Then a handsome boy comes to the village, and with him progress: the swamp is to be drained and Swampsea to become the terminus of a London rail line....moreThen a handsome boy comes to the village, and with him progress: the swamp is to be drained and Swampsea to become the terminus of a London rail line. As Swampsea struggles to - belately - join the twentieth century, Briony struggles with new roles that she both fears and desires. I'm always looking for neat coming-of-age metaphors, and the advent of the modern age is a good one. Will Briony allow herself to fall in love? Will she learn to control her power? Will she figure out the deceptions that have been perpetrated upon her, leaving her full of frustrated, self-abasing rage?
Rosemary Clement-Moore delivers two things that have become the norm in YA books for girls: cold supernatural thrills and hot boy romance. What makes...moreRosemary Clement-Moore delivers two things that have become the norm in YA books for girls: cold supernatural thrills and hot boy romance. What makes her hot boys and cold thrills stand out from all the rest are the girls that navigate the spaces between them: they are aggravated and amused, intrigued and insulted, cool but klutzy sometimes. The Maggie Quinn books and this one all have the knowing, self-conscious tone that is natural to all teenage girls.
In Texas Gothic, strange doings are afoot at a ranch in the Hill Country. Has an archaeological dig disturbed a centuries-old ghost? Or are nefarious humans taking advantage of local folklore to scare people away, and if so... why? Teenaged Amy Goodnight, the intentionally "normal" member of a family of benign but powerful witches, seems to be the only one who can get to the bottom of The Mystery of the Mad Monk... but not only is she mortified at the triteness of the "Mad Monk" thing, she is also kind of literally mortified by the ghost's overtures.
If you enjoyed Nancy Drew's Mystery of Shadow Ranch as a kid (yum, cowboys!) but are too self-aware to let yourself get caught up in crap like The Ghost Whisperer, this is the book for you. Gotta love gothic.(less)
The vintage photographs that illustrate Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children perfectly amplify the strangeness of this story, not merely beca...moreThe vintage photographs that illustrate Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children perfectly amplify the strangeness of this story, not merely because they are strange to look at, but because they prompt so many questions. Strange on their face, stranger still when one conjectures the motives and circumstances of their creation. Their truth is established, challenged, and then inverted again, mirroring the journey of Riggs's hero, sixteen-year-old Jacob, as he struggles to reconcile the facts of the ordinary world with mounting evidence of something not ordinary at all.
A ruined future Earth breeds tough, strong teens and allows an author to sidestep the technojargon that accompanies off-planet settings - while its ra...moreA ruined future Earth breeds tough, strong teens and allows an author to sidestep the technojargon that accompanies off-planet settings - while its radically shifted baseline allows stories and characters to move in ways that it is hard to make realistic contemporary fiction bend. Violently. Amorally. Sometimes in the company of robots.
But the postapocalyptic setting does have its problems. First of all, it does not hold up to scrutiny very well. Worldwide catastrophic events are difficult to imagine and hell to defend. Try it, it's a fun breakroom game: first player thinks up an end to the world, then the other players pick apart his or her proposal. What. Everyone doesn't play that game? Huh.
It is my unalloyed pleasure, therefore, to report that Spoiled, the first novel by those Flaming Hot Cheetos of the Online World, the Fug Girls - is n...moreIt is my unalloyed pleasure, therefore, to report that Spoiled, the first novel by those Flaming Hot Cheetos of the Online World, the Fug Girls - is not only packed with Marchesa frocks and cutting remarks, but also with tight plot, coherent characterizations, and good god, a whole lot of humor.
It's just like Survivor, except they are not there on purpose. It is just like Gilligan's Island, except they do not have an endless supply of wardrob...moreIt's just like Survivor, except they are not there on purpose. It is just like Gilligan's Island, except they do not have an endless supply of wardrobe and a Professor. It is just like Lost, except I never watched Lost so I can't tell you why it isn't just like Lost, but I suspect it's a lot funnier than Lost was. It's actually quite like Madagascar, except the hippo character is jonesing for a cigarette and the giraffe can't take his eyes off the lion's ass.
Reading this book was like making a new friend. And I don't mean that in some kind of mushy, heartwarming way - if your friends are like my friends, y...moreReading this book was like making a new friend. And I don't mean that in some kind of mushy, heartwarming way - if your friends are like my friends, you made them when you realized you liked all the same music and comics and then they insulted your outfit. Best kind of friends, the friends who will totally give you shit all the time.
I quite liked this, the story of a socially maladept fencer who discovers a world of danger and excitement when she gets a weird new foil. The art is...moreI quite liked this, the story of a socially maladept fencer who discovers a world of danger and excitement when she gets a weird new foil. The art is assured and even, the story is interesting, the characters are prickily and realistic, and I want to know what happens next. It's possible Jane Yolen can do no wrong.(less)
Nowadays, when there's a good-looking, seemingly unattainable, arrogant boy in a teen novel, he's not Peter Frampton. He's...moreYou know, I miss rock stars.
Nowadays, when there's a good-looking, seemingly unattainable, arrogant boy in a teen novel, he's not Peter Frampton. He's not Morrissey. He's not even Dave Grohl, who, after all, is all daddied-up nowadays and so I suppose is not nearly as unattainable as he used to be. No, nowadays that gorgeous bad boy is bound to be a vampire. Or a werewolf. A changeling, say. In Guardian of the Dead, he's patupaiarehe.
Reading Francesca Lia Block is like standing in front of your grandma's jewelry box and putting on every necklace and all her rings. Mmm, charm bracel...moreReading Francesca Lia Block is like standing in front of your grandma's jewelry box and putting on every necklace and all her rings. Mmm, charm bracelets! And what are these green beads! And yes, please, the big pearls, whether they are real or fake. In fact, I get the distinct impression that writing Francesca Lia Block is a lot like standing in front of grandma's jewelry box and loading it all on. The clothes! The houses! The beautiful boys and the beautiful girls!
I was with this rather slight piece of YA suspense right up to the 21 Jump Street ending. I think it's a first novel, and for that reason I'm going to...moreI was with this rather slight piece of YA suspense right up to the 21 Jump Street ending. I think it's a first novel, and for that reason I'm going to forgive the author for cramming as much adolescent wish fulfillment in as possible. "I wish I had a magic power! And... and a boy who pines for me and is secretly hot! And... and... and I wanna fight crime!!"
The premise - a girl is unwillingly pulled into observing the dreams of anyone who falls asleep near her - is pretty original; the characters are good. The friend politics are particularly well written. I don't know if I'll read the rest in this series (Fade, Gone), but I'd read something else by Lisa McMann.(less)
Possibly the worst thing I have read all year. Packed full of stereotypes, predictably plotted, and larded with gratuitous pop culture references. Som...morePossibly the worst thing I have read all year. Packed full of stereotypes, predictably plotted, and larded with gratuitous pop culture references. Some girl has "Jessica Simpson hair"? Please. That's only ok if the girl is wearing a tacky wig. There is plenty of semi-trashy, fun teen lit out there - this is to be avoided.(less)
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