Audiobook Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Publisher: HarperTeen/Brilliance Audio

Publication Date: September 7th, 2010 

A hidden truth. 

Mortal enemies. 

Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I've been wanting to read this book for a REALLY long time.  When I first heard of it about a year ago, I was like, "Wow! That sounds like it has the potential to be a really kick-ass book!", and then I just never got the time to read it.  When my library got the audio version, I was really excited because now I could "read" it during those hours I spend in the car shuttling kids to and from school, sports, etc. (Yes, I'm the horrible mom who puts ear buds in while driving with her three children, instead of talking to them.  They fight too much and I can't deal...)  So... I got it, put it on my ipod and here we are.

I will start by saying that the audio is very well done.  The narrator, Therese Plummer, is a fantastic reader.  She seamlessly switches tonality and voice when reading dialogue between two characters, so that it almost seems as if it is being read by two different people.  She also puts forth the right emotions, breathing lots of life into the story.  Because of her adaptation, I think I liked it more than I would have if I had read the text version to myself.  That all being said...

I wanted to love this book.  Like I mentioned before, the story has TONS of potential.  A race of creatures (Draki) who descend from dragons who can morph into to human form, each with his or her own special ability?  Hunters who specialize in capturing these creatures, only to sell their parts on the black market?  A female Draki who falls for a hunter? Intriguing, right?  I thought so too, and I had high expectations...  I liked it, but I didn't love it like I thought I would.  The main characters were pretty well rendered, but the supporting ones could have used a bit more development.  I especially would have liked to know more about Jacinda's mom and Will's family. As for plot and pacing, it started out really strong, pulling me in for about the first 20%, then it just kind of fizzled for me.  It did pick up in the end, but there was too long a stretch in the middle that I struggled with.   You see, I really loved Sophie Jordan's account of the land that the Draki inhabit; mountainous, with lakes, and lush, green valleys.  I also loved her physical descriptions of the Draki; they sounded like astoundingly beautiful creatures, and found myself yearning to know more about them.  It was beyond exciting when Jacinda was pursued by hunters and nearly captured, and  I thought this book was going to be a thrill.  She lost me when Jacinda's mom moved the family to a human town, away from their pride, to protect her.  Without the beautiful world and fantastic creatures, it became just another YA Paranormal Romance with a different fantastical being...  They move to a new town, Jacinda meets Will, the unattainable, hot guy who every girl in her new HS drools over, and they are inexplicably drawn to one another, but are trying not to be, each for a different reason.  Sound familiar?  The book goes along in this vein until about the final 15%, and then it picks up; secrets are revealed, the action picks up, and new questions arise.  Will I read the next book in the series, Vanish?  Probably, but I don't feel compelled to rush right out and buy it.

Overall, I have to say that this book was a solid start to the series.  It definitely had a few flaws, but that is to be expected from any author's debut novel.  Although, it isn't my favorite story, it was well written, and I can see why it has legions of fans.  Any fan of of angsty teen love stories like Twilight will love this book.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Grade Level Recommendation:  There's the same types intense feelings of attraction between Will and Jacinda as there are between Edward and Bella (Twilight).  There are a couple of pretty heavy make-out sessions as well, including one where Will spends the night (no sex).  Because of that, I would recommend this be read by ages 12 and up (7th grade+).

Audiobook Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile/Brilliance Audio

Publication Date: October 16th, 2008

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night - dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q. Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

This is one of my favorite John Green books.  I read it a few years ago, and I thought it was really great.  The characters were multi-dimensional and had a lot of depth.  By the end of the book, I felt like I was a part of their group- like I knew them.  Of course, that is how I always feel after reading anything by John Green.  He is a master at capturing the human spirit and translating it to the page, and I haven't come across anyone who does it as well.  As for the story, it's got John Green all over it.  Love, adventure, hilarity, and the plight of the any-teenager...

I recently read the audio of John Green's latest book, The Fault in Our Stars, and enjoyed it immensely.  It made me want to go and listen to the audio versions of all of his books, so here I am...  Because John's books are so human and dialogue heavy, they make for great audiobooks if read by the right voice.  My first of his audios was Will Grayson, Will Grayson.  I was blown away.  I liked the book, I LOVED the audio.  The same was true with Paper Towns.  What was a great coming-of-age story, became an epic tale of friendship and devotion.  As with many audiobooks, listening to someone else read it just brings it to life in a way that reading it silently to yourself can't.  The narrator, Dan John Miller, does that beautifully in this case.  Paper Towns became a new book for me.  Q was that much more real, and Ben and Radar became even more beloved than they already were. Q's complicated feelings for Margo became almost tangible, and I understood more about her.  I really didn't care much for her when I read the book, but she grew on me to the point of mild affection while listening to the audio.  The ending was still the ending, and although I expected this time around, I still felt that same sense of satisfaction.  If you've read and loved this book like I did, you should definitely give the audio a go.  You won't be sorry that you did!

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Grade Level Recommendation:  I think the bulk of John Green's books are HS and up because they ARE high school.  This one had some teen drinking, language, and some talk of sex, as well as some dumb, and sometimes dangerous pranks, but in the end, it isn't the content that makes me put it at 9th grade and up (ages 14+), it's the fact that no MS age kid would ever GET it.

Audiobook Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile/Brilliance Audio

Publication Date: January 10th, 2012

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2012.  John Green is an amazing writer, who knows the intricacies and simplicities of the teen mind better than anyone I can think of.  When I heard about The Fault in Our Stars, my first thought was, "How is John Green going to pull off making cancer funny?".  It's not that I wanted him to make cancer funny, but I've grown to expect a certain amount of his particular brand of humor from all his books, and cancer or not, I was expecting it here.  Well, I'm pleased to say that John Green did it; he wrote about about kids with cancer that was not only humorous, but tastefully so.  It was full of the one-liners and observations that John Green is known for, but it also had it's share of very poignant statements, which he is also known for.  An example of one of the one-liners that made me laugh out loud was early on when, after support group, the kids were talking about how the moderator said that they were literally living in Jesus's heart, and Hazel responded, "Someone should tell Jesus. It's gotta be dangerous storing children with cancer in your heart."  I laughed so hard at that comment, but then later on, we get one of those statements that makes you cry, when someone (I won't say who or why because I don't want to give spoilers) says, "Grief does not change you, it reveals you."  How true is that?  I loved the characters and the story was both gut-wrenching and uplifting, often in the same sentence.  This book is a book that everyone should read; not just fans of John Green, not just teens or adult YA fans like myself, EVERYONE!  I think anyone could benefit from reading this book, and I dare anyone to say that it sucks.

This book is by far, John Green's best book yet, and I think the audio experience made it even better.  The narrator, Kate Rudd, was the perfect voice for Hazel and she did a great job of adding emotion and life to the story and characters.  The best part of the audio version though, had to be the pretty lengthy interview with John Green at the end of it.  I always enjoy hearing him speak and this case was no different; for such a young guy, he is very wise.  If you can get your hands on a copy, do yourself a favor and give it a listen.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ +++

Grade Level Recommendation:  Usually, with John Green's books, I say they are definite HS, minimum 8th grade+ reads because he so accurately portrays teens, and quite frankly, older tweens and young teens don't necessarily need exposure to the fact that a lot of behavior parents would never want to believe of their "good" kid would partake in is extremely typical of "good" kids.  They will find out soon enough... This book, though, is different.  First off, the characters, as much as they want to be, are NOT typical teens; they are teens with cancer and struggles that take away much of the joy of being a kid.  Also, this book is pretty tame content-wise, compared to his other books.  There is sex, but it is not at all graphic and is portrayed as a beautiful thing between two people who love each other and who know they don't have time to wait until they are married, or even "adults".  I think the benefits of a 6th or 7th grader reading this book well outweighs some content that some parents might find objectionable.  I would be more than willing to allow my 5th grader to read this, knowing that she would get a tremendous amount of the right kind of insight out of it.  Grades 6 and up (ages 11+).