Category Archives: By Genre

Review: Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin

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

tell-me-something-realTell Me Something Real
Calla Devlin
Simon & Schuster / Atheneum

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Her mother’s cancer dominates Vanessa’s life. Alternative treatments in Mexico are the only hope for her mom, whose cancer is terminal. While Vanessa tries to anticipate her mother’s every need and keep her sisters (foul-mouthed Adrienne and saint-obsessed Marie) together, she also dreams of a day when she can pursue her own dreams. She pours out her grief in her music and counts the days until she’ll hear back from music schools about applications she’s secretly sent out.

Then two new members join Vanessa’s family group—a boy whose cancer is in remission and his overprotective mother. As Vanessa and Caleb begin to fall in love, a terrible betrayal rips her family apart. Vanessa and her sisters must sift the wreckage for the truth and discover how to heal.

I started reading this book feeling a little anxious about the whole betrayal aspect. It’s always a gamble, right? You don’t want the character you fall in love with to be the guy who suddenly turns out to be the villain. So it’s a risky thing to read a book where you know something like this will happen and it’s going to be REALLY BAD.

That said, I felt like Devlin handled the betrayal part with real care and power. I was shocked by what happened (I had a short list of things I imagined the betrayal might be, and it turned out to be none of the things on my list) and definitely identified with the girls as they scrambled to piece together their own feelings and care for one another. I liked all three of the sisters. Marie’s obsession with saints fascinated me, especially juxtaposed against her relationship with her mom.

I loved that there are honorable adults in the story. Not all of them are honorable, but as the girls endure this betrayal, it shakes their faith in who the good guys are and who they can trust, especially where adults are concerned. I liked that as I looked around at the cast of characters, there were respect-worthy role models there for the girls to fall back on. We all need that. We all need mentors who’ve gone before us who can encourage us to keep seeking the truth and moving forward. So that really resonated with me.

Just before this book I read One Paris Summer which also features a young talented pianist. It was interesting reading each character’s different reactions to the same composers (some I was familiar with and some I wasn’t) and why certain pieces were significant to them. Both girls found music to be a way to express their grief and strong feelings about the changes in their lives. They’re very different stories, but I felt like both did justice to the healing power of music.

This book is darker than One Paris Summer, but has some real thought-provoking ideas in it. See the content description below to decide whether this book is a good fit for you or your readers.

Cultural Elements

Vanessa and her sisters drive with their mother across the Mexican border to receive cancer treatment that’s illegal in the United States. A nurse named Lupe takes care of Vanessa’s mom, and a cook named Rico dotes on the girls. The major characters are white, middle-class Americans.

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

Romance/Sexual Content
Vanessa states that Adrienne and her boyfriend have been sleeping together for a year. Vanessa herself is a virgin, but when she begins seeing her first boyfriend, she feels this might change. She exchanges kisses with him, and at one point he reaches under her shirt/bra. At one point Adrienne makes posters sexually denigrating to her ex-boyfriend.

Spiritual Content
Marie idolizes saints listed in a book. She quotes them and collects cards with the saints pictured on them. She especially loves the young virgin girls murdered for their strong faith, like Joan of Arc. At one point the family decides a Catholic school may be the best place for Marie because she’ll receive some understanding for her love of saints while also having the structure she desperately needs to survive the tumult at home.

Violent Content
Mild violence. Adrienne has some angry outbursts. One of the girls remembers her mother slapping a nurse and becoming agitated when a doctor tries to draw blood for tests.

Drug Content
Vanessa’s mother receives alternative treatment in Mexico considered by US doctors to be harmful, even toxic. Caleb believes the treatment is harmful and wants to discontinue it, but at seventeen, he doesn’t have the right to refuse treatment his mom requires him to have.

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

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Review: One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank

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

One Paris Summer
Denise Grover Swank
Blink / Zondervan

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Anyone would be thrilled to spend the summer in Paris, but Sophie dreads it. Meeting her dad’s new wife and stepdaughter? Leaving her friends behind in the States? Not fun at all. When Sophie arrives, things only get worse. Her dad promised her a piano but never follows through. Her stepsister Camille torments her constantly, and even recruits her friends to help make Sophie miserable. Then one of Camille’s friends reaches out to Sophie. His charm and sweetness are the lifeline Sophie needs to get her through the difficult summer. The two grow closer, but if Camille finds out, she’ll do everything within her power to ruin Sophie’s happiness.

The French setting definitely won me over in this book. I loved the way Swank described different places and streets, cafes and apartments. The relationship between Sophie and her brother Eric added a lot to the story, too. I liked that while at home they were more like rivals, once they arrived in Paris, they became each other’s number one ally. It was sweet and definitely felt real to me.

For the most part, I liked the plot. There were a couple of moments that made me pause. One was when a stranger approaches Sophie outside a restaurant. For a girl who panicked about being alone in a foreign country earlier, she is remarkably unguarded when a strange man strikes up a conversation with her. Later on, a boy lies about his relationship with Sophie, and I just didn’t buy the idea that he’d tell such a farfetched story. I didn’t feel like he had enough motivation to do it, so I didn’t buy in. Which made the ending sort of unravel for me.

I loved the scenes in which Sophie plays the piano. Her music definitely felt like a real, emotional part of her life. I often found myself pulled into her playing and wanting to look up the composers and pieces she practiced.

Cultural Elements
Culture clash occurs between Americans Sophie and her brother and their French step-sister and her friends in Paris. Most of the story takes place in Paris.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
References to swearing, but no cursing appears in the text.

Romance/Sexual Content
Sophie and a boyfriend exchange kisses. She learns about her stepsister sleeping with boys, but doesn’t personally witness any of her behavior other than kissing. At one point she discusses the difference between American dating and French relationships, and mentions that the French are more free about sex. Her French companion disagrees, pointing out that in France, there may be less judgement or shame about sex, but most people only engage when they love each other.

Spiritual Content
Sophie’s parents have a civil ceremony to legally wed and then a separate church ceremony. She’s told that many Catholics prefer the religious ceremony.

Blink is an imprint of Zondervan in which stories do not contain overt Christian themes.

Violent Content
An unknown thief pickpockets Sophie on a subway. A boy handles her roughly, leaving a bruise on her wrist. A boy kisses her when she didn’t expect, and she doesn’t want him to. She’s able to stop him pretty quickly. A boy claims he’s been having sex with her every day, which isn’t true.

Drug Content
At Sophie’s Dad and stepmom’s wedding, all guests except the youngest children share in a champagne toast to the couple. At a Bastille day picnic, Sophie and her friends drink alcohol. She only sips a tiny amount and doesn’t like it. Later, her brother drinks a bottle of cheap wine and ends up sick.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: First & Then by Emma Mills

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

First & Then
Emma Mills
Henry Holt & Co.

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With college application deadlines fast-approaching, Devon is under pressure to be her most extraordinary self. The problem? How would Jane Austen say this? She’s remarkably uninteresting. Devon has never minded the sidelines. Especially when her best friend Cas and secret love takes the football field. When her socially awkward cousin Foster moves in with Devon’s family, his presence changes everything, bringing the local unapproachable football star, Ezra, into Devon’s path. Like, almost constantly. Ezra’s new closeness seems to stir some jealous feelings in Cas, and at first Devon thinks this might be the moment in which he discovers his deep love for her. But as she gets to know Ezra better, she starts to wonder if it really is Cas she wants.

I have to be honest. If you had asked me if I’d like to read a book equal parts football and Jane Austen, I would have looked at you as if you’d just asked whether I’d like ice cream on my nachos. Um, what? No. Just no.

But.

I think this really worked. It had a lot more profanity than I was expecting and felt was necessary, but I did enjoy the way Devon kept this inner monologue of Jane Austen describing her modern life. I liked that it celebrated Austen without making the story a straight-up retelling of a familiar tale or something like that. I also enjoyed Foster’s rambling monologues and totally inappropriate questions. I laughed out loud at some moments.

As far as the plot goes, there were definitely some unexpected twists and turns. I liked that, in keeping with true Austen tradition, this isn’t a story with explicit sex. Devon’s on a quest for love, and while she recognizes that sex is out there, she’s not eager for it for its own sake.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
One of Devon’s high school friends is pregnant. There’s not much discussion about who she’s been involved with or anything like that. Devon laments her lack of sexual experience. As a senior in high school, she’s never even been kissed, and she hasn’t dated since eighth grade. There are a couple of scenes in which kids are described as making out or kissing. Devon knows that some of her friends are sexually active, but they don’t talk about it explicitly.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Devon’s cousin joins the football team, and she witnesses some practices and games. One player is tackled and suffers a concussion. He is rushed to the hospital. One boy shoves another boy’s head under water repeatedly in a swimming pool. It’s clearly a threat and not a joke.

Drug Content
Devon attends parties where teens are drinking alcohol. She doesn’t enjoy the parties and often doesn’t stay late. Her cousin and another friend each throw parties without any alcohol which are still well-attended, though some guests show up drunk already or plan to leave for other parties in order to get drunk.

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

 

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Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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

Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
Bloomsbury USA Children’s

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The royal prince offers an imprisoned assassin the one thing she wants most—freedom—at a heavy cost. She must compete for the honor of serving the king who imprisoned her as his champion. At first Celaena is only determined to bide her time until she can escape. The competition begins with a chilling event. Competitors are found murdered, their bodies mutilated. Celaena fears the murders may be tied to dark rituals, but no one else will believe her. As she investigates further, she finds herself caught deeper in a web that would keep her from running away. As romance blooms between Celaena and the prince, she begins to realize she doesn’t want to run. She might have a chance at freedom and the possibility of a life wholly her own. But only if she can win the contest and stop the killer before she becomes his next victim.

This is the first novel by Sarah J. Maas that I’ve read. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this novel. I like the idea of a young girl as a famous assassin in a country where almost no one really believes it. She’s so young and it’s so unexpected. I guess I had a hard time really buying into the idea that she’s that good and yet the king welcomes her to the palace, totally within reach of everyone who has made the last year of her life completely miserable. It seemed like a really big risk. But I was willing to overlook that because other parts of the story sounded really intriguing.

I liked Celaena’s friendships with the Princess Nehemia and with the captain of the guard, Chaol Westfall. I think he actually might have been my favorite character. Prince Dorian was hit and miss with me, though. Sometimes I liked him a lot, and other times he felt inconsistent to me. One moment, he acted sort of the cliché misunderstood prince. In other scenes, he seemed confident, comfortable in his role, so I couldn’t always reconcile those differences.

The competition itself felt a little bit choppy, though sometimes that’s because other more important parts of the story overshadowed the competition. I guess I wanted that part to feel more like those scenes from The Hunger Games when the tributes are practicing and then performing for the game makers, and this didn’t have that same power. But in fairness, it also didn’t have the same weight to the story as the larger conflict emerged and becoming the champion became a less important goal.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. There are more than enough potential conflicts introduced throughout the entire novel to interest readers in subsequent books. Readers who liked The Red Queen  by Victoria Aveyard and Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch will probably also like this book.

Cultural Elements
An oppressive king rules multiple peoples, and some struggle to organize a revolution. The cultural or racial differences between each group are vague, but the story world does give the indication that each group have cultures and customs. Celaena respects others, and often wonders what it’s like for people like Nehemia and Chaol, who have loyalty to family and homes oppressed by the king.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Captain Westfall worries that Prince Dorian will attempt to seduce Celaena. He references the prince’s reputation for such behavior, and Dorian himself makes a couple of vague comments. A young woman has come to the court by promising an unappealing older man that she’ll marry him. She secretly hopes to secure Prince Dorian’s affections instead, and dreads and worries about the man she promised herself to making romantic advances. A man and woman kiss several times, once lying in her bed, clothed.

Spiritual Content
The king outlawed magic and its use long ago. Celaena discovers evidence of dark rituals and demonic creatures. The spirit of a queen long dead offers aid and protection to a warrior.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
A young woman smokes opium. A team of warriors must identify wine laced with poisons.

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Review: Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Be Light Like a Bird
Monika Schröder
Capstone Young Readers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After Wren’s father unexpectedly dies, her mother rips her away from her only home. Move after move takes Wren further and further across the country, and Wren can’t help but wonder what her mom is running from. Then Wren finds a beautiful pond to secret herself away to watch birds the way she and her father used to do. When Wren discovers the local landfill owner plans to demolish her sacred place, Wren vows to stop him.

The birdwatching elements felt very natural to me. I’m not an experienced birdwatcher by any means, but my daughter and I kept a journal for about a year of birds we saw behind our house in a canal (a surprising number and variety, actually.) So I enjoyed that part of the story, and it definitely resonated with me.

Wren and her mom deal with the grief over losing her dad in very different ways. For a time it becomes a wedge between them. Wren meets a boy in school who also lost a parent, and they bond over those losses and how they’ve changed their surviving parents. It’s a really healing experience for Wren. So is her campaign to save the pond. I think the emotional journey of grief and the outward journey to save the pond balanced the story in a great way.

There is one part where Wren’s mom reveals a secret about her father that’s very hurtful. I really struggled with that decision. It didn’t feel like the right call to me, so that kind of took me out of the story a bit as I wrestled with why it bothered me so much. More details in the spoiler section.

Other than that, though, I enjoyed the story a lot. Both grief and love for our environment are really worthy topics for a novel, and Be Light Like a Bird handles both very well.

Cultural Elements
Wren speaks with a man who purchased her dad’s old car. He has some Native American ancestry. The story briefly talks about the importance of respecting Native American burial grounds and what items might be found there.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
See spoiler section. There’s nothing sexually graphic, but Wren does learn something traumatic about her parents’ relationship.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

SPOILER
Wren’s mom tells her that her father was having an affair. She mentions having found romantic letters and states that he planned to leave Wren and her mom. Wren is, of course, devastated. It does explain her mom’s anger and impulsive behaviors, but I couldn’t help wishing that Wren hadn’t had to deal with that information, especially so close to losing her dad.

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Review: Haven by Katherine Bogle

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

Haven
Katherine Bogle
Friesen Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Haven unexpectedly ascends to the throne of her kingdom after her family members are killed by a ruthless queen. As neighboring kingdoms fall to the evil queen Kadia’s attacks, Haven realizes she must rally her few remaining allies and help her people escape the coming destruction. But Kadia wants more than just the land and power. She has her sights set on Haven herself, and the power of the mysterious gift Haven possesses. When Haven learns that others have inexplicable abilities, she realizes she’ll have to find them, for only together can they stop Kadia.

Haven definitely had some great Girl Power moments. I loved that her personal guards were fierce women, and that later, she earns the allegiance of other fierce female warriors. I love that she took her ability to heal, which doesn’t seem much like a warrior-gift, and turned that into a huge asset for herself as a fighter. She wasn’t afraid to step out and face her enemies head-on. I had to admire that about her.

I struggled a bit with some of the plot elements. Sometimes Haven would make these decisions that left me scratching my head or feeling frustrated because they didn’t seem to make a lot of logical sense, or the reactions of her companions didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. At one point she learns a critical ally has been working with the evil queen. Instead of outing him, she keeps his betrayal a secret because she feels afraid the other allies will kill him if they find out.

I kept thinking about the giant risk to security and her people that he continued to pose as someone who’d already betrayed them once. She didn’t seem at all concerned about the possibility that he might betray her again, or honestly all that affected by his betrayal which cost many lives and gave her enemy control of a lot of additional resources. At one point she vehemently opposes sending her own troops to fight Kadia, and soon after, she becomes upset that a neighboring king refuses to send his troops to her aid. I totally get that circumstances had changed, but I wanted her to at least stop and reflect, like, oh, that’s how it feels to wear this shoe, and I didn’t feel like I got to have that moment.

Ultimately, her love for her people definitely made her a character I could sympathize with. I totally rooted for her to take down Kadia, and I loved that she found an unexpected ally– I thought the way the final battle went down was really engaging and cool.

I think readers who enjoyed The Key by Jennifer Anne Davis would really like Haven. It’s got a lot of great girl power moments and a big fantasy setting, and an ultimately enjoyable romantic arc.

Cultural Elements
Feels like a pretty Western European-type cast of characters. Culturally it felt pretty homogenous across various kingdoms.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content – Trigger Warning
A man professes his love and forces kisses on the girl he loves. An evil queen commands a man to rape a captor. He pins her down, she struggles. It’s pretty intense. Later, a male soldier is caught beginning to assault a female soldier. The attacker states that this is the way things are done (ie, the way prisoners are treated). Others free the woman and other prisoners, but obviously lots of damage has already been done.

Brief kisses between a (willing) man and woman.

Even though the descriptions of the assaults were brief and included intent to rape without actually showing rape, I struggled with them. I think it was just the fact that it came up more than once—which I get from a plot perspective. The first attack gives the character reason to be that much more upset by the second situation.

Also, part of the healing afterward includes sharing the experience with a twelve year old girl who has special abilities to bring mental healing. As the parent of a kid about that age, I had a really tough time with that idea. I wished that character had been older. Not a lot of story time was devoted to that process, though.

Spiritual Content
The evil queen Kadia uses shadows to fight her enemies. She can also sense others with gifts like Haven’s ability to heal. Kadia can also paint the future, and at one point has guards strip a captor so she can pain the girl’s future on her body. It’s traumatic to the captor.

Violent Content
An assassin attacks Haven. She learns to fight, and at one point she injures herself in practice combat. She fights and slays enemies. Descriptions are brief.

Drug Content
None.

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

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