Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

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

The Elite by Kiera CassThe Elite by Kiera Cass
HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The pool of potential brides for Prince Maxon has been narrowed from its initial thirty-five to the final six. America Singer, one of the remaining six is under more pressure than ever to choose the man she will spend her life with: the kind-hearted future ruler, Prince Maxon or her first love, the charming castle guard Aspen.

As America vies for more time and desperately scrambles to sort her feelings for the two boys, the country faces a graver threat. Rebels continue to attack the castle, bringing death and destruction to any who oppose them. A chance encounter with rebels leaves America wondering whether they are all really evil and whether the caste system is really fair. If she were to choose Maxon, she might have an opportunity to make a real difference in her homeland, but to do so means she’d have to give up Aspen forever.

I’m not much for reality TV shows like The Bachelor, but something about this story definitely makes me want to find out whom Maxon and America choose. Because while Maxon is definitely running The Selection and narrowing down his options for a potential bride, America is definitely running her own smaller version of the game as she tries to choose between Maxon and Aspen.

Sometimes America drove me nuts. She’d fall into Aspen’s arms and realize she loves him and could never give him up, etc, smooch, smooch, and then launch into fits of jealousy at Maxon for taking the other Selection girls on dates.

While America does have a couple of lucid moments where she recognizes she isn’t being fair, she continually holds Maxon to a very different standard than the one to which she holds herself. She expects total honesty from him, but never considers telling him about her relationship with Aspen. She even allows Aspen to risk everything by continuing to see her in secret. It was hard for me to get over the deep selfishness motivating some of her choices. I’m hoping that there’s a huge reckoning coming for her in the next book where she has to own up for her behavior. Which might sound silly – I’m already planning to read the next book, but I had some real issues with this one. I can’t help it. I guess really I’m rooting for Maxon and hoping that he gets to give America a pretty sizable set-down. He’s good for it.

Beyond that, a lot of the story is written in passive voice. “I was walking down the hall,” rather than “I walked down the hall,” etc. It really keeps the reader at a distance, almost like we’re watching the story unfold through a field of mist or listening to America describe a fading dream she once had. I wanted to be right there, in the middle of the action. Not sitting back reading about it.

What I liked about the series is that it maintains a high level of romantic tension without really bringing it down into a lot of lusty sexual tension. There is some kissing, but I’d call the series pretty clean, and there aren’t a lot of teen romance novels that can make such a claim. So from that standpoint, it’s a great one to read and recommend.

I also liked that Cass brought in a little bit about the political situation in the kingdom. There’s a bit more about the whole rebel situation, definitely enough to keep us guessing and kind of raising the bar for the future queen – she’s going to walk into a big scary situation. I feel like America has the chops to face whatever the kingdom throws at her, so I’m anxious to see if she decides to agree.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
America and Aspen cultivate a secret romance, exchanging kisses and promises. No clothes are removed during these interludes, but the scenes are steamy nonetheless. America and Maxon share kisses and one another’s arms as well. At one point America leads Maxon to her bed, thinking that’s what he wishes. It’s unclear whether she means as a place to sit or that she’s offering to have sex with him. They do not have sex. America catches Maxon kissing and making out with the other girls. Since she’s made no promise to be his bride, he is keeping his options open.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Rebels infiltrate the castle, some killing or wounding guards and destroying property.

Drug Content
America is offered wine at a state event. She drinks and worries about how it affects her ability to make decisions after that.

Review: Escape from Sudan by Amanda DiCianni

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Escape from Sudan
Amanda DiCianni
CreateSpace Independent Platform
Published April 24, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When soldiers attack his village, fifteen year-old Elijah Bwoko and his best friend become separated from family members. They receive word that Elijah’s sisters have been taken as slaves to a village several days’ journey away. In order to reach the girls, the boys must sneak past the soldiers who enslaved them and find a way to set them free. Then the group will have to escape across the border of Uganda. If they can get to the refugee camp there, they can apply for passage to America for freedom and safety.

In straightforward prose, DiCianni relates the story of a young boy in a war torn nation. Elijah is easy to relate to through descriptions of his love for soccer, his friendship with Thomas, and his love for his missing sisters. Though it addresses a heavy topic, the story doesn’t go into a lot of graphic detail in scenes depicting soldiers and child slavery. The content is mild enough for older elementary readers. It’s a relatively short novel at 122 pages, and would make a great resource for the classroom as part of a world cultures or current events study.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
As Christians, Elijah and Thomas pray when scary or dangerous situations arise. Earlier in the story, Elijah reminds his friend that the trouble in Sudan began when Muslims from the north of the country tried to take valuable resources from the south and force the people to denounce Christianity.

Violence
Soldiers destroy a village and capture children to be used for slave labor. The boys run, so they don’t really witness this firsthand. They see the destruction left behind, though.  A village boy is missing a leg from an incident with a land mine. Gunfire alerts the boys that soldiers approach. Some scary situations, but few descriptions of violence.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Upcoming Reviews: August 2015

Lists, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Escape From Sudan by Amanda DiCianni: I’ve been looking forward to reviewing this book for some time. I think novels like this can be a great tool to introduce kids to world events.

Scar Girl by Len Vlahos: After the intense ride of book one, it was pretty much a given that I’d want to read and review the sequel to The Scar Boys. I’m eager to find out what has happened to the boys since the end of their last adventure, and I’m curious about the format of the book. I’ve heard the story is related through an interview format, which sounds different and fun.

Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt: This one caught my eye on Netgalley. It’s described as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet type story about a rich boy who falls in love with a girl whose entire family are undocumented immigrants. This is a pretty touchy issue politically right now, but I’m really curious to see how Marquardt weaves her tale and what she leaves her readers thinking about. It’s easy to have opinions about statistics and numbers. When we start seeing (or even imagining) faces and names behind the issues, they become so much more complicated.

Torn by Avery Hastings: At last! So you’ve already heard me rave about how much I looked forward to this book. On 8/7 I’ll be participating in a blog tour and will finally unveil my own review of this amazing story.

Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones: I received a request for review from author Katy Huth Jones and after reading the first few pages on Amazon, I couldn’t say no. I’m excited to read more of this fantasy novel.

State of Grace by Hilary Badger: This is another book that caught my eye on Netgalley. In YA, there are tons of dystopian stories… this will be the first utopian story I’ve ever read.

Review: Untamed by Madeline Dyer

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Untamed
Madeline Dyer
Ineja Press
Available January 9, 2017

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Interview

Seven’s mother is gone. Rahn claims she’s left the Untamed settlement and become a member of the Enhanced. Seven wants to mount a rescue mission to go after her, even though she knows it never works. Once a person has a taste of the augmenters the Enhanced use for supernatural strength and speed, she never comes back willingly. The augmenters are too addicting.

Shortly after her mother’s disappearance, Seven learns that she holds the key to an ancient power that will mean the survival or doom of her people. When the Enhanced begin to target her, she must depend on her friends to prevent her capture. But the greatest enemy she must face may come not from an outside attack, but from within herself.

The fast-paced action of Untamed really drew me into the story. Disaster seemed constantly imminent, and it was difficult to tell who Seven could really trust as friends and allies. The threats of betrayal from within and the feeling that her enemy was closing in around her from the outside really kept the pages turning and me wanting to find out what happened next.

One thing I really struggled with though was the lack of story world development. There are some great elements present (the Gods, the spirits that swarm during these purple sky moments) but they remained undeveloped. Where did the lore come from? What Gods? Do their names somehow tie the story to a futuristic earth or is this a completely different fantasy land? I wanted more information, more weaving in through the events of the story. I loved that the spirits played a role, but I still felt like I didn’t understand how they got there to begin with or what their story was.

Seven has a dog with her for much of the story. A dog without a name. She talks about wanting to give the dog a name but not settling on anything and instead refers to her as “my dog” or “the terrier” for the whole story. I didn’t really have a clear picture in my head of what the dog looked like. But more than that, I feel like she would have called the dog something. A nickname or something at the very least. Terri? Good Dog? Something. But that’s really a minor point in the larger scope of the story.

I wanted more of a sense of how the Untamed and Enhanced fit into the larger story world. I wanted to better understand why the Enhanced were evil. Some things were obvious, but it felt like a whole world existing moment to moment, without a larger scope or goal. I think the conflict between the two groups was easy to understand, but it lacked that epic feel that I think would have come from having larger leaders with world-changing goals.

Other than the issues with story world, I enjoyed reading Untamed. I found it easy to root for Seven as a character and really wanted her and Corin to get together! I liked that she was flawed but still strong and smart enough to work some things out on her own. Readers who enjoy dystopian novels would enjoy this book.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
Vague references to the Gods and spirits. At one point it seems that there’s a way to control the spirits. Everything stays very vague.

Violence
The Enhanced leaders torture captured members of the Untamed. Untamed steal from Enhanced cities to survive and kill Enhanced members if necessary. The Enhanced claim to be nonviolent, but they also try to kill the members of Untamed groups.

Drug Content
The Enhanced use vials of liquid with specific purposes, to calm them or enhance speed, etc. The solutions are extremely addictive.

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

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Review: The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

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

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz
Disney-Hyperion

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Two girls, best friends. One is heir to the Lily throne. The other is the daughter of the most powerful mage in the empire.

Princess Marie-Victoria has always been a sick and weak child. As the time comes for her to inherit the throne, her mother and the Mage of England seek an alliance with the powerful, savvy crown prince of Prussia. But Marie-Victoria has other plans for her life.

Aelwyn, the bastard daughter of the Mage of England, has to make her own choice: return to Avalon and live as a magician in exile, or take her vows and join the order who serve the Franco-British Empire. Aelwyn has never desired to serve. In her heart, she has always envied the princess’ life and privileges. When Marie-Victoria approaches her with a plan for the future, Aelwyn’s heart thrums at the possibility and quakes in terror at what her friend is asking of her.

Together the girls have the opportunity to shape the future of the world. Only first they must decide which future to choose.

I was a little nervous beginning this story because I’d read one of her Gates of Paradise books and really struggled with the story and characters. I found myself really fascinated with the set-up of this story. If Merlin were real and his power continued beyond King Arthur’s day, how would that shape the world? In The Ring and the Crown, this means England conquers France. The Revolutionary War? Not so much. The American colonies still belong to the English – er, the Franco-British – Empire. These guys can’t be beat.

I liked the way de la Cruz wove in some French cultural references into the politics and traditions surrounding the royal family. It added an authenticity to the story world in a really subtle way. As strange as the concept sounds, the story world felt totally believable. I loved the idea and it read like the author really thought through a lot of the lore about Merlin and the period of European history.

The characters were fantastic. Each had really distinct personality and voice. It was easy to root for them. I liked that the romance was a bit unpredictable. Several times I thought I knew what would happen and was surprised at the real outcome.

All in all this was a really entertaining read. I would definitely consider following this series, which isn’t something I normally do. The ending really set a great hook for the next story, though, so I’m finding it hard to resist!

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Leo is a bit of a cad and appears to frequently take ladies to bed with him. He coerces Isabelle into having sex with him. Isabelle’s guardian has been sexually abusing her since she was a girl. Very few real details about it. Her description is more of a flickering memory, so we don’t experience him doing anything in scene, other than kissing her. Aelwyn recalls a love affair with another resident of Avalon. She briefly recollects having sex with him and the heartbreak that followed when the relationship ended. No details describing the sex, just a brief reference to waking up together, etc. There are no rules regarding same-sex relationships, and two very eligible bachelors have chosen one another as lovers. No description of the physical affection between them.

Spiritual Content
Merlin’s order has pretty much taken the place of the church in England. The order appears to operate much like a monastery, and the head rules alongside the queen of the empire. A Pandora’s box is the only weapon that can stand against the power of the magic held by the English.

Violence
Brief references to battle. A young prince takes out frustrations in the boxing ring. A young man defends the honor of his love in a duel to the death.

Drug Content
References to drinking wine.

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Thoughts on Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Historical, News and Fun, , ,

Some Notes on What Happens in Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Jean Louise returns to her home in a small southern town to visit her ailing, aged father and his protege, Henry, also her beau. During her visit she discovers that the man she’s admired and trusted all her life as the most fair and just man has somehow shifted into someone with whom she deeply disagrees. Her once peaceful town has become a place where races are deeply divided, and where respect for one another has evaporated. The change throws her into despair and agony, and she fights to be understood and to understand what has happened.

So the story goes something like this: Once upon a time, Harper Lee wrote a manuscript and handed it to a publisher. The editor encouraged her to rework the manuscript. The manuscript became the beloved To Kill a Mockingbird. It started as Go Set a Watchman.

Why I Read Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

There’s been controversy over the publication of the book since it was announced. I’m not going to get into that here, but this guy makes some great points. Whether or not I chose to read Go Set a Watchman, it was going to be published and going to be on the bestseller lists. I mean, it’s HARPER LEE. It’s more of her story world. How can we resist this?

I had to read it. Partly out of curiosity. Partly because I wanted more Maycomb and Atticus and all that. Partly because I wanted to see where the story began. I wanted to know if I agreed with the editor – that the real story, the story that deserved to be told – was the one that ultimately became To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorite books. I knew looking at the history of this manuscript that it was not going to compare to the book that was ultimately published. These aren’t two separate stories. These are two versions of one story idea. Granted, each version plays out the story in very different ways, but to compare them in any other way than first draft to final draft really isn’t fair, and it really ignores the role that a good editor plays in the writing process.

Go Set a Watchman might, at first glance, seem like a sequel. It’s marketed as a separate story, a tale about Scout as an adult. Don’t buy that. I mean, yes, you get to see her a bit as a grown-up, but the heart and soul of the story are in Jean Louise’s childhood flashbacks. These are framed by her adult present life, but those scenes have so much less value without the past hinging them together and making us care.

Spoilers and Agonies

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is the hero. He’s admirable and good. In Go Set a Watchman, Lee explores a coming-of-age moment in which Jean Louise realizes her father is flawed, in which she profoundly disagrees with him. In which he has embraced the company of some very racist men. It feels like the polar opposite of the character we see in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Side note: Yes, those two versions of Atticus don’t make sense, but it doesn’t have to make sense. There isn’t supposed to be continuity because these aren’t two separate stories. They are a first draft and a final draft.

I pretty much want to reject that idea of Atticus. I want to hug the editor who said, nope, let’s talk about when this guy saved the day! Thank you. Oh, thank you, thank you!

Again, I think it’s important to think of these stories as one-or-the-other. We were never intended to have both.

Imagine the story world where Atticus and Scout and Jem live without To Kill a Mockingbird. Imagine that the flawed, sad, old Atticus is the only one we get.

Okay, stop before that gets too depressing. Because it would be totally depressing!

Side note: Can I just say that I totally flipped out when I read the passage where she’s talking about how Henry came to be kind of a second son to Atticus, and there’s like one line, squeezed into the middle of a sentence where it says, “…Jean Louise’s brother dropped dead in his tracks one day…” and I was like wait, WHAT?!

I had to put the book down. I had to force myself to remember that when this was written, there was no Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird, that all those moments that I treasured and loved (after reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time, I took to referring to my brother Jeremy as Jem) didn’t exist when Harper Lee wrote this line.

It was the only way I could forgive her. (I realize that sounds ridiculous. Forgive her as a writer, not as a person.) And remember that ultimately, she could have rejected her editor’s comments and taken her manuscript elsewhere. Fortunately, she took on rewriting her manuscript and creating the beloved story we know her for today.

Why I Won’t Review Go Set a Watchman

The feedback from her editor, the decision to rewrite, those have all risen in value to me now. I think those were the right choices. Those gave us the right story. I think it’s okay to read Go Set a Watchman (or not, if you don’t want to) as long as you read it for what it is: a glimpse into the early part of a complex creative process. It’s not a finished work and it isn’t meant to be taken as such.

I mean, the manuscript has a beginning, middle and ending. It doesn’t leave off mid-scene or anything. But I can’t ignore the fact that only one part of the process had been complete: Lee had written a manuscript. To leave out the role the editor played in the shaping of her story, to act like that doesn’t matter and that the manuscript should be judged as is the same way an edited, published novel is seems like a grossly ignorant choice to me.

Your thoughts are most welcome.

Did you read To Kill a Mockingbird? Are you planning to or have you read Go Set a Watchman? Share your thoughts on why or why not. I’m really curious to know what you think.