New Ellen Hopkins - pass on this one!

stars   Collateral by Ellen Hopkins   As many other authors are doing, Ellen Hopkins wrote Collateral for adults though her usual target audience is teens. I gave it 3.0 out of 5 stars because of the way it is written: free verse leaves too many important details from the story for my need as a reader.   This novel, about a college girl who falls in love with a Marine posted to active duty, seemed incomplete without the many details that develop a narrative into a full story that will ring true. As is typical of an EH book, the whole tone is actually quite depressing and the reader can feel another bad ending coming a mile away. A pet peeve of mine is that she alternates points of view and goes back and forth in time. Interspersed between those kinks in the flow are poems written by Ashley and Cole. I didn't really develop any great feeling for the characters and the events that happen to some in the book seemed overdone to prove the point that the deployment of a soldier causes "collateral" damage on everyone connected to him or her. Although I understand that was the theme and point of the story, the negative was relentless. This is definitely NOT a book I would recommend to any man or woman whose loved one was going off to war or joining the military. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere and I was just left disappointed in how the author handled a very important topic. I've read all the previous YA the author has written, and I know teens gobble it up, but this foray into general adult fiction seemed incomplete and was not fulfilling for me. I had way too many questions at the end.   Ms C.

Runemarks by Joanne Harris--reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

Runemarks

Author: Joanne Harris

Revieiwed: Alexandra Lopez

The main character, Maddy Smith, who is an outcast in a small rural town, Malbry is unhappy. The mark makes her an outcast, the people and even her family wants nothing to do with her. Malbry does all it can to ignore the mythical creatures that try to stir up trouble, because it’s unholy. Maddy believes they shouldn't forget the old ways, especially when they’re the ones causing trouble.  A good friend, One-Eye, believes the same and asks her to come along on a journey with him. Of course Maddy Smith joins her friend. The journey is long and dangerous, will she survive be able to survive it?

Reading Runemark has been very magical. I give this lovely book, four out of five stars. The book revolves around Norse mythology, so a lot of characters or creatures come from those stories.  The characters were fully developed even the minor characters Maddy met along her journey. I also enjoyed that the book, that around every corner was something new that Maddy discovered. I believe those that enjoy fantasy or mythology enthusiast and like to read in depth tales, this is a book for you. Come check it out, read and enjoy.

Wither (Chemical Garden) Book 1-- reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

                                     Wither (Chemical Garden) Book 1

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Reviewed: Alexandra Lopez

  The cure for cancer is discovered and is distributed to everyone, the world is cured, life is perfect. At least that's what they believed, until their children started to die young. Scientists discovered that the 'cure', it gave the children a genetic virus that causes men to live longer than women, however both shared the same fate of a short life span. 

  Even though scientists and  doctors work endlessly to find the cure to this virus, the people have turned to a different solution. Many believe there is no cure and in hopes to keep the human race alive, they try to have many children.  Many young girls are kidnapped and sold to wealthy men, who already own several wives. 

  The story begins with a young girl named Rhine who was kidnapped and was forced to marry a man named Linden who claims to love her. Rhine does not feel the same way and wants to escape her prison to find her twin brother. However she needs to gain the trust of Linden and her father in law to appear as good wife to gain certain freedoms. Then she can escape from their clutches and return home.

  I enjoyed reading Wither, it left me wanting more. The story was well paced except when Rhine kept telling herself she would escape. She has many chances to run but never does. If she was so dead set on trying to get home to her brother, who was her only family, why put it off?

  I believe she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome at the time. She stayed with them long enough to understand their way of life and she started to grown to care for her sister wives Rhine didn't want to leave them behind. The ending was a bit of surprise to me, though. The book was great overall, except about Rhine not having the guts to escape, but I can't really blame her.

   If you too fall for this book it is located in the O'Hara Library. Check out the book in the library, read and enjoy.

Review of Crewel by Jennifer Albin

3.0 out of 5 stars - Dystopian world of time weavers

This is the story of a girl who is basically kidnapped and taken to a fortress where she is to be trained as a "Spinster" -- one who weaves strands of time and life together to create and maintain the new civilization in a future version of Earth. These women are controlled by men who dictate where they work, how they live, and keep them imprisoned away from their previous lives, friends, and families

I read this book because I was scheduled to attend a YA workshop that featured the author as the guest speaker. I wanted to listen to what she had to say about her book (typical teen fare with the requisite love triangle that is soooooo old and actually ruined the story) before I wrote the review. Although the ending is a total cliffhanger, I don't feel very compelled to see what happens next nor do I care what happens to the characters. None of whom I identified with or liked. There are some interesting themes and topics covered that make the book one for more mature teens.

The author said that she was inspired to write the book because she fell into an obsession over the painting by Remedios Varo : Embroidering the Earth's Mantle. The picture is quite interesting and I can see how she imagined the world of Arras and the concept of weavers or "Spinsters" from that work of art.

The book reminded me of Lois Lowry's series that include THE GIVER and GATHERING BLUE. The author said she had not read either. It is the first in a trilogy.

DC