Review: Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

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Starflower (Tales of Goldstone Wood #4)
Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Bethany House
Published November 1, 2012

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The entire court of immortal faeries is distraught when beloved and beautiful Lady Gleamdren is kidnapped by a fearsome dragon-witch. Two of her most devoted admirers race to her rescue, and the Bard Eanrin is determined to be first to reach his ladylove. On his journey he encounters a human girl locked in a spell of sleep and finds he cannot simply leave the unlucky mortal to her fate.

Eanrin wakes Starflower from her sleep, intent upon sending her on her way, but the maiden knows little of the treacherous Wood. As she accompanies Eanrin on his quest, a deep connection emerges between the girl and the dragonwitch. It may be Starflower alone who can rescue Gleamdren and battle an ancient dark power.

Fans of the Tales of Goldstone Wood will recognize Eanrin as the wise and mischievous cat who often kept company with the Princess Una in Heartless, the first novel in the series. Starflower predates Heartless and tells the tale of a much younger and more, often humorously, self-centered Eanrin and adding still more depth and breadth to the already rich and lustrous story world Stengl has created.

Starflower is a tale of love, not strictly romantic love, but of the journey toward choosing to put others first, to risk losing total autonomy, and to show love to others even when they are not outwardly deserving of it. It is the fourth book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series and was just named a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award. The fifth book, Dragonwitch, will be released in the summer of 2013.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A kiss.

Spiritual Content
Starflower’s people are under a curse and cannot speak. To remove the curse, she has to learn to love her enemies. Over and over through the story, characters are challenged to love others at expense to their own desires or safety.

Violence
References to a dog being beaten by its owner. A girl is surrounded by young men who mean her harm (she is not injured). Two dogs fight. References to human sacrifices. A man is killed saving his daughter. These scenes are short and do not contain a high level of detail.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Liberty by Annie Laurie Cechini

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

Liberty
Annie Laurie Cechini
Rhemalda Publishing
Published February 1, 2013

Goodreads | Currently out of Print

Captain Tabitha “Dix” Dixon and her crew make a living transporting cargo across the solar system and staying off the radar of the corrupt and powerful System of United Planets (SUN). To Dix, the crew are family, and she will do anything to protect them.

But Dix carries a secret in a tiny vial that even most of her crew don’t know, one that could cost them their lives. Eternigen is a miracle serum that would allow humans to travel through deep space, beyond the control of the SUN. Agents of the SUN will go to any lengths to get it back, and now they have a new ally.

Eira Ninge is about as unbalanced as her name sounds. She pursues Dix and her crew relentlessly, gruesomely disposing of anyone who chooses to help them escape.

Despite the looming threat, resistance messenger Jordan Barrett joins forces with Dix. The captain is used to having her orders obeyed without question, but Barrett isn’t afraid to challenge her. Or laugh at her. Or call her Tabitha, which is just asking for it. Letting Barrett close means the risk of losing him, and Dix isn’t sure she can handle that with SUN agents drawing ever nearer.

Dix has a plan. Hobs, a crew member and brilliant scientist, is close to finding a way to replicate the Eternigen. If Dix can dodge Eira until Hobs unlocks the formula, she and her crew can escape beyond the reaches of the SUN and find a place where they can truly be free. With mounting deaths of those she loves and Eira closing in, can Dix keep her crew safe long enough to escape for good?

Liberty is a fast-paced, fun read. Our solar system has been terraformed and the planets occupied by settlers under the control of the SUN, who ration electricity and information. Elite groups of people have excesses of food and beautiful homes while most of humanity languishes in poor slums. Resistance movements gather to discuss and complain, but only Dix seems willing to buck the SUN openly. Dix is as spirited, goofy and easy to love as her crew members and their story.

Language Content
Only faux swearing. Includes words like “flark,” “skud,” and “jackwagon.”

Sexual Content
Light.

Spiritual Content
Brief discussion about whether heaven exists. A motherly figure tells Dix she must believe she will see those she loves again after this life.

Violence
SUN dissenters are hanged. Punches are exchanged in battle sequences. A space ship is destroyed. Scenes are brief and without high level of detail.

Drug Content
Characters go into a couple of bars but order things like ginger ale and root beer.

Win a Copy!
Leave a comment on this post naming your favorite science fiction character from a book or movie. One commenter will win a free copy of Liberty! (Winner must have a US mailing address.) Contest ends Friday at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

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Review: Colt O’Brien Grows Up by George Matthew Cole

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, New Adult 18up, , , , , ,

Colt O’Brien Grows Up
George Matthew Cole
Createspace (Independent)
Published October 30, 2012

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With computer certifications under his belt and a new job waiting for him on campus, Colt O’Brien, his best friend Bobby and girlfriend Amy head to their first semester of college. Colt is quickly overwhelmed with school work and problems on the job. His boss Gerry is a UNIX guy in a Windows world, and Colt finds himself the only Windows tech providing support for an entire campus of computers. Despite the unfairness and Gerry’s apparent plot to get rid of him, Colt rises to the challenge and is determined to keep up with his work load.

The first semester of college isn’t exactly what freshman Amy Strong expected, either. With her boyfriend drowning in work and school, she is left on her own to ponder her own future. And to her own surprise, what she really wants isn’t that shiny degree at the end of the four year path. She wants a baby.

As Colt and Amy struggle to maintain their relationship amidst swirling emotions and other commitments, both begin to worry about Bobby, who seems to have fallen off his straight and narrow path. Rumors abound that Bobby is drinking too much, and soon Colt stumbles onto the evidence. It’s clear Bobby needs help, but convincing him of this fact will not prove easy.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Colt’s psychic abilities seem to go on the fritz, and he can’t figure out why or how to respond. When an accident disconnects him from his body, his friends and family must wait helplessly for Colt’s mentor to discover what has happened and attempt to bring him back.

Through his journey, Colt gains some maturity through the difficult work experiences and the counsel of his mentors. He learns to bite his tongue and hold back angry outbursts. He begins to recognize when he is thinking only of himself and learns to see others’ perspectives.

Author George Matthew Cole writes with an omniscient stream-of-consciousness style, providing a broad view of the story, though in some scenes it causes confusion. First mention of Colt’s psychic abilities comes almost as an afterthought, but as the story develops, the connection between the ability and the story becomes stronger and clearer. While Colt’s character is well-developed and shows growth, Amy seems to regress. Her interests shrink and her emotional well-being becomes bound to having a child and future with Colt.

 Colt O’Brien Grows Up is an interesting look at a period in early adulthood not often explored in literature. Though ultimately dominated by the psychic problems Colt wrestles with, the story focuses at first on the practical issues of freshman year of college and the struggles and temptations students face.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Heavy. A few F-bombs with other curses throughout.

Sexual Content
Colt and his girlfriend go on a weekend getaway to have sex. Limited details. Two college girls attempt to seduce him while he fixes their computers. Some crude details.

Spiritual Content
Colt has psychic dreams and experiences which he does not understand. He does some research and finds mentors who explain various techniques and procedures.

Violence
Colt and his friend get into a fist-fight while in jail. Colt is injured when he goes to a party to pick up a friend.

Drug Content
College students drink alcohol, often excessively. Colt experiences a contact high at one party.

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Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

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

The Immortal Rules
Julie Kagawa
Harlequin Teen
Published April 24, 2012

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In a world ruled by vampires, Allison Sekemoto survives by staying hidden and scavenging for food. When hunger forces her to venture outside the safety of home, she is attacked and offered a choice: to die or become what she hates most. A vampire.

Allie struggles to learn vampire ways and accept and what her new form means to the humans she has left behind. Another attack forces her to flee from the city and into the wild where she will be stalked by rabids, diseased and deadly creatures. But Allie isn’t the only one braving those wilds. In the night, she comes upon a group of humans on a quest to find a legendary city. A safe haven for humans. A city without vampires. Allie vows to protect them on their journey, but can she really succeed when the deadliest threat is her own hunger?

Kagawa sends her readers plummeting through a masterfully woven plot into a post-apocalyptic world in which humans are ruled by vampires and stalked by rabids. While heroine Allie seems cold-hearted and indifferent at the story’s opening, it is in her vampire form that she develops love for others, creating an intriguing paradox.

Language Content
No F-bombs, but other curses peppered throughout.

Sexual Content
Insinuations, but no graphic content.

Spiritual Content
Allison encounters a group who are people of faith. Precisely what they believe isn’t deeply explored, but faith is portrayed as a very admirable and positive thing, even if such optimism is hard for Allison to understand. In Kagawa’s world, vampires may be either good or evil, depending on their relationship with the living. They will either abuse and dominate or perhaps struggle to check their power and thirst and protect humans.

Violence
Lots of violence. Creatures called rabids, human and animal, viciously pursue and devour any they can capture. Some references to past torture.

Drug Content
Random guy drinks a beer.

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

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Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

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

Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher
Razorbill
Published October 18, 2007

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About Thirteen Reasons Why

An unexpected package greets high school student Clay Jenson at home one day. It bears no return address. Inside are seven cassette tapes. Curious, Clay pops one into a dusty player and is shocked to hear the voice of his crush, Hannah Baker, who died by suicide just weeks earlier. Clay is stunned. Through the tapes, Hannah promises to reveal the names and circumstances in which thirteen people contributed to her suicide. But how can he be one of them? He liked her.

Hannah’s story sends Clay spinning through town, visiting locations Hannah has marked on a map, reliving each scene through her eyes. His journey changes his perceptions of Hannah, his classmates, and himself, but not always in ways one expects.

My Review

Author Jay Asher tackles the topic of teen suicide with gravity and realism but without glamorizing or romanticizing it. While Hannah’s tapes cast blame and accusation on others, sometimes justly, the back-and-forth narrative gives Clay an opportunity to raise reasons why Hannah was not out of choices, and why her death was a tragedy but not an inevitability. Gritty and powerfully told.

Content

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some crude language but no cursing.

Sexual Content
Reference to masturbation. Two scenes in which a girl is raped. One is not described at all. The other has some graphic details opening, but cuts off quickly. In one scene teens gather in their underwear in a hot tub.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Reference to a teen killed in a car accident, but no description of the event. See sexual content.

Drug Content
Under-aged drinking at a party.

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Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye J. Walton

Book Review and Content, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Leslye J. Walton
Candlewick Press
Published January 1, 2014

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Ava Lavender comes from a long line of peculiarly gifted women who’ve been unlucky in love. She relates her family history beginning with her great-grandparents and their journey from France to the United States in the early 1900s. Ava’s grandmother is the surviving member of her small family by the time she marries. Desperate to escape the bitter memories of her lost loved ones, Emiliene and her husband head west, finally settling in a small Washington town. Emiliene bears one child, Ava’s mother, before her husband dies. Each member of Emiliene’s family bears some peculiarity, and it seems Viviane, Emiliene’s child is no exception, when she is born with an incredibly keen sense of smell. But it is Ava, Viviane’s daughter who possesses the most notable peculiarity: she is born with wings.

Ava spends her young life sheltered in her grandmother’s home with her mother and twin brother and their live-in handyman. Gabe is determined to teach Ava to fly, and spends a great deal of time building flying contraptions so he can do just that. The only problem is that none of them seem to work. As Ava reaches her middle teen years, she begins to grow curious about the world outside her family’s home. As she begins to venture out, she must face the various ways people respond to her wings. She finds herself labeled both angel and demon, worshipped and hunted. As danger closes in around her, Ava’s brother (who appears to have some form of Autism) tries repeatedly to warn the family, but the message doesn’t at first make sense to them. Emiliene and Viviane must piece together the clues and find Ava before it’s too late.

The most striking thing about this novel is the style in which it is written. It’s very whimsical and a little bit dark, both quirky and hopeful. Each of the focal characters is expertly created and their stories deeply interesting. There are definitely some intense moments which make this a story better suited to older teens. Readers who enjoy stories in the vein of the movie Big Fish will enjoy this novel.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Infrequent but extreme.

Sexual Content
Brief references to sex, including references to a brother and sister who were rumored to be lovers and two men who are lovers. In one scene a man violently assaults a woman. Details of the attack are brief but brutal, and the progression of events is really choppy, making it difficult to tell what’s happening. The girl is raped. Details of the rape are very limited.

Spiritual Content
Emiliene is haunted by the ghosts of her deceased siblings and a former resident of her home. Rumor has it that a young girl living in sin attempted to receive communion and the host caught fire as it touched her mouth. This event occurs again featuring one of the main characters in the story.
Violence
See above for assault. Emiliene’s brother is shot in the face by his lover. His ghost bears the scars from his gruesome demise. Details are limited. One of Emiliene’s sisters commits suicide by removing her heart. Again, gruesome, but with limited details.

Drug Content
A young man drugs a relative in his care.

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

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