Partials by Dan Wells

Partials by Dan Wells

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Goodreads: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out. 

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask. 

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival.

My take: This is a high three star book that could change when the final copy is released.

First of all, Dan Wells is a complete rock star in my neck of the woods. The high school where I work keeps his other books constantly checked out. Also, he was kind enough to grace us with his presence to inspire the students to write.

I loved the concept of the book even though it is very depressing. Bottom line is that some years ago 99.9% of all humans died from a deadly virus. Before that, they had created a genetically enhanced being to fight a war. Then they offered them oppression and the Partials rebelled by having a war with humankind. Then the virus, RM killed almost everybody so the war became a moot point. Like any good dystopia, there is government control because humans are becoming extinct. Apparently, the virus lives within the survivors but does not provide immunity to babies born. All babies die within a couple of days. The government philosophy is have more babies. By law, women 18 years and older must always be pregnant. Eventually one must survive. That was where I raised my eyebrows. The reasoning seemed weak. It is a great conflict but I needed a stronger argument.

Kira is a great protagonist. With her medical training, she enters research when she proposes something to study, a captured Partial who looks very human. After that, there is nonstop action. The world is a war zone. Details of street crossing and New York towns are described in topicological detail. I understood the need to do so in some instances but I would have preferred a greater concentration on character and relationship development. Don't misinterpret that the book is boring because it definitely is not. There is nearly nonstop action. Violence is abundant. Like I mentioned, the world is a very dangerous place and war is brewing, damage control is the government goal, and then there are those pesky Partials who have been quiet far too long.

Good book but shy on relationship development.

Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads: Finding your eternal soulmate - easy. 

Stopping a true-love-hungry evil - not so much… 

After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although...it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a sixteen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain-especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close.... 

But something dark and hungry is using Emma and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in über-spells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.

My take: Emma and Brendon are still fighting for their love. Kristin still wants him and will do anything to get him. The couple are still fated to be together forever. I found the book rather repetitive and monotonous. In case the reader missed the first book, the story is recalled over and over again throughout the book. Anthony tried to kill Emma, Emma lost her unicorn medallion, Emma's dead twin brother, Ethan came to her in her dreams and helped her save Brendon and they should just get right on with their junior year.

Angelique is helping Emma develop her magical skills but Emma is hopeless unless she has a strong emotional response and needs to cast a spell. Then she can. This time around, another magical person from someone's past (cryptic, I know) wants to become more powerful and cause grief and calamity to the lovers. She is dangerous and causes some havoc and it is up to Emma to end her wickedness.

It's a fine book. Emma is still unremarkable. Brendon is still lustworthy of all the junior class girls but he's still committed to Emma. Angelique is, by far, the more interesting and entertaining character.

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads: As she sits in her Bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly Harriet Baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with Ned Gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame that she maintains he deserved. 

It would appear that I am to be the first to write a book on Gillespie. Who, if not me, was dealt that hand? 

Back in 1888, the young, art-loving Harriet arrives in Glasgow at the time of the International Exhibition. After a chance encounter, she befriends the Gillespie family and soon becomes a fixture in all of their lives. But when tragedy strikes - leading to a notorious criminal trial - the promise and certainties of this world all too rapidly disintegrate into mystery and deception. 

Featuring a memorable cast of characters, infused with atmosphere and period detail, and shot through with wicked humour, Gillespie and I is a powerful and haunting second novel from one of today’s most striking new voices.

My take: Even as I type, I don't know how to write this review. I think I will approach it as a book club book. I would strongly suggest that, if you are a book cheater (like myself), don't look ahead with this one. Don't look for spoilers. You know that moment in A Beautiful Mind when Russell Crow is challenged about his mental stability while his roommate sits in the corner and cries? I needed about 30 more seconds to process the scene before I came to the conclusion myself that his roommate wasn't real before my husband announced that tidbit to me.

I felt robbed of a moment.

Similarly, the twists in this book are unexpected and not crystallized. It is only after adding all of the pieces together that the reader will come to a different conclusion than s/he did two thirds of the way through the book. And it is only with some reservation at first. Then the cloudy clarifies and a disturbing picture emerges. The book is much more disturbing with the real life backdrop of Josh Powell and the horrific events of this week.

Book review ideas for discussion:

1. Note the times when the protagonist makes reference to pregnancy or breast feeding or any kind of incubation. Note the part of the wooden horse that is scorched. What attitude might Harriet have regarding motherhood or having children? 
2. How would the reader describe the protagonist's relationship with her father? Are the feelings reciprocal? Any Freudian ideas?
3. Once the kidnapping occurred, which character(s) were suspicious both in the current time and in hindsight? 
4. When was the AHA moment for you? Did it occur after or before the end of the book. Are you still waiting for it? 
5. What was the significance of the birds? What of the cage?
6. I have typed the next question five times. Each time, it was a different question but I thought it gave too much away. I am trying my art of subtlety. I am not very good at it.

It is a very well written book that will leave the reader feeling unsettled and looking for earlier clues. They are there but very subtle. In hindsight, the explanations provided from the particular POV sort of made sense but became more and more frantic.

IMM (2/18/12)

What I bought:

For Review:

What I Read in the past two weeks (and if you can't wait for reviews on blog, click the image and it will take you to my reviews on Goodreads):

Little Girl Gone by Drusilla Campbell

Little Girl Gone by Drusilla Campbell

My rating: 4.25 of 5 stars

Goodreads: Madora was seventeen, headed for trouble with drugs and men, when Willis rescued her. Fearful of the world and alienated from family and friends, she ran away with him and for five years they have lived alone, in near isolation. But after Willis kidnaps a pregnant teenager and imprisons her in a trailer behind the house, Madora is torn between her love for him and her sense of right and wrong. When a pit bull puppy named Foo brings into Madora's world another unexpected person--Django Jones, a brilliant but troubled twelve-year-old boy--she's forced to face the truth of what her life has become. 

An intensely emotional and provocative story, Little Girl Gone explores the secret hopes and fears that drive good people to do dangerous things . . . and the courage it takes to make things right. 

My take: Drusilla Campbell's best asset in writing books is the way she tells the story then wrapping loosely related story lines to one another. All of the characters intertwine and each is unique with different thoughts, pasts, and experiences. What ties all of the characters together, however, is their prisons, both physical and metaphorical. Also, each character believes a story told to them by one parent or another. Some of those stories empower the characters. Others sink into their cracks and weaken them.

Very well written, giving a voice to all characters, including those who might be considered perpetrators (btw, sexual abuse is NOT a story line, which I found interesting and appealing).

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I have to admit that I had no idea what this book was about. The cover indicated that Juliette would be a strong protagonist ready to conquer the world. Embarrassingly, I didn't realize this was a dystopia and a really good one.

Juliette's touch is lethal. She's shunned, teased, and bullied. Her own parents didn't like her and gave her up very easily to an insane asylum. She's been studied and tested and the answers are inconclusive. She's in solitary confinement when Adam presents himself as a fellow psychotic.

But Juliette is not crazy. She is simply lonely and not very confident of anything except her will to never hurt another human being with her touch. She is good hearted and wants only to help.

Being a dystopia and Juliette having this gift of touch, naturally there is a bad side. One man wants to control her for his purposes. He wants to use her to torture who he chooses. He is cruel beyond comparison. And brutal.

On the opposite end we have a love interest who is good and kind but also trying to play the part of a good soldier. I'm not going to lie to you. This is one of the most sensual teen books I've read. I did not say sexual. Sensual in that the author carefully describes how Juliette feels when someone is finally able to touch her. She is touch sensory starved and Mafi artistically describes sensations while dodging being blatantly sexual. I loved it. On the other hand, I might not hand it immediately to my teenage daughters. Or I might. It might have enough layers of careful wording that it could be construed on mostly innocent. Because it is mostly innocent. But I don't expect it to remain that way. For my sake, I hope not. For my daughters' sakes, I hope so.

Sex: Mild innuendo

Sensualness: delicious moderate

Violence: Severe

Swearing: Mild to moderate

Gravity by Melissa West Cover Reveal!

In the future, only one rule will matter: Don’t. Ever. Peek. 

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed--arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. 

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know--especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.


Coming August 2012.
Preordering now available.

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Cute play on different fairy tales. The protagonist is a 17 year old boy in a thankless family owned business going under when he discovers magic exists and agrees to help a princess. Once the magic is unleashed, it's all around and he and his best friend, Meg, go around making deals with magical beings, breaking spells, and meeting unsavory characters. Fun, clean read. Feel-good book.

What Happened to Hannah by Mary Kay McCornas

What Happened to Hannah: A Novel by Mary Kay McComas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads: As a teenager, Hannah Benson ran away from home in order to save herself. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling and delivers life-changing news: her mother and sister have passed away, leaving Hannah the guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.

Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must overcome her painful past to pave a future with her niece, the last best chance at a family for both of them. She begins to create a new, happier life with her niece and rekindles a relationship with Grady Steadman, one of the few people she's ever called a friend.

But she can't forget what she cannot forgive, or lay to rest those ghosts that will not die. Will love and trust--and the truth--give her the strength to stand her ground and fight for what she deserves?

My take: Hannah disappeared when she was 16. The people of the small town assumed she'd probably been murdered by her abusive father. Little rumors had been circling for a bit about him being alcoholic, the broken bones, unexplained bruises, etc. But there is a collective agreement to turn the other way in order to not be responsible for Hannah or their family.

It's 20 years later when the book opens. Grady, the new sheriff, and Hannah's one teenage love, knows she is alive and well in Baltimore. He finally makes the call to reconnect but also to drop the bomb that her mother has just died. Her beloved sister, Ruth, has been gone for a few years and, surprise! Ruthie had a daughter who is now 15 and needs a home. Hannah protests but finally agrees to meet Anna, her niece. So Hannah returns to her loathsome home town where her heinous childhood took place and still haunts her.

The story of Hannah's childhood and the blossoming of the romance between Hannah and Grady during their teenage years is slowly and sweetly revealed in flashbacks. Also remembered and voiced are the horrendous memories of abuse suffered by both her father, in an effort to control, and her mother, in fear. The time spent in Clearfield, getting to know Anna and her friends (coincidentally, they are Grady's children), getting reacquainted with Grady and his mother and Grady is a single father, by the way, is also punctuated by Hannah's cleaning out the old Benson home, haunted by the memories of her childhood yet symbolically, Hannah is cleaning out the anger and resentment she has clung to through the years.

Peripherally, Hannah speaks often to Joe, her mentor, former business partner, and dear friend in Baltimore. Joe, a religious and God-loving man, plays the part of reason and learning to trust and have faith. With the help of all of these supporting characters, Hannah finds who she really is, faces her past, and releases her demons. She has secrets. Many secrets that she is afraid to allow to see the light. How does one heal from such terrible experiences? How does a self-sufficient woman like Hannah forgive those who wronged her? Can she make room in her life for Anna? Will Anna accept her? What if the secrets she holds are shared? Might it jeopardize her taking guardianship of Anna? Can there be a romance for Hannah?

Good, solid chick lit with spiritual overtones of faith and forgiveness. Clean enough for an older teenager (teenage sex implied and one "f" word).

Agorafabulous! by Sara Benincasa Review and Giveaway

Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom by Sara Benincasa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads: “I subscribe to the notion that if you can laugh at the shittiest moments in your life, you can transcend them. And if other people can laugh at your awful shit as well, then I guess you can officially call yourself a comedian.” 

In Boston, a college student fears leaving her own room—even to use the toilet. In Pennsylvania, a meek personal assistant finally confronts a perpetually enraged gay spiritual guru. In Texas, a rookie high school teacher deals with her male student’s unusually, er, hard personal problem. Sara Benincasa has been that terrified student, that embattled employee, that confused teacher—and so much more. Her hilarious memoir chronicles her attempts to forge a wonderfully weird adulthood in the midst of her lifelong struggle with agoraphobia, depression, and unruly hair. 

Relatable, unpretentious, and unsentimental, Agorafabulous! celebrates eccentricity, resilience, and the power of humor to light up even the darkest corners of our lives. (There are also some sexy parts, but they’re really awkward. Like really, really awkward.)

My take: Wow. This is one of the most well written and courageous memoirs I have ever read. It is not a woman wallowing in self-pity or exacting revenge against all of her enemies by publishing a book and point out THEIR short-comings. It is simply an honest and detailed look at Sara Benincasa's journey through adulthood neurosis.

The book begins with the author's high school years - one year in particular. A beloved boy she loved from afar, perfect in every possible way, including kind, handsome, and selfless, commits a heinous Catholic sin of suicide. This is the beginning of further unhinging her carefully constructed power and control of her debilitating fears and panic attacks.

At the age of 18, the author takes an 8 day tour of Europe with other high school students where she has a full-blow panic attack and details it in excruciating detail. Not excruciating for a person who does not suffer from any Axis II diagnosis (DSM-IV talk) but oh-so-familiar to a self-proclaimed neurotic who spent her own first two and half decades pretending to be normal but knowing she had all the secret and special powers to know from vibes that danger lurked and could only be avoided by litanies and unexplainable compensating behaviors.

A blessing of being neurotic is that we are magical. It's a gift. And a curse. Just as Monk.

Just a little warning that I was unprepared for - the author provides a brief and humorous summary of her own phobias in the first few pages. That is not the shocking part, in fact, it is very endearing. But it is peppered with sexual innuendo and swear words indicating such innuendo. In other words, the "f" bomb is abundant. That's when I nearly put the book down but I didn't. I was hypnotically entranced. There were moments she was telling my story except that I have expertly shoved those unpleasant detailed memories into compartments and duct taped them well. Not Sara. She owns her behavior and all disturbing thought processes in all its glory.

Chronologically ordered, Sara begins at age 18 and works forward. She tells about all the unspeakable habits she began in order to avoid The Thing that sat on her shoulder, her head, or her chest. She is heroic to me for freeing all of those thoughts and behaviors for the rest of us neurotics.

Clearly comedy is her forte and her timing is impeccable. Just as I was getting so sucked up into her life, thoughts, and relating all-to-well, she drops humor that made me chuckle, laugh out loud, or at least smile. Again, the timing is a thing of art. She does not belabor any part of her story, including the humor which could prove to be distracting and an attempt to over compensate. Instead, it is just enough to break up the seriousness of the illness. She does not minimize the part anxiety and depression played on her life but fully owns it. She lays it all out in spite of the fact that people she knows are going to read this book. She clearly states that there are two kinds of freaks; the kind who seek to be freaks like Lee Redmond from Salt Lake City who grew her fingernails to be like dragon claws and freaks who are purposely hiding their freakishness and wondering why ANYBODY would seek to be a freak. The latter is the club of neurotics.

This is not a simple and clean little story of how the author suffers from phobias and depression then gets better. The author instead provides brief snapshots of pivotal moments during her journey, hitting the lows (peppered with appropriate amount of humor) and her slow and not complete recovery. How can there be a recovery when "normal" was never a part of her original self? Like my children and I joke about our own neuroses, "Normal is a setting on the dryer."

This is an honest, frank, yet humorous journey through the eyes of a wise, courageous woman who seeks a place of peace and accepts the woman she is.


If you want to read a little of the beginning, click HERE.

If you want your own copy, click HERE or fill out form below.

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads: "It is the story of Kendra and her first 300 or so years of life. In Bewitching, Kendra ponders whether to help out a modern day plain-looking stepsister, while also reflecting on her experiences in the 1666 British plague, the court of Louis XV, and on the Titanic."


My take: What a delightful book! I did not read Flinn's Beastly but my daughter informed me that Kendra is the starring witch in that one, as well.

Fairy tale retelling, when done well, is an art. Kendra is born a witch. She discovers it by accident and then, with the unsuspecting help of her captor, a witch who captures children with her gingerbread house, she learns a lot of tricks. Kendra is old. She's a misunderstood witch from a lot of the fairy tales from days of yore. She'll drop a couple in for you. And they are fun. But they can backfire and it's not pretty.

Which is why Kendra is reluctant to step in to help Emma. It's a retelling of Cinderella but the fairy tales definitely have it wrong. There are some misunderstandings all around. It's a well developed story with strong characters and a satisfying twist at the end.

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is not an easy book to read. In the ideal world, date rape is prosecuted by the legal system. But in the ideal world, there are not so many shades of gray.

The story begins with the protagonist waking up in an unfamiliar room without clothes next to a boy she barely recognizes. She quickly dresses and leaves, realizing she lost her virginity and doesn't remember it. Throughout the book, memories return to her. She was drinking and blacked out. Was she a participant to the encounter? If she participated at all, does that make her culpable? Does the fact that she was drunk play a part to her culpability? These questions are explored and answered throughout the story and a trusted adult figure plainly explains to her that if she did not grant permission, it is rape.

I liked that the rape is not cut and dried. Date rape is far too common yet far too overlooked. I had at least two roommates during college who were date raped. My best friend escaped a date rape when the guy's roommates walked in, seeing her shirt unbuttoned and her arms pinned. With the years and experience since she told me, I now understand why she wanted to throw up every time we saw him on campus. I also understand why I wanted to throw up when I was paired with my roommates rapist for a first aid final. No matter how compromising the circumstances (getting drunk or making out), sex without permission is rape.

The story does not preach. In fact, one of the characters does not agree with the student-created Mockingbirds (Student Justice System). However, I love that students at a college created this system to deal with offenses against other students.

The story is well written. The characters well developed. The subject is difficult yet well addressed.

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Goodreads: When Alex Patrick was assaulted by another student last year, her elite boarding school wouldn't do anything about it. This year Alex is head of the Mockingbirds, a secret society of students who police and protect the student body. While she desperately wants to live up to the legacy that's been given to her, she's now dealing with a case unlike any the Mockingbirds have seen before. 

It isn't rape. It isn't bullying. It isn't hate speech. A far-reaching prescription drug ring has sprung up, and students are using the drugs to cheat. But how do you try a case with no obvious victim? Especially when the facts don't add up, and each new clue drives a wedge between Alex and the people she loves most: her friends, her boyfriend, and her fellow Mockingbirds. 

As Alex unravels the layers of deceit within the school, the administration, and even the student body the Mockingbirds protect, her struggle to navigate the murky waters of vigilante justice may reveal more about herself than she ever expected.

My Take: The book picks up right where Mockingbirds leaves off. There is enough back story to jump into this book without reading the first one but I liked the first one because of the originality. This one lacked a clear conflict. There would be a beginning of a conflict and then it would fizzle. Eventually, I saw the pattern of the real conflict which was two-fold 1)Students are using ADHD medicine to improve academic performance and 2) Alex, the new leader, is imperfect, not knowing what she can ethically do or not do.

The first conflict was not as substantial as I would like. It was like trying to grab water. On the other hand, this aspect is addressed. The "victim" is not clearly identified like the other cases of the Mockingbirds. So Alex puts her figurative arms out with her eyes closed and starts walking in the dark. It seemed contrived and anti-climactic.

Meanwhile, Alex is struggling with leading an underground vigilante group without clear cut guidelines. More than anything, this storyline showed the flaws of a vigilante student group. It's a great idea but the checks and balances are weak and human nature can be manipulated in so many different ways.

Even though I found the story slow in the beginning, Whitney does an exemplary job with character development, placing main characters in multiple environments and testing their ethical strength. Sometimes they screw up. Other times, they don't. Yet other times, they exhibit humility by admitting wrong doing. And then there are the true culprits/bullies who, through excellent character development, I hated quite a bit.

I can see a third installment to round out Alex's senior year. One that balances the power of bad behavior, administration accountability and vigilante accountability. Ultimately, I think it will come down to power corrupts; Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

That's just my guess.