RECENT READS

1) Mistwood by Leah Cypess / YA / *** 1/2

Isabel is as "shifter"... a magical creature of mist and shadow who has been bound to protect the ruler of the Kingdom of Samorna.  She is only found in the Mistwood when the kingdom has a need.    The story is told mainly from the point of view of Isabel.  I loved the way the story was written in that Isabel has no memory of her previous incarnations, powers, actions, or loyalties.  She works to keep this lack of knowledge and power hidden.  As the story progresses, her memories and abilities come back to her in bits and pieces.  It was very well written as I wondered the entire time what was going to happen next as not only Isabel remembered her past but also the secret the current king is hiding from her comes to life.  The end got a little muddled and confusing but I loved the feeling of mystery and foreboding and can't wait for the next book from this author.

2) True (. . . Sort Of) by Katherine Hannigan / JF / *** 1/2

Delly is always in trouble as her ideas of fun always seem to put her on the wrong side of people's good graces. She has been told she's "bad" so many times that she starts to believe it herself.  Her life changes when a new girl named Ferris moves to town. The girl is so full of sadness that she doesn't speak.  She first befriends this silent troubled girl because she is so quiet and boring that surely Delly can stay out of trouble around her.  As time goes by, Delly and Ferris develop an understanding that deepens into friendship.  Delly learns to listen. To be patient. To be compassionate. And to understand the feelings of others.  It also explores the dilemma of when you must decide that a friend's secret that you've promised to guard is too serious not to be told.

Just like the characters in "Ida B" the characters in this book were so real and well written.  The relationships between Delly and her parents, her friends, her siblings, and even her teachers were written spot-on.   My only hang-up is that in real life you would think some of the adults in the story would have figured out what was going on with Ferris. 

3)  The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler / YA / ***

Favorite line: “What in the hell happened to Pluto?!” 

It is 1996.  Emma gets a new computer and with the help of her neighbor Josh, signs in for the first time onto the internet.  They are automatically logged into Facebook.  The problem is.... Facebook hasn't even been invented yet.  They can see their profiles fifteen years in the future including their spouses, careers, and status updates.  Each time they make actions in their present lives, their futures change on Facebook.  What evolves is a story that alternates between delightfully silly (as Emma obsessively plots how to not even meet the future husband she appears to not be happy with and Josh gets a self-esteem boost when Facebook reveals he's married to the hottest girl in school) to serious as Josh and Emma realize that the choices we make today really do affect our futures.  Not once did I think that the two teens were nuts to not use Facebook to find out information that will later make them rich (such as what stocks to buy and what games to bet on) because the story was solely written as a fun relationship type story and not a dissertation on how knowledge of the future could cause cataclysmic warps in the time continuum if you change anything now.

Even though this is a YA book, I kinda think adults will get a bigger kick out of it.  The 1990's references will be something that today's generation just doesn't "get" or at least will not think is funny.  Emma was also incredibly shallow and seemed less like a real  teen but rather how someone my age can stereo-type teens. 

 

4) Plain Kate by Erin Bow / JF / *** 1/2

Favorite line: “Hope will break the heart better than any sorrow.” 

Young Kate loses her mother from childbirth, her father to the fever, then her home as she is accused of witchcraft.  As she struggles to escape her town, she makes a deal with a real witch who needs her shadow in order to worker the necessary magic to seek revenge on those that harmed his sister.  After a stint with a traveling band of gypsies that have a magic of their own, Kate realizes that in order to save herself and the people around her, she needs to get her shadow back and stop the witch. 

This was no light-hearted fairy tale and while it is listed as "JUVENILE FICTION" I would not recommend anyone under probably 15 reading it.  It is a dark fairy tale reminiscent of some of the Grimm Stories.  Kate faces loss after loss and it is horrible stuff that is not for children.  The part I loved the best about this story is the relationship between Kate and her cat, Taggle.  He is Kate's truest family and provides the few comedic parts of the story as he is a talking cat. You can tell the author knows felines.

5) Insurgent  by Veronica Roth / YA / *** 1/2

Favorite line: “Got that gun?” Peter says to Tobias. “No,” says Tobias, “I figured I would shoot the bullets out of my nostrils, so I left it upstairs.” 

The story from "Divergent" continues as Tris and Four work to solve the mystery of why the Erudite faction is attacking other factions and how they can stop them. This book was action packed and full of twists and turns.  I usually don't expect a lot from a "middle book" of a series but in some ways I found this book more enjoyable than the first book.   The relationship between Tris and Four felt much more real and not so "teen-angsty".  There were real emotions portrayed of grief, revenge, loyalty, and perseverance.   Plus I liked the whole underlying theme of making choices and living with the consequences. 

I only had a few minor hang-ups.... I found the sheer number of names confusing and had to often remind myself who was who which is alarming as I read the first book just last week.  The other is that the entire city is supposedly in literal chaos and there are still meals to be found in the cafeteria, the train is still running,  and Dauntless guards are still at their posts at the City fence.  These are some of the first things that would likely stop if a society disintegrated.  Again it re-iterates what I said about the first book. Just because a lot of people get shot doesn't mean a storyline is dystopian.  The other thing that literally drove me nuts is constantly wondering WHO IN THE HECK IS DRIVING THE TRAIN???