Young Adult

Review: Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti by Olivia Wildenstein

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25242652If you’re into YA genre this book is perfect for you. Predictable in parts, but not in others. I appreciate that Wildenstein kept this book honest all the way through. She didn’t try to make us feel better at the end and protect her readers from real life as so many others do.

If I have any complaints, I suppose that I wish she had left out some of the smaller side-stories and focused more on Ghostboy. The concept of “Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti” was brilliant. I absolutely loved it and how it came about. I feel the smaller side-stories going on with all of the friends, perhaps took away from the main focus of this novel. It’s not that I minded them. I just felt at times that we could have better understood the connection between Ghostboy and Duke and Chameleon if we had more time to share with them and to see the relationship develop. I would have liked to see another 200 pages of the adults in the story and the three main characters….

I realise that 320ish pages is the magic number for novels for the last 20 years…I just wish this one gave us a wee bit more….As much as I enjoyed this story, I just left it feeling a little sad and unsatisfied. Not because of the ending but because of the lack of depth I felt from the characters. Just like Ghostboy fades and goes invisible, I knew that all these wonderful characters were there, but they too were fading in and out of focus…I just needed more to solidify them forever in my heart…

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review…

Buy it now Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti by Olivia Wildenstein

Review: Burn Girl by Mandy Mikulencak

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25335399._UY470_SS470_So this is another one of those books, even though I read it as an advance copy, that had mixed reviews. Some readers really liked it while others were strongly in the opposite camp. Most people fell sort of in the middle. As I’ve stated before, I rarely pay attention to reviews unless they come from a trusted fellow book-lover. Most of the time it pays off, as in this case.

Arlie has seen and experienced too many things in her young life. As the child of a drug addict, she’s been forced to step into the parenting role. Arlie and her mom have been on the run for years, hiding from a stepdad/abuser/meth dealer. As if that wasn’t enough, she has to deal with standing out in a very obvious way. She carries a daily reminder of her traumatic early years in the form of a very large scar on her face. As if being a teenager isn’t already hard enough…

When Arlie’s mom overdoses, her chance at a somewhat normal life appears in the form of an uncle she’s never met. She’s been lucky enough to have a best friend who loves her no matter what. And then, of course, she meets a boy. The question then becomes, can she get over her past and have a chance at a normal life? There’s romance and friendship with a good dose of suspense thrown in as Arlie struggles to accept her new life.

Burn Girl is a young adult story about a teenager trying to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Sound familiar? But of course. So is the plot of most young adult books these days. Here’s where the author’s true gift for writing must come into play. Can she/he weave a story compelling enough to stand out from the others? Are the characters sufficiently developed to make the reader care? And, bottom line, is it a good story that makes ME want to keep reading? With this book, it’s a “yes” to all of the above.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Burn Girl

Review: The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis

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UnknownAt first glance this seems like your typical young adult book. We have a protagonist, Maggie, who’s facing some hardships in her life. We have a somewhat dysfunctional family in that they’re moving farther and farther away from each other after a recent tragedy. And we have as a love interest a brooding, moody up-and-coming rock star facing some hardships of his own. Very formulaic, for sure. But that’s where the similarities to other books of this genre come to an end.

Maggie is, or was, a typical teenager until several months ago when a sudden illness robbed her of her eyesight. As she alternates between feelings of anger and self-pity, her parents don’t know how to help her. And so they distance themselves, spending more and more time at work while avoiding the issue of her blindness. Maggie sinks deeper and deeper into a pit of despair and helplessness as she tries to adjust to just how radically her life has changed.

And then the prank happens. One moment of rebelliousness leads to sessions with a counselor. This is where she meets Ben. Ben is everything she is not at the moment. Optimistic, enthusiastic, helpful and friendly…he’s just the friend she needs even if he is almost half her age. And the kicker? She can see him. For some reason, Ben and everything around him are visible to her. Oh yeah, there’s also his older brother who just happens to be the lead singer of her favorite rock band.

But nothing comes without a price, and Maggie is devastated when she finds out exactly why she’s able to see Ben. This revelation leads to some hard truths for her as faces her life after blindness.

Great story? Yes. Happily ever after? Maybe, maybe not. But life doesn’t always end this way, either. Another huge bonus for me? This young adult book is truly meant for young adults with the exception of an obscenity here or there.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The One Thing (Single Title (One-Off))

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

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EverythingEverythingCoverCan I just tell you to read this book immediately? Seriously, if that was all the advice that I gave you and you followed it, you wouldn’t be disappointed. But since most readers want just a bit more before committing…

Madeleine is a typical seventeen-year-old girl with one exception. She can’t leave her house. In fact, she hasn’t been outside since she was a very small child. She’s allergic to basically everything, and basically everything could potentially end her life. So she’s stuck inside the bubble of her house. And if asked, she’d probably tell you that she’s pretty happy with her life as it is. After all, she’s never known anything different.

But then it happens. New neighbors move in next door. And as Madeleine watches from her upstairs window, her heart skips a beat when she sees Olly for the first time. His life is so different from hers, but he has his own set of troubles. Of course they fall for each other, at first from behind the safety of a computer screen. When that’s not enough, Madeleine realizes that her life wasn’t as happy and complete as she thought it was. All rewards, however, come with a certain amount of risk. And the risks for Madeleine could be her very life.

I’ve never read anything quite like this book. You could call it your typical teenage romance story. Girl finds boy, boy finds girl, they fall for each other, life interferes, and they live either happily ever after or NOT happily ever after. But the author does such an amazing job with this debut novel. It’s familiar and different at the same time. The characters are so real, and they evoke such emotion. Oh, and I won’t even mention the huge twist at the end of this story that I never for the life of me saw coming. This one will easily go down as one of my all-time favorites.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Everything, Everything

Review: Stormfront by K.R.Conway

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01 stoAnother fun and exciting installment!! Stormfront takes place right after Undertow, so the action never stops. So you MUST read it first.

Eila has a lot to accomplish in this book. Besides trying to heal up after the Breakers incident, she must learn how to control her power and not kill herself in the process. She has so much power that needs to be tapped, in order for her to properly defend herself. She can’t always rely on Raef, Kian, RJ and Ana to be there.

In the midst of all the training and fighting for their lives, a few new things pop up. Raef and Eila realize that they can’t be apart. They mean to much to each to try and back away anymore. I was hope this would happen. 🙂 We find out exactly who Christian is, in all of this. I knew there was something special about him!! And let’s not forget Rillian!! Oh my gosh! What a surprise he was. I never would’ve thought of him as an asset.

This group of misfits have each other’s backs and will do everything they can to help Eila grow to her full potential. They all love each other and will fight to the death, in a heartbeat, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

I can’t wait to read the next book and see Eila come into her own. And after that last sentence!!! GAH!!!! I NEED IT NOW!!!!

~Melpomene

Buy Stormfront (Undertow Book 2)

Grab Undertow first and get caught up.

Review: Undertow by K.R.Conway

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01 undThis is EXACTLY what a young adult book should be like. Action, adventure and a bit of romance, but not enough to make you blush. I’ve been trying to find YA books for my kids to be able to read, and this one is right up their alley. So I’m going to keep reading this series and then let them have it. They’re not good with waiting for their next book, so I’ll wait til it’s complete, before I tell them about it. 🙂

SYNOPSIS
Eila Walker knows luck is not a friend, so she is downright shocked to inherit a million-dollar Cape Cod home. And yeah, her new town isn’t perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.

When Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow, Eila thinks life is pretty darn perfect – until she is hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow. Revealing coal-black eyes and iron-like strength as he rescues her, Raef can no longer hide what he is . . . or what she can do. Eila, last of her kind, can supposedly channel the power of human souls, while Raef is more adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn’t such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-butt warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila’s DNA.

Determined to stay one step ahead of a dangerous clan that is hunting her, Raef, along with three unlikely allies, will do all they can to protect her. But as hidden pieces of their brutal histories unravel, Eila begins to understand just what went down in the harbor square. She soon realizes that following in her grandmother’s fearless footsteps may be the only way to save those she loves . . . including Raef.

Eila moves to a new place and discovers that the life she thought she had, is now changed. Her family has a history that needs to be discovered and she now has powers that she never knew she had. With the help of Raef, and a few others, they set out to uncover the truth and to find a way to keep safe as the enemies close in on her.

The action made my heart race. The romance made my stomach flutter. I am looking forward to see how the group will work together and find a way to live in safety.

~Melpomene

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Review: How to Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo

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How_to_Say_I_Love_You_Out_Loud_for_sitejpgModern-day readers are very fortunate. No matter what situation-ailment-predicament-life event they find themselves in, there’s a book for it. Nonfiction if they’re after factual information, fiction if they want to simply lose themselves in a story. And it’s the same for young adult readers. Almost every possible scenario has been imagined, everything from bullying to living with a mental illness. It’s not as common, however, to find a book that tells the story from the perspective of a family member. This wonderful book from Karole Cozzo does just that.

The story is told from the point of view of Jordan, a young girl living with a secret. To her it’s a terrible secret, one that’s led to embarrassment and isolation in the past. But it’s not something she can control. Her younger brother Phillip has autism, and it pretty much governs everything that goes on in her family. From family outings to alone time spent with her mom, it all revolves around Phillip and his unpredictable, ever-changing moods.

She survives by keeping a definite separation between home and school. A student at an elite school, she gets by well enough. She’s active in sports and does well enough academically. But she keeps her friends at arms-length, never letting down that boundary between the outside world and her home life. While not an ideal solution, it works for Jordyn. Until Phillip is unexpectedly and unavoidably transferred to her school. Now all her worst fears come true as the lines between home and school are crossed. And Jordyn has to confront some hard truths about herself. Is she using Phillip as an excuse to not let others into her life?

It’s hard to like Jordyn at first because she’s so hard on herself and her family. She’s embarrassed of Phillip, even to the point of pretending to not even know him. Most of us would find that inexcusable. But she’s a teenage girl, and that says a lot. Being a teen is hard enough, especially in an elite school. It’s entirely understandable to see how she’d want a little bit of normalcy, one area of her life that isn’t ruled by Phillip.

This was an outstanding story. It’s plausible and realistically written, and the descriptions of Phillip’s behavior as a person with autism ring true. It will hit home for anyone affected by autism, but will have readers of all kinds hooked until the very end.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: How to Say I Love You Out Loud

Review: Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon

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17302690I usually don’t pay much attention to reviews. A contradiction, I know, coming from someone who shares my love of great stories by writing reviews. But let me clarify. I don’t pay much attention to reviews unless they come from someone whose opinion I know and trust, someone who enjoys the same types of stories that I do. So I hope that’s how you view us here at the Muses, trusted friends who offer a little bit of something for everyone.

Having cancer sucks, even more so when you’re seventeen years old. That’s just what Richie is facing. And even worse, he’s been moved to hospice. We all know what that means. He’s the youngest person on the hospice ward with the exception of Sylvie. So of course there’s a romance brewing. If the story ran on that alone, it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. It’s the cast of supporting characters that adds so much more. There’s Richie’s crazy but fun uncle who manages to sneak him out for a night of fun on Halloween. There’s his grandma who is complicit in helping him sneak around with Sylvie. Sylvie’s dad, by the way is one scary dude. Staying out of his reach becomes a full-time challenge in itself for Richie. And then there are the nurses and staff members, all full of personality and compassion at the same time.

I think it’s unfair to compare this story to The Fault in Our Stars as so many reviews have done. Because let’s be honest, that was a one of a kind, once in a lifetime story. And I don’t say that to take anything away from this book. It’s a different kind of book that just happens to share a few common characteristics with TFIOS. But it’s just as good in its own way.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Somebody Up There Hates You: A Novel

Review: Damage Done by Amanda Panitch

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19542831Wow. Can I just leave it at that? Seriously, if I went no further and that compelled you to read this book I think you’d agree completely. But, since that really doesn’t qualify as a review…

Julia and her family have moved to a new town, taken on new identities and histories. They had to after her twin brother committed an unforgivable crime that pushed them to the edges of society. So they’ve started over, and they’ve left the past behind. But it’s not as simple as separating the “before” and the “after”. There isn’t enough time or enough miles to keep the past away.

Julia, or Lucy as she’s now known, finds herself looking over her shoulder. She’s sure that she’s being followed. But what could they want from her? She doesn’t remember what happened during those horrific twenty-two minutes. Or so she says.

This debut novel by Amanda Panitch does not disappoint. It’s full of more twists and turns than you can imagine. Figure it out and then something else happens. From the gripping first pages to the unforgettable conclusion, it’s a book that I’ll be recommending to friends far and wide.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Damage Done

Review: Another Kind of Hurricane by Tamara Ellis Smith

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51lNSiGFQjL._SX340_BO1,204,203,200_Anyone who knows me knows all too well the love that I have for New Orleans. So whenever a book about or set in New Orleans comes onto my radar, it immediately goes onto my must-read list. And bonus points if it’s a book written for kids or young adults.

We have two ten-year-old boys in this story. Although they are in different parts of the country, each is dealing with tragedy and loss. Zavion has lost his home and very nearly his life during a hurricane. And Henry has lost his best friend in a tragic accident. Their worlds collide when Henry travels to New Orleans as part of a hurricane relief effort.

The writing in this debut novel was simply beautiful. The author writes poetically about the joy and sadness of New Orleans, the laughter and tears of friendship. Her characters make you laugh and cry at the same time as they are so vividly brought to life. The story is full of cultural references that pull you in and make it seem as if you are actually there.

So obviously this book is about a hurricane, Hurricane Katrina to be exact. But it’s about so much more than that. It’s about loss, both physical and emotional. It’s about losing hope and wanting to give up. It’s about friendship and how friendship can give you the courage to go on. And it’s about standing up for what you believe in and doing the right thing. A great story!
~Thalia

Buy It Now: Another Kind of Hurricane