Undiscovered Country ~ Reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes

"I just want to do some good for my country"





After losing her mother to cancer, a teenage girl seeks escape from her grief by joining a volunteer organization in a war-torn South American country. This story is told in alternating chapters labeled "Before" and "After". The "Before" chapters tell the story of Cat, a teenage girl struggling through her senior year, juggling schoolwork, and becoming the parent to her parents as her mother is diagnosed with cancer that will eventually take her life and her father sinks into a crippling depression. The "After" chapters take place mostly in Calantes, the Amazonian "undiscovered country," where Cat finds that her fellow teen volunteers are, like her, motivated but have a need to escape their own demons. In Calantes she also falls in love and awakens to her sexuality. When tragedy eventually strikes, Cat realizes she cannot run away from grief.

I really wanted to like this book, but there were several issues that I just could not get past.

I believe that the author had the chance to develop a bit deeper into the South American culture as well as the civil war occurring around the narrator. Instead, the conversations began to feel a little bit like a broken record especially when Rafael (the love interest) was involved. Rafael speaks a lot about this "change," but the most we learn is that he is somehow involved with local drug cartels in his efforts to fight back against the government. The time spent on the civil war felt very shallow and disconnected from the story line.

For someone who is smart and capable enough to be accepted to Stanford despite having to watch her mother slowly die, Cat seems like quite the vapid personality. I was hoping the book would spend more time on Cat's year away and what she learns about herself during that time.

Although I did not connect with the story, there are things that I did feel held promise: The interchanging chapters that go from present-day to when her mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer was a great format. It allowed the reader to slowly learn the whole story behind what Cat and her parents went through after her mothers cancer diagnosis while also staying in the present in South America.

I give this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

The Dead Inside ~ Reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes

"I don't like depending on people because people leave all the time."





Let me start out by saying that I do not know how I will be reviewing this book because it is a memoir. I cannot judge the characters, plot, or setting. The accounts that happened throughout the book were memories; they happened in real life, specifically to a young woman named Cyndy.

Cyndy Etler isn't a model child, but she's certainty not a druggie or anyone who should have ended up at Straight Inc. To the outside world Straight Inc. appeared as a drug rehabilitation center for teens, but inside it was frighteningly more cult-like. In her cutting and honest memoir Etler shows us inside Straight Inc. and how it affected those unlucky enough to be inside.

It is difficult to review a memoir of someone's life as the plot and characters all come from reality. The Dead Inside proves to be a chilling and eye-opening tale of a child from a damaged family being forced into the worst circumstances and brainwashed. It's heart wrenching to watch her fighting spirit die and see her slowly start to believe that she is the one who has done something wrong.

I feel that the story was cut short. Hopefully the sequel will cover Etler's reintegration into society but it might have been nice to hear a bit more about that in this novel. I also believe that this specific memoir would have benefited from a little more of Etler's adult voice interjecting. It seems to lack a lot of the woman that Etler is now and I would have liked to hear more of her opinion.

I give this book a 2 out of 5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!   

One Moment ~ Reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes

"You're still alive, Mags. You might not feel like it. But you have to keep going."





Maggie has lost her two-year boyfriend in a horrible accident for which she was the only eye witness, and yet she can't remember a thing. They were a tight group of friends but with Joey's passing, they now drift apart, and nothing makes sense anymore. Does she even want to understand what happened during that one moment?

This book was quick to read, even if the topic felt heavy at times. I thought that the overall story was beautiful. It was more than talking about tragedy, it focused on friendship and healing. This book reminded me of "Thirteen Reasons Why" because the main characters and the readers have a mystery to solve throughout the book.

What really surprised me was Maggie's development throughout the story. She was definitely the most sheltered character among the six main characters. But by the end I feel that she is more mature and a lot more stronger. It was definitely a thumps-up ending for any teenager who is going through a loss of a loved one or a close friend. I also believe that the characters were easy to relate to. I could really feel their voices and personalities throughout the pages.

While I thought the story could have more twists, I can say that I was satisfied. I would highly recommend this book for book clubs and discussion groups for high school students. There are so many important parts to be discussed such as loss, friendships, relationships, guilt, and hard choices.

I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!