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Review: Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

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Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis cover shows a girl standing in an open window.

Give the Dark My Love (Give the Dark My Love #1)
Beth Revis
Razorbill Press
Published September 25, 2018

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About Give the Dark My Love

When seventeen-year-old Nedra Brysstain leaves her home in the rural, northern territories of Lunar Island to attend the prestigious Yugen Academy, she has only one goal in mind: learn the trade of medicinal alchemy. A scholarship student matriculating with the children of Lunar Island’s wealthiest and most powerful families, Nedra doesn’t quite fit in with the other kids at Yugen, who all look down on her.

All, except for Greggori “Grey” Astor. Grey is immediately taken by the brilliant and stubborn Nedra, who he notices is especially invested in her studies. And that’s for a good reason: a deadly plague has been sweeping through the North, and it’s making its way toward the cities. With her family’s life–and the lives of all of Lunar Island’s citizens–on the line, Nedra is determined to find a cure for the plague.

Grey and Nedra continue to grow closer, but as the sickness spreads and the body count rises, Nedra becomes desperate to find a cure. Soon, she finds herself diving into alchemy’s most dangerous corners–and when she turns to the most forbidden practice of all, necromancy, even Grey might not be able to pull her from the darkness.

My Review

When I first heard about GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE, I tried really hard to get hold of a review copy. I’d met Beth Revis at a book con and she’s one of the most amazing people– super genuine and open and really kind– and I’d read and enjoyed her books before, so it was kind of a no-brainer! Alas, I did not get a review copy, so fast forward to much later when I decided to treat myself to a copy of the book care of a birthday gift card. Yay!

First, I love the unique story world. The mystery surrounding the plague and the backstory about necromancy plus the opportunity Nedra gets to study alchemy at an elite school. It all fit together really well and gave the story a really unique feel to it. Nedra and Grey pretty much both had me hooked from their first few pages. I love her passion for helping others. I love his integrity.

There are definitely some dark elements to the story, and the good versus evil lines get pretty complicated, so that’s something to consider if that matters to you. I like complex characters, so I enjoyed the bends in the story, and I’m super eager to read the sequel, BID MY SOUL FAREWELL, which came out September 24, 2019. I already have a copy and want to read it while the first book is still fresh in my mind.

If you liked THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan or TO BEST THE BOYS by Mary Weber, then you’ll want to grab yourself a copy of GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE as fast as you can. All of them have intricate and original fantasy worlds with strong female characters faced with impossible choices.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nedra’s sister Nessie likes both boys and girls.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. A couple sleep in the same bed. One student makes lewd comments about Nedra, insinuating that she’s sleeping with her professor in order to get good grades.

Spiritual Content
A powerful necromancer once raised an army of the dead but was later hanged for his actions. Necromancy remains forbidden. Most people worship the god Oryous. Ritual celebrations and prayers are shown in the story.

Violent Content
Some battles shown. Situations of peril. Families of plague victims are made to lock themselves in their houses on quarantine as neighbors threaten to shoot them if they emerge before the quarantine ends.

Drug Content
Some reference to drinking wine.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Bright Burning Stars by A. K. Small

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

Bright Burning Stars
A. K. Small
Algonquin Young Readers
Available May 21, 2019

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About BRIGHT BURNING STARS

Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.

But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.

My Review

I’m a total sucker for a good ballet book. This probably shouldn’t be surprising, since I took ballet lessons for more than six years and at one time, wanted to pursue dance professionally. So I’m always on the lookout for stories featuring ballerinas because I enjoy reading about dance and all the nostalgia that comes with it.

The ballet terminology runs a bit thick in some places. I’m not sure how this would impact a reader unfamiliar with dance. Sometimes I think it would make certain scenes confusing because without a mental visual of what the characters are trying to do, it would be hard to grasp the significance of the scene. Thankfully, with Google and YouTube at our fingertips, it’s pretty easy to look up the terms and see what the moves look like.

BRIGHT BURNING STARS totally immerses its readers in a high-stakes world where only the top ballerinas remain in the elite program. An injury or indiscretion could mean the end for any student. So could gaining a few pounds too many. Pretty much any bad thing that could happen to a dancer, happens in this book. Pregnancy? Yup. Drug addiction? Check. Weight gain? Eating disorder? Yes. Heartbreak? Injury? Mental health issues? It has those, too.

One thing that was challenging for me reading this book was the way one character reacts to becoming pregnant. She feels it’s a career-ender for her, doesn’t want the baby, and takes some drugs while pregnant, too. While I know unwanted pregnancy is a real issue for some, it was hard for me to read after my own struggles with infertility.

It probably didn’t help that I read those scenes while holding and nursing my baby, the one that for a long time, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to have. So really, that’s just one of those experiences where my story runs very contrary to the character’s journey. I respect that not everyone feels the same about babies or pregnancy. And I’ve learned I probably need to update my mental list of things I can read for now. I had a really hard time connecting with Kate as a character, and I suspect that at least part of it came from my reaction to this part of her story.

But I loved Marine, though– she’s totally the best friend everyone wants to have, and the girl who carries too many burdens until they bowl her over. I definitely connected with her, and found myself really rooting for her to succeed and to stay smarter than some of the games happening around her.

Though the plot isn’t very similar (beyond a bright young dancer reaching for stardom), BRIGHT BURNING STARS reminded me a little bit of the movie BLACK SWAN with Natalie Portman. It had the same kind of intensity and pressure and strong, talented character driven to the edge.

All in all, I’m glad I read BRIGHT BURNING STARS and particularly enjoyed Marine’s character and her story.

Cultural Elements
All characters are French except for Kate who’s American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used rarely.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Brief but graphic descriptions of sex. It’s clear that the boy is using her, but she thinks this is true love. She makes this mistake more than once.

A girl trades sexual favors for drugs.

At one point, a pregnant character purposefully triggers as miscarriage.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – TRIGGER WARNING
Students talk about a girl who died by suicide after not being chosen to go on to the ballet company. Includes some graphic descriptions of how she killed herself.

One character intends to die by suicide, taking all preparations to do so.

A girl battles anorexia and ends up nearly hospitalized. Some eating disorder behaviors are normalized by the girls—there are lots of weigh-ins, and the girls are required to keep their weight below a certain point or risk being asked to leave the dance academy.

Drug Content
One dancer is known to have a stash of drugs and alcohol that he sells to the other dancers (or trades for sexual favors). Kate depends on drugs and alcohol in multiple instances to amp her up for rehearsal or drown her sorrows after a heartbreak.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which cost you nothing but, when used, help support this blog.

Review: Peter Green and the Unliving Academy by Angelina Allsop

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Paranormal, , , , , , ,

Peter Green and the Academy of the Unliving
Angelina Allsop
TCK Publishing
Published November 20, 2018

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About PETER GREEN AND THE UNLIVING ACADEMY

Fourteen-year-old Peter Green can’t remember how he died. 

All he has are his pajamas, a silk tie, and a one-way bus ticket to Mrs. Battisworth’s Academy and Haven for Unliving Boys and Girls, a strange and spooky school for dead orphans like himself. But that’s all he needs: the Unliving Academy has everything, from vampires in the hallways, to monsters in the cafeteria, to ghosts in the basement. 

And that’s just the teachers; the students are far stranger.

As Pete learns to fit in with his new supernatural schoolmates, he starts to discover his own uniquely undead abilities, and even begins enjoying his life after death…but he just can’t shake the feeling that he’s forgotten something (or somebody!) important. 

Somebody he left behind in the land of the living. 

Somebody he loved very much. 

Somebody who’s in terrible danger.

My Review

PETER GREEN AND THE UNLIVING ACADEMY is filled with an imaginative story world. The dead have their own school, their own frustrating government forms to fill out, and all sorts of rules for staying safe. At certain moments, it felt like a lot to digest, but for the most part, the story world feels crisp, fresh, and packed with spooky fun.

The most challenging part for me was the number of named characters popping up everywhere. Sometimes Peter would meet someone only to have that person be like, actually, you need to meet this other person and their two friends. Or someone would go on to name and describe professors that never appeared in the story. This made it difficult for me to keep track of who was who and figure out which names were important, because a lot of them were only mentioned one time.

Other than that, though, it was a pretty fun read. I liked that Peter sees visions of a girl who needs his help and has to figure out who she is before something bad happens to her. I enjoyed his band of friends, especially Charlie and Scoot.

Readers who enjoy dark fantasy (think Tim Burton’s NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS or SHADOW MAGIC by Joshua Khan) will enjoy the spooky creatures and afterlife story world.

Recommended for Ages 10 to 12.

Representation
I think all the major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Peter has a bit of a crush on one of the girls in Charlie’s entourage.

Spiritual Content
After Peter dies, he appears in Purgatory, a realm for people who have died but need some closure on a particular element of their lives. There are a few references to other realms of the afterlife, and some reference to having the option to be reincarnated or to have children in the afterlife. People go on to choose careers, including becoming a werewolf or ghost.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Peter faces various monsters, like a werewolf, a large snake, and battles them with the help of his friends.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of PETER GREEN AND THE UNLIVING ACADEMY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost readers anything but help cover the costs of my blog and help me purchase more books.

Review: Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

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

Girls with Sharp Sticks
Suzanne Young
Simon Pulse
Publishes March 19, 2019

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About GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS

The Girls of Innovations Academy are beautiful and well-behaved—it says so on their report cards. Under the watchful gaze of their Guardians, the all-girl boarding school offers an array of studies and activities, from “Growing a Beautiful and Prosperous Garden” to “Art Appreciation” and “Interior Design.” The girls learn to be the best society has to offer. Absent is the difficult math coursework, or the unnecessary sciences or current events. They are obedient young ladies, free from arrogance or defiance. Until Mena starts to realize that their carefully controlled existence may not be quite as it appears.

As Mena and her friends begin to uncover the dark secrets of what’s actually happening there—and who they really are—the girls of Innovations will find out what they are truly capable of. Because some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns.

My Review

GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS is the first book by Suzanne Young that I’ve ever read, and now I’m thinking that’s a mistake. I liked her storytelling and the way she gets us inside Mena’s head so much that I really want to read more of her books. I’ve heard great things about The Program series, but I’ve just never read them.

One of the brilliant things about GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS has to be the way that at the beginning, Mena believes the staff of the academy are looking out for her, that any negative feelings she experiences are because she’s in the wrong. As the story progresses and her understanding changes, her interactions with teachers and staff morph into something sinister and sometimes cruel. The way it’s written makes it feel like Mena’s slowly waking up, slowly realizing things aren’t right. I loved that element.

The only thing that gave me any pause at all is a line from a poem Mena finds and which gives her courage and makes her feel empowered. I loved that it makes her feel empowered and talks about girls who were once oppressed taking ownership of themselves and rising up. But the poem ends with this part about the girls then taking boys hostage and basically doing to them what men had done to them as girls. Having revenge on the next generation.

The thing that bothered me is that revenge element. First, I don’t think revenge really solves anything or is right. But more than that, when I’ve talked to people who oppose the idea of feminism, most often it’s because this is what they perceive or fear the real feminist agenda is: taking revenge on men, oppressing men in some way to make up for the way women were oppressed in the past. (I know that’s not what true feminism is.) Anyway, I guess I worried that people would read just that far in the book and think, hey, this book is advocating for something ugly and wrong, and then walk away thinking this is evidence of the dark feminist agenda creeping into teen fiction. I don’t think the series is going for a revenge-positive message, though. At least, that’s not what I got from the set-up for and hints about the next book revealed in the final chapters of GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS.

In the context of the story, the poem is kind of foreshadowing in a sense. When Mena first reads the poem, feels like she idolizes this idea of punishing men as a gender. Through the story, though– and I don’t want to spoil anything– it seems as though there are a lot more layers still to come. Let’s say that the academy aren’t the only ones who want to use the girls for an agenda. So I’m withholding my judgment about the poem until I see where the series goes with this idea. I’m pretty intrigued, to be honest. I love when a story explores an idea through a bunch of layers, and it seems like that may be just what we get with this one

GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS is perfect for fans of GIRL PARTS by John Cusick or UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Two of Mena’s friends (both girls) are in a relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently. Most of the swearing comes from one character, and it’s mostly f-bombs.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mena wonders what it’s like to kiss a boy she likes. She wants to at one point. We see some tender exchanges between Marcella and Bryn, the two girls who are dating. Hand-holding, embracing, that sort of thing.

At one point, one of the girls buys a women’s magazine and they read an article in it about how to please men sexually. Most of the information remains pretty vague. They giggle and tease about whether a certain boy would like “number four” on the list and things like that. At one point, a girl makes a reference to oral sex. Another girl asks why the women’s magazine is about pleasing men instead of about women.

Some of the things the teachers or staff members say and do toward the girls become pretty creepy. They have so much power over the girls. Mena feels terrified at more than one point. Definitely a trigger warning for anyone who’s sensitive to that feeling of panicked helplessness.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some of the staff members become increasingly rough with the girls. One altercation becomes fatal. It’s described in pretty graphic detail.

Drug Content
Staff members give the girls pills every night which they call vitamins. Mena quickly begins to suspect that they’re much more than that. One character poisons others with plants from the garden the girls care for.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Review: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

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

A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1)
Brittany Cavallaro
Katherine Tegen Books
Published on March 1, 2016

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About A Study in Charlotte

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

My Review

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE has been on my reading list since before it hit the shelves. (I wasn’t cool enough to get a review copy, but I got a free audiobook version from the first week of Audiobooks Sync summer program.) So I’ve finally had a chance to read it.

Sad, terrible disclaimer: I’ve never read the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and I kind of wish I had read them before reading this book. I feel like I would have gotten more of a kick out of the moments which must be a nod to the classic original stories. But I very much enjoyed reading the book even without that insider fun.

I liked that both Jamie and Charlotte have some big flaws (Jamie’s anger management issues and big emotions; Charlotte’s addictions and inability to see past her analysis of a situation) which somehow make them a stronger team. While it’s not really a character-driven story, the relationships between characters evolve quite a bit as the story unfolds. Jamie must give up the idolized version of Charlotte from his childhood, and faces an opportunity to build a relationship with his dad (who has his own flaws) and step-family.

While I wish the language had been cleaner, I really enjoyed reading A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE. The murder mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, and the complex relationships and intriguing cast of characters led me to devour the book from beginning to end. This is a series I want to see through to the end.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Charlotte is (of course) from London. Other characters from Connecticut.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some lusty comments from Jamie – things like noticing a girl’s curves or wondering who’s having sex. A boy makes lewd comments to and about a girl. Later we learn he sexually assaulted a girl (we don’t learn any of the details other than that she was not sober and did not consent.). Brief kiss between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of a fist fight between two boys. A boy is discovered murdered by poison and snake bite. Someone attacks a girl and shoves a plastic jewel down her throat. A bomb explodes and injures some people. An unknown virus threatens to kill a boy if he doesn’t find the antidote quickly.

Drug Content
A girl takes Oxycodone and smokes cigarettes. Teens drink vodka at a weekly party. References to drug rehab and cocaine use in the past.

Review: Finding Hope by Colleen Nelson

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

Finding Hope
Colleen Nelson
Dundurn

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Sixteen year-old Hope is trapped in a small town as her family wrestles with her brother’s addiction to crystal meth. After her mom pushes her to apply for a prestigious boarding school over an hour away, she’s shocked to discover she’s been accepted. There’s only one problem: if she moves away, how will her brother, Eric, survive on the street without the money and food she regularly slips to him? When Eric learns Hope has gone away to school, he follows her to the city. Unfortunately, his inner demons only torment him harder as he draws nearer to the memories that pushed his former life completely off the rails. He turns to Hope for help, but she has her own battles to fight, and for the first time, she may not be able to save him from himself.

Though Finding Hope is described as being about Hope, I kind of felt like Eric stole the show. This sort of echoes the way Hope’s family operates, where Eric is the squeaky wheel, the one who requires a lot of intervention and causes a lot of tension, and Hope sort of goes quietly unnoticed. I felt a little disappointed that the novel kind of went the same way. She has her own crisis to manage, but even that sort of took a back seat to Eric’s unfolding drama.

One thing I really liked was the role her poetry played in the story. I liked that she crafted poems during intense situations and that she used them to communicate with her brother. I also loved the way her writing impulses escalated to her scrawling the lines on her own body. I felt that increased pressure and that sort of coming-unglued feeling right along with her in those moments.

I wished I’d gotten to see more of her relationship with Devon as it unfolded. I felt like we got snippets of her email exchanges, but not enough to make me feel like I understood or believed in the relationship.

The story resolves many of the big issues raised, some more easily than others. Again, Hope’s troubles sort of take a backseat to Eric’s. Things unwind pretty quickly, and true to its title, the tale leaves readers with the sense that the worst is over, and better days are ahead for Hope and her family.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used moderately throughout the book. Most of the profanity is in the sections from Eric’s point-of-view.

Romance/Sexual Content
Girls at Hope’s new school dare each other to walk through the hall naked or send photos of their breasts to boys from another school. A man encourages a boy to watch pornography. One character reveals memories of abuse. The memories are choppy, it’s not a play-by-play reveal of events, but there are some graphic, intense descriptions, including one describing coerced oral sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Eric injures his hand during a robbery.

Drug Content
Eric is addicted to crystal meth. The addiction is clearly destroying his life and relationships with his family. He’s living on the street, depending on handouts from guilt-ridden or sympathetic family members and strangers.

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

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