Review: 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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Review: 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 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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Review: 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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Review: 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 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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Review: 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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Review: 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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Review: 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 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 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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Review: 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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Review: 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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Review: 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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