When I finished this book I threw it across the desk dismissively, and blew a raspberry. OK, that was kinda harsh - Kiera, if you’re reading this (ha, sure…), I didn’t hate it! I promise. It was a disappointed reaction, not an angry one!
I picked up this book because I loved the author's previous works - The Selection was highly enjoyable and something I do recommend to people! I don’t want to turn this into a review of THAT series, so that’s all I will say about it, and I will try to refrain from comparing them too much! The writing in this book is beautiful. We start in a room at a royal court; a scene with two clearly well-off young ladies getting ready to go on a boat trip with King Jameson. The castle, the river, the boats, the clothing, - they are all well described, and it wasn’t hard to slip into the world that Kiera Cass has created. I would honestly like to go to this place; probably more so than the world of The Selection, despite that world being based on ours. We are swept up into the courtly intrigue quickly, and it’s not hard to follow. Problem was, for me at least, that was about it. The writing was lovely, and I did find myself completely oblivious of the passing of time, and almost overstayed my lunch break! But the plot just wasn’t there. I find it difficult sometimes, to be engrossed in a story when it begins with big drama - I need a few pages at least to figure out where I am and what is happening! This book felt like the novella you get after a big series; that smaller, less dramatic book in which we find out how the side character romance happens. I spent the first 250 pages of the 300 page book saying (out loud!) “This book is too boring. Nothing has happened yet! Girl likes boy, boy likes girl, everything is rosy.” I will admit: that is just my opinion. I am sure there are people who want nothing more than to cozy up to a nice story where things go 100% swimmingly for most of the book, but for me, it just wasn’t there. Will I read the next one? Yes, because I liked the writing and I would be keen to dive further into the politics and secrets which are hinted at in this book. Content warning: not a lot, some barely hinted at violence, discussions about deaths. Pretty tame really, in comparison to a lot of YA. Overall Rating: 3 stars. The writing was good, but characters and plot were not really there.
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I received this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Pub Date: 13 Oct 2020
In one of my past jobs, I spent a lot of time around kidney dialysis patients. It’s a sobering thing to deal with day in and day out, as it is a constant reminder of how fragile the human body is. This book made me think of one of my patients - a woman who still got up at the crack of dawn (or before) each day to work in a bakery, while spending a good 5 hours 3 times a week sitting in a chair in a hospital, connected to a dialysis machine. One day, when I was taking her home, she mentioned that she had had a kidney transplant in the past. Why am I telling you about her? Because she told me that since her transplant, she had discovered a taste for bourbon. Given her situation, she didn’t imbibe often, but she told me that once a year she would have a drink of bourbon, and give thanks to her kidney donor. She was a firm believer in the idea that transplanted organs pass on some of the traits of their original owner. As far as she was concerned, that transplant was the only thing in her life that had changed around the time of her discovering a taste for bourbon. I thought that was fascinating. I’m not sure what drew me to this book, whether it was the promise of a look into this interesting phenomenon, or simply that you don’t get a lot of YA books based around teen who have had transplant surgery, but as I was reading it, my thoughts kept coming back to my patient - that is, when I could tear myself away from this engrossing masterpiece. The book follows the last half of senior year/summer after of Chloe, our protagonist. A high achieving, social, athletic 17 year old, she is training for her cross-country team when she becomes dizzy and passes out. When she wakes up in hospital, she learns that she has a genetic abnormality which has caused slow heart failure - and it’s irreversible. She needs a transplant, or she won’t live much longer. The rest of the book follows Chloe a few months after the life-saving transplant. She is learning how to live again, and who she really is. She finds herself having desires and wants which are entirely out of character for her - including wanting to learn how to surf. With the help of a tutor called Kai, she learns, and is soon spending her free time out on the ocean, learning to surf. Things are not all rosy however. Chloe keeps having the same nightmare, over and over again. She’s speeding down a road; wipes out; and the world goes dark. Then, nothing. Soon the odd thoughts and (what feel like) memories are beginning to haunt her during the day time. Who is the man she saw sitting by her hospital bed after her transplant? Who does the silver pitbull belong to? Why does she instinctively know how to do things; how to get to a certain house? There is romance in this book, but it’s not the overwhelming drive. With the help of Dr Google, Chloe learns about and unproven theory called “cellular memory” - where the cells in the body all hold memory, not just the brain cells. She finds articles about people who have gained skills they did not have before their organ transplants. The book follows Chloe as she struggles to reconcile the “new” her with the her before - is studying worth it? Why was she so focused on always moving forward, doing every little thing to get the edge over other students? - and also to come to terms with what her awful dreams are telling her. I don’t want to spoil the book, so I will move on here! The writing is beautiful - I honestly couldn’t put it down. I haven’t been reading a lot since lockdown here, and this was one of the first things I read that really hooked me. There is an element of realistic-sci fi, but I found that the story was so well written that suspension of disbelief wasn’t hard. There was a moment where I was a little “uh, not sure about this”, but the author has been so skillful in weaving the real with the slightly fantastical, that I was able to carry on without any ill-will or misgivings. The friendship aspects in this book is one of my favourite. I actually stopped and screenshotted a page (the new NetGalley App doesn’t allow highlighting as far as I can figure out), because the portrayal of a friendship was so on point. Chloe is talking about a friend: “She is my friend. I want us to stay friends. But maybe that’s not what she wants, or needs, anymore.” If that line didn’t break me a little… It’s very common in YA to see friendships either remain whole (after a fight or such), or simply go from BFF to enemy in a heartbeat. This attitude is something I am still working on at 30 (more now than ever!), and I was so pleased to see that it was included here. With all of the relationships in the book, the author acknowledges that there is no such thing as perfect; that people change; and that it’s okay for friendships to change over time. This is something we all come to at some point in our lives, and I think it’s an important theme to speak to in YA as it’s not something we are taught in school. Overall, this book was wonderful. Content warnings: medical scenes, some blood, risky behaviours, language, drug and alcohol use. Rating: 5 Stars Simone is a Black teenager who was born with HIV. With two fathers (Black and Latinx), she’s already different from most of her peers. After being outed at her old school as HIV+, Simone is keen to keep things under wraps at her new school – dealing with the fallout once was enough. But then she begins to fall for Miles, and starts dating him, someone begins leaving notes in her locker – Tell him, or I’ll tell everyone.
This book was complex. I did have a feeling at the beginning of the book that the author may have been trying a little too hard to get as many diverse characters into the story as fast as possible, though I do understand that this is in fact how life works! It just seemed as if we were getting “diverse placeholders” instead of actual people with personalities we could root for. I did eventually become invested in most of the characters, so that was good. The storyline was simple, in that it was a slice of life, and I knew who the person leaving the notes was relatively early on. It was still a good read, and one I will be recommending, because HIV is not a topic that we see discussed in YA lit a whole lot, and when we do, it’s often historical (set during the AIDS crisis), or used as a plot point- eg someone gets AIDS from a partner/hospital and has to learn how to deal with/live with that. While these are both important, it was a breath of fresh air to have it be a part of someone, something they had grown up with. There were some complexities around friendship in this book as well, which I thought were handled well. The bi-erasure by an LGBT+ friend was a bit painful, but it was talked about and resolved in a good way. I also liked that there was an overarching message around taking a step back and seeing WHY someone is lashing out, rather than simply reacting to the behaviour. Many, many important topics covered in this book. We delve into HIV, how and when the virus can be contracted; masturbation; sex; safe sex; contraception; standing up for friends; sexuality; reasons why people lash out; all on a backdrop of a standard high school and their drama department. #ownvoices: QUILTBAG, WOC Content Warning: See above final paragraph, hospitals, mild bi-erasure. Overall Rating: 4 stars I am currently in the process of re-reading this (ok, as an audiobook) so that I can read the sequel!
We Set The Dark On Fire is a beautiful book. From the very beginning, we are introduced to a world that is similar to our own, but with a rich history and mythology which guides the current citizens. The retelling of the legend of the Sun God created a fantastic beginning to the book, though I’m a sucker for a series with it’s own established mythology! The additions of the notes from the Medio School for Girls handbook at the beginning were a good addition; they lent an extra level of understanding to the structure of the school and the Primera and Segunda roles, without having a giant, awkward knowledge dump somewhere in the book. Through these snippets and the descriptions, we can create a solid picture. When I first heard about this book, it was right around the time the POTUS was talking about building a wall. It was touted as a grim possible future for our world, and sadly, that hasn’t changed much! The higher up the mountain you live, the higher your standing in society. Our main protagonist has climbed her way up the social ladder from her position inside the school, despite a much lower status at birth, which hasn’t sat well with some of the other students; girls who started further up the ladder and can’t handle that someone with no pedigree could possibly be better than them at anything. What the other students don’t know, however, is that Dani’s birth was further down the mountain than they realise. The story starts with the school being attacked in the middle of the night, and we feel Dani’s fear that her fake papers - papers which tell the authorities that she has the right to be there - might be discovered. For years she has hidden her illegal status, and is so very close to achieving the goal of being a part of one of the highest families - something that will mean she never has to worry about being found out again. This storyline will hit home with some people, especially those in the United States, and it’s nice to see a topic like this being promoted as a general storyline; I think that this will make it more accessible to some readers. The audiobook reader is wonderful, pronouncing the Latinx vocabulary well (caveat - not a native speaker nor do I know one, so this is completely subjective on my part), and varying the voices for the different characters. And, of course, this book is #ownvoices Latinx, but it is also very much LGBT+! I won’t spoil the ending for you here, because what would be the point in reading it if I did, but if you like f+f romance against a backdrop of rebellion… This book is for you! Also, polygamy is an expected and accepted part of the culture, which is refreshing. The book is well paced, and the story compelling. I wanted to know more, especially about Sota, and I wanted to see how things worked out for the romantic situation. Character development could have been boosted in some parts, especially Carmen but I know the second book goes more into her story, so I’m ok with that. The ending could be annoying for some, but I just wanted the next book! Content warnings: violence, rebellion, same sex relationships, polyamory (not grapic sex or anything like that!) Overall Ratings: 4 stars |