Review: Possession by Elana Johnson

Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 7th, 2011

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even thinkabout kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I wish I could say that I loved this book.  I wish I could give it five stars; it has the potential to be a GREAT story, but I can't.  Will I read book number two?  You bet!  I will be waiting for it anxiously.  How can I make such scattered, mixed remarks about the same book?  Well, because the book is just that.  Scattered.

Let me explain...

I read this book while I was on a super relaxing cruise to Bermuda. I had been well looking forward to this for quite some time and actually waited until vacation time so I could read it without interruption.  I started off reading this with very high hopes and expectations.  After the first 75 pages, I was dreading writing my review because I was thinking it was going to be scathing (it took me several days to get through the 1st few chapters instead of an hour).  I really don't like adding books to my "Hate List" and I was thinking that this one would end up there.  I was having an extremely difficult time connecting with the characters and the story was rather disjointed.  I kept reading, hoping it would get better. (I rarely put down a book because I dislike it.)  After all, things can change...  Well, that's exactly what happened with this book.  By page 100 I was fully invested and reading as fast as possible to get to the next part.  

The pace of the story really picked up to the point of warp-speed; non-stop action right up until the end.  The plot pulled together really nicely as well.  As I gained understanding of the world they lived in, I felt like I better understood  some of the things that didn't add up early on.  I still have a lot of questions, mind you, but I'm much less confused.  The character development improved and I began to connect with the primary characters (although I'm still not sure if I like or trust some of them).  Vi, the protagonist,  especially had the ability to rub me the wrong way.  In some respects, I liked her; she was competent, persistent, and kick-ass.  In other respects, I couldn't stand her; she was very negative and impulsive and quite possibly mentally unstable.  She often reminded me of a sullen, pissed-off little sister that you just want to smack some sense into.  I really liked Jag, although I have a feeling we are going to learn things later in the series that will change that...

By the final chapters, I was sorry to see this book end. I ended up really liking the premise of the story and the way things seemed to be working out.  Yes, the beginning dragged and was very disjointed, which is why I can't give it five stars.  It improved so much after the initial bit, that it well redeemed itself though.  I think now that the groundwork has been put in place, this series will be awesome.  I just hope that people will think twice about putting it down early in.  I'm glad I didn't.  I anxiously await the second book, Surrender, which has an expected drop date sometime in June of 2012.

My Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ½ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  This books had some romance, a small amount of language, and a lot of (non-gratuitous) violence.  It would be appropriate for the average 6th grader and up (ages 12+).

Review: Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion Books

Publication Date: February 9th, 2010

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I really enjoyed Ally Carter's first series, The Gallagher Girls, and I had been wanting to read this for awhile, but like many of the books on my TBR, it kept getting pushed aside for other books.  My 10 year old daughter read it shortly after it came out and thought it was great, and had been bugging me to read it, claiming that I would love it.  Finally I did this past Spring because it's sequel, Uncommon Criminals was about to be released and I wanted to be ready...  

This book was beyond good.  I don't usually go for cute, but this books was so strong in so many other areas that I found myself even liking the cuteness.  It was such an original story and that is always essential for me, because nothing annoys me more than deja vu.  Add to that the really likable characters, action and adventure, a great mystery, age-appropriate romance, and a protagonist with a good heart, and I'm sold.  A lot of books have some of those elements, but it is extremely rare for a book to have all of them.  Ally Carter serves up the whole package in a believable way that makes you want to come back for more and more.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  See GLR at the end of the Uncommon Criminals review.

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion

Publication Date: June 21st, 2011

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I liked Uncommon Criminals even more than Heist Society.  It was absolutely phenomenal.  There were so many things I liked about this book, and nothing I didn't like.  How rare is that?  I definitely had a very difficult time putting this down, and I can't wait until an inevitable 3rd book is released.  

Among the thing I really liked about this book is that Kat's confidence has grown "professionally", but she is still unsure about all the things the average 15 year old girl should be unsure of.  I also really liked Kat's reasons for staying in the family business.  Even though she is still a "thief", she operates nobly and for the right reasons.  I love that she has a conscience and operates accordingly, while not sitting in judgement of the rest of her family, who operate for profit.

This book was much more action packed than the first.  There were a lot of surprises and twists; I was thrown for a loop more than a few times.  Just when I  thought I had something figured out, I would be proven totally wrong.  I also liked that there was little more to to romantic element, while still holding to not having the story be centered around it.  I also like that the romance remains unsure  and innocent enough that I can feel comfortable with my 10 year old reading it, while intense enough that it evokes some feeling in the reader.

My favorite part of this book is how we get to know so many of the supporting characters.  In Heist Society, we mostly got to know Kat.  Here we learn a lot about some of her extended family members and close associates.  Characters that I didn't really like in Heist Society are amongst my favorites after Uncommon Criminals.

If you liked the first book, you MUST read this.  If you're a fan of the Gallagher Girls, but haven't started on this series, you really don't know what you're missing...

My Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  Both books are clean.  No language, the barest minimum of violence, and only the most innocent of romances.  This is actually a great jumping off point for young girls who are wanting to make the leap from MG lit to YA.  Ages 9 and up (grades 4+).

Before the Blog (3): The Named by Marianne Curley

Some of you already know this, but I've started a weekly meme called "Before the Blog". In short, it's a place to review books you read and loved before you began blogging about them. Basically, you choose a book each week, then answer the following three questions,and post your review.   Then you can add your post to the little Mr. Linky widget below, and voila!


Why did you choose this book? 
When did you read this book?
Who would you recommend this book to?

For more info, see my 1st BtB post by clicking this LINK.  The book I chose this week is pretty awesome, and not at all well-known.  

The Named by Marianne Curley

Publisher:  Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date:  May 11th, 2010 (Re-Release)

Why did you choose this book?  I thought the cover was cool.  Hi.  My name is Karis, and I am a cover whore... I read the synopsis and was intrigued.  At the time, I was selecting books to highlight to the 4th-6th graders at the school book fair, and wanted to give them something that they hadn't heard of.

When did you read this book?  June, 2010.  It's actually an older series; first released in 2002, but they changed the covers and re-released them in paperback starting in May of 2010 (which was a great thing because it was in Barnes & Noble's "New Books" section).

Who would you recommend this book to?  I think this book definitely crosses genres. If you like Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, this is a fabulous book for you.  I also think people interested in Sci-fi would like it, as it involves time-travel, as would Action/Adventure lovers, because it has a lot of martial arts training, sword play, and good vs. evil conflict.  Boys and girls loved it.  Boys, obviously, for the action.  Girls for the human interactions, including a small element of romance.  Parents liked it because it was clean; the romance innocent, the violence mild, and the bad language non-existent, all while still being hugely entertaining.

Ethan is a member of the Named, sworn to fight the Order of Chaos, an evil group determined to permanently change the course of history. But he is also a normal high school student trying desperately to keep up with his homework and fit in. When he is assigned to mentor Isabel, a cute classmate and future member of the Named, the line between his two lives begins to blur. So begins an epic quest as Ethan, Isabel, and others travel through time to battle dark forces and protect the future. 

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

The Named is the first book in The Guardians of Time trilogy.  As I mentioned above, I initially was drawn to this book for the cover.  I was perusing books in the YA section at Barnes & Noble (I consider it a favorite hobby), and my eyes fell on this book.  I was looking for clean YA books to introduce to my 5th and 6th graders that were reading in content and ability beyond the Juvenile/Middle-Grade section.  The 10-12 age range varies widely in terms of maturity and what the kid has been exposed to, and I had to be extremely careful with what I presented to them (especially since I was dealing with a population of generally very involved, conservative private school parents).  As you all know, YA content varies widely as well; squeaky-clean to, quite frankly, books that sometimes make me blush (and I'm no prude!)  That said, I was reading every potential choice for them; fortunately I enjoy YA immensely, so it was not a problem... When I saw this cover I was immediately drawn to it.  It looked sinister, but at the same time beautiful.  Sinister is always a plus for boys, and beautiful for girls, so I had a hunch that this might be a winner...

Was it ever!  This book was amazing!  It really hooked me from the first few pages.  It grabs you at the beginning when you find out about Ethan's dreams about his younger sister's abduction by a monstrous creature years earlier.  He is plagued by this memory that he has always been led to believe is the exaggeration of a traumatized young boy.  Still, because of this event, Ethan has been training with Akarian, for The Guard since a very young age; his sole purpose to fight The Order of Chaos, an organization that travels back in time, attempting to alter history for their own purposes.  The Guard's purpose is to thwart their attempts, so as not to change history, and with it how the events after it unfold (think, The Butterfly Effect).  The Named, the ones who become part of The Guard, are chosen based upon a centuries old prophecy that includes well protected secrets that are only fully known by a council of elders.  If a person is one of The Named, they are obliged.

This book really begins when Ethan receives his first apprentice, who turns out to be the annoying kid sister of his ex-best friend Matt.  Isabel knows nothing of The Guardians of Time or The Order of Chaos, but eventually Ethan convinces her of her obligation.  Ex-best friend Matt is less than thrilled with the amount of time Isabel and Ethan are spending together, which adds a whole other very human element to the story.

Much of the book is centered around Isabel's training and the dangerous, action-packed assignments that they must go on to defeat The Order.  Many questions arise and there are heart-stopping moments galore.  There is loads of mystery and plenty of advanced ideas that are presented in a way that even kids can understand them without difficulty.  What I loved most about this book, besides the wonderfully layered storyline, was the rich, well-developed characters.  Curley describes them in such depth and detail that you feel as if you know them. Most authors spend a great deal of time on the main characters, while leaving the supporting ones less developed.  This was not the case here.  I really felt like she made sure that the reader understood who each character in the book was and how they played a role, no matter how small. I also enjoyed the structure of the book.  It was told in the alternating points of view of both Ethan and Isabel, and I found the depth of their individual feelings about the entire situation very interesting.  Curley did a fabulous job setting the stage for what promises to be an amazing series.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★  

Grade Level Recommendation:  As I mentioned above.  This book is clean.  No language, no sex, no gratuitous violence.  I actually had two other (more conservative than I) parents read this, and they too loved it, and aligned with me on grade level recommendation.  Content-wise, I would say this is appropriate for 3rd grade and up (ages 8+).  As far a difficulty is concerned, I would say the average 5th grader would have no problem with it.  As the top reader in her grade, my daughter read it in 3rd grade with no difficulty. A few of her friends tried it and most found it too hard.  That said, I would say advanced reading 4th grade+ (ages 9+).  The AR level is a 5.3 (for those unfamiliar with AR, this number means 5th grade, 3 months in).

The next two books are called The Dark and The Key.  I have not read them yet, but I plan to read The Dark very soon (I just picked up a copy the other day), so keep a look out for my review in the upcoming months.  From what I understand, the action becomes much more intense and the romance goes up a notch, although from what I understand, still appropriate for middle grades.  Also, I've heard the character development is even better than than the first book.  Stay tuned!