Teen Reads Week: Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen (January 2011)


In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .


Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

I wasn't sure what to expect with Unearthly...maybe just an YA angel  book that would inevitably have a love triangle and would be a trilogy.  I must say, that I was very pleasantly surprised.  I really enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down.  I had to find out if Clara was going to carry out her purpose or not.  I also had to know who she would chose, Christian or Tucker.  Would she follow destiny or her heart?

I really liked Clara.  She has known she is a quarter angel for 2 years.  Her mother is half angel.  There was no surprise as to her identity, so there was not the usual, "what is happening to me" angst.  Clara is a strong willed teen who does has a sense of responsibility as to her "purpose". The thing that appealed to me most about this book is that the boy she falls for isn't who you expect her to.  The one she must save isn't someone that she is hopelessly in love with.  That was refreshing. Between you and me, I'm team Tucker!

While there is some resolution, the ending of the book leaves a lot of unanswered questions, that I hope will be addressed in the next book. I think this is a great book for YA's, maybe 14 and up.  There is some kissing, but other than that, nothing serious.  I look forward to the next book, Hallowed, which is projected to come out in January 2012.

--Kari

Teen Reads Week: Dark Eden

by:  Patrick Carman
published by:  HarperCollins Childrens
publish date:  November 1, 2011

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

I was reading this book thinking it was sorta ok until the end.  For me, at that point, it took a serious nosedive.  It went from like a 3 star book to around a 1 and a half star book.   I'll just say there are certain elements in YA that are overdone and it's time to move on.

I will say that until the end, I did think that this was a fairly interesting book.  I was really interested in what each person's fear was.  How those fears came about and whether or not it was done purposefully was also an intriguing idea.

In the book description up there it mentions that each person suffers aches and pains after coming out of the chamber.  The reason for that is revealed at the end of the book.  I did like that little twist.  I thought that was a clever concept.

There's nothing I saw inappropriate for older or younger teens in this book.  It was on the dark side, a little creepy, but nothing horribly gory or violent.  There was the slightest hint of romance and I don't remember any language at all.  Overall, well suited to the age group.

Teen Reads Week: Shatter Me

by:  Tahereh Mafi
published by:  Harper Collins
publish date:  November 15th, 2011

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

See that strike-through writing on the cover?  That's throughout the book.  It's a writing technique the author uses to show all the thoughts going through Juliette's mind.  It got old fast, but it was more prevalent in the beginning of the book.  It did seem to taper off towards the end.   That's my main criticism of this book.  It's a clever idea, but a tad bit over done.

I liked this book, it was very X-Men like, but more sinister.  I've seen it mentioned places as a cross between The Hunger Games and X-Men and that's pretty accurate.  It deals with some of the same supernatural aspects as X-Men, but has the atmosphere of The Hunger Games. 

This is the first book in a series.  The film rights have already been optioned for this book, so it'll be interesting to see what the future brings for this debut author.

Teen Reads Week: Die For Me

Author: Amy Plum
Publisher: HarperTeen

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

As with any debut author, you never know what you are going to get when you open to the first page.  Ms. Plum has written an engaging first novel that sucked me right in from the start.  Kate and her sister, Georgia, have moved to Paris to live with their grandparents after the death of their parents.  There, Kate meets Vincent and his friends.  The attraction is strong from the start, yet Kate has her reservations about Vincent.  He almost seems too good to be true.  What she learns about him and his friends changes her whole life.

I really liked Kate's character.  She is almost 17, yet she has a maturity that a lot of teens in YA novels don't have today.  I liked that she was cautious about starting a relationship with Vincent, especially once she finds out the truth about him and his life.  Instead of taking everything at face value and rushing into something with him, she admits that she has reservations and steps back for a while.  That really sat well with me.  

Die For Me has a unique take on the risen dead.  The kin joke about being zombies, but they aren't really. They can age, but once they die again they "reset" back to the original age they were when they first died.  They also don't eat human flesh or brains. (Thankfully!) I look forward to knowing more about the revenants and what causes them.  I also hope that the next books explores why Vincent and Kate seem to have a unique bond that hasn't been seen in other revenants and their human loves.  This is the first in a trilogy, so I hope these themes are expanded on in future books.

I really enjoyed this book.  I think it would be fine for any YA reader.  There is really nothing graphic and the romance is pretty mild.  There is even talk about waiting for the "main event" and just taking the time to get to know and enjoy one another.  Given the age of the main characters, I thought this was a plus.

--Kari

Teen Reads Week:Throwback Thursday Edition- Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack

Author: M. E. Kerr
First published in 1972 by LauraLeaf


When Tucker Woolf needs to find a new home for his cat he only gets one call..  It's from Dinky Hacker, the strongest girl he has ever met. She doesn't shoot smack, but she sure could tell you a lot about kids who do. And once the cat moves in with Dinky, visiting it means visiting the Hocker home, which turns out to be more than Tucker ever bargained for...

I read so much in the 80s when I was a "YA" that I had a hard time choosing a Throwback Thursday edition book.  So, I enlisted the help of my local children's librarian to point me toward a good YA book from the 70s or 80s that screamed "Teen Read".  She immediately pulled Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack off the shelf and said it was a must read.

While I won't say it is the best teen read that I have ever read, I think that it is an honest look at the life of a teen trying to navigate his or her way into adulthood.    It is also a  story of a troubled teen who is failing miserably at trying to connect with her parents. Even though it was written in 1972, I think that this is very relevant to today.  When Tucker Woolf must find a new home for his cat, he meets Susan "Dinky" Hocker and her cousin Natalia.  He develops an unlikely friendship with Dinky and finds his first girlfriend in Natalia.  

The one thing that really struck me about this book is that unlike a lot of YA books of today, the parents play very big roles in the book.  The contrast between all of the parents in this book was really interesting.  You have Tucker's parents who are very in touch with their son and have painfully honest conversations with him.  P. John's father is a liberal who often gives away all of his possessions at the expense of his son. Finally. Dinky's parents who are so involved in the problems of the community around them that they can't see the problems they have right in their own home.  In the end, it is Tucker who sees the truth about what is going on with Dinky.

This is a quick read and I think would be an asset to any YA library.  Some of the slang is a big dated, but I think teens of today would be able to understand what they are talking about.  There is no sex, but there is discussion of drugs and sex.  I'd say OK for any kid 14 and up.

--Kari

Teen Reads Week: If I Tell

                                                                      by:  Janet Gurtler
published by:  Source Books
publish date:  October 1, 2011

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a one night stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

This book was just ok for me.  Jasmine apparently is the only biracial person in her small town.  She's being raised by her grandmother and the kids at school basically ignore her.  Her only friends are a slutty alcoholic and the school's only openly lesbian student.

From all that you can gather that this is an "issues" book.  Jaz's mother (white) is pregnant with her (black) boyfriend's baby.  Jaz sees the mother's boyfriend kissing her slutty alcoholic best friend at a party the night before she finds out her mother is pregnant.  Jasmine's life gets thrown into all kinds of turmoil, add in a recovering drug addict, bad boy new to town and you have this book.

Personally, I felt like this book weighed too heavily on the race issues, but I'm not black or biracial and I don't know the difficulties that may or may not present.   I can see where it might appeal more to other readers than it did to me. 

I found this book to be teen appropriate.  No sex, no drugs, only a little rock and roll...and that consisted of Neil Diamond of all people.  The was some language but it wasn't pervasive.

Teen Reads Week: Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson
Publisher: HarperCollins (June 2011)

Can there truly be love after death? 

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive. 

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever. 

 Hereafter is a well written, very interesting book.  I was sucked in right from the first page.  I liked the premise of the book.  Amelia is a ghost with no idea why she is dead and what she looks like. Daily, she is drawn to a dark river underneath a mysterious bridge. One night, she sees Joshua drowning and is able to help him get back to shore.  Joshua is a Seer and is the only one that can see and touch Amelia. As Joshua helps Amelia learn who she is and why she died, they form a friendship that quickly turns into love.  It was refreshing to read a YA book that didn't have any of the teen angst that goes along with boy/girl relationship...or boy/ghost girl in this case.  The two of them actually talk and become friends as they fall for each other.  The romance was sweet and easy.  There is also no love triangle. I'm not a fan of those.

Ms. Hudson has created a unique take on the afterlife.  There is a heaven and hell, but there are also several places in between where evil souls try to trap other souls forever by luring them to their deaths.  Amelia meets Eli who tries to recruit her to help him do this. While she feels she is good, she also fights a lure to the stark and grey afterlife that he shows her.  That is all of the plot that I will give away.  Any more and I think I would ruin it.  The characters are strong and interesting. Despite the fact the Joshua's grandmother would like to exorcise Amelia, I liked her.   

As with most YA novels these days, Hereafter is the first in a trilogy.   I loved the ending as it had no cliffhanger.  It only left room for more secrets to be revealed in the next book. I want to know more about Joshua's grandmother and how she became a seer.  I also want to know more about the other sides and how they are created.  I definitely recommend this one as a teen read. 

--Kari

Teen Reads Week: Clarity

by:  Kim Harrington
published by:  Scholastic Point
publish date:  March 1, 2011

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case - but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother - who has supernatural gifts of his own - becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

I thought this book was going to be a paranormal book, but it wasn't really.  It was more of a YA murder mystery with a little bit of the supernatural thrown in.  In that way it surprised me, but in a good way. 

I thought this was a great book for teens.  It had a little bit of sex drama, but nothing worse than they would see on network television.  Other than that it was well written and well laid out.  I thought the writer captured the teen vernacular well without getting too ridiculous as some writers tend to do.

I can't wait to read more from Kim Harrington in the future. 

Teen Reads Week: Angel Burn

by:  L.A. Weatherly

published by:   Candlewick Publishing

publish date:  May 24, 2011

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

I've been reading a lot of mixed reviews of this book.  I happened to really like it.  I did listen to the audiobook and maybe that made a difference, I don't know.  The reader did a really good job on this one.  She had a really youthful voice which worked well for teenage characters.

As for the story, I thought it was a really unique story.  Angels come from an alternate world and it's a dying world.  They come to Earth to feed off of humans.  Alex is an Angel Killer and he's been charged with killing Willow, but he can't for a variety of reasons.  Of course, they fall in love.  This is where the fact that it was a YA book drove me a little crazy.  It was very PG.  Two teenagers alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods...I think that could have gotten a little R rated, but of course it didn't.  I was sitting there thinking that Alex must have been a saint to endure all their togetherness and not even get to second base.

On the other hand, this IS YA, so of course, it's the start of a Trilogy.  I'm sure there's more in store for Alex and Willow in the future and perhaps they'll have some time to engage in a more physical relationship.  I will say that the plus side to this series is that no Love Triangle has popped up. 

I will be on the look out for the next book in this series which is Angel Fire.  Expected publication is December 27th, 2011.

Teen Reads Week: My Lunatic Life

Author: Sharon Sala
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books  ( August 2011)

She plays for Team Spirit. High school senior Tara Luna's got all the usual teen problems: a new school, her attraction to a hunky guy, feuds with the Mean Girls, being regarded as an oddball outsider-PLUS she has psychic powers, a duo of protective, meddlesome ghosts AND an angry, threatening teen girl ghost who wants Tara to solve her murder-or else. Now you know why she calls this "my lunatic life.


I am a big fan of Sharon Sala's books.  I have read most of them. When I saw that she was delving into the YA genre, I was very curious.  My Lunatic Life is the first in a new series  that  features 17YO Tara Luna.  She is a psychic who has also has 2 ghosts who are her best friends.  She has moved around most of her life with her Uncle Pat who raised her.  


Tara is a great character.  She is confident, headstrong and responsible.  Used to being the new girl, she doesn't let the teasing from the popular girls get to her.  She isn't afraid to stand up for herself. I loved the two ghosts that follow her around, especially, Millicent.  She adds some nice comic relief to the mix as she is constantly mixing up common slang words.  The mystery  of who kidnapped Bethany wasn't easy to figure out since the reader has to figure it out along with Tara through her visions.  That aspect is always a plus for me.


This was a great set up for the series. Since it did end in a cliffhanger, I look forward to the next one which I think is coming out soon.  I want to know more about Tara and her family "gift".  I only have 2 complaints about the book.  First, I hate the cover.  The outfit that she has on is not what Tara in the book would wear as she is more the jeans and T-shirt kind of girl.  I often wonder if the cover artists read the book first.  Thigh highs, really? The second thing is that I felt like the writing itself was not up to Ms. Sala's standards.  It was almost like it was "dumbed down".  I'm not sure if this was a deliberate attempt to try to appeal to the YA reader or not.  I hope the next book goes back to her level of writing that I know she capable of in her "adult" books.


In any case, I do recommend this one for all YA readers. It was a short book, so it can be read pretty quickly.   It is clean, so no sex, swearing or violence. I think Tara will be a favorite character in the future.

--Kari

Teen Reads Week: Forbidden

by:  Tabitha Suzuma
published by:  Simon Pulse
publish date:  June 28, 2011

She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But ...They are brother and sister.

This book deals with a big taboo.  Incest.  Is is appropriate for YA?  Maybe, maybe not?  Personally, I didn't find this book objectionable for older, mature teenagers, but I might not want say, like a 13 year old reading it. 

The situation in this book wasn't one where two strangers fall in love and they find out later that they are brother and sister and have been separated by something like adoption.  This is a brother and sister who live together.  They're forced into the roles of mother and father to their younger siblings when their father leaves and their alcoholic mother becomes increasingly absent. 

Adding to the situation, Lochan, while brilliant and gorgeous, has several social anxiety problems.  He only feels safe at home.  Maya is very sympathic to his problem.  The mess they're in and the circumstances seem to draw them together. 

I found this book to absolutely heart breaking.  By the end I was so incredibly sad for Lochan and Maya.  There were parts I had to read over because I was shocked at what was happening to them.  It's worth the read because it'll make you think and it's one of those books that will stay with you.