About A Snicker of Magic
Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.
But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck’s about to change. A “word collector,” Felicity sees words everywhere—shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog’s floppy ears—but Midnight Gulch is the first place she’s ever seen the word “home.” And then there’s Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity’s never seen before, words that make Felicity’s heart beat a little faster.
Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she’ll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that’s been cast over the town . . . and her mother’s broken heart.
My Review A Snicker of Magic has been on my to-be-read list for a super long time, and I’m so glad I finally made time to read it. I loved the way the author used words and the description of how Felicity sees them to add to the story. Also loved her friendship with Jonah and the Beedle, who performs anonymous good deeds for others.
Felicity wrestles with her parents’ separation on her own, often feeling like her mom is too sad to approach about her dad’s absence. She worries about her mom a lot and feels torn between her loyalty to her family and her desire to put down roots and have a real friend someplace. Those feelings made it so easy to love her and root for her throughout the story.
Be warned—this story will probably leave you with a fierce craving for ice cream, especially for one of Dr. Zook’s famous ice cream flavors. Yum!
Some elements of A Snicker of Magic reminded me of Be Light Like a Bird in terms of a girl wrestling with family issues and mom with wanderlust who takes on a town crisis.
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Cultural Elements
Characters appear to be white. Jonah is in a motorized wheelchair. The story takes place in a small Tennessee town.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple references to Felicity’s aunt saying some “unsavory words.”
Romance/Sexual Content Felicity’s mom asks if she has a crush on a boy from school. A girl kisses a boy on the cheek.
Spiritual Content In the story, some members of the town once had magic that could do amazing things. One woman could sing up a storm. Another could turn invisible. Some could play music that set the whole town dancing. Two brothers used their magic against each other and left the town cursed. The story follows Felicity’s research into understanding the curse (some characters believe there’s no such thing) and whether it can be broken.
There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.
For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But in the midst of the chaos, Yael’s past and future collide when she comes face to face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths and one question hangs over them all—how far can you go for the ones you love?
My Review
Since Wolf by Wolf was such an amazing novel, I was very curious to see how the sequel compared. Though still being a very engaging book, I found it to be much darker than its predecessor (which is saying something, considering the content and plot of the first). Graphic and disturbing violence–along with more and more deaths–lead me to recommend this book to more mature teens (though those on the sensitive side will want to skip this one).
In the first book, the narrative switched between Yael’s past and present. This style of story telling was a bit confusing at times, and becomes more so in the sequel, as we are no longer firmly rooted in Yael’s point of view. Several of the other main characters share the stage and we witness several scenes from inside their head instead of Yael’s. While I did appreciate getting to learn more about the other characters, I felt like it disconnected the reader from Yael. It was harder to engage with her character in this book than it was in the first.
Something I again appreciated in this book was how the author kept Yael’s humanity intact. Yael experiences horrific things in the course of her journey, and yet still retains her sensitivity and conscience. Yael is not a heartless assassin, as is becoming more common in YA literature. Instead, she is a human being that has lived through and been forced to commit atrocities without letting her light go out. She still has a heart, and that was beautiful–if sometimes painful–to see.
Overall, I’m rating Blood for Blood 4 stars out 5. After reading Wolf by Wolf, I couldn’t wait to see what happened to Yael and her friends as they sifted through the aftermath of the conflict in the first book, and Blood for Blood did a great job of keeping that tension going. However, it contains considerably more graphic/disturbing violence than the first book, causing me to deduct one star from my rating. If you love reading high-stakes action books or thrilling revolution novels, then consider picking up Blood for Blood and its precursor for one wild, heart-breaking story from beginning to end.
Recommended for Ages 16 up.
Cultural Elements The main characters are from Germania. Several characters are of Jewish descent. Some of the side characters are from Soviet Russia. Those of Aryan race (pale skin, blue eyes, blond hair) are given special status under the Third Reich. Non-Aryans are often considered less than human. One mention that the victims of concentration camps include homosexuals.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Frequent cursing in German.
Romance/Sexual Content One kiss, not described in depth.
Spiritual Content One character prays in Yiddish to God. Memories of observing the Passover. Mentions of Norse mythology. God’s name is used for emphasis in phrases (“God knows,” “act of God,” “For God’s sake,” etc). Attempts at remembering how to observe Shabbat and other Jewish practices.
Violent Content Death again plays a big part in this story, and the author doesn’t pull any punches. Another assassination, victims of concentration camps, and other deaths hit close to home for Yael. Disturbing medical procedures are also performed, and their aftereffects are not pleasant. Graphic torture (and mangling of limbs) is also included.
Drug Content Characters use morphine for pain relief. Some characters smoke, though this is presented in a negative light.
About Between the Lies Judith Tremayne is missing. She hasn’t been online, nobody has heard from her. She simply appears to have vanished, until Abbie Knox, a school nobody, receives a message: “I want to come home.” Suddenly everyone knows Abbie’s name. The mean girls and the misfits alike are obsessed with Jude’s disappearance. Abbie finds herself at the centre of a whirlwind of rumours, secrets and lies. Why would popular, fun Jude be messaging loner, loser Abbie? Why would Jude disappear? Can Abbie bring her home? Award-winning author Cathy MacPhail authentically captures the voice and lives of teens — desperate to be seen, bombarded with online harassment yet obsessed with living their lives on social media. This tense thriller is packed with MacPhail’s trademark sharp dialogue and a series of sensational twists.
My Review Between the Lies totally delivered on the promise of sensational twists. At more than one point in the story, I had no idea what would happen next. I’m kind of a sucker for an unreliable narrator, which Abbie absolutely is. I’m not sure how I’d score her in terms of likeability, though. She’s deeply flawed, but she also knows it for the most part, and there was something soft and vulnerable about her despite her scrambling and lying and keeping people at a distance, and I couldn’t help liking her for that vulnerability.
I kept hoping for a bit of romance or at the least the development of an unexpected friendship. Between the Lies really isn’t that kind of story, though. It’s much more psychological and focused on Abbie unraveling the truth surrounding Jude’s disappearance and the strange harassing text messages she receives.
If you’re into psychological mysteries or unreliable narrators, check out Between the Lies. It’s a super quick read—I think I finished it in about two hours—and will keep you guessing even up to the last few pages. Add it to your list if you liked We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, especially that topsy-turvy storytelling feeling.
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Cultural Elements Between the Lies is set in Scotland. No race details about the characters are really given. Abbie’s fourteen at the time of the story.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content At one point Abbie shoves another girl. A girl falls down a flight of stairs. Later we learn someone tripped her on purpose. A girl falls down a hole and sprains her ankle.
A couple other creepy things happen. Classmates learn of Abbie’s fear of clowns, and she ends up spotting a clown following her. Sometimes she’s not sure whether this is in her head or real.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About The Definition of Indefinable Things This heartbreaking, humorous novel is about three teens whose lives intersect in ways they never expected.
Reggie Mason is all too familiar with “the Three Stages of Depression.” She believes she’s unlocked the secret to keeping herself safe: Nobody can hurt you if you never let them in.
Reggie encounters an unexpected challenge to her misanthropy: a Twizzler-chomping, indie film-making narcissist named Snake. Snake’s presence, while reassuring, is not exactly stable—especially since his ex-girlfriend is seven months pregnant. As Reggie falls for Snake, she must decide whether it’s time to rewrite the rules that have defined her.
My Review
Reggie’s a prickly girl, so it took me a little bit to warm up to her. I tend to struggle with those kinds of narrators because I find the sort of determined negativity exhausting. What won me over with Reggie was the hints at her underlying sadness and the quirky, fun banter between her and Snake.
Snake totally seemed like the kind of character author Matthew Quick would come up with, and I really couldn’t help liking him, even though clearly he was working through some big issues and not always making the best choices. I liked that he wanted to do right by his and Carla’s baby, even when he wasn’t sure what that meant for his relationship with Carla.
The story sort of meandered in some places, lingering long on the mystery of what triggered Reggie’s depression, and her fears about a potential relationship with Snake. I loved the moment when she’s able to reach out to him using her own experience with depression. I liked that their relationship never came easily, but that they had to find their own ways to trust and be open with each other.
Books where Christianity or devout Christians are disparaged or portrayed in a negative light tend to be difficult for me as well, not because I think it can’t happen that way, but because I feel like too often that’s the narrative. I can’t help sometimes feeling like we allow a lot more latitude for negative portrayal of Christianity in modern young adult literature than we do other faiths or worldviews, but that’s a whole separate soap box. For Definitions of Indefinable Things, I think while Reggie was pretty tough on her mom and her beliefs, eventually they began to see value in each other’s perspectives and to find ways to express their love for each other without compromising what they believed, which felt real and honorable.
Cultural Elements
Reggie describes Snake as having olive skin and dark, curly hair. He has two moms, one of whom has brown skin. Other characters are white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used moderately frequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing between a boy and girl. References to sex. One character is pregnant.
Spiritual Content Reggie’s mom is a devoted Christian and hopes prayer will heal Reggie’s depression. Reggie internalizes this as pressure to change. Like she’s supposed to magically become the person her mom wants her to be. Reggie herself prays in a couple of desperate situations, but otherwise doesn’t embrace any spirituality. She often disparages her mom’s beliefs.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content
Snake confesses that he slept with a girl at a party where both had been drinking alcohol.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.
Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.
But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?
From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.
My Review
Wow! This book was an incredible look at what the world might have been like had Hitler and Hirohito succeeded in conquering the Eastern Hemisphere. It had a lot of emotional depth while still being full of action. One of the things I appreciate most about this book is that while it didn’t gloss over the horrors of the Holocaust, it didn’t overwhelm the reader with graphic details either. Instead, Wolf by Wolf focused more on how those horrible events affected Yael personally–physically, emotionally, and mentally.
The narrative switches every chapter or so between the present and Yael’s past. While some readers might find this transition distracting, I felt like it was pretty seamless as a whole. I enjoyed learning more about Yael’s backstory and motivation as the story progressed, and this style managed to keep me informed while avoiding any info-dumps.
I loved how sensitive Yael was as a character as well. It’s something you don’t see very often in YA these days, where characters are all too willing to kill and murder “for the greater good.” Instead, Yael felt each death deeply. Even after going through such atrocities, and witnessing the despicable acts committed by the Third Reich, she was not numb to violence. I really appreciated her character in that respect.
My one criticism is that I would have liked to see more of what was going on in the Western Hemisphere (specifically the Americas) during this time. They were only mentioned in passing. Being an American myself, I am very curious to see how the author would have pictured American culture in such a time period. Perhaps in the sequel we will learn more.
I’m rating Wolf by Wolf 5 out of 5 stars. It is such a well-rounded novel, and I highly recommend reading it. Fans of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer who are looking for a revolution story with more of a historical bent will love this book, as will fans of WWII fiction wondering what the world would be like had Fascism won the day.
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Cultural Elements The main characters are from Germania, and some of the secondary characters are from Japan. One main character is of Jewish descent. Some of the side characters are from other cultures (Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Soviet Russian, etc). Those of Aryan race (pale skin, blue eyes, blond hair) are given special status under the Third Reich. Non-Aryans are often considered less than human.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Frequent cursing in German.
Romance/Sexual Content Two kisses, not described in depth. One rumor of an attack, possibly sexual in nature. One older character hints at desire for another, much younger character. Mention of the Lebensborn–the Third Reich’s human breeding program.
Spiritual Content One character prays in Yiddish to God. Memories of observing the Passover. Mentions of Norse mythology. God’s name is used for emphasis in phrases (“God knows,” “act of God,” “For God’s sake,” etc).
Violent Content Many of the racers fight dirty, and attempt to attack, drug, injure/incapacitate other racers. Death plays a big part in this story–an assassination (fairly graphic), deaths in concentration camps, and another racer’s death all affect Yael. Disturbing medical procedures are also performed, and their aftereffects are not pleasant.
Drug Content Characters attempt to drug each other (not lethally.) Some characters smoke, though this is presented in a negative light.
About It Looks Like This
A new state, a new city, a new high school. Mike’s father has already found a new evangelical church for the family to attend, even if Mike and his plainspoken little sister, Toby, don’t want to go. Dad wants Mike to ditch art for sports, to toughen up, but there’s something uneasy behind his demands.
Then Mike meets Sean, the new kid, and “hey” becomes games of basketball, partnering on a French project, hanging out after school. A night at the beach. The fierce colors of sunrise. But Mike’s father is always watching. And so is Victor from school, cell phone in hand.
My Review
I devoured this book in a single sitting. The inside front flap warned me that it would be a heartbreaking read (which meant that before I started, I flipped to the back and read the last chapter, because I’m a total pansy for this stuff, and I need some warning if an author is going to make me fall head over heels for someone and then suddenly/tragically kill them off.) Spoiler: it’s a heartbreaking read. More spoiler: but it’s also got a huge amount of justice in its conclusion.
Emotionally, I feel like to call this one a roller coaster doesn’t even cover it. Someone once described my review content notes as “potential triggers” for readers, a sentiment that I really like, and reading this book made me realize I have a lot of my own triggers that don’t always make it into the list below (and don’t always need to).
I felt a connection with the kind of community where Mike lived in Virginia. It reminded me of my own small southern town, and even though my experience growing up in church felt very different than what Mike experienced, it made me revisit those days and think about the friends I had who struggled to make the same kind of spiritual connection and felt like outsiders in the midst of those services and events. I don’t think I was really sympathetic or aware of what they were experiencing, to be honest, and I hate that, but I feel like it’s important to realize it now, so I can behave differently.
Mike’s dad puts a lot of pressure on him to act in certain ways—it’s clear he’s very concerned about his son’s interests and masculinity, and Mike tries like crazy to please his dad. When his dad finds out that Mike’s been in a relationship with another boy, he sends Mike to InnerPeace, a Christian camp for teens who’ve had gay urges or experiences.
So, conversion therapy.
We see, from Mike’s point-of-view, what this is like and how much more pressure it is, how ineffective it is in terms of changing his feelings, how damaging it could be if he stayed there. Mike’s friend’s mom harshly criticizes his parents for sending Mike there and for their feelings of shame about their son.
On the one hand, the story doesn’t shy away from strong statements and some preachiness. On the other hand, it’s Mike’s internal experience which makes those moments powerful and meaningful. I also really liked the emphasis on Mike’s artistic ability and the way he used art to convey what was meaningful to him, things he struggled to put into words.
I talked about the story having a lot of justice in its conclusion. It’s not a perfect ending. Remember: heartbreak. But in other ways, things go very right. Mike’s mom, who spends much of the story being a bit of a doormat, becomes Mike’s advocate and strongly supports him. He gets good counsel from a therapist, which motivates him to challenge the people who’d been crushing him. A bully who’d been picking on Mike apologizes and seems deeply genuine.
I wish It Looks Like This didn’t have the graphic sexual content and the depiction of kids drinking alcohol that it does. I know, kids do it, even as young as Mike is (he’s fourteen for most of the story). But I find content like that narrows the audience a bit and makes it harder to recommend the story, especially to younger readers. The emotional journey is incredibly compelling, and the characters realistic and moving.
Be warned– the story doesn’t use a lot of quotation marks for dialogue. It’s a style thing, but it seemed to bother some of the other reviewers I’ve seen who posted about this book. I didn’t find it bothersome, but I know some people do.
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Cultural Elements
Sean’s mom is black and his dad is white. Mike’s other friends are white. He describes Victor as naturally tanned. Mike and Sean are both gay.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Mike is keenly aware of his proximity to Sean, and doesn’t at first recognize his feelings for attraction. In one scene, Mike draws Sean, and becomes embarrassed when Sean makes a joke about how he should have posed nude. The boys swim naked in the ocean. In a couple of scenes, they kiss and touch each other. In one scene, one of Mike’s friends confesses that he looks at porn, though he believes it’s a sin and doesn’t want to do it. Later, he shows Mike a couple pages of a magazine he’s hiding in his room, showing a man and woman having sex.
Spiritual Content Mike’s family attends church regularly. His parents seem pretty committed and like it’s a meaningful experience, though it’s hard to say whether Mike’s dad is more concerned about himself and his family having a good appearance in the church community. Mike and his sister hate going.
When Mike’s parents realize he’s gay, they send him to a Christian camp to deal with his feelings. It’s clear the goal of the camp is for Mike to come home straight. There are a couple of preachy moments where others at camp recite information or reasons against homosexual behavior. For Mike, the experience feels much less about any sort of spirituality and more about pleasing those in authority around him, the same issue he faces at home.
Violent Content Mike and his friends play Halo together. There are some descriptions of players killing other players. A boy at school repeatedly slams his shoulder into Mike as he walks past. A man punches a teenager and drags him away. One of Mike’s friends tells Mike he punched the boy who was bullying him.
Drug Content
Sean offers Mike beer, and they drink together at his house. Later they drink some wine together. See spoilers below for other information.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
SPOILER
A local boy is killed in a drunk driving accident after he drinks eight beers and gets behind the wheel of his car.
