Review: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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

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

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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.

Author Interview: Lily Anderson

Author Interview, News and Fun, , , , , , ,

I’m super excited because today, as a part of the Wednesday Books Blog Tour, I get to share an interview with author Lily Anderson. You might have first fallen in reader love with her after reading her debut novel, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, which probably won you over with its fabulous geek culture and unstoppable banter between characters. Lily’s back with her sophomore novel, inspired somewhat by The Importance of Being Earnest, about a girl who runs away from home to compete for a college scholarship.

Onto the questions and answers!

Author Interview with Lily Anderson

Do you have a favorite character (from either of your books)? Is there something about him/her which you love but just didn’t fit and didn’t get included in the story?

I love Ben West, the hero from THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU. He’s the braying jackass that lives inside me. When I was originally drafting THE ONLY THING, Ben’s dad was a big part of the story. He was supposed to be a former Jeopardy champion who used his winnings to send Ben to the Mess and Trixie taunted Ben with the final question that finally got his dad off the show. It just never really fit with the book so it got cut pretty early on.

Awww – Ben is awesome! That would have been a super cool twist, but yeah, I can see how it didn’t fit the rest of the story. Such a fun idea, though!
One of my favorite things about THE ONLY THINK WORSE THAN ME IS YOU is all the Geekdom and witty banter. Are you a Whovian personally? Were you able to pull a lot of the trivia from things you already knew or were there things you researched for the characters?

I am a Whovian with super strong opinions (mostly about how much I hate Clara—bye forever, Impossible Girl!). For the geeky references in both of my books, I pulled from my own knowledge as much as possible, but I also researched some other fandoms that I’m not as involved with (mostly Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and comics in the Spider-Verse) when I realized which characters would be into things that I’m not. For NOT NOW, NOT EVER, I read a lot more sci-fi than I normally would and got weirdly into Frank Herbert’s Dune.

I have to say, I couldn’t tell where your personal knowledge ended and the research began. Also– right?! My husband got me hooked on DUNE while we were dating. Not my favorite storytelling style, but there’s something about it that won’t let me go.
The rivalry and banter, especially between Ben and Trixie made me laugh out loud so many times. Is there more of this sort of fun to look forward to in Not Now, Not Ever?

NOT NOW, NOT EVER is also full of rivalry and banter, although it’s not an enemies-to-lovers story like THE ONLY THING. Luckily, Ben and Trixie are minor characters in NOT NOW, so you’ll get to see what they’re up to now that they’re in college.

YAYYYY!!! I can’t wait to read it. It will be fun to get a glimpse of Ben and Trixie again, too. Totally looking forward to that.
What is one question about your books you are often asked by readers?

I think what I’m asked most is “what advice would you give to aspiring writers?” And my advice is this: not everything you write will—or SHOULD—get published. Some things will just be for you. Some things just won’t work out. Don’t ever stop. Read as much as you can.

Great advice! What do you most hope that readers take away from your novels (either or both)?

I want all my readers to take away a sense of happiness. NOT NOW, NOT EVER and its predecessor, THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU, are fluff. Hopefully well crafted, artisanal and organic fluff but fluff nonetheless. NOT NOW is very much a story about choosing a path, but also realizing that the paths don’t close behind you. I want my readers to have hope for Elliot’s path and their own.

Hope and happiness are definitely worthy goals for a book. I know I felt both when I read THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU.

About Lily Anderson

website | twitter | facebook

LILY ANDERSON is an elementary school librarian and Melvil Dewey fangirl with an ever-growing collection of musical theater tattoos and Harry Potter ephemera. She lives in Northern California. She is also the author of The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You.

About Not Now, Not Ever

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn’t going to do this summer.

  1. She isn’t going to stay home in Sacramento, where she’d have to sit through her stepmother’s sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
  2. She isn’t going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
  3. And she certainly isn’t going to the Air Force summer program on her mom’s base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender’s Game, Ellie’s seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it’s much less Luke/Yoda/”feel the force,” and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn’t appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she’d be able to defeat afterwards.

What she is going to do is pack up her determination, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she’s going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?

This summer’s going to be great.

Review: The Journey by Alleece Balts

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

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

Amazon | Goodreads

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 Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
Mary E. Pearson
Henry Holt and Co.
Published on July 8th, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Kiss of Deception
A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

My Review

Part fantasy, part dystopian, The Kiss of Deception was very unique book with some incredible writing. This book had one of the most unique ways of using narration to build up tension that I have ever seen in a book. I won’t go into details, as I don’t want to spoil it, but this book is one surprise after another.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one at first, but once I got past the first few chapters I was completely sucked in. I really liked Lia, and rooted for her as she worked on building herself a new life. While I can’t say I agree with all of her choices, the characterization was believable and I can understand where she was coming from.

The world-building, while interesting, at times just didn’t piece together very well. I had a hard time believing some aspects of it (especially when the prophecy becomes a part of the story–I would have preferred had the author left the story uncomplicated by “chosen one” tropes). My only other gripes are the insta-love and love triangle clichés that are featured in this story (though those are fairly mild compared to some other books I have read/heard of).

The Kiss of Deception is a fantastic read for teens who love complex fantasy. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars, and recommend it to readers 14 and up.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white. One group of people is described as barbaric in comparison to the others.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some British-esque cursing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and caressing between a boy and girl. Also several scenes contain some sexual innuendo. Definitely sexual tension between characters, and one off-page scene could be interpreted as a sexual encounter. A woman is pregnant out of wedlock.

Spiritual Content
Mention of gods and goddesses. High-fantasy type religion and prophecy stuff, though not described in depth.

Violent Content
Strong violence in several scenes. Some disturbing (mostly emotionally, though graphic as well) deaths. Scars from abuse.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine.

Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

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

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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. 

Save

Save

Review: The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

Book Review and Content, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Historical, Magical Realism, , , ,

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

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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.