Review: Tessa by Melissa Wiltrout

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

Tessa
Melissa Wiltrout
Life Sentence Publishing
Published September 3, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Fifteen year-old runaway Tessa Minor is forced to return home after being caught shoplifting some food from a grocery store. She dreads the moment she has to face her father again, knowing he’ll make her pay for every hour she’s been on her own. She wakes in the back yard shed at home, battered and bruised from her father’s punishment. When she’s finally able to return to school, Tess dodges questions from her friends but can’t help feeling curious about the new girl, Heather, who speaks openly about her faith and is warm and kind to Tessa. In the midst of a violent altercation at home, Tess escapes through her bedroom window and runs to Heather’s home, where her grandparents take care of her. Gradually, their steadfast love and faith permeates Tess’s home life, and Tess begins to see changes even in her parents’ behavior. But after living in filth and terror for so long, Tess isn’t sure she can trust that the changes are for real or that they erase the horror of her past.

Tessa’s immaturity and tenaciousness made her a believable girl in her early teens, though her bad attitude was sometimes a little much to swallow. Wiltrout captures the chaos and uncertainty of life with an abuser, but it was difficult to understand why Tessa’s mother stayed with him, since she didn’t seem really dependent on him. The spiritual journeys each character takes were largely believable and authentic. Often the critical moment came not through conversation with another person but because of it, which feels more true to life. Forgiveness and consequences were also nicely balanced in a story which deals with redemption of someone with a serious criminal history.

While some of the story elements were a little underdeveloped, Wiltrout shows an overall good sense of story and character development as well as a nice grasp of how to authentically incorporate spiritual awakening into her scenes.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild and infrequent.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
When Tessa meets Heather and her grandparents, she also wins an introduction to their faith as Christians. Soon Tess begins to see God moving through her small family.

Violence
Tessa’s father mercilessly punishes her for running away and anytime she makes a mistake. Angry and brutal, he beats her severely enough for her to lose consciousness.

Drug Content
Tess’s dad also demands she help him concoct methamphetamine in an abandoned structure. While Tess never uses the drug, she suffers physical consequences from exposure to the chemicals used in the process. No ingredients are named, nor is the process described in any detail. Participants ultimately serve time in jail.

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

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Review: My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush by Laura Toffler-Corrie

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

My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush
Laura Toffler-Corrie
Roaring Brook Press/Holtzbrinck Publishing
Published August 20, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Babysitting the neighborhood terror, David Lipski, is enough to give any girl nightmares, but when the handsome hero who comes to her rescue waltzes out of Jenna’s dreams and into a server’s uniform at Cowboy Clem’s, it’s got to be too good to be true, right? Luke has the face of an angel. And that’s exactly what he is. He’s been sent to earth with a mission – to guard and protect the family heirloom necklace Jenna’s just been given as a birthday gift. If Adam, a boy serving darker powers, gets his hands on the necklace, he’ll bend its power to his will and use it to rule earth. Along with a tirelessly devoted neighbor and her young babysitting charge, Jenna embarks on a wild adventure to stop the forces of evil from swiping the tacky necklace and destroying the world as she knows it.

The story is packed with quirky characters and light-hearted humor, though there are several brief references to bodily functions. The unconventional use of angel and demon characters made the story unique, but left the story-world somewhat disjointed. Both Jenna’s parents seem remarkably disconnected from their daughter’s life. While Jenna doesn’t spend a lot of emotional energy on her family either, she often speaks rudely about her family members. The romance between Luke and Jenna develops nicely and remains clean, making this a good choice as a romantic story for new teen readers.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild word choice and frequency.

Sexual Content
Very brief kissing. Jenna tries not to think about sex in front of the boy who can read her mind. No additional details are specified.

Spiritual Content
Though the story features angels and demons, neither appear connected with God or Christian context in any way. Instead, the two are mortal enemies somehow thrust into the human world by the alignment of planets at the equinox.

Violence
Very brief fighting and description of someone stabbed to death. No graphic content.

Drug Content
Jenna asks her parents if a person could talk to an angel. Her mother offers that someone taking crack might have this experience.

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

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What Makes Me Love Authors

News and Fun, , ,

Goodreads lists over 1400 YA novels published for the first time in 2013. In order to cover them all, I’d have to review nearly four novels each day. While some of those novels aren’t a good fit for this blog and some of those authors probably aren’t interested in having reviews posted here, I still receive more requests each month than I can commit to review.

What makes requests memorable? What can authors do to stand out as savvy and professional? As a review blogger, here are my thoughts on what makes for a fabulous working relationship between author and blogger:

Reads My Blog

When I get a request email that specifically comments on a post I’ve written or mentions an aspect of the blog the author finds useful or appealing, I’m more inclined to pay attention. Why? Because this tells me that I’m not just getting a form email sent out to a hundred bloggers, and that the author has considered whether my blog is a good fit for the novel he or she is hoping to have reviewed.

A form email from a publicist or publishing house isn’t a terrible thing, however. Professionalism and seriousness on the part of the author definitely grabs my attention.

Gives Me Great Links

It’s a great idea to include your author web site, any site with an excerpt and even a link to your book on amazon, if it’s posted there and has any reviews. Before I accept a review, I like to check those two places to find out more about an author. If an author provides those links in the email, I’m more likely to click them when I first read the email than to check it later when I have more time.

On the author site, I’m trying to get a feel for what kind of person the author is. Is the site really classy? Does it look like the author invested time in site development and management?

At Amazon or another site which allows me to read an excerpt, I do exactly that. If I read the first five pages of the novel and find myself cringing at spelling and grammar errors or simply not connecting with the characters or story, I’m likely to pass on the review request.

Is Interested In Other Posts

I enjoy conducting author interviews and hosting cover reveals and other events like that. When an author asks about those or offers to participate in an interview, I’m inclined to feel like that author is working hard to be accessible, and I can’t help but respect that.

Follows Up During the Month of Scheduled Review

Sometimes an author (or publicist) drops me a quick line to make sure I’ve got everything I need and we’re still on track for a review posting soon. I’m always impressed to get these emails. I think it shows a lot of organization and professionalism.

Tweets About the Review

Getting my blog site out there helps me gather more readers, so I really appreciate the authors who take the time to mention the review on Twitter or other social media sites.

Contacts Me Post-Review

A word of thanks is always appreciated, whether it’s in a blog comment, Facebook post or twitter mention. I’ve had authors email me and critique my reviews before, and as long as they’re polite and constructive, I don’t mind that so much. I’m happy to correct any errors in the post.

Once or twice an author has responded to the review in order to clarify a question I had about the story. One time I’d been confused by the title choice. Another time the resolution of the story didn’t make sense to me. The author wrote to explain what motivated her to write the novel, so I was able to add that to my review as an explanation. I love that stuff.

I also respect an author’s decision not to read reviews. I usually try to email an author with thanks and a direct link to the review a few days before the it’s posted, but I will not include the link if I know an author doesn’t want to read reviews about his or her work.

Emails Me About the Next Book

Nothing is better than finding out an author I loved has written another book and emailed me to ask for a review! Sometimes I catch news about new releases on Facebook, and I can chase an author down to ask if I can review the book, but sometimes I miss those announcements. Having those requests in my inbox makes sure I hear about the book and can respond in time to schedule a review.

What Else?

As an author or reviewer, what experiences have helped make this process smoother for you? What tips would you offer other reviewers and authors seeking reviews?

Review: Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Eve and Adam (Eve & Adam #1)
Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant
Feiwel and Friends
Published October 2, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After a devastating accident, Evening is sent to an advanced medical facility called Spiker Biopharmaceuticals to recover. With her mother as the director, no expense is spared to get Eve back on her feet. To keep her busy and distracted, Eve’s mother offers to pay her to test simple simulation software. Eve agrees and begins to create a boy. The most perfect boy.

As Eve’s body rockets through recovery, Eve begins to suspect that there are things her mother isn’t telling her. Then Solo, the mysterious boy who seems to live at the medical facility, offers her a dangerous gift: the truth. What Solo tells Eve could shut down the whole company and land several prominent figures, her mother included, in prison and Eve must decide whether to warn her mother, beg Solo to maintain silence, or turn in the information herself. If anyone discovers Solo’s plan, he may not live long enough for Eve to decide what to do.

A fast-paced, clever exploration of genetics and morality, Eve and Adam balances light humor with dark issues. As Eve chooses traits for her perfect man, she wrestles with popular conventions about what’s most important in a potential mate. Physical beauty? Intelligence? Bravery? How much of what Eve programs in genetically would govern who her perfect man turned out to be? Solo’s careful cataloging of the evils perpetrated by the medical facility leaves readers in no doubt as to the importance of moral laws governing medical research. Beyond the science, the authors offer a thrilling journey filled with high drama and narrow escapes as well as tenderness and empathy.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate word choice, mild frequency.

Sexual Content
Eve’s friend Ashlynn lives something of a promiscuous life. Eve doesn’t share many details, but Ashlynn makes several suggestive comments, especially about certain body parts of the boy Eve is creating using an advanced computer program.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Ashlynn relates a story to Eve in which she and her bad-boy boyfriend Maddox are attacked by gang members. Three men beat Solo savagely. A man is stabbed in the skull with a large metal sculpture.

Drug Content
Eve’s mother runs a high-tech medical facility which performs research and experimentation on disease prevention and eradication as well as genetic manipulation. Ashlynn’s boyfriend sells marijuana and lands himself in a mess of trouble both with the law and with a local gang.

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Review: Merlin’s Shadow by Robert Treskillard

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

Merlin’s Shadow (The Merlin Spiral #2)
Robert Treskillard
Blink YA
Published October 1, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After vowing to protect young Arthur at all costs, Merlin and his companions flee from the army of Vortigern, the new self-proclaimed king of Briton. Merlin’s faith falters along the difficult road, as does his confidence in the love of the fair Natalenya. Now that his sight has been restored to him, he can’t help but despise the terrible scars that mar his face. He decides to ask Natalenya to break her vow to marry him and return to her family. Heartbroken, Natalenya fears the mysterious illness that plagues her has driven away Merlin’s love for her. A vicious tribe of Picts corners Merlin and his companions and forces them to choose between death and slavery. Desperate to save Arthur, Merlin chooses slavery and endures cruel treatment at the hands of his master and tribal leaders. When help finally comes, Merlin fears the price may be too great, and all the sacrifices he’s made may prove worthless.

This second novel in the Merlin Spiral picks up immediately following the first installment. Unfamiliar readers (or those who’ve lost track of some of the finer plot points since reading the first book) will be thrilled to find a brief synopsis of the series’ debut in the opening pages of this tale. In addition, Treskillard also provides a character glossary with pronunciation notes, which is a great help to readers who struggle to remember the roles for each character in the large cast.

While some stories seem to lose steam in the second book, the Merlin Spiral only ratchets up the action and intensity, propelling readers through action and danger. Characters continue to grow as they face new threats and challenges. Fans of the classic story of Arthur and Merlin will continue to enjoy the fresh, imaginative twists to the tale and find themselves eager for the third installment.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Beneath the familiar story of King Arthur and Merlin lies a raging war between Christianity and Druidism for the Isle of Briton. Some Druidic rituals are referenced, including human sacrifice and use of powerful artifacts. A young girl falls into a burial pit and sinks to the bottom where she encounters a Druid deity. Merlin sees God-gifted visions and finds the Sangraal (Holy Grail.)

Violence
Battles between Merlin’s companions and Druids or soldiers following the self-proclaimed British king Vortigern are described with moderate detail.

A savage tribe of Picts carries Merlin, the young Arthur and their band of companions off into slavery and treats them cruelly. A Druid ritual nearly costs a young boy his life.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Tandem by Anna Jarzab

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Tandem (Many-Worlds Trilogy #1)
Anna Jarzab
Random House Children’s Books
Published October 8, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

An ordinary teenage girl and a runaway princess from another universe have only one thing in common: They are identical, analogs of one another.

When a special forces soldier kidnaps Sasha from her senior prom on planet earth and drags her across time and space to Aurora where she will replace his missing princess, her only choice is to cooperate. Only Thomas, the solder who kidnapped her, has the power to return her to home and family on earth.

As Sasha desperately tries to impersonate the princess, she uncovers a truth Thomas can’t stomach. A truth that changes everything.

Worse still, Sasha begins to empathize with Thomas and value his sense of honor and his devotion to her. If she were forced to remain in Aurora, impersonating the princess forever, would it be so truly terrible?

The first book in the Many Worlds series introduces readers to a world divided into many parallel universes. Many contain analogs, or alternate versions of a person. It’s a fascinating premise and the idea is carried consistently throughout the story. At times, Sasha’s emotions and reactions are relayed with less consistence. For instance, in a scene in which she is nearly choking to death, she pauses in her panic to analyze a conversation she’s overhearing which indicates Thomas has lied to her. The romantic thread between Thomas and Sasha follows a wobbly course, not nearly so well-crafted as the layers of politics and intrigue Jarzab weaves between the rival nations of Aurora and Farnham. The plot resolves neatly and yet leaves plenty of room for anticipation of a second novel to come. Tether, book two in the Many Worlds trilogy is expected to release in the spring of 2015.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate frequency of moderate profanity.

Sexual Content
A few moments of intense kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Sasha is kidnapped and dragged to another universe and later imprisoned. Thomas injures his hand when he punches through a security door lock.

Drug Content
Sasha receives an antidote to an allergic reaction. A Farnum boy is poisoned.

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