Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
Square Fish
Published May 10, 2011 (Orig. published 1999)

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At a high school with an ever-changing mascot, Melinda begins her year friendless and alone. She’s the pariah who called police at a summer party. The one where the awful thing happened. Through a caring teacher and a challenging art project, Melinda struggles to piece herself back together. But when the familiar face of that boy materializes out of the halls of her new school, she spirals into silence and isolation. As the boy, Andy, draws closer to Melinda’s former best friend Rachel, Melinda tries to reach out, to warn her. Rumors swirl that he’s hurt other girls, the same way he hurt Melinda.

The way he raped Melinda.

Notes in a bathroom stall and the tenuous friendship of another girl draw Melinda back from the edge until Andy comes after Melinda again. This time, she fights back. Others hear her and rally to her aid.

Speak is undoubtedly one of the most powerful novels of its time. Anderson’s gritty yet hopeful tale paves the way for dialogue about one of the most difficult and sensitive topics. She describes not only the pain of the victim, but depicts the rallying of her community and offers hope for healing. While there are a couple of instances of strong language, this is almost entirely a clean book with a very hopeful and inspiring ending.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild. The word b***h appears a few times.

Sexual Content – TRIGGER WARNING
Melinda was raped at a party. The description is brief.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Melinda faces her rapist again, and fights back. Brief scene, few graphic details.

Drug Content
Teenagers, including Melinda consume alcohol at a summer party. The consequences are heavy, and Melinda herself calls the police.

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Review: Perverse by Larry Rodness

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

Perverse
Larry Rodness
ITOH Press
Published December 31, 2012

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As a second generation Goth, even Gothic life for Emylene is weird. Not weird. Perverse! While she enjoys her position in her community as a Goth princess, she doesn’t always see her spoiled and self-centered behavior and how it impacts others. When she inadvertently frees a mysterious girl from a charcoal sketch found in a dismal antique shop, Emylene’s world begins to shift. Her parents are barely recognizable and what’s the deal with her friends at her nightly club hangout?

Too late, Emylene realizes her new friend is not what she seems. As events spiral out of control, Emylene finds new allies to face the terror she is partly responsible for releasing. It will take all their strength and cunning to stop the creatures controlling her hometown.

Rodness creates a complex and feisty young girl with smarts and spunk in spades. Emylene grapples with her newfound adulthood and its challenges in familiar and entertaining ways. Narrative and plot are not as well-constructed as the characters, however. The narrative wanders out of one point of view and into another without ceremony or pattern. Scattered rants about the misconceptions the mainstream population has about the gothic community were sometimes off-putting rather than insightful. One character hijacks the story and inserts a long (several chapters) narrative of his own. Still, Rodness uses some interesting bits of folklore and introduces readers to a strange magical picture, creating a story world worthy of the genre.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity.

Sexual Content
References (without description) to some teen sexual experimentation girl-on-girl. In one scene, Emylene is incapacitated by a villain and made to experience sexual pleasure. She is later found by a young man who fantasizes about having sex with her, whether or not she is willing. Other brief references to aberrant sexual practices.

Spiritual Content
Brief mention of solstice celebrations and Wiccan traditions.

Violence
Some brief scenes of fatal violence.

Drug Content
References to bad parts of town including drug trafficking, but no drug use among characters.

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

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Review: The Girl Who Played Chess with an Angel by Tessa Apa

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

The Girl Who Played Chess with an Angel
Tessa Apa
Big Planet Corporation
Published June 8, 2012

Currently Out of Print

Thirteen year old Florence doesn’t want reasons; she needs answers. About her father’s death. About her mother’s fierce anger. But Florence knows answers change things, and everything is about to change.

Things have been changing ever since the day she played chess with an Angel. One might think meeting a real live angel answers a lot of life’s questions, but Florence is taking things slowly. One answer at a time.

As she wrestles with her father’s sudden death and her mother’s bitterness, Florence begins to see life beyond her own needs. In her tenuous friendship with Max, she finds the courage to ask an even bigger question: is God real? Both Max and her mother are quick to provide their own answers to this deep question, but that’s not enough for Florence. She needs to discover the answer for herself, and that journey will test everything she’s ever thought to be true.

Filled with yearning and honesty, Florence’s journey is as captivating as she is. Apa dares to dive deep, to genuinely question, and to allow her characters that which makes them so human: permission to doubt. She brings an authenticity to her debut novel that few authors are able to show in stories of spiritual journeys. This is a very worthy read.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Florence wrestles with whether or not to believe in God.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Cover Reveal: Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

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Shadowhand
Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Bethany House
Published January 28, 2014

“She Will Take Your Own Two Hands

To Save Your Ancient, Sorrowing Lands.”

By her father’s wish, Lady Daylily is betrothed to the Prince of Southlands. Not the prince she loves, handsome and dispossessed Lionheart, but his cousin, the awkward and foolish Prince Foxbrush. Unable to bear the future she sees as her wedding day dawns, Daylily flees into the dangerous Wilderlands, her only desire to vanish from living memory.

But Foxbrush, determined to rescue his betrothed, pursues Daylily into a new world of magic and peril, a world where vicious Faerie beasts hold sway, a world invaded by a lethal fey parasite . . . 

A world that is hauntingly familiar.

To celebrate the cover reveal, author Anne Elisabeth Stengl is hosting a giveaway on her blog. One lucky winner will receive a mug with the gorgeous covers of all six books on it. Enter the contest here!

Shadow Hand will be the sixth book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series. Fans will remember brave and guarded Lady Daylily and her betrothed from Stengl’s third book, Moonblood. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the series, there is plenty of time to catch up! Shadow Hand will only be available beginning early next year. For more information, visit the Shadow Hand blog.

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Review: Annabeth’s War by Jessica Greyson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Annabeth’s War
Jessica Greyson
Ready Writer Press
Published December 6, 2012

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When a mysterious peasant bests him at swordplay, Ransom can’t help but wonder if the disguise conceals the elusive girl he seeks. Once he tracks her down, Ransom finds convincing Annabeth to accept his help is no easy task. As she slips away again and again, always warning him she acts for his own safety, Ransom begins to question his orders to subdue and kidnap the girl.

Annabeth can’t stop running. With a price on her head and her prince’s life hanging in the balance, she must stay one step ahead of Lord Raburn and his men, those who would seek to kill her. Yet fleeing is not so simple. She cannot abandon the prince and her own father, who are both locked in Raburn’s clutches.

Desperation forces Annabeth to accept Ransom’s aid in a plot to rescue the prince and escape across the border. But even if the plan succeeds, Annabeth would have to leave her father behind. As she struggles to find a way to rescue him, Ransom is faced with his own choice: if he lets Annabeth return to the castle, he will not be able to complete his orders, and she may find herself at the mercy of a vicious enemy.

Annabeth is a deeply compassionate and fiercely independent girl. Independent almost to her own destruction. As she learns to trust Ransom and work together with others, she will have to relinquish some of the self-sufficiency she holds most dear. Though at first he is bent on following his orders, Ransom is captivated by the strange girl and her quest. He struggles to balance his commitment to his king and his growing love for Annabeth.

Greyson’s writing is simple and her story uncomplicated, but her characters are compelling and interesting. Annabeth’s War is a short, but entertaining read. The cover art is really beautiful as well.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Annabeth questions Ransom’s motives, wondering how he can do good things for others without any faith in God. She tells him of her own beliefs.

Violence
There are some scenes of battle violence and brief scenes of torture, but no few graphic details are given throughout these scenes.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: A Shadow on the Land by Krystine Kercher

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, ,

A Shadow on the Land
Kristine Kercher
Scorched Suit Press
Published January 6, 2013

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Bjorn Horsa and a group of his loyal men are being housed in the castle under King Olaf. To fulfill the ancient prophecy and spare the people of ruin, Bjorn must not seize the crown which is rightfully his. Instead, he must show the stubborn king that the only way to spare the land is to peacefully turn over his rule to Bjorn, Eiathan’s Heir.

As one disaster follows another, the people of Astarkand grow desperate. Bjorn continues to seek the Dreamsender, believing the prophecy will come to pass only if he chooses a path of nonviolence. Struggling to stay one step ahead of the king and his plots, Bjorn and his men travel the countryside helping those beneath Olaf’s notice. The king’s army frays and the people continue to suffer, but Olaf’s vise-grip on his kingdom never wavers. Bjorn clings to his faith desperately, longing to save the people and lead them into peace and prosperity once more.

Known to the people as Prince Dragonsbane, Bjorn Horsa is everything a good prince ought to be. He is kind and courteous, yet strong and courageous. His men follow him loyally but take care to check any foolish judgment that their leader might make. While Kercher shows a remarkable knack for filling each scene with fine detail and firmly anchoring the story in a fantastic, medieval-type of setting, sometimes the details overrun the plot. In the king’s absence, his son obsesses over the schedule for guard duty. Bjorn and his men provide supplies to help outcast widows and orphans escape to new lives. They discuss how many wagons, wheels of cheese, and bags of flour might be needed, details which add a certain amount of richness but slow the forward motion of the story to a crawl. Despite this, fans of medieval settings will enjoy the attentive details and will find it difficult not to like the good prince.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The prince and his men worship the Dreamsender, another name for the Christian God. Scripture references are laced throughout the story. King Olaf and his followers worship a dark god called Woden who demands human sacrifices. Few details are given about these rituals.

Violence
There are some scenes of battle violence, but no graphic details are given about any of these encounters.

Drug Content
References to wine and beer.

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

 

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