Black Rabbit Ink

Bookshelf Review: My Soul To Take

Title:  My Soul to Take (Harlequin Teen)

Author: Rachel Vincent

From the back cover:

She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next… 

Review:

The mythology of the bean sidhe, or banshee, is an area of the paranormal genre that has not been really explored. Books with witches, vampires, and werewolves are abundant, but this – this is something new.  Vincent craftily weaves this mythical creature into a modern day tale by focusing the story on a banshee in high school, trying to be a normal teenager despite the fact that she knows she is not. Kaylee Cavanaugh is, in fact, far from normal.  Being able to know when a person is going to die is bad. Having to choke down a supernatural scream every time it happens is torture.

The plot revolves around Kaylee’s struggle to find out the truth about herself while avoiding a trip back to the mental institution. A series of mysterious murders in her town, some which she predicted, are just the catalyst for her journey into discovering what she really is . Following Kaylee as she pieces together all of the ins-and-outs of this new world, which includes shadowy demons and pencil pushing reapers, is intriguing and the characters are, for the most part, well developed. A few come off as stereotypical and never really gain any depth, such as a self centered cheerleader. Additionally, the relationship between Nash and Kaylee evolves a bit too quickly, but, given the unusual situation, is believable.

Bottom line, My Soul To Take is a fun book to read, full of folklore and suprise twists that keep readers spellbound until the unexpected ending. Not everyone makes it safely out of this book, making it refreshingly suspenseful and a great build up for the next book in the Soul Screamers trilogy, My Soul To Save, coming next year.

A free, short prequel to the book, My Soul To Lose, is available in both PDF and audio book formats.

Bookshelf Review: Undiscovered Gyrl

Title: Undiscovered Gyrl 

Author: Allison Burnett

From the back cover:

Only on the internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely.

Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.

Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie's fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.

Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit. 

Review:

Katie Kampenfelt is a character I just could not enjoy. She acts on impulse and regrets it later, but doesn’t really learn from her mistakes. She is overly cynical. She runs blindly down a straight path to self destruction. And her narration makes it hard to care about her or the people around her.

Let me pause here, though, to remind everyone that I am a 30+ year old mother. I am not this book’s target audience. Usually, this doesn’t deter from my enjoyment of YA novels, but in this case, yeah, I really think it made a difference.

My biggest caveat with the novel is that Katie’s bad girl in limbo is never really redeemed. Instead, she falls farther and farther into darkness, continuing to make bad choices and trust the wrong people.

There are several references to drugs, alcohol, and sex which, mostly, didn’t bother me. Some of Katie’s adventures, though, include hooking up with much older men, portions of which were a bit uncomfortable to read and left me with an eww…icky feeling.

The ending is an abrupt one that spins the story in a different direction - a good and bad way to end. Loose ends are hastily tied up, but several new questions unravel everything. It is dramatic and does provide an unexpected twist to the story, but mostly it left me feeling a bit cheated. A few more details regarding what happens to Katie, and why, would have made me a much more satisfied reader.

Blog entries are fresh way to tell the story and give Katie’s life a raw, undefined edginess. They also make this a quick read, especially for readers that devour dozens of blog posts each day. And the promotional campaign – geared toward internet savvy readers familiar with Facebook,  MySpace, You Tube, and Flickr – is a unique approach that lends a touch of realness to Katie’s story.

However, a slick format and extensive promotional campaign does not change the fact that I didn’t have a lot to take away from this book. Which is disappointing, because I really wanted to like it.

Undiscovered Gyrl will be in book stores August 11, 2009.

Bookshelf Review: Cracked Up To Be

Name: Cracked Up to Be

Author: Courtney Summers

On a hot summer night, Parker Fadley made a decision with consequences so horrible, her life was changed forever. Now the former head cheerleader and Honor Roll student is on academic probation, her family is on suicide watch, her friends are her enemies, and she has to spend every Friday afternoon with a guidance counselor. Making it worse is a new guy who keeps pestering her, trying to discover what made such a good girl go so bad.  All she wants is to be left alone; but is that what she really needs?

Every once in a while a book comes along that is absolute awesomeness. As a reader, you plunge headfirst into the story, unable to come up for air until the last word has been read. As a writer, you wish like crazy that you could write that way. Cracked Up To Be is one of those books.

This is not an easy, light book to read. Summers tackles some heavy themes - suicide, alcoholism, guilt. She also centers the story squarely on the shoulders of Parker, a protagonist who is severely depressed, sort of rude, and mostly untrustworthy. The result? An unforgettable story of ramshackle redemption that will captivate readers with its blunt but powerful prose.

Characters are solidly developed, especially the complicated Parker. Using sarcasm and manipulative tricks, she pushes away anyone trying to help her, but little quirks, such as snapping her fingers when stressed, show how vulnerable she really is. Parker’s inability to handle her regret is realistically portrayed, as is the mixed reactions of pity, anger, and pain her friends and family display in response to her evasive maneuvers.

The plot moves swiftly with flashbacks sprinkled throughout the chapters that slowly reveal Parker’s secret, piece by piece, before reaching a startling ending that readers will not see coming. Not all loose ends are tied up, and a few questions remain regarding the true impact of the ending’s events on Parker. However, the mystery of what happened to lead Parker to dismantle her perfect life is satisfactorily resolved.

Cracked Up To Be is a quick 224 pages, but Summers makes every single word count, keeping the narrative honest and raw. She doesn’t hold anything back; the book has strong language, several sexual/drug references, and intense situations. Because of this, it is most appropriate for older teen and adult readers.

Bookshelf Review: Being Nikki

 

Name:Being Nikki (Airhead)

Author: Meg Cabot

In Airhead, Emerson Watts woke up after a freak accident and discovered that her brain had been transplanted into supermodel Nikki Howard's body. And that her parents had signed a contract with Stark Enterprises to save her. And that the contract stated she had to give up almost everything in her life and become Nikki permanently in exchange for the surgery. Things couldn't get worse, right?

Wrong.

It's been a couple of months since the accident and Em is beginning to adjust to life as the fashion world’s hottest model. But pretending to be someone else, even someone as hot as Nikki, isn’t easy. Her crush can't see who she really is, her family is moving on without her, and Stark Enterprises is watching her every move. Then Nikki's brother, a person no one in Nikki's circle even knew existed, shows up demanding answers for their mother's disappearance. Mysterious text messages, an ex with a mega chip on his shoulder, a $10M bra...Being a teenager is hard enough. Will Em ever adjust to being Nikki?

I love when a book is so good, I can't stop reading it until I've finished every last word. Being Nikki is one of those books.

Meg Cabot's writing is, as always, humorous and fun. I was hooked from the opening scene:  Em in a bikini, clinging to wet rocks and clenching a dagger between her teeth, wondering if the sharks swimming below are waiting around for a midnight snack. What a great place to pick up the story – smack dab in the middle of a photo shoot for Stark deodorant.

I think I enjoyed hanging out with Em Watts even more this time around. The plot is much more layered than in Airhead with several twists and turns to keep things interesting. A couple of spots in the beginning are a little slow, but overall the story moves along swiftly. New characters such as Nikki's brother, Steven, add fresh conflicts to Em’s already chaotic new life. And a few really BIG secrets are revealed that take Em’s story in a delightfully unexpected and darker direction.

I recommend reading Airhead before Being Nikki, but those reading this second installment in the series first won't be lost. Cabot has put in enough background to bring new readers up to speed. However, it would be best to read both of these before the final book in the trilogy, Runaway, is released next year.

Being Nikki will be in bookstores May 5, 2009.

Bookshelf Review: Perfect Fifths

Name: Perfect Fifths: A Novel (Jessica Darling)

Author: Megan McCafferty

Perfect Fifths picks up three years after Jessica Darling reluctantly turned down Marcus Flutie’s marriage proposal in Fourth Comings. Both have convinced themselves that they have moved on. But have they? 

While racing through an airport in a frantic attempt to catch a flight, Jessica literally runs into Marcus, who has just gotten off of a plane from New Orleans. Neither is prepared for the feelings this encounter triggers.  The connection is still there, but why? When they find themselves stranded together at the airport, it’s a chance to find out once and for all: was meeting again a random fluke or are they honestly meant to be together, imperfections and all?

In Perfect Fifths, Megan McCafferty doesn’t hold anything back, which makes this novel difficult to put down without wanting to pick it right back up. It’s broken into four parts.

Parts One (Before) and Four (Enduring - Lasting) are told in third person, a departure from Jessica’s first person narrative in the previous novels. This time readers get to find out how Marcus views his relationship with Jessica, a change which provides an intensely personal and multi layered look at just how much Jessica and Marcus have matured over the last ten years.  They have made many mistakes, but they have learned from these and have evolved into actual adults. Readers that felt the characters, particularly Jessica, showed no character growth in the third and fourth books (Charmed Thirds and Fourth Comings) will definitely want to check out this final installment.

Part Two (During) is strictly the dialogue between Jessica and Marcus as they catch up on each other’s lives. It’s an interesting technique that reminded me of a Gilmore Girls episode. At times, this section seemed bumpy and perhaps a bit too wordy, but it did fill in a lot of blanks for the three year gap between novels.  Part Three (Enduring – Putting Up With), contains haikus between the two lovers and is only a few pages long. These two sections were not my favorite parts of the novel, but they also were not overly distracting from the story. In fact, they added a fresh and playful twist to it.

McCafferty’s dry wit and observation are strong as ever here, complete with kooky secondary characters (such as a Be You Tea Shoppe loving tween who can’t stop speaking to strangers) and several hilarious situations involving Barry Manilow. Best of all? With Perfect Fifths, McCafferty has provided one of most unexpected and romantic endings I have ever read. 

Anyone picking this up as a stand-alone novel will be pleasantly surprised and inspired to read the previous books chronicling Jessica’s earlier years, while die hard Jessica Darling fans will find a very satisfying end to the popular series. Be warned, though, that there are several references to sex and various male/female body parts, as well as lots of colorful language. This book should probably find its way into only the hands of older teen readers and adults.

Perfect Fifths will be in stores April 14, 2009.

Bookshelf Review: Dead Girl Walking

Name: Dead Girl Walking

Author: Linda Joy Singleton

I am hopeless when it comes to finding my way anywhere, and Heaven help you if I’m the one giving directions. Hand me a map, I’ll be reading it upside down. Ask me which way, I’ll say left and point right. A navigator I am most definitely not. This is just one of the reasons I can relate to Dead Girl’s heroine, Amber Borden.

When we first meet Amber, she is trapped in one of those up-down days where everything goes all right and all wrong at the same time. She’s on her way to a party at super popular Jessica’s house (yay!) but running late because she is hopelessly lost on some middle of nowhere back road (boo!). She meets an awesome guy at the party who shares her zealous love of chocolate (yay!) but overhears the kids in Jessica's clique ruthlessly making fun of her, as well as her Halsey Hospitality Club and its welcome gift baskets (boo!). She’s wearing her best friend Dustin’s atrocious shirt because of an impromptu trip to a graveyard complete with a fall into a bush of nettles that ripped her new shirt and gave her itchy red bumps all over her arms (boo!) but…well, there’s no real upside to that one. Bottom line: the day sucks.

Distraught, she abruptly leaves the party and drives home, pondering her messed up life and wishing a bolt of lightening would hit her and end it all. She finds out some good news when she gets home...right before a mail truck runs her down (boo!), sending her into a cloudy world where her grandmother, who died a year earlier, and her pet dog, also deceased, are waiting (yay!...sort of). You see, Grammy Greta is an Earthbounder Counselor, and she pulled some strings to bring Amber’s soul to a neutral state in order to avoid the pain of the accident. When it's time for Amber to return to her body, Grammy Greta gives her specific instructions - follow the path and turn left at the light. So Amber heads down the path to the light. And promptly turns right.

When she wakes up, she is in rich and beautiful Leah Montgomery’s body, the Queen Bee at Halsey High. Leah has tried to commit suicide, although at first Amber can’t understand why. Leah has it all, right? But the longer she is in Leah’s body, the more Amber realizes that maybe being the girl that gets everything isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. When she finds out her own body is in a coma at the hospital, the race is on to get back in it before her parents pull the plug. Otherwise, she might be stuck as Leah forever and the real Leah will disappear.

One of the things that really makes this story sparkle is its characters. Amber is perfectly awkward and insecure, whether in her chubby body or Leah’s flawlessly perfect one. At the same time, she has an inner strength that pulls her forward as she tries to fix her screwed up situation. Best friends Alyce and Dustin are fiercely loyal to her. And chocolate connoisseur Eli is goofy-in-love fun to be around.

Leah – the real Leah – is only briefly shown. However, through Amber’s initial opinions and later discoveries about her, the reader can feel how truly tragic and hopeless her “perfect” life really is, as well as understand why Leah does such nasty things to other people.

The story moves swiftly and each chapter ends with a little cliffhanger that transitions nicely into the next. While reading it, there is a sense of urgency to keep going and find out what's going to happen. I actually took it to work with me and kept sneaking in reading breaks throughout the day. It’s that good. And the ending is perfectly unexpected. It will leave you salivating for the next book in the series, Dead Girl Dancing.

Whether you know your way around a map or not, I highly recommend that you get lost with Amber Borden.

Bookshelf Review: Zombie Queen of Newbury High

Name:Zombie Queen of Newbury High

Author: Amanda Ashby

It occurred to me as I wandered the bookstore the other day that I have never read a zombie book. I've seen movies with zombies, watched a tv show or two with a member of the walking undead, but never read a book with one. So, when I saw Zombie Queen of Newbury High, I was deliciously intrigued.

The plot revolves around Mia, a normal teenager who turns her high school senior class into zombies. But not on purpose. Really. See, she was trying to put a love spell on Rob, the super hottie that asked her to Prom, because devious cheerleader Samantha wants to steal him away to be her date. It all sort of backfires, though, and now she's the Zombie Queen, the entire senior class might end up being gassed by the Department of Paranormal Containment, and Prom is most likely ruined.

Before I go any further, I just want to say I love the book's title and cover. The comparison between a Zombie Queen and a Prom Queen is hilarious.

This book was a really quick read, partly because it's only 208 pages long but mostly because I didn't want to put it down. The main trio of the story - Mia, Candice (her best friend and a huge hypochondriac), and Chase (the mysterious new guy who's not so new) - are quirky but fully grounded characters that move amusingly from one crisis to another. Their individual eccentricities, such as a fear of heights and fixation on medical journals, play into the plot smoothly. Supporting characters Rob, Samantha, and Grace (Mia's spoiled little sister) add their own interesting sparks to the story.

The story is full of action including unexpected twists and turns with a surprisingly believable plot. The idea that this could actually happen doesn't feel far-fetched or fake. Ashby bases her zombie lore on logical explanations (humans turn into zombies gradually in four stages, none of which involve sucking brains) that keep the story from spiraling into supernatural chaos. Keep in mind, though, this is a light, comical story and not a gory, 28 Days Later foray into Zombieland.

My only caveat with the book is the constant references to Buffy, Angel, and Supernatural. Don't get me wrong here; I think Joss Whedon is a genius and I could be entertained watching Sam and Dean Winchester eat a bowl of cereal. I totally get Mia's obsession. A few less mentions of this, though, would have been less distracting. However, this is only an slight annoyance and most definitely not a deal-breaker on whether or not to read the book.

Bottom line, this is a fresh, fun new spin on the paranormal genre. I actually hope this becomes a series; the ending leaves the possibility wide open. You should definitely check out if you're a fan of the vampire and werewolf novels already flooding the market - you won't be disappointed.