Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands- reviewed by: Portia Rockers

                                         

Emily Shepard is a 16-year-old girl who lives in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. She's in the middle of her junior year of high school when the power plant has a meltdown. Her parents were both killed during the meltdown, and what's worse is her dad was in charge at the time. Emily is at an evacuation camp with others from her school when she hears that her father is being blamed for the meltdown. Emily, who feels alone and is hurt by the accusations, decides to run away. She's now living on the streets and is comforted by the words of her favorite poet, Emily Dickinson.   

I absolutely loved this book because it was so sad and original. Emily was such a unique character, she was strong and made adult decisions. But, at the same time, I could tell that she was a teenager. A lot of times teenagers are written too mature so that they seem like adults or they are written as so naive that they look like children. I thought Emily had the perfect balance of character traits. The story itself was tragic, and it was something that could happen in the future and has occurred in the past, which is why it was so terrifying. I would recommend this book to everyone I know, it's such a heartbreaking story. Even though the story is not being marketed as YA, I do feel that teens will enjoy this book.   

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands - reviewed by Maggie Devero

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

When your whole world comes crashing down around you, can you ever find the will to live on?

Emily Shepard is on her second to last day of junior year at Reddington Academy, when the school receives some devastating news -- the nuclear power plant called Reactor One, located on Cape Abenaki in the Northern Kingdom, had exploded and caused a radiation blow to the entire area. Now known as the Exclusion Zone, with radiation levels unfit for an living being, has left Emily homeless and orphaned, with her parents being the main directors of the plant and obviously killed in the explosion. Instead of seeking the help that would have reached out to her at the time, she chooses to avoid the general public who blames her parents for coming to work inebriated and causing this problem, and lives on the streets. She takes on the alias Abby Bliss, friend of her idol Emily Dickinson, and roams the streets taking up stealing and some others destructive habits. She struggles between survival and suicide...that is until she meets Cameron, a nine year old runaway who gives her a reason to live for.

I did in fact, like this book very much. Emily was the most accurately portrayed teenage girl in a disastrous situation, unlike characters in the many other YA books I've read before. Her panic and struggle, the solace she finds in the poetry and life of Emily Dickinson was very relatable to the reader,  and the sisterly love she gives to Cameron is one of the most endearing aspects of the story. Even so, she still makes mistakes like a human being (leaving Cameron while he's sick, doing drugs, cutting) which enhances the realistic aspects of her character. How Bohjalian depicts the setting gets you right there on the streets with Emily, in her garbage bag igloo. Beautiful wording, and accurate usage of modern social networks brings the story up to date, and puts you right in it. It was an amazingly written novel, and even without the perfectly happy ending it's an enjoyable read. Five out of five stars.

Book Club Meets Monday, April 28, in the Library!

Denise Crawford Hello book club members! See you on Monday with some special books to share. Bring your own...

I'll be talking about an upcoming release -- CLOSE YOUR EYES, HOLD HANDS by Chris Bohjalian.
How about the rest of you??

Portia Rockers

I will be showing Above by Isla Morley.

Maggie Devero

I'll be raving about my adoration for the trilogy called, Chaos Walking, by Patrick Ness!

Paige Espinosa

I will be talking about The Quick by Lauren Owen

Review of The Quick by Paige Espinosa

     After growing up in a calm country lifestyle, James Norbury has to learn how to make his way through life in London at the turn of the century, the 1890s. After leaving Oxford and preparing to start his career as a writer, James gets mixed up in a curious crowd of people. After he suddenly disappears, his sister, Charlotte, is drawn from her comfy country living into the big city to find her brother. Along the way, she runs into vampires and ends up fighting for her own life as well as that of her brother.
     I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because the idea seemed original enough but after about two plot twists it became too predictable. Some of the characters, like Charlotte, were relatable and realistic while others, like Mould aka Doctor Knife, a human who experimented on campus and was accepted into an exclusive vampire club weren't realistic at all. It's hard enough for vampires to get into the club, yet a simple human, a mere bedtime snack, can walk into a room of vampires and be mostly accepted? After awhile, the book started getting confusing and there were a few too many loose ends not tied up at the end. Honestly, reading it made me feel like the author didn't rally know where she was going with her story and she rambled on for 500 pages until realizing maybe that was long enough to be an acceptable novel. It took a good 450 pages to get to the real climax but then nothing really happened, few questions were answered, and new mysteries and cryptic hints were still being added. (Like hints of corpses being reanimated but not as vampires? Almost like zombies but the book didn't mention that the corpses wanted to kill you, just that they were difficult to put down. But that, point was never elaborated on and was brought up once or twice more and then forgotten.) overall, despite the lack of planning involved in writing this and the insanely predictable ending, it was an okay book. It would be perfect for anyone looking for a different, less twilight-sequel vampire story.

The Golden World reviewed by: Portia Rockers

Morgan Monetti is an average teenager, she's super smart and people have high expectations for her. Morgan's mother Dinah has her hands full with twin new born babies, so trusting that Morgan is mature enough she ignores Morgan and lets her do what she wants. Morgan is feeling down because she is rejected by her ex-boyfriend and her crush turned out to be gay. She seeks comfort in her young calculus teacher, T.J. Hill, but he quickly turns it into an affair. Morgan who believes that she is an adult doesn't see it as T.J. taking advantage of her and even in the court room she stands by him. Rain who is T.J.s wife is depressed because she wants to be pregnant, and has no idea that her husband is cheating on her.

I gave this book four stars because the plot was really interesting, but some of the characters were really annoying. Morgan was really cocky and needed to be told that she is not an adult nor is she old enough to make the chioces she made, and thoughts about T.J. Dinah was a bit neglectful and maybe if she paid more attention to Morgan then it might not have happened. Rain was a bit niave and I think she refused to see the flaws in her husband. I think the way the book was written well and it was really interesting. We get to see T.J through the eyes of Rain and what she thinks. I recommend this book to anyone who likes scandals. 

The Ask and The Answer - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Chaos Walking Series; Book #2

The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

What is one supposed to do when their safe Haven....doesn't end up being that safe after all?

In this continuation of Chaos Walking trilogy, Todd and Viola have made it to their destination; a city called Haven in which they are supposed to find safety from the impending army of Prentisstown, and welcome the next set of settlers from the Old World into their new life. But even before they manage a step into this place, it's already not what it's supposed to be: Mayor Prentiss has beat them there and removed the old leader from his position, declaring himself the Mayor of NEW Prentisstown, and even better yet the PRESIDENT of the entire New World. Todd and Viola are separated, and must face their own struggles separately. Viola learns the trade of being a healer, and also how Mistress Coyle the head healer, is plotting against Mayor Prentiss as her old position of leader of revolutionary group the Answer. Todd is forced to work for Mayor Prentiss alongside the Spackle, original inhabitants of the New World and slaves of the settlers, doing hard labor and realizing just how much they hate their masters. He eventually works his way to right-hand-man of Mayor Prentiss, just as Viola joins ranks with the Answer to take him down. The two believe they have joined opposite sides, and must act accordingly. But once reunited, everything changes, and takes another turn for the worse....

Aaaaaand I'm back with the review for the second amazing book in this trilogy.  As expected, this book was just as amazingly written as the first; none of that second book let down I have experienced a lot in the past. As before, the writing style just absorbs you into the New World, right into Haven/New Prentisstown and all the changes they're having to adapt to, due to horrible Mayor Prentiss. The POV of the story goes back and forth between Todd and Viola, accentuating the separation of the two and the different sides they've taken. I also really like the way Ness plays these two together; in need of one another, but hasn't brought it completely into the romantic spectrum yet. God forbid he's almost making me want a romance between the two, hinting at it like he does, but not making the whole story rely on the fact that they are romantically involved with each other. Love it. I also adore how completely different the setting is from the first book to this one. The first in the swamps, and then to an actual civilization in this book. The contrast between the two and how they affect the story is striking. I cannot explain how much I'm loving this series...I've already worked my way into the final book before even posting this review! If you've read the first book, and loved it continue on, my friend. A great adventure awaits you. Five stars without a doubt.

Above - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Above by Isla Morley

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Sixteen year old Blythe is going about her average business in the small town of Eudora, Kansas; arguing with her siblings, falling for a boy named Arlo, and enjoying the town's annual picnic and just growing up a regular teenage girl, with nothing out of the ordinary. That is until the town's librarian, Dobbs Hordin, kidnaps her the night of the Horse Thieves Picnic and hids her away from her normal world, preaching the End of all as we know it. He keeps her held captive in an abandoned missile silo in the vast fields of Kansas, where he has made his survivalist home of sorts, to wait out the end, and then repopulate the vacant world as the Remnant of humankind. Blythe struggles with the idea of no one coming to her rescue, and deals with failed attempts of escape; she is stuck and no one is going to save her. She fights off and eventually succumbs to some kind of insanity, accepting that this is where she will reside until she passes from this life, but it will never be a home. She deals with many traumatic events during her time down under, until miraculously she finds escape seventeen years later. But the world she returns to is so different than the one she had previously known, will she be able to return to life above ground? Was escape really worth it in the end?

I LOVED this book, it was just as good as I had expected it to be. Starting right in the midst of the drama from the very first line, and working its way through the storyline until the very end this book keeps you on your toes. Blythe's character grows, maybe not in the happiest or most positive way, but seeing how Morley writes her changing while stuck in this hidden silo is crazy because she sticks with the initial passion to escape, but eventually settles with the fact that this is her life now, and escape will not happen. Also seeing Dobbs go from Blythe's captor who won't lay a hand on her, to a crazed man who even through all this, might have loved her all along, is just so weird. Also all the different means of escape, states of minds, and drama that Blythe endures is just mindblowing to experience as a reader. The writing style of Morley was detailed, breathtaking and enrapturing for me. The only fact that kept me from giving this book five stars is that after Blythe manages to get out of the silo, the setup of the plot just seems to be random and not as well thought through and put together. It bored me in comparison to what I had just previously read, and had me skimming the pages multiple times before i completely grasped what was going on. Overall, though, a fantastic book that I would recommend to any apocalyptic/thriller genre fans! Great book!

Breaking Beautiful - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

One day you wake up, and everything you know about your life had changed....but you can't remember any of it?

Allie wakes up in the hospital after being in a fatal car wreck, lucky to be alive. Only she doesn't feel all as lucky as she probably should; her boyfriend Trip was also in the same car when the accident happened and he did not end up surviving.  Overwhelmed with grief for her lost boyfriend, and anger at herself, Allie struggles to remember what exactly took place that evening that caused Trip to lose control of the wheel and send the two plummeting over the side of a cliff. But the real question is, does she even really want to remember? Or is it better off that the unpleasant series of events that took place that night are lost on her forever? Allie decides to do all she can to try to remember, as she slowly involves herself in the real world again, after a couple months or so, when the Pacific Cliffs Police Force reopens the case. They hound Allie, and her friend Blake for any information, that Allie is just unable to give them. Will Allie be able to heal over time, or with this torturous past haunt her forever? Read the book to find out!

I honestly didn't have much hope for this book when I first picked it up, but once I got into it a little bit it actually turned out quite to my liking! I was between giving it three and a four star rating, but I figured I'd be nice and since the plot was pretty decent I'd give it a four, since overall it wasn't too bad. When you first pick it up, it's a bit slow to start off, with the struggle Allie is facing of just getting out of bed and back into a normal life. But then it picks back up after a third of the way into it or so. The major twist of the storyline is easy to miss (like I did) but also really easy to pick up on if you're focused and intuitive, and it adds a nice change of pace to the story. The writing style was decent, and the characters were very individual and their development throughout the story helped it along. I liked the book! Four stars! 

Don't Turn Around reviewed by: Portia Rockers

                                        

Nao is sixteen and is a victim of the system. She is always changing foster parents growing up, along the way she becomes great with computer hacking. To get out of the system she creates a fake foster family, and makes a lot of money under her fake foster fathers name. She is now living in an apartment off the grid. Because no one knows about her and pays attentions she is targeted by a group that performs illegal medical experiments on human subject. She wakes up with a huge scar on her chest and no memory of how she got there. Can she escape? And what happened to her apartment and money? Peter is a rich kid that is not really interested in anything but his website he created for his group of hacktivists. But when his house gets broken into by armed men he gets scared but interested, can Peter and Nao helpeach other? 

Don't turn around is written in dual perspective, which I happened to find interesting. I gave this book four stars because in the book Nao is suppose to be sixteen but her personality was like she was in her mid 20s. I found the plot really interesting, it was full of action and leaves you wanting more. One thing I did not like about the book was that it seemed like the author wanted to force romance between the two main characters, when it was clear they did not trust each other. The ending of the book isn't really satisfying, nothing gets resolved but it's not a cliffhanger. It is part of a trilogy so I will want to read the next books to see what happens. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes adventure and thrilling books.

Feed by M.T. Anderson Reviewed by Paige Espinosa

     Titus lives in a world run by consumerism. He even has a chip, the feed, implanted in his brain that keeps him up-to-date on all the latest trends and sales at his favorite stores. All he has to do is look at something he might like and the feed automatically tells him things like it, where he can buy them, and all the great sales he could get if he buys them now! His life revolves around the feed until he goes to the moon for spring break with some friends and a hacker forces them to live without their feeds for a few days while doctors make sure they'll be safe to turn the feeds back on. During those few days, Titus becomes close with a girl named Violet, a girl who is less fortunate than he is and has a whole new take on the life they live. She got her feed later in life and neither of her parents ever got it so she is familiar with a world without it. Titus begins to question the world he lives in and even some of the things he does.
     I gave this book four out of five stars because certain passages were just insanely thought-provoking. Some of it was too unrealistic for me but other parts I could totally imagine happening in our world. Although it is another dystopian novel, it isn't just like everything else that has been popular and being turned into movies. One part I really liked was that it wasn't from the perspective of a teen girl who was head-over-heels for this new boy she met on the moon. Instead, it was from Titus's point of view and he's just your average teenage boy. He isn't looking for anything lasting or any type of commitment and overall it was a realistic teen relationship that didn't give the reader high expectations for romance in their real life outside the book. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian or sci-fi and is looking for something a little more out-of-the-box than the average dictatorship-built-on-the-ruins-of-The-United-States-of-America-until-one-girl-brings-down-the-government-to-save-the-people-while-she-falls-in-love-at-the-same-time sort of series that everyone seems to love right now.