Annette's Book Spot

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Book Review: Ashes, by Ilsa J. Bick @ilsajbick

While Ashes is a somewhat conventional survival story, I still enjoyed the characters and interesting plot elements.

Alex has run away to the mountains to go hiking, and figure out her life. She's suffering from cancer, and things aren't going well. She's still dealing with the death of her parents. Before she even gets very far, there's a huge electronic pulse that not only destroys everything electric, but kills many people.

After this, Alex is in survival mode, and she's fairly well prepared, except she hooks up with a young girl, Ellie. Because of Ellie, she loses some of her provisions and has to travel a lot slower. Also, it seems the pulse has turned some people into zombie-like creatures who will kill and eat anything they can catch. Alex and Ellie are fortunate to meet Tom, who saves them as they are about to be attacked by one of these zombies, and the three of them hook up and use all their wits to survive.

Things don't go well. There are serious injuries. They get robbed. They get separated. And what seems like safety may not be safe.

Ashes doesn't break any great new barriers as far as survival stories go. It is interesting and very action packed. I did like the fact that even when Alex gets to a safe haven, it isn't necessarily what it seems. There's never a time throughout the book that Alex (or the reader) feels safe.

It is a bit long at over 450 pages. It didn't really drag, because there was always tension, but still, Ashes is a survival story, and it kind of wore me out.

Alex is easy to become attached to. She's got secrets, but she's tough. She already can handle a gun. She's emotionally tough, after what she's been through, and she pulls her weight. There's barely a romance getting started (triangular, of course) when all hell breaks loose, so I'm curious about how that will go in Shadows, the next book in the series. Ellie probably grew the most -- I mean, she's a whiny eleven year old, so needless to say, she's not very helpful at the beginning.

Dogs play a big part in Ashes too, and since I'm a dog lover that's a bonus. Your survival book fans will eat this one up! I will widely recommend Ashes to those kids. Even middle school readers will be able to handle Ashes, if they can handle the length.

Published by Egmont, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
465 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Audiobook Review: Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison Allen @SarahAddisonAll

Garden Spells is a delightful, heartwarming romance with just enough magic to make you believe.

Claire Waverley is weird. Everyone in Bascom, North Carolina thinks so. But she can cater a meal! Her special talent is the use of edible plants and flowers that grow in the garden behind her house -- the house that has been in the Waverley family for generations.

All Waverley women have strange gifts. Claire knows which flowers and plants evoke certain emotions or behaviors in those that eat them. This makes her catered events very interesting. Claire's Aunt Evanelle has to give people things. They may need the item soon or not for quite a while, but she always seems to give them things they will need, no matter how bizarre the gift may seem.

Sydney, Claire's sister returns to Bascom with secrets. She left suddenly ten years ago, and Claire hasn't heard from her since. She also returns with a young daughter, Bay. Bay knows where things belong, and she feels uncomfortable until she manages to get things (or people) in the right place. Sydney seems to be the only Waverley who doesn't have a gift, or does she?

Every character in Garden Spells is special, and I could go on for quite a while about them. The romantic interests, Henry and Tyler, are both perfect. The gay store manager (whose name I can't think of -- remember -- audiobook) adds a special element to the story. One of the best "characters" is the apple tree in the garden -- the one that throws apples at people, bends its limbs to grab onto things, and whose apples can't be eaten -- unless you want to have a vision of the most important event in your life.

Garden Spells put me in such a good mood. I can't explain the feeling evoked by this story. It reminded me a little of Practical Magic. The movie -- I can't speak for the book because I haven't read it yet. But I love that movie. It makes me happy. And the little magical touches in Garden Spells that seem so natural, and the slow burning romance made me feel happy too. The whole time you are reading (or listening) you know there's going to be a happy ending. And you want that more than anything.

I think Garden Spells has some appeal for teen girls too. I have a lot of romance readers that will throughly enjoy these characters and their relationships. Love, love, love. I need to go find another book by Allen.

Susan Ericksen is the reader of the audiobook and she is nothing short of perfection. Her voices are delightful, and not over the top (my pet peeve.) I will listen to any of her work. Garden Spells goes on my list as one of the best audiobooks I have experienced, and I highly recommend it.

Published by Bantam, 2007, Brilliance Audio
Audiobook obtained from the library
304 pages

Rating: 5/5

Monday, August 13, 2012

Book Review: Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley

Hmmmm.. Where Things Come Back is an interesting story with some unique elements that I enjoyed. I wasn't blown away by it, as I know many people were.

There are two unique and disparate story lines throughout the book and the way that they come together at the end could never be predicted. This feature was the best part of Where Things Come Back for me.

Cullen is going to be a senior in high school. He has a best friend, Lucas, who is very different than Cullen (popular, athletic, etc) but they for some reason have a deep bond. Cullen also has a younger brother, Gabriel, who is very smart and unique and therefore doesn't have many friends.

His brother suddenly disappears, and no one can figure out anything about his disappearance. It is totally unexplained, and Cullen and his family are very upset, depressed, frustrated, and all those other emotions that you can imagine. Adding to their distress is that fact that a stranger has come to town and claimed to have seen a type of woodpecker that has been extinct for a long time. This small Arkansas town is so excited about this claim to fame that they can't pay much attention to a missing teen.

Meanwhile, we begin a tale about a teenage missionary to Africa, that has far-reaching consequences (and I mean far, far reaching) for Gabriel and his family. The story goes back and forth between these two plot lines, and very creatively comes together in a somewhat distressing ending.

The characters are interesting. I wouldn't say any of the teens portrayed in Where Things Come Back are typical. They are misfits and the characterizations are interesting. Some of the woodpecker story line is a bit tongue-in-cheek, and makes the entire book seem more lighthearted than it should. These conflicting emotions made me a bit uncomfortable. Part of the book was so stupid, but then there's this serious part about a teen being abducted. Maybe this is the feeling that Whaley is going for.

The book is short and moves at a steady pace, so it wasn't difficult to finish. I liked the way it ended. I feel kind of ambivalent about Where Things Come Back. I enjoyed it, but I don't think this one will stay with me. I'm also going to have to hand pick readers for Where Things Come Back. I don't think it has wide appeal for teens -- which often seems to be the case for award winning YA titles.

Published byAtheneum, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
240 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3/5

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Stacking the Shelves - Back To School...

Just a couple this week. But I return to school and a whole library full of books on Monday!

Thanks to Tynga for hosting. I hope you will all go and visit her and all the other blogs who participate.

For Review:

Wild Ink: Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market, by Victoria Hanley from LibraryThing Early Reviewers

I have no intention of ever writing a book, but I thought this looked interesting, and I won it, so I'm going to read it and then put it in my library. I'm sure our creative writing club will be interested.

From the Library:

Ashes, by Ilsa J. Bick

I have an ARC of Shadows so I needed to read this one first.

That will be it for me. Let me know what you got -- I'm always excited to add more to my pile! Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading!

Friday, August 10, 2012

TGIF - Unexpected Surprises!

I love this week's question!

Unexpected Books: Which books did you have reservations about reading, but ended up loving once you did?

First, I'm going to go way back. I never thought I would like the Harry Potter books. "I don't like fantasy." Yeah, right. I gobbled these up and that was the beginning of a huge change in my reading habits. There are still some fantasies that I don't care for, but more and more often, I like them. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a more recent example of this. A girl with a jewel in her tummy? My eyes rolled when I read that. But I LOVED this book!

I really try not to be reserved about any books any more. I'm fortunate that I enjoy a WIDE variety of genres, so I've learned my lesson. Just try it. Not that I'm perfect. I still surprise myself once in a while.

Thanks Ginger. I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's responses. Thanks for visiting and enjoy your weekend! (My last one before school starts on Monday!!!!)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Book Review: The Raft, by S. A. Bodeen

The Raft is a well done survival story with a main character that I really loved.

Robie lives on Midway Atoll with her parents. It's not a very exciting life. No kids. She's home schooled. So she visits her aunt in Honolulu every chance she gets. It's about a five hour flight, and she catches rides on the supply planes that go back and forth between the two islands.

At the beginning of the story, Robie is in Honolulu and through a confluence of events, and some stupidity on Robie's part, she ends up on a flight back home. No one knows she is on the flight. She didn't tell her parents she was coming back early. Her aunt is gone, and Robie doesn't tell her she's leaving. She doesn't even get included on the manifest for the plane because of a miscommunication. The plane crashes. Robie ends up in a raft in the middle of the ocean and fighting for her life.

Max, the co-pilot who Robie doesn't know, helps save her life by getting her off the plane and into the raft. For the next couple of weeks, Max helps her a lot. She has no water, and only a bag of Skittles for food. She suffers the usual sun burn, dehydration, and hunger. There are the inevitable sharks, too.

I liked The Raft, even though it wasn't that original, because of Robie. She carries on this inner dialog, and also a dialog with Max, that helps the reader really get to know her and sympathize with her. She's a good girl. She struggles mightily to survive. She's also a typical teen -- at first worried about taking her clothes off in the middle of the ocean. She does some stupid things, but also at times is very smart and practical (she has to be!) She cares about wildlife, and has difficulty seeing birds and fish as food. I built a relationship with Robie during her ordeal. Bodeen does a great job of describing this character and this situation that makes you feel it.

The Raft is a survival story worth the experience. Robie gets to know herself better throughout this ordeal, as we get to know her too. I won't hesitate to recommend The Raft to my teens who enjoy this type of story.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, August 21, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley
240 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Book Review: Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, by Alexander Gordon Smith

While Lockdown: Escape from Furnace made me squirm in discomfort, it does require a great deal of suspension of disbelief.

It is hard to believe that the country has become so afraid of teen gangs that they have built an underground, maximum security prison, which offers no hope of release or parole. No opportunity for rehabilitation. OK. Let's all get past that now, because Lockdown: Escape from Furnace is definitely a page turner, and will appeal to a very large number of teens, in particular boys.

Alex has been framed for the murder of his friend. No one believes he didn't do it. Alex isn't a perfect kid, he's been burglarizing and bullying, but he's no murderer. He is quickly convicted and is sent to Furnace Penitentiary for life without the possibility of parole. He's 14 years old. As Alex is taken to prison, he realizes that many of the inmates have been framed. And they figure out they've been framed by the people who run this private prison.

I was grossed out much of the time as Alex experiences the horrors of Furnace. There is no supervision -- inmates beat on each other and can pretty much do what they want. There are horrible dogs with no skin that are let loose to kill the boys who don't make it to their cells in time. In the middle of the night, horrible creatures with gas masks stitched to their faces randomly chose boys to be taken away, never to be seen again. The food is horrible mush, made from mostly rotten ingredients. I'm sure young boys will enjoy all of these horrible descriptions of this dark, dirty, and dangerous place.

I'm a mom. Along with being sick to my stomach, I felt such heartbreak for these babies. To think that their parents believed the courts and didn't fight for their innocence. That the government had no control or supervision of how these youth were treated. Well, like I said, it's a bit unbelievable, but I'm not the target audience. I know for a fact that these books fly off the shelves. When I purchased Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, the clerk said, "We really sell a lot of these books!"

Lockdown ends in a huge cliffhanger -- well, really it just ends without any resolution -- but there are currently four books in this series, and the fifth comes out in November. I'm not sure I will be going any farther, but I'll definitely purchase the rest for my library. Escape from Furnace would be a great series for reluctant readers, particularly boys.

Published by Square Fish, 2010
Copy obtained from the library
304 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3/5

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Book Review: The Kill Order, by James Dashner

While I enjoyed the story contained in The Kill Order, it wasn't what I expected for a prequel to The Maze Runner.

The prologue of The Kill Order describes the period immediately before Thomas is placed in the big box -- where we find him at the beginning of The Maze Runner. I expected the following story to take us to this point by the end. It didn't. We go back 14 years, to when solar flares pretty much destroyed everything on Earth.

Mark and Trina are in the wilderness trying to survive. Mark has dreams which serve as flashbacks of the actual time after the sun flares. We find out how this group of friends ended up together and the trials they have gone through. But, in the "present," it seems like life is hard, but things are going fairly well. Then, the village is attacked by a huge ship in the sky. Black clad soldiers shoot many of the villagers with dart guns. These villagers soon die.

So, Mark and his rescuer, Alec (who is a former soldier), decide that they need to take off into the wilderness to find out where this berg (as they call the ship) came from. Eventually they end up on a huge adventure with Trina and some other characters joining them.

When they meet up with other humans, they realize that these dart guns have spread a deadly virus that makes people go crazy before it kills them. So, in essence, we now have a zombie book. The action was very tense. The Kill Order, just like The Maze Runner Series, is a page turner. I thought the encounters with these rabid populations were a bit much. They dragged a bit, with every detail being explained and much of it turned my stomach. Younger teens will probably love these parts, but I just wanted to get on with the story. I didn't need all of these encounters described in exquisite detail, with the hero being almost killed and then saved just in the nick of time (over and over.)

Did I care about the characters? Not really. I was entertained by them, in particular Alec, who is one tough old man. He and Mark had some interesting exchanges. There's a romance between Mark and Trina, but I don't think there was enough to establish it before the huge attack, so I didn't really care that much about their relationship.

And, while The Kill Order is supposed to be a prequel, there's still a large period of time to cover before we get to the point where WICKED is formed and Thomas is put in that box. Yes, there's an epilogue that skips ahead, but that doesn't count. Maybe there's another story coming to fill the gap. This is supposedly what happened to set up The Maze Runner, but it really is a separate story that can be read at any point, whether you've read The Maze Runner or not.

I liked The Kill Order. It certainly kept my interest. It was exciting. I suspect many people will need to read The Kill Order just because they want to know how and why WICKED is formed. But, this is only part of that story.

Published by Delacorte, August 14, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, August 6, 2012

Monday Memories - A Wrinkle in Time

Welcome to my meme, Monday Memories, where I feature favorite books we've loved from the past. You can link to an old review, or write something new about a beloved book from your past. Really, what's important is not the book, but why it is memorable to you. So, have fun reminiscing, and leave a comment below, so we can all enjoy your memories.

What a crazy story A Wrinkle in Time is. I had never read anything like it when I read it a long time ago. I thought it was science fiction, but it's really fantasy -- with some science fiction elements. It's unlike any other book that I can think of. First published in 1962, it seems like it was before its time. I haven't read this recently, but I imagine it would hold up well, and I would have no problem recommending it to anyone today.

I know I've read a couple of Madeleine L'Engle's other books, but I don't remember them leaving such a big impression. A Wrinkle in Time is the beginning of a series, so there are more adventures for these kids. If you haven't read this classic, I highly recommend it. A Wrinkle in Time is a short book, but will leave a big impression. There's a reason this won the Newbery Medal.

Share one of your cherished book memories!

You can do a Monday Memories post on your blog. Copy my button and link back here, so others can see all the other posts. Leave a comment below with the link to your post.

Or, just leave one of your Monday Memories right here in the comments.

Be sure to visit some other blogs that have posted their links. Thanks!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Stacking the Shelves -- for My Library

Every week, Tynga hosts Stacking the Shelves, so we can find out what new books everyone got. That way we can add more to our own TBR!

I really didn't get any books this week, but I recently reviewed Intangible, by J. Meyers, and she was kind enough to send me a SIGNED copy to put in my high school library. I think I have lots of teens that will enjoy this one!

Audiobook: I usually don't include audiobooks in my STS posts. Mostly because I forget to. But, I'm so excited about this one. I had it about 3 from the top on my TBR pile, and now I've decided to listen to it instead!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor

This one will be next on my "TBL" pile for sure. I received this free from SYNC. They provide two free books to download each week over the summer. Usually one is a classic, and one is a newer book. If you haven't checked this out, you should!

Happy reading, everyone. Let me know what you got....