Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Recipe for Hate by Warren Kinsella

Recipe for Hate by Warren KinsellaRecipe for Hate
Warren Kinsella
Dundurn Press
Published on October 21, 2017

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About Recipe for Hate
The X Gang is a group of punks led by the scarred, silent, and mostly unreadable Christopher X. His best friend, Kurt Blank, is a hulking and talented punk guitarist living in the closet. Sisters Patti and Betty Upchuck form the core of the feminist Punk Rock Virgins band, and are the closest to X and Kurt. Assorted hangers-on and young upstarts fill out the X Gang’s orbit: the Hot Nasties, the Social Blemishes, and even the legendary Joe Strummer of the Clash. Together, they’ve all but taken over Gary’s, an old biker bar. Then over one dark weekend, a bloody crime nearly brings it all to an end.

Based on real events, Warren Kinsella tells the story of the X Gang’s punk lives — the community hall gigs, the antiracism rallies, the fanzines and poetry and art, and what happened after the brutal murders of two of their friends.

My Review
I kind of can’t resist books featuring punk kids or the late 70s era punk scene, and this book is both. It’s raw and gritty and soaked in the passion for personal freedom, disdain for authority, and commitment to indie music which the punk scene is so known for. Reading it felt, to me, much like watching the movie SLC Punk.

While I loved the setting and all the punk culture, the style of the writing was hard to follow at times. The narrator, Kurt, would digress from the present into memories and backstory—all of which were interesting and added some flavor to the story, but made it a little confusing to keep the timeline straight.

Scenes jumped around from one perspective to another, revealing details the narrator, Kurt, wasn’t present to witness. Sometimes he would explain he’d learned the details later. Especially toward the end of the book, as things begin to happen quickly, I found the narrative choppier. Sometimes the story would shift to a different scene or time within the same paragraph. I think it would have helped to have a hard break before each shift to make it easier to follow what’s happening visually.

In terms of plot, Recipe for Hate had some really surprising moments which I didn’t see coming. (I won’t give anything away.) More than once the story took a turn I didn’t expect—in a good way. The plot made sense but wasn’t predictable.

The story contains a lot of profanity and some graphic descriptions of violence, so that may be a barrier to sensitive readers. See the content section for more specifics. If you like murder mystery with a sort of stream-of-consciousness style narration, you will want to check out Recipe for Hate.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Kurt mentions that he’s gay. Some of their friends are Jewish or lesbian. Several members of radical racist groups say really inflammatory things. There’s a general disdain for police in the punk scene.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently. Racial slurs used (by racist characters) infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a boy and girl. Kurt briefly recalls a friend telling him about two men who raped her. At one point, the boys find a girl whose clothes are roughed up, and she tells them a man planned to rape her but was interrupted.

Spiritual Content
The racist extremists have some devotion to a sort of twisted Christian doctrine. The first two boys found murdered have obvious connections to rituals celebrated by this group. (One boy is found in the position of a crucifixion for instance.)

Violent Content
The description of the murder scenes, while brief, is pretty brutal. Extremists beat up a young man and woman.

Drug Content
Some references to drinking alcohol.

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

 

Review: Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Dark Breaks the Dawn
Sara B. Larson
Scholastic Press
Published May 30th, 2017

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About Dark Breaks the Dawn

On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.

But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.

In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

My Review

This is the first retelling of Swan Lake that I have come across, and while it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I still enjoyed it. The characters for the most part were enjoyable, and I liked how in this book the romance progressed steadily and seemed like a positive relationship. No painful love triangles and drama here! I wasn’t a fan of the scenes from Lorcan’s and Lothar’s POV. I think the author was trying to create sympathy for them, but I still didn’t like them a whole lot. And it just left me with a lot of unanswered questions.

The world-building definitely carries the book however. It was excellent, very well thought out with a unique magic system. One thing that threw me for a loop at first though was that this book is not about humans–it’s about Draiolon, a race of fae-like creatures who live centuries, and have skin and hair colors in a variety of shades–blue, green, white, gold, you name it. The Light Draiolon wield the powers of Summer–heat, fire, light, etc. The Dark Draiolon wield the powers of Winter– cold, shadowflame, darkness, etc. It took me an embarrassing long time to figure this stuff out. I finally caught on when I realized that the words “people,” “man,” and “woman” weren’t used because the book isn’t about humans. Instead, words like “Draiolon,” “male,” and “female” are used.

One thing that kinda bugged me about this book however was that the retelling aspect of the book didn’t come into play until the very end. Hopefully the sequel will explore more of the original story, although it seems like there is still a lot of questions to be answered for it to be just a duology. Dark Breaks the Dawn earns 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion, and is perfect for fans of high fantasy in the vein of Tolkien.


Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Cultural Elements
All of the characters are Draiolan, with there being two distinct races–the Light Draiolan, and the Dark Draiolan.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None that I can recall–possibly fantasy-style swearing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Heavy kissing/embracing, touching, attraction, lust, mention of producing an heir.

Spiritual Content
High-fantasy style magic and rituals.

Violent Content
Deaths, attacks, abuse, magical violence, etc–some graphic encounters. One especially heartbreaking death.

Drug Content
None that I can recall beyond drinking at feasts.

Review: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli
Balzer + Bray
Published on April 7, 2015

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About Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

My Review

I’d heard a lot of buzz about this book and how great it is, which always makes me a little scared to read a book. I worry that I’ll be the weirdo who just doesn’t get the book or doesn’t like it. And while there were some things in this book that I struggled with (lots of swearing for instance) there were a lot of things I liked. Simon is the kind of narrator who draws you straight into the story.

I liked the email exchanges between him and Blue and loved the mystery of piecing together Blue’s real identity. The pressure of the whole blackmail situation definitely made the story more intense than if it were simply sort of a You’ve-Got-Mail-but-with-two-boys kind of story. Even with that complication, though, it’s still a pretty lighthearted story ultimately about first love and coming out.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Simon is gay. He learns one classmate is bisexual. He meets another who is Jewish. One of his close friends is black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently throughout the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Simon’s pretty frank about his personal life. One scene shows him lying in bed fantasizing about the mysterious Blue while he masturbates. (He only really states that his hand is “busy” but we get the idea.) Another scene shows him lying in bed with another boy kissing. He mentions that both of them have erections. (They’re still fully clothed.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Simon’s friends take him to a bar to eat, and a college student mistakes him for an older boy and buys him several drinks, which Simon eagerly drinks. He shows up home very drunk. His parents punish him by grounding him and taking away his phone.

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

Review: The Journey by Alleece Balts

The Journey (The Crowd #2)
Alleece Balts
Published on August 23, 2017

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About The Journey
At nineteen years old, Ella Parker is a star on the rise. With her vocal training at Juilliard underway, she’s more than prepared for a glittering performance career with the rock band Wicked Youth, and anticipating the prospect of becoming engaged to her billionaire boyfriend… Someday.

But when she collapses on stage during a summer concert and receives a chilling diagnosis, the promise of someday suddenly slips away.

Forced to confront her darkest fears, Ella must not only find the courage to go on after her once certain future has disappeared, but also to track down her runaway friend, Lucas, before time runs out.

My Review
The Journey feels like a much more mature story than its predecessor, The Crowd. Ella’s graduated from high school and both touring as a professional singer and attending Julliard. Her boyfriend, Jack, manages a large company but makes sure to slip away for time with Ella, especially when she needs him.

The story largely revolves around Ella’s relationships with Jack and her mom and her search for Lucas, who disappeared after a tragic incident which left police hunting for him. Ella struggles with her grief over her dad’s death as she faces her own health crises. She worries she’ll be putting her family and Jack in the same situation—forcing them to be crushed by grief if they lose her the way she was when her dad died.

The emotional journey is deep and it’s definitely what connected me to Ella. I liked the unexpected resolution and the way Ella grows and changes as a result of her trials. There were some fun side characters, too, like Archer, Ella’s chauffer and bodyguard.

If you like sweet romance stories with a strong musical theme, The Journey delivers both. I think you could read this one without having first read The Crowd, the first book in the series, but it’s worth checking out both, especially if, as I mentioned, you like sweet romance and music in your literature.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
All major characters appear white and straight.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Some vague reference to Jack’s past, in which he had a lot of relationships.

Spiritual Content
Ella prays a few times for God’s guidance.

Violent Content
A fatal car accident occurs, and Ella hears a description of the injuries of one of its victims. Reference to a boy getting attacked by several others—no details of the event.

Drug Content
Vague/brief reference to Jack’s wild past, which includes some substance abuse.

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

 

Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Beautiful Ones
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Thomas Dunne Books
Published October 24th, 2017

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About The Beautiful Ones

In a world of etiquette and polite masks, no one is who they seem to be.

Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society. Under the tutelage of the beautiful but cold Valérie Beaulieu, she hopes to find a suitable husband. However, the haphazard manifestations of Nina’s telekinetic powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.

Yet dazzling telekinetic performer and outsider Hector Auvray sees Nina’s powers as a gift, and he teaches her how to hone and control them. As they spend more and more time together, Nina falls in love and believes she’s found the great romance that she’s always dreamed of, but Hector’s courtship of Nina is deceptive.

The Beautiful Ones is a sweeping fantasy of manners set in a world inspired by the Belle Époque.

My Review

This is one of the most amazing books I have read this year. Its depth is incredible, especially in the way that it plumbs the human spirit, and reveals all the nitty-grittiness of a person’s soul. If you’re looking for an exciting book, this isn’t it. But if you’d like to read a story about human nature that will both chill and warm you to your core, than look no further, because this is your book.

The characters are the driving force behind the story. No character is fully good, and no character is fully evil in this book; rather, they are human, with different wants and desires that they are chasing after, and different means of getting them. We get to explore the plot through several pairs of eyes, and it gives the story credibility and depth, as well as allowing us to at least sympathize with characters, if not agree with them.

There was so many themes explored in this book: betrayal, love, idolatry, selfishness, etc. Even though the author packed a lot of material into The Beautiful Ones, she did so with grace. It never felt heavy-handed, or like the author was trying to beat a message into the reader’s head. Instead, she wove it with such subtlety that I wouldn’t realize what she was getting at until the last few lines of a chapter, or certain phrases of dialogue, and then I would get chills. I was astonished over and over again at the depth of this book.

I highly recommend adding this book to your reading list. The Beautiful Ones (perhaps better titled The Broken Ones) is a complex tale of human nature and weakness that is well worth the read. Fans of the melancholy atmosphere and magic of The Night Circus, or the complex characters of Kristy Cambron’s books. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars, with a star subtracted for content.


Recommended for Ages 17 up.

Cultural Elements
All of the characters are white. Some are described as country bumpkins, or rubes.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Several obscene words scattered through the pages. References to fornification and suggestions of adultery.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kisses, embracing, touching, thinly-veiled references to adultery, marital duties, and fornification. It is clear that characters have sex several times (before marriage), sometimes on page, though very few details are given. Characters talk about sex, without mentioning details. Mention of seeing a druggist to prevent having a baby.

Spiritual Content
Some mention of gods and goddesses. Nina briefly ponders if she’ll be damned for fornification, but doesn’t consider it a serious possibility. Mention of priests and martyrs.

Violent Content
Some minor injuries, not overly detailed.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine. 

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Review: The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

The Crystal Ribbon
Celeste Lim
Scholastic Press
Published on January 31, 2017

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About The Crystal Ribbon
In the village of Huanan, in medieval China, the deity that rules is the Great Huli Jing. Though twelve-year-old Li Jing’s name is a different character entirely from the Huli Jing, the sound is close enough to provide constant teasing-but maybe is also a source of greater destiny and power. Jing’s life isn’t easy. Her father is a poor tea farmer, and her family has come to the conclusion that in order for everyone to survive, Jing must be sacrificed for the common good.

She is sold as a bride to the Koh family, where she will be the wife and nursemaid to their three-year-old son, Ju’nan. It’s not fair, and Jing feels this bitterly, especially when she is treated poorly by the Koh’s, and sold yet again into a worse situation that leads Jing to believe her only option is to run away, and find home again. With the help of a spider who weaves Jing a means to escape, and a nightingale who helps her find her way, Jing embarks on a quest back to Huanan–and to herself.

My Review
I tend to like genre-blending books, and since The Crystal Ribbon mixes a historical setting with real cultural issues with some magical elements, I found it to be a really unusual, interesting read. The story itself reminded me a teeny bit of Disney’s Mulan, in that it follows a strong heroine through a time period and culture where she feels entirely out of place for her strength. While Jing doesn’t join an army or literally fight as a soldier, she does challenge enemies and use her cleverness and strength of heart to overcome difficulties. I liked her character a lot and enjoyed reading about her.

The story itself feels like it should be more of a middle grade book, since Jing is about twelve as it begins, but the tone is much more mature. I’d probably call this one a coming-of-age tale rather than middle grade, though that label doesn’t feel perfectly right either.

Readers who enjoy history and foreign settings will like the careful attention to setting and culture in The Crystal Ribbon. Readers who enjoy a taste of magic lurking beyond the ordinary will find Jing’s adventures engaging as well.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
The story takes place in China. One character is described as having golden hair and pale skin, and Jing wonders if he’s from some faraway place.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
During her time in the city, Jing encounters some men who solicit the company of women. They tease the girls and pat them on their behinds. Jing feels totally creeped out by the whole idea.

Spiritual Content
Each city has its own spirit worshipped by the people who live there. In Jing’s hometown, it’s the Great Huli Jing, a five-tailed fox who saved the village from disaster.

Jing meets some other spirits (jing) through the course of the story. A spider weaves a magical ladder to help her. A woman with skeletal hands visits her in the night. Jing visits and prays to altars for various jing and at her mother’s gravesite altar.

Violent Content
Jing’s in-laws punish her by caning her or using a torture device which severely damages her fingers. Some details included. Sensitive readers may find that part especially difficult to read.

Drug Content
None.

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