Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

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

Code Name Verity
Elizabeth Wein
Disney/Hyperion
Published February 6, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After enduring long hours of torture, Verity, a prisoner in an abandoned hotel in Nazi-occupied France, promises to tell her German captors everything she knows. She begins with recollections of her best friend and pilot, Maddy. As Verity writes Maddy’s story, she recounts the early days of friendship and recruitment as a wireless operator in England. Life for Maddy, a simple country girl with a gift for mechanical engineering, drastically changes on the day she meets a bold woman pilot whose plane needs repair. For Maddy’s friend, a lost German pilot becomes the catalyst that sets in motion her own transformation.

While some of the content definitely places this novel in a category for older teens, it is a powerful story brilliantly told. Author Elizabeth Wein brings to life the story (inspired by history) of two courageous women who served England during World War II. Wein captures not only an intricate physical description of the places in the story, but the desperate, patriotic feel of war-time existence.

On a Personal Note
My grandfather served the US as a flight navigator during World War II. Though he rarely spoke of this period in his life, I was always proud to know that he served. Additionally, I’ve always treasured the story of a dear family friend. She lived in France, and during the war she helped a young Jewish girl escape the country with her. Reading about Verity and Maddy brought those stories along with the love and pride I feel for my family members back fresh and new. As time marches forward, and the veterans and survivors of World War II reach the end of their lives, it is so important for us to remember the sacrifices they made and the reasons they made them. Reading historical accounts and novels is one way to bring this period in history to life for our children.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Rumors and brief comments suggest that Verity seduces war prisoners and guards in order to gain favors or information from them. As a prisoner, she allows a man to fondle her breasts in exchange for supplies for which she is desperate.

Spiritual Content
Early in their friendship, Verity and Maddy discuss assisted suicide and whether it’s selfish or noble to refuse to aid someone in ending his or her life.

Violence
As a war prisoner, Verity receives brutal treatment. Most of the torture is not described in the story. In a frantic attempt to rescue prisoners en route to Nazi concentration camps, soldiers and Resistance members face off, and several are killed.

Drug Content
References to alcohol (though all characters may be of legal drinking age) and cigarettes.

Save

Save

Review: Outcasts by Jill Williamson

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

Outcasts (Safe Lands #2)
Jill Williamson
Blink/Zondervan
Published January 7, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After rescuing many of the women from their village and hiding them within the Safe Lands, Levi, Mason and Omar formulate a plan to rescue the children and return them to their families. As the plan begins to take shape, the boys learn that one of their allies may have an agenda all his own.

Mason still pursues research to develop a cure to the deadly disease plaguing residents of the Safe Lands. His relationship with his beautiful supervisor deepens, and Mason longs to ask her for help. But Ciddah keeps her own secrets, some of which may directly threaten Mason and his people.

Omar longs to make up for the betrayal which left many of his people dead and its survivors as captives in the Safe Lands. He’s got a plan, and it’s big enough to unravel the entire leadership of the Safe Lands and bring freedom to everyone. Or it might just get his family executed.

Outcasts brings all the excitement and intensity introduced by the first in this series. While the characters in the first book were intriguing, they emerge in a sharper, even more engaging way in this novel. Mason’s geeky struggles to pursue romance and Omar’s desperation for approval and retribution are fun and endearing. The web of political intrigue spins far and fast, pulling the reader deeper into the story page by page. The unexpected ending will leave readers panting for the next installment. This is a great series for boys or girls, and one that explores deep issues of addiction and forgiveness.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None

Sexual Content
Omar realizes that when he feels bad, he seeks sexual encounters as a means to thwart loneliness and guilt. The encounters are implied, not explicitly shown. Mason wrestles with his feelings of affection for his supervisor. She invites him to sleep with her, but he refuses.

Spiritual Content
Shaylinn wants to participate in opposing the Safe Lands rule, but as a pregnant fugitive, her options for how to do so are limited. She begins sending encouraging notes to people. The notes contain uplifting Bible verses and exhortations to stand fast and have faith. She prays over each note as she writes it.

Violence
More than one character is shot during a risky rescue attempt. Others are beaten by Safe Lands Enforcers. Violence is brief and descriptions are not graphic.

Drug Content
Omar depends on regular drug use to manage his emotions. He realizes this is a problem and wants to change, but feels powerless to break the habit.

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

Save

Save

Review: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Book Review and Content, Historical, Paranormal, , , , , ,

In the Shadow of Blackbirds
Cat Winters
Amulet Books
Published April 2, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After Mary Shelley’s father’s arrest as a traitor, Mary Shelley flees to her aunt’s home in southern California. There she hopes to find safety from the ugliness of war and the Spanish Influenza epidemic. When Mary Shelley arrives, she learns the flu epidemic is as alive and dangerous as it was in her Oregon hometown. She also discovers her childhood sweetheart, now a US soldier, apparently missing.

With so many families grieving loved ones lost to war or disease, many people turn to Spiritualism, seeking help from famed photographer who claims to capture spirits of dearly departed in his portraits of the living. Mary Shelley’s aunt presses her into sitting for a portrait. The foggy image of Stephen, her love and missing soldier appears with her in the photograph, shocking Mary Shelley. Soon after, Stephen’s ghost visits her, clearly frightened and disturbed. Refusing to accept the public story of his death, Mary Shelley vows to uncover the truth about Stephen’s death and find some way to help him rest in peace.

While the story brings to life an important period in American history, capturing the desperation of World War I and the fear of the flu epidemic, some of the other elements seems almost at war with themselves. Mary Shelley feels devoted to science and scientific understanding. She staunchly believes that the spiritualism craze is bogus and full of dishonest vendors taking advantage of families of war and flu victims.

She decries both the séance and the photographs of her with spirits, yet firmly believes in the encounters she has with Stephen’s ghost, and never really explores why she believes one and not the others, or whether other people may be able to contact spirits. Some of the scenes in which Stephen’s ghost visits Mary Shelley leave her longing for him and yet I found them creepy. I found it difficult to understand her fascination and longing for him, though her desire to see him at peace seemed noble.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild and infrequent.

Sexual Content
Mary Shelley experiences a visit from her lost love at night. The two grieve that they never had the opportunity to consummate their affection for one another, and begin to make out. No clothes are removed, but it’s a pretty intense scene.

Spiritual Content
During the early 1900s, many people were fascinated with contacting spirits of the dead. Mary Shelley participates in a séance, which she believes a hoax, until the ghost of her former lover contacts her. She sits for a photographer who claims to reveal spirits in his photographs. She does not believe in the authenticity of his practice. Still, she remains convinced that the ghost of Stephen will not be at rest until she understands how he died.

Violence
Brief references to a young man beating his brother. Many references to flu victims and their symptoms. Mary Shelley visits a veterans’ hospital and speaks with soldiers there. Various injuries are briefly described.

Drug Content
Mary Shelley hears rumors that Stephen’s brother is an opium addict.

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

Save

Save

Review: Me Since You by Laura Weiss

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

Me Since You
Laura Weiss
MTV Books
Published February 18, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

It’s not easy being a police officer’s daughter. For Rowan, it means getting caught just about every time she tries have a little risky fun with her friends. Being busted yet again lands Rowan in her room, cornered by her father and his lectures about appropriate teen behavior. His being home means he is closest when a terrible call for help comes in. A call that changes everything.

Sadness. Cruelty. These are lessons Rowan learns. Grief and misery stalk her family, terrorizing them. The only upside to the whole mess is that it brings Eli into her life. But Eli’s no stranger to loss, either. Will his past draw them together or become an insurmountable wedge between them?

As Rowan tries to navigate the confusing wake of disaster, another loss rips through her family, and she crumbles under the weight of a crushing grief and emotions Rowan has no idea how to begin to manage. The road to healing isn’t something anyone can lead her through. If she’s going to survive, she’s going to have to find her way.

Rowan’s story packs a serious emotional punch. It is loss come to life. Weiss describes a gut-wrenching grief exacerbated by the (sometimes well-meaning) friends and family members of the grieved. The voices of wisdom and comfort come from those who’ve lost someone themselves. (How true to life is that?!) In addition, she forces readers to examine the fallout which come from people posting cruel comments to one another over the internet. Bravo, Ms. Weiss. Bravo.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
The opening scene contains a description of a thirteen year-old girl making out with a college boy. He lifts her shirt and bra, and she remains exposed for a moment when they are caught by a police officer. The rest of the book is pretty clean, however. There are a few kisses and a couple of oblique references to sleeping together.

Spiritual Content
After experiencing a tragic loss, Rowan wonders about life after death. Who is in Heaven? Is there a Heaven? Things like that. The focus is on the questions rather than the answers, and the narrator draws no real lasting conclusions other than a decision to communicate her thoughts with a loved one via a grief journal.

Violence
Rowan’s father is a police officer. In a short sequence from his point-of-view, he references some difficult situations he dealt with as a cop. One in particular involves a child beaten nearly to death. It’s a brief but gruesome recollection. Several characters witness a murder-suicide involving a baby.

Drug Content
Friends and peers invite Rowan to drink beer and smoke weed with them. More than once, Rowan drinks quite a few drinks. She also begins smoking cigarettes.

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

Save

Save

Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

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

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
Cassandra Clare
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published March 25, 2008

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Clary just needs a little normal. Her days are filled with hospital visits to her mother, who is still trapped in a self-induced coma and with avoiding Jace, since their romance is now doomed by the fact that he is actually her brother. Jace wrestles with not only Clary’s addition to his family, but also in the identity of his father, Valentine, who seeks to destroy the only world Jace knows. But Jace may be expelled from the Shadowhunter world even before Valentine has a chance to make his move when a powerful leader questions Jace’s loyalty and isolates him from his adopted family. As Valentine gathers evil forces to him in an attempt to build an army that will destroy Shadowhunters and mythical creatures alike, Clary, Jace, and their friends frantically search for the key to his plan in time to unravel the whole thing.

Filled with the same snappy dialogue and wittiness as the series opener, City of Bones, this novel is wildly entertaining. Though a few of the plot turns are a little too conveniently accepted by the characters, overall City of Ashes is packed with the unexpected twists and unforgettable characters fans of Cassandra Clare have come to expect from her work.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate but infrequent.

Sexual Content
Clary and Simon explore their new identity as boyfriend and girlfriend. They discuss sex and go to bed together, but very few details are given. Clary and Jace still experience intense attraction toward one another despite Valentine’s claim that both are his children and therefore brother and sister. They smooch a few times, and realize that their relationship can’t be understood by anyone else because it would be considered incest. Is it too convenient that they never really doubt Valentine’s claims?  Also, Jace’s close friend Alec becomes romantically involved with an older man/wizard, Magnus Bane. Nothing much happens between the two on camera beyond some longing looks and a wordless argument.

Spiritual Content
Shadowhunters are supposed to be the descendants of angels and are charged with keeping peace on earth and killing demons. No real mention of God or spirituality much beyond the lore about angels.

Violence
Valentine gathers a demon army to himself and destroys anyone who stands against him. Battle scenes are scattered throughout the story and though often brief do contain a few harsh descriptions.

Drug Content
No recreational drug content.

Save

Save

Review: Captives by Jill Williamson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Captives (Safe Lands #1)
Jill Williamson
Zondervan
Published February 19, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Omar, an unappreciated artist in a village of hunters, has a plan to make everyone realize his worth. Surely once they see the wonders of the Safe Lands, they’ll crowd in to thank Omar for bringing them. But when the envoy from Safe Lands arrives and shots are fired, Omar’s brilliant dream twists into a deadly nightmare. Eighteen people are dead, and everyone blames him.

Levi returns from an errand to find his village emptied and many dead. Filled with grief and fury, he vows to enter the Safe Lands to rescue the captives taken from his home. Nothing prepares him for the reality of life in the Safe Lands.

In a city bent on pleasure and fun, Safe Lands citizens mask the effects of a deadly plague with makeup, drugs and free love. Horrified, Levi and many others from the small village of Glenrock cling to the Christian morals and values of their homeland. Their convictions come with heavy prices. As Levi turns his mind to plans of rescue, his brother Mason pursues study of the terrible plague that infects the people of the Safe Lands. Finding a cure is the only way to save those he loves, but time is running out.

The first in a dystopian series, Captives explores the consequences of drug abuse and sexually transmitted disease and contrasts this against a Christian morality and way of life. The few scenes including drug use are brief and the message that experimentation can quickly give rise to addiction is crystal clear in Williamson’s text. Though the values of promiscuity and casual relationships are explained, no graphic sexual content appears in the story. The plot contains rapid-fire twists and unexpected turns, making it a quick read. References to lines from The Princess Bride will make it unforgettable to movie fans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None

Sexual Content
The women from Glenrock village will be forced to become pregnant through an embryo implant. The men are forced to donate sperm regularly. No details are given about how this occurs. Omar spends the night with a beautiful woman in the Safe Lands. Though no details are given, it’s understood that he has had sex with her. Characters visit various clubs and sometimes participate in dancing or watching sultry performers.

Spiritual Content
The villagers from Glenrock find their Christian values challenged by the pleasure-seeking ways of Safe Lands. Safe Lands Nationals believe that they are given nine lives on earth before a tenth of eternal bliss.

Violence
Enforcers from Safe Lands attack a village, killing several of its people. Few details are given. Omar beats his brother but later feels guilty. A woman is kissed against her will.

Drug Content
Nothing is illegal in the Safe Lands. Various medicines, alcohols and drugs are vaporized and inhaled for ease or pleasure. Omar’s experimentation with these substances quickly rockets out of control and earns him some nasty consequences.

Save

Save