Chime, by Franny Billingsley

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Briony has a secret. She believes her secret killed her stepmother, destroyed her twin sister’s mind, and threatens all the children in the Swampsea. She yearns to be rid of her terrible secret, but risks being hanged if she tells a soul. That’s what happens to witches: They’re hanged by the neck until dead.

Then Eldric arrives—Eldric with his golden mane and lion eyes and electric energy—and he refuses to believe anything dark about Briony. But he wonders what’s been buried beneath her self-hatred, hidden in Rose’s mangled thoughts, and whispered about by the Old Ones. And Briony wonders how Eldric can make her want to cry.   Especially when everyone knows that witches can’t cry.


I really enjoyed listening to this book. Susan Duerden has a magical voice; I could listen to her for hours.

Briony. Is. Awesome.  She's a strong, kick-ass heroine in a time when women should be sweet, pretty, and silent.  I love her snarky attitude and laughed out loud constantly.  Which makes people stare at you when you're out in public.  Shopping.  With your headphones on.  That people can't see.

Notes from Ghost Town, by Kate Ellison

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

They say first love never dies...

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.


The first thing I noticed about this book was the cover: bleak, desolate, and haunting. Right up my alley! I don't usually read ghost stories, as I am a complete chickenshit and freak out over the slightest frights. I was intrigued by this novel, however, since it also dealt with mental illness. I'm really glad that I was approved for the galley; this is a beautifully-written story that otherwise would have lived on my TBR shelf for the foreseeable future. And it would have been a shame to miss out.

And the writing?  Sublime!

Think about a moment, a little centimeter of time you’d happily exist in forever, if time could be laid out along the spine of a ruler. Maybe it haunts you in that blue inch of half consciousness just before you’re fully awake.

The words seem to just float off the page.
 
I liked Olivia a lot--even if she did seem to know more than your average sixteen-year-old about certain (spoilery) things and not enough about others. And I love Stern. I kept hoping for a Soap Opera moment wherein he would come back to life. Grumble stupid death grumble.

Things were wrapped up nicely at the end, though maybe a little too cleanly to be realistic.

One thing that bugged me was the overuse of italics. The writing should stand on its own without needing to emphasize certain points; let the reader infer for him- or herself.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

When Love Comes to Town, by Tom Lennon

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

The year is 1990, and in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, Neil Byrne plays rugby, keeps up with the in-crowd at his school, and is just a regular guy. 

A guy who's gay. 

It's a secret he keeps from the wider world as he explores the city at night and struggles to figure out how to reveal his real self--and to whom.

First published in Ireland in 1993 and compared to The Catcher in the Rye by critics, Tom Lennon's When Loves Comes to Town is told with honesty, humor, and originality. 



I recently re-read my one-star review of a previous coming-out novel. In it, I mentioned that maybe I just didn't "get it" because I am neither gay nor guy. That is clearly not the case here; it's exactly the kind of book I had hoped to read last time.

Though this book was first published twenty years ago--and the stigma surrounding homosexuality has lessened since then--I never felt like I was reading an "old" story. Yeah, it's easier to meet people on-line or within established gay communities, but I imagine that coming out is still difficult.

Take, for instance, Neil. An 18-year-old Catholic boy in Ireland, he has always known that he was gay. But knowing and being are two completely separate states of mind. On the outside, Neil is an excellent student and star rugby player. He's happy and quick with a smile. He has a nice group of friends, nice parents, a nice house, and nice brothers and sisters. It's all very...nice.

But on the inside? Oh.so.much.turmoil. Not that you can blame him. This poor kid can't talk to anyone about who he really is.

I loved reading about Neil's journey as he discovered more about himself, opened up to his friends and family, and tested the waters of the teeny-tiny gay community in Dublin. There's no fairy tale ending, and I ugly cried during the last chapter, but you get the sense that things will work out for Neil. I do think that the ending was a little abrupt, which is why I am only giving it four stars.

I highly recommend this book for fans of David Levithan and John Green.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Eleventh Plague, by Jeff Hirsch

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. 

Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. 

Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. 

And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever.


This is a freaky-ass story. It's not your normal Zombie/Dystopian fiction: a sickness that could wipe out 90% of the population doesn't seem so far-fetched in the face of Anthrax, SARS, or even the flu.

The scary part? Surviving it all. Living in a world where it's every man--or group of men--for himself. Where you could be killed or captured as a slave if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Where you spend the rest of your life picking through debris in hopes of finding something worth enough money to buy food.

That, my friends, scares the bajeezus out of me.

So when fifteen-year-old Steven finds a home--a real house!--in Settler's Landing, I was able to relax a bit. He makes friends, helps around the town, and falls in like with Jenny. She's totally kick-ass and a great match for Steven, and I really liked their relationship.

Naturally, a shit-storm has to ruin dear Steven's happiness, and it's a doozy. I was definitely caught off guard.

It's hard to wrap-up a dystopian novel without leaving the reader depressed; Hirsch did a good job of keeping it realistic and true to the story.

Review: The English Patient

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



This was my second choice for a book challenge task: read a Man Booker Prize winner or nominee. This is also the second book I'm not going to finish.

I normally love WWII historical fiction, but this is so not my style.



View all my reviews

Exposure: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Macbeth (Twisted Lit #2), by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Double, double, toil and trouble. 

Sometimes, the quest for high school royalty can be deadly!

In this emotionally-charged twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a self-conscious shutterbug named Skye Kingston navigates a treacherous school year in Alaska fraught with unspoken secrets and tragic twists of fate. 

Along the way she encounters three strangely prophetic BFFs; one social-climbing, sociopathic cheerleader; and a heart-stopping hottie named Craig McKenzie: the man who would be Prom King. Can Skye save the boy she loves — and herself — before they get caught in the crosshairs?



If you're familiar with the story of Macbeth, it will come as no surprise that this book is filled with drama, tension, angst, and death.

This was a fun retelling of a story that's been around for hundreds of years.  And did you know that Shakespeare based his play on the16th century tome, the Holinshed's Chronicles?  I just discovered this little nugget of information! 

I really like how the authors made a well-known tale of madness and murder their own: there's still crazy shit going on, but it's re-worked into a novel that doesn't require excessive study.

I do have one minor problem with the book, however:  I hate it when the word literally is used inappropriately.

My heart literally performed a double-twisting back somersault in my chest.

No, your heart is NOT twisting itself around your arteries or dancing up a storm.

MY heart hurts when authors use terms incorrectly.  Writers, please Please PLEASE remember that literal and metaphoric descriptions aren't interchangeable.


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Fire Horse Girl

The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I'm having trouble getting into this book, so I'm shelving it for the time being. Currently on page 76.



View all my reviews