JaReview: Divergent

Dystopian society segregated into five factions in which Knowledge brainwashes Fearlessness which trounces Selflessness who turns to Kindness, whilst Truth just kinda sits there and makes inappropriate and unsolicated remarks. 

Dude, that was so not ten words.  The whole ten words or less sounded so good in my head.  Unfortunately I tend to ramble, even in my thoughts.

Divergent was ruthless and exciting, quite like the Hunger Games.  It hit the trifecta of intrigue, love and betrayal.  The only disappointing thing - loverboy's real name.   But overall, it was bloody brilliant.  Even if I did occassionally have to use Kindle's dictionary to keep all the factions straight.

Awesome.

JaReview: Clockwork Angel

Cassandra Clare continues with her fast-paced shadowhunter series in this prequel to the Mortal Instruments. I was digging Clockwork Angel from the get-go. I had forgotten how awesome her witty dialogue and gritty butt kicking scenes are. I’m warning you in advance, there may be spoilers that follow this largely disjointed train of thoughts.

Clockwork Angel centered around Tessa, a girl who comes to London in search of her brother. Upon her arrival, she’s thrust into an unknown world full of demons, vampires, warlocks and, most of all, Shadowhunters.

I quite surprised that liked Tessa. You might initially write her off as the boring damsel in distress but she isn’t. She can hold her own in a verbal sparring matches even if she lacks the physical superiority to keep up the Shadowhunters. And despite her lack of fighting skills, she’s a unique power and brains to go with it that. Plus she not super whiny like Bella and that’s always a plus in my book.

I dug her unwavering loyalty to characters, whether they deserve it or not. I only hope Clare doesn't take her character down the insipid Stupid Girl Path. You know the one where Stupid Girl blindly trusts Truly-Evil-Boy, to which Secretly-Good-Boy (aka Will) has to go and save her. Although that could make for some heroic and swoon-worthy rescue scenes (and possibly loads of gratitude kisses).

If I liked Tessa, then I loved Will Herondale and all his multiple personalities. There was Will the Git (“I once thought I was a ferret…”). And of course Will the Philosopher (“Beauty fades but cooking is eternal”). Though I’m well aware I cut him too much slack. I know he doesn't mean what he says when he says mean things. *g* I blindly believe he's good deep down, even when he says truly horrible and way out-of-line things. Perhaps it’s wrong of me, and most definitely jumping to conclusions, but I believe that in the end, he’ll admit to Tessa his true feelings.

Of course Will would be his snarky self, we don't want him to go all sappy, spineless love-straught on us (like some disappointing, not-to-be-named male leads).

I adored his witty banter and appreciated how he was never really straight with anyone. He’s such a complex individual, there’s obviously some sort of childhood trauma. But I’m such a sucker for the mysterious and emotionally closed off bad boys. Honestly, how can you resist someone who’s both snarky and beautiful?

The synopsis of the book says there’s a love triangle between Tessa, Will and a third Shadowhunter, and Will’s best friend, Jem. But honestly, I really don't think Jem is going to be a true contender for Tessa’s affections. The primary reason, he seems absurdly loyal to Will. They’re parabatai and despite Will’s worse intentions, I think Jem knows him too well to let a girl get between them. I’ll probably be eating my words in the next book, but I really don't see it.

Jem strikes me as picture perfect and too good. It’s true that Tessa gets comfort from him that she obviously won’t get with Will. And Jem is her shoulder to cry on when Will’s being a tosser. But even though he's more emotionally available to Tessa there wasn’t enough of a spark.

Not that Jem is entirely lame. He is snarky enough to be slightly interesting (“but then I think of how I could kill him in his sleep and that makes me feel better.”). I’m sure he’ll find a nice Shadowhunter girl to settle down with. But until then, he needs to stay the hell away from Tessa. Unless it’s contrived to make Will crazy jealous.

On a completely different note, it’s rather hard to believe that someone as cool as Isabelle descended from someone as poncy as Gabriel Lightwood. Gabriel is a fellow Shadowhunter but is constantly at odds with Will. But their interactions were some of my favorite parts in the book. I digs Gabriel if only for the fact that he brings out Will the Git better than anyone else in the book. Their exchanges were legendary.

Cassandra Clare definitely did not disappoint with this prequel to TMI and I’m eager the next installment. Perhaps while I wait another year, I’ll get myself a cat named Church.

JaReview: The Truth About Forever

In the beginning there was this hot boy name Wes.

Tall, dark and handsome. Do you need any more than that?

Alright. Fine.

There’s actually a girl name Macy too (but we mainly care about Wes).

I’ve heard several sources recommend Sarah Dessen. And her story, The Truth about Forever, was #4 on Persnickety Snark’s Top 100 YA books. So why did it take me so long to actually pick up a Dessen book? The only excuse I can think of is that I was ignorant and oh-so oblivious. In a nutshell Sarah Dessen is a smashingly awesome writer. Just brilliant really.

The Truth revolves around Macy, a teenager who’s recently lost her father. Add to that her stick-in-the-mud boyfriend (and trust me, he makes Hermione Granger seem like an irresponsible party girl) has just left for summer Brain Camp. Macy finds herself at a crossroad in her life, only I don't believe she’s aware of it. She’s got her entire future (or at least the summer) planned out. Studying for the SAT’s and maintaining the image of a picture perfect daughter and girlfriend. However, when she meets Wish Catering, run by a lovable but scatterbrained Delia and a crew of other assorted characters (including the previously mentioned Wes), she finds that maybe there’s more to life than just studying.

Do you get the picture? Now can I gush about Wes?

It’s been a while since a “love connection” has reduced me to a squealing schoolgirl, but what can I say. Dessen’s definitely got a way with words. I absolutely loved the fact that Macy and Wes didn’t just fall into a relationship. It was not your average "love-pow" YA romance. It was not a love connection based on his otherworldly beauty, the way she smelled or some other inexplicable force that just draws them together. Furthermore, this amazingly romantic and squeal-worthy book would rate an almost non-existent on the PDA factor.

But how can that be you might ask? How in the world does an author create a relationship with off-the-charts chemistry and there isn’t any scandalous (or innocent) action to be had?

It’s because the sparks aren’t coming from raging hormones or superficial lust. Well…obviously there’s the “whoa he’s pretty hot” reaction. But, more importantly, it’s a slow build up of dialogue, sharing and connection. Dessen slowly pulls you up to the precipice, inch by inch with every secret, buried fear and experience, before she flings you off the edge. And before you know it, you’re jumping up and down, screaming “Kiss her, kiss her!” in a public park and people staring at you.

It’s way too easy to simply write a character as tall, dark and handsome. And what can I say, usually I go for it because I’m shallow. But the hook, it’s when they have that “sparkling” (and I’m not just talking about glittering in sun) personality to go with it. Wes had a troubled past and could have played up the whole tortured artist card. Instead he is to the core incredibly stable and has as much integrity as he’s got devastating good looks. Which is to say, he’s got it in spades.

And of course there is the forbidden love factor. Sure it’s not the standard “he’s a vampire and I’m just a wimpy mortal girl” or “He might be my brother.” But there are extenuating circumstances that add just enough angst, trauma and, more importantly, interest to the storyline.

All in all, it’s been forever since I’ve read a really good swoon worthy couple that doesn't rely on immediate danger or death defying situations to bring them together or maintain the relationship. There is no doubt that The Truth about Forever delivered and Sarah Dessen totally lived up to the hype.

{NIN} Review of Some Girls Are

Do you ever wish you were back in high school? I, for one, have never ever wished for such a thing and reading Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers has only served to reinforce such feelings.

Some Girls Are is about a ruling clique of 5 mean and sadistic high school girls who turn against one of their own. The leader of the clique, Anna, controls the group with an iron fist – from what they all wear (“Skirts and cardigans tomorrow!”) to who they target for their next hate campaign (“Liz is out.”). She never does the dirty work herself but uses one of her admiring brainless minions to carry out the torture.

The unfortunate victim this time is Regina Afton, once and former Anna-BFF and stooge. Regina was the primary minion for carrying out Anna’s terror campaigns against her fellow students, most importantly, Michael and Liz. An incident, in which Regina was the victim but the facts were twisted by backstabber Kara to portray Regina as an Anna-betrayer, causes Anna to believe she was gravely wronged by Regina, and therefore sets out to destroy her life.

Regina forms an unlikely friendship with one of her former victims, Michael, albeit it is desperate and pathetic on her side and begrudgingly on his side (because she pretty much follows him around and invades his lunch table). I really liked watching Michael and Regina's relationship develop from the first time she invades his lunch table to...possibly something more. There is certainly not enough Michael action in the book on the level of, say, Jonah Griggs, but there is enough there to understand Michael's character. I really felt for him...I felt his emptiness due to his mother being gone from him life (car accident), his conflicting feelings for helping out Regina - but what I admired the most was that he was that he didn't care what others thought of him and rose above it all. I didn't {heart} him as much as Jonah Griggs; I think I just {dig} him.

It’s interesting to see the way Regina can’t handle the torture she once doled out herself (Karma, baby) yet she is determined to fight back and get her revenge against her former friends. It seems that Regina just can’t let go of her mean girl ways and move on…until the Fab Four give her a reason to in the form of hurting someone that she actually cares about more than herself.

When I finished reading this book, my first thought was, “Man! I’m so glad that I’m not in high school anymore!!” Then my second thought was, “But…people weren’t like that in high school…is that what it’s like for girls now? Cuz if it is, man! I’m so glad that I’m not in high school anymore!!”

Reading the book left me speechless at the level to which mean girls will stoop to torture their victim. They say life imitates fiction so…this must exist somewhere in Middle America. The fact that it does really freaks me out. For awhile there, I was kind of, to put in bluntly, "messed up in the head" from reading all this mean girl drama. I think it's just hard for me to fathom this kind of behavior.

Does this give you an inkling on how GOOD this book was? The fact that it could cause such a reaction in me speaks worlds about the author’s ability to portray a disturbing story in such realistic terms. The story is fast-paced and the author makes excellent use of white space to emphasize the gravity of Regina's feelings as she goes through these torturous situations.

I highly recommend this book to those that can handle non-fluffy, edgy, and somewhat disturbing content.

I {Heart} Jonah Griggs! A {NIN} Review of On the Jellicoe Road

Full Disclosure: The American title is Jellicoe Road, but after reading the book, I felt that the original Aussie title, On the Jellicoe Road was a more significant and better title. Therefore, I will ostensibly refer to the book as On the Jellicoe Road. It’s like Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as opposed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Why change the title of the book? The author picked it for a reason and it must therefore have some significance. Read it and figure out why!

Anyhoo, enough of my soapbox-ing. I first found out about On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta via the Persnickety Snark (PS) book review blog. The blogger, Adele, had nothing but singing and glowing praises for this book and she made me want to find out why. Being the frugalista that I am, I checked it out from my local library. A benefit to the author being an Aussie is that she is not very well-known in the States and there are like NO HOLDS on her books, which means I got it right away. Since I am all about instant gratification, this was already a point in the book’s favor (just kidding). Normally, you’d think this meant that the book sucked but (1) I read PS and she convinced me otherwise, (2) I read the reviews on Amazon and they were great, and (3) I am inclined to think that the American youth is just clueless that this gem of a book exists. (Do you like how I threw in the word ‘gem’? It’s my first step towards eloquency!)

I will admit that it took me awhile to understand, comprehend, and get into this book. The storyline weaves back and forth between the past and present so you’re trying to get a handle on 2 casts of characters in 1 book. A few times, I had to go back and re-read chapters because I would confuse the characters.

Also, not being familiar with Aussie slang, I didn’t understand that “black” and “indigenous” meant “Aboriginal” in Australia, as you well know it means something else in the US. I never did learn what kind of dance “The Zorba” and “Wind Tunnel” are. And did you know that "pashing" is Aussie slang for "snogging" aka "kissing"?

I won’t bore you with a synopsis of the book since you can easily read that on Amazon; rather, I will wax poetic about everything I LOVED about the book.

Jonah Griggs

If my title did not give it away, then you are seriously dense. Jonah is the love interest in the book. He’s completely arrogant and rude at first, but you come to love him (or I did) as you learn and understand his story. I love that he is troubled and angsty, somewhat jealous but very protective of Taylor, and seeing their relationship progress in the end left me dying for more.

Beautiful Storyline

The story weaves between the past and present, between a group of 5 inseparable friends and Taylor's life in the present day. How the two tie together is wrapped up beautifully, piece-by-piece, throughout the book. Additionally, there is a side story in the present that is haunting as it indicates how life could have turned out for Taylor.

One minor note: something that is mentioned so often in passing (Jonah & Taylor's failed attempt to runaway when they were younger) turns out to be rather significant and really spooked me out...but if you blink, you’re going to miss it so PAY ATTENTION. Re-read if you have to. You’re going to want to anyways.

In reference to the Aussie title of the book vs. the American title...so much happens "on the Jellicoe Road" in this story that omitting just those first 2 words slightly changes the idea of this book. Especially since the author writes that refrain, "on the Jellicoe Road," several times throughout the book at significant points in the story.

Supporting Characters

Santangelo and Raffy

Good friends…great chemistry...you care what happens to them and warmed by their loyalty to their friends.

The Mullet Brothers

Say what? Yeah…MULLETS. You know on “How I Met Your Mother,” Robin says the ‘80s didn’t come to Canada until the ‘90s? Did mullets not come to Australia until the 2000s???

This book left me feeling melancholy yet hopeful at the end. The love story between Jonah and Taylor was super squeal-worthy, but I liked that the book wasn't completely focused on it. Rather, it was a sort of coming-of-age, learning to forgive and move on type of book. It was seriously the best book that I have read in a long, long time and has made me a Melina Marchetta fan.

I tried to get {Ja} to read On the Jellicoe Road ever since I finished reading it (about 3 months ago) and she kept putting it off because she wasn’t on a reading kick. I think she renewed the book like 3x before she finally got around to reading it, and as you can see from her book review, it was well worth the read.

So do not make the same mistake that {Ja} made - go forth and get thee this book now!

JaReview: Jellicoe Road

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta can be described in one word that I rarely use – profound. The summary explains it as one girl's journey to find her mother, but I think that really dumbs it down too much. It goes beyond that. It shows persons resilience under tragic circumstances. And contrarily, how even the most resilient person can be completely and utterly broken over a single loss or event.

Personally, I think it is the best book of 2010 (so far). I don’t know that I’d call it completely realistic, I think it paints a significantly more tragic picture than what most people experience. But the darkness and tragedy itself seems so real, which I suppose is just a statement as to how awesome the writer, Melina Marchetta, is. It had a brilliant balance of fluffily happy and depressively sad to satisfy my tastes.

But this book has it all. Intriguing mystery. Turf wars. Star crossed love. Awesome side pairings. And of course the requisite hot and mysterious male lead – Jonah Griggs. I don’t {heart} Jonah as much as other people or think that he is "the MOST compelling" character ever written. The latter, though, is mostly because I fell in love with Gabriel Wolfe 14 years ago. But Jonah Griggs definitely holds his own. He’s got it all in spades- moodiness, adorable jealousy issues, arrogance and mystifying past. Those might not necessarily be construed as good things, but when combined with unwavering loyalty, sweetness, ability to overcome horrible circumstances and the desire to protect at all costs, you’ve got yourself one awesome package.

The author writes relationships and their dynamics so well. Not simply between to love interests, but also between friends. She’s got side characters that rival the awesomeness of the Henderson Brothers.

The “story within the story” was a bit confusing in the beginning. Though I guessed most of it within the first few chapters. But that didn’t diminish my liking of the book. Even though I had my suspicions from the get go, the “journey” was definitely well worth it. If it’s confusing to you in the beginning, chillax, because eventually it all makes sense.

So if you haven’t read this book yet, I suggest you do so. Right now. I’ll wait. And then later we can point and laugh at the unknowing masses that are missing out on such awesomeness.

~J~