Bibliovermis

The Kingkiller Chronicle (Days 1 and 2), by Patrick Rothfuss

18 Aug 2011 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear

These first two books of a planned trilogy do some above par, engrossing world-building that's sure to charm most fantasy fans. And Rothfuss is an entertaining storyteller, tempering dramatic scenes with occasional lighthearted comedy. However, the good aspects of the Chronicle are weakened by the fact that the main character is just a ludicrous, completely unabashed Mary Sue*. [A detailed map. An inset star shows a redheaded man playing the lute and singing.]

*See Wikipedia
For specific examples, see this Penny Arcade strip (contains spoilers).

Good for: Fans of fantasy epics, gifted wily orphan heroes, wondrous realms, schools of magic, etc. Just try not to scoff or roll your eyes too much at how amazing and special Kvothe is. Or you could hurt yourself. Your eye-rolling muscles could be permanently harmed!

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Sapphique, by Catherine Fisher

16 Aug 2011 ★ ★ ★ ★☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

This sequel to Incarceron answers some lingering questions from the first book, and provides more information about the fantasy setting. But a lot is weirdly unexplained, creating a world where every mystery ends in ambiguity and all the technology may as well work by magic.

Good for: People who liked Incarceron and want to know what happens next.

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The Magicians, by Lev Grossman

10 Aug 2011 ★ ★☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

This book starts out fascinating. It has familiar plotlines: magical other worlds, a wizard school. But the adult take on these things—a feeling of melancholy, magic being dark and complex, the potential for failure—give it an extra edge. Sadly, by the middle of the book, it's hard to find a character you don't hate, and by the end, the plot is so caught up in boring, pretentious navel-gazing, it's pretty hard to enjoy the obligatory dramatic magical showdown.

Good for: Not me! I pretty much hated this book. It was advertised to me as "Harry Potter for grown-ups," and I waited the whole book for that advertisement to bear fruit. Really, though, it was more like "Nick Hornby for jaded fantasy fans." Maybe with a more accurate idea of what you're getting into, you could enjoy the book a bit more than I did.

Read my review of The Magician King

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The Things a Brother Knows, by Dana Reinhardt

05 Aug 2011 ★ ★ ★ ★☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

Levi thought his family would go back to normal when his brother returned from war. But Boaz has changed. The new Boaz won’t talk to anyone or leave his room. He jumps at loud noises. He won’t ride in cars. Levi can hear his nightmares through the wall. But when Boaz leaves home on foot, Levi goes too. Because this new Boaz is still his brother.

Good for: Young adults. The main character's distinctly teenage interests and ambitions are a good framing point for the story of his brother's PTSD. The book is about how this trauma affects Levi's entire family. It is well done, but the YA perspective makes everything a bit simplified. A warning: check to make sure your copy was printed correctly—mine had a lot of blank pages that were not supposed to be blank!

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The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson

27 Jul 2011 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

Bailey's sudden death has left her family reeling, especially her younger sister, Lennie. Without Bailey beside her, Lennie feels like she has lost her identity. How can Lennie deal with her overwhelming pain? How can she ever feel happy again without feeling guilty? Most importantly how can she reconcile her feelings for a new boy with the fact that she keeps making out with her dead sister's boyfriend?!

Good for: Anyone who's not already completely sick of all the teen books about death I've been reviewing! But seriously, this book was great and you should read it. It had me both laughing and crying, but not in a manipulative way. All the emotions felt natural and authentic.

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Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver

25 May 2011 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

Sam dies in a car crash with her drunken best friends, but hears her alarm and wakes—on the morning of the crash. As she lives the day over and over again, desperate to change the outcome, she begins to understand her life and the effects each person's actions can have on others. Best: Multi-faceted characters. Worst: Sometimes so grim it can take you by surprise.

Good for: This book was remarkably good and you should read it. I think a lot of people enter this story already in a combative relationship with the main character due to her "popular" status, but if you look at her life from her perspective, you're bound to sympathize.

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If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

18 May 2011 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

Mia has a perfect life—a loving and happy family, a great boyfriend, and a promising future in classical music. But when the unimaginable happens and her family is taken from her, Mia must make the ultimate choice. Best: Moving. Worst: So over-the-top sad it feels manipulative.

Good for: People looking for a good cry.

Read my review of sequel, Where She Went

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Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

03 Apr 2011 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

When Anna is sent to boarding school in Paris, she worries about leaving her friends, family, and a budding romance. But then she makes new friends, among them gorgeous Etienne St. Clair—who could easily beat out the boy Anna left at home... if only he weren't taken. Best: Cute and (other than the fantasy Paris boarding school scenario) realistic. Worst: A sappy romance! Not universally appealing, by any means. But it’s adorable!

Good for: People who like cute teen romances. My favorite thing about this book is the realistic and mostly healthy relationship at the center of it.

Read my review of companion novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door

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Internet Girls Series, by Lauren Myracle

16 Mar 2011 ★ ★ ★☆ ☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

I got this up before midnight, so it counts, right?

ttyl; ttfn; and l8r, g8r

Angela, Zoe, and Madigan are three best friends instant messaging their way through high school. Best: A reasonable facsimile of actual teens: their speech, their worries, their shenanigans. Worst: Remarkably dated.

Good for: Teens who are willing to do a lot of Googling, or people who were teens in 2006—though it won't be very relevant to you now.

These books were really hard to review in pictures, so I guess I reviewed them in nicely laid out text. I read ttyl for a class, and I figured I'd finish out the series since one of my readers/friends suggested I read it for Banned Books Week last year. It was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting! If it weren't for the worst thing (or if it were 5 years ago), I would have rated them a 3.

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Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher

03 Mar 2011 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

Coaches have been after T.J. for years, but only when a mentally handicapped kid is bullied for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket does T.J. decide to use his athletic ability—to subvert the status quo. Best: Interesting, complex characters. Worst: The moral is not at all subtle

Good for: Anyone, but especially teens. Whale Talk is one of the best sports novels I've read. While it's somewhat heavy-handed, it's a really good, emotionally dense book. *Note: Does not contain ACTUAL mermen; that's just the name of the sports team.*

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