Tashia read and liked Karen's review of Meridian:

"I had the good fortune to win an ARC of MERIDIAN from someone who snagged it at the ALA Midwinter conference. I read the book in nibbles and gulps, both wanting to savor it and make it last. MERIDIAN is the kind of book that my mind kept drifting to ...more I had the good fortune to win an ARC of MERIDIAN from someone who snagged it at the ALA Midwinter conference. I read the book in nibbles and gulps, both wanting to savor it and make it last. MERIDIAN is the kind of book that my mind kept drifting to when I was trying to concentrate, or even when I was just shopping at the grocery store.

The best parts, for me: The character of Meridian, who manages to be both strong and vulnerable, mature and believably sixteen. Kizer pulls this off with Meridian's voice, I think, which reminded me a little of myself at that age. I really like how she explores her powers and the idea of death; Kizer handles these scenes with subtle, nuanced emotion, where a lesser author might stray into the melodramatic. Meridian's protector and love (as described in the blurb), Tens, came across refreshingly charming and flawed in the face of a slew of drop-dead gorgeous, brooding, and otherwise cardboard males in other young adult fantasy. Yes, he's mysterious, but not annoyingly so.

The weakest parts: At times I felt like the antagonist was just stuck in there to provide tension and didn't really have a good reason to show up so often. Even though the antagonist has a motive, it wasn't one I felt at a gut level. The ending, consequently, seemed somewhat flat, and also felt like a set up for a sequel. Also, the pacing felt a little uneven in the last half of the book; I wondered if these scenes were written more hastily than the earlier ones.

Overall, I found MERIDIAN to be deliciously different, not even bothering to tread into the realm of cliches, with great characters I could sympathize with and imagine outside of the book. I suspect MERIDIAN will be quite popular when it comes out in August 2009. Highly recommended. (less) "

Tashia read and liked Lori's review of Meridian:

"On the day Meridian turns sixteen everything in her life changes. Sure she has always been a little odd. Things die around her, they have since she was born but when people start to die and her family drops her off at a cab to take her to the bus sta...more On the day Meridian turns sixteen everything in her life changes. Sure she has always been a little odd. Things die around her, they have since she was born but when people start to die and her family drops her off at a cab to take her to the bus station, she knows things will never be the same.

I went between liking this book and being greatly annoyed at Meridian's ignorance. The main characters seemed to just go in circles. They would figure something important out and then 10 pages later be wondering about it again.
It also felt like I was missing a big chunk of the story. Like the author left out some important detail.

In spite of all these complaints, I still liked the book. Weird huh? It was an original idea and Meridian was a likable character most of the time. The villain, to me, was a bit laughable at times. Tens, the boy love interest was a very redeeming factor. He was everything you would want in a YA romance. I'm sure I will grow to like him and Meridian even more if the series continues.

So, should you read it or not? I've gave you the bad and the good. I say you give it a try. It was a very fast read read and I don't regret reading it.

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