Review: Daddy-Long-Legs

Daddy-Long-Legs, by Jean Webster. The GoodReads summary:

A trustee of the John Grier orphanage has offered to send Judy Abbott to college. The only requirements are that she must write to him every month, and that she can never know who he is. Judy's life at college is a whirlwind of friends, classes, parties, and a growing friendship with the handsome Jervis Pendleton. With so much happening in her life, Judy can scarcely stop writing to the mysterious "Daddy-Long-Legs"!

This was a short, cute read. It’s written as a collection of letters from Judy to her anonymous benefactor over the four years she’s at college. Judy’s pretty hilarious, and the book made me wish I was more of a letter writer because her letters are so entertaining. Even though the book was written in 1912, it didn’t feel that old—it was very readable and accessible. Some of the things she talks about obviously date the story, but Judy’s narrative voice itself felt surprisingly modern, and if I was judging based on the style alone, I don’t think I’d ever guess that it was written over 100 years ago.

The story was fairly predictable, and I guessed what was going on behind the scenes pretty early on, but the predictability didn’t make the journey any less fun. I do feel indignant on Judy’s behalf for what I feel was some unfair manipulation, but I won’t go on about it as much as I’d like to because it would be too hard to avoid major spoilers. So I’ll just say that while my indignation over a few things was very real, it never made it to the point where I was ever seriously turned off from the book.

Overall, a light, fun story. It’s not exactly a book with hidden depth, but all the same, despite some issues I had with it, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: Green Heart (Green Angel & Green Witch)

Green Heart (Green Angel & Green Witch), by Alice Hoffman. The GoodReads summary:

When her family is lost in a terrible disaster, 15-year-old Green is haunted by loss and the past. Struggling to survive in a place where nothing seems to grow and ashes are everywhere, Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings, she also begins to destroy herself. It is only through a series of mysterious encounters that Green relearns the lessons of love and begins to heal as she tells her own story.

As she heals, Green lives every day with feelings of loss. Her family is gone, the boy she loves is missing, and the world she once knew has been transformed by tragedy. In order to rediscover the truth about love, hope, and magic, she must venture away from her home, collecting the stories of a group of women who have been branded witches for their mysterious powers. Only through their stories will Green find her own heart's desire.

So the book’s called “Green Heart,” but it’s actually a compilation of two novels, “Green Angel” and its sequel, “Green Witch.” Both of the two novels are short, like less than 150 pages, so reading them together was basically the same as reading one full-length book. In Green Angel, Green is dealing with the grief of losing her family and slowly finding her way back to herself. In Green Witch, she’s searching out the women known as the Enchanted and ends up on a mission she wasn’t expecting. The stories pull together elements from both the dystopian and fairy-tale fantasy genres, which was a bit of an unusual mix, but it worked for me.

So now that those explanations are out of the way, can I just fangirl over this book a bit? Cuz I liked it quite a lot. First off, the writing was dang gorgeous. Writing styles that draw attention to themselves can go either way for me, but in this case, I thought it shaped the atmosphere and tone of the story really well. It made me feel like I was being told a story, rather than simply reading one. And speaking of stories, the plots of these two novels clicked with me. They aren’t super complex or detailed or anything—after all, the two books are short. But despite that, they feel complete and satisfying and not at all simple. Plus, I’m a sucker for stories about girls who have hit rock bottom but manage not only to survive but to bloom, despite their circumstances.

I don’t have that much more to say, actually. Some books just reach me on a level that I can’t express with words. And I’ll admit that elements of these two stories reminded me a little of certain Robin McKinley books, and once that connection was made, no matter how tenuous, my adoration of these books was pretty much cemented. But Robin McKinley aside, these are wonderful stories in their own right.

Overall, two gorgeous stories that I totally fell in love with. I was trying to decide if I prefer one over the other, but nope—I love them both. They’re both quiet stories, but Green Angel is especially so, since it focuses on Green’s inner journey while Green Witch deals with an actual physical journey. So actually, having both novels together in one book was really nice, because together they have a good balance. Anyway, moral of the story, I wholeheartedly recommend both.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Review: Hooked

Hooked, by Liz Fichera. The GoodReads summary:

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

So there I was totally enjoying this book—I had some issues with it, sure, but I was really having fun—when wham! The ending came and ruined it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a book with such promise muff it so badly when it came to the resolution. I mean, it almost left me speechless with just how majorly the ending fell apart. It did not resolve anything in a believable way. Every single thing about how it all worked out was far too easy and superficial and unbelievable. Not to mention the ending felt abrupt—I was expecting at least another chapter for the characters to work things out, but nope. I got sent straight to the epilogue. It all left me feeling rather frustrated and disappointed, especially considering how much I was enjoying the story up to that point.

But enough about the ending. The other main thing that bugged me about the story was Ryan, the love interest. What a douche, is all I have to say. Actually, that’s NOT all I have to say; I’m going to harp on him a little more. He’s trying, I’ll give him that. And I know it can be hard to stand up to your friends, but still—he’s a coward in my book. He does manage to stand up for Fred in the little ways, but every time it really matters, he drops the ball. So I got really tired of him always doing the wrong thing. And don’t even get me started on the way he gets back in Fred’s good graces with a dramatic gesture rather than by consistently proving that he’s changed.

As for Fred, I liked her and the fact that she goes after her dreams despite her difficult circumstances. And I loved that she never lets the Ryan drama affect her committment to golf. I also thought her reactions to her Native American culture were well written. She’s maybe a little embarrassed by it at times, but she’s generally respectful and proud of it. The only thing that got on my nerves about her was that her expectations for her relationship with Ryan were too high to fast—like, she expected one date and a kiss to mean that they were going to live happily ever after forever—so I kinda rolled my eyes at her dramatic reaction to Ryan being a jerk to her after that.

Overall, I think the disappointing ending made me slightly more critical of this book than I would’ve been otherwise. Because really, up until the end, the story is totally readable. I even made it through Ryan’s douchey-ness because I was having such a good time reading the book. And I appreciated that though it’s essentially a teen romance, it explores issues in a way that’s meaningful without becoming too heavy-handed for the type of book it is. And then it had to go and lose my respect with that ending. Grrr.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: Salvation

Salvation, by Anne Osterlund. The GoodReads summary:

Salvador Resendez--Salva to his friends--appears to have it all. His Mexican immigrant family has high expectations, and Salva intends to fulfill them. He's student body president, quarterback of the football team, and has a near-perfect GPA. Everyone loves him.

Especially Beth Courant, AKA the walking disaster area. Dreamy and shy, Beth is used to blending into the background. But she's also smart, and she has serious plans for her future.

Popular guy and bookish girl--the two have almost nothing in common. Until fate throws them together and the attraction is irresistible. Soon Beth is pushing Salva to set his sights higher than ever--because she knows he has more to offer, more than even he realizes.

Then tragedy strikes--and threatens to destroy everything that Salva has worked for. Will Beth's love be enough to save him?

I’ll admit when I picked this one up, I was hoping it was going to be along the lines of “Perfect Chemistry.” Because that one, while approaching the overdramatic and over the top, never actually crosses the line and never tries to be more than it is, so it manages to be a lot of fun. But “Salvation” didn’t quite succeed in the same way for me.

I mostly felt that the book was trying too hard to be deep and meaningful. I just wanted to be taken on a soap-opera-worthy ride through a dramatic cross-cultural relationship, but I ended up feeling like I was being force fed a “moral of the story.” Like, I felt the author was a bit too obvious in the message I was supposed to take away from the book. I also thought the writing could be a bit over the top, and that’s one of the things I always find hardest to forgive in a book. But while I found the writing a little much, I thought the story was still pretty readable, and I never seriously thought about not finishing it.

I did like that Beth and Salva knew each other for quite a while before starting a relationship. The story takes place over most of a school year, and the two of them spend quite a bit of time together during that period. So I respected their relationship a little more than I maybe would have otherwise. I also liked that the story was about the girl saving the guy, and not the other way around, like it so often is in YAs. I feel like usually it’s the girl struggling with personal or familial issues, and the guy helps her sort things out and get back on track. But the tables are turned in “Salvation,” and even though Beth wasn’t necessarily my favorite character ever, I did like that she was the one to help Salva work things out.

For me, the resolution of the story was waaaay to easy. I won’t go into spoilery territory, but something tragic happens towards the end of the book that Salva needs to deal with. And it weighs heavily on him. But then within the space of, like, two pages and one conversation, it’s all magically fixed, and that didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to see him struggle a little more, and I wish that the solution would’ve been something a little more complex than “true love heals all wounds.”

Overall, not my favorite book, but it did have a few redeeming qualities.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: Stealing Heaven

Stealing Heaven, by Elizabeth Scott. The GoodReads summary:

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best--her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends--a real life.

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She's making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani--because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they've targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known--or the one she's always wanted.

This is one of those books that I’ve seen recommended on enough blogs that I thought I should give it a shot. Or to be strictly honest, being the cheapskate that I am, I bought it for my sister for her birthday and then pretty much simultaneously asked if I could borrow it. But anyway, the book turned out to be decent. Not quite the game changer I was hoping for, but still generally enjoyable.

Basically the best thing about the book, in my opinion, is Greg. He’s beyond adorable. In fact he’s so adorable that there’s pretty much no way he could exist in real life, but hey—isn’t that why we read fiction? His appeal comes from the fact that he sees the best in Dani and never gives up on her, despite the fact that she’s incredibly standoffish to him and only gives him the smallest slivers of outward encouragement. But Greg keeps trying anyway, and he’s such a decent guy that his persistence comes off as endearing rather than creepy.

Dani herself is a likeable narrator. I did find it frustrating, though, that she felt like she had no alternatives to being a thief. I get why she felt that way, and that a lot of it had to do with wanting to feel worthy of her mother’s affection, but at the same time, I just wanted to shake her and tell her that she’s better than that.

Plot-wise, I was good with it all until the end, when the story takes a more serious turn. The serious stuff didn’t ruin the book or anything, it’s just that I thought the book was already doing a good enough job dealing with consequences and what not, so the added seriousness at the end felt unnecessary to me.

Overall, a good read. I didn’t fall in love with it in quite the way I hoped I would, but I still liked it well enough, all things considered.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: Every Day

Every Day, by David Levithan. The GoodReads summary:

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

I finished this book a while ago, but I just realized I never wrote a review for it. I blame it on having exactly zero free time at this point in my life. Usually, I write my reviews right after I finish a book, because I tend to have a really short memory for remembering the specifics of what I thought about it, so if this review is kinda vague, that’s why.

But anyway, this is the first book I read that was completely by David Levithan. I’ve read two of the books he co-authored with Rachel Cohn (“Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares” and “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist”), and I liked both of those a lot. Still, I had pretty low expectations for this book going into it. Probably you know by now of my unfair yet unshakable prejudice against books by male authors.

But I actually thought “Every Day” wasn’t bad—it ended up being much better than I expected. Which is not to say that I didn’t have any issues with it, because I did. It just surprised me with how readable it was and well the story flowed. Considering the main character is in a different body and a different life every day, I was impressed with how cohesive the plot was. The main character was pretty likeable, despite being a bit of a know-it-all. I thought it was a unique plot device that the MC is genderless—it made for some interesting explorations into what the substance of relationships really is. Still, in my head the MC came off as a boy. I’m not entirely sure why—probably just because the author is male so the narrative voice came off as more male to me.

Pretty much the whole plot revolves around the MC falling in love and trying to make it work despite being in a different body every day. So of course I was super curious about how the book would end and how it would all work out. Generally, I thought the ending was well done and realistic, though there was one aspect of it that had me feeling indignant on Rhiannon's behalf and that spoiled the ending a bit for me.

Overall, a much better book than I was expecting. Maybe it’s because my expectations were so low to start with, but I ended up enjoying the book for the most part.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: Pivot Point

Pivot Point, by Kasie West. The GoodReads summary:

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Okay, this is going to be short. Basically, I wasn’t wowed by the first three-fourths of the book, but it was just barely interesting enough for me to keep reading. Similarly, I found Addie, the main character, annoying at times but never annoying enough to make me quit the book. I liked the idea of seeing two possible futures and enjoyed that general aspect of the book, but some of the other plot points I thought lacked development. The last fourth of the book is where the book got legitimately good. That’s where the two futures started overlapping more and where the pace finally picked up. That last chunk saved the book for me.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It

The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It, by Lisa Shanahan. The GoodReads summary:

In my family, when anyone rides the wave of their emotions, we say they're chucking a birkett. When the emotion drives out all common sense, we say they're chucking a big one. The telltale signs are: flaming cheeks, shortness of breath, bulging eyes, and a prolonged illogical outburst.

Gemma Stone is convinced that it's always unseemly to chuck a birkett and that it's actually insane to chuck one in front of a complete stranger. But that was before she fell for a boy who barely knows she exists, before she auditioned for the school play, before she met the family of freaks her sister Debbie is marrying into, before the unpredictable Raven De Head took an interest in her, and before she realized that at the right time and for the right reason, a birkett could be a beautiful thing.

I have Lan to thank for recommending this book, because I doubt I ever would’ve found it otherwise. I don’t know what they have down in the water in Australia, but I swear Aussie authors never disappoint.

This is a younger YA—I think Gemma is around 14—so the story is perhaps a little simpler than many older YAs, but the simplicity didn’t detract from its depth. This actually is one of those rare YA contemps that successfully manages to balance funny with touching, light with serious. It had me smiling constantly and near tears twice. I just really appreciated how the author could keep things entertaining while still giving the book heft.

I thought the setup of the book was pretty refreshing. I feel like in some YA contemps, the story can get bogged down in the everyday details of the MC’s life. But in this book, we only really get to see Gemma and her life as relates to her sister’s wedding, her experiences trying out for the school play, and her relationship with Raven and the rest of the De Head family. Other aspects of her life don’t really come into play. To me, it felt more like a series of vignettes than a comprehensive chronological narrative. But that wasn’t a bad thing at all. I enjoyed the snapshots of Gemma’s life and felt like the structure kept the story focused on the important things.

I adored Gemma, but I thought the book had a well-rounded cast of secondary characters as well. The author doesn’t spend very much time describing them, but you get a solid sense of who they are and what they’re like from how they interact with each other. Pretty much any scene that had Gemma’s parents or the De Head brothers had me eager for more.

Overall, this was just one of those books that reminds me why I love contemporary YAs. It was light and funny but always weighed down by the right balance of more serious issues. It was well-written to boot, and who doesn’t love some virtually incomprehensible Aussie slang every once in a while?

Rating: 4 / 5

Review: Dark Triumph

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2), by Robin LaFevers. The GoodReads summary:

Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

All I can say upon finishing this book is . . . YES! It was just so freaking good. In fact, probably my favorite YA of the year so far. It’s been long enough since I read the first book (“Grave Mercy”) that I can’t honestly remember too much about that one—I liked it A LOT, I know, but I don’t remember enough to pinpoint exactly how “Dark Triumph” compares. But I’m pretty sure that I like “Dark Triumph” even more than “Grave Mercy,” just because I don’t see how the ridiculous giddiness that I felt when I finished this second book could be beat.

One thing I’m sure of: “Dark Triumph” is a much darker book than “Grave Mercy.” I remember “Grave Mercy” being more about political intrigue, but the scope of “Dark Triumph” is much more personal. Ismae in the first book doesn’t really have a personal investment in all the scheming and dealing going on in that book, at least at first, but for Sybella in this second book, everything that goes on is deeply personal. She’s fighting demons of her past that have once again become demons of her present. And those demons just keep getting worse. And ickier. Seriously. From the beginning, I knew that Sybella’s family life was horrible, but it just kept getting worse and worse until I didn’t know how she survived it.

But as it got increasingly terrible, my respect for Sybella grew. Pretty much from the start of the book, I felt more of a connection with Sybella than I had with Ismae. I don’t know why really—Sybella is not exactly a warm and loving person. With her past, there’s not really any way she could be. But I loved her strength and her ability to not let her crappy circumstances distract her from her goals, and I appreciated that despite all she’s been through, she’s still kind in her own way. It would be so easy—and understandable—for her to just give up, but she never does. And that unfailing core of strength when it would be easier and more convenient to be weak won me over pretty dang quick.

And now let’s just take a minute and talk about Beast. Or really, as I say in my head every time, BEAST!!! I vaguely remember him from the first book, and I know I liked him there, but oh my gosh he grabbed my heart in this one. I think I was a goner from the point where he chucked the sword at that guy’s head. He’s just so perfect for Sybella. He’s strong enough to handle the weight of Sybella’s past and optimistic enough to want to do so. And he respects her strengths and skills as well and doesn’t pull any alpha-male crap, despite obviously being very much an alpha male.

Overall, a fantastic book and a fantastic second book, which is even rarer. You don’t necessarily need to have read “Grave Mercy” to understand what’s going on in this one, but I recommend doing so—I definitely found myself wishing, especially towards the beginning, that I had reread “Grave Mercy” so I could remember what all was happening. Anyway, I obviously loved this book. There was one small-ish thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars, but other than that, I think this book deserves a very strong 4.5.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Review: Out of the Easy

Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys. The GoodReads summary:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

So Ruta Sepetys’s first book, “Between Shades of Gray,” is one of those books that I feel pretty much everyone should read. It’s about Stalin’s purges of the Baltic States during the 1940s, which is a topic I don’t think many people are aware of. Plus the story and writing are totally engrossing. So that’s why I picked up Sepetys’s second book, “Out of the Easy.” Like the first book, this second book has a nontraditional YA setting, but this time it’s 1950s New Orleans and our heroine is 17-year-old Josie, the daughter of a prostitute. For some reason, based on the book’s summary, I was expecting this book to be more of a mystery, with Josie working to solve the murder. But it’s not really like that at all. The focus of the book is on Josie’s attempts to get out of New Orleans and the uphill battle she has to fight to even get the slightest chance of doing so.

One of the things I really appreciated about Josie is that although she’s trying so hard to rise above her circumstances to make more of her life, she doesn’t look down on or feel embarrassed by the people in the life that she’s trying to escape. She remains close to the brothel madam who essentially brought her up and the cab driver who’s her surrogate father. She doesn’t ever start thinking she’s better than them just because she doesn’t want their life, and I respected that.

But here’s the thing: although this book was solid and generally well done, I felt like it was missing that spark that takes a book from “solid” to something special. I’m not even sure what that spark that I wanted would’ve been. Maybe a more vibrant portrait of what New Orleans was like in the 1950s. Maybe more chemistry between Josie and the cute auto mechanic. Maybe more time spent on the murder mystery aspect. Maybe not quite so easy of an ending. Maybe all of those things, or maybe something completely different that I can’t quite put my finger on. All I know is that I felt like this book was lacking a heart—something to take an adequate story and bring it to life in a way that I could feel invested in.

Overall, an interesting book with a unique setting and main character. Despite my criticisms above, I did enjoy the book and felt that it was worth my time—I just didn’t feel that level of connection I need to really love a book.

Rating: 3.5 / 5