The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith ★★★☆☆ Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more? I really liked this book, but it didn’t blow me away. It was sweet, charming, and heartwarming, but it’s probably not a book I’ll be gushing about for weeks. Smith’s writing style is perfect for love stories, and Hadley’s story was told extremely well, but Hadley was really the only well-rounded character in the book. I didn’t really get the vibe that Hadley and Oliver were in love, and if the book summary hadn’t told me so, I probably wouldn’t have thought they were. Still, it was a good book. The banter between Hadley and Oliver was entertaining and adorable. This was a really cute story and an easy read that any lover of romance would devour.
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Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea ★★★☆☆ Everyone in the broken-down town of Chelsea, Massachussetts, has a story too worn to repeat—from the girls who play the pass-out game just to feel like they’re somewhere else, to the packs of aimless teenage boys, to the old women from far away who left everything behind. But there’s one story they all still tell: the oldest and saddest but most hopeful story, the one about the girl who will be able to take their twisted world and straighten it out. The girl who will bring the magic. Could Sophie Swankowski be that girl? With her tangled hair and grubby clothes, her weird habits and her visions of a filthy, swearing mermaid who comes to her when she’s unconscious, Sophie could be the one to uncover the power flowing beneath Chelsea’s potholed streets and sludge-filled rivers, and the one to fight the evil that flows there, too. Sophie might discover her destiny, and maybe even in time to save them all. I absolutely loved Tea’s gritty fantasy and gosh-darn incredible writing. Tea has a way of describing ordinary objects in ways you wouldn’t think to, lending a sense of the fantastical to bits of glass and a stinky, polluted creek. I love Tea’s complicated, important background characters, every bit as developed as Sophie, who I love even more. She’s normal, the kind of girl you could pick off any sidewalk corner, until Tea lets you know she isn’t. Tea’s urban fantasy is coated in filth and grime, and she knows exactly when to wipe it away and when to pile more on. If I had to change one thing about this book, it would be to add in more scenes with the mermaid herself, but I love the menagerie of characters and creatures Tea snuck into the pages, and their tie to Polish mythology. I loved this book, and you’ll love it too. We is Got Him by Carrie Hagen ★★★☆☆ In 1874, a young boy named Charley Ross was snatched from his front yard in Philadelphia. The child’s father received a letter that read: “”Mr. Ross; be not uneasy you son charley bruster be all writ. we is got him and no powers on earth can deliver out of our hand. You wil have two pay us before you git him from us, and pay us a big cent to.” “ Philadelphia had just won the bid to host America’s centennial celebration. The country had survived revolution, civil war, and recession, and city politicians were eager to prove the country had matured enough to survive another hundred years. What they couldn’t foresee was how a child’s kidnapping threatened to unravel social confidence and plunge a city into despair. Hagen expertly weaves this historical narrative as we see Philadelphia’s mayor fight to preserve his city’s stature, and watch the manhunt spread from Philadelphia to the streets of New York. Based on a tremendous amount of research, the author accurately captures the darker side of America—with its corrupt detectives, thief-catchers, spiritualists, and river pirates—as a country in which innocence had become an ideal of the past. Hagen’s true crime novel, about the first recorded ransom kidnapping in America, was fascinating. Reading through the first few scenes of the book, it’s crazy to imagine a world where parents didn’t have their kids under constant supervision, and seeing strangers talking to children wasn’t worrying, but commonplace. Even kids are much different today; we learn about stranger danger when we’re very little. Charley and Walter Ross knew nothing about it; they willingly got into a strange buggy with two strange men. The police force’s handling of the case was also astonishingly different from today’s kidnapping cases. While We is Got Him was eye-opening to just how much America has changed, it was also a bit dry in places. Hagen often began talking about the upcoming Centennial or other background events, that, while interesting, weren’t necessary to the story of the kidnapping, or could have been shortened. However, much of her book was told like a regular novel, not a textbook, in that she allowed us to “get to know” the characters and used dramatic irony to her advantage. Although the book rambled on a little, I liked it a lot, and it was very interesting to read about everyday life in such a different time. Anyone interested in crime and its history would love We is Got Him, as would my fellow history buffs. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman ★★★☆☆ Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life. I have really mixed feelings about this book. It was very slow to get going, but once it did, it was really good. I love the portrayal of dragons. It’s probably the most interesting dragonlore I’ve read. I also love the characterization and subtlety of the plot. Throughout the book, I thought I knew the answer to the mystery, and the end surprised me, but when I looked back, all the evidence was there. I love when authors do that. Hartman also did a great job working in diverse characters and complex ones. The Ardmagar’s comedic relief and confusion at human emotions keep the book from getting dreary in slower parts. To be honest, even in the slower beginning, I was captivated simply by the world in which Phina lives. The unique dragonlore and fantasy setting make it really very interesting. Another point in Hartman’s favor is that she stuck to her dragons. In a lot of fantasy books, it seems like the author looked at a list of common things to see in the genre, and then decided to put them all in, which is overwhelming and takes away from the plot. Hartman does a wonderful job of focusing on her fuedal-like setting and draconian characters, without the unnecessary addition of faeries or ogres. I loved her book and I applaud her for it. What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang ★★★☆☆ Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t … For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet … for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything. I really liked the idea behind this book, and I was really curious to see how the author would pull it off. And I think she did remarkably well telling the story of two people sharing one body. My problem with this book is that it’s not very exciting. In certain parts, I was definitely on the edge of my seat. But for the most part, it seemed almost passive. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good book, however. What’s Left of Me won’t be making its way into my favorites, but it was still an enjoyable read with an interesting premise. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield ★★★☆☆ Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town—and Becca—into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life. The story is simple, the writing poetic, and the setting as alive as the characters. Rosenfield does a brilliant job telling not only Becca’s story, but Amelia’s. The first few chapters draw you in like a fish on a line. And while some of the chapters in the middle drag on a bit and seem to restate things previously said - detailing small town life, etc - most of them do hold at least one crucial bit of information. The ending, though, is what blew me away. As you realize Amelia’s life is about to end, and Becca is about to discover how and why, there’s no choice but to read with baited breath on the edge of your seat. This book is terrifying, and explored the good and evil in everyone. It makes you realize that you never know who you can really trust. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone is a compelling, simple story told in a big, bold way. It’s worth a read if you’re looking for a good mystery. Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel ★★★☆☆ For thirteen years, Ben Tomlin was an only child. But all that changes when his mother brings home Zan ? an eight-day-old chimpanzee. Ben’s father, a renowned behavioral scientist, has uprooted the family to pursue his latest research project: a high-profile experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills. Ben’s parents tell him to treat Zan like a little brother. Ben reluctantly agrees. At least now he’s not the only one his father’s going to scrutinize. It isn’t long before Ben is Zan’s favorite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more than just an experiment. His father disagrees. Soon Ben is forced to make a critical choice between what he is told to believe and what he knows to be true ? between obeying his father or protecting his brother from an unimaginable fate. Ben and Zan’s story doesn’t have explosions or breathless romances. It’s simpler, but also much more complicated. Half Brother makes you think. Zan isn’t human, but does that mean he’s not a person? Can a chimp really be part of a human family? Oppel raises these questions masterfully and subtly. He does an amazing job growing the relationship between Ben and Zan, and it’s not hard to believe Zan is really his brother. The one part of the book I didn’t like was how possessive Ben was of the girl he liked, Jennifer. This, however, is nothing against the author and is more of a personal argument with Ben. I can appreciate a character with flaws, and in all I loved Oppel’s book. I was rooting for Zan the whole way. Starters by Lissa Price ★★★☆☆ Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie’s only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator’s grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined… I read Starters for a book club, and I’m curious to see what everyone else thought of it. The premise of the book is interesting, and the book itself isn’t half bad. One of the few problems I have with it is the Enders living to be so old that 150 is “young.” New, advanced technology of the future will lengthen lifespans by definition, but I find it a little hard to believe they’d lengthen them by that much. The other problem I have with Starters is that it’s never really defined when the book takes place. There’s incredible technology - such as the machines used to put the Enders in charge of Starter bodies - but cars are also still a common sight. This is mostly just me being picky; it might not matter to some people. It should be noted that despite a few bumps in the road, Starters was a pretty good read. Callie’s life on the street was gritty and real, and I felt for her. The portrayal of Prime and its workers as cunning and devious is done very well. Overall the book was a satisfying dystopia that was very well put together. I plan to read the sequel. Shine by Lauren Myracle ★★★☆☆ When her best friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice. Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. The only character I truly liked was Patrick, who was in a coma. Cat wasn’t a bad character at all, and I admired her bravery and spunk. But at the same time, Cat seemed to be a lot like everyone else in this story - homophobic. The whole premise of the story is that Patrick has been attacked because he’s gay, and in the religious southern town where he lives, that’s as much of a sin as attacking someone. Every. Single. Person. Is. Homophobic. It’s not like that's unrealistic. And I went into Shine fully expecting some of the people to be so. But even Cat, and Patrick’s other friends, even Patrick’s boyfriend, acted homophobic. I don’t want to make this into such a big deal, because it does fit with the story (even if it still infuriates me), and Shine is very well written. It just bothered me that the people supposedly closest to Patrick didn’t really accept him, just like everyone else in that town. That issue aside, Shine was written masterfully and the intricacies of its setting were obvious and thought-out. |
Once Upon a Time...As a longtime lover of stories and a believer in the power and magic of books, I've spent my life seeking out the best reads. This blog is dedicated to reviewing the books I read - good, bad, or magnificent - to help other readers find their next favorite books. Currently ReadingKing Zeno
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