Shorter Musings YA

Here are some shorter musings on some recent reads.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristof
I thoroughly enjoyed Ezra and Kady (particularly Ezra). They are fabulous main characters. I enjoyed their banter and how much the cared about each other even though that was often hard. The format of the book makes it rather easy and quick to read despite its bulk and I thought it was a clever way to tell the story. However, it still could have been about 200 pages shorter. It has a lot of humor and excellent themes. I'm going to keep reading the trilogy because I do want to find out how this all sorts itself out in the end.

The Kidney Hypothetical by Lisa Yee
I looked forward to reading this for a while and was so disappointed. Higgs is an awful human being and Monarch is as stereotypical manic-pixie-dream girl as you can get. I kept waiting or Yee to subvert these characterizations and do something clever with the plot but that didn't happen. I'm personally disappointed, but am glad ti have it as a rec for those I know who eat these books up.

Orange by Ichigo Takano
I don't typically read Manga so I have no basis for comparing this to other works in the genre. I read this because my friend does the lettering for English editions of Manga and this is one of the books she worked on. She let me borrow it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved this group of characters so much and how they interacted with each other. It was amazing to me how much character development happened and how much this was a book about characters. There are some aspects of the themes that were troubling for me and I'd be cautious about recommending it to readers you know struggle with suicidal thoughts, but overall it is incredibly well done.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Spetys
This is a book about the greatest Maritime disaster in history. Reading it is not easy. It is an excellent incredibly well written book, but it will do things to you emotionally. The story follows four characters all trying to escape various circumstances as the Russians close in on German troops at the end of World War II. The chapters are short and jump between the characters. This does make it rather difficult to fully connect with the characters. That's not entirely a bad thing. These kids do not have easy lives.

The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Moon
The characters were interesting and I found that the book explored a lot of issues through the romance including racism, immigration, class, and depression. The format of the book made it hard for me to fall completely in love with this one though. It was always THERE reminding me of the author. If I see the author on every page working a little too hard to prove they are clever and good at their craft, I don't enjoy myself as much. I felt that here.

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Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a

The Field Guide to the North American Teeanager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a book I picked up on a whim at the bookstore when it first came out. I liked the cover. I thought it had an engaging premise. I went into it with a healthy does of trepidation because the execution could have gone so terribly wrong. Fortunately, Philippe is an excellent character writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading about Norris's adventures in Texas and high school. High school junior Norris Kaplan's life is ruined by his mother when she takes a job that requires them to leave the only home he has ever known in Montreal, Quebec. Moving is always hard, but Norris knows for him it will be harder than it's ever been for anyone else. Norris is moving to Texas. He will be a Canadian living in Texas. Not just a Canadian. A French Canadian who speaks fluent French. And not just your average run-of-the-mill French Canadian. A black son of Haitian immigrant parents French Canadian. If Norris has

Random Musings of a Bibliophile

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