Category Archives: Romance

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (Shatter Me Series #1)
Tahereh Mafi
HarperCollins
Published November 15, 2011

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Shatter Me

For months seventeen year-old Juliette remains locked inside a cold brick cell alone. She counts the days. Hours. Cracks on the wall. And then. Without explanation, a young man joins her in her cell, seemingly against his will. She recognizes him as Adam, the boy from her former life, the only one who ever showed her kindness.

As he begins to chip away at her outer shell, she warns him again and again that he cannot touch her. No one can. Though it is the one thing she desperately wants.

Juliette discovers Adam isn’t the boy she once knew. Now a soldier, he takes orders from a cruel, power-hungry commander. One who has discovered Juliette’s curse. A leader who will stop at nothing to bend Juliette to his will and use her curse to destroy all who oppose him.

My Review

Stark, powerful writing fills the opening pages of this haunting tale. Juliette clearly stands on the brink of insanity due to her long stay in solitary confinement. Yet when she’s released, she seems to acclimate quickly to life outside her prison, surrounded by people, and the beautiful intense writing fades to a more romance-oriented tone.

It’s hard to say whether that opening pace would have been sustainable for the entire novel, but the change between the first chapter and the last is so stark, it’s almost difficult to believe it’s the same novel. Juliette the love-starved, impassioned teenager obsessed with her new boyfriend doesn’t drive the story like the complex, writhing girl trapped in a world unprepared for her presence.

Following the popular vein of romantic dystopian fiction, SHATTER ME is likely to appeal to DIVERGENT fans. Be prepared – this romance packs a pretty hormonal punch when it comes to sexual tension and desire. Mafi keeps the descriptions fairly PG, but the characters’ intentions are also wildly clear. Read below for more details.

Content Notes

Profanity and Crude Language Content
Heavy use of profanity.

Sexual Content
Juliette is barred from human touch but longs for it. Sexual tension explodes. Then she discovers a man who can touch her with no ill-effects. In several scenes the couple passionately kiss and she vaguely describes being touched. She expresses a desire to have sex with him, but each time they pursue this opportunity, they are interrupted prior to actually sealing the deal.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Juliette’s captor wishes her to torture prisoners of war for him. She resists. Juliette and a small child are placed in a small cell in which spikes randomly emerge from the walls and floor. A commanding officer executes a soldier by shooting him in the head. A couple of scenes show soldiers battling one another and receiving gunshot wounds.

Drug Content
A soldier gives a child a sleeping pill to keep him unconscious through a battle scene.

Save

Save

Review: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Book of a Thousand Days
Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published September 1, 2007

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Dashti, a mucker maid, follows her lady into imprisonment in a lonely tower. Lady Saren’s father vows to lock her up for seven years after her refusal to marry the powerfuls but vile Lord Khasar. When Lady Saren’s love, Khan Tegis visits the tower, she begs Dashti to woo him in her place. Dashti complies, unwillingly at first, until the kindness and good humor of the gentle prince stir her own heart. Lord Khasar also visits the tower, demanding that Lady Saren emerge and marry him. Dashti must use all her wits and bravery in order to protect her lady and herself from the monster inside the evil lord.

In a dramatic retelling of the familiar Brothers Grimm tale Maid Maleen, author Shannon Hale introduces a humble maid through journal entries kept through the long tower imprisonment. Dashti relates her story in lyrical prose strewn with cultural references and songs reminiscent of an ancient Middle-Eastern or Asian land so realistic it’s easy to forget it’s fiction.

The expert writing and diary format make it feel like a historical account written by a member of some ancient kingdom. Dashti’s goodness and loyalty make her an easy character to admire. Though she never takes up weapons made of steel, her cunning and bravery in the face of powerful enemies place her among the greatest heroes, a worthy role model for young readers. The writing style and setting reminded me of another childhood favorite, Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy. I highly recommend both stories.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Polytheistic religion incorporated into the story.

Violence
A girl very briefly tells her maid that she witnessed a man brutally murder another man.

Drug Content
None.

Save

Review: All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

All the Truth That’s In Me
Julie Berry
Viking Children’s/Penguin Group
Published September 26, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Judith returns to her small Puritan community at Roswell Station after a two year disappearance. She remains unable to speak, since her captor removed half her tongue. Her mother grudgingly allows her to live in her home, but rumors about Judith are whispered along the edges of her hearing. No one seems able to believe that she returned with her virtue intact.

Despite the murmurs and dirty looks, Judith tries her best to be kind to the townspeople, especially to her childhood friend Lucas. When an attack by Homelanders threatens to destroy the village and Lucas’s father, believed to be dead, returns to save the settlement, suspicion falls on Lucas. Has he known that his father lived all this time?

As the community begins to ostracize Lucas, Judith realizes she cannot stay silent and allow blame to fall on him for his father’s sins. She works with an unexpected ally to regain her voice and clear Lucas’s name.

The topic of abduction and the stark image on the cover of the book create the sense that this book will be filled with dark scenes and recollections of terrible abuse. In fact, that’s not so. There are a couple of very brief references to terrifying moments in captivity experienced by this young girl, but details are scarce and the author quickly moves on to other topics, leaving a strong sense of angst without the stories of abuse that some readers may not be prepared to handle.

Instead, Berry’s novel is a story of unexpected hope and heroism. A young girl struggles to regain her voice and to make herself heard in a community that has long overlooked and misjudged her. Her bravery and her unwavering love for her brother and her neighbors is inspiring and wholesome. The author’s use of prose and imagery bring to life the small Puritan town and its varied members.

As a lover of angsty teen novels, I found it refreshing to read a historical novel so emotionally charged and yet so hopeful. How many times have we read novels which ultimately condemn the rigidity of the Puritan culture? I loved that this novel didn’t go that route. Not that the leadership were without fault, but that hope, forgiveness and love – which believes the best – ultimately triumphed. Great story. Highly recommended.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief references to men’s lustful comments or actions toward Judith and discussions about whether her virginity is intact.

Spiritual Content
Judith finds comfort in a passage of scripture about captives grieving for their homeland. The pastor uses various verses to condemn a young man who is believed to have harbored a fugitive from the law.

Violence
Brief references to battle and battle-related injuries. A boy must have his leg amputated, but Judith doesn’t witness this. Judith briefly recalls an incident during her captivity where a man began to attack her, but quickly stopped. She also remembers seeing her friend choked to death. Very few details are given in these scenes.

Drug Content
None.

Save

Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

The Geography of You and Me
Jennifer E Smith
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published April 15, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

On a hot summer night, the lights go out on the east coast, dropping Manhattan into an unfamiliar blackness. Sixteen year-old Lucy and seventeen year-old Owen, strangers who live in the same building, share a few moments trapped in an elevator which blossoms into hours spent talking under the night sky.

Just as the two begin to connect, their lives propel them apart: Owen to the west coast and his father’s unending job hunt and Lucy to the Europe she’s coveted the last sixteen years. Only postcards span the distance between them until the night they can’t bear to be separated any longer.

The usual romantic formula has the hero and heroine in the same room (or at least the same city) a high percentage of the story. Smith’s bold departure from the expected routine of romance is a risky move that absolutely pays off. As Owen and Lucy explore the new terrain of their lives, their shared longing for one another anchors the story together.

One of the pleasant surprises in the story was the growth in the relationships between each character and his/her parents. Without violating the sacred teen need for privacy, Owen’s dad and Lucy’s mom reveal that despite their issues, they’ve been paying attention. In a genre cluttered by too many flaky caricatures of parents, it was refreshing to see such human examples of loving parents.

The sweet romance and witty banter between Lucy and Owen make this a charming story. It’s a pretty clean read (see below for details) and probably best suited to readers aged fourteen to seventeen.

Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Sexual Content
Limited kissing. Brief references to a girl wondering why she hasn’t brought her boyfriend home to her parents’ empty house for some unsupervised time.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Cigarettes/smoking is blamed for Owen’s mother’s fatal car accident. Owen treasures a cigarette that belonged to his mother, but he is not a smoker.

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

Save

Save

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Eagerly Anticipated Books from My Summer Reading List

Contemporary, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Lists, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

This is a weekly theme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and my first time participating. Though my reading list seems to only grow longer the more I read, here are the ten books I most look forward to reading next.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley This has been on my list for awhile. A blogger I enjoy and an author I admire both recommended it. I can’t wait to see for myself.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare I can’t tell if I’ll be embarrassed for my infatuation with this series in ten years. At present I am hooked on the romance and snappy dialog Clare consistently delivers.

Shadows by Robin McKinley As a long-time fan of McKinley’s books, I was delighted to see this one hit shelves. Her stories always suck me in and let me forget things like responsible bed time.

Unthinkable by Nancy Werlin When I saw that there was a story about the beginning of the curse featured in Werlin’s amazing novel Impossible, I had to have it. I’m so excited to delve back into that story world.

It’s Addicting by Laura L. Smith I’ve fallen in love with the four girls this series follows after reading the first two books. I’m looking forward to finding out how things turn out for each of them.

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly I’ve read A Northern Light (and highly recommend it) as well as Revolution (which I didn’t care for as much.) When I heard the buzz about this novel, I couldn’t wait to see what Donnelly, who has written such strong and serious prose, would bring to the underwater world of mermaids.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine I’ve seen this book on several big you-must-read-these-books lists. Reading the description (a young girl with aspbergers loses her brother and mentor to a school shooting which leaves her family devastated) it’s easy to see that this one has potential to pack a big punch. I love angsty YA but it’s impossible to beat a story that adds to that mix the need to re-examine how I see the world. I think this novel has the potential to do just that.

Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart I can’t remember where I heard about this book. There’s little review information on amazon.com at present, which either means it’s an undiscovered gem or a brilliant idea that isn’t executed well. The story follows three girls involved with a cell phone. One from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the mineral to make the cell phone was mined, one from China, where the chips in the phones are manufactured and one from North America who owns a cell phone. I’m curious. I’ll bite.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith This one is next on my reading list. Even a lover of angsty novels needs a little romance now and then to break things up. I’m eager to visit the places the story travels – San Fransisco, Prague – and to relive those early moments of falling in love through each character.

On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers From the author who wrote the award-winning Monster comes a story about a group of futuristic teens who commit to sabotage the stranglehold eight companies have on the world government. I’ve read this style of story before and been left disappointed, but I’m totally intrigued. If anyone can make this a powerful, memorable story, it’s gotta be Myers, right?

Save

Save

Many Thanks for Your Support

Blogger's Favorites, Contemporary, News and Fun, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

An Anniversary Celebration and a Chance to Support a Valuable Mission

In March, to celebrate the anniversary of The Story Sanctuary, I held an auction to raise money for Christian World Mission in Chile to provide funds for school children. Four book boxes went up for auction on ebay. Through a combination of that ebay auction and word-of-mouth, all four boxes were sold, raising a total of $150 for Christian World Mission. Yay!

The Giving Continues…

Two of the boxes were donated back to The Story Sanctuary for use as giveaway prizes.

These boxes are packed with tasty snacks and other fun goodies as well as at least three clean YA novels. Sign up quick because this giveaway ends Sunday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save

Many thanks for your support!