Tag Archives: Flux

Review: Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,
Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

Surrender Your Sons
Adam Sass
Flux
Published September 15, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Surrender Your Sons

Connor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare.

His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.”

But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are— and taking this place down.

My Review

I remember when this book first came out how intrigued (and scared?) I was by the premise. It’s basically a suspense/murder mystery that takes place inside a conversion therapy camp. It’s dark. But it’s also packed with really fascinating characters, fierce in their identities and in their hope for their own futures. There’s trauma. There’s horror. But there’s somehow humor, light and love, too.

At the beginning, I wanted Connor’s relationships to be simple. For his mom to be a bad mom in an uncomplicated way. For his boyfriend to be a solid support in an uncomplicated way. But, just as so often in life, the uncomplicated didn’t happen. Connor’s mom wasn’t wrong to be concerned about his grades or to take his phone as a method of punishment. But her handling of his identity, and the fracturing of their relationship causes a lot of harm to him. Connor’s relationship with Ario also has a lot of layers, some good, some not good. The deeper into the story I got, the more I appreciated those layers and the fact that those relationships weren’t wholly one thing or the other.

I definitely felt on the edge of my seat reading this book. Some parts were so tense! There’s one part where someone is told that a character is waiting for them in a specific room, and everyone knows this is somehow a trap, but they have no choice but to go look. I felt like my whole body was tense reading that part.

On the whole, it’s definitely a dark book, so take care reading it. Check the content notes and be sure you’re up for it. If you are, brace yourself for a wild ride and some unforgettable characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Connor is gay. Several other characters are gay. One minor character is transgender. One is bisexual. Connor’s boyfriend is Muslim.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used regularly throughout the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between to boys. References to sex and descriptions of arousal. At one point Connor is trapped in a closet while two characters have sex in the adjacent room. He hears noises and knows what’s happening, but it’s not graphically described.

Spiritual Content
Connor and the other “camp” attendees come from highly conservative Christian churches/families whose beliefs make it clear that being gay or transgender is unacceptable. At one point Connor and another camper wonder whether they’ll ever be able to attend any church again after their experiences. Both feel that separating Nightlight experiences from their faith won’t be easy, if even possible.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for homophobia, abuse and violence and references to suicide.
Contains some homophobic slurs. Connor’s boyfriend pressures him to come out even though he doesn’t feel that it’s safe to do so. “Camp” workers literally kidnap Connor and carry him from his home against his will. We understand the same has happened to the other “campers.” Workers use threats, physical abuse, and tasers to control the (mostly) children at Nightlight. “Campers” who do not follow their instructions can be locked in cages.

References to someone being beaten to death with a crowbar. References to someone left paralyzed after being beaten. Two scenes graphically describe murder. References to suicide and suicide attempts.

Drug Content
Brief description of two boys about eighteen going to a gay bar. A man claims he was drunk when he committed an atrocity.

Note: I received a free copy of SURRENDER YOUR SONS in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. Opinions are my own.

Review: Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Fragile Remedy
Maria Ingrande Mora
Flux
Published March 9, 2021

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

About Fragile Remedy

Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for—even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs—a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay — and die — with the boy he loves.

My Review

So much happens in this one story that I’m having a hard time knowing where to begin.

I loved Nate’s character. He’s young and inexperienced and fierce and hopeful and a little bit self-loathing. I also loved the characters in the gang. Reese is loyal and true, always sticking to his values. Pixel is adorable. And the rest of the girls made it feel like such a little family.

Nate also has a relationship with Alden, a curio shop owner, drug addict, and man with connections. And Remedy, which Nate needs to live. It’s a complex relationship. I feel like I’d need a psychology degree to pick it apart. There are some really unhealthy elements to it, and yet somewhere in there is a protectiveness and loyalty and maybe even friendship? But it’s pretty enmeshed with the other elements, too.

The story itself moves forward pretty quickly. In Nate’s dystopian city, it’s dangerous to stay still too long, and that sense came through in the plot. Though it’s not a story about addiction, the story explores some of the damage that addiction causes, not just to the individual with the problem, but to the family and community. It also explores darker ideas, like using drugs to create dependent people and maintain control.

It’s been a while since I read a good dystopian story, and FRAGILE REMEDY definitely hit a lot of good notes for me. It made me uncomfortable sometimes, but usually in a way that made me think more deeply about the issues at hand. I think readers who enjoy books that explore addiction or dystopian stories will want to add this one to their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nate and several other characters are gay. One member of the gang is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used maybe once or twice per chapter on average.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to arousal.

Spiritual Content
Some people worship the Old Gods. Others have no spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
Scenes show kidnapping and a mob attacking someone. Other scenes show the aftermath of characters injured by others.

Drug Content
One character is a drug addict. Others find the properties of GEM blood addicting.

Note: I received a free copy of FRAGILE REMEDY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: Life at the Speed of Us by Heather Sappenfield

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

Life at the Speed of Us
Heather Sappenfield
Flux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After the car accident that takes her mother’s life, Sovern stops talking. She tries to lose herself in dating the boy she shouldn’t, in the rush of speeding downhill on a snowboard. But when another accident disconnects Sovern from even more of her life, she embarks on a quest outside time with only a strangely familiar boy who doesn’t speak her language as a guide.

There were things about this book that I liked. I thought it was cool that Sappenfield used Sovern’s dyslexia throughout the story. She really hammered home the idea that just because Sovern didn’t recognize letters as they were written did not mean she was by any means less intelligent. I liked the scenes in the Ute tribe.

In the scene where Sovern leaves the tribe behind to go home, I had a really hard time following what happened. It’s possible that it’s an issue resolved between the galley version that I read and the final published version. Sometimes I had a hard time connecting with Sovern’s character. The bad boy boyfriend thing seemed a little cliché. I liked that he turned out to be more than that, but I wanted the revelation of who he really is to involve him more, to give me reasons to invest in him more.

I’m going to break a cardinal rule and make a comparison between this book and a BIG book, which I really cringe to do, but hear me out. I think if you like the type of story that is Slaughterhouse Five, you might enjoy this book. I’m not comparing the quality of the writing in one versus the other, but more the somewhat disjointed, go where the story goes feeling that I had in reading Vonnegut’s novel. If you liked I Crawl Through It for the story, not the writing style, you might also enjoy this book.

The style of the narrative is a lot more straightforward and simple than the books I listed.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used moderately.

Sexual Content
Sovern and her boyfriend Gage share cigarettes and kisses together, but she doesn’t have sex with him. Sovern and a boy from the Ute tribe are treated as a married couple after rumors that they’ve slept together. She holds back from giving herself to him, though, unsure whether they can remain together.

Spiritual Content
The Ute believe that a bear chooses someone who is gifted with an ability to travel to other places. Sovern becomes interested in the ideas about the multiverse and theorizes ways to reach other universes.

Violence
Soldiers come to destroy the Ute village. Two tribe members fight them, one is fatally injured. Sovern is injured in a snowboarding accident and then speared by porcupine quills.

Drug Content
Sovern mentions that she and Gage smoke marijuana together.

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

Review: The Last Faerie Queen by Chelsea Pitcher

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

The Last Faerie Queen
Chelsea Pitcher
Flux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After a brutal battle left her without wings, dark faerie princess Elora begs the queen of light to heal her. Elora and the queen share an uneasy alliance, promising to work together to stop Elora’s mother from harming humans and end the monarchy of faeries forever. But the light queen may have bigger plans than she’s sharing with Elora. Elora’s boyfriend Taylor may have made a promise to the queen, as mortals do, without understanding the ramifications. His word may place him and his friends in peril from which not even Elora can protect them. The Light and Dark Queens move their pawns toward war, but only one can be victorious. One will enslave humanity. The other, free it.

The romance is probably the strongest thread in the story. It’s tempered by the looming war between the faerie groups, but it definitely felt like the focus of the story. I liked the human characters and the unfolding of their stories. I felt at times like I just didn’t get Elora. There were some references to the fact that she’s a dark faerie, and therefore evil, but other than one specific instance, the inner battle that she supposedly should have been having wasn’t really apparent. I think more of that inner conflict would have added more depth to the story. (In fairness, it may be that the first book had a LOT to do with this conflict, and maybe would have scratched that itch for me, had I read it.)

The moment where she does something really evil, the other characters kind of glossed over it. There’s a brief moment where it looks like she might be called to account, but then it passes with little to-do about it. The ending of the book was a little bit disappointing, too. One really complex character (one of those that you love to hate) kind of just shrugs and instantly resolves an issue. I don’t know, I felt like it was a bit of a letdown. I had really liked that she was such a complex character whose loyalties I could never really pin down. I wanted her to have one final political twist or something before just fading out.

Readers who like Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series will probably enjoy Pitcher’s take on the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Fans of The Lost Princess by Dani-Lyn Alexander may want to give this series a try.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently. Also some crude language.

Sexual Content
There are several really steamy suggestive scenes. There’s not a lot of specific description of each event, but some very detailed moments leading up to them are included. While erotic language isn’t used, the effect is pretty erotic. Elora and Taylor’s love-making appears to have a sort of superpower that strengthens them. Two girls also engage in some heavy kissing.

Spiritual Content
Faeries exist to protect the earth and nature. Light faeries believe in not harming humans. Dark faeries have no qualms about enslaving humans and causing direct harm to them.

Violence
Brief battle violence.

Drug Content
None.

Review: The Firebug of Balrog County by David Oppegaard

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

The Firebug of Balrog County by David Oppegaard
Flux Books
Published: September 8, 2015

Since his mother’s death, the firebug has come to live inside Mack. He knows it’s wrong, but when the bug gets an itch, he can’t ignore the urge to burn something. Then he meets a girl battling her own darkness. Her admiration only fuels his pyromania, and when his grandfather, the town mayor, sets out to stop the anonymous firebug, Mack knows his adventure must come to an end. As the firebug gets harder and harder to deny, he can only hope he won’t end up watching his whole future go up in flames.

Normally this sort of dark, angsty story packed with wry witty humor would be exactly my cup of tea. I’m not sure if it was Mack’s deep anger or his flip attitude that put me off, but I found it really hard to connect with him. About halfway through the story, once it’s clear how much he loves his sister and loved his mom, he started to win me over. What remained a hurdle was the sheer amount of swearing and crudity. I read a lot of books that have profanity in them, and it usually doesn’t bother me. The quantity of profanity in this book really felt gratuitous. I wished more than once that Mack’s mother HAD been around to wash his mouth out with soap, or that his father would man up and attempt it himself.

Despite those issues, I thought the plot was tight. I figured there were a couple of ways I could see the story resolving (both pretty cliché), and the real ending totally came out of left field but made perfect sense. Overall I’d say it was okay, but I would probably not read it again.

Language Content
Extreme profanity and crude language used frequently.

Sexual Content
Mack rides around in a car with a girl and has an erection. His description of how this could become a problem if she notices, etc, is a bit comical. Mack has sex with a girl a couple of times – the act itself isn’t described. The girl denies him any sort of relationship commitment.

Spiritual Content
Since his mom’s illness and death, Mack has some pretty deep (and understandable) anger toward God. At one point late in his mother’s illness, he was desperate enough to pray to God for healing for her. But she died soon after, and he remains convinced his pleas were unheard or ignored.

Violence
There are some references to hunting. Mack and his grandfather go bow hunting. A boy is nearly shot with arrows from a hunting bow. A deer runs in front of the car, causing an accident, but no one is injured.

Drug Content
Mack drinks alcohol with his father’s knowledge and consent, despite the fact that he’s underage. He also works at a local bar on Friday and Saturday nights.

Review: Where You End by Anna Pellicioli

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

Where You End
Anna Pellicioli
Flux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

For some, grief is a quiet void carefully tiptoed around. For Miriam, it is a raging storm that wakes her in the night, chews through her ability to reason. The hungry, empty space inside her where Elliot used to be. Seeing him with another girl sends her over the edge. Almost before she realizes what she’s done, a priceless statue lies on the ground at her feet. Panicked, Miriam flees the scene. There’s just one problem: a girl as mixed up as she is. One who saw what Miriam did. One who wants something in exchange for her silence.

Miriam’s emotional journey is the real force behind the story. Her life spins hopelessly out of control following her breakup with Elliot. She withdraws, experiences depression, makes poor decisions, lies to her parents – all things largely outside her normal character. We watch her struggle to recover, to find her way through those dark moments. To find her courage. The journey is both empowering and refreshingly honest.

In a culture that desperately wants to believe that sex—particularly teen sex—doesn’t matter and is all about living large and having fun, Pellicioli dares to deliver a story with a very different message. Miriam has given herself, heart and body, to a boy and the unthinkable happened: they broke up. He’s moved on to another girl. She’s devastated, possibly pregnant. Pellicioli excels at relating the unbalanced heartbreak that drives Miriam to destroy something that would otherwise be precious to her.

There are lots of books about sexually active teens. There are not a lot of books that tackle the heartbreak that can come along with those decisions as boldly and powerfully as Where You End.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Miriam had been having sex with her now ex-boyfriend Elliot. She gives some details about frequency, location, and the emotional highs she felt when she was with him. The experiences themselves aren’t much described. She later engages in heavy kissing with another boy and removes her shirt (the scene is a bit confusing… I wasn’t sure what was happening beyond kissing until afterward when she clarified having taken off her shirt.) What’s perhaps most interesting about the sexual content is not the experiences themselves but the emotional roller coaster Miriam experiences in her feelings about Elliot after the break-up.

Spiritual Content
Miriam’s family is Jewish. She shares memories of going to school to learn Hebrew. Her family keeps the Sabbath, and the celebration is deeply important to her family. Miriam throws a fit at the start of one Sabbath meal, which really hurts her mother’s feelings.

Paloma’s mother used to take her to a church to hear the organ practices. She later retreats there for solitude.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Brief mentions of Elliot being intoxicated at a party.