Tag Archives: cult

Review: It Came From the Sky by Chelsea Sedoti

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,
It Came From the Sky by Chelsea Sedoti

It Came From the Sky
Chelsea Sedoti
Sourcebooks Fire
Published August 1, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About It Came From the Sky

This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more.

Only… there were no aliens.

Gideon Hofstadt knows what really happened. When one of his science experiments went wrong, he and his older brother blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. And their lie was not only believed by their town―it was embraced. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. But Gideon’s obsession with their tale threatened his whole world. Can he find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever?

Told in a report format and comprised of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, and so much more, It Came from the Sky is a hysterical and resonant novel about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown.

From the author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett and As You Wish comes the unforgettable story of the one small town’s biggest hoax and the two brothers who started it all.

“A page-turner as engrossing as any classic Twilight Zone starring two spirited brothers who run circles around the Hardy Boys.” – Ben Philippe, Morris Award-winning author of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

My Review

I have mixed feelings about this book. The whole situation– the explosion that leads to the alien encounter hoax– is kind of funny. I’m generally a fan of stories in which the characters land themselves in bizarre situations and then have to panic-slash-mastermind their way out of them only to have unanticipated consequences result. So this story definitely scratches that itch for me.

I just… didn’t like Gideon. I appreciated his intelligence. And I sympathized with his struggle to communicate his emotions and his aversion to sticky foods. But all of it seemed so selfish to me. He seemed so selfish. Even the idea that he could perpetrate this large-scale lie without any remorse, because it’s for science! I had a lot of trouble connecting with him.

Even though I didn’t connect with Gideon, I read the whole book because I hoped that it would have the kind of resolution that would make it all make sense and that if he really learned his lesson, it’d be worth the investment in the book.

And he does learn some things and make some changes. There’s growth. One of the things I didn’t like (and I’m going to be vague for spoilers reasons) was that toward the end, Gideon is faced with someone who has committed two different types of crimes. In my mind, one was much more personal and damaging than the other. But it felt like because the other frustrated Gideon more, he prioritized reporting it.

All in all, I thought the idea was fun, and the story was interesting, but this one isn’t for me. If you like goofy heist or prank stories, though, IT CAME FROM THE SKY is one I think you’ll want to check out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Gideon is gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to sex between an adult and minor.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Gideon discovers an adult who is drunk and behaving unsafely.

Note: I received a free copy of IT CAME FROM THE SKY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: I Do Not Trust You by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

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

I Do Not Trust You
Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Wednesday Books
Published on September 11, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About I Do Not Trust You
Memphis “M” Engle is stubborn to a fault, graced with an almost absurd knowledge of long lost languages and cultures, and a heck of an opponent in a fight. In short: she’s awesome.

Ashwin Sood is a little too posh for her tastes, a member of an ancient cult (which she’s pretty sure counts for more than one strike against him), and has just informed Memphis that her father who she thought was dead isn’t and needs her help.

From the catacombs of Paris to lost temples in the sacred forests, together they crisscross the globe, searching for the pieces of the one thing that might save her father. But the closer they come to saving him—and the more they fall for one another—the closer they get to destroying the world.

My Review
Reading I Do Not Trust You was like reading an updated Indiana Jones style adventure. Archaeology and spirituality collide in the unlikely team of M and Ash. I loved the way they drew out the best parts of each other, and the way their relationship developed felt so organic to me. It had all these fits and starts and super funny moments but also super awkward moments. All the stuff a deep friendship is built from.

In addition, the tension between the two of them has a slow, steady burn. I loved that the story didn’t go down the impulsive-crazy-sex path, because so often those scenes feel really artificial and unnecessary. Instead, I felt like they had this natural attraction that grew out of their shared experiences, and I desperately wanted them to have that “I have to know if you like me” conversation to get things out in the open.

It reminded me a little bit of Protector by Jennifer Tubbiolo, which is also about hunting down ancient artifacts. I liked it a lot. Content information below.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Ashwin is described as having very dark hair and brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Infrequent use of extreme profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some romantic tension/attraction between a boy and girl.
At one point, Ash and M meet a girl who clearly has some sexual intentions toward Ash. Later, she performs a spiritual ritual naked. (We only see her because Ash tries to stop her.)

Spiritual Content
Ash is a member of a group who worship the ancient Egyptian god Horus. Ash himself possesses a power he refers to as being a god channeler. This means he can use some supernatural power to move objects or manipulate energy.
Another cult has kidnapped M’s father, believing he knows where pieces of their god, Set, are hidden. They believe if they find all the pieces of an idol of their god and bring them together, the god will resurrect. Horus followers believe if the god Set rises, he will destroy the world.

Other religious sites seem to impact the pieces of the idol. M wonders if this has a sort of “many paths to the divine” kind of explanation—maybe different religions are a sort of reimagining of each other. Her friend, a Catholic nun, says she recognizes that other spiritual things are happening which she doesn’t fully understand because they’re outside her own beliefs. She doesn’t offer further explanation, even when M asks whether her friend thinks this means the other gods are evil.

Violent Content
Some situations of peril. (Poison darts and snakes protect one piece of the idol, for instance.) M learns Ash was abused by his parents after seeing terrible scars on his back. Once scene shows a fierce battle between Ash and a spiritual creature in which he’s injured.

Drug Content
A guide tells M that Ash has a history of drug and alcohol use. To earn the guide’s trust, M drinks from a flask filled with alcohol possibly mixed with another drug. Later, M ingests a hallucinogenic powder as part of a spiritual ritual in pursuit of a piece of the idol.

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

Review: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

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

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares
Delacorte Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Prenna lives a closely guarded life of secrecy, a tightrope walk between fitting in and remaining unnoticed. Twelve unbreakable rules govern her behavior. Those who break them meet accident or relocation. So when Prenna befriends Ethan, a boy from school, she risks everything. Then she discovers that her people, immigrants from more than eighty years in the future, aren’t trying to stop the terrible future from happening, as they once claimed. And her father, who failed to make the journey with her, didn’t abandon the family as she’s been told. If she and Ethan are to save them all, they must follow the careful trail of clues he left behind before her leaders find her.

The idea of this group immigrating to the US illegally, not from another country, but from another time, really fascinated me. Prenna’s whole life exists in this cult-like environment. She’s watched. Punished for every infraction. Carefully taught to follow strict behavior. She struggles to fit in well enough not to be noticed at school. But Ethan can’t stop noticing her. His determined friendship is immensely charming. The way he accepts her without making her feel odd or lame? So sweet. If you’re a ‘book boyfriend’ type, he’s one for the list.

I ripped through the first half of the book, staying up WAY too late to read. I was about to force myself to put it down and go to sleep when this crazy plot twist happened and totally blew my mind. Then… the second lost steam. There’s a long passage in which Prenna explains what happened to the world between now and her time. That intense plot element that left me gasping? It gets resolved, but in a weird way. I felt like it needed a bigger moment or something. There is a moment where things get dicey, but the issue was the something terrible was supposed to happen on a particular day. And the day hadn’t ended when everyone was like, Whew, that was close. So I was kind of like, wait!! It’s not over yet!! Only, I guess no one else felt that way? I felt like that diffused the momentum.

The way the story concludes left me thinking there must be a sequel. I can’t find any information saying there will be one, though. I liked the first half of the story much better than the second, but I felt like the end didn’t satisfy if there’s no further story to look forward to. C’est la vie, I guess.

Fans of time traveling stories should consider giving this one a read. I liked that it had those elements of cult-ish-ness and the immigration issue. Definitely presented issues surrounding time travel in ways I hadn’t considered before. There’s a little bit of preaching about how important it is to save the planet no matter how expensive or inconvenient it may be. I agree, so it didn’t bother me.

Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Prenna and Ethan discuss whether they should have sex. They share a bed and the back seat of a car, but for sleep. (He does get a teeny bit frisky with her in the bed, but she shuts it down. They plan to have sex, but then decide against it for safety reasons.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Prenna finds a man who has been beaten to death. She and Ethan try to stop a man from brutally murdering a woman. He attacks them. It’s brief and not particularly gory.

Drug Content
Prenna’s leaders give her pills each day that they insist are vitamins.

Review: As White as Snow by Salla Simukka

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

As White as Snow by Salla Simukka
Translated from Finnish by Owen F. Witesman
Skyscape/Amazon

After risking her life to bring down a crime ring in Finland, seventeen year-old Lumikki retreats to the anonymous streets of Prague, hoping to find a little peace. Instead she finds a young woman claiming to be her long-lost sister whose life may be in danger. Even though she finds the girl’s story suspicious, Lumikki can’t turn her back on the girl and the mystery surrounding her.

Some elements – an investigative reporter working to uncover a far-reaching scandal aided by a brilliant but odd girl – may remind readers of Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yet despite the drama and suspense, the story’s pace chokes on pointless flashbacks featuring a failed romance between Lumikki and her transgender partner. Perhaps Lumikki is too smart, for she often foils the plans of her enemies with seemingly little effort. To digest the ending requires a firm willing suspension of disbelief as Lumikki resolves one mystery only to abandon pressing charges or consequences on some guilty parties.

As White as Snow is the second book detailing Lumikki’s crime-fighting exploits. Perhaps reading the first book, As Red as Blood would have given me a better reference point for understanding how the relationship flashbacks related to the current story. Without having read that first book, it’s hard for me to say. As a fan of Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo books, I felt this story, which is advertised as a comparable tale, really couldn’t compare to the complexity and machine-tight plot found in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But perhaps that comparison set the bar too high?

Language Content
Profanity used very infrequently.

Sexual Content
Lumikki has flashbacks to her relationship with Blaze, who is a transgender boy. Blaze ended his relationship with Lumikki due to worries that she couldn’t accept his transition. Lumikki feels she never judged Blaze and loved him regardless of any issues related to his transgender-ness. She remembers some sexual experiences rather vividly – PG-13 kind of stuff. These scenes don’t really connect to the present story at all. Blaze never enters the story in any way other than in the flashbacks, and they never add to the current tale.

Spiritual Content
Lenka is a member of a cult whose practices have some connection with Christianity. The cult members believe they are members of one family, and their practices reference Jesus and God. There are references to other cults in which members have committed suicide en masse.

Violence
An assassin tries to catch and kill Lumikki, but he’s a bit clumsy about it.

Drug Content
A girl takes sleeping pills on orders from her spiritual leader.