Book Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys

by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue, the daughter of a psychic, has always been told that she will kill her true love. Gansey, a rich boy from the private school of Aglionby, is on a personal quest to find magic in the world. When the two are thrown together through a series of events, they find that their lives are intricately connected by forces that are beyond their control. Stiefvater once again works her own magic in creating the mysterious atmosphere and the very unique characters of the town Henrietta. While the plot moves fairly slowly and there are more questions than answers, it is the compelling characters that pull you along.  The Raven Boys is beautifully written and a wonderful start to a new trilogy.

Rating: ★★★★

Storytime Book: "Press Here"

Press Here

by Herve Tullet

Goodreads Summary: Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read-aloud fun for all ages!

Thoughts: This is an absolutely delightful book to read during small group settings.  It works best with a smaller group, so reading it during everyday storytime might not work well if large numbers are expected.  I would also say that it's definitely geared for the preschoolers and it might work for 3 year olds, but not any younger.  I've read this book twice during my library's Story Stop (which is an informal, 15 minute storytime we offer), and the kids loved it both times.  It also draws the kids who are a little bit shy because they really want to see what happens on the next page.  There's not a whole lot of vocabulary or narrative building skills, but it's a very fun book that I think kids would love to read again and again.

Book Review: "The Body Finder"

The Body Finder

by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose has a special ability to feel "imprints" left behind by the dead, especially those who were killed violently.  As her junior year starts, her ability is the farthest thing from her mind as her feelings for her best friend, Jay, begin to change.  However, when Violet stumbles upon a dead girl in the lake and other young girls go missing, she begins to realize that her ability could help catch the killer.  While well written, The Body Finder is definitely a book that is more suited for teens than adults.  The plot was alright and moved along at a good pace, but the climax was fairly anti-climactic.  The characters, especially the side ones, were one dimensional and the romance was predictable and juvenile.  What eventually docked the overall rating for the book were the jokes that occurred throughout the books.  Some of the jokes told were crude and offensive, and didn't have any place in the book.  They did nothing to further the plot or develop the characters, and are not jokes that teens should think are okay to make.  However, the book was decent and I would most likely recommend it to teens that enjoy mysteries with a paranormal twist.

Rating: ★★

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Book Review: "Bewitching"

Bewitching

by Alex Flinn

In this delightful re-telling of Cinderella with a twist, we meet Kendra, the witch - or fairy godmother - behind most of our beloved fairy tales, and Emma, the girl she is currently trying to help.  Told in alternating voices between Kendra, Emma, and some of the people Kendra has tried to help, we learn that sometimes things don't always go the way we want, especially when there is magic involved.  Similar to her previous novels, Alex Flinn has once again taken something that we thought we knew and changed it into something more.  Bewitching is a fun tale, filled with misadventures in romance and characters you love to hate.  The short stories that are interspersed can be distracting, especially when it interrupts Emma's story, but it's entertaining to see familiar tales from Kendra's perspective. 

Rating: ★★★

Book Review: "Shadow of Night"

Shadow of Night

by Deborah Harkness

 

When Diana and Matthew journey from the present into sixteenth-century England, they realize that their goals of finding the Ashmole 782 and obtaining a teacher for Diana won't be as easy as they initially thought. Soon, they are embroiled with the intrigue and politics of Elizabethan England, and as they begin affecting the past in ways they never imagined, they must use their wits in order to return to the present unscathed. Harkness's second book in her All Souls Trilogy transcends many genres; not only does it have the fantasy/paranormal elements of witches, vampires, and daemons, but it can also be classified as historical fiction as well as romance. Unfortunately, the first half of the book reads slowly due to all the extraordinary details about the era.  Harkness's concept of time travel was also confusing and there are some plot holes that are caused by mixing time travel with vampires.  Nonetheless, Shadow of Night is a fine follow up to Discovery of Witches, especially with the danger and action that is hinted to come in the final book. 

Rating: ★★★

Book Review: "The Sweetest Spell"

The Sweetest Spell

by Suzanne Selfors

Emmeline Thistle is an outsider, both to the world and to her village.  While her village believes that she is unnatural, the rest of the world sees her and her people as nothing more than barbarians, descendants of those who tried to invade the country and therefore banished to the Flatlands.  When tragedy strikes, Emmeline unexpectedly survives and discovers that she has the ability to make chocolate, a power that has been lost for ages and that is even more precious than gold.  Soon, Emmeline is thrown into a whirlwind adventure as she sets out to save her father and the rest of her people.  Beautifully written, the story is reminiscent of other teen fantasies such as "The Goose Girl", "The Princess Bride", or "Ella Enchanted".  Emmeline is kind, but still spunky and brave.  The romance that blooms is sweet and the book doesn't fail to mix in a some adventure and action.  The alternating viewpoints were a bit disconcerting at first, but once both characters are introduced, it gets less confusing.  Overall, the book was extremely delightful and charming, and will have the reader craving for chocolate by the last chapter!

Rating: ★★★

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Bloomsbury Children's Books.  The expected publication date is August 21st, 2012.

Book Review: "Throne of Glass"

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas

When Celaena Sardothien, the kingdom's most celebrated assassin, is given the chance between further imprisonment or possible freedom, she leaps at the chance to leave the mines forever.  However, freedom comes with a price.  Celaena must compete in a competition to become the King's Champion.  If she wins, she must serve a cruel king who imprisoned her and is bent on destruction.  If she loses, she must go back to the mines.  As she adjusts to palace life and begins the competition, Celaena finds herself fighting for her life as an ancient evil threatens everyone around her.

"Throne of Glass" is an enchanting and mesmerizing fantasy tale, fast paced, action packed, and filled with many unique and interesting characters.  Celaena was a force to be reckon with; she's deadly, but has a surprising amount of emotions for someone who is rumored to be so cold and ruthless.  There's the Crown Prince Dorian, who struggles with being the son to a king who is bent on conquests and destruction.  Lastly, Captain Chaol also struggles with his role as Captain of the Royal Guard and his feelings for the assassin as his thoughts about what is right and wrong are forever changed when he meets Celaena.  Overall, Maas does a wonderful job at developing the characters while keeping me guessing with the mystery of the book.  I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, solid fantasy, as well as to those who enjoy books with a strong, female heroine.

Rating: ★★★★

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Bloomsbury Children's Book.  The expected publication date is August 7th, 2012.

Book Review: "Keeping the Castle"

Keeping the Castle

by Patrice Kindl

At the age of seventeen, beautiful Althea Crawley must marry well in order to support her mother and her little brother.  Her home, a crumbling castle, is in complete disarray, and her stepsisters refuse to help with the repairs or upkeep.  When Lord Boring arrives in their town, Althea devises a way to ensnare him in marriage.  The only hiccup in the plan is Mr. Fredericks, Lord Boring's clumsy cousin, who manages to get in Althea's way at every turn.  Althea herself never fails to remind us about how beautiful she is; while she may have good intentions, she comes off as manipulative and selfish throughout most of the book without ever really redeeming herself.  There are a few gems in the book, especially when Althea demands to know why it is acceptable that men marry for beauty, but women can't marry for wealth.  Althea's own stepsisters were also amusing in their wickedness.  Kindl works hard to imitate the wit and irony that Austen managed so capably, and fans of Regency romances may also enjoy this book.  I may have to read more of Austen novels and Regency romances to compare, but personally, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped.

Rating: ★★

Book Review: "Wicked Business"

Wicked Business  

by Janet Evanovich  

When a man is murdered and thrown off of his balcony, cupcake baker Lizzy Tucker is once again thrown into the race to find a second SALGIA stone before the forces of evil.  This time, Lizzy must help her partner, Diesel, find the Luxuria stone (the stone that embodies lust) before the forces of evil do - mainly Wulf, Diesel's cousin, and Anarchy, a mysterious new villain.  Lizzy and Diesel must use all resources on hand, including Carl the monkey, to decipher the clues and find the stone before Wulf and Anarchy.  Hilarity ensues as they leave behind mayhem and disorder, all while trying to battle their attraction for each other.  Evanovich once again has the reader giggling throughout the book as they try to puzzle out the mystery of the stone along with the characters.  Lizzy and Diesel make a great team, and while the book won't win any literary awards, it's still a lot of fun to read.

Rating: ★★★

Book Review: "Seraphina"

Seraphina

by Rachel Hartman

Goodreads Summary: Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Review: Not many books immerse me to the point where I feel as if I'm in the world along with the characters; Seraphina is one of the lucky few.  The world was highly imaginative and incredibly detailed, complete with full rituals and customs and religion.  Seraphina herself was a plucky and prickly heroine, with a core of strength, intelligence, and kindness.  Her garden of grotesques were fascinating, another detailed world within a world, and one that I want to know more about.  All the other characters were also wonderful in their own right: Orma, the cold and unfeeling dragon closest to Seraphina; Kiggs, the intelligent but slightly mischievous prince; Glisselda, the seemingly ditzy yet perceptive heir to the throne.  It might be too slowly paced for some people, but I enjoyed the intricate world and character building.  I'm looking forward to the next book.
 

Rating: ★★★★

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Random House Children's Books.  It's expected publication date is July 10, 2012.

In the News!

My library was mentioned in a recent TIME article about how libraries are re-inventing themselves to keep up with the current technology trends!  The Gimme Engine is our invention in the mobile app world as we try to connect customers with reviews and recommendations made by our very own staff members.  I feel very proud (and lucky!) to be part of a library system that is as forward thinking as Scottsdale.

Also, interestingly enough, my library did try to the "Text-a-Librarian" option a while back, but found that it was under utilized and therefore stopped using it.  I wonder if there's a secret that other libraries know to encourage usage that we haven't found yet.

Book Review: "The Girl in the Park"

The Girl in the Park

by Mariah Fredericks

Goodreads Summary: When Wendy Geller's body is found in Central Park after the night of a rager, newspaper headlines scream,"Death in the Park: Party Girl Found Strangled." But shy Rain, once Wendy's best friend, knows there was more to Wendy than just "party girl." As she struggles to separate the friend she knew from the tangle of gossip and headlines, Rain becomes determined to discover the truth about the murder. Written in a voice at once immediate, riveting, and utterly convincing, Mariah Frederick's mystery brilliantly exposes the cracks in this exclusive New York City world and the teenagers that move within it.

Review: I very rarely read mysteries but synopsis for The Girl in the Park seemed promising enough for me to risk it (also, I checked the book out through Overdrive for my Kindle, so the urge to peek ahead was pretty much gone).  I'm glad I did since it proved to be thoroughly enjoyable.  The unraveling of the mystery was done just right, and Fredericks does a good job at managing the pacing so that it wasn't extremely slow but didn't race through to the end.  Rain is an extremely fascinating character: a teenage girl who has her own personal problems but struggles through them to find the killer.  She's resilient and intelligent, which I was glad to see in a character.  I was a little bit disappointed because I was able to guess the identity of the killer fairly early, but the book did make me question my guess here and there.  All in all, The Girl in the Park was a solid and satisfying read.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Book Review: "Painted Blind"

Painted Blind

by Michelle A. Hansen

Goodreads Summary: Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risqué photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Now everyone—especially her dad—can see it. And yet, somehow, those are the mundane things in her life because she is about to fall unexpectedly, head-over-heels in love with Erik, a mysterious young man who rescues her from a crowd of admirers, and who she’s never actually seen because…he can make himself invisible.

As strange as this may seem, it’s about to get even stranger. Erik takes her to his palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him. Overtaken, intrigued, and still not wholeheartedly believing he’s real, Psyche is going to have to decide if she can love him blindly; because if she can’t, she may lose him forever.

Review: Painted Blind is a wonderful adaptation of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.  It remained faithful to the original story while mixing in some new elements that made it exciting and fun to read.  Psyche is an admirable female lead.  She knows she has her flaws and problems, and despite her beauty, she has been able to remain humble and level headed.  Her beauty is left to our imagination, and I only wished that Hansen had spent more time detailing the problems she's had with her appearance as well as her agoraphobia.  The relationship between her and Erik felt real, unlike some YA books I've read, and Hansen deals with the more mature parts of the relationship very well.  Erik himself was a great character.  He's not a typical male lead and I loved his mischievousness.  Hansen does a fantastic job developing the side characters as well, and the plot and main story was nicely balanced with the character development.  This is a must read for anyone who enjoys mythology!

Our library doesn't have a copy of the book, but I've put in a staff suggestion to purchase it.  Hopefully we'll get it soon so I can start raving to my co-workers and teens!

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Createspace Publishers. 

Book Review: "Heartless"

Heartless

by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Goodreads Summary: Princess Una of Parumvir has come of age and will soon be married. She dreams of a handsome and charming prince, but when the first suitor arrives, she finds him stodgy and boring. Prince Aethelbald from the mysterious land of Farthestshore has traveled far to prove his love--and also to bring hushed warnings of danger. A dragon is rumored to be approaching Parumvir. Una, smitten instead with a more dashing prince, refuses Aethelbald's offer--and ignores his warnings. Soon the Dragon King himself is in Parumvir, and Una, in giving her heart away unwisely, finds herself in grave danger. Only those courageous enough to risk everything have a hope of fighting off this advancing evil.

Review: It's not often that I come across a book that I really couldn't stand to read (of course, most of the time it's because I'm able to flip to the end - with my Kindle, unfortunately, I had to read through it if I wanted to know the ending).  Unfortunately, Heartless falls into this category.   

None of the characters were likable, especially Princess Una.  She was rude, shallow, and juvenile, with absolutely no redeeming qualities.  She's not very intelligent, courageous, or kind, and this doesn't change throughout the entire book.  For this reason, I have no idea what Prince Aethelbald was so in love with her.  Aethelbald himself could have been such a great character, but instead was reduce to a somewhat bland personality.  The evil Dragon King was fairly one dimensional too, and both Una's father and brother were not very interesting (the brother was somewhat of a whiny brat, to be honest).

The plot itself was okay, but there were things that are brought up but never mentioned again or explained.  It annoys me when authors throw in seemingly important hints but then never bother to fully address them later on, and unfortunately, this happens quite a lot in Heartless, both with plot and with other characters.  

I would have a very hard time recommending this book to anyone.  Una ruined the book for me, and unfortunately, the plot couldn't redeem her character.

Overall Rating: 1/5

Note: Apparently, this book was a giant Christian allegory.  I found this out after I had already written my review, so I'd like to put in a disclaimer that my rating and review have nothing to do with my personal beliefs.

Book Review: "Dark Companion"

Dark Companion
by Marta Acosta

Goodreads Summary: When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Review: Dark Companion is an interesting re-telling of Jane Eyre that combines Gothic elements with subtle magical undertones. Acosta brilliantly develops the eery atmosphere of Birch Grove Academy, as well as the strangeness of the Radcliffe family. The book had a lot of surprising twists and turns, and wasn't as predictable as I originally thought it would be. I enjoyed the character of Jane, who was intelligent and steady, but not naïve at all. Her bluntness was refreshing to see in a character. The side characters were wonderful as well, most notably the flamboyant Mary Violet and her fabulous poems. While it lagged somewhat during the middle and the magic was a bit out of place, the clever humor, witty dialogue, and creepy mystery held my interest to the end.

Overall Rating: 3/5

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Tor/MacMillian Publishers.  It's expected publication date is July 3, 2012.

Double Feature Book Review

Anna and the French Kiss

Lola and the Boy Next Door

by Stephanie Perkins

I'm doing something a little different with these two books by reviewing them at the same time, mostly because I didn't have time to write an actual review of Anna and the French Kiss before finishing Lola and the Boy Next Door.  They're companion novels and written by the same author.  Anna comes first, but it's not necessary to read them in order.  The summaries for each of these can be found here and here.

Another first for me is that I actually have two different ratings for each of these books.  They differ because one is my own personal enjoyment of the book and the other is based on a more professional level.  Sound confusing?  I'll try to explain.  As a librarian, I would recommend these two books to any older teens looking for a fun romance story.  They were well written and full of awesome characters, and they did a great job at talking about the confusion that comes with love at that age.  They also did a good job at addressing issues like alcohol, drugs, and sex, but because those do make an appearance in both books, these books are definitely for the older age group of teenagers.  Overall, both these books got a 4/5 rating on a professional scale.

Personally, however, I did knock both of them down a full point.  I would have loved both of these books ten years ago!  They are perfect for teenagers - they address love, and finding yourself, and the confusion that comes with both.  For someone in her late 20's, however, not so much.  It was hard for me to relate on a personal level.

But like I mentioned before, it's only based on a personal bias that these books didn't score higher on my rating scale.  They're a lot of fun to read, and they're filled with quirky, lovable characters, and the best part is that Anna, Lola, and the boys they love feel like real people with their flaws and imperfections. 

Overall Rating: 3/5 (for both books)

Book Review: "The Last Boyfriend

The Last Boyfriend

by Nora Roberts

Goodreads Summary: Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family's construction business with an iron fist - and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn't plan for was Avery McTavish

Avery's popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation - and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery's thoughts. But the attraction she's feeling for him now is far from innocent.

As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Owen's hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected - and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last.

Review: The Last Boyfriend is the second book of the Inn Boonsboro trilogy, and while I enjoyed it, it's a very sleepy book with little plot.  The book focuses on the things that happen in life - the holidays, opening of a business, relationships - and it plods along slowly with little to no direction.  While I enjoyed the main characters as well as all the other side characters, this book was definitely one that was devoted to the complexities of a relationship rather than a plot.  Honestly, it was a little bit boring for my taste.  I'm someone who needs a little bit of excitement along with the romance aspect.  The next book, due out later this year, seems promising though, so we'll see.

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Book Review: "Insurgent"

Insurgent

by Veronica Roth

 

Goodreads Summary: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

 

Review:  Insurgent starts up almost exactly where the first novel of the series, Divergent, ends.  This was one of my most highly anticipated novels of the year and it didn't disappoint.  I was worried that it would suffer from the middle-book syndrome, but my worries were unfounded.  Instead, Roth once again does an amazing job at delving deeper into each of the main characters' personalities, especially Tris and Tobias, while maintaining a steady stream of action in every chapter.  Tris, in particular, is a very interesting character.  While she very obviously suffers from the trauma that happened to her in the first book, she still goes on to be an amazingly strong character.  She is by no means a delicate flower, and I love her strength.

I also love it when authors don't make a person or group the clear villain.  There are people in Insurgent that are clearly the antagonists, but when you throw in the motivations and find out that there is a reason behind their actions, things get blurry.  Not everything was entirely black and white in this book, and books like this that challenges me and makes me think are some of my favorite books.  

The only thing that I liked less about Insurgent than I did about the first book was the crazy fast paced action.  Roth does an amazing job at throwing twists and turns into the book that don't seem out of place.  However, it was very hectic, and I wished she had interjected more slower scenes like she did in Divergent to balance out the action.  This was definitely a book that needs to be read carefully instead of breezing through.  While I suspected what would happen at the end, it was still surprising and paves the way for the third book by answering some questions by opening a whole slew of more questions.

 

If you haven't read Divergent yet, and are a fan of The Hunger Games, I highly recommend that you do.  It was one of my favorite books last year, and Insurgent does a fantastic job of following up.  Both books make you question society, your role in society, and how society shapes you as a person.

 

Overall Rating: 4/5

And some of my not so favorite things

Yesterday, I talked about a few of my favorite things at my job.  Today, I'm going to talk about the not-so-favorite things.  Actually, the most hated and dreaded part of the job: dealing with angry customers.

Sometimes, there are people who come in who are just angry for no reason, and they like to take it out on people like me who work in a customer service oriented field.  Every now and then, the customers are angry for a justifiable reason, and a few of them are nice enough to recognize that even though they're angry, they shouldn't be yelling at us about it.  And often times, I'm able to diffuse the situation or offer an alternative that the customer will accept.  But there are also the customers who are so angry they won't see reason or logic, and nothing we do or say will placate them.

I had a customer like that today.  I'm not going to give any specific details, but she was so angry at what I did - which, I'd like to add, was perfectly legit - that nothing I did or say was good enough.  In fact, I don't even think she was listening to any of my solutions or suggestions; she just wanted me to do what she wanted.  Worse part was she yelled at me in front of her kids, so her kids also thought I was the bad guy, even though she was freaking out for no good reason.  It was not a good situation, and it ended with her demanding my name and informing me that she's going to file an official complaint against me.

Luckily, people like that are the minority, and most of the time, staff can see the humor in the situation afterwards and know that the staff member didn't do anything out of line.  Unfortunately, when you're being screamed at an irrational customer, it's hard to find anything funny about it in that moment.