Review: Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Publisher: Bloomsbury/Walker Children's Books

Publication Date: April 24th, 2012

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship. 

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

This is a 2012 debut that I have had my eye on for awhile. The title, the synopsis, the cover; all of it called to me, saying,"If you have to read something contemporary, this should be it!".  I'm not typically a big fan of the genre, but this book sounded really good to me.  As I began reading it, I started to get an uneasy feeling like my expectations were too high.  The first few chapters were confusing, and to be honest, my high hopes for this book began to falter... Then it clicked.  I spent the rest of the book frantically reading, not wanting to put this book down, needing to know what the deal was.  What I thought was going to be a contemporary read, full of emotion and grief, turned out to be a kick-ass mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.  Yes, it had some elements of contemporary fiction, and it was definitely heavy on the emotion, but it was so much more!  The story was excellent, the characters were flawed and relatable, and the pacing was dead-on.  I went back and forth between who I thought may have done what and whether or not everything was in Allie's head.  I felt queasy (in a good way) when things would turn out to be entirely different than I could have ever expected.  I was down with strep throat the week that I read this, and I have never been happier to lay in bed sick.  I wish I could share more, but I would hate to spoil any of this book; I want you to be on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, just like I was!

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  This book has some pretty heavy themes, but is very real in how they are dealt with.  There is some language, domestic abuse, teen drinking, etc.  I would say that this is for grades 8 and up (ages 13+).

Review: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Publisher: Walker & Co.

Publication Date:  January 17th, 2012

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric-who may or may not betray them.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

There are three reasons I wanted to read this book... First, I had heard really good things about Alyxandra Harvey's other books, Haunting Violet and The Drake Chronicles.  Second, I really love the cover; I can't really pinpoint what it is about the cover that drew me in, but it did.  Third, and most importantly, I love books about fae as they are supposed to be (not the cute little things Disney portrays them as).  Holly Black is one of my favorite authors, and THE expert on all things faery, as far as I am concerned, and the synopsis of Stolen Away gave me the impression that Alyxandra Harvey was writing her fae like Holly does.  So, I read Stolen Away and here's what I thought...

I liked it.  I didn't love it, but it was good.  Here's the thing... Over the past few weeks I have read some truly phenomenal books- Cinder, Under the Never Sky, Fracture, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.  That said, I'm probably being a teensy bit harder on this book than I may have been had I been in a reading slump, but so it goes.  Anyway, I did like this book.  It was mostly well written and the story was good.  It was very interesting and it held my attention most of the time.  It did have a couple of dull spots, but overall, it was well paced.  My biggest complaint about the story was that it was told from the POVs of Eloise and Jo.  I don't really get why Jo's POV was important enough to deserve such spotlight; she never really played more than a supporting role, but a huge part of the book was dedicated to her.  The only thing I can figure is that there will be a second book where Jo will play a larger role, but so far, I've heard nothing about that.  The truth is that I liked Jo, and I liked her little side-story, I just didn't like how it was written because it was a huge distraction from Eloise's story, which was the really important one in this book.  I also thought the character development was lacking a little.  I like my characters to feel like friends, I didn't really connect with any of them in that way.  I liked most of the characters, but it was the way I would like an acquaintance.  I think my favorite part of this book had to be the world building.  Alyxandra did a great job with the setting; I loved the rich descriptions of the faery realms, the clothes, the creatures, the park, even the apartment Eloise lived in and the farm Jo's grandparents owned.  If this review was for world-building alone, it would be a 5-star review!

Overall, I think this book was worth reading and would recommend it, especially if you are a fan of the genre.  It was a good book, and if a sequel is written, I will definitely read it, but will probably get it from the library of hope for an advance copy. 

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½  

Grade Level Recommendation:  This book is fine for Middle School and up.  There is some romance, including a couple of make-out scenes, but otherwise, it is pretty clean.  Grades 6 and up (ages 11+).

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Publisher: Walker & Co.

Publication Date: January 17th, 2012

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine —despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? 

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening? 

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

When I first read the synopsis of this book (which, surprise, surprise, I was drawn to because of the cover), I decided I wanted to read it because it said, "For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay...".  Since I am a fan of both books, I figured this one was going to be a winner.  And it is; it is DEFINITELY a winner, but it is really nothing like either aforementioned book.  Sure, Dalaney faces her mortality like Samantha has to in Before I Fall, and she starts the book in a coma like Mia spends most of If I Stay, but really the similarities end there, and I kind of hate that parallels were drawn at all between the books.  Fracture is a great story in its own right.

This book was a quick read, only 264 pages, and it is absolutely engrossing from the first page.  It is the kind of book that you will want to read from the beginning because of the fantastic pacing.  The mysteries unfold at great intervals, but more importantly, the story between each revelation is engaging and interesting.  Often I will read a book, turning the pages at a breakneck speed, just to get to answers, skimming over the filler in between.  This book was not like that at all.  I wanted to read all of it; the answers to the burning questions were more like the cherry on top than the entire reason for reading the book.

The thing I loved the most about Fracture was probably the inner dialogue that Delaney carries on with herself.  I would never have been able to imagine how difficult it would be to sort out the "whys" of essentially BEING a miracle.  Delaney's inner voice made that possible, and while it was absolutely gut-wrenching at times, it was also quite beautiful and profound.  Delaney wasn't an easy character to connect with, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that she just wasn't a very open person to begin with.  She had very few true friends, despite the fact that she had a tight group that she hung out with.  I eventually did connect with Delaney, but it wasn't until the middle-to-end of the book.  As far as the other characters, I did like some of them, but I wish there was more about them.  We learned a bit about Decker, Delaney's BFF, and about Troy, the mysterious boy who Delaney connected with over their shared experiences, but everyone else was just sort of there, and there were definitely times when I felt like I wasn't sure why they were there.

As far as the plotline is concerned, it was very unique and quite interesting.  The ability Delaney finds herself with upon waking up from her coma is awful, and not something I would ever want to endure.  Add to that the fact that Delaney can't figure out its purpose, and it leaves for a bumpy emotional ride.  It was so sad to read about Delaney's struggle with facing the realities of it, while grappling with the fact that she couldn't really share what was going on with those she cared about most because, really, who would believe her?  What slayed me though, was some of the things she had to face later on in the book, knowing the things she knew because of her new ability, and knowing that it would never be enough.  In the end, the book wrapped up quite appropriately; it was not what I expected, and honestly, it was not easy to read, but it was fitting and very emotional.  The only flaw with the storyline, for me, was that I just didn't get how she was so drawn to Troy.  Yes, I understand that he was the only person she could talk to about what was going on inside her, but the guy is nuts- dangerous.  She knew it, yet she still continued to spend time with him, but then, I guess it wouldn't have been as much of a story if she hadn't...

Overall, I really liked this book a lot.  No, I don't think it was at all like Before I Fall or If I Stay, but it was just as good.  I feel like I was permanently affected by this story.  It made me think about how I would live today if I knew that there would be no tomorrow, and I think that is a good thing for everyone to consider once in awhile.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★  

Grade Level Recommendation:  There are implied references to sex, a good bit of teen drinking, and a couple of heated kisses.  There are also some very real deaths.  This book is best suited for upper-Middle School and High School readers, not so much for inappropriate content, but because of the heavy themes.  The same inner dialogue and profound questions posed that made me love this book will make it go over the heads of most younger readers.  Grades 8 and up (ages 13+).

Review: My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: January 6th, 2009

Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!
After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy.
(Courtesy of Goodreads)

Initially, like many of the books I read, I picked up this book as a read-at-bedtime for my (almost) 10 year old daughter (yes, she still likes Mommy to read to her at bedtime, despite the fact that she can read as well, if not better than I can). I expected a cheesy romance that would be loved by tweens and young teens, but not by me. I can very happily report that this book was so much more than I expected!

I really enjoy a good fairy tale re-telling, but I am VERY picky about them. Most original fairy tales are just a few pages long, and I think it takes a really talented storyteller and writer to stretch that into a full-length novel that is worth reading. That said, I was very skeptical at the beginning of this one. The cover screamed, "Disney Channel" at me. Well, Disney Channel it was not! It was clever, well written, full of life lessons (in a non-preachy way), and FUN! At times it had my daughter and I laughing until our sides hurt. I loved the premise of a "Fair Godmother"; basically a godmother that was nowhere near the top of her fairy godmother training school. Chrissy was a flaky, self-absorbed mess, and it was evident in the way that she interacted with her assigned charge (Savannah). Savannah was rather flaky and self-absorbed herself. When given her three wishes, she made some pretty shallow ones, and the adventures began...  This book was actually so well done, that I may re-read it to myself, and I definitely am recommending it to all of Emma's friends and their moms.  Emma and I had so many great conversations based on this book, which is great since she is entering a phase where most of out Mommy/Daughter conversations consist of her complaining and me yelling...  I'm sure the author's intentions didn't include facilitating parent/child interaction, but I have to thank her for it nonetheless!

I love it when a book so thoroughly surprises me, as this one did. I am now a big fan of Janette Rallison, and quite eager to read this book's recently released sequel, My Unfair Godmother. I will also probably read some of her other books in the very near future (It's a Mall World After All, Just One Wish). Keep your eye out for the reviews!

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Grade Level Recommendation: Obviously, if I was reading this to my 10 year old (rising 5th grader), it is clean. It is squeaky clean, as a matter of fact. No sex, drinking, drug use, language, or mature themes. There is some innocent romance; a little kissing, and that's it. I would say that this book is appropriate for ages 8+ (3rd grade+).