Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Song of the Current by Sarah TolcserSong of the Current
Sarah Tolcser
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published June 6, 2017

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About Song of the Current
Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will.

Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.

My Review
The writing in this story hooked me right from page one. I fell instantly in love with Caro and ached with her over her fears about being overlooked by the god of the river. Her unexpected passenger made me laugh (though he mostly made Caro roll her eyes), and I spent pages and pages eagerly hoping for more than just angry sparks between them. Even the minor characters seemed to pop right off the page.

I loved the story world, too. It reminded me a little bit of The African Queen (the movie with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn where they run a dangerous course down the river to escape the Nazis) but with a fantasy spin and gender roles reversed.

The plot started off strong and only got better. Every time I thought the stakes couldn’t possibly get higher, Tolcser proved me wrong by adding some new twist.

The only hiccup for me was the way romance is portrayed in the story. It’s not that I don’t believe casual relationships or unconventional relationships exist. I guess I find them unsatisfying to read about. I’m a sucker for a true love tale, and I can’t seem to help it.

Overall, though, this is a great summer read for fantasy lovers looking for a sailing adventure. (Trish Doller, all the sailing references made me think of you and our conversation at ApollyCon! I’m still hoping to see your sailing novel in print one day!)

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Caro is of mixed race, with bronze skin and fiery red hair, an unusual combination. Her sailing companion is one of the Frogmen, a race said to be part river god, part human. She has large eyes and a wide, frog-like mouth as well as green skin. Some cultures treat Frogmen as slaves. Caro and her family consider them equals.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some kissing. Late in the story, Caro takes a lover (a young man) to bed with her. They begin undressing each other, and it’s implied they have sex. She makes it clear she’s comfortable with a casual relationship and doesn’t want to commit to any future with him.

Spiritual Content
Lots of references to various gods and their roles in human life. Caro’s family has had a long relationship with the god under the river, who speaks to them in small things. Caro has been waiting for a connection with the god for her whole life. Other gods exist as well, some more powerful or capricious than others.

Violent Content
A group of soldiers beat a young man. References to torture (Caro doesn’t witness it.) Battles between Caro’s allies and enemies. Not a lot of gore, though.

Drug Content
Caro and her companion drink wine and liquor.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber

Book Review and Content, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow
Mary Weber
Thomas Nelson
Published on June 6th, 2017

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About The Evaporation of Sofi Snow
Ever since the Delonese ice-planet arrived eleven years ago, Sofi’s dreams have been vivid. Alien. In a system where Earth’s corporations rule in place of governments and the humanoid race orbiting the moon are allies, her only constant has been her younger brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, Sofi battles behind the scenes of Earth’s Fantasy Fighting arena where Shilo is forced to compete in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb takes out a quarter of the arena, Sofi’s the only one who believes Shilo survived. She has dreams of him. And she’s convinced he’s been taken to the ice-planet.

Except no one but ambassadors are allowed there.

For Miguel, Earth’s charming young playboy, the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets and seduction. Until the Fantasy Fight’s bomb goes off. Now the tables have turned and he’s a target for blackmail. The game is simple: Help the blackmailers, or lose more than anyone can fathom, or Earth can afford.

Gabrielle’s Review
I was very curious about this book when I saw the title. Though I don’t normally read a lot of sci-fi, I was intrigued by the summary and decided to give this one a try. While I did find it interesting, it didn’t grip me as much as I would have hoped. Also, the book itself ends in a major cliffhanger, so the story feels very much unfinished.

I enjoyed how the author chose to write the future world—with old fashions being recycled, celebs out to cause mischief and gossip, and people constantly searching for the next greatest thing, whether that be the latest wonder drug or a new Hunger Games-style arena fight. It felt very real, and—what was scary—not too far from our own modern world.

In this book, (minor spoiler) the author decided to take on the issue of human trafficking. This is not an easy subject, and makes the book quite a bit heavier than it might have been otherwise. What the author was trying to get across (other than how horrific human trafficking is) wasn’t entirely clear. (end minor spoiler) I’m hoping that I’ll see more of the plot and some of the themes in this book resolved in the next book.

Overall, I’d rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. While The Evaporation of Sofi Snow is unique in its plot, and bold in approaching some heavy topics, it lacks any sense of resolution or completeness, leaving the reader wondering if the characters have any hope at all in their very broken world. This book will appeal most to fans of The Hunger Games and other similar dystopian/sci-fi books.

Recommended for Ages 14 and up

Cultural Elements
Miguel is Hispanic. Sofi has Cherokee heritage.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Barely any—a few “What the—” and “WTF” thrown in.

Romance/Sexual Content
Miguel is described as being a player, and it is mentioned that he has slept with many different women. (Part of the back story is that he almost took Sofi’s innocence, but refrained.) Miguel and Sofi strongly desire each other, and remember “the feel of each other’s skin, and lips,” etc. The story features the issue of human trafficking, and hints at sex trafficking as well. Sofi undresses in front of Heller, and later in front of Miguel. It is clear this affects them both, though that was not her intention. Heller is obsessively infatuated with Sofi, and goes to great lengths to “protect” her.

Spiritual Content
The Delonese chant their strange philosophy in a ritual, but it doesn’t seem directed towards a deity. Instead, it seems to glorify their race and technological advances.

Violent Content
The book starts off at the FanFight games, which is a blend between virtual reality and reality. Some of the arena elements attack/harm the players, and some of the injuries are fairly graphic. A violent explosion later takes the lives of many of the players and participants, but no details are given. There are also some minor injuries and a few deaths towards the middle of the book, but these are non-graphic. Towards the end however, a flashback Sofi has of the Delonese prepping her and some other kids for a medical procedure is very graphic and somewhat disturbing.

Drug Content
Some mention of wonder drugs (mostly in a medical context). Miguel serves alcohol at his party to “loosen tongues.”

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Breaking by Danielle Rollins

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Breaking
Danielle Rollins
Bloomsbury
Published June 6, 2017

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About Breaking

Charlotte has always felt ordinary compared to her two best friends at the prestigious Weston Preparatory Institute. Not enigmatic and daring like Ariel or beautiful and brilliant like Devon, Charlotte has never quite met the standards of the school—or those of her demanding mother. But with Ariel and Devon by her side, none of that mattered. They became the family she never had.

Until the unthinkable happens—Ariel dies by suicide. And less than a month later, so does Devon.

Everyone accepts the suicides as tragic coincidences, but Charlotte refuses to believe that. And when she finds mysterious clues left behind by Ariel, Charlotte is thrust down a path that leads to a dangerous secret about Weston Prep. There’s a reason Weston students are so exceptional, and the people responsible are willing to kill to protect the truth…

My Review

The opening chapters of Breaking confused me a little bit because it starts with a far-off memory and zooms into the present. At first I thought Ariel and Devon were Charlotte’s imaginary friends (which is totally my mistake. I don’t know why I thought that.) and I kept getting confused by references about them until I figured it out.

Then I found the plot and the visceral writing style drew me straight into the story. I liked Charlotte from the beginning, and found it easy to root for her. The plot has this tense, desperate sense to it. I’m not usually a big reader of suspense, but I really got into this.

The most difficult thing about the book, for me, was the amount of violence in the story. It definitely relates to the plot. There are definitely things that happen which Charlotte herself condemns. In one part, though, revenge seems to trump everything else. I wasn’t crazy about that.

The ending leaves room for an additional story, but it could be that it’s simply meant to have an open ending. There is another book in the series which came out last year called Burning and seems to be about an event referenced in Breaking but features entirely different characters.

If you like dark superhero origin type stories, Breaking might be perfect for you. Read on to see possible content triggers and other information.

Content

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Devon is black. Zoe is Asian and French.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Ariel speculates about a teacher’s genitalia in a brief comment. The girls bought sexy underwear earlier, planning to save it for when they decide to have sex with their boyfriends. Charlotte describes a lot of desire and arousal in her feelings for Jack. Several scenes feature her fantasizing about being with him (in mostly general not specific terms). Her feelings do factor into the plot, though. At one point a shift in her relationship with Jack makes Charlotte suspect that something big is wrong.

The story features some intense kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Charlotte tells us that Ariel’s mom is a devout Christian.

Violent Content
Here’s where the big guns come out.

Overdose death. Drowning death. We see Charlotte wrestle with discovering both these situations. Fire kills animals in a shelter. Fire kills inmates in a detention center—we learn about both of those secondhand. Casual references to bullying. Eventually we learn that one of Charlotte’s friends broke another girl’s arm as part of a bullying incident.

As the story progresses, the references to violence become darker. At one point, a girl threatens the life of a tiny kitten. Charlotte causes a car accident which injures a man. Later, Charlotte finds the dead body of a security guard moments after his throat has been cut. She finds another suicide victim. She witnesses a woman being burned alive from the inside—that description in particular was pretty graphic.

Drug Content
Charlotte remembers her friend Devon encouraging her to try one of the pills in her mom’s purse. She remembers drinking alcohol with her friends in several scenes. Charlotte drinks alcohol alone in her room and at a party. At one point she drinks a bottle of unknown liquid, something she suspects might be GHB, planted by her friend Ariel.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Wonder of Us by Kim Culbertson

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Wonder of Us
Kim Culbertson
Point
Published April 25, 2017

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About The Wonder of Us
Riya moved to Berlin, Germany, with her family for junior year, while Abby stayed behind in their small California town. They thought it would be easy to keep up their friendship—it’s only a year and they’ve been best friends since preschool. But instead, they ended up fighting and not being there for the other. So Riya proposes an epic adventure to fix their friendship. Two weeks, six countries, unimaginable fun. But two small catches:

They haven’t talked in weeks.

They’ve both been keeping secrets.

Can Riya and Abby find their way back to each other among lush countrysides and dazzling cities, or does growing up mean growing apart?

My Review
I worried that this story would be too light and cheesy for my taste, but I was so wrong. I loved the way the story of Riya and Abby’s friendship develops and unravels and their scrambling attempts to fix things. Though the girls are in late high school, the story is clean and sweet, definitely something to consider for younger teens just beginning their foray into young adult literature. Might be a good fit for someone who enjoyed the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Sarah Dessen’s books.

The setting rotates through major European cities, which was another really fun element. I liked that both girls had such different personalities that they experienced the cities in different ways and valued different things about them. Those differences made it easy to see why their friendship was a challenge but also why it had been so rewarding to them.

The one element I struggled with was Abby’s relationship with her mom, who had recently divorced her dad. Abby clearly blames her mom and doesn’t find a lot of resolution in her relationship through the story. While I know that wasn’t the point of the book, I would have liked to see at least a little bit of hope there or a broadening in Abby’s understanding of her mom’s decisions.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed the story a lot and think it’s a great summer read.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Riya and her cousin Neel are Indian. Abby is white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple brief instances of British profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
A few brief kisses.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Neel and his friend order beer (they’re of age to drink). Riya and Abby go to some teen clubs where they drink soda.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity
Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers
Published November 8, 2016

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About Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity

The last time Jess saw her father, she was a boy named Jeremy. Now she’s a high school graduate, soon to be on her way to art school. But first, Jess has some unfinished business with her dad. So she’s driving halfway across the country to his wedding. He happens to be marrying her mom’s ex-best friend. It’s not like Jess wasn’t invited; she was. She just told them she wasn’t coming. Surprise!

Luckily, Jess isn’t making this trip alone. Her best friend, Christophe—nicknamed Chunk—is joining her. Chunk has always been there for Jess, and he’s been especially supportive of her transition, which has recently been jump-started with hormone therapy.

Along the way from California to Chicago, Jess and Chunk will visit roadside attractions, make a new friend or two, and learn a few things about themselves—and each other—that call their true feelings about their relationship into question.

My Review

My favorite part of the story was the relationship between Jess and Chunk. They had a lot of shared rituals and games—from the use of the term Black Hole to indicate a topic that must immediately be dropped, to a back-and-forth exchange of synonyms as a game.

I loved the way the author juxtaposed Jess’s insecurities about her body during her transition and Chunk’s insecurities about his weight. I felt like Jess’s experience was really easy to understand and empathize with, but she’s also a flawed character. Her self-focused thoughts and obsession over her feelings about her transition leave her blinded to the feelings of others. At first, this causes a lot of friction, but Jess does begin to recognize how cruel or thoughtless she’s been to others. There’s a lot of hope to be found here, and a lot of heart, too.

While Jess’s mom is extremely supportive of her transition, her dad withdraws and struggles much more overtly with Jess’s identity. Showing Jess’s dad’s reaction and also her feelings about his words added a much greater understanding and level of empathy to the story, because we saw not only her dad’s genuine struggle to understand why this was happening and the way his struggle made Jess feel rejected and unloved.

Overall, Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity is an emotional journey wrapped in a road trip and packed with all the stuff best friendships are made of and even a little romance. Fans of John Green and Emil Ostrovski will enjoy the quirky, deep friendships.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Jess is a transgender girl who has recently started hormone therapy as part of her transition. Another character comes out as pansexual, meaning he is attracted to others of any gender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
One kiss between Jess and a boy. Jess also talks about her journey realizing she’s transgender as opposed to previously believing she was gay. At one point she briefly mentions one key moment was in paying attention to what she fantasized about—touching rather than being touched. It’s brief and only about as explicit as I just was.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Jess worries about her safety as she and Chunk travel through from California to Chicago, through some areas known to be unfriendly toward transgender people. At one point she hears a story about someone who was attacked.

Drug Content
At one point Jess drinks beer with friends she makes on the road trip.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

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One of Us Is Lying
Karen McManus
Delacorte Press
Published May 30, 2017

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About One of Us Is Lying

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

My Review for One of Us is Lying

This is definitely the kind of story that keeps you turning pages late into the night. Every chapter hints at and slowly reveals new secrets that change what you know about each character in the room with Simon when he dies.

I liked that each character had a lot more going on than it originally appeared, and each is a lot deeper than her classmates initially perceive her to be. I liked each of the characters a lot, especially as I got to know them.

Throughout the story, important clues come from surprising places, which again kept me guessing. There was a point at which I thought I had the plot figured out and was pretty close. Honestly, by then, I was so invested in the story and so curious as to what would happen to the truly innocent parties, that I didn’t care if I turned out to be right.

If you’re a fan of the cult classic The Breakfast Club or murder mysteries in general, you need to add this one to your summer reading list. If you’re like me, once you read the first chapter, you won’t be able to put it down.

The series continues with One of Us Is Next, out in early 2022.

Content Notes for One of Us is Lying

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Bronwyn and her sister are half-Latino. One character comes out as gay midway through the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Addy’s mother teaches her that the only way to keep a man is to keep him sexually satisfied. She and her boyfriend make out on her bed, and it’s clear she means to have sex with him. Through the course of the story, she begins to question her mom’s advice and eventually decides to take a break from dating and be herself.

Some kisses are exchanged between boy and girl or between two boys.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A boy goes into anaphylactic shock and dies.

Drug Content
Nate sells drugs to pay the bills his father ignores. After Simon’s death, he stops, knowing the police investigation puts him at too great a risk of getting caught. Eventually he finds other reasons not to pick the habit up again.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of ONE OF US IS LYING in exchange for my honest review.

Read the Next Book in the Series

One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller everyone is talking about, One of Us Is Lying! There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules.

Bronwyn’s younger sister, Maeve, and her best friend/ex-boyfriend, Knox, and their friend Phoebe become targets of the next gossip attack. Appearances from the original Bayview Four.