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Being swamped in a towering pile of projects and midterms, it took me over a week to finish Danny Wallace’s new novel, Charlotte Street. For a brief moment I considered the ramifications if I didn’t finish reading the book in time for the blog tour; I’d probably either have to make some lame excuse like me accidentally dropping the book over my balcony, or I would have to piece together a glowing review from other people’s thoughts and pretend I knew what I was talking about. How ironic it would be to write a “fake” review for a novel about a guy that writes reviews for a pizza he hasn’t eaten, and a film he didn’t watch. Fortunately, I was able to finish the novel with nineteen days to spare and you are reading a review from someone who actually finished all 400 pages. Summary in a Nutshell: Jason, is a middle-aged journalist who starts brooding when his ex-girlfriend is engaged. He finds himself with a girl’s disposable camera and decides to develop her pictures�"determined to find The Girl. Plot: The tagline claims that this book is a “heartwarming tale of boy stalks girl.” I was interested in the disposable camera storyline, but the story kept diverging until it was in a mix of sub-plots where I kept wondering if the author forgot about the who disposable camera thing. Voice and Pace, Jason Sounds Like Danny Wallace: One of the reasons I wanted to be on the Charlotte Street blog tour was because I read one of Danny Wallace’s nonfiction works, Friends Like These: My Worldwide Quest to Find My Best Childhood Friends, Knock on Their Doors, and Ask Them to Come Out and Play, which was about Wallace adventures to find all of his childhood friends. I was curious to see what Wallace’s foray into fiction would be like. However, I found Charlotte Street to be a similar formula, instead of hunting down friends from a box of childhood memories, Jason is hunting down a girl from a disposable camera. And like Friends Like These, Charlotte Street’s pace was uncomfortably slow at times (and filled with unrelated stuff), with all these side revelations on the side. I also found Jason to be similar to Wallace with his dry humor. But while I could connect to Wallace’s sentiments in Friends Like Us, I couldn’t connect to Jason. I was ambivalent towards him, and at times I thought he was just a generically hopeless loser�"he was one of those guys that tries too hard to get people to like him, the kind spends too much time comparing himself to others. The Girl’s Blog: At the end of a few chapters, there are blog posts from The Girl. I am still not so sure what the significance of those posts were; I didn’t feel they added anything to the girl’s character at all, besides her sharing Jason’s interests and letting the reader know she wasn’t in a relationship. I hoped that her blog posts would be like a novel with dual perspectives, and her life would coincide with Jason’s�"but they didn’t. How disappointing. The Ending: Before I got to the last chapter or two, I was set on giving this book a “meh, borrrinnng” rating, but I did find the ending sweet, albeit also predictably cheesy. But sweet nonetheless. I have to admit that the ending was super fast; all those loose ends that was plodding by in the last twenty chapters suddenly resolved magically in a page or two�"like the writer approaching a word count limit or something. Overall, a sweet casual read that’s like a chick-flick in a guy’s perspective.

As a thriller lover, and with all the hype surrounding this book, I've been anticipating Gretchen McNeil's Ten since spring. Christopher Pike's blurb that claimed McNeil's setup to be flawless sold me. So I finally got my hands on it and finished it in about a day (it's 300 pages long, but with the generous line spacing, it felt more like 150.) And now I think Christopher Pike is a filthy liar. Pacing Saved (and Killed) This Book: The fast pacing made Ten readable. Dead people left and right. But the fast pace (and the piling dead people) desensitized me while also severely limiting character development. The characters all felt like paper dolls created to be killed off a few seconds later. Spooning. Is it just me, or does that sound dirty? What I thought when I first encountered "spooning": "Wait...they just witnessed a dead body five seconds ago, this isn't a good time for sexy times! What's wrong with these horny teens?" I must've re-read both occurrences where "spooning" popped up, the image in my head wasn't pretty. But this might be just me with my dirty mind. *twiddles thumbs* Why must they spoon? Is cuddling too mainstream? Isthmus must be Gretchen McNeil's favorite word. Meh, It's Not Even Scary: There's MILD gore. And MAYBE the girl with bad hair is scary. But this is all child's play (pun intended.) And this is from a girl who thought Suzanne Collin's Mockingjay was scary. McNeil is Testing My Memory! And I Failed.: With ten teens, all the names became a confusing jumble. Aside from the three main characters, I didn't know who was who throughout the novel. The one exception was the Asian chick, whose name was conveniently named Kumiko. If only the black guy was named Jerome and if there was a Mexican named Jose...(I know I am being stereotypical, but at least I won't forget the characters by the next page.) I don't know why the two main girls (Meg and Minnie) had to have names that started with the same letter, I was probably a third through before I got the hang of their names. And at that point, I gave up even trying with the others (why should I? I know most of them will end up dead anyway.) Never Mind Apathy, I Dislike These People: When you think about it, all these teenagers lied to their parents thinking they are badass to drink never and party for three days straight. I really don't think their idea of a party is playing Monopoly. Every time someone dies, a girl shrieks, they get scared for five seconds...and then they make out with each other. The worst offender is Meg who thinks she witty and smarter than everyone else (because apparently, she's a writer), but she's just mean (she also has the tendency to recklessly charge into suspicious rooms and reads people's secret diaries.) Worse yet, she "forgets" to grab the gun because she rather fiddle with the boat ignition when a murderer IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. WHUT? This chick has some serious amnesia. Even the people around her aren't much better: her crush roots for her to voice her mean opinions and her best friend also treats her like trash and secretly hates her for taking away her popularity. Romance, They are too horny for their own good: These people have the worst timing ever. But the worst is the main couple: Meg and TJ. Meg swoons about TJ 24/7. Never mind people dying, never mind there's a murderer in the house, I WANT TO MAKE OUT! TJ on the other hand seems to take it for granted that everyone loves him: he kisses Meg out of nowhere then starts referring to her as "baby," like a douchebag trying to get some action. Then before you know it, the dreaded "love" card is drawn. They Must've Never Watched a Horror Flick, Nor Do They Have Common Sense Any reasonable person in their shows would either make sure nobody leaves each other's line of sight and wait for sunlight. But for some reason that's too mainstream for these teens and they prefer wandering off alone. If you are going to stay in your room, make sure you don't leave and guard your door like you're in a zombie apocalypse! Foreshadowing Is Like Being Hit With Bricks Too obvious much? The opening chapters are filled with OBVIOUS hints that the party isn't really a party. STOP IT ALREADY, I GET IT. They're going to some island in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal--in the middle of a horrible storm. It's clearly not going to be a fun party...I GET IT, NOW LET'S MOVE ON. DON'T QUESTION ANYTHING. FREE PLOT HOLES FOR EVERYONE! There are so many plot holes I don't even...ugh. Although if it WAS a "realistic" story, everyone would turn back after finding out they had no 4G coverage. NO PHONE? NO TEXTING? NO FACEBOOK? NO TWITTER? OMG, NOOOOOOOOOO, I CAN'T SURVIVE. We'd only have Verizon users showing up. And the Asian girl who aced science probably wouldn't show up either. NO TIME FOR PARTY, MUST STUDY. I was going to read McNeil's debut novel, Possess, right after finishing Ten, but after this mess, I need a break from her work. I know Ten is a re-telling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, which I haven't read; I wonder how closely Ten sticks to the original. I found Ten a big disappointment that I would only recommend to people looking for a quick, brainless, horror thriller with mild gore.

Since I don't have time to read anything but college textbooks lately, I decided to listen to the audiobook of Insurgent during my three hour commute. I wasn't a big fan of Divergent, but with all the gushing reviews for it, I wanted to join the party. I'm convinced everyone who gave Insurgent a glowing, perfect review is either bribed with brownies or under simulation. Tris, The Girl Who Got Possessed by Bella: I was ambivalent towards her in Divergent, but I loathed her in Insurgent. For a chick that has aptitude for Erudite, she seems to be missing a few brain cells. The most frustrating thing is everyone around her fuels her superiority delusion by saying things like "Oh, you are part Erudite! You must be smarter than all of us! I would've never thought of that! We are all such dum-dums!" I'm going to shoot myself if my fate rested upon a mean, suicidal, and emotionally unstable sixteen year old, even if her IQ happens to be higher than mine. Girl doesn't even have common sense, no wonder the simulation tests don't work on her. After witnessing her parents' and best friend's death, she goes into emo, suicidal mode. Bella style. But maybe slightly better than Bella because Tris is also obsessed with being a hero, which means plunging herself into dangerous situations as a sacrifice without thinking. And it always backfires. Which leads me to this: A Brief Summary of Tris from The First Two Thirds of the Book: Four: I LOVE YOU. Please don't throw away your life and do stupid things, Tris! Everyone Else: Please don't do stupid things, Tris! Tris: What stupid thing? *rinse and repeat* A little later, Tris: OH NO! I feel so much guilt over my parents and Will! I must join them! I will throw myself out for sacrifice to join them! THAT'S SO BRAVE OF ME! *ten seconds before dying* Tris: Hold up! This dying stuff is serious business! I don't want to die anymore! I have come to the insightful conclusion that the best way to honor my parents is to live my life out to the fullest! I wish I was exaggerating, but that's exactly how it went down. Throughout the book, Tris felt like a whiny kid who gets all huffy when the adults won't tell let make big decisions. I wince when I hear Tris trying to insult someone, it inevitably sounds like she is trying too hard and failing miserably. And when she is called out on being stupid...she blames it on her age. Way to shrink from responsibility, Tris. I know she is trying to come to terms with her family, but stop ruining everyone else's life! Just hide in a corner and grieve like normal people. If Four was Asian, All Hell Would Break Loose: I thought he was a cool bad boy in Divergent, but he just upgraded himself from bad boy to lame, arrogant guy. The source of my anger: he beats up his father--which is not cool, even if your father locked you in a closet and even if he has semi-shady intentions. You just don't punch your own defenseless, dad in the face because you felt like it. At the end of the day, guess who brought you into this world? You ungrateful jerk. (Yes, I am aware I'm speaking like an Asian, it's in my blood) And he also gets his friends caught when he REFUSES to blend in to a group. And to make matters worse, he talks back in an arrogance to a guard--which basically screams "I AM DAUNTLESS, COME AND GET ME! LALALALA." Romance, Where Tris Keeps Lying and Making False Promises to Four: Two arrogant, stupid teenagers, who also happen not to be very nice--a match made in heaven. I think this drugged outburst by Tris sums it all up nicely herself: I pout my lower lip for a second, but then I grin as the pieces come together. "That's why you like me!" I exclaim. "Because you're not very nice either! It makes so much more sense now." Tris' false promises annoyed me, not only was she suicidal, she was suicidal AND a promise breaker. And right after Four declared his love too. This is not how you sustain a relationship, Tris. Everything Else: A lot of action, secret plots, and deaths bundled up in a gigantic mess that I didn't give a damn for. How ironic that the chick throwing herself out to be killed is never successful. As for the society--I give up trying to make logical sense out of it. I was completely lost with what Faction is on what side and the Dauntless Traitors and Loyal Dauntless...blah blah blah. And that ending...Maze Runner or Variant, anyone? I fail to find any redeeming factors, unless you count having no grammar errors and coherent sentences. At least I was able to get throughout it without flinging my IPod out the window.

The best summary of my reactions I can come up with: if a Korean suspense drama was sprinkled with Gothic elements and turned into a Spanish novel, The Shadow of the Wind would be it. There's a scandalously complex plot with characters that intersect with one another and a few plot twists thrown in for good measure. I went into this novel with high expectations, everyone seemed to proclaim it's greatness. I wanted to start the series so that I could read its lauded third installment that just released without being lost: The Prisoner of Heaven. However, despite being entranced in the delightfully complex mystery and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, I can't bring myself to wholeheartedly recommend it. Partly because its pacing is too slow for my liking in the first third, some characters falling flat, and the denouement disappointing. I'd Never Guess it was a Translation: I am usually hesitant to read translations, fearing that a beautiful literary masterpiece will be skinned bare of its artistic elements into a stoic, mundane read. I'm glad The Shadow of the Wind didn't join that party. I'm not sure how much was lost in translation--unfortunately, my Spanish comprehension ends at ¿Cómo estás? and I still haven't figured out how to roll my r's--but I could've been easily fooled that this was the original. Props to Lucia Graves! Story, Bring Me Back To The Cemetery Already!: From the start of the novel, we are introduced to the mysterious Cemetery of Forgotten Books. It's any book lovers paradise, a maze comprised of old books, giving us hope that unknown masterpieces can transcend the test of time and culture. The Cemetery and the mysterious Carax novel were the most beautiful, enchanting elements of the novel, yet almost as soon as it was introduced, I had to leave it to deal with 13-year old Daniel and his infatuation with a blind girl a decade older than he. I found myself wishing Julian Carax's books really existed so I could read his masterpieces for myself. I suppose even if his novels did exist, they wouldn't be found on Amazon. Characters: I loved each character, even the minor characters aided the story in unexpected ways. I found each character special and I proudly say that there were no instances of me struggling to remember who was who. Daniel, The Protagonist: I really wanted to like Daniel, but it just didn't happen. He is good-hearted, but I found him too impulsive. I winced when I read through his first love with a blind girl ten years his senior. I knew it was a nightmare waiting to happen. For a protagonist, Daniel faded in the background. I found everyone else much more compelling than Daniel. Even if the novel was in his perspective, I still don't know anything about him other than he makes horrible romantic choices. Fermin: The idea of being best friends with someone decades older strikes me as odd, but whatever, Fermin is just that perfect friend. My favorite character. Fulmero, The Villain: I expected more back story from him. It seems like he was just evil because he had severe mental problems or something. Oh yes, and his unrequited love problem which made him bitter at everyone else. A guy that killed his own mother (even if she was a selfish, shallow woman)? Now that's spine-chillingly scary. Romance: "That was random." pretty much sums up my reaction towards Daniel's romance. I still don't know what Daniel sees in girls beyond a pretty face. Everyone else had a better love story than the protagonist. Gothic Elements: The haunted house gave me the chills. I wanted to yank Daniel out of that house. Pretty horrible place for a date if you ask me. There were also these eerie, divine dreams that some of the characters had. Oh yes, and of course, the Devil also plays a role. Denouement, Is This Lady a Stalker?: I am disappointed that the mystery boiled down to a hundred page info-dump letter to wrap up all the loose ends instead of having Daniel solve something. I don't know how this lady knew all this stuff in such great detail to recall all the dialogue with such precision despite not even being present in most of the events. I wonder if her version of the events are trustworthy for much of was secondhand information (or should be, maybe she is a skilled stalker.) I thought she wrote the letter in a hurry in anticipation of her impending death, but if she could write a letter that spanned a third of the novel I doubt she was in a big hurry. If she had such amazing foresight, I hope she kept cyanide by her side to make her death as painless as possible. I enjoyed the complex plot and finding out how all the loose ends joined together, it's the delivery that disappointed. We ran around for two thirds of the novel gathering clues only to find out we could have just lounged on a sofa and waited for this letter to solve everything. Plot Twists: I wasn't surprised (I probably typed this review just so I can boast my psychic abilities.) Maybe I watch too many Korean dramas to prepare me for these "scandalous" plot twists. I wonder what the next installment will be about. I am hesitant to read it since I thought the ending tied up the story so well that I wouldn't want a lackluster sequel to ruin it. It's one of those books that I liked, but still feel the story would suffice as a standalone.

One of the hardest reviews I've ever written, not because I turned into the waterworks like many others, but because the novel left me largely ambivalent: I didn't want to hurl it out the window, but neither did I want to shove it under people's noses. The most frustrating part of it is that I don't know what's "wrong" with it. A Monster Calls was an original, haunting, and emotional piece of art. I can definitely see why people love it, with the exception of The New York Times who called it "darkly funny"--there's nothing remotely funny about your mother dying and a 20-feet tree monster threatening to eat you up, but each to their own I guess. I believe without a doubt that its double Carnegie Award win is well-deserved. However, it just didn't strike a chord with me like it did for many others. I suspect it's because I haven't experienced grief to Conor's magnitude or I'm secretly a heartless robot. Story, Slightly Predictable but No Less Unique: The only gripe I can come up with is the story's predictability, we already know early on what the story is trying to say, but a delight to read nonetheless. It's about 13-year old Conor waking up to a yew tree monster at 12:07. Surprisingly, Conor isn't scared of the monster, and the monster tells him three tales in return for one of Conor's tales in return. We later find out that the monster is tied into Conor's reality as he struggles to come to terms with his mother's terminal illness. I enjoyed the slight fairytale aspects of the story and how it parallels with Conor in reality. And sometimes those lines collide and the monster manifests itself in Conor's life (sometimes I wonder if the monster is a product of Conor being mentally unstable.) Conor and The Monster: I find the story reveals most about Conor during the monster's tales. We see Conor's young, naive perspective in his reactions to morality, and what ought to happen. The monster's stories are pretty transparent, even though he pretends to be a jerk half the time with his half-truths so he can go like "you thought I meant this didn't you, but you didn't listen closely did you? Muhahaha!", but perhaps Conor is still too young to understand them without further guidance that the monster often says more than necessary. I rather have Conor come to conclusions on his own. Conor is as complex (if not more) of a character as the monster in his own right. We see Conor full of hate: he wants to wallow in his grief, he blames his best friend when the school treats him differently. We also see him struggling to find his place in the world without his mother, when his father already has his own family thousands of miles away and when his grandmother seems austere in her fancy tailored pants. Everyone is already making plans to move on, while Conor is stuck at a standstill. As the monster claims, humans are full of contradictions, and even young Conor is not immune. He dislikes sympathy, but he also takes advantage of it. He knows his mother's condition, but he wills himself to believe otherwise. He constantly blames himself for letting his mother go, longing for someone to punish him for his imperfect thoughts. There's a lot of weight on his shoulders. Symbolism, I Can See It On Its Way To Literary Canon: I desperately need to discuss this book with someone. I WANT TO ANALYZE THIS THING TO A PULP, just to soak out its hidden meanings, and to unravel its many layers. I feel it embodies so much more than what meets the eye. The entire story is just rich with symbolism. Of course, the monster is just brimming with mystery and multiple interpretations (I've seen reviews that claim the monster is a manifestation of Truth or of Grief, while I see him as Judgment) but also Harry the bully (I felt Harry was helping him rather than bullying him, and at one point I felt Harry might've been a manifestation of the monster) is an enigma himself. And why 12:07? Why not midnight? Surely the chimes of midnight are much more frightening, no? "What You Think Is Not Important. It is Only Important What You Do.": To comfort Conor when he discovers the "evil" in his human thoughts, the monster tells him, "What You Think Is Not Important. It is Only Important What You Do." I found myself questioning if I could accept that, especially from the same monster who proclaimed belief to be so important, this quotation seemed to contradict his previous "lessons." I believe that what you think is more important than what you do, because what do actions mean if there aren't intentions behind them (as the monster's stories reveal)? I may be straying too far from its intended meaning. Perhaps it only means that our thoughts are always shades of gray, filled with unintended contradictions, and thus can't be trusted as much as actions. Being Inspired by Siobhan Dowd Must Do Wonders for Writing: I've just finished Ness's The Knife of Never Letting Go a week ago, and while I had no complaints about his writing, A Monster Calls takes it to another level. Ness's lyrical prose shines more than it ever did in The Knife of Never Letting Go, more than I thought possible. The imagery is hauntingly beautiful and I found myself repeating sentences aloud just to hear the words dance off my tongue. The scene were the monster forms from the yew tree branches is just begging to be read out loud. Overall, I found A Monster Calls to be thought-provoking and a poignant masterpiece with lyrical writing and delightfully complex characters. It's a surprisingly unique addition to the YA genre. But I just didn't feel emotionally connected to it, leaving me ambivalent in the end. However, I can say without a doubt its praise is not without merit. Don't be fooled by the illustrations or the children's book feel, this novel is not simple. On the other hand, the cover is ever more awesome without the dust-jacket.

I was hesitant to read Courtney Summer's This is Not a Test because I'm not a fan of zombies. However, This is Not a Test keeps zombies to a minimum, with them mainly appearing in flashbacks and in the denouement. I can see how zombie fans would be disappointed with the lack of action and epic fight scenes, but I was fine with it because the all of characters were rendered with such complexity, from their inner motivations to their flaws. I was skeptical how Summers could make being stuck in a school last 300 pages, but she did--and beautifully too. This is Not a Test is a wonderful, poignant character-driven story and what happens when you are stuck in a school with five less-than-perfect people in a hopeless situation, which may be more evil than the rancid zombies looming outside. Solane, The Girl Who Wants to Die...But Can't Seem To Do It Right: Solane is a unique protagonist, while everyone is fighting for survival, she's contemplating the best way to die without being a burden on everyone else. She's not the fierce survivor who slashes through hoards of zombies with a strong will to survive. She also tries to get herself eaten by zombies, but somehow her plans always foil. Oh the irony! It's through Solane's eyes that we get her story behind her suicidal intentions; even though I find her character gloomy, I could understand her motivations. I found her character realistic, especially when she voices her disgust towards Harrison, the wimpy freshman who always makes the already dire situation worse with his crying. I could relate to her (don't worry, not the suicidal part), even if she isn't the nicest of people. She's a gloomy, passively reserved character, but I also found her surprisingly thoughtful. It would be so easy for her to slit her wrists, but she decides not to do so for she doesn't want her peers to deal with her corpse. I would also like to think that part of her doesn't really want to die. We find out her father's abuse and her being abandoned by her older sister that made her sink into depression. I liked the complexity in her relationship with her older sister, she wants her to be safe, but she also blames her sister. It's as if she wants to use her sister as an excuse to wallow in depression. The suicide note she keeps in her pocket is written to her sister, as if she wants to make her sister feel guilty for her death. Harrison, The Crybaby That Everyone Secretly Wants to Punch in the Face: He is the reason why I think all the others are very nice people: they manage to put up with his whining. If it was me, I would have slapped this kid in the face, and probably gagged him so he would stop crying. He somewhat redeems himself in the end, but I suspect he was kept unlikable because Sloane wanted nothing to do with him, so we never got his back story. I was annoyed with him, but I don't know if I would have been able to muster courage either amidst a zombie apocalypse where everyone I ever knew was either dead or developed an palate for my brains. He pretty much faded in the background for much of the story. I pitied him, because he knew he was being dead weight. And he tries desperately to be in everyone's good graces, or at least stay out of everyone's way so they won't feed him to zombies. For some reason, I was expecting him to extract revenge. Hey, it's always the silent ones you have to watch out for. Grace, The Student-body President and Nice Girl: For a nice girl, I didn't expect her to be that promiscuous. She's the only one that kept Trace, her twin brother, in check and acted as a peer-mediator. She's secretly weak even if her position calls for bravery. She has her flaws, but I found her to be a flat character and the most boring out of the group. Sure, she was nice but that was it. No one had a reason to dislike her, but she wasn't the brave, righteous person either. Trace, The Jerk Everyone Loves To Hate: He's the one that stirs up unnecessary problems to get on everyone's nerves. His anger is not completely misplaced for he does have his reasons. He just doesn't know how to deal with his grief, so he displaces it with anger and blame. He blames other so that he won't have to live with the guilt--but deep down, he knows it isn't working. I'm surprised at the maturity of his peers to let him go on his tirade instead of giving him a cold, hard reality check. Underneath his anger is just a lonely guy. Cary and Rhys, Because I Am Too Lazy to Give Them Each Their Own Section: For an Asian guy (I am guessing from his last name), Cary Chen breaks the stereotype. He doesn't do well academically and he is a drug dealer. And apparently he is also a sexy beast. Cary might not do well in school, but he gets an A+ in survival skills, even if had some evil intentions. He didn't survive by being a nice guy. Rhys' back story is heartbreaking, and I admire him. There's no reason to dislike him, but I have nothing to say about him either. Go figure. Romance: There's a tiny pinch of romance. Although I would rather call it "being desperate" instead. It's more of trying to make light of the dire situation than a romance. Overall, I loved the story. My only gripe was Sloane spent her time being emo and made the pace slower than I would've liked. There were also a few minor events that weren't fully explained. But it's definitely on my list of top YA reads of the year. The characters were so well developed that my heart ached for them throughout the story. A refreshing new direction for the zombie genre (even though it barely had anything to do with zombies). On a separate note, what's the best way to stop yourself from becoming a zombie in the middle of a zombie fight? Would drinking cyanide be fast enough before a zombie bite? Just wondering.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a spine-chilling, suspenseful adventure complete with crashed space ships, crocodiles, and a talking dog. 480 pages never went by so fast. I was expecting a philosophical read about morality or social commentary, but I ended up disappointed. While I thought The Knife of Never Letting Go touched upon many themes like women's rights, human interaction, privacy, collectivity, and violence--none of it was fleshed out enough, or made sense. However, I applaud Ness's innovative story telling, and his character development doesn't fail to impress: especially Todd's relationship with his dog, Manchee. Are The Villains All Cyborgs? Poor Todd is constantly being chased by hostile, evil men that don't seem to be capable of dying. The guy gets chomped on by crocodiles, thrown in a swamp to drown, and his nose bitten off by a dog--and he is STILL standing. WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT? How this guy is human is beyond me. I expected to see electrical wires bursting from his wounds at any moment. The Noise: What makes The Knife of Never Letting Go special is how the concept of hearing everyone's thought's is handled. In Todd's world everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts through a deluge of sounds and imagery called The Noise. Even wild animals are not immune to The Noise germ, but women are. There is no such thing as silence, and all thoughts are privy to everyone else. There are no complete secrets. I would think that The Noise would make living easier, it would be "impossible" to lie, and make people more empathetic to each other. However, in the New World, The Noise has only created heartless, violent people. Perhaps knowing whatever everyone else is thinking only makes crazy people. Todd The 14 year old protagonist who starts off a naive, whiny kid who is forced to leave his home. He faces many conflicts. We see him transition from the clueless boy who refuses to admit that he can't read to a man who would travel miles after being stabbed to save his best friend. He also is conflicted about his willingness to kill. There are times I want Todd to stop being a coward and kill his enemies (or at least stab their legs so they can't come running once they've recuperated,) but at the same time I want him to retain his innocence, to be in control of his impulses. For some reason, he loses control out of the blue and ends up killing an alien. It was stupid, but at the same time I could see Todd desperately trying to prove that he could wield a knife. I am annoyed that although the novel is in first person, Todd withholds secrets from the reader. I know it's for suspense purposes, but it is frustrating. Almost as jarring as the multiple cases where Todd tells the reader that he is swearing. Oh gosh, just swear already. Manchee: Todd's talking dog. Hands down the most adorable and lovable character. Despite Todd's dislike towards Manchee, he remains loyal. His natural curiosity and his love for Todd makes him the perfect best friend. Viola Eade: I don't get this chick. Maybe she was stunned into silence from her foreign surroundings, but the fact that she acts like a mute girl for much of the first part annoyed me. We knew she wasn't mute because she knew how to scream, but the fact that she refuses to communicate was frustrating. Despite seeming like dead weight in the beginning, Viola is resourceful, and much smarter than Todd. And because she is immune to the Noise, she can also lie. Todd's Book Before he leaves, Todd is given his mother's diary which was supposed to explain everything. It was frustrating to see the book being mentioned but practically NEVER read. What up with that? The Logic of Prentisstown Does Make Any Sense I hope it's not just be that keeps reading Prentisstown as Penistown? Which would actually make sense considering the whole town is made up of men. On the other hand, I don't get the logic of these people at all. Where did their twisted beliefs come from? For a town with only 146 citizens, they seem to completely disregard human life in favor of violence. Are they trying to wipe out the human race? It is later revealed that women, being immune to the Noise, were murdered because the men couldn't understand them. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to kill their mothers, sisters, and wives. Which leads me to think Mayor Prentiss was cheated on by his wife and created all this chaos to extract revenge. Religion: The people of Prentisstown are supposedly devout Christians, but their actions convince me that they read the wrong Bible, the one that says it's okay to build an army to kill all your neighbors. I'm not sure if the novel is criticizing Christianity, or their religion is twisted by an evil dictator. Pace: The pace is the novel's strongest part, guaranteed to have your heart thumping but I also felt it was too fast at times. It felt Todd was just running a marathon, breezing through all these settlements without a second thought. As a result, I got the action but not enough back story. Honestly, the only answers we get are given by a random info-dump towards the end. There is never a dull moment, which made devouring Todd's journey a pleasure. It was an absolute thrill ride. I only wish the scariest thing about his journey weren't the same bad guys showing up on rotation. Although I found much of the society nonsensical and the villains ridiculous, it was a a high energy read that always kept me on my toes.

After reading a few dark novels about sociopaths and serial killers, I desperately needed a recovery book. So when Christina (A Reader of Fictions) mentioned recommended Enchanted Inc., I picked it up from the library immediately. It just sounded like oodles of fun with a dash of romance and magic thrown in...and that was exactly what it was. Although I adore a fun chick-lit novel any day, the last one I read was Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number about six months ago, and I didn't realize how much I missed the genre until I devoured Enchanted Inc. Humor: Enchanted Inc. is a funny novel. I love Katie's quirk, wry sense of humor; she just made the entire novel a pleasure to read from the first page and I was grinning from ear to ear. The best thing is that none of the jokes is at the expense of embarrassing situations or stupid decisions. Katie relies on her wit, not tripping over a rock to be funny. Magic, the New Plastic Surgery: In a world where gargoyles are your bodyguards, fairies bump into you in bars, and gnomes are your co-workers, life can be very interesting. But magic is primarily illusions (along with some casual spells), and anything magic is somehow masked to the normal civilian. I love the whimsical take on magic, nobody is brewing lizard eyeballs or drinking disgusting potions. I still don't grasp the idea of magic too well though. If you are skilled enough, you can conjure coffee on a whim, but normal people won't see it...so what happens if a normal person bumps into you while you are drinking that magical coffee--do they have hot coffee spilled on them? Where is the coffee coming from? And talking to a gargoyle is masked as well, which makes me wonder when the gargoyle knows someone is talking to it so he knows to mask them. Doesn't make much sense to me, but when does magic make perfect sense anyway. Marketing is Easy as Pie: At one point, Katie uses her limited marketing expertise to advertise for her new company. Here is where I felt she just had it too easy with her amateur, marketing skills. It seemed more luck than talent really. A change of packaging and a few brochures? I don't really see how that would solve anything since the company already has a monopoly. You might has well just squash the start-ups into bankruptcy with low costs. They are a big corporation, they can afford it. EPIC Final Showdown...not really: This was my main gripe. I didn't care for the intellectual property sub-plot line at all. And that final showdown? Not only did it feel random, it just didn't work. And then all of a sudden it was over--talk about melodramatic. Adorable Romance: It's chick-lit! It wouldn't do not to have a cute romance thrown in. There also might be a love-triangle in the making, even though the second guy was thrown in the mix abruptly. I am rooting for Owen, because his shy demeanor just makes him vulnerable--and positively adorable. As for the other guy, I will have to find out more about the guy to make a judgment. Sometimes I wonder if Katie is being an unreliable narrator and Owen actually likes her more than she realizes. I hope that's not just wistful thinking on my part. Meanwhile, Katie's friends and co-workers drag her to blind dates and frog kissing hoping to find her the One. Overall, a fun story, absolutely adorable romance with a smart protagonist. An absolute pleasure to read, but sub-plot just left more to be desired. Next book please!

Since I enjoyed Dan Wells's 2012 foray into Young Adult, Partials , I decided to go back and read his other work: The John Cleaver trilogy. The idea of getting into a mind of sociopath intrigued me; I expected a thought-provoking, character-driven novel with an complex, yet also unreliable narrator. I went in with high expectations, but although it was an exciting read filled with suspense, the John Cleaver's character was too forced--nor did the plot twist that almost ruined the story. However, I still found the story enjoyable--a very easy read. I didn't like John very much nor could I grasp his thinking, but I'll let it go--he is a sociopath after all. I'm Not Sure If I Would Classify It As An Adult Novel: If it were up to me, this novel would be classified as Young Adult. Well to be fair, it was originally pitched as a YA novel, so maybe that's why I didn't get the adult vibe from it. Or because the protagonist was a high school freshman. Perhaps it was the horror, "gore" aspect that kept it from being in YA--but it really wasn't that horrific. I'm the girl who got scared with that hanging man song from Suzanne Collin's Mockingjay, but this novel...didn't faze me at all. So even if you are a YA lover, don't let the adult classification deter you. If You Liked Barry Lyga's I Hunter Killers, This Is Your Book: I also found it similar to Barry Lyga's new horror YA novel, I Hunt Killers, which is also why I think Dan Wells's I Am Not A Serial Killer could have passed for YA. Although Jazz (from I Hunt Killers) is not as messed up as John Cleaver (in fact, they might as well be opposites: Jazz is charismatic while John is reclusive), they are both teenagers desensitized by their unusual upbringing. Both struggle between good and evil, the idea that they might become serial killers, and dedicate themselves to catching serial killers. But while charismatic I Hunt Killer's Jazz worries that he might be a sociopath, I Am Not A Serial Killer's John is already diagnosed as one. Character (John Wayne Cleaver): John is hard to relate to--not surprisingly, since he is a diagnosed sociopath. He has a "monster" inside of him with murderous intentions, and he struggles to keep himself in check by self-imposing rules. He is also oblivious to social situations--and doesn't know when to shut up and only cares about sharing his serial killing expertise. At times I was annoyed with him: "I don't want to be a serial killer, I have to keep the monster in, I am dangerous..." It was like his way of dealing with his nature. To me, John wants to be a serial killer, and he was just saying these things to make himself feel "normal." I often wish there was more to him. There are times where he is too naive, or just plain stupid. There were opportunities to bash the murderer in the head..but he just stood there, observed for a few seconds--then ran away. Why in the world would you drag a body with a murderer after you? And how in the world could he even carry a 140 lb+ body? Does he secretly weight train and it just wasn't mentioned? From the novel, I just thought he was a skinny, antisocial, creepy nerd. Oh yeah, apparently he is also paranoid because a serial killer has the same name as him. And his father's name is Sam, so that also makes him the "Son of Sam"--another serial killer. This family really doesn't know how to name children: John and Sam are like the boringest, most common names in the book. Try a Pokemon name next time. Romance: I am not sure if John's crush on Brooke would be considered a romance since it was very much one-sided. John, being a sociopath, makes it difficult for him to recognize emotions. Rather than a crush, it was more like an unhealthy obsession. It was like watching that stalker guy from American Beauty. Does This Guy Have No School? Or homework? Projects? I am surprised John, being a high schooler, has time left for stalking people. No wonder John is not the sharpest tack in the drawer. I Have Issues With This Plot Twist: I love a good plot twist any day, but this one...it was just so RANDOM, and not in a good way. Not only did the genre change, but all logic. After that twist, it was like "well then, all bets are off." Pace: This really saved the book. Even if the first few chapters felt slow with introductions, and a slight serial killer info-dump, the action saved it in the second half. Overall, it was an enjoyable read--if you don't think about it too much and don't mind the unrelatable narrator. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to a YA horror fan, especially if you enjoyed Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers. As for me, I want my horror scarier than this.

X-men meets the Breakfast Club? Doesn't that sound exciting or what? I was interested when I heard about The Vindico in the beginning of the year, and I was excited to finally read it when I saw it on the shelves. Unfortunately, The Vindico just didn't work for me on so many levels. The concept was fresh, but the execution was just disappointing. Perhaps it would have been better suited as a lower-middle grade novel rather than young adult with it's simple writing style; the plot was fun but also unbelievably unrealistic along with the poorly fleshed out characters. The more the story progresses, the messier it becomes with the countless introduction of new minor, forgettable characters left and right, and messy fight scenes. To be honest, I am surprised Putnam picked this one up; The Vindico was like a graphic novel that didn't translate very well into novel format. I'm disappointed that an interesting concept was turned into a very corny (borderline lame) superhero story. However, it is a fun and often humorous book--and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a younger audience (especially Marvel/DC fans.) Story: A group of teenagers from 13 to 17 are kidnapped to be trained as part of The Vindico, a group of evil super-villians, to fight against The League (a group of superheros.) They are given superpowers like telekinesis, telepathy, or just super strength. The Beginning: One of worst openings ever. The first five chapters where basically dedicated to each of the five protégées, telling how they were kidnapped at home or from school. I found it a complete drag, utterly frustrating, and unnecessary. It would've worked better if all of them just woke up in unfamiliar surroundings from the beginning for suspense. A Hodgepodge of Characters (You'll Forget 90% of Them): This novel has a severe case of too-many-characters syndrome. Five protégées, five villain mentors, one coordinator dude, two other children, plus a whole slew of The League people with "superhero" names--way too many people for 300 pages. Here is where I think the author bit off more than he could chew: with eleven people running around under a roof, things are bound to get messy. There's just not enough room to well-develop all of them, making every character simple and flat. I was struggling with names throughout the novel. Even the funky, "super-villain" names didn't help. As a result, many characters fade into the background. I also had an issue with Lana and Leni, because of the two-letter difference in their names and the fact that they are frequently in the same scene, I often had to do a double-take. The Protégées (This Word Is A Hassle To Type): I know they are teenagers, but they are surprisingly shallow. "OH SHOOT! I GOT KIDNAPPED BY MASS MURDERS!!...wait, I get SUPERPOWERS and I can live in this fancy mansion??? NEVERMIND THE MASS MURDERS, I'M STAYING! LALALALALALA" Emily: I like her sense of humor, but she is so stereotypical: the smart, geeky Chinese hacker. (Maybe it's because I'm Chinese that I'm being too sensitive) Sam: The crybaby and the youngest of the group. For some reason he gets assigned to wear a suit. Lana: The blonde harlot. (only because other words will get censored from Amazon) James: The loser who gets dumped (and tries to beat his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend guy up, but fails miserably and faints instead) and wants to make everyone suffer with him. At one point, his mentor punches the new boyfriend out a bus window to get revenge for him--not knowing that he was in the middle of apologizing for his mistakes. It annoyed me that James was happy to see his classmate severely injured. There is no excuse for being that heartless, not even if you are a super-villain. Obviously, I dislike this guy. Hayden: The other funny one in the group who doesn't know when to shut up. Good comic-relief though. His laid-back attitude makes him stand out but he also comes off as a stuck-up pervert. This guy proposes a game of spin-the-bottle to "get to know each other." I suspect the spin-the-bottle game kept this book from being classified as a middle-grade. The Lamest Villains Ever (Do These Adults Even Have A Diploma?): The only semi-memorable villain was The Torturer, because of his ridiculous name. They all have their backstories, but most were just products of being overdramatic: "THEY KICKED ME OUT! THEY DIDN'T LET ME JOIN THEIR EXCLUSIVE PARTY! OH NO, I HAVE TO GET REVENGE! KILL KILL KILL!" (if you have such violent tendencies, it's no surprise they want to kick you out. *hint hint*) I suppose King wanted to add a layer of human emotion to the villains by making them feel paternal towards the children, I saw it--but it didn't work. It was a pity that Leni, one of the villains who was plotting to redeem himself, never got the opportunity to carry out his plan. As part of Vindico's "brilliant" plan to mentally intimidate (or to stop them from being attached to their families) the protégées, they dig up these scandalous family "secrets" and announce them in hopes of making the kids feel unloved by families. Seriously. This guy comes out and says something like "You know your ex-girlfriend that you asked out when you were twelve? Well, she cheated on you! And your best friend knew! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! FEEL THE BURN! MUHAHAHAHA And your parents? They didn't even care when you were missing! NYAH NYAH NYAH" And the sad thing is, he actually think its working. That's about the lamest excuse for intimidation I've ever heard of. The worse part, he makes five of these omg-are-you-serious "scary" announcements. Every time I wince at the corniness. Death Is Taken So Lightly Maybe because the book was targeted at younger audiences that the concept of death must be glazed over, but I have issues with how death is handled. To "prove" that the villains scary, it is revealed how they killed all these superheroes. And then the superheros supposedly killed some people as well as part of a conspiracy. It is only briefly mentioned how they got killed and it basically treated as inconsequential minor events. No guilt is ever involved with the adults. I was relieved when Lana (one of the protégées) felt guilty about killing a superhero--but she was let off the hook very easily. The death that tested my limits was when Emily was smugly told that her grandfather died of heartbreak while looking for his missing granddaughter during her "announcement." I know that the announcements was supposed to show how heartless the Vindico was, but it annoyed me that Emily look the event so lightly. I was expecting her to escape to see her grandfather (or at least attend the funeral), but she basically forgot about the whole thing after like a day. YOUR GRANDFATHER DIED WHILE SEARCHING FOR YOU, GIRL. THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS, NOW STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR TOYS AND DO SOMETHING. Romance: Lana, taking insta-love to a whole new level. "OH NO! He has such a soft, hidden side to him! I LIKE HIM! I don't care if he's acting like a stuck-up pervert! I'm going to kiss him!" There's also this poorly constructed love triangle...but only because James didn't confess his love and was too busy moping about it. And, you don't ask for a date in the middle of a fight, just sayin'. Structure/Writing Style: I don't know if the third person omniscient perspective was the right way to go. I would have preferred the third person limited narrator to keep the suspense element, or even first person for each of the teens. I found the novel too juvenile, simplistic, and completely rejects the "show don't tell" mantra. "THIS HAPPENED..AND THEN THIS OTHER THING...AND THEN THIS...X IS FEELING SAD, Y IS FEELING ANGRY, B IS WORRIED...C IS HAS A SECRET PLOT" The narrative often felt unbearably stoic, especially between the adults because they all speak in this pseudo-evil "tone."; nobody speaks in perfect, full sentences, only cyborgs do that. Part of the reason was because the adults were used for info-dumping, turning them into talkative drones more than fleshed-out people. Messy Fight Scenes: Mind-control doesn't make a good fight scene. Unless it's like Inception. That's all. Convenience: I guess this is the problem with superheroes: they have so many cool gadgets and awesome powers that they can do anything. And because they are so "perfect," they are boring. Often, the novel reliance on gadgets annoyed me--they are superheros, they don't need guns, missiles, and RIFLES(what the heck?), that stuff is for losers. The gadgets dragged down the story with extraneously mundane descriptions: I don't want to hear how she has guns in her belt, the color of her clothes, and miscellaneous cannisters on her shoulder. The Blur Between Good and Evil...Was Non-existent The synopsis promised that the teens would "earn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem" but it ended up incredibly simplistic. I wanted to see how the conflict between good and evil will play out. But it disappointed me how black and white these kids were: they referred to the villains as "bad guys" and the superheros as "good guys." Sure the villains killed people, but the superheros aren't innocent either. They were sometimes conflicted, but pretty much got over it in a few seconds. In the end, I am not sure if The League were even the "good guys." I felt there could have been a lot more depth since morality was a major theme. Overall, The Vindico was a major disappointment. It was like if someone took Sky High and squished it with The Incredibles and made it super corny. The fascinating concept of conspiracy, character development, and morality themes were thrown out to make room for banal writing that focused on describing clothes, gadgets, and chaotic action sequences. Perhaps the novel would've translated better as a movie, graphic novel, or even a younger middle-grade novel. But young adult novel? No.

I loved Pandemonium--perhaps even more because I was one of the few who didn't like Delirium very much. I am glad the flowery, beautiful writing was toned down to more manageable levels to allow room for action without dragging the pace down, which was my main problem with Delirium. The quotations in the beginning of Delirium's chapters have disappeared (honestly, I wasn't a big fan of them), instead chapters are separated into Then and Now. I was pleasantly surprised with the new format, it allowed a break between tense moments and to give the readers backstory without a deluge of flashbacks or the dreaded info-dump. Lena learns to be more independent: she learns to take initiative, and decide things for herself. World-building: Finally, Can I Get Some Answers? Well, at least I know where some of the outcasts go and about how far the reign of deliria spans. But I still don't buy the society completely: it's further reinforced that the people can't feel hate, are zombies, and are fueled by fear. You can hardly blame them, the choice is clear: you get cured, or you get thrown in prison (or beat to a pulp.) I don't know how the society would function if nobody cared about others; if people are naturally "no better than animals," then we wouldn't hesitate to wreck havoc. But I am also starting to understand the utopian concept: is love worth sacrificing if it also takes away hate? As long as you comply with the rules in this society, you will survive and be protected. Sure, you may not have "love," but you will have a shirt on your back, a comfty bed, and food. Unfortunately, the creation of this society is still a mystery so I'm sticking my theory that it was created by a group of lonely, butthurt cat ladies. Then: The "Then" chapters are Lena's backstory right after her escape into The Wilds. She meets a group of Invalids, and she quickly learns how to survive in the Wilds. At first, her refusal to help out under the excuse that she was too weak completely appalled me since she admits to feeling guilty and selfish. I felt it was only right for her to at least try to help out instead of being dead weight. The Wilds is a brutal place where survival comes at a cost, a lesson Lena is forced to learn. I began to suspect it was because Lena was fearful of going outside. Perhaps Oliver wanted to show Lena's growth from a selfish, whiny girl to an strong, independent woman. Lena reveals that she can self-reflect, she knows when she is immature--and she fixes herself. The ability to admit to one's flaws and do something about it makes Lena so much more likable. Now: Most people say the Now chapters were more exciting, but I honestly can't decide between the two. I can see why the Now chapters may be much more enthralling because it is unpredictable. You know for sure Lena is going to make it out fine from the Then chapters (because if she didn't there wouldn't be Now chapters), but I still wanted to see how the two stories intersected. The Now chapters are filed with much more action with Lena as a spy for The Resistance. Unfortunately, her stint as a spy doesn't last very long when she is captured and locked up in a room underground. Her journey out of that room is a testament to how much Lena has grown. And I'm loving it! Romance: With Alex out of the picture, I wasn't sure what would happen: would Lena be depressed and lovelorn, or will she get another beau? Turns out she does have another lover. I definitely liked the romance between Julian and Lena a lot more than the one with Alex (to be honest, I thought a lot of Lena's feelings toward Alex was fueled by infatuation and first love.) I suspect it's because Alex was too mysterious and flat for me to like--while Julian was fleshed out. He had his flaws, his backstory, and his weaknesses. The best part was that Lena wasn't the confused, damsel-in-distress anymore. HALLELUJAH! In fact, I think Lena was the stronger one, though Julian does have buff muscles (even though I don't know where he got them since he seems to be on the wimpy side.) Lena also loves to pick the wrong love candidates: she has to pick the son of Thomas Fineman (Delirium Free America's leader.) Another forbidden love story served on a silver platter. I was surprised at how easy it was to "unbrainwash" Julian since he was raised by the leaders of the entire deliria movement. I'm secretly expecting him to go rogue at any moment. And yes, he has eyes that seem to constantly change colors. Oliver must have an affinity with eyes. Apparently they can't be just boring brown blobs. I'm Way Too Good At Guessing These Plot Twists: You'd have to be pretty oblivious not to know what's up with all these obvious "plot twists." Honestly, I'm not sure if Lena is so smart anymore. At least one of them was just screaming at me: seriously, why would someone make you carry a 600 page book without other intentions? And if Coin's name was a flashing red light. As for Lena's mother--I don't know how I knew. Maybe because I sensed that she had to be in the book somehow? Or was I subconsciously hinted at with foreshadowing? Ending (OMG, EPIC CLIFFHANGER MOMENT...but really, we all knew it was coming): CLIFFHANGER ALERT! I knew it was coming, but it did make me excited for Requiem. Though I know some are going to be frustrated. I'm glad Pandemonium didn't suffer from second-book syndrome. Most people expect the middle book to be a bridge between the first and last book, but I'm pleased that Pandemonium built from its first book, Delirium (which now that I think about it was just intro material) to give readers a very welcome surprise. Even if you didn't like Delirium, Pandemonium will change your mind. The action, the plot twists, the heart-stopping tension definitely makes Pandemonium an irresistible pageturner.

Valente brings us the absolutely spellbinding world of Fairyland in he Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Twelve-year old September is swept by the Green Wind while washing teacups and brought into Fairyland for a unique retelling of the Persephone myth. The characters, the creatures were fascinating, and the story testing the limits of my imagination every step of the way. I see the magic of Fairyland, the beauty of Valente’s writing, but at times it just felt a bit too random, a bit too confusing for me to follow. While reading, I often felt disillusioned�"I find myself asking, “Did I just read what I think I just reading? Or did I get lost somewhere along the way?” Never the less, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book for fairytale lovers. It will blow your mind if you have the imagination big enough for it. Story (Where is this Story Going??): I knew it was a Persephone retelling, but I had no idea what to expect. Valente’s whimsical style is quite obvious from the beginning�"it reads like one of our beloved “Once Upon A Time” fairytales with an omnipresent narrator who doesn’t hesitant to address the reader. From the title, I knew she would be sailing (but calling it a ship might be stretching it a bit), and I was waiting and waiting for the sailing to happen�"it certainly took a loonnng while. Even the plot felt unclear at times: to explore Fairyland? to leave Fairyland? to get a sword? to save her friends? to overthrow the Marquess? I have to say the story wrapped up really nicely at the end though, like a pleasant fairytale. The Marquess The villain who hides a shocking secret of her own that adds another layer to the story. I’m grateful that she does have a backstory, and is not evil just for the heck of it. She also is the source of many questions: is she a kid? or an adult stuck in a kid’s body? And are her actions really evil? She’s a bundle of mysteries I would love to unravel. Disillusionment: This was the main reason why even 250 pages turned into a hard struggle. It felt like another Wonderland where nothing seems to quite make sense; I was also reminded of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (the sailing part) and Terry Pratchett’s YA Discworld novels. I was left in confusion a huge chunk of the time: “What? A cross-breed between a Wyverin and a LIBRARY? Is there another definition of library that I don’t know of, or does she mean a physical LIBRARY? What? She’s turning into a TREE??” I Wanted To Have a Dictionary Beside Me. Is This REALLY a Middle-grade, Or Am I Just Stupid?: I wonder if it’s a middle-grade simply because there were words I didn’t know. I rarely even have that problem with YA reads. I am feeling slightly ashamed right now. *hides in a hole* I need to expand my vocabulary! I am not sure if it’s my mind the the gutter (or me reading too many Harlequins), but a twelve year old being “ravished” just doesn’t sound right even though I am aware of its multiple meanings. Ending The ending redeemed the story for me, it just tied together nicely. Not exactly a cliffhanger, but the ending left me with many questions. Are they pulling a time paradox on me? Overall, it was a magical story that just fell a bit short for me. But I know many others love it, and if you have a big imagination�"you certainly will as well. It’s a very unique book, with a lovely story and a delightful little girl.

I'm usually not a middle-grade reader, but the cover caught my attention since the beginning of the year. I've seen a couple glowing reviews for it, but I didn't think much about it until I saw it in the library last week, and I was like "why not?" I read the first few pages to test the book out, and I somehow ended reading thirty pages...and I still wasn't sure what's up with the main character, Auggie: from the first few pages, I knew he had something that set in apart, but I didn't know what exactly--so I borrowed the book to sate my curiosity. And boy am I glad I did. Wonder is the fascinating, inspiring story of Auggie who is born with a severe Treacher-Collin's syndrome, making his face almost hideous to strangers. He attends school for the first time in fifth grade, and he struggles to fit into the school environment. But he is not the only one with problems as his friends and family also struggle to adapt to him. The story, theme may be predictable, but it's the execution that makes Wonder special. Each character has their own engaging, heartfelt story to tell. Wonder is definitely one of my favorite, thought-provoking reads this year. It opens itself to many discussions, and I wish I read it when I was in fifth grade. So What Does August Look Like? Admittedly I had a hard time picturing August (Auggie) since the descriptions made him sound like everything that could possibly go wrong--went wrong on his face. What in the world are cauliflower ears? And no jaw? bulging eyes? So I Googled. And it was just heartbreaking. Though maybe I've seen my share of not-so-normal things, it didn't surprise me. I can see why kids would be horrified though. Fifth Graders Can Be Mean: What stood out for me was Palacio's uncanny ability to capture the feeling of being ostracized in school. I had a nostalgic feeling of being back in fifth grade (even if it has been nine years ago) and I had my share of unwelcome peers--and I wasn't even suffering from Treacher-Collins syndrome. Like Auggie, I've dealt with "The Plague," friends who didn't stand up for me, and knowing telling the teacher is pretty useless (even if you can live down being a tattleteller.) Fifth-grade was serious business, and I was glad I missed the last week of school for a trip--I was eager to get away from my peers. The thing that hurt most was the realization that the 10-year old me would probably not stand up for Auggie. Instead I would be grateful that it wasn't me that they were picking on. Not having a partner for field trips or group projects was not on my list of priorities. Hey! I was ten, stuff like that matters. Characters: I was pleasantly surprised with Palacio's wide spectrum of characters and how the voices still remained distinguishable. Wonder is composed with several points of view from Auggie, Jack, Summer, Via, Miranda, and even Justin. They may be all kids, but they speak volumes. I was delighted with their complexity, and I ended up loving each character for being themselves. I was disappointed I didn't get Julian (the head bully)'s viewpoint though, I was convinced he had more depth--beyond the influence of his stuck-up, rich parents. What I really wanted to see was Julian's parents being taught a lesson. August (Auggie) I have mixed feelings about him. Throughout the novel I see him grow-up, and not use his appearance as an excuse: when he goes to sleep by himself without being told and when he leaves his stuffed animal behind. But even at the end of the novel, I can't help feeling like he hasn't changed that much. There's a scene where he hopes that he will be handsome man in his next life, and his dependency on the astronaut helmet--both of these scenes make me feel Auggie is still the kid in the beginning of the novel. Rather, I think it's the people around him that deserve more credit. However, I still admire this kid. Never did he feel sorry for himself, or wonder out of the probabilities--why was he chosen like the people around him do.) Olivia (Via) My favorite character, and arguably the most realistic one. August's older sister who is starting high school. She's my favorite character for she embodies so many conflicts, but yet still remain in control of her emotions. She is a wonderful older sister. Via is also a heart-wrenching character because she loves Auggie, but she hates herself for the less-than-nice thoughts she has of her brother. At times Via shows signs of sibling jealousy--but yet she restrains herself. She constantly debates what's best for her brother: if they should make him feel normal (and if that would be lying to him), or teach him how to deal with being abnormal. Justin: Via's boyfriend. He is the passive observer who at first doesn't know how to react to Auggie. I had my reservations since his lack of capitalization irked me, reminding me of Omegle conversations with illiterate people (I imagine him talking in slurs.) He also seemed like a very reserved character. But even he does some surprising things that made me like him instantly. Summer: One of Auggie's friends. Honestly, I find her the most unrealistic character. Not being she's super nice (which she is), but because her actions are idealized. Why would you sit down and immediately start making a list of names with a kid you just met? I am not sure how good of a conversation started that is in real life. Ending: I was bracing myself for a happy, cheesy ending--and I got the unrealistic, happy, cheesy ending I secretly didn't want. Oh well, at least it tied well to Auggie's belief that "everyone deserves a standing ovation." Despite the cheesy ending, I fell in love with Wonder. There are points in the book I wasn't a big fan of such as the whole precept idea. I just thought that was unnecessary and even slightly lame. But I loved the multiple perspectives, and the astronaut helmet. A brilliant novel, and an inspiring story.

Michael Kun's Everybody Says Hello is a wonderful, funny epistolary (it means "consisting of letters," I looked it up a minute ago) novel. We deduce Sid Straw's adventures through his writing to his family, friends, co-workers, Heather Locklear, Obama, a black cop, and transvestite he met online. Everbody Says Hello is a perfect light read, and it was just a whole lot of fun--if not tummy-hurting hilarious. Why I Wanted To Read It: I was feeling hipster and wanted to read something that nobody heard about. Ok, not completely (even though I do lean towards box from big publishing houses.) I came across LOLing at Books an article by Morgan Macgregor on BookRiot. And I was curious just how funny Kun was since he's capable of making someone laugh to the point she had to get off the bus. Humor It was a funny book, I chuckled a bit but I didn't find myself laughing out loud (even though I really wanted to.) I "get" the humor, but maybe timing just wasn't right or the jokes were too overt. Now I am having doubts about my sense of humor. Is there something wrong with me? I did like that the humor didn't depend on giving me a host of expletives (in fact, I'm sure there were no expletives even when Sid was furious, which made me admire the guy even more.) And didn't have fart jokes. HALLELUJAH! The best way I can describe the humor is if you mixed Thoughts From Paris with E-mails From an Asshole (both are hilarious blogs I love) and sprinkled it with Becky Bloomwood (from Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series.) Not a good description? Well, I tried. Sid Straw Is Just So Likable: He is the perfect protagonist, a nice guy who sometimes does stupid things. You just can't dislike the guy; at one point, he feels guilty about ripping a page out of the hotel's yellow pages and proceeds to send the hotel twenty five bucks to replace it. And then sometimes he does hilarious things like trying to get the hotel to change "adult movie" into "Harry Potter" on his receipt. But somehow he just keeps getting stuck in unfortunate situations which leads to one misunderstanding after another--like accidentally sending a cat into a coma. It's A "Sequel" I didn't rad the first book (The Locklear Letters), but I don't think it hindered too much with the story and Everybody Says Hello can be read as a standalone. It makes me sad I don't know what this Eat Wheaties thing is all about though. Now I feel left out of a joke. I guess it's a good excuse to buy The Locklear Letters then. Pace: This book only looks gigantic, but you'll finish it in no time--if not because of the humor, because of the one word pages (don't worry, it's not another New Moon, nobody is suffering an emotional meltdown.) It may not look like it, but Everybody Says Hello is a very quick read. I wasn't sure where the story was going to go since unlike other novels, it doesn't leave much room for action and didn't have much of a plot, but I was very happy with the ending and the flow of the novel. My only caveat is that I forgot half the people he was exchanging postcards/letters with towards the end. Stuff I Learned From Everybody Says Hello Hiring a "lawyer," and threatening to file lawsuits is the best thing that can happen to you; and may also prove to be very lucrative. TV may not mean television. And guys asking to see your feet may not be because they have a foot fetish...but it's because they want to check if you are a girl.

I completely fell in love with Ready Player One. At first, I was skeptical about the deluge of eighties/video game culture, but then I gradually didn't even care if I had no idea what the book was referencing and just wanted to go along for the ride. I always like my books to carry a deeper meaning, something to be pondered after the last page is turned-and I was delighted to find it here; Ready Player One isn't simply an adventurous brown bags to riches story, but more importantly, it's about how advancing technology may not be all that glitters and virtual reality has a cost. Ready Player One is just so fun and utterly addicting-like a video game. Every time I put it down, it would nudge at me in the corner of mind, time just slipped away while I was immersed in the novel. Now I see why this was amongst the top Sci-fi books of 2011; it's definitely my favorite read of the year so far. The Protagonist, Wade Watts aka. Parzival: I admit, Wade is not the ideal knight in shining armor quester: he dedicates every minute of his spare time playing video games, immersed in virtual reality, and studying a dead guy. He spends 24-hours a day holed up in his apartment, ignoring the real world while he explores OASIS; this guy just screams wimp: he doesn't know how to deal with the real world, so he runs away from it. Aside from his impractical quest, he doesn't have a life, nor does he have "real" friends (at one point he buys a sex doll and talks to a computer.) Yet, we love following his journey, seeing him grow as an adult. Halliday Creator of OASIS, socially inept, but filthy rich. He is also the most enigmatic character. Which leads me to ask: how could Halliday, being so removed from the real world, possibly even code such realistic worlds and characters? This guy didn't even talk to people and basically locked himself in a room for decades. It's A Geek Fest: I'm completely clueless about 80s culture, and the references were just endless. The only thing I knew about classic video games was from a Steve Jobs biography I painstakingly read during high school (which was actually more than you'd think.) I didn't find it a big hindrance, and I'm sure the fans would love it more than I (and I already love this book to bits.) Romance: There's a slight love story which I thought was was sweet, but Wade still came off a desperate fanboy and socially inept. I know most things worth having are worth fighting for but really-don't scare the girl into thinking you're a creep. I couldn't helping cringing while was reading the chat transcript between Wade and Art3mis; it reminded me so much of those cheesy, desperate, "romantic" Chatroulette/Omegle messages that would prompt any normal girl to disconnect (I'm a girl, I know.) I guess this is what happens when a guy writes romance. Ending: Fairytale, much? I wasn't a big fan of the whole "let's solve everything with money" strategy (it often comes off as lay writing to me), and really I don't see why it was necessary other than to fill up pages with descriptions of opulence, I get enough of that in romance novels with multi-billionaires. Why do you need to the most advanced virtual reality gear when the cheap stuff will work just fine (unless you want to be even further removed from reality I guess)? However, I thought the prize (the one behind the bookcase) at the end of the contest was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Plot and Worldbuilding Halliday's contest just screams fun, fun, fun-a virtual reality hunt for over two hundred billion dollars-who wouldn't want to win? It's a game within a game (inception!) But more compelling is the universe of OASIS which is the heart of the novel. OASIS is where dreams can come true, you can be anyone you want, science can be defied, planets can be built, stores can be set up, love can be found-and whose to say just because you don't meet a person face-to-face that your friendship isn't real? On the other side of the coin, the idea that people are living their real lives to feed a fake one is twisted. The lines between game and reality blur. In OASIS, you can go to a bar, order a drink, drink the drink with your avatar but that's only an illusion-you are still thirsty. Why would you spend money on a drink to watch yourself drink it, but never have it touch your lips? (But then again, I'm the girl who spent twenty bucks to dress up my MapleStory character, only to have my friends tell me my character looked ridiculous with fat lips) And the latest technology to make the simulation feel more real boggle my mind: why anyone would want to actually "feel" the sensation of being shot with laser rays is beyond me. Overall, I loved the novel despite a few minor caveats. I found myself rereading paragraphs just so I could savor the story. 372 pages have never felt so short. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves an adventure, except maybe my grandparents...they can barely even check their email. Just be prepared to sit on that couch for hours, because you won't be able to tear your eyes away.

The only major problem with Gabrielle Zevin's All These Things I've Done is the misleading blurb which sets up the misguided reader expectations, and makes you excited for things that aren't even featured prominently in the novel; from the blurb we expect a dystopic future and cunning mafia leaders-both seem to promise non-stop action and suspense, and both are pretty much non-existent. There is no underground conspiracy movement, evil governments, or dueling mafia families. I knew I wasn't going to get my unputdownable, face-paced page-turner, but I stuck it out for the incredible, heart-wrenching characters. All of the characters had a layer of complexity about them-even the hateful ones. I daresay Zevin has created some of the most poignant characters I've ever encountered in YA. Ever. All These Things I've Done may not be the heart-pounding dystopian, but it is a powerful, romantic story about familial love, self respect, prejudice, and making difficult sacrifices. Dystopic World-building (or lack thereof) If you're looking for dystopian novel with interesting world-building, this is not your book. If anything society is devolved back to the Great Depression era where everything (including ice cream, coffee, chocolate, paper, and water) is rationed-as for how or why, we don't know. I think All These Things I've Done would be better classified as a contemporary romance (maybe it was classified as a dystopian to the in-crowd?) since technology is at a stand-still, there's nothing "futuristic" about the situation. Anya, the protagonist, is rich off family money anyway, so she isn't in danger of starving anytime soon. Pace: Not as fast as I hoped, it was a hard book to get lost in...especially when you are expecting that action-packed thriller. In fact most of it was about her mundane life and family relations. Yep, definitely not epic dystopian material. Characters: There's an entire spectrum of characters who are each unique individuals with their own story. Anya (Annie): The protagonist. The story is written from her point of view, as if she is writing a diary while she reflects on the past. Sometimes the story slips into second person to address the reader, which at one point threw me in for a loop, but nothing too disjointed. Despite her inheritance, life hasn't been easy for Anya, her parents were killed (one in front of her eyes), her grandmother is on her deathbed, her older brother has the mind of an eight year old, and her younger sisters still often wakes up in the middle of the night with nightmares. After a promise to take care of her siblings with her dead father, she takes on the responsibilities of taking care of the family. She's also a Catholic and made a deal with God that as long as her family is safe, she will be "good." She is often scared of breaking that vow. We can see her love for her father, whose advice she always takes to heart. (Seriously though, did her father spend his time preaching inspirational quotes he found off Google?) A female protagonist who actually cares about her family over her boyfriend, HALLELUJAH! She's not the hopeless romantic, nor the damsel in distress (girl can shoot a gun!), but her family background has made others see her differently: either eager to get out of her way or eager to pamper her. Life has made her skeptical of people. Win: Anya's love interest. Very sweet guy and hopeless romantic. He is just a nice guy, even though he has a less dramatic outlook on life and doesn't see consequences as Anya does. Scarlet: Anya's beautiful (but considered "weird" in school), drama queen of a best friend. She has such a kind heart, and is always looking out of her best friend. I find her extremely likable, and if Anya is right-also a bit gullible. Leo: Anya's older brother. Due to a car crash, he has the mind of an eight-year old. He reminds me of Lenny from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (minus the super strength); he has that same childish quality, yet he tries so hard to be the older brother he was supposed to be. Anyay never quites trust her brother, always cautious of him being manipulated. We can see the people around him trying hard to make him feel important, while he feels everyone is being condescending. He is a poignant character that makes me heart clench whenever I see him. Seeing him trying so desperately to be the grown-up older brother and man of the family, yet knowing that he can't possibly live up to the role makes my heart break. Romance: I am a fan of the romance; we seem them growing closer and closer together throughout the novel until we can't help rooting for them. They are such a swoon-worthy couple, just oozing with sweetness. I wasn't too big on the whole sex thing though, it seems they have no sense of self control. Win is a hopeless romantic while Anya is for being practical. While Anya worries about their familiy's opposition, Win is busy daydreaming about marriage (well, it's clear we side with Anya on that one, but it's nice of Win to think about the future.) It was a well-developed, believable romance, a bit of star-crossed lover drama, but nothing too eventful. Character Development: Absolutely perfect! Now this is how characters should be developed. I rarely encounter a novel where such broad array of both main and supporting characters are dynamic and relatable. I'm surprised Zevin achieved with first person narration. Even the characters we dislike are never completely hateful for they have compelling reasons of their own. The first thought when I finished the book was , "that was beautiful." All These Things I've Done is a character-driven book. Unlike many other dystopian novels, it's the characters that make the story, not the setting

I'm a fan of The Hunger Games series (and yes, I read it before the movie because I'm so hipster), and when I saw The Hunger Pains: A Parody at the library-I just had to grab it off the shelf. It looked like a perfect short read (though fourteen bucks for such a tiny book baffles me.) I've read The Harvard Lampoon's Twilight parody titled Nightlight , so I had an idea of what I was getting into: ridiculousness. Imagine 5% of the original Hunger Games mixed with lame fart jokes, Saturday Night Live, Jamaican accents, completely randomness, and no wit. The Hunger Pains is completely silly, the writing is laughably simplistic (reminiscent of the crazy stories I wrote as a kid with my friends), the characters borderline inane, but I enjoyed The Hunger Pains . The story was just so absurd, I couldn't help giggling at its ridiculousness: Pita (incredibly fat with manboobs and constantly needs attention) in an effort to camouflage himself, turns himself into a wedding cake. If you didn't think that was funny, this book isn't for you. I can see readers either go one way or the other: either they embrace the randomness, or be butthurt that their favorite characters are parodied as undesirable messes.

The Maze Runner thrives on the suspense and the fantastical setting. Just like Thomas, the protagonist, we are thrown into the Glade being just as (if not more) confused as him. The technology, the creatures, the absurdity of the situation was like a video game as we follow Thomas on his journey to solving it. The pace was fine, Dashner knows how to keep my attention with action. But one of the biggest issues are the characters: especially Thomas, who despite his bravery doesn't seem like a smart guy; he only "solves" the whole thing by relying on past memories. However, The Maze Runner is comprised with many surprising elements that draw me into the story, keeping me reading to find out how the pieces fit together. An exciting (even if dark) story of a group of teenagers trying to solve their way out of a dire situation. Plot: Thomas wakes up in an elevator and is led to The Glade, a town of only boys surrounded by a Maze. There are also monsters that lurk the Maze at night, so that nobody is allowed out of The Glade after the walls close. Every week, supplies are sent from the elevator, and every month a new boy is sent. There are different jobs: farmers, cooks, police officers, janitors, etc. And then there are the Runners, a group of elite Gladers sent to run in the maze everyday to find an exit. The Maze changes everyday, and for two years, an exit hasn't been found. Thomas feels strongly tied to being a Runner, but before think about it-a girl comes up in the elevator. Language: The Gladers have their own slang, which I suspect might be a way to bypass swearing for a novel targeted towards young teens. The abundance of strange words bogs down the story a bit and leaves me in complete confusion in the first chapter. The slang could have been used a bit less so the reader has a stronger grasp of what's going on. If anything, it sounded like the boys were using the slang to intimidate people. Gradually we begin to know what words stand for and it becomes less of a distraction. However, I am not sure why they start creating slang that makes them sound like cavemen even though they all know English. If you are fine with the slang in Moira Young's Blood Red Road, The Maze Runner's language won't faze you. Dark: There's no gore, but there are a LOT of deaths. Thankfully, their deaths usually don't arise from unnecessary fighting. The Gladers generally know they have to work together, and killing one of their own is just not helping the situation. Characters: I am confused as to why The Maze Runner is written in third person limited instead of first person. Obviously we can't have such a suspenseful story in third person omniscient: there wouldn't be any secrets if the narrator is supposed to know everything. We only get follow Thomas and knows what he knows, but the third person stance leaves me unable to understand Thomas. I want to know what is going inside his head. Because of the narrator, the other characters, although many of them likable, don't get enough depth. Thomas: Protagonist and one of the reasons why The Maze Runner has a slow start: it's because he SO CONFUSED, with so many questions. HOLD YOUR HORSES AND WAIT FOR THEM TO EXPLAIN, DUDE! Makes me want to yell at him to stop interrupting the story with his questions. He is like the annoying kid in class that doesn't know when to shut up. I know why his peers ignore him half the time now. It just might be a guy thing, or a sign of his natural curiosity. I applaud his bravery, his intelligence, but I expected more to solving everything than just remembering stuff. A bit of a let down to be honest. Despite his talkative, curious nature, his determined demeanor makes him a good leader--and one of his best traits. Teresa: Maybe my head was in the gutter, but one girl amongst like forty guys...wouldn't you be expecting them to procreate? Anyway, she still remains pretty much a mystery. I want to like her, but I don't know her. Thomas and Teresa share a connection, but whether it's romantic or not, I don't know. Minho: A supporting character and the Keeper of the Maze Runners. He is also my favorite character (maybe it's because he is Asian? I love supporting minorities.) Unlike Thomas, he is less optimistic, but a strong leader nonetheless. Newt: Despite the ridiculous nickname, he is a charismatic leader. He is more calmer one in the group. I definitely like him more than Thomas as well. Grievers: The "monsters" that make the Maze so scary. When they were first introduced I thought they were like gigantic buffalos (since they were ramming windows)...but it turns up they are just six feet long, mechanized, ugly slugs. Actually now that I imagine it, they seem ridiculous. I rather have a buffalo. They can kill, and sometimes sting to give someone flashbacks. I am puzzled with the flashbacks for they seem to be an intentional product of the Grievers. If it was intentional, they wouldn't be built with those needles in the first place, right? But if the needles were intentional, then why brainwash everyone? But if the flashback needles were un-intentional, why create the needles and stick them in the Grievers? Ending: GIVE ME MY ANSWERS! I'm feeling a bit cheated right now (even though I know it's a strategy to get me to continue the series.) The Maze Runner gives me these half-answers that don't quite tell me why people would waste so much time and money on such a elaborate maze. Do people have nothing better to do? SPOILER ALERT: So you waste two years conducting this thing when you could just gather them all to work together? Aren't more brains better than a few traumatized ones? (or worse yet, the murderous ones?) Overall, I did like the suspense, the world-building. But I am disappointed that my curiosity wasn't quenched: the answers given just left me with even more questions. I hope I will get some logical answers in the sequel, and all this stuff isn't just introduced for the heck of it.

Andrew Gross threw me on a roller coaster with 15 Seconds, Harlan Coben was not kidding when he said it was a "stay-up-all-night thrill ride." Every time I glanced to the page number, I was another 100 pages in. The suspense glued me to the book (Which I finished in one sitting) until the last page was turned. Gross just knows how to keep his readers excitedly guessing. However, despite how much I was enthralled with the story, there are times when I couldn't suspend my disbelief. Plot: I was disappointed that I already guessed where the story was headed before the first hundred pages and how the characters were tied to each other (though I did expect a more complex plot.) It didn't stop me from wanting to experience the story--but was a slight let-down when the plot wasn't as brilliantly complex as I hoped. I really wanted a mind-blowing plot twist--but everything was resolved too easily before tension can be built. Characters: Henry: The stereotypical nice guy, rich plastic surgeon, and handsome. I pitied him since he gets himself in a mess by seemingly being at the wrong place at the wrong time--but then it turns out he was at the very right place at the right time. He also does hilariously stupid things like attempting to chase a murderer by going crazy on a highway...which only makes him more human. I like him, but I was frustrated at his LUCK: how a nationally wanted serial killer can walk into a prison is beyond me (even if he has a poorly made fake id.) I also thought he got off way too easily; he isn't completely innocent and owed a few apologies. Vance: Former-police officer and crazy murderer. He is adamant on dishing out his own form of justice, justice that can only be served outside of the law. As a former cop, he loses faith in the justice system. He seems like a heartless, rash murderer, but he later proves to be very calculating (I suspect that he might be psychic) and not so heartless towards his daughter. I am surprised he made it that far without being caught by the police, he doesn't seem to be a careful murderer. It's ironic that he feels he ought to be in Heaven, and he wants to become his daughter's Atticus. At times I can sympathize with him, but there's also something very twisted about his logic. It's a pity he never redeems himself. I wish he had a bit more depth, or doubt himself to show a figment of a conscience. Carrie: Mom, phone-answerer (I know there most be a better word for this) for the police department, and one of the few people that trust Henry. Despite not being in the spotlight too often, she is the most "human" one; I find her even more developed than Henry. Her situation is just heart-breaking; I was rooting for her more than Henry. She is the perfect heroine, independent, strong, but still has her vulnerabilities. Somehow Police Officers Are All Jerks I'm starting to wonder one of the themes in 15 Seconds is police officers abusing their power. All of them are portrayed as rash, uncaring people who will "shoot first, ask questions later." In the first half, I sided with Henry and disliked the police officers that were so adamant for his capture, and then they were just a joke in the second half which made the story hard to swallow. You have to wonder just how capable the police are when average Joe can out-run a dozen police officers. I was curious how the police would save their reputation, or if they will continue denying evidence. You can't just declare this an innocent guy a wanted serial killer on national TV, slander him, open fire on him, and be like "oooooops, never mind!" Overall, I enjoyed the novel. It's a spine-chilling thriller that gripped me from page one, but I was left in disbelief, with unanswered questions. The novel was just leaking potential to become a thought-provoking masterpiece, and I'm just a tiny bit saddened that the opportunity wasn't seized. Gripping thriller nonetheless!

Natalie Serber took me by surprise and sent me on a heartfelt journey of family ties in her debut short story collection, Shout Her Lovely Name. Serber’s prose reads like beautiful poetry, inviting the reader to fill in the story with its clues. Through these eleven character-driven, poignant short stories about mothers and their children, Serber displays versatility, humor, and tears. I am fully enamored with her writing, and pleasantly surprised that this is only her debut. Writing Serber experiments with writing structure in her first story about a mother struggling to help her daughter fight an eating disorder while her husband is in denial; it is written almost like an instructional manual combined with a monthly journal. I could imagine a mother documenting her exhausting journey with her anorexic daughter, whom she wants to hold on to. It is one of the brightest highlights, and one that I plan to reread. Ruby and Nora Throughout the book, we also encounter recurring characters, Ruby and her daughter Nora. Ruby is a teacher and single mother, and not the best mother since she often leaves Nora home alone while she seduces men for dates and gifts. Nora admires her mother and we see their relationship grow as she becomes an adult through figments. I liked reading their stories because they are the characters I feel most developed. I found myself reading the other stories slightly faster, just so I can meet Ruby and Nora again. Plus, Ruby is kinda funny�"even when she isn’t sober half the time. “At the stop sign, Ruby tooted her horn, called a final “Bye, Beanie.” Then she turned the wrong way. Nora cried out, “Right, go right!,” but her mother with her terrible sense of direction was gone.” -page 179 of Shout Her Lovely Name (uncorrected proof) Oh, and there’s also this artist who has a crush on Nora and spews nonsense like he is the word’s deepest person. I couldn’t help smiling at his behavior. “And this satire class, it’s so�"lower division. It’s like meta. Self-parody. My next piece is coming from that reductio ad absurdum talk. You know; like the lecture hall and the professorial professor, and you, so coed, and I’m this, like, visionary.” -page 180 of Shout Her Lovely Name (uncorrected proof) Ending Since Shout Her Lovely Name is a collection of stories, it ends with the story Developmental Blah Blah, which I felt was the book’s lowest point. I have to say that this was one of the hardest books for me to finish because Developmental Blah Blah, just felt neverending. Every time I thought the story reaching its denouement I would turn the page to find more and more pages that seem to dwell on the minutiae. The tight, poetic prose I adored in the throughout the book backfired, and I felt the story dragging, pulling my energy down with it. I couldn’t hold my interest in the characters either, forgetting who each one was as soon as they were introduced. Cassie, the mother, sounded like a paranoid train wreck: she feels her husband doesn’t appreciate her, her children are growing up too fast, and she has romantic intentions towards her shrink. Every time I feel like I can grasp Cassie’s character, she loses me on another tangent. Perhaps it was because it was the last story that made me want to race to the end, but I felt Developmental Blah Blah could’ve been better placed towards the beginning; it just ended the novel on a sour note. In many short story collections, the main problems I run into as a reader is the indistinguishable blur of under-developed characters and awkwardly abrupt endings, both of which were (to my pleasure) not found in Serber’s work. In the short span of a chapter, I could feel these characters beside me and their stories flow with every word. Surprisingly, each story seemed to be obliquely tied to next giving the reading an unexpected transition: a story that ended on a mother giving birth would lead to a story about a mother bringing her newborn son on an airplane, and a girl who liked baking in one story would lead to a scene about buying cupcakes in the next. It made me wonder if there was a hidden agenda in story order. Shout Her Lovely Name is one thought-provoking collection filled with complex, yet flawed characters waiting to be understood. It’s a book I will soon be revisiting.

Barry Lyga almost had me in an heart attack with I Hunt Killers--and he didn't even inject me with Drano. The suspense was gripping, and a refreshing (although terrifying) addition to Young Adult horror. Lyga attempts to explore the complexity of serial killers, a teenager trying to find himself, while delivering a thrilling mystery with a huge chunk of suspense thrown in. And also a lot of blood. I'm trembling to read what else Lyga has up his sleeves. Horror/Gore: I've read a review that claimed I Hunt Killers was not suitable for Young Adult because of the gore and rape descriptions. There were a few "horrific" references, but they were so MILD--gleaned over with brevity. Compared to the complex death traps in novels I've read--this is nothing. It's obvious the gore was toned down several notches to fit the YA genre--to the point where I was thinking, "Wait, that's it?!? how is that even considered horrific?" The humor also helped balance out the dark with light, so you will get a few chuckles to relax those tense muscles. Characters: This is where much of the story fell for me. None of the characters were fleshed out for me to relate to them--not even Jasper. Jasper/Jazz: I expected a lot more depth out of him. I wasn't convinced that he was "twisted," rather I kept thinking he wanted to think of himself as twisted to have a pity party. I wanted a big of backstory to how he sorted out his morals anyway; did he wake up one day going like "I had a revelation! My dad is wrong because an angel told me so!"? The first half of the novel was so hard to get through because of this guy moping around going "oh no! I was brainwashed by my dad! I have morbid thoughts, oh no..I could've done all these things to save these people but I didn't. oh no...I'm dangerous..." And when he wasn't moping, he was being a cocky 17-year old with a gigantic ego who thinks he is smarter than the police. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief right off the bat since the idea of a 17 year old being consulted by the police, and leading his own "investigation" was just so absurd. And police officers are oddly all pretty useless (as they generally are in mysteries.) Connie: Jazz's girlfriend. Thank God she is there to slap Jazz back in place. Girl actually has sense. Though I am a bit disappointed that she's black but doesn't display an accent in her speech, making her voice falling flat. Or am I just being stereotypical? Howie: Jasper's best friend, right hand man, and basically comic relief. His presence seems more of hindrance than anything--especially since he is a weakling. However, I would prefer him over Jazz any day for his friendly demeanor. He is always read with a bad joke. He is also surprisingly brave for a 17 year--not many can be within 20 feet of a corpse for friend. Billy/ "Dear Old Dad": The most intriguing character. He might be a serial killer of 124, but he is a whole lot more interesting than Jasper. He is confident about his character, and despite his twisted ways I think he does care for his son--in his own way. Mystery I can't say the reveal was a total surprise. Though I was hoping for someone more unexpected, like Jasper to have some split personality (wishful thinking). Ending The ending left me with a lot of questions, and also opens up plot holes I hope get filled in the sequel. I look forward to seeing how Lyga tackles it! Overall, I Hunt Killers mixed with just the right parts of dark and light, and a novel I won't soon forget. However, the lack of depth in characters and the absurdity of many situations often left me in disbelief and disappointment. I definitely recommend this novel to young horror, suspense lovers--and for the faint-hearted, just be sure to keep the lights on!

Trish is not abusive, and her son, Jack, absolutely adores her. But one day, Child Protective Services are at her door threatening to take her seven-year old Jack out of her custody--not because she hit her children, but because she has too much junk in her house. Trish is a compulsive hoarder; her walls are lined up with columns upon columns of boxes filled with stuff she doesn't even remember. She hasn't seen her dining table in ages, nor the paint on her walls, and her fridge is filled with rotten food. To makes matters worse, the family she has long shunned out of her life comes back to "help" her organize her junk...and her life--whether she likes it or not. Structure: Kristina Riggle's Keepsake mainly alternates between two sisters, Trish and Mary's point of view, with the odd chapters dedicated to Trish, and the evens to Mary. While Trish represents the defensive, troubled hoarder, Mary represents the condescending judgments of someone who just "doesn't get it." Through Mary's eyes, I can feel her disgust, but through Trish, I can also see her intentions. By using alternating viewpoints, Riggle opened my eyes to the inside world of a compulsive hoarder, their conflicts with their family members, and themselves. However, I admit I was confused in the beginning. When I got to the second chapter, and the novel switched to Mary's point of view I thought I was either reading the wrong book, or I was going delusional enough to think I read a chapter of a book. I eventually got the hang of it, by primary associating the hoarding Trish with trash (hey, her name is only a letter off!) Sometimes the story digresses into Frannie's, Trish and Mary's mother, point of view through her teenage diary from the sixties. Frannie is also a hoarder, and is thought to have inspired Trish to be the same. Her diary reveals the secrets that lead to her behavior. When the diary showed up about a third into the book, I was confused. All of a sudden, the story shifted from cleaning (which I admit was getting tedious to read about since it kept dragging on and on), into discovering secrets from the diary. But then the diary entries were sparse, and I practically forgot about it until it was mentioned again in the later chapters. In the end, I am not sure if Frannie's diary played a big role in the story even after knowing its significance...since Frannie was long dead. This confusion between main characters, and the story's focus was one of my biggest qualms about the novel. Pace: I admit there's only so much I can read about cleaning a house before my eyes feel like dropping out of their sockets, the pace dragged along at the cleaning parts. However, despite the slower-than-expected pace, I always wanted to get back to the book to watch the story unravel. And it was one of those books that gets tons better, as the story progresses. I even read the back matter (Acknowledgements, Q & A, etc.) because I wanted to drain as much of the story out as possible. I liked it that much. Characters: From the structure, it is not surprise that the novel is character driven; they are complex, touching characters filled with inner conflicts. I love both sisters, even if they do seem like polar opposites. But both of them are in the forties, and find themselves alone with no friends, and no lovers. Trish (Patricia): She is so defensive, it annoys me at times. "I'm not perfect." is one of her favorite lines, as if imperfection solved everything; it's also how she copes with the disapproval she suffers from the people around her. She isn't just a hoarder, but a shopaholic--I don't even know how in the world she can shop for so much stuff without being in debt. Trish also loves to blame her cluttered house on her job, claiming that she has no time to clean after working...but if she has time to shop, I can't imagine just how tired she is after work. Despite her defensiveness and cluttered house, I admire her for trying to clean up for the sake of her family, even if throwing away her beloved objects pains her deeply. Seriously, throwing away a broken vase is serious business for Trish, she claims she rather jump into a burning house than to throw away her precious treasures. She lives her life surrounded by unfinished projects, stuff she wanted to do...but never found the time to do. You can't help but pity this poor woman. SPOILER ALERT: I was actually kind of happy when her clutter broke her wrist. "FINALLY!" I thought. Mary: Unlike her older sister, Mary is a clean freak, although the novel gleans over Mary's compulsive problems. Mary is literally allergic to Trish's house, the stench, the dust makes gives her hives. Yet, despite her allergies, she tries to help Trish put her life back together. She struggles to see her sister's point of view; the clean freak in her just wants to throw all of Mary's stuff in the dumpster. Despite their disagreements, Mary is the one who reigns in Trish, and chases her down after her crazy run-away-from-everything antics. In many ways, Mary is the more controlled one even though she is said to be the more fragile of the two sisters. Even though she doesn't hoard, Mary isn't as "normal" as she appears, and faces the fear of being alone and unwanted as well. It seems like she has some social problems too, how can you not have made any friends after living for forty years? Frannie (Frances): Trish and Mary's dead mother who was a hoarder. Perhaps it's because she always seemed to be the crazy hoarder lady with cat urine all over her house that I just couldn't like her despite knowing the reasons behind her behavior. Rather than a mother figure, she was just the "cat lady" who was just lucky enough not to have the Humane Society coming after her. Setting: I think this is what had me a bit disappointed. I knew Trish was a hoarder, and her house was a supposed mess. But I don't think I've ever grasped how bad the house really was. Trish was described to be a shopaholic, who left unopened mail around, and had a ton of boxes, but that seemed like the extent of her messed up house (ok, there was the rotten food thing...but that was hidden away in the fridge.) Did she just have boxes, loose papers, and shopping bags around her house? And then she had that room lined up with boxes so tall that concealed the walls...but that just sounds like a warehouse instead of a "mess". She must be pretty organized to put stuff in boxes in the first place. I wish I had a clearer sense of how horrible her house was because I am starting to suspect my definition of a "mess" is very different from society. Personally, I think I fall between Trish and Mary. My room is not the cleanest place, and my closet often looks like a tornado went through it. I absolutely detest laundry, though I don't have much of a choice when I run out of underwear. But I also get nitpicky about hair in bathrooms, which is one of the reasons I dislike public showers at the public pool; just the thought makes me shudder. While Trish opts to store stuff, I just want to dump it. Rather than "clean" a room, which takes thought in organizing, I rather throw stuff away so I don't have to think about it. I am not sure who's lazier, me or Trish. Romance: Keepsake isn't a romance heavy book. Or even a romance light book since the traces of romance were negligible, as if it was sprinkled like confetti lightly throughout the novel. Most of the characters are divorced, or not old enough to get married. While there are traces of romance, it is never solidified. Nobody is jumping into anyone's arms, or kissing anyone until they see stars, but there are all these subtle hints that are just so swoon-worthy. At one point, I put down the book just so I could do a silent girly squeal, which often even a romance novel can get me to do. Ending: I am content with the ending, but it left a few loose ends that are just screaming for a sequel. I absolutely loved how Mary's last chapter wrapped out, it gave me fuzzies warmer than a yellow ducky blanket. This was my first Kristina Riggle novel, and I delved into the novel not knowing what to expect, but I was left pleasantly surprised. I wanted to read the novel because hoarding intrigued me. I watched a few of those hoarding shows on cable television which always left we a bit bewildered that someone who rather spend a thousand dollars renting out storage units to store stuff they probably forgot about anyway. I am convinced my dad is borderline hoarder because is reluctant to throw away stuff. I purposely played one of those hoarder shows when he was in the living room...I don't think he got the hint. Nonetheless, Riggle touched me with her characters, and the subtle humor made me burst out laughing...even if I did feel kind of bad for laughing at someone's problems. I am definitely looking forward to reading what else Kristina has to offer!

Blood Red Road is a breath of fresh air in YA literature. Moira Young's writing style is definitely unique in Blood Red Road as it is written in a terse, phonetic style from the point of view of the protagonist, the fearless 18-year old, Saba. Despite her callous attitude towards--well, pretty much every except her beloved twin brother--Saba comes off as incredibly real. She is far from the perfect hero, and often has selfish intentions, but she is also a force to be reckoned with. Plot: 18-year old Saba lives with her family in the middle of a desert. Her father is convinced he can predict the future from the stars, which Saba's twin brother, Lugh dismisses. One day, Lugh is kidnapped by a group of mysterious men called the Tonton, who work for the king. Her father dies, and she is left with her younger sister, Emmi. She meets a bunch of friends (and a lover) and teams up with them on her dangerous journey to getting her brother back. World-building: As a lover of sci-fi, I was a disappointed with Young's bleak take on the future. It seems like people have regressed: there's no flying cars or high tech computers, instead people have gone back to traveling with horses...and land surfing ships. Somehow, there's a monarchy under the rule of Vicar Pinch, who I still don't know why is so powerful aside from the fact that he is incredibly lucky. He is compared to Louis XIV, the Sun King; but in this day and age, if my king was wearing gigantic robes, tights, and high heels, I doubt I would take him seriously. Maybe the standard of normality has regressed too? Why he hasn't been overthrown by his men is beyond me. Comparisons: As for the comparisons to The Hunger Games, while I see why, I don't think they are similar enough to compare (and I definitely enjoyed The Hunger Games a whole lot more for pace and adventure). I would say Blood Red Road wins for character development. Perhaps it's from Saba's POV that she is the only one which I feel has enough depth. But I look forward to exploring the other characters as the series progresses. I think the only reason why they are being compared is that they are both in the YA genre, feature brave female archers as protagonists in a "dystopian" world, and have cage-fighting? Some have been saying that Blood Red Road is inspired by The Hunger Games--which makes me utterly confused because I did not get a Hunger Games vibe at all. The "dystopian" aspect of Blood Red Road seems a bit downplayed: apparently people are just drugged with "chaal," rendering them into mindless slaves. Which leads me to wonder if the Tonton are drugged too. Writing and Pace: I have no complaints with the pace, Young balances fast and slow at just the right moments so you aren't just bombarded with event after event. I was surprised when months of Saba's cage-fighting was just breezed over. However, Saba's phonetic way of speaking/Young's writing took a long while to get used to and kept distracting me. I had to keep putting the book down in annoyance because of the writing. Even after I finished the novel, I was still annoyed with it, though I do see how it added to Saba's character. It reminded me a bit of how I felt when I read Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn; like Huck, Saba sounds like an under-educated country bumpkin. Which I suppose she must be since she's been living in the middle of a desert for all her life, and the novel must be written this way for Saba to sound like herself. Despite the phonetic style, Young doesn't leave out the embellishments in her writing; the emotions and metaphors are skillfully retained. Surprisngly, I thought I was reading a male writer throughout the novel until I finished the book and flipped back to the front cover. Characters: Saba: Rude and totally unfeminine. She dislikes and often blames her younger sister, Emmi, though she tries to deny it, which oddly make her a lot easier to relate to. With Emmi's stupid, rash, annoying decisions, I can definitely see why Saba constantly wants to leave her behind. At times, I get annoyed with Emmi as well. Young has created a character that may not be the nicest person on the block, but the reader still supports throughout the novel. I enjoyed seeing her grow and gradually become more trusting. Jack: Saba's love interest. I loved how their romance played out, and wasn't abruptly shoved into the reader's faces. Jack is very personable, and in some ways, Saba's polar opposite. But he also treats Saba as an equal, and admires her fierce attitude; he knows Saba is not a damsel in distress. Perhaps it's because they are both strong-willed, brave characters that they can mutually respect one another. He is still very much an enigma though, and I can't wait to uncover his story. Lugh: I dislike him. I know he has golden hair and Saba loves him to pieces, but he comes off as a guy that is a eager to tell everyone else what to do (I might be just put-off since he seems to dislike Jack and Saba's relationship.) think it must be because he needs to be saved that made me question his manliness. And the fact he accepted Tommo (a young, deaf? kid)'s bow in the middle of the fight, leaving Tommo with a slingshot, made me dislike him. Sure, Tommo offered the bow, but any gentleman would not leave a kid to his own defenses with a SLINGSHOT. Emmi: I can see why Saba is eager to ditch this girl. I know she is just a nine-year old kid...but still. She does not know when to be scared, and when to LISTEN TO DIRECTIONS. Final thoughts: I had high hopes since it is supposedly better than The Hunger Games (which I loved to bits), but I can't say it was that amazing. I felt the story was a just too predictable, there was no surprising factor. It was just so easy for Saba. I thought cage-fighting would be exciting, but...there was no challenge for Saba. She instantly became the unbeatable, Angel of Death. It is hard to root for a protagonist so perfect. I wanted more strategy and not just raw power (which is what made The Hunger Games shine miles above Blood Red Road). However, I have to commend Young for creating a array of interesting, brave characters. I am glad she was not afraid to kill off some people, which only made me admire them more. Blood Red Road's sequel is coming in October, but I don't know if I am curious enough to keep reading since everything seemed to be resolved already.

Nick Monday has a special gift: the wonderful ability to steal someone's luck with a touch. You'd think with all that luck at his disposal, he'd be a rich pimp or something. But I suppose he must be naturally unlucky since he keeps getting kidnapped and threatened by the Chinese mafia, a Barry Manilow lookalike, and the mayor's real and fake daughters. Basically, some perverted, lonely, urine-drinking cocky smartass is constantly being kidnapped/threatened for 300+ pages--which might've made a less painful read if he was actually funny. I am still not sure what the point of the story is except a ton of random stuff happening. If there wasn't so many porn references, I would think this was a children's novel because the characters are so painfully boring--especially the villains. Many of the characters come off as either ridiculously cliche. Nick Monday must think he is hilarious, but with every joke he cracks, I wince. With every boob and threesome wish he makes, I want to punch him. Maybe I need to be a guy to get it. After three hundred pages, I still disliked Nick. It's not because of his morals but because he was such a LOSER. And not even the cute dork kind of loser, but the desperate, wimpy kind with zero self-respect (to his credit, he admits to having zero self esteem). A loser who tries too hard to be funny, no wonder he keeps getting beat up. This guy does not know when to shut up. You can hold a gun to his head and he would still be trying to come up with a wisecrack. And his own sister absolutely hates his guts too. I kept trying to find something to make me like this guy...I reckon he would even be more likable as a mass murderer. The novel is written from Nick Monday's point of view...which basically consists of him trying to crack a joke every five seconds--it doesn't work. He doesn't take anything seriously; every event gone through Nick's eyes is like a desperate attempt to impress. I keep thinking if the humor was done with smaller doses sprinkled throughout the novel, it would have kept me from being exhausted. I just couldn't trust Nick, much less relate to him. I really wanted to like the novel, but Lucky Bastard didn't do it for me, or maybe I set my hopes too high after reading that it was supposed to be "more titillating than softcore porn." The humor was too forced for a light read, and the ethical discussions were glazed over when it could've lent itself to a more thoughtful, introspective dimension. However, Lucky Bastard opened my eyes to S.G. Browne's ability to conjure up such intriguing plots. What can possibly be more interesting than a thirty-three year old luck poacher who occasionally drinks his own urine? While I am not a fan of Lucky Bastard, I recently bought a copy of S.G. Browne's Fated because the blurb made the novel sound AMAZING. I hope Fated will make me a fan of Browne.

This was an intense read. The premise itself is compelling: an "invisible" man who goes around observing people. Yes, it sounds like he has some serious issues, but he is also the perfect anti-hero. Even if he is breaking into people's houses, and messing with stranger's minds, he is one intriguing guy--and he knows it well. If that's not enough to keep you flipping those pages, I don't know what will. I picked up this book on a whim since I've read about half of Klosterman's nonfiction book, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto a few years ago (it was a fascinating and humorous, read but I had to return it to the library and haven't gotten back to it since.) Even in novel form, Klosterman still delivers his unique brand of wit and insight. Although I found the novel addicting, I had to keep putting it down to digest what I just read. Pace: Perfect. There's enough explaining going on so you aren't left with a plethora of questions. But not too much scientific talk to make you fall asleep. Klosterman wrote in the perfect failsafe to counter that. Everything that sounds like a hassle to explain (such as the science behind the cloak) is gleaned over with "You won't understand anyway, so I won't even try." Characters: There are only really two characters that show up from beginning to end: the therapist Victoria Vick (aka Vic-Vick) and Y__ (the patient). It is obvious that Victoria is completely unhinged by Y__. Y__ is a genius, but also a egotistical jerk; he talks in a condescending tone, and he often disregards Victoria during their sessions. He knows he what he wants, and he sees through Victoria's intentions to analyze his every action. He is bold, and isn't afraid to "correct" Victoria, as if he turned the tables and he was the actual therapist in the house. He knows he is intelligent and constantly tells Victoria, that she can't possibly understand him--and he is right. Even though I knew this guy was committing a crime by sneaking into people's houses, I liked Y__. Despite his questionable methods, he had a compelling motive: to observe people as they are. According to Y__, only people who live alone are truly themselves, anyone else is constantly presenting "versions" of themselves to others. Reading this made me think about myself, and I wonder what Y__ would think if he saw my "true" self, the me who sings along to embarrassing pop songs and constantly talks to herself in the privacy of my room (I promise I am not insane.) Surprisingly, none of the people Y__ observed talked to themselves...except this one delusional guy. But while Y__'s character is developed, Victoria sounds like a stubborn therapist bent on categorizing Y__. At times, she is a frustrating character who has serious issues of her own. There are times where I had to remind myself that The Visible Man was a work of fiction, that the characters weren't exactly trustworthy either. Y__ is a seeing a shrink, that's a gigantic red flag right there. I kept wondering why I wasn't skeptical of Y__, why wasn't I questioning the validity of this implausible situation like Victoria was, and why did I want to believe everything that spewed from his mouth. In many ways, I saw Y__ as Klosterman's alter-ego, wit, eloquence, attitude and all. And it was irresistible. Ending: There is a naked guy who blindly swings a hammer around. The ending is one of the reasons that made the book excruciating; it was as if Y__ suddenly turned into a different person. He was no long the passive, composed guy I met earlier, but a stalker. A seriously creepy stalker. Imagine Edward-looking-at-Bella-sleep kinda of creepy stalking because hat's exactly what it was. I was often conflicted when I reached the denouement. While I wanted to finish the book to start another novel, I still wanted to devour more of Y__, his personality, his insight, everything. Every time I thought I saw the last of him, there's also a part of me that wanted him to appear again--and he did. At that point I was mad at Klosterman, Y__ was popping in and out of the novel like nobody's business. Although I felt Y__'s appearances a bit creepy, I also wanted him to keep showing up because he was so...interesting. I didn't want to read about Victoria, I wanted Y__. Victoria can just stay in her office. Notable Quotes: I am surprised how quotable this book is, I wish I read it on my Kindle so I could've highlighted him all instead of frantically flipping through the book as I am doing right now. "So Bruce used the Internet to normalize his abnormal existence. As long as Bruce was engaged with his computer, it was not unusual to check and recheck his in-box, or to write and rewrite a single e-mail...One can easily fold obsessive self-absorption into the process of online communicating." "...I think it took a mostly sad man and made him mostly happy. The degree of authenticity doesn't matter. Right?" "She didn't even understand what freedom meant. There are convicted murderers with more freedom than Valerie." "Most of the world is invisible. I wanted to see the visible man. That's what's happening here. That's really all it is." On the back cover, Publishers Weekly calls The Visible Man "[A] tour de force exploration of intimacy and voyeurism...Strikingly original, a vibrant mix of thriller, sci-fi, and literary fiction genres," to which I wholeheartedly agree. Without a doubt, this book will definitely be haunting me for at least a week, while I struggle to grasp the enormity of the situation this book just thrust upon me. If someone took a philosophy textbook and fused it with the entertainment value from a novel, and sprinkled it with wit, humor and attitude The Visible Man would be the result. This book is easy to devour, but it also leaves the reader with much more to ponder about even after the last page is turned. This is extraordinary stuff.

Hilary Duff adds yet another title to her multifaceted resume as she delves into YA writing with her debut novel, Elixir. As a fan of Duff since her Lizzie McQuire days, I had to take a read (I LOVED when I was in third grade, playing her songs every day.) I admit to being a bit hesitant, not sure what to expect as I never thought of her as a writer but a celebrity who spent more time with her career than writing tedious essays. I knew about the book when it was first reached bestseller lists, but I dismissed it as just her name selling the novel rather than her literary merit. Regardless, I am glad I delved into Elixir. The plot sounds like something out of a Disney movie, but with darker undertones. Clea, the protagonist, is a teen freelance photographer blessed with financial and social status. Her father goes missing, and her mother submerges herself in work. Her happy family is broken, leaving Clea with many questions regarding her father’s disappearance. Clea doesn’t care too much about romance (but her best friend, Rayna lives for it) until she gets weird, romantic dreams with a mysterious man: the same man who appearances in her photographs. Then a photo assignment, sends her off to Rio, the place of her father’s disappearance. Clea, desperate for answers, hops on a plane immediately. She bumps into this mysterious man, Sage, find out he is her soulmate along with some dark secrets, and goes from suspecting him to hopelessly in love with him. They have sex in a car. He keeps his distance from her, she breaks down. Along the way she uncovers dark mysteries of her past and her father’s disappearance which are all tied to the coveted Elixir of Life. And her other best friend who is head of heels in love her, Ben, goes along for the ride too; but he ends up to be a harbinger of horrible events (It is clear we are supposed to dislike this poor guy throughout the novel.) Immediately, I started to dissect the novel trying to separate Duff with her collaborator, Elise Allen.The words flow effortlessly through the page. I could tell Duff paid extra attention to her descriptions, unfortunately it was aimed more towards people than setting. Knowing her status as a celebrity and that she travels often, I was expecting vivid descriptions of Clea’s home in Connecticut, the beaches of Rio, and the city lights of Shibuya. However, to my disappointment, there was more description in the Swaronski crystal Hello Kitty mirror she buys in the mall than in whatever country she’s in. I have to applaud the writing in the scene where Clea takes pictures of her room to check if the mystery man will appear. She goes through the pictures on her computer, to find him in the picture of her closet. Read just like a scene of a horror film; I swear a shudder went down my spine. You start to think Clea is an idiot when she trusts this creepy guy. The adventure is there, Clea runs through a forest escaping from creepy guys. At times, it feels like I am thrown into cliche CSI scenes: enlarging pictures that magically turn high-res with zoom, decoding secret codes in a computer, and a password engraved on a watch. These scenes almost made me wince as they just sounded, for lack of a better word, lame. You start to wonder why is it all so easy and why it took less than a handful of pages to “solve” the “elaborate” puzzle her father created involving Shakespeare, a cribbage board, and his watch. The story was captivating: a mystery, with a dash of paranormal, and a gallon of romance (love triangle alert!) thrown in for good measure. The sexual inferences didn’t do it for me, I had to check the age level to make sure this book was not inappropriate. I’ve read teen novels with much more graphic sex scenes, but for a novel aimed at 14 year olds I am starting to wonder if I was just too sheltered. Compared to Ellen Hopkin’s Identical, Elixir’s sexual references are mellow; but what bothered me is they just seemed to be sprinkled in there for the sake of it. The reader is already constantly being told that they are soulmates, we don’t need sex in the car to consummate it. There are many points in the plot that just seems too convenient. Need to travel? No worries, Sage has a black American Express credit card, perfect for booking first class plane tickets. Clea’s mother clearly does not check her daughter’s credit card statements or wonder how her daughter flew home without buying a plane ticket. Need a password to the world’s most precious elixir? No problem, her father is forgetful and scribbles his passwords everywhere, leaving them in the most conspicuous places. Got an ugly 500-year old talking corpse in front of you? No problem, she commits suicide on her own. However, even unlimited credit cards can’t contain all my unanswered questions which I hope will be answered in the sequel. Where did that orchid necklace come from? If Clea is such a wonderful, “professional” photographer, why does she never carry extra lens, light modifiers, filters, model permission slips, or at least a tripod? and Why is Sage in all her pictures just because he is her soulmate? Do soulmates normally appear in pictures of your closet? If Sage has been playing for cribbage for centuries is dead even with Ben and Clea, does it mean the game is too easy, Sage isn’t very smart, or Ben and Clea have past memories of playing the game? Why are those vials empty, do someone drink them and felt compelled to rebury them? What in the world is a small door along with a hidden chamber doing in the Shibuya 109 building, who built it? Why is there a store called The Little Door anyway? The Dark Lady is surprisingly nice, has has weird supernatural powers? Can we just kill Ben? I just picked up its sequel, Devoted, today; despite being awkward at parts, it was an addicting read with s good pace, and intriguing plot. I expect a better sequel from Devoted (and I just want closure.) While the plot seems to be full of holes, Duff has definite storytelling potential Hilary Duff, I think you just made a fan out of me…again. Originally posted on A Novel Toybox, a book blog.

Easily one of the most inspiring books I’ve read this year. Brian Christian brings us into his journey of conquering the Turing Test which is an annual competition between humans and chatbots. Basically, human judges chat with either a chatbot or a human confederate. After five minutes of chatting, they decide if the other party is human. There are two winners, the Most Human Computer and The Most Human Human, The book follows his theories on how to prove his “humanity” along with plethora of intriguing anecdotes and raising an abundance of compelling points regarding the battles between AI and human intelligence. It took me more than a month to finish (because I was bombarded with other things), but the pace is well structured into bite-sized pieces. Christian explores the distillation of language in computers, the shortcuts, and the flaws. Perhaps the largest difference is that language is ephemeral, as soon you think you got it all straight, it starts to evolve and contort itself. Old Meanings fade away while new meanings arise. You have to give it to the chatbots for being impressive. It seems like whatever strategy Reminds me of one of my older sister’s friends who loved to chat with Cleverbot (Cleverbot is a past Turing Test winner.) Cleverbot is actually just a database of past human answers which are fed right back to it’s users. It’s a smart plan, but fails when it comes to having a distinct identity, since Cleverbot is a compilation of answers from a multitude of people of different backgrounds. One moment Cleverbot may be a 16year old kid from Argentina, and the next a forty year old mother of two in Ohio. We fear the intelligence of computers, as if it will attain self consciousness and take over the world. Arguably, computers are similar to humans more than a fax machine or a rice cooker simply because of its seemingly endless possibilities. Christian mentions that we buy computers and figure out what to do with them afterwards. We buy a computer then we use it to do our taxes, hop for a new pair of shoes, or chat with strangers; but seldom would one buy a rice cooker, only to go home and wonder if he should sit on it or throw it at their neighbor’s annoying dog. Humans seem to have the same problem, we aren’t completely sure what we were made to do because we are capable of so much. There’s a paradox to advancing technology, we want to test the limits but we are also fearful that what we discover will uproot our position as the most advanced beings. Christian has created a masterpiece. I admit that while some of the language was hard to grasp (in particular the section on Chess, which I have no experience in), I did not feel it hindered the book. I have to applaud the conclusion, simply because it make me smile. I admit to falling into Christian’s trap (which he mentions) , where I was racing to the end of the book, counting page numbers till I was finished. Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone and everyone. You will think twice about the way you write or talk to your friends. I had to jump on Omegle and Chatroulette in the midst of reading, just to test how “human” I could be. Of course, I was already familiar with those “chat with a strangers” websites, but reading this book makes you more observant of syntax, structure, and what makes humans so…human. Originally posted at A Novel Toybox.