Lindsey's comments (member since May 14, 2009)

Lindsey's comments from the YA Book Club group.

Here's my critique. If you want to see the whole review, go here:

Graceling Review

To be honest, I was expecting this to be another poorly written fantasy/romance about a teen girl with powers or who has fallen in love with a boy who has powers and is conflicted between having a normal life and pursuing love at the cost of leaving her previous life behind—the reluctant and conflicted main character…or even worse, narrator, and the highly predictable ending. I know that there are plenty of readers who long for exactly that kind of crap…I mean book…but not me.

All of that said, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Cashore’s debut novel is not that kind of novel at all, but is, instead, the story of a complex character, told in 1st person narrative about the inner struggle between our inner animal and violent instincts and our desire to be civilized and human, or rather, humane. It’s also an interesting commentary on the concept of meekness, which, in truth is not weakness but actually restrained strength. Katsa has to struggle with the ideology that just because one has the power to kill and maim, doesn’t mean that one should.

This applies as well to her thoughts regarding kings, that they should be for the people, not just men who abuse their state in life. Also, there is a parallel between Katsa’s Grace and her ability to tame it, and King Leck’s Grace and his malicious abuse of it that juxtaposes the two sides to the philosophy.

Lastly, Cashore ended the novel in the perfect place, rather than a quick drop from the pinnacle of the climax, where Katsa kills King Leck. She resolves some of the open elements left in the book and continues to create interesting developments with the characters.

Good question, Angie. I know that books like Lord of the Flies and 1984 are often read in high school, which I think is fine. I think, in many ways, not only the violence, but the subhuman way that people are treated throughout the book actually makes it darker than those two. Also, the genetic experiments that created the wolf people was a little much :).

As far as what I mean by "young people", I'm not referring to mid to upper range teenagers, but more to tweens and younger.

I loved every moment of the book and couldn't get myself to put it down, even into the wee hours of the morning (which is something that hasn't happened since Harry Potter!) Catching Fire is already available for pre-order. I've just ordered my copy! Here's the first part of my review:

Collins has created a gripping epic of a story, which is an arguably darker combination of the already dark stories 1984, Lord of the Flies, and the short story The Lottery. I certainly couldn’t put the book down from beginning to end, however I found myself thinking the text was very dark and not suitable for younger readers. In fact, I was reminded of stories like The Bluest Eye, which is a text involving children as the main characters, but is often banned from various school reading lists and regarded as a book not suitable for kids.

That disclaimer aside, this is one of the better books that I’ve read in a while, and it certainly deserved all the press and awards that it’s received. I’m sure that several production studios will consider it for a film, which is bitter sweet in my opinion. This would make a great movie, but it would be incredibly dark.

If you liked this so far, check out the rest of the review: http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2009/06/the-hunger-games/

I "absolutely" loved this book. (boo...cheesy joke!). Actually, in reality, I read this from cover to cover without once putting it down. I can understand why it's won so many awards, and hopefully, as people continue to read it, everyone will garner a better understanding of the world of Native Americans, which is often so isolated that many of us have no idea about the beautiful struggles of this once great but now diminishing culture.

Here's the first part of my review:

Alexie’s work is both surprisingly delightful with beautiful and hilarious moments and shockingly dark, giving poignant commentary on the current state of a once thriving cross-continental culture. To compare it to some current works, the tone of the narrative is a blend between Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Wednesday Wars, replete with drawings that aid the story and give comic relief and rife with intellectual wit that gives insight into White culture, Native American culture and the growing pains of youth.

To read the rest, check it out here:
http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2009/03/t...

This book was a good ending to the series. Unfortunately, unlike most series like these where I find myself wanting more, I didn't really feel that way on this one.

Here's the beginning of my review on it:

This being the 5th and last book in the series, Riordan has to tie up a lot of loose ends, but does an excellent job of it. There are some new tricks that Percy and his crew pick up, which make the elements of magic throughout the book seem to come alive in ways that the previous books don’t exhibit. Percy is stronger, smarter and faster, but his weaknesses remain largely the same, keeping him human. The blossoming love relationships that show up in this book also give it a few more layers of conflict that the predecessors.

To read the rest, check it out on the site:
http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2009/05/t...

As a whole, I've really enjoyed this series. It doesn't capture a 'new world' in the same way that the Potter or Twilight series does, but it's fun adventure and they're quick reads.

Here are my reviews on the rest of the books in this series:

Sea of Monsters:
http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2006/03/t...

The Titans Curse:
http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2007/05/t...

Battle of the Labyrinth (this was my favorite):
http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2008/05/t...

The Last Olympian:
http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2009/05/t...

I like this whole series. I think that Riordan has given us something unique and cool that will connect younger readers with the Greek and Roman mythologies that often seem boring and irrelevant to our current culture.

Here's the beginning of my review:

Riordan has capitalized on a unique idea: create Greek mythological stories in modern times using people from this time period. Many books in the fantasy fiction genre are written from an interesting premise, but have poor execution, however this series is great in both concept and execution. The writing in fun and uses metaphors and tropes with a current twist, like comparing freckles and pimples on a girl’s face to Cheetos. Percy is an interesting character who’s fun to follow throughout the narrative he tells, and the story is engaging.

For the rest, check it out on my site:

http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2005/06/t...

I liked it a lot, actually. Here's the first part of my review:

At first, it’s almost difficult to get past Holling’s immature attitude regarding his teacher and his life. However, it’s exactly that initial character flaw that makes the process of the book so endearing. Divided by month rather than chapter, the story simply seems to move along from small adventure to small adventure in a way that represents real life accurately.

If you're interested in the rest check it out on the site:

http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2007/05/t...

Hello everyone!

My name is Lindsey Michael Miller, and I'm really excited about this group. I love that so many people have joined and so many people are interested in YA Lit.

I have a published book called The Circus, but what I'm really working on now is my YA Lit review blog - http://www.lindseyslibrary.com.

I've been a teacher and tutor for inner city schools in the past, and even though I'm now working for a marketing agency, I realized that there aren't a lot of good YA Lit review sites out there specifically geared toward teachers and librarians...so I made one.

Let me know what you think, and I can't wait to discuss some of these great books here, and also to post reviews of them on my blog!