Letting Go by Bridie Hall

May 26, 2014 By 4 Comments

GO
Letting Go by Bridie Hall
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (118 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Isabelle is left stranded at the airport, and her only chance of getting home is with her boyfriend’s older brother, Harper. When this good girl and bad boy set off towards home, it turns out that maybe she’s not such a good girl after all. And even bad boys have reasons for their bad behavior.
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The road trip is full of shocking revelations and unexpected emotions, bringing the two of them closer than Isabelle ever thought possible. Maybe too close.

Few things are more awkward than going on a road trip with someone you have mixed feelings about, especially when it’s a trip for two.

Strong character development made me wish this story had a sequel. Isabelle and Harper reveal their rough edges almost immediately, but I didn’t realize how fascinated I was by both of them until I got to know the real people behind the masks they carry around. To be honest, I was a little annoyed by certain quirks until I learned how and why Harper and Isabelle developed them. It isn’t easy to develop such well-rounded characters in a short story!

The chemistry in this book never quite felt right to me. Isabelle doesn’t seem to have a great deal in common with her boyfriend or his brother. All three characters are intriguing as individuals, but I never really understand why she was attracted to either one of the brothers. While the rest of the plot was well-suited for something this length, I did wonder if the romantic elements would have worked better if they’d been given the chance to unfold more slowly in a full-length novel.

One of the most interesting things about this novella was how accurately it captures what it feels like to be a teenager. The dialogue flowed so smoothly that I often felt as though I were eavesdropping on Isabelle and Harper’s conversations instead of reading a book. It was also interesting to see how quickly these characters’ experience shifts in their emotions. One minute they’re happy, and the next one they’re frustrated or sad. Not everyone is moody as a teenager, of course, but including those scenes made these particular characters feel even more authentic to me.

Letting Go is a story I’d recommend to adult and young adult readers alike. I’ve always thought that road trips are nearly universal appealing, and this particular one is no exception to that hunch.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Incarnation by Susan Nolan

April 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

TEEN
Incarnation by Susan Nolan
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, YA
Length: Short Story (128 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Katherine Blair has no idea she possesses supernatural abilities. Not until Richard St. James, an intriguing and mysterious classmate with powerful skills of his own, initiates her into his world. Wanting to explore her newfound shape-shifting powers, she spends time getting to know Richard, only to find herself increasingly drawn to him as time goes by.

Haunted by dreams of ancient times, she is caught in a desperate struggle against past injustice. The link to this unknown past experience sends her own life plummeting into the dark realms of revenge and murder, as she attempts to reconcile her feelings for the young man she’s come to rely on to protect her and keep their shared secret.

Will Katherine and Richard be able to break the spell that has held her captive through the years, before it consumes her? Can their budding young love survive tragedy, or will they be torn apart?

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Katherine handles her introduction into the supernatural world fairly well considering how much she learns in a short period of time. When she’s having a hard time coping with the news that she is a shape shifter, she does what any good bookworm would do. She goes to the library. I like that she wasn’t content with the information Richard provided and took the initiative to find out more on her own. At first Katherine is fascinated by her abilities as well as Richard’s, but it isn’t long before she learns just how dangerous the supernatural world can be.

I had a very hard time figuring out how to define Katherine and Richard’s relationship. At first they both seem mildly irritated by each other. However, once they start spending more time together, they became fast friends, and I got the feeling that romance might be in the air. It is clear that Katherine has feelings for Richard, but I’m having a much harder time figuring out where Richard stands, especially given how he behaves around Meredith, a girl in his class. When Katherine questions him about his romantic past and what his relationship with Meredith is, he is unwilling to talk about it. I found this odd because Richard professes to care about Katherine, yet he continues to associate with Meredith even though she is openly hostile to Katherine.

I also have the feeling that Richard is hiding things from Katherine. I don’t think he has lied to her, but he is very selective about the information he shares with her. I can’t decide if he is doing this because he is trying to protect her, or because he is trying to keep her dependent on him because she has so much potential. I do think Richard cares for Katherine, but I can’t shake the feeling that he has ulterior motives.

Katherine’s connection to the past is still very murky by the end of the story as is the link between Katherine and Richard’s families. The book felt a bit choppy at times, and I was left wanting more detail. Again, I think this is due to the fact that Richard is hiding something. The conclusion is very open ended and left me with even more questions. I can only hope that Ms. Nolan has plans to continue Katherine’s story in a sequel.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Incarnation. It is a fun, fast paced book for anyone looking for a quick paranormal read to spend an afternoon with.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Tearings by V. C. Repetto

December 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TEARINGS
The Tearings by V. C. Repetto
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary, Horror
Length: Full Length (197 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

From the moment the black vans appear to take the sick away, Maya knows there is something wrong. She seems to be the only one to question the sudden disappearances at school and the masks everyone is forced to wear to keep from catching the new disease spreading through the entire United States. Even when word of the new “healing centers” reaches the public, no one dares to ask what is happening.

But when Maya catches the disease, the one they call The Tearings, and is taken to one of these centers along with her mother, the truth becomes all too clear. She is separated from her family and forced to work, becoming one of the more fortunate ones who is not sent to the testing wings. Bullied by the guards to the point of death, she meets David Summers, the enigmatic young Captain who appears to loathe his position of power in the camp and who seems as drawn to Maya as she is to him.
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When Maya suddenly becomes the disease’s only survivor, she must put her trust on David to find a way to escape the camp and get the truth, and the cure coursing through her veins, out to the world.

The concept of civil liberties might seem slightly boring and abstract until they’re ripped away from you.

“Maybe it was worth losing a few minor privacies for the good of the majority.” As soon as Maya thought these words early on in her tale I knew I’d either love her or hate her by the time I finished it. She has a strong personality and a fiercely stubborn streak that sometimes pokes out at inopportune moments, but ultimately Maya’s narration of this piece reveals the best parts of her personality as well. I’m still not entirely sure if I like her as a person, but following an interesting protagonist around is much more important than shaving down their sometimes rough edges.

There were a few pacing issues in this book. While the first few chapters set up everything the reader needs to know about how people in Maya’s society are reacting to this dangerous new disease, explaining all of the ways in which they are pretending that everything is ok does slow down the action in the beginning. I would have preferred to spend more time figuring out some plot holes that develop later on. The narrator’s understanding of why they occur is fairly fuzzy, and I never did fully understand the logic behind certain twists in the narrative.

The chilling premise makes up for the inconsistencies in the plot, especially when it focuses on how society at large responds to such a virulent illness. The Tearings sound like a disease cooked up in Stephen King’s laboratory, and Ms. Repetto’s graphic descriptions of how it affects the human body make my skin crawl.

The Tearings is a chilling dystopian novel that I’d recommend to adult and young adult readers alike. This is a great choice for anyone who feels a tickle in their throat as cold and flu season begins. Remember that it’s probably just a harmless cold. Probably.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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