Wither

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Published on: March 22, 2011

Page Count: 368

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

My Reading Format: Beautiful ARC sent to me unexpectedly by the publisher (Thanks so much!)

Available Formats: Hardcover and eBook

My Review

From the moment I saw the cover of Wither, I was so excited that I tweeted about it. The feedback I received from Candace from Beth Fish Reads and others made it impossible not to dive in right away. I suppose my disappointment with the way The Hunger Game trilogy came to an end left me hankering for something new in YA dystopia. Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden series fit the bill.

Here is the summary from the publisher:

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape–before her time runs out?

Although I’ve never read it, Wither reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale because of the basic premise of enforced pregnancy. How could I not think of Margaret Atwood’s novel? It also brought to mind the Holocaust with the mixed horrors of rounding up kidnapped girls in train cars only to pick a few and discard the rest. Yet, because she survived the culling, Rhine was supposed to feel blessed by her situation. That the posh accommodations Rhine and her future sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, aren’t enough to erase the memory of what happened to her and how she was separated from her beloved brother is completely understandable. She grew up with her brother and lived a life of relative freedom before she was kidnapped. In that house, she was trapped for the rest of her short life. The whole thing made her justifiably paranoid of everyone and everything.

Linden was an interesting character. Like Rhine, I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. Had he been the type of “husband” I’d feared he would be, I don’t think I could have read the book. Still, he was part of this awful arrangement and I couldn’t fully trust him. If his father had been more campy, he would have been a man I’d love to hate. Instead, I simply despised him and wished that horrible things would happen to him. Given that this is the first in a series, I knew that he was most likely going to live to see another book. Just thinking about him gives me the heebie jeebies.

Although this book is targeted to a young adult audience, I think it appeals to a much wider audience. There was nothing childish or immature about it at all. Lauren DeStafano clearly trusts that her audience is capable of handling and understanding complicated plots and horrifying situations. She is like Suzanne Collins in that way. Teenagers don’t need to be force fed moral stories or kept from harsh realities.  It is actually a disservice when one tries to be an indestructible shelter. Rarely is life as cut and dried as what you’ll find in a moral story. Besides, books are a safe place to think through the less than beautiful realities of life. Wither is a great example of YA living up to its full potential.

I enjoyed Wither and the paranoia it set off in me as I read it. The story moved quickly and there was always one thing or another I tried to puzzle out along with Rhine. Although there is one aspect of the story that I really just couldn’t buy*, I was (mostly) able to look beyond it. Most importantly, I put this book down ready to pick up the next in the series which, of course, is not yet available. Suffice to say that I’m anxiously awaiting the release of the second book.

* I won’t discuss this one glitch in my review because it would be a major spoiler. If you’re curious, shoot me an email or contact me on Twitter.

Hush, Hush

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Published on: September 2010

Page Count: 391

Genre: YA Fiction

My Reading Format: Paperback copy rented from the library

Available Formats:Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook

Ever since I’ve come to Jesus, I’ve been on the lookout for things I normally wouldn’t read and have been making an attempt to do just that. For example, I’m listening to On Beauty by Zadie Smith. I’m planning on reviewing it along side of Freedom. Thanks to @SteveStafford for the suggestion! It was shortly after that post that GalleySmith announced her Crescendo Twitter party. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, but I’d not read Hush, Hush yet. In fact, I’d never even heard of it. I tweeted about it anyway for others and I was reminded by several people, including Michelle, that I had plenty of time to read Hush, Hush if I chose to. Well, I checked out my local public library and sure enough, they had a copy. I picked it up and started reading.

Hush, Hush tells the story of Nora Grey, a high school sophomore who lost her father to a tragic accident a year earlier. Since her father passed away, her mother had to take a job that required long hours and frequent trips in order to maintain their farmhouse. She is a conscientious student and her mother ensures that there is a housekeeper at home with her until bedtime. No one had any reason to fear for her safety until Patch was made her biology partner. He is not a normal high school student and Nora is attracted and freaked out by him in equal measure. The only person she really shares her fears with is her best friend, Vee. As other new students at their school enter the picture, even Vee is at odds with Nora’s relationship with Patch. In the end, Nora has to rely on her wits and her gut to figure out who or what Patch is and keep herself out of danger.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I don’t typically read books with a supernatural twist, so this was definitely a #readingfreude read for me. The first half of the book kept me reading, but I did get tired of the repetitive references to Patch’s touch and what it did to her. That being said, I recall being that age and how much I would have focused on those very same feelings (Lord, I’ve got a rough road ahead of me with my daughters heading toward their tweens!). I do think that the first half could have been tightened a little more to speed up the drama and get me excited to know what was going to happen. For example, after the scene on the Archangel rollercoaster, things slowed down instead of escalating. However, once the story started to turn, I was fully involved in the story and finished the book quickly.

I cannot say that Hush, Hush won me over to supernatural novels, but I am interested in what happens to Nora next.  I will be reading Crescendo. I see a lot of potential with this storyline.

Have you read Hush, Hush?  I would love to party with you tonight!  Be sure to join Michelle and Becca Fitzpatrick (and me!) tonight from 8 to 9:30 EST for the Twitter party.  I am really looking forward to it!

Mockingjay

Published by: Scholastic

Published on: August 2010

Page Count: 390

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

My Reading Format: Kindle and Hardcover versions purchased from Amazon.com

Available Formats: Hardcover, audiobook, eBook

Highest hopes I had.
Read right away hoping to
Devour, relish…

I heart Hunger Games
And Catching Fire. Alas,
this book left me cold.

Katniss, drama queen,
Where was your optimism,
Strength, passion, fire?

Peeta, Gale, oh you
Cardboard stereotypes of
Who you had once been.

Violence, intrigue,
Power grabs, yet at last I
Found it hard to care.

Review in Haiku,
For Mockingjay be plenty.
Something should be fun.

Other Voices

You’ve read what I have to say.  Why not check out the opinions of the many other bloggers who have reviewed Mockingjayi?  I would link to them individually, but you can have a lot of fun exploring them through Fyrefly‘s awesome Book Blogs Search Engine (link already set to Mockingjay for you).

The Hunger Games

Published by: Scholastic Press

Published on: September 14, 2008

Page Count: 384

Genre: Young Adult / Dystopia

Format: Audiobook from Audible.com.

Availability: hardcover, paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Published by: Scholastic Press

Published on: September 1, 2009

Page Count: 400

Genre: Young Adult / Dystopia

Format: hardcover bought @ Target.

Availability: hardcover and audiobook

My Summary

Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Game Series tells the story of an America that has fallen apart.  What once was the United States is now called Panem, a set of 13 districts held in a choke hold by the iron grip of the Capitol.  The Capitol fears the rebellion of its districts so much that it requires the blood sacrifice of both a young boy and a young girl from each district each year.  Although the children leave their districts alive, this is a blood sacrifice because they are forced to fight to the death in the Capitol’s Hunger Games.  What is life or death to the people from the districts is a sporting event/red carpet-like parade for those living in the Capitol.  This series begins with the Reaping, where the Tributes are announced.  Katniss Everdeen, a scrappy young girl from District 12, is forced to volunteer to be the district’s female Tribute.  District 12 is one of the poorest, hungriest districts in Panem.  Does she even stand a chance at survival?

My Review

I could not possibly write a separate review for each of these books.  I read them in quick succession, so one experience bled into the next.  So, the following are my thoughts on both books with minimal spoilers for those who haven’t read either book:

• I listened to The Hunger Games on audio.  When I finished it, I had to know what happened next.  When I realized I didn’t have another Audible credit until the end of January, I knew I couldn’t wait that long.  I checked my local library, but all copies of Catching Fire were loaned out.  I simply couldn’t wait even long enough to sit on a waiting list.  I bought my copy of Catching Fire less than 12 hours after finishing The Hunger Games.  I finished Catching Fire within 24 hours.
• I listened to the novel in audio and Carolyn Mccormick’s voice just a wee bit irritating, mostly because she sounds much older than Katniss.  Since the story is told from Katniss’ point of view, that was a disconnect for me.  As a result, The Hunger Games started off slow for me.  It most certainly picked up once Katniss and Peeta arrived in the Capitol, though.
• I found the terminology of the Games a little off-putting, which contributed to the slow beginning for The Hunger Games.   The Reaping, really?  Tracker Jackers, WTH*?  I kept thinking, “Who named these things?”  It all started to make more sense – or at least I became acclimated to it – once the Capitol came into focus, because that entire place is so very stylized.  Although I was never completely comfortable with it, I didn’t think about it twice during Catching Fire.
• I don’t typically read science fiction (this may have something to do with my point above about the terminology), but I loved and adored these books.
• These books may be published by Scholastic for a young adult audience, but I did not feel like I was intruding in YA land for one second.  There was nothing about these books that made them YA  except that the main characters were teenagers.  Also true there was no sex or language, but I didn’t miss them.  I had no trouble connecting with Katniss because I’m (a little) more than twice her age.
• What I loved the most about these books was how realistic Katniss’ struggles were for a young woman her age forced first  into taking care of her mother and younger sister by circumstance and second into fighting to the death with other teenagers in order to appease a government that will never be satisfied.  Her paranoia, anger, fear and hope were all very true.  When Suzanne Collins coupled that post-apocalyptic nightmare with with the confusion, insecurity, and unpredictable emotions typical of adolescence, she hit the mark.
• Of the two novels, Catching Fire was my favorite.  If the third novel in this series, which isn’t published until August 24, 2010, is any better than Catching Fire, I will cry when it’s over. Guaranteed.
• I am most firmly on Team Peeta.

* Keeping my acronyms cleaner for the Young  Adult audience, but y’all know what I really meant. LOL!

My Final Thoughts

Read these books!   There’s something here for everyone.

About the Author

Suzanne Collins has worked as a writer for many Young Adult and children’s television programming such as Clarissa Explains it All, Little Bear, Oswald, and Clifford’s Puppy Days.  It was children’s author James Proimos who encouraged her to become a novelist.  The Hunger Games is not Collins’ first series.  Previously, she wrote a five-part series called The Underland Chronicles.  Collins currently lives in Connecticut with her family.

Scholastic’s website has some fun resources on Collins’ About the Author page.  There is a link to an interview as well as her answers to a couple of reader’s burning questions.  Scholastic’s website also has a countdown clock to the release of the third book for those who love the pain of being reminded of how far away August really is.

Other Voices

There is no way I could do any justice to listing all of the great reviews out there for these books.  If you’d like to explore the opinions of other bloggers out there, check out the Book Blogs Search Engine created and maintained by Fyrefly.  It’s a wonderful resource.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline, a vivacious and curious only child, has moved with her parents into a large old house that has been subdivided into four units.  She has odd neighbors whom she occasionally visits, but she feels alone for the most part.  Her parents, although home, seem always to be working, and there are no other children around.  It is while following her father’s suggestion of counting windows and doors throughout the house that she discovers a little locked door in the one room in the house that is rarely used.  Her mother finds the key, but it opens only to a brick wall separating sections of the house – or so Coraline thought at first.  What Coraline later finds in the dark and without her parent’s knowledge is that this door leads to her other world.  Coraline’s other world is ruled by her Other Mother.  At first, she is charmed by her Other Mother and Father even though their eyes are simply black buttons.  They take great interest in her and make true home-cooked meals.   While she might enjoy the attention, she soon discovers how sinister Other Mother is and she is forced to save herself and her true parents from the world through that little door.

Coraline was a much different reading experience for me than The Graveyard Book or Neverwhere.  While Other Mother is a creepy, evil character, she isn’t developed in the same way as Gaiman’s other villains.  Her edge comes from her physical presence, while the ghouls or Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemaar make themselves apparent through their dialog.  I found more delight in the Vandemaars and Bishops of Bath and Wells, but writing the Other Mother this way did bring spunky Coraline firmly front and center.   What wasn’t there for me in the way of banter, Coraline made up with her bravery and ingenuity.  She is not afraid to get up and chase a shadow through a strange house and, when push comes to shove, she puts others before herself.  She takes responsibility for her own problems and throws a thrilling tea party, too.  In those ways, she was very real to me.

Who can remember daydreaming about having the perfect parents?  I most certainly can.  The parents in this fantasy fluctuated from kings and queens to Luke and Laura (yeah, I’m dating myself here).  While I never had a problem with my mother’s cooking like Coraline did, there were many things that my Other Mother would have done better and with more finesse.  What Coraline points out so beautifully is that often the characteristics and actions we prescribe to our “perfect parents” would in fact prove detrimental to us, at least to some extent.  One of the things I remember longing for in my parental dream team was the permission to stay up as late as I desired.  Had my parents allowed me to do that, they wouldn’t have been parenting at all.  There’s no possibility that I could have performed at my best at school if I was exhausted all of the time.  Regardless, getting whatever you want eventually loses its luster precisely because it’s not what you really need.  You need parents who love you, take care of you, and provide you with the discipline you need to lead your most healthy, productive life.

Coraline reaffirmed my preference for reading a novel before seeing the film.  We rented and watched “Coraline” a couple of months ago.  I enjoyed the movie a great deal and loved what Tim Burton did with the animation.  However, there was a character in the movie that played a prominent role that did not exist in the book.  I spent a third of the novel waiting for him to arrive on the scene only to realize that he would never come.  It was a distraction and I wished that I had come to this novel with a clean slate.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel a great deal and read it in less than 24 hours.  I look forward to the day when I can read this with my daughters – and not just to put the fear of the Other Mother in their hearts (hey, they probably think they’ve already got one… LOL!)

To enter for a chance to win the prizes for this theme month, leave a comment here and then go to the Neverwhere and Beyond page and use the following code: N&B-R3.

***

I won my copy of this novel from a contest hosted by Bermudaonion’s Weblog.  Thanks, Kathy!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Neverwhere and Beyond: The Literate Housewife Discovers Neil Gaiman (literatehousewife.com)
• TSS ~ Neverwhere and Beyond Prizes (literatehousewife.com)
• #211 ~ The Graveyard Book (literatehousewife.com)
• #212 ~ Neverwhere (literatehousewife.com)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod, although named Nobody Owens, isn’t a nobody.  Someone wants him dead.  The Man Jack killed his parents and sister one dark night.  Bod was just a toddler and narrowly escaped The Man Jack’s knife when he wandered off into the cemetery just across the way from his parent’s home.  It was highly unprecedented, but Mr. and Mrs. Owens, both ghosts who have already lived in the graveyard for many years, agree to adopt Bod when the ghost of his mother begs Mrs. Owens to care for him.  The graveyard as a whole did not agree to accept Bod and give him the freedom of the graveyard only after Silas also agrees to be his guardian.  Silas, unlike the ghosts inhabiting the cemetery, has access to the world outside of the graveyard and can ensure that Bod is fed and educated.  Thus begins Bod’s unconventional upbringing.  Despite the circumstances, Bod is a typical boy and that often gets him into trouble.  It is just that which teaches him what he needs to know to survive within and without the walls of the graveyard.

I had intended to read Neverwhere as my first Neil Gaiman novel, but when I found myself with a credit at Audible.com and noticed that the author himself narrated The Graveyard Book, I had to buy it.  Once it was on my MP3 player, I couldn’t stop myself from listening to it.  I couldn’t be more thrilled that book was my introduction.  It was alive in place and character.  I loved Bod, Silas, Mrs. Owens, Scarlett, and Liza.  I even enjoyed the less savory characters Bod meets along the way.  One of my favorite chapters was when he meets up with the ghouls.  I loved the imagination that went into creating their existence, their means of transportation, and their names: The Duke of Westminster, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Lord High Mayor of London, and The 33rd President of the United States (poor President Truman – I had to look that up because I had to know).  The dialog was equally delightful – not just with the ghouls, but with all of the characters.  While I’m sure that the dialog would have stood out if I had read the print version of this book, Gaiman is fantastic in his narration and really brought out the interplay and poetry in his prose.

I cannot say enough about this book.  I listened to it on audio as narrated by Neil Gaiman himself.  I listened to Bod’s story on my way to and from work and whenever I got a chance in between.  I was enthralled by the different worlds I got to explore along with Bod.  It really captured my imagination.  I looked forward to my time in the graveyard and was very impressed by the author’s narration.  In many ways, I think that made the experience for me.  To hear the accents of the ghouls, the Owens’, Silas, and Scarlett made them all come to life.  I have a print version of this novel as well and I found myself going to it to reread what I had heard that day and getting excited all over again.  The ending, in so many ways, was bittersweet for me.  I miss Bod, all of his friends, and all of the things to see and explore in his adoptive home.  I look forward to the day that my daughters are old enough to listen to this story along with me, not that I think I can wait that long to read The Graveyard Book again for myself.

To enter for a chance to win the prizes for this theme month, go to the Neverwhere and Beyond page and use the following code: N&B-R1.

*******

I read the audio version of this book through a purchase on Audible.com.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Neverwhere and Beyond: The Literate Housewife Discovers Neil Gaiman (literatehousewife.com)

Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris

Rebecca is a typical high school sophomore.  She is active in her school and is extremely upset and resentful when her father uproots her from her New York City home to live with a friend and her daughter in New Orleans.  She doesn’t understand why her father sends her to live with the woman she calls Aunt Claudia because they don’t know each other well.  New Orleans, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, is small peanuts compared to NYC and Rebecca finds that she doesn’t fit in as well amidst the children sent to the Temple Mead Academy by New Orleans society families.  About the only thing that interests her about her surroundings is the Lafayette Cemetery.  When Aunt Claudia strictly forbids her from going there, she is determined to do just that.  It is there where she runs into her first friend, Lisette, who just happens to be a ghost.

I really enjoyed Ruined.  Despite part of the story being predictable, I grew to care for Rebecca and Lisette.  I wanted to know Lisette’s story and see what Rebecca would do  with it.  While I think that young adults may relate better to Rebecca than I did at first, I didn’t feel that this novel was directed specifically at younger readers.  There was  much to enjoy.  I found the information about New Orleans’ history and race relations, the role and place of the city’s grand and established families in modern society, and the background on the city’s Mardi Gras parades very interesting.  Most importantly, Rebecca and Lisette are interesting characters and strong at heart.  I was never scared while reading this book, but I was always entertained.  I would strongly suggest Rebecca and Lisette’s story to the young and the young at heart alike.

+++++

This is my third review for the R.I.P. Challenge.

*****

I want to thank Dina from Big Honcho Media for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel.