Review: After by Amy Efaw

Title: After

Author: Amy Efaw

Publication date: August 11th, 2009

Summary:

Who would leave her own baby in the trash to die? 

Certainly not someone like Devon - straight-A student, soccer player with Olympic dreams, more mature than her own mother. But desperation and panic drove her to do what most people can't even imagine. Now Devon's in a juvenile detention center, charged with attempted murder. If she's tried as an adult, she faces life in prison.

Does Devon deserve that punishment? Your answer depends on whether you believe her story - that she didn't even know she was pregnant. Was she buried in a denial so deep that she was unable to register the seemingly obvious signs of pregnancy? Or were her actions the result of a more devious, premeditated plan?

Review:

I had this book sitting on my bookshelf for a while and I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't have the time to read it until now, and all I can say is WOW. Amazing. The first chapter was a little hard to get through because it literally turned my stomach, but I think it was a great introduction for the story that followed. 

I literally could not put this book down. Every free minute I had, I would pick it up and read as much as I could. I felt I could really relate to Devon, who was a straight-A student with very high expectations for herself, not unlike myself. So of course the entire time I was reading, I was wondering how such a person could even think about doing such a thing.  By the end, I was able to understand it a little better as I became more acquainted with Devon's past and her thoughts.

I only have two complaints about this book: one, the treatment that Devon received from some of the people at the hospital and the detention center during her intake process seemed unnecessarily harsh. Perhaps that's how it is in real life, I don't know, but it was hard for me to believe that people would treat her so coldly and harshly after knowing what she just went through. Not that her actions were acceptable, but with the amount of pain and discomfort that she must have been in, both physically and emotionally, I can't believe that workers would treat her so harshly.

My second complaint is that I felt the book ended a bit abruptly. I felt like there was some closure, and in a way, it did make sense, but given the intensity of the rest of the book I felt that the ending was just a little too abrupt. I'm not sure how else it would have been ended, without creating a sequel, though, and I can see how it shows that it seems Devon finally came to terms with everything that happened, so overall I suppose the ending wasn't that bad. Overall, I absolutely loved the book.

While this book is probably not a good choice for the squeamish because of some of the graphic descriptions of Devon's actions, it was one of the most intense and thought-provoking books I have read in a while and I would definitely recommend it.

Characters: 7/10

Plot: 9/10

Originality: 9/10

Writing: 8/10

Overall grade: A

Review: Break by Hannah Moskowitz

Title: Break

Author: Hannah Moskowitz

Publication date: August 25th, 2009

Summary:

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah's only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders.

When Jonah's self-destructive spiral accelerates and he hits rock bottom, will he find true strength or surrender to his breaking point?

Review:

With a summary like that, how could you not want to pick up this book? It's so unique and controversial, something that I find most books to lack these days. Since Moskowitz is a relatively young writer, I wasn't expecting the writing to be great. But I ended up loving it and can't wait to see what other publications she comes out with in the future.

I finished the entire book in one sitting because it was that good. The characters were real and interesting, and the plot was fascinating. As someone heavily interested in psychology, I was intrigued by everything going on in the book. The reasons for Jonah breaking his bones, the conflicts within the family, the relationship between Jonah and his brother... I was just amazed at how well everything fit together.

What made it even more awesome is that it wasn't censored at all. It was raw, with the f-bomb flying all over the place and gruesome descriptions of the bone breaking process. That might turn some people away from picking up this book, but I can't remember the last time I felt so involved in the lives of characters, almost as if I were reading a journal or being a fly on the wall. It's such a powerful book, and anyone with experiences in self-harm will completely relate to it. The author captured it perfectly, which I don't see happen too often with subjects such as this.

The only complaint I have is the ending. I didn't completely understand the way Jonah's reasons for breaking his bones was explained, so it left me with more questions than anything else. I was expecting some phenomenal ending with lots of oomph, but to me it just kind of died out. Regardless of that, I will still hold on to this book and read it again.

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Originality: 10/10

Writing: 9/10

Overall grade: A

Review: A Field Guide for Heartbreakers

 Title: A Field Guide for Heartbreakers

Author: Kristen Tracy

Publication date: June 1st, 2010

Summary:

Best friends Dessy and Veronica arrive in Europe with wildly different plans. Dessy hopes to heal her newly broken heart by diving into the creative writing workshop that brought the girls to Prague. Veronica's plan, meanwhile, is to conquer as many hot-dudes as possible in one month--and help Dessy recycle her heart in the process. Her method:

- Dress like you are the party.
- Explore the terrain. (Moderate stalking is totally allowed.)
- Be adventurous. And that means being prepared to hide in your suitcase.

- Ask questions that make your hot-dude feel smart.
- Gloss early, gloss often, and bring bum. Because a kiss can happen when you least expect it!

At first, Veronica's plan is working so well that Dessy thinks she might be a love genius. But soon it's clear that Operation Maneater has a few holes. Like its failure to anticipate crazy mixed signals--and worse, its mysterious tendency to plague a friendship with secrets and lies.

Well, no one ever said breaking hearts was a simple craft.... 

Review:

At first, the cover and summary of this book made it seem like one of those fluffy summer novels with little substance, but something told me to give it a try. I did, and I was very pleasantly surprised. This novel ended up having a lot more depth with the plot and characters than I thought it would. There were lots of interesting twists that kept me on my toes, wondering what had happened or what would happen. At times, I thought the contrast between Veronica (extroverted, loud-mouthed, etc) and Dessy (introverted, doormat-like) was too great for them to be such good friends, but by the end I was satisfied. There were many, many times where I found myself laughing out loud at the things that the characters did and said, particularly with Veronica. There were a lot of great little quirks and such that kept this novel interesting (for example, a crazy homicidal girl in their writing workshop.)

The only complaint I have with this book was that the ending felt a bit rushed. As I neared the end and was caught up in all the suspense, I looked at the remaining 10 or so pages and thought, "That's it? There's no way this whole thing can be wrapped up in just ten pages." It was, but I thought it could've been done a bit better. Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. I read it every chance I got, and will likely read it again in the near future. It was a perfect mix of a fun summer read with some depth and adventure to it. 

Received for review from Disney Publishing.

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 8/10

Originality: 9/10

Writing: 10/10

Overall grade: A

Review: Mackenzie Blue series

Title: Mackenzie Blue

Author: Tina Wells

Summary:

Book 1:

Meet Mackenzie Blue, aka Zee

She has it all—smarts, talent, humor, and style. . . .

Is it enough to survive middle school?

Countdown to a 7th Grade Meltdown

1. Your BFF moves away.

2. Someone steals your diary and reveals your deepest secrets—to the entire class.

3. You have one chance to become a rock star and one chance to totally blow it. Guess what!? All three happened to me! School's a disaster already. Don't get me wrong—I love Brookdale Academy and I have a fabulous crew of friends. (At least, I think I do.) But, if I'm going to survive, I need all the help I can get! 

Book 2 (The Secret Crush):

Mackenzie Blue has a crush!

But how can she get Landon—the cutest boy in school—to notice her? The class's new rock-and-roll musical is her chance.

Reasons why our musical is going to be amazing:

1. I could be the star!
2. Landon could be my co-star . . . which means we'll hang out together.
3. Working on the sets, props, music, script, and costumes will be tons of fun.

There's so much to do, I'd better get started!

Between her crush, the musical, and her friends—not to mention school work—Zee is torn in a thousand different directions. With all the real-life drama going on, will she lose sight of what's really important?

Book 3 (Friends Forever?):

Mackenzie Blue is hitting the trails!

It's time for Brookdale Academy's camping field trip, but Zee has much more to deal with than a lesson about nature. . . .

Pros:
1. My BFF, Ally, is visiting all the way from Paris! Ooh la la!
2. My friends and I are so going to win the environmental scavenger hunt!

Cons:
1. We have to stay in teeny-tiny log cabins. How will we all fit?
2. The legendary (and terrifying) Mountain Man . . . 

Review:

Since this series is geared more towards pre-teens, which is an audience I don't usually review for, I'm reviewing the whole series in one post. Even though my main focus is on young adult books, I'll sometimes review books meant for either a bit younger or older audience. This series looked interesting, so I figured, why not?

There were so many things in these books that reminded my of myself in 7th grade. Zee being embarrassed to have her dad drop her off at school, problems making new friends, first crushes, etc. The series was a really fun and positive one. Something I could definitely see myself reading in 6th or 7th grade. I liked how there were bits of her diary entries and IM conversations included, but sometimes the IMs were a bit annoying because I can't stand chat speak. I also enjoyed the aspect of the band, which ended up playing a big part throughout all 3 books. I was a "band geek" in middle school, so I could really relate to a lot of that. It's refreshing to see a book with groups other than the typical jocks, cheerleaders, etc.

Overall, I think this is a great series for a younger audience. It deals with a lot of problems that girls at that age can relate to, and ultimately a positive solution was found for each of the problems. I'd definitely recommend it to tween girls looking for something cute to read.

Characters: 8/10

Plot: 7/10

Originality: 7/10

Writing: 7/10

Overall grade: C

Review: Lifted

Title: Lifted

Author: Wendy Toliver

Publication date: June 8th, 2010

Summary:

Being bad never felt so good.

Poppy Browne never stole anything in her life before moving to Pleasant Acres and meeting Mary Jane and Whitney. But when Poppy walks out of the mall with her two new friends and her first pair of stolen jeans, she's hooked.

Before long, Poppy is lifting whenever she gets the urge--it's never about the merchandise, it's always about the thrill. But when her secret gets out, Poppy's clique turns on each other. As she watches her life collapse around her, Poppy must decide where her loyalties lie...and how far she'll go to protect herself.

Review:

This book had a great way of showing two important lessons: 1) People aren't always as nice or mean as they might seem to be; and 2) Trying something just once, even if on accident, can lead to a spiraling addiction. I absolutely loved this book. Poppy seemed like someone I would get along with great, minus the shop lifting, of course. It just goes to show how easily someone can be influenced by peer pressure when they're trying to fit in in a new place. Watching Poppy get into shoplifting and then becoming fully addicted to it was interesting and eye-opening. It's amazing how quickly something that seems innocent at first can escalate into a huge problem.

The fact that Poppy attended a Baptist school threw me off at first. Until the shoplifting started, I was wondering how in the world that would be incorporated into a book that seemed so pure otherwise. But everyone at Calvary High seemed to have their own little secrets, which was really interesting and made me think twice about my view of religiously oriented schools. Addiction and peer pressure can influence anyone, no matter how "pure". 

I loved a lot of the characters, but my opinions of some of them were changed drastically by the end of the book. At times, it became almost like a mystery trying to figure out who was doing things with good intent and who wasn't. But of course in the end it all fell together, and I was happily satisfied with the ending. There was something about the style of Wendy Toliver's writing that I loved, and I can't wait to read more of it.

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Originality: 9/10

Writing: 10/10

Overall grade: A

Cleaning the bookshelves!

It's time for my spring cleaning, which means that I'm also trying to lessen the amount of books on my shelves. But I feel bad just donating them, because I want them to go to loving homes. So I figured I'd ask here, would anyone be interested in getting a flat rate box stuffed with books? I'd ask $15 per box, mostly for shipping but a couple bucks to recoup a bit of the money I've spent on these books. I have too many books and not enough time to type up a complete list, but I'd love to stuff as many as I can in a flat rate box and send them to someone looking for new books to read. I have enough books to do a couple of these, I think. Any takers?

Here's a slightly crappy cell phone picture of a few of the books (I'm still going through the rest of them):

Review: Auf Wiedersehen

Title: Auf Wiedersehen
Author: Christa Holder Ocker
Publication date: July 21, 2009

Summary:
Auf Wiedersehen by Christa Holder Ocker tells the story of World War II through the eyes of a young German girl. As she and her family move around from place to place trying to avoid the Russians, they wonder how they will ever survive through the war. Their last hope is to find a way to America.

Review:
As someone studying German, I really loved this book. It was a gripping account of one family struggling through World War II. German phrases and words were incorporated throughout, which I felt really added to the feeling of the book. It could have been a bit longer near the end I thought, but overall it was a great read. I felt as if I was right there with the family while I was reading it, experiencing all their struggles. Anyone interested in World War II or Germany would enjoy this compelling autobiography.

Overall grade: C

Book received from bookdivas.com