Book Review: Split Second by Kasie West

*Note – This is the second book in the Pivot Point Series – may contain spoilers

For my review on Pivot Point

“Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.”

I loved Pivot Point, adored it! I was bummed when I learned that another book was being added to make it a two book series – I thought it ended in a excellent way.

I wish I could say I was wrong. The style of Addie’s two different points of view was unique and exciting. I feel slightly let down by having it go to a two different characters point of view. The pace is slow going too. It picks up, but I wasn’t as enchanted as before.

Still, I’m glad there’s only two books in this series. Addie and us the readers, get the closure we need. It is interesting to see how Addie goes about living her life outside of the compound, again, and getting more information about the inside government of it was clever. The direction this book went was probably the best it could go. I don’t know if it’s silly, but I just wish there was more to the book?

West’s writing is nevertheless engaging and her characters are still full of secrets even when us readers are being taken again on a second ride with Addie. I highly recommend reading West’s work, and I look forward to branching out to her other books, but I have to end by saying Pivot Point was better, but Split Second is ok too.

Book Review: Rage by Jackie Kessler

May16

*Note -This is the second book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series and may contain spoilers

For my review for Book 1: Hunger

“Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.”

This follow up to the first, is very different but just as interesting and intense. Since I felt a personal connection to Hunger, I was interested to see how different the next book would be. I don’t have first hand experience in self harm. However I did know people in my life that did, and perhaps it’s because of that that I still felt a powerful connection to the story.

Actually, it’s probably because of the sister’s bit. That hits close to home.

Moving on. Missy is a perfect War, so much better than the first one we met. I enjoyed that Missy had a personality, no matter how conflicted it is. It makes her human, and that’s what makes this series a standout. Her characters are human (until their not), and they’re teenagers. They are going through that transition in life that no one has a guide book for.

Missy takes to War much easier than Famine, and as a reader you are right along with her. Yet there still beats a human heart and as Missy begins to learn to control her new power, she can see she has the power to control her self harm. A fantastic message.

Plus the romance bit with death is weird, interesting and odd. It’s like the chance to date Kurt Cobain. Even if it isn’t him, who wouldn’t want that opportunity?

The ending to Rage is more of my taste as well. The connection between the horseman within the books is subtle -making me crave more, but nevertheless this second book doesn’t disappoint.

Book Review: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

May9

“Ruby can take care of herself.

She’s used to counting on no one and answering to nobody. But all of that changes when her mother vanishes and Ruby is sent to live with her older sister, Cora. Now Ruby’s got her own room in a fabulous new house, she’s going to private school, and—for the first time—feeling as if she has a future. Plus, there’s the adorable and sweet boy next door, Nate. Everything should be perfect. So why is Ruby so wary? And why is Nate keeping her at a distance? Ruby soon comes to realize that sometimes, in order to save yourself, you’ve got to reach out to someone else.”

I don’t know why I was so hesitant to Dessen’s books. I guess I let the covers fool me? What I thought was going to be a traditional YA romance turned out to be full of heart and struggles. I fell into this book – as literarily as I could, and finished it in three days (if that gives any indication).

Lock and Key is amazing for the fact that it covers abuse, many different kinds at that. Not enough YA books cover these true harsh realities that kids these day face and need resources to help them evolve through. It’s why YA is important. These are outlets for kids to learn (and adults too-YA doesn’t judge it’s just meant to be read), gather strength or take what can from something dark. The rest can go into any number of way, but it’s that beginning, that start that there can be hope and help – THAT is the important message.

I also loved how Ruby was strong the entire time. Her personality wasn’t likeable in the beginning, but then she grows on you the more the reader learns about her. Dessen’s writing style is also strategic, making this book not only engaging but she left me wanting more. It’s not in a thriller kind of sense. There are secrets littered throughout the pages and Dessen patiently leaves breadcrumbs in order for us to keep reading chapter after chapter. It’s a standout skill and I’m impressed with her writing.

I will no longer shy away from Dessen’s book. Now I have seen the light and felt the feels. I can’t wait to read more of her work!

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Apr16

“Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn’t thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she’d claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.”

Oh my goodness what a read! I was lucky enough to meet Gaiman during the release of this book and hear him read a section of it. (swoon) I’ve read a few of Gaiman’s books when I was in England and this latest novella doesn’t disappoint from his earlier works.

In the beginning the story is charming. After a few chapters the fun gets going and then before the reader expects it, the end is near. The heart is strong with this one. Readers must not be afraid of a few cracks once they reach the final pages.

The simplistic fantasy elements, the knowledge that magic is sometimes there and sometimes not, the use of carefully repetitive language that’s comforting to children are just a few of the elements that make this book a must read. I personally favored the English colloquialisms. But the imagery of the farmhouse, the countryside and the character’s families are also stunning. The story it must like it’s title. It may be a small book, but the story is as wide as the ocean it’s named of.

I loved it. Gaiman’s style and flow of blending reality with mythical is like a cherished friend. I know I can count on his books for a fun time, and yet he’ll also challenge me too. I wish I had seen Lettie when I was in Sussex. Perhaps I did. Perfect for any and all readers, I highly recommend you get the closest copy and dive in!

Book Review: Hunger by Jackie Kessler

Apr9

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?”

What I see:

I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages. I have such a personal connection with the subject matter and was so pleased with how the author spun this first in the series. I love the character of death, his personality, his aura. The horse is also fantastic, they have just as much feeling as the humans.

There is a lot of depth within this personal struggle of Lisbeth. She’s still a teenage girl trying to discover and most importantly, accept herself for who she is. As a reader we travel on this adventure that is at times hurtful and scary, and we don’t know if Lisabeth will come out right in the end. She has to create death as she slowly kills herself. She grows weaker, yet the fire of saving those starving, when she refuses to feed herself shows that her story isn’t quite over. I kept turning the pages hoping that this strong, caring, teenage girl would wake up and understand, that she is just the same as those around the globe dying because of lack of food. For those of us that have known the hunger and ignored it because we don’t look the way we want, Lisabeth will serve as a tale to comfort us around the familiar curtain of caution.

Book Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Apr2

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine seems to be living the dream. It’s 1950’s, and Josie works as well as lives in the room above the local bookshop in New Orleans exciting French Quarter. Yet behind her strong appearance she hides many secrets.

Her mother is a prostitute, working at the tough as nails Willie Woodley’s establishment on Conti Street where Josie also cleans every morning. When she makes a contact that could get her out of the Big Easy, tragedy strikes. A traveler is found dead and Josie’s mother is a suspect. Josie will have to fight for her dreams and her life during this quest for the truth.

Sepetys has an amazing ways with words. The imagery, the language, the tone of voice of the characters is stunning! I could feel the heat from the New Orleans sun, smell the spices of the gumbo and taste the saltiness of the vivid characters. The past is alive, breathing, swearing, and beating within every page of this book.

Plus there’s no ‘traditional YA’ romance! Hurray! I find the romance bits true and realistic for the time period. This book couldn’t get any better and I was so sad as I rushed to the end! I wanted more! I wasn’t expecting how it ended was how it would go! All of which makes me love the book more and will cause me to throw it into the hands of others that are looking for a well written historical YA that has a streak of mystery and thrill to it! Out of the Easy should not be missed!