, and some of the choices she made throughout did not seem to fit who she was otherwise (especially with the drug use that was weirdly prevalent throughout). Still, the familial instincts and the way certain people reached out to her was very real, and, while this ends up being a familiar journey of finding oneself, the story really won me over by the end of the book.

Overall, I would recommend, but maybe not as a first choice. The Start of Me and You in particular walks a similar path, and is much more real and less negative to me than this book, and even Julie Halpern's The F-It List handles this with a different take, but this is still a pretty solid read, especially for those who are enjoying this trend.

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04 November 2015

Review: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On the surface, The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss is unlike anything I've read, and it should be commended for doing something different with an existing type of story. The MMORPG-obsessed Dahlia is drawn into a mystery of sorts involving a rare in-game item, and it quickly spirals out of control as it stops being a job and starts becoming literally a life-or-death situation. It's a fun concept.

Unfortunately, the execution leaves some to be desired. The gimmick does get old pretty quickly, and it leans extremely heavily on nerdy references and in-game lingo/commands to move the story along, which is all well and good but didn't need to exist beyond initial establishment, and the mystery/resolution is fairly flat, which left me wishing there was a little more meat on the story as opposed to being so reliant on the conceit.

Overall, it's not a bad read. People who love their books chock-full of references and inside jokes will enjoy this, and those who like mysteries might like the new twists, but this didn't 100% work for me.

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03 November 2015

Review: Need

Need Need by Joelle Charbonneau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Closer to a 3.5.

I'm sometimes surprised that techno-thrillers don't get front and center for the YA set. Need, I suppose, isn't fully a techno-thriller, but it does have social networking as a central issue in the book and results in an exciting story that creates some interesting ideas even if the execution is shaky.

In a small town, a new social network has popped up, NEED, which purports to grant the user any wish they want in exchange for a chore or task. What starts out as "sign up your friends" quickly becomes more sinister, and the death toll rises as people become more and more set on receiving what they ask for.

As a fast-paced thriller of sorts, it works. The pacing is a little off, but that's okay. The story does rely on some pretty standard tropes - dumb police officers and parents, gullible teens, seemingly only one smart/noble character. With that said, it is a fun and fast ride, and that should amount to something as well, too.

I loved The Testing series and I hesitate to call this a step back because it's a different genre that requires different ideas, but those expecting for a similar read will probably be disappointed. Those looking for a fast movie-style thriller, though, will find a lot to like.

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27 October 2015

Review: The Flux

The Flux The Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Closer to a 4.5.

So Flex is great, and if you've read it, you know that already. The Flux is absolutely in the same universe, but it's a very different book. That's not a bad thing, but it also means that there are parts that stumble and there's some attention to detail that needs to be done by the reader for things to truly pay off.

Overall, we're past the point of Flex and now Paul is inside the machine. But if the first book was about saving his daughter by any means necessary, The Flex, in a sense, is about Paul trying to save his daughter from herself. It's an interesting dynamic in the story in that there are things we can control and things we can't, and this story is largely about both of those things as a result, as Aliyah is torn between what's right and what's true. And she's eight. And there are good guys and bad guys, but a significant amount of grey to go along with it.

Yeah, it's that kind of book.

There's a lot of balls in the air here, and what Steinmetz does well is keep them in the air while not losing the sense of the overall. Sometimes there's an inbalance between the action and the story, sometimes things are a little longer than they need to be, but the key point is that the story works. The beginning is a crazy adventure, and the end is just an enjoyable boss battle in every way, including a part that both got me visibly excited and emotionally upset - I tend to be a stoic reader, so that's worth praise in and of itself.

Ferrett Steinmetz is a longtime internet friend/acquaintance, and so knowing some of the things that inform this book definitely has a director's cut feel as a result. I might have actually enjoyed this more if I didn't know some of what he's shared over the years, and that's a testament to how good this book is on a whole.

Overall? A worthy sequel, even if it doesn't reach those heights. Read Flex first, obviously, but give this series a shot. It's some of the more unique and enjoyable urban fantasy I've read as of late.

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Review: The Flux

The Flux The Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Closer to a 4.5.

So Flex is great, and if you've read it, you know that already. The Flux is absolutely in the same universe, but it's a very different book. That's not a bad thing, but it also means that there are parts that stumble and there's some attention to detail that needs to be done by the reader for things to truly pay off.

Overall, we're past the point of Flex and now Paul is inside the machine. But if the first book was about saving his daughter by any means necessary, The Flex, in a sense, is about Paul trying to save his daughter from herself. It's an interesting dynamic in the story in that there are things we can control and things we can't, and this story is largely about both of those things as a result, as Aliyah is torn between what's right and what's true. And she's eight. And there are good guys and bad guys, but a significant amount of grey to go along with it.

Yeah, it's that kind of book.

There's a lot of balls in the air here, and what Steinmetz does well is keep them in the air while not losing the sense of the overall. Sometimes there's an inbalance between the action and the story, sometimes things are a little longer than they need to be, but the key point is that the story works. The beginning is a crazy adventure, and the end is just an enjoyable boss battle in every way, including a part that both got me visibly excited and emotionally upset - I tend to be a stoic reader, so that's worth praise in and of itself.

Ferrett Steinmetz is a longtime internet friend/acquaintance, and so knowing some of the things that inform this book definitely has a director's cut feel as a result. I might have actually enjoyed this more if I didn't know some of what he's shared over the years, and that's a testament to how good this book is on a whole.

Overall? A worthy sequel, even if it doesn't reach those heights. Read Flex first, obviously, but give this series a shot. It's some of the more unique and enjoyable urban fantasy I've read as of late.

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20 October 2015

Review: Willful Machines

Willful Machines Willful Machines by Tim Floreen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Probably closer to a 3.5.

It's like a lot of people are trying to be Cory Doctorow these days with limited success. Here is a new attempt, Willful Machines, which takes place at a boarding school sometime in the future following a robot-uprising-meets-terrorist-attack, where the president's son is at the school. Everyone's pretty attached to their devices, but we're not sure if they can be trusted anymore, and the robot running the uprising (as it were) is threatening another major attack.

This book tries to be a lot of things. It tries to be a surveillance tale and that's questionable. It tries to revive the tropes of not being able to trust machines and computers and such and largely falls flat. It tries to be a more inclusive tale by making the main character gay and, while it does work, it seems more like a way to twist a plot device than just being something that's happening. That's the main flaw with this book - plenty of good things happening that just flop before they become great, and what results is a readable but flawed narrative that I wanted more from and simply didn't get.

Certainly worth a look if things look interesting, but overall, reader beware.

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18 October 2015

Review: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So a few things:

1) Squirrel Girl is awesome, and she also happens to be super powerful, and someone like Ryan North is exactly the type of writer to get to the heart of the whole thing.

2) Squirrel Girl as a comic is kind of limited in its available scope, and probably gets a boost due to the fun novelty of it all combined with her notoriety as one of those c-level superheroes that got very short thrift in the Marvel canon but is one of those fun trivia answers.

This comic ultimately works because it tries to subvert a lot of comic tropes while still sitting firmly within the universe itself. It doesn't go too far in either direction (a welcome change from, say, the recent Thor debacle, and tries deliberately to keep things really light. That's welcome.

I suppose if you're looking for a more serious take, look elsewhere. As a "better than most of the recent Marvel Now" stuff, though, it's worth a good gander. Plus, you can't really argue with a "EAT NUTS KICK BUTTS" tagline, can you?

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Review: The Novice

The Novice The Novice by Taran Matharu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still feel like there's an overall dearth of solid, more mature fantasy for young adults that isn't couched in romance tropes. The Novice, while a little overlong and with a pretty significant runup, does a good job of balancing existing tropes with a different concept altogether. Sort of like if Hogwarts was at West Point, this ends up being a fun read.

The story, once we get there, is pretty cool. Fletcher learns, somewhat accidentally, that he has the ability to summon demons. He is quickly brought into what is basically a summoning school to train for a great war.

This works in part because, once it gets rolling, it largely cuts the fat a bit. We get the relationships, but it's more a lot of action and training, and it's impressive that it works as well as it does in that regard. This isn't Harry Potter, and it's probably closer to The Iron Trial in overall tone, and that's good - we need more fantasy like this that's both appropriate for a wider age range and ushers in a good introduction to the genre.

I'm looking forward to what comes next. Absolutely worth your time.

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Review: The Keeper

The Keeper The Keeper by David Baldacci
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Oof, this book.

So, a caveat first and foremost. I read this for a specific reason, and I was not familiar with the first book in the series outside of the basic plot. Also, this was my first real exposure to David Baldacci, being, again, familiar with his earlier work for adults from my old bookselling days.

I read one Brad Meltzer book back in the day. I know his comic stuff is good, but I found his prose lacking for a traditional novel. It's not to say I love a lot of flourish, but a more workmanlike, dialogue-heavy prose doesn't always work for me. Baldacci, at least in The Keeper, is very similar to that and to books like James Dashner (for this age set), where solid descriptions take a backseat to a more workmanlike prose.

This is unfortunate, because The Keeper has a lot going for it, including some solid worldbuilding and interesting magic structures. Even coming in during the middle of the story, there's a lot to be engaged with in terms of what it offers in a fantasy about a girl and her companion trying to escape from an evil town. The action is good, but at 400+ pages, the whole thing just feels tiring as opposed to epic. It can be a difficult line to walk, but on a whole, it just should be better.

Obviously, start on book one. If the writing in that is anything like this, you'll know very quickly whether it's a book you'll be into or not. For my money, there are a lot of better fantasy books for this age group out there worth your time.

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17 October 2015

Review: The Shadow Wars

The Shadow Wars The Shadow Wars by Rod Rees
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a huge fan of the first book in this series, so I dove into the second one about as fast as I could. Fortunately, the idea and concept behind this series remains sound. Unfortunately, some missteps combined with a shift in focus for book two means this wasn't nearly as good as it could have been.

Following the success of the bad guys in the first book, the new goal is to consolidate power within the Demi-Monde. Since Ella has effectively decided she's a messianic figure within the simulation now, it's up to someone else to work things out a bit, and whether this will actually result in success in anyone's guess.

I don't mind the choices made in the narrative at all. It's all building to something that I hope ends up being pretty cool. The problem, unfortunately, is that the different focus takes us away from what we've come to like from the story and toward something different instead, and it means I felt a little less engaged as a result. For a book that really benefited from the tight focus, the wider lens didn't quite work for me. And I'm not a prude, but there was some definite gratuitous stuff at the end that just didn't work within the confines of the story that were really irritating and grating.

I will go in on book three, and I'm looking forward to it. But my enthusiasm for the story has been reduced a bit, and that's a problem. Here's hoping book three picks up a bit.

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13 October 2015

Review: Ice Like Fire

Ice Like Fire Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Closer to a 3.5.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Snow Like Ashes. It was a good, complicated, mature fantasy that often feels lacking in the young adult genre. The sequel is largely a tonal shift, which hurts the narrative and what's been established even though it's still a pretty decent read.

The story takes place not long after Snow, where Meira is now Winter's queen and is responsible for everything that comes with the position. Without giving away a ton from the first book beyond that, there are some magical elements that go along with it, and Meira has uncovered something fairly significant that impacts how magic works in the lands. The story quickly becomes a hunt for more clues and more information to try and set everything straight.

I liked this a lot, but the fact that it stops being an action-packed fantasy and goes more into political intrigue and such was a problem for me. If this were a stand-alone piece with different characters, I would have liked it more, but instead it felt more like a shift into a different type of story altogether. To be fair, the last quarter of the book really ramps everything up and tosses a few game changers in there that might have also shifted my perception, but there's something to be said about tonal consistency in a sequel.

Overall, not recommending against this, and I definitely look forward to the finale, but certainly a step backwards.

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Review: Black Widow: Forever Red

Black Widow: Forever Red Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The cultural zeitgeist right now demands a Black Widow movie, but right now we might just be settling on a YA book, and that's okay. What's even more okay is how good this book is on a whole, and how it straddles YA without actually dumbing down the characters or the story in any significant way.

If you've seen Age of Ultron, you get an idea of Black Widow's origin as master assassin, and this book follows a couple kids on a similar trajectory, caught between the evil organization in charge and SHIELD itself. A lot of Marvel favorites make an appearance, and the story is basically set up like a Marvel movie. Long and short, you know what you're getting.

What works is that the pace is very similar to the Marvel structure, with some beginning exposition, the problem being established in the middle, and a very action-packed finale. Stohl in particular was really able to structure the narrative well in this regard, both in terms of keeping the action up while not sacrificing the story itself. If there's a downside, it's that the longer exposition at the start does feel somewhat draggy at times, and in a book that features a character that should give the promise of action, it is a bit of a mark against it.

Overall, though, we seem to be hitting a good stride (finally) on comic characters in prose stories. Here's hoping this is the first of many Marvel pieces in particular.

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06 October 2015

Review: Spinning Starlight

Spinning Starlight Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

RC Lewis's first book was a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella that was...okay. I can't find a ton to fault it, but I can't find a ton to love, either, especially since Marissa Meyer is sort of leading the charge. Spinning Starlight is a science fiction retelling of Swan Lake, and while the similarities are a little rough around the edges, the story is BRILLIANT once it gets rolling. A society girl of sorts gets transported via portal to a long-forgotten planet and loses her ability to speak, and then it essentially becomes an alien visitation story in reverse? Pretty great.

This story is bogged down a bit because it takes nearly a quarter of the book to get going. I very nearly tossed it aside, but the moment Liddi hits the new planet, the story becomes something a little special. It's great to see the problem solving, the cultural differences, the language barriers, and done from a perspective that most science fiction stories don't quite get to. Much like how the first book uses an old fairy tale as a framework, so too does this one, and it doesn't feel so weighted down by the concept.

The end is not as frustrating as the beginning, but still doesn't quite work the same way the rest of the book does. Flawed, for sure, but still worth a read and still glad I read it overall. Closer to a 3.5.

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Review: The Rig

The Rig The Rig by Joe Ducie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What would you call a prison break story that's also a super soldier story that's also sort of like The Hunger Games but really more like any other dystopia going? I think The Rig tries to be that. It's a solid story about a kid, jailed multiple times for multiple questionable offenses, who uncovers a pretty crazy secret at the oil rig-style prison he's stuck on in the Arctic Ocean. The secret is more than a little bit of a game changer and really changes the tone of the story completely, but is still pretty interesting on its own.

The book is pretty straightforward in its action and dialogue, making it ripe for reluctant readers of a certain age. The twist in the very end is a strange one, but one I didn't *not* enjoy. Without being able to fully root for anyone, it creates an odd space where you feel like you're more of an observer than fully immersed or engaged, but that might be more me than the book. Overall, there are a lot of readers who might be excited for this. As an adult reader, there might not be a ton here for you, though.

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04 October 2015

Review: Hexomancy

Hexomancy Hexomancy by Michael R. Underwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a way, the Ree Reyes books are somewhat critic-proof at this point. It's a geek's dream, an excuse to pile as much fandom into its pages as possible while still being a fun, compelling read, and what it does just works. It doesn't turn me off, it might turn off other readers, but that's fine.

Hexomancy feels like a good addition to the excellent novella from about a year ago, where it follows up what happened with the massive attack and then raises the stakes. The result is a book that's maybe a little darker, and perhaps less fun on a whole than Celebromancy, but that's more than okay - it's just evolving a bit and the meat of it still works.

Overall, if you've enjoyed the series up until now, this is not going to change your mind. It's a solid read with a light touch, and the spot-the-references fun is what keeps this series sustained in the long run.

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03 October 2015

Review: Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen

Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen by Philip Dray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Closer to a 4.5.

It's been a while since I've read some straight history, and Capitol Men definitely delivered. A post-reconstruction tale of mostly individual but obviously interconnected African-American individuals who made a mark on the government and in history in general following the Civil War, this is the sort of stuff I had ultimately wished I had gotten in history classes. Instead, it's overlooked for plenty of reasons (good and bad) and the result is that we lose out on some really interesting stories about people who really deserve more praise.

I can't think of a favorite at this time out, and that's both because there are so many fascinating individuals highlighted and because of the distance between reading and now. Overall, this is really a must read for anyone who has any interest in all in post-Civil War political history, or those who are looking for those little-known stories from the past. A really great read.

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02 October 2015

Review: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The new hotness in the YA set is this book, which I feel like I've been hearing about forever but only got to read now. Whether it was pre-pub hype or just how awesome this cover was, though, this book really fell flat.

The story follows Sage, who is maybe a little under the radar but sometimes reaches out to people and it sometimes works out. Then there's Shane, the bad boy guitarist who comes from a broken home and a bad situation and... well, you know where this is going.

And that's ultimately the problem. The book takes some weird chances that only feel like chances due to how out of step it is with the standard in YA right now. The result is a fairly strange, often negative, somewhat puzzling book that kept me guessing for a lot of the wrong reasons. And it's got a violent streak to it and it's just overall a strange read that left me unsettled in the not great way.

I think there's appeal here, to be sure. It's not a book I'd recommend except to very specific people with very specific situations, though - there are so many other YA books that handle tougher topics in a better way.

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23 September 2015

Review: Zeroes

Zeroes Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'll be honest - Scott Westerfeld hasn't been doing it for me lately. I didn't love how his World War I steampunk thing ended, the Uglies series petered out for me, I found Afterworlds to be almost unreadable, but I still reached for this one when I had an opportunity to read it. Like with his previous books, the ideas are ultimately better than the execution, but this one was certainly more solid (and it might be a credit to the co-writers on board).

The story is about a bunch of teens who have some special powers. One has an inner omnipotent voice, for example, and he's able to disrupt a bank robbery using it. He meets others with similar power strengths and it throws him and others into a fairly major situation.

The idea behind this is for some sort of new, modern superpower tale for a technological age, and it works at some points and not others. I had trouble accepting the stakes, though, as well as just going along for the ride. A book like this kind of needs to transport you away a bit, and this didn't quite do it. I feel like I have nothing to say about it because, as fine as it was, it really left no impact on me.

Fans of Westerfeld will probably enjoy this. There is an X-Men sort of feel to it in a way, too, so there's that angle, but it's just okay.

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15 September 2015

Review: Tonight the Streets Are Ours

Tonight the Streets Are Ours Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read a ton of Leila Sales's books, but I didn't love where Mostly Good Girls went. Tonight the Streets Are Ours is a much better read, but still suffers from a sort of strange plot that leaves some issues unresolved and ultimately left me wanting to get some better resolutions.

Arden, at her core, is extremely loyal. Perhaps to a fault, as she takes the fall for her best friend at school and doesn't hold enough people in her life accountable. She does, however, become addicted to a blog written by a guy in New York and, on a frustrated whim, decides to road trip up to New York City to meet him and figure out his deal.

It's a weird, cavalier story about the results of this road trip, which is fine, but so much of it feels unresolved (or at least less acceptably resolved) to really fall in love with this book. The weird stuff with her dad, the way things happen at the school, the lack of any real consequence to up and running off to New York City, all of it just feels more like wish fulfillment than a true worthwhile story. I think I might have wanted more, or maybe just wanted different.

Overall, a decent story. Not one I loved, but a quick read I did enjoy on a whole.

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08 September 2015

Review: A Pocket Full of Murder

A Pocket Full of Murder A Pocket Full of Murder by R.J. Anderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There's a habit in middle grade fiction to blur genres a bit to grab a broader audience. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it's a mess a bit. A Pocket Full of Murder is a murder mystery wrapped in fantasy elements, neither of which ends up being compelling enough to sustain a narrative on its own.

The good? A pretty interesting magic system that ends up being almost completely unimportant to the overall plot by the time the story ramps up. A mystery that, on the surface, sounds compelling and interesting.

The bad? Most everything else. When you set up a fantasy universe and then basically abandon it, why bother with it at all? The answer, of course, is to bolster the mystery aspects, but it's clear the magic is a bit of a crutch to flesh out what ends up being a pretty straightforward tale without a lot of reason to call it a "mystery" at all. It almost feels like the book is looking to use the existing tropes and expectations to mask a story that doesn't really work and, more importantly, would not appeal to the kids its geared toward without the gimmicks.

A solid pass here. I had decent expectations for this, and it didn't even really come close.

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Review: The Afterlife Academy

The Afterlife Academy The Afterlife Academy by Frank L. Cole
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

With monster hunter books apparently a thing now, we get The Afterlife Academy, which pits a kid directly in the war between angels and demons. The afterlife is a thing, the academy not so much, and the result is a questionable story on a whole.

We start with someone who is killed, ends up in the afterlife, and is quickly assigned to a kid to help protect him, sort of like a guardian angel. The kid is quickly front and center in a quest for a summoning book that demons want to get their hands on, and it becomes a mad race to sort everything out.

The story mostly doesn't work, with a lot of disjointed narratives and hanging threads to ensure that we're not really taking anything too seriously and making a book that really doesn't work as a result. It's not especially funny, yet there is a lightness to it that persists. It's not especially dangerous, but we're supposed to feel like there's a massive interdimensional threat in play. It's just kind of rough around the edges, and really could be done better on a whole. Definitely pass on this one.

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04 September 2015

Review: Armada

Armada Armada by Ernest Cline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So let's get it out of the way: Armada is a nostalgia trip wrapped up in old video games and science fiction movies designed to scratch a certain itch. It's not great literature, it's not for everyone, and it's impressively great at what it's trying to do. Ernest Cline has hit upon a certain type of mainstream retro storytelling, and it works.

Why, then, is everyone so down on this?

It's not Ready Player One, no. That was brilliant in ways this isn't, as this is more a straightforward Ender's Game-meets-The Last Starfighter as opposed to a blatant video game story. But it's not as if it was a betrayal of what is being tried here. I mean, what do people expect when they pick up this book that they didn't get? I don't get it at all. Is it the anti-gamer attitude permeating the science fiction fandom at present? Is it some other cultural touchstone I'm missing?

If you can put aside whatever baggage you might bring to the table, you'll know if you'll enjoy this before you even pick it up. If Ready Player One was transcendent, you'll love this. If you thought it was trash nostalgia, just skip this altogether. If you're in the middle, take it for the goofy action movie it is. Just leave your own stuff at the door.

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01 September 2015

Review: The Vanishing Island

The Vanishing Island The Vanishing Island by Barry Wolverton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think pirates are interesting, but, for whatever reason, the more swashbuckling narratives never seem to grab me. The Vanishing Island is probably the best of the lot that I've had an opportunity to read over the years, but even then, it's been more of a slog than an enjoyment, and part of it may be due to curriculum changes we've seen recently.

Part of the charm of this one is some of the historical nods. A kid desperate to get on a ship ends up apprenticing under Rand McNally, he eventually enlists on a ship searching for Marco Polo's treasure. There's mysterious forces at play as well, so it becomes a sort of classic pirate tale in many regards. Where this book begins to fall flat is the attempts (over and over and over) to include nonfictional pieces within the narrative. The facts strewn about in the story absolutely break the narrative, and drag down the entire story as a result.

It's not unreadable by any means. If you or your kid reader like pirate tales, this is actually a pretty decent one. Certainly better than The Map to Everywhere, as a more recent comparison. It's just frustrating where the book feels like it has a bunch of information crammed into it so the story can be more palatable to a Common Core era. There's no need for it, and it could have been a much better story if it was a lot tighter on a whole.

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Review: A Curious Tale of the In-Between

A Curious Tale of the In-Between A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Probably closer to a 2.5.

Middle grade ghost stories can be interesting tales, and most of them either act as short stories or go toward the absurd/humorous. A Curious Tale of the In-Between attempts to go the creepy route, and to sometimes positive and sometimes negative results.

The tale starts with a parent who hangs themselves, and quickly there's the bridge or tear in the fabric that brings out the ghost that only Pram can see. It's believed to be an invisible friend, then becomes something a little more, and ultimately becomes the meat of the story. The setting itself is important to the overall tale, and lends itself to the creepy atmosphere that's coming across, and thus keeps it from falling into the expected tropes.

Why, then, am I so lukewarm on this? It's almost too dark in many ways, it feels like a book out of time in others. If this were published 50 years ago, I could see it as a classic, but it feels almost painfully outdated at times. I didn't find the story entirely satisfying, either, but I do realize this might be more my preferences for a book like this than anything else. I just don't feel like this entirely worked, and that the flaws aren't overcome by the good in the story. There are some cool magic things, and I like a middle grade book that takes chances, but on a whole...

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Review: Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth

Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Middle grade graphic novels can be very hit or miss. Just from the cover alone, I assumed Hilo would be a winner, but I had no clue it would be this good.

The story is pretty simple. Hilo crashes to Earth, is discovered by a neighborhood boy, and is quickly assimilated into the local town. Quickly, though, we start getting snippets of why Hilo has come to Earth, how he got here, and what's going to follow.

The story plots itself out really well, with a good mix of reveals and development. The entire cast of characters is fun, there are numerous callbacks that remain funny without losing their luster, and there's the right level of danger and fun for this audience to more than get the story across. I raced right through this and was quickly sad that I know I'll have to wait a while for the next volume.

On a whole, great for any comic lovers, but a great introduction to comics for the right readers. Definitely worth room on your shelves.

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Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've professed my love for Jennifer E. Smith's YA books for a long time now, and I can say, without hesitation, that Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between is far and away my favorite book she has written, and has upped the bar in terms of how young adult romance can be done.

The story takes place over an evening where two high school sweethearts, about ready to head off to college, are ending their relationship so that they don't have to continue it long distance. This isn't something they necessarily want to do, but the two are spending their last night together revisiting some of their favorite memories and times together. Things don't quite go as planned, and it, of course, gets complicated, but the story is about those highs and lows in all relationships.

Why is this so great? There are so many reasons to consider. The characters are really likable, the story is not a new one but still feels new and fresh (the analogy I made initially was Daniel Handler's Why We Broke Up, but this is much more sincere). The entire thing is so relatable that it's hard to read in a way - you know what you want to happen, you see the writing on the wall, and yet. And yet. It's certainly a tug-at-the-heartstrings tearjerker but doesn't feel emotionally manipulative either. The narrative itself feels almost like a documentary in a sense, and that's just really great.

I don't have a negative thing to say about this at all. It's pitch-perfect, and it's something that I hope anyone and everyone who reads YA finds a way to enjoy. It's so really well done, and that's with my sky-high expectations in place already. Highly recommended.

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Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

've professed my love for Jennifer E. Smith's YA books for a long time now, and I can say, without hesitation, that Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between is far and away my favorite book she has written, and has upped the bar in terms of how young adult romance can be done.

The story takes place over an evening where two high school sweethearts, about ready to head off to college, are ending their relationship so that they don't have to continue it long distance. This isn't something they necessarily want to do, but the two are spending their last night together revisiting some of their favorite memories and times together. Things don't quite go as planned, and it, of course, gets complicated, but the story is about those highs and lows in all relationships.

Why is this so great? There are so many reasons to consider. The characters are really likable, the story is not a new one but still feels new and fresh (the analogy I made initially was Daniel Handler's Why We Broke Up, but this is much more sincere). The entire thing is so relatable that it's hard to read in a way - you know what you want to happen, you see the writing on the wall, and yet. And yet. It's certainly a tug-at-the-heartstrings tearjerker but doesn't feel emotionally manipulative either. The narrative itself feels almost like a documentary in a sense, and that's just really great.

I don't have a negative thing to say about this at all. It's pitch-perfect, and it's something that I hope anyone and everyone who reads YA finds a way to enjoy. It's so really well done, and that's with my sky-high expectations in place already. Highly recommended.

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30 August 2015

Review: Ultima

Ultima Ultima by Stephen Baxter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ultima is the second and final book of this duology that had a first book that basically took the entirety of the story to reach a good payoff. The way it ended so clearly redeemed the concept that I was curious as to how the sequel would figure everything out, and the result is a book that is even better than its predecessor and turned this into one of my favorite duologies. Spoilers going forward.

The end of Proxima had our crew running into a group of people who were speaking Latin. What we quickly learn is that the hatches from book one are designed as portals into alternate dimensions, and where our crew happens to be is an alternate universe where the Roman Empire continued its dominance. The story continues along the same lines as time progresses and we visit more universes and the mysteries are untangled.

I love both time travel and alternate universe stories, so the fact that Ultima was able to exceed my already-high expectations is awesome. I understand a lot of the flaws in the story and why some aren't finding it to be as great as I am, but it's a great mix of genres (including a way to do alternate history without disrupting existing timelines) that just hit all the right spots for me.

Definitely recommended for sci-fi fans and people who like weird alternate histories. A fun ride.

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27 August 2015

Review: Time Salvager

Time Salvager Time Salvager by Wesley Chu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time travel is tough to get right. There are a lot of factors that go into it, and typically works are okay as long as the rules are consistent within the universe. Time Salvager succeeds in that regard, but ultimately peters out in the second half once the concepts have been exhausted a bit.

In the tale we have James, working as a "chronman" to grab resources from the past and bring them into the future for use without destroying the timeline in the process. There are ways to see how actions impact the timeline, which is why there are so many important laws of time to follow. James meets Elise on one of his missions and brings her back to his present to save her life, and now they're on the run.

Great concept, and good execution in the first half. Once we're largely centralized in one spot, though, this becomes more of an action/escape movie than a time travel novel, which, while appealing to some, ends up not being the same strength as the first half. I'd say it's almost like a Michael Bay movie, but since Michael Bay has already optioned this for a movie, it's probably too obvious an observation to make.

I guess I'm not saying to avoid this, but I'm also not necessarily arguing this is as mind-blowing as others seem to think. The characters aren't especially well fleshed-out, much of the plot relies on immensely stupid decision-making, and, especially within the time travel genre, there are other books I'd much prefer to read and recommend. This might appeal to a lot of readers, but just be wary.

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26 August 2015

Review: Fish In A Tree

Fish In A Tree Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We're only two books in, but I think Lynda Mullaly Hunt is fast carving a nice niche for herself in middle grade literature that demands a lot more attention. It's difficult to get the tone right on a lot of these books that deal with a significant issue, and, like One for the Murphys before it, Fish in a Tree generally nails it.

This is a dyslexia story, and Ally has been able to fake it for a while, although the result is a lot of lashing out and a lot of trouble. After one significant incident, she is transferred to a new class and a new teacher who starts to break down the walls a bit.

It's a simple premise, and perhaps it loses a few points because we all know this story from other books or mediums, but it's hard to understate exactly how well this one is done. Ally is sympathetic from the start, we have a model teacher, and the right mix of emotional heft and narrative flow to make it work. It's a book that you know will be special to a special someone in your life, and one of those books that most readers who enjoy true-to-life stories will enjoy.

A solid recommendation.

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25 August 2015

Review: We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story by Josh Sundquist
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As much as I read a lot of broad genres and style, nonfiction for kids and teens has always been a bit of a gap for me. I picked up We Should Hang Out Sometime for a specific reason unrelated to filling any gaps, and ended up absolutely loving this story.

Josh Sundquist is a guy who had cancer as a kid and lost his leg. In his 20s, he realized that, by no fault of a lack of effort, he had never actually had a girlfriend before. This book is effectively a log of his trials and tribulations in love, including reaching out to old crushes, dates, and firsts to maybe figure out what went wrong.

To say this isn't absolutely charming would be a lie, because it really is. Sundquist has a great, relatable writing style that makes this read that much more entertaining, but I also wish I had this book in my teen years, because I saw a lot of my own stupidity in here. If I knew then what I know now and such, this book can easily act in the same way for a lot of teens, both male and female. Even adult readers would probably find a lot of fun nostalgic reasons to enjoy something like this.

Overall, just a great, quick read that I loved. Highly recommended for all readers of all ages.

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