Sign Language by Amy Ackley

Release Date: August 18, 2011
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 392
Series: n/a
Review Source: eBook for review from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Twelve-year-old Abby North's first hint that something is really wrong with her dad is how long it's taking him to recover from what she thought was routine surgery. Soon, the thing she calls "It" has a real name: cancer. Before, her biggest concerns were her annoying brother, the crush unaware of her existence, and her changing feelings for her best friend, Spence, the boy across the street. Now, her mother cries in the shower, her father is exhausted, and nothing is normal anymore. Amy Ackley's impressive debut is wrenching, heartbreaking, and utterly true.

My Thoughts:
It took me quite a while to pick up this book, despite reading great reviews of it last year, simply because I knew it would be a tough read. And it was. The book is heartbreaking, and yet I’m glad I read it. Amy Ackley has written a tale that’s obviously very close to her own heart (she, like our main character Abby, also lost her father to cancer as a teenager), and it shows in the writing.

What I liked best about the book is how honest the emotions felt. So many books about dying and death delve into cliches, but ‘Sign Language’ never felt saccharine. There aren’t any platitudes here. There’s definitely some hope, and it shows how you can move on from loss, honouring your loved one by remembering the happy memories, but the book doesn’t present it as any easy linear process. There’s no right way to grieve for someone, and there’s no perfect timetable for trying to get back to “normal”, if such a state even exists.

This is definitely a middle grade novel, with Abby starting off the book at 12 years old, but by the end of the book she has aged a few years. I liked how this long time period let the author show us all the different stages of what Abby was going through. Abby was a sweet character who you definitely felt for, and I also especially adored her friend Spence.

If I could change one thing about this book I would have it be written in first person. I know third person seems to be the preferred perspective in middle grade books, but I think we could have gotten even more involved in Abby as a character if we could have read her thoughts and feelings directly from her.

As I’ve mentioned, ‘Sign Language’ is a very hard hitting book. I think for anyone, but especially for those who have experienced cancer on a personal level, there are parts that are very hard to read. I feel like that’s important, though. I love how the author didn’t hide details or emotions to make the book easier to read. Amy Ackley has written a great book on a very important topic, and I can see why people liked it so much. I appreciate books that can make me feel the emotions of a situation, and Amy Ackley definitely succeeded in this regard.

The Cover:
I like it because it actually has a lot of meaning for the story, but without knowing that detail I don't feel like the cover or the title really do much to convey what the book is about.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Sign Language by Amy Ackley on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Clockwise by Elle Strauss

Release Date: November 21, 2011
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 290
Series: Clockwise #1
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she’s accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward.

Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just “brotherly” protectiveness?

When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again.

Which of course, she does.

My Thoughts:
Clockwise was a really cute book that I definitely enjoyed. I'm a sucker for time travel novels, and it was interesting to read about time travel happening with no warning and always going back to the same time period. I didn't quite get all the specifics about it, such as why when you ended up in the past you still had your regular clothes on, but when you went back to the future (ha, I couldn't help the reference, especially with Back to the Future being references in the text) you always ended up back in those normal clothes no matter what else you were wearing. I also would've thought that injuries might heal when you went back to the future because of that change of state with clothing, but apparently not.

Time travel specifics aside, I did enjoy the main character. I thought Casey was sweet and a little awkward, but with great inner strength and intelligence. Nate was kind of a dud as a love interest, though. He was that cute popular boy character, and I suppose he's more true to life than most YA love interests in that his friends were jerks and he gets dared into doing things, but I just didn't feel like his character got developed as much as he could have.

While this isn't an instant favourite I definitely liked it well enough. It's an enjoyable first instalment to a series, and with some stronger editing it could be really good. I loved the concept of the book, and I found myself really enjoying the scenes that took place in the past, as well as all the developments with characters there.

The Cover:
Cute! =)

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Clockwise by Elle Strauss on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon. (99 cents on Kindle & Smashwords)

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Release Date: November 8, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 317
Series: Magic Most Foul #1
Review Source: For review from Raincoast

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
I was obsessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen--everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked--bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

My Thoughts:
I totally fell in love with the premise of this book from the moment I heard it. A curse, a soul trapped in a painting, and only one girl can communicate with the trapped lord? It sounded page turning and intriguing, but unfortunately it just... wasn’t. I liked the book well enough, as in I cared about the characters and I wanted to know what would happen, but I definitely wasn’t wholly invested.

I’m wondering if the diary format had something to do with how I felt about the book. I almost felt like I didn’t really get to know the outside characters that well because of it, and yet I also didn’t even feel like I knew Natalie, our main character, all that well either, because the diary gives such a straightforward account. And then there was the romance which just wasn’t all that exciting or believable. In the end I feel like this is one of those “okay” books that had an interesting plot but wasn’t engaging enough for me to remember the characters a week or so after reading it.

The Cover:
Doesn't especially intrigue me, but it's pretty.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

2011 Reading Challenges

I took part in a few reading challenges throughout 2011, and for the most part I did pretty well on them. Here are the results for my records and your perusal.

The Contemps

1. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
2. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
3. Freefall by Mindi Scott
4. Girl, Stolen by April Henry
5. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
6. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
7. Trapped by Michael Northrop
8. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
9. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
10. Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy
11. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
12. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
13. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
14. Family by Micol Ostow
15. Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith
16. Pearl by Jo Knowles
17. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
18. Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Didn't quite make it for this one. So close, too! I just had too many other books I was more interested in reading.

2011 YA Historical Fiction Challenge

1. Everlasting by Angie Frazier
2. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
3. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein
4. The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
5. The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins
6. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
7. Steel by Carrie Vaughn
8. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
9. Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
10. Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren
11. Karma by Cathy Ostlere
12. Walk the Wild Road by Nigel Hinton
13. Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner
14. Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
15. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
16. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

My goal was to read 10 YA historicals, so I definitely made this one! Through keeping track of these titles I learned that I like reading in the historical genre, but mostly when it's combined with fantasy or something similar; only 6 of these are strictly historical fiction.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

1. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
4. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
5. Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin
6. Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton
7. The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
8. Clarity by Kim Harrington
9. Enclave by Anne Aguirre
10. Possession by Elana Johnson
11. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
12. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
13. Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
14. Karma by Cathy Ostlere
15. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
16. Wildefire by Karsten Knight
17. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
18. Fury by Elizabeth Miles
19. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
20. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
21. Lie by Caroline Bock
22. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
23. Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine
24. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
25. Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
26. Divergent by Veronica Roth
27. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
28. I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
29. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
30. The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
31. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
32. Flyaway by Helen Landalf
33. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Wow, how many great YA debut novels were there last year?! I actually read 49 debuts, but didn't review all of them on the blog. Here's hoping there are just as many great YA debuts in 2012. I know I've already read a few great ones!

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 352
Series: The Faerie Ring #1
Review Source: ARC from Raincoast Books

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger.

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

My Thoughts:
So first of all, the setting for this one is fabulous! I’m a total Anglophile and I adore London, so that made me happy, and I was also a history major, so I do enjoy me some historicals from time to time. Add in some amazing characters and faerie lore and I’m sold!

Tiki is a lovely main character. She shows such loyalty to her street family, and I also really enjoyed reading about her emerging feelings for Rieker. You really grew to care about the characters. I mean, how can you not care about these teens and kids who are trying desperately to take care of each other and survive? Especially when they care so much about little Clara who is sick.

The whole book is a big run around figuring out that the ring Tiki has stolen actually keeps a truce between humans and faeries. So how can Tiki return the ring without getting caught, and how can they get a reward for the ring (desperately needing the money to survive) while still putting it back in royal hands to keep everyone safe? So much for these characters to figure out, and let me tell you that it's so much fun to read about.

I liked the faerie aspect of this book because it was there and it was interesting without being overwhelming. I’m actually not a huge fan of faerie books, but this one was great. I know we’ll get into more of the faerie aspect in future books, but I can tell it’s going to be done in a fresh and interesting way that doesn’t overwhelm us mere mortals who haven’t read every faerie book out there.

Kiki Hamilton’s writing flows and keeps you wanting to read more. ‘The Faerie Ring’ has characters you will totally fall for (ranging from street beggars to the monarchies), an awesome setting, and features secret family histories and secret identities. One thing I especially appreciated was how you couldn’t tell if the book was a standalone or a series. This book could stand by itself and you would be totally satisfied, but the fact that it’s a series leaves you to wonder about the little threads of information that were left untouched and the little hints of where character relationships will go. Overall, I really liked this one, and I will definitely be reading on in the series.

The Cover:
I like it, especially the font and treatment for the title (gorgeous!).

Rating:
[4/5]

Find The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Flyaway by Helen Landalf

Release Date: December 20, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 182
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself. But one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home.

That’s the night Stevie’s life turns upside down.

It’s the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school.

But most of all, it’s the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

FLYAWAY is the story of a teen girl’s struggle to hold on to what she’s always believed, even as her world spins out of control.

My Thoughts:
I think the thing that stands out the most for me about this book is how I felt for the main character, Stevie. I think she was a very realistic character and she acted just like I would expect a scared, young teenager to act. She loved her mom and wanted to protect her, even though her mom wasn’t being a good parent or taking care of herself, let alone her daughter. Because of how Stevie acts I think you’ll either love her or hate her, but I personally found her behaviour completely realistic, even when she was being a bit of a brat. I liked the journey that Stevie took in her way of thinking and how she was going to live her life. The journey was incredibly tough, but I think Stevie became very strong because of it.

Now how about Aunt Mindy?? She was the sweetest! I’m glad there was someone in Stevie’s life taking care of her, and it was really touching how she was always there for her and how she kept trying even when Stevie was difficult and pushed her away.

Where the book lacked, I think, was the romantic angle. One guy just ended up being someone completely different from who we were introduced to. His character did a total 180; it was so strange. The other guy had a ton of issues, with a very shady past with acting out. I could actually see the start of chemistry between him and Stevie, but I didn’t really think it was necessary or very well developed. Really this is more of a book about Stevie and her Mom, so I didn’t think it needed the romance.

The book has a “caged bird becoming free” metaphor, and while I think it was a bit overdone, it was still sweet. I enjoyed reading this one overall, probably because the writing style was very flowing and easy to get through. In the end, though, I don’t think it’s the most compelling book on the topic. I expected it to be more powerful with showing the effects of drugs on a person, but it didn’t really go as deep as it could have. This is one of those "take it or leave it" books, where I don't really have strong feelings either way whether it's worth a read or not.

The Cover:
I really like how creative it is; it totally stands out from most other covers.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Flyaway by Helen Landalf on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Release Date: November 22, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 336
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

My Thoughts:
So, this is one of those dead sister books. And in a lot of ways it was typical in that regard, but thankfully once the book got going it gained some originality. Harper decides to take her sister’s ashes to California, where June always wanted to go. So road trip! Yes, this is a road trip book, and like every good road trip it also contains a lot of music and music references. If you’re a music person you will definitely enjoy this aspect. Me? I did enjoy it, and I think it allowed for some lightness and humour to creep into the novel.

So Harper is our main character, and unfortunately I didn’t really connect with her. I felt bad for her, but she had such a bad attitude. Some of her behaviours really turned me off, and I just found her really dark and cynical. And, to be 100% honest, I was really uncomfortable with her proclamations about the lack of God’s existence and her attitude toward faith in God. I just found it really heavy handed. Everyone always talks about the way faith is portrayed in books, and whether or not it’s going to offend someone who’s not a believer, but what about the opposite? Anyway, just something to think about.

Jake as a character was a bit hard to figure out. I wish we could have gotten to know him better throughout the book rather than just at the end. I know a lot of people were swooning over him, but I found him a bit moody and secretive for my liking. Harper and Jake together? I don't know. In a lot of ways I think it worked, but then there was a twist toward the end of the book that sort of ruined things for me. I found it really ridiculous, and I thought it could have been dealt with in a much better way.

I think this is really a book about Harper choosing life where her sister didn’t, and trying to get over her sister’s death, or at least trying to understand it and deal with it. Unfortunately I didn’t connect with ‘Saving June’ in the way many others did. I felt something while I was reading it, but ultimately it didn’t resonate with me in the long term.

The Cover:
Pretty enough, though I think I like the Australian cover better.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Saving June by Hannah Harrington on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Release Date: January 1, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 256
Series: n/a
Review Source: From publisher for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Welcome to a future where water is more precious than gold or oil-and worth killing for

Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that's impossible to forget.

My Thoughts:
‘The Water Wars’ was a book that I equal parts enjoyed and was frustrated with. It had a very heavy handed environmental message to it, which was both cool and a turn off. I’m a big fan of environmental activism, but in this book it became a bit much. The lack of water and how it came about made for a good back story and it seemed scarily plausible, but at a certain point you’re like “yes, we get it. save the earth, etc, etc”.

My favourite aspect of this book was the action. Those scenes were very well written. I loved reading about all the different fringe groups (water pirates!), and there was bombing and tons of chases. This aspect was really exciting. But the bad thing? The characters were... meh. There was nothing particularly wrong with them, but it seemed like the book was more about the message/plot than about the actual characters and their journey. Therefore any character could have been substituted in without the book really changing at all.

I feel like ‘The Water Wars’ is worth a read, especially if you’re into environmental causes. I did enjoy reading it, but because of the lack of a connection to the characters it's ultimately forgettable.

The Cover:
Um, gorgeous!

Rating:
[3/5]

Find The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.