Title: The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
ISBN: 978-0-5472-6367-0
Story Length: 228 pages
Genre: Young Adult Light Paranormal Romance

Back Cover of The Clearing

Every single night that summer I lay awake wishing my life were different. And then one day it was…but not in the way you probably think.

"Different" for Amy was moving from the city to her aunt’s trailer in the country–starting her senior year at a new high school, putting the pain of a broken relationship behind her, starting fresh.

"Different" was Henry, a teenage boy Amy meets in the clearing behind Aunt Mae’s. Henry dresses differently, talks differently, and treats her better than any guy she’s ever known. And she’s starting to fall for him.

But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of clearing, it’s 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known–but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

In this touching tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever…and learn that true love can be truly magical

Three Quick Points About The Clearing

• Point 1: Ultra-sweet. This is a book for true romantics at heart.
• Point 2: Melding two generations. Through beautiful prose, Davis paints a lovely portrait of the idyllic life of a bygone generation.
• Point 3: A few tiny holes. Some inconsistencies (and stupidities) pricked tiny holes in an otherwise beautiful story and made me wince.

Short Synopsis of The Clearing

After leaving an abusive relationship, sixteen-year-old Amy moves in with her great-aunt Mae. While in her care, Amy discovers a mist lining the forest and through it a clearing where she meets the eighteen-year-old Henry. Over time, the two fall in love, but there’s one problem: Henry (and his mother and grandfather) are stuck in 1944. It’s then up to the two of them to decide if and how they will be together.

My Thoughts on The Clearing

I hardly know where to begin with this one. The prose was beautiful; I especially love the descriptions of Henry’s side of the mist. I could almost feel the sun on my face and the honey-laden homemade biscuits melting in my mouth. And although the pacing was leisurely, it was so smooth and easy to read that I finished it in a day.

Then there is the romance, which is the cornerstone of the book. Its progression and development was old-school: Heavy on the courting with compliments and consideration. Although it was ultimately Amy’s story, I wanted to jump right in and sure enough, I would have married Henry had he proposed. It was absolutely sweet.

Not only did it show love in a different light than many contemporary young adult books, it inadvertently (and inconspicuously) touched on the topics of faith and purpose. Nothing preachy, but it did a nice job of reminding us that everyone has a purpose and that we are stronger than we often realize.

There were, however, three things that I didn’t care much for:

1. The character development of Jackson. He was made out to be a nice modern boy who was interested in Amy, but there was a scene which brought his chivalry into question along with his intentions with Amy. I wish there was another scene to clear it up.

2. There was a scene where Amy invites her ex-boyfriend—the abusive one—into her home while she was alone. And when a third party arrives, she turns him away so she can once again be alone with the abusive ex-boyfriend. It’s commendable that she wishes to deal with the situation head-on, but how she went about it was idiotic.

3. The ending was far too abrupt. I understood the intended effect, but in a messy situation (which was the entire foundation of the story) it was far too neat.

Although I’m not usually in the habit of saying books need to be longer, in this instance I feel it fits. The above problems certainly could have benefited from a few more scenes to smooth them out. Still, even with those flaws, this was a beautifully told story of love (romantic love, not lust).

Rating: Worth Every Penny [TPB] [B+] (?)

Title: Tuck Everlasting
Author: Natalie Babbitt
ISBN: 978-0-312-36981-1
Story Length: 136 pages
Genre: Children 10+

Is eternal life a blessing or a curse? That is what young Winnie Foster must decide when she discovers a spring on her family’s property whose waters grant immortality. Members of the Tuck family, having drunk from the spring, tell Winnie of their experiences watching life go by and never rowing older.

But then Winnie must decide whether or not to keep Tuck’s secret—and whether or not to join them on their never-ending journey.

Three Quick Points About Tuck Everlasting

• Point 1: Pensive. If I were to sum up this book in one word, that would be it.
• Point 2: Ethereal. If I were to sum up this book in another word, that would be it.
• Point 3: Bittersweet. If I were to sum up this book in one final word, that would be it.

My Thoughts on Tuck Everlasting

(Below are my thoughts on the book. If you want a full run down, you can read the story summary, which includes spoilers.)

I am terribly in love with this book, despite its melancholy.

First, there is the writing itself. On the surface, it looks simple, but there is an elegance in that simplicity. The descriptions are painted with an ethereal quality, quite like a daydream, and it has a steady undercurrent not unlike drifting lazily down a stream.

Next is the characters. Each one seems to have a life outside the pages of this book. Even when I finished reading, I could still imagine these people in miniature size continuing to live out their lives.

Winnie Foster was a bright, curious, and mature young girl, but she was still a little girl who did little girl things. Jesse Tuck was the epitome of impetuous youth, despite 104 years of experience. Miles Tuck was a weathered and pensive man, quite possibly due to his lot in life. Mae Tuck was a jubilant woman who somehow made me smile every few seconds. Angus Tuck was a wise, and sometimes persnickety, man who, more than anything, was ready to leave this world.

And the man in the yellow suit…what can I say about him? It’s been a long while since I remember disliking a character so swiftly as him. A true villain indeed. He was greed incarnate. But I did end up pitying him a bit at the end.

Then there is the story. A young girl tired of her life of confinement sets out on a mission of adventure, and finds exactly that—in an unexpected way. There’s plenty of tension—being held captive in a strange place with strange people; plenty of growth—what it means to truly live; and plenty of learning—what it means to do the right thing.

Finally, the message. There are so many nuanced messages woven in the story, including tolerance, greed, procrastination, choice, but the one recurring theme is that of life and death. Specifically, what does it really mean to live? And when you have immortality bestowed on you, do you continue to live at all?

Some parts of this book made me laugh and some parts choked me up. For instance, there’s a section where Tuck takes Winnie out in the rowboat and lodges it on a fallen tree trunk to illustrate his point:

“It goes on,” Tuck repeated, “to the ocean. But this rowboat now, it’s stuck. If we didn’t move it out ourself, it would stay here forever, trying to get loose, but stuck. That’s what us Tucks are, Winnie. Stuck so’s we can’t move on. We ain’t part of the wheel no more. Dropped off, Winnie. Left behind. And everywhere around us, things is moving and growing and changing. You, for instance. A child now, but someday a woman. And after that, moving on to make room for the new children.”

Winnie blinked, and all at once her mind was drowned with understanding of what he was saying. For she—yes, even she—would go out of the world willy-nilly someday. Just go out, like the flame of a candle, and no use protesting. It was a certainty. She would try very hard not to think of it, but sometimes, as now, it would be forced upon her. She raged against it, helpless and insulted, and blurted at last, “I don’t want to die.”

“No,” said Tuck calmly. “Not now. Your time’s not now. But dying’s part of the wheel, right there next to being born. You can’t pick out the pieces you like and leave the rest. Being part of the whole thing, that’s the blessing. But it’s passing us by, us Tucks. Living’s heavy work, but off to one side, the way we are, it’s useless, too. It don’t make sense. If I knowed how to climb back on the wheel, I’d do it in a minute. You can’t have living without dying. So you can’t call it living, what we got. We just are, we just be, like rocks beside the road.” –pg 63-4

That was the moment that my heart broke for the Tucks. That was the moment I finally drank in all that it meant for them to live forever because forever is a long time to watch the world drift by.

But ultimately, the lesson is: life is what you make of it, regardless of how long you’re given.

This is a book I wish I’d read as a child, and it’s a book I will certainly read again, multiple times (and to my future children). A beautiful story, though bittersweet.

Rating: Required Reading [A] (?)

Back Cover of Hush, Hush

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Three Quick Points About Hush, Hush

• Point 1: The best kind of bad. The smokin’ hot half-nekkid angel guy on the front cover barely does Patch justice.
• Point 2: Nora disappears in the story. I mean that figuratively, of course. Her personality disappears. Sometimes she felt like a shrinking violet. (Not altogether a bad thing.)
• Point 3: The names made me cross-eyed. OK, some of the character names were so far out there, I had to stop reading, process, shake my head, then continue.

Full Review of Hush, Hush

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Hush, Hush Synopsis

One afternoon during biology lab, Nora Grey finds herself being paired up with the new kid, Patch. At first sight, Nora sees her good grades slipping through the cracks because the last thing that appears to be on his mind is schoolwork. But she quickly learns that she has far bigger problems.

Patch is the epitome of bad boy: always dressed from head to toe in black (except when wearing the occasional blue baseball cap), long black hair, black eyes, and hard body. She knows she should stay away from him, but there’s an electric attraction.

It’s not long before Nora suspects she’s being stalked and begins to hear voices in her head that aren’t her own and sees things that feel real, but aren’t. Nora’s world is falling apart all around her and her best friend Vee starts to think she’s a little crazy.

Then the physical attacks start. Someone smashes into her car while driving, people around her begin to get roughed up, and Nora can’t make any sense of it. But she knows who the prime suspect is: Patch.

Soon Nora realizes she’s at the center of a conspiracy of angelic proportions and has the make a sacrifice to save her life.

Final Thoughts On Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush is told from Nora’s first person point of view. The problem I see all too often with this is the narrator becoming too whiny or needy or haughty in the most disenchanting way. That wasn’t a problem here because Nora’s personality slipped into the background so the focus was on the story. The unfortunate side effect was that Nora wasn’t exactly rocking my world as far as characters go.

Vee, Nora’s best friend, and Patch, fallen angel. Now there are two well drawn characters. I found myself wondering what was wrong with Vee half the time and screaming at her to get some sense the other half. Patch was an enigma. A spicy enigma. (By the way, that was a pun. You’ll understand when you see where he works.)

I even loved the waitress and the bag lady who make an appearance in the story while Nora is doing some snooping in Portland. Though minor characters, their personalities were larger than life and each made me laugh. Unfortunately, the same treatment can’t be said for Elliot or Jules. They were all over the place and what made it worse was that both of them were somewhat major players in the story.

As for the story itself, it worked for the most part. In some areas, mainly when we’re getting an education about the angelic hierarchy and angel indiscretions, the story lags. It doesn’t lag for too long and the action picks back up.

There were a couple holes that made me raise an eyebrow and ask, “Why didn’t he/she just __________?” (filling in the blank would equal a spoiler) or “Ski mask, really?!?” (i.e. some of the things that happened were just weird—not creepy or mysterious or spooky weird—plain weird.) Luckily, those holes were relatively tiny and didn’t spoil the overall story for me.

And let’s not get me started on some of the character names…one or two weirdly named characters? No problem, but there has to be a limit.

Everything is eventually resolved and the questions (well, most of them) are wrapped up in the end. A few bits seemed like contrived afterthoughts bordering on cheesy, but again, not badly enough to ruin the story. While I won’t be pining over Patch for years to come, it was certainly an entertaining way to pass an afternoon.

(Oh yeah…that allusion to an “ancient battle” on the back cover? You won’t find anything too epic. No pitchforks or smiting swords or even angel on demon war action. I’m loathe to say it, but think of this more as Twilight with fallen angels instead of vampires.)

(Since I’m reviewing based on the ARC, I’ll snag a final copy sometime today and update if the ending is vastly different from the current version.)

UPDATE: I’ve had an opportunity to get out and about and spotted a copy of Hush, Hush at Sam’s Club. After comparing the ending of the ARC and the final release, I can say that not too much has changed. The final bit of dialog was tweaked and extended by a couple more paragraphs to ratchet up the heat factor and melt the (previous) cheese factor. So, with that said, the review still stands.

Rating: Worth every penny [TPB] [B] (?)

Back Cover of Hannah

Hannah wants to be normal, but she’s not. The sea calls to her, and she can see a delicate tracing of scales on her legs. Billowing waves soothe her, but flat land makes her sick. She knows there’s something wild in her that’s different, wrong–and deeply thrilling.

Only one person seems to know who–or what–Hannah is. He’s a guest in the house where she works as a scullery girl, and his fascinated gaze follows her. She doesn’t understand his terrifying allure, or her longing. But even as the mystery deepens, Hannah is sure of one thing. A sea change is coming.

Three Quick Points About Hannah

• Point 1: Deus ex machinas abound! Hannah’s problems were all too easily resolved.
• Point 2: The intended audience must be precocious children or idyllic teens. In general, too superficial for an audience over 12 with words too laborious for an audience under 15.
• Point 3: It’s the book equivalent of Chinese food.

Full Review of Hannah

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Hannah Synopsis

This entire book could easily be summarized in one sentence: Hannah Albury, a 15 year old orphan who is drawn to the sea, becomes a scullery made for a prominent Bostonian family and while summering with them on the Maine coast, discovers that she’s a mermaid.

That’s pretty much it.

Final Thoughts On Hannah

Eager was I to read this book. I polished it off in an afternoon. It was rather enjoyable, but I had trouble deciphering the intended audience.

The story was overly simplified—think Saturday morning cartoons where we see that the evildoer is defeated by a laser beam and the hero exclaims, “Haha! I have defeated the evildoer with my laser beam!” and then the evildoer cries out, “Oh no, I’ve been defeated by a laser beam!”

In the first two chapters, Hannah explains that she feels ill if she even thinks about moving away from the sea, then to reinforce the image, she’s sent to Kansas by the headmistress of the orphanage, becomes deathly ill, and is sent back to Boston. When she arrives back in Boston, the headmistress is mysteriously gone and replaced with a sweetheart who sees Hannah’s potential and sets her up with a prominent Bostonian family. Anyone over the age of twelve would have recognized that deus ex machina, cementing my belief the book was intended for young readers.

What gave me pause was the audacious use of vocabulary—words such as lugubrious, conflagration, chiaroscuro, and gewgaw to name only a few. These are words one is more likely to find handed out to high school sophomores and juniors. It felt incongruous with the simple storyline.

I’d have believed the older teen/young adult target audience if the story had more depth of emotion and more developed sub-plots. For instance, the profound affection that Hannah and Stannish Wheeler have for one another stretches the imagination when all they’ve shared were a few flirtatious glances and a couple ambiguous discussions. It hinted that Hannah and Stannish were possibly connected in another life together, but it was never elaborated in the story and resulted in the emotional impact falling flat.

Another thread that seemed frayed was Lila Hawley, the eldest daughter, and her macabre connection to Jade, evil kitty minion. I loved the development there. Lila and her cat were effectively creepy and actually, I found myself wanting to know more about Lila than Hannah. But by the end of the story, I wondered what her purpose was in the overall story, other than to antagonize Hannah (and when she became too problematic, Lila was shipped away). I get the feeling we’ll see more of her in a later book, but it’s not a certainty.

This is a trend I’ve been seeing more of lately—books withholding logical closure or keeping the key relationships superficial in order to promote future installments of a series. A trend possibly due to the success of Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson, and others.

With those particular series, however, each book is a fully self-contained story where there is a strong plot set up, climax, and conclusion with a lead in to the next story designed to pique curiosity. I didn’t get that with Hannah. Barring her self-discovery at the end (which most people going into the story already know), nothing of substantial consequence happened—no strong plot set up, climax, or conclusion.

Hannah is not overtly bad—the writing is good, it presented a great overview of nineteenth century American aristocratic life, and breezed along nicely—but it was the book equivalent of Chinese food—tastes good going down, but an hour later, you’re hungry again.

Rating: Get it used [B-/C+] (?)

Hannah (Daughters of the Sea, Book 1) available on Amazon

Back Cover of The Last Unicorn

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone…

…so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of the despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction.

Three Quick Points About The Last Unicorn

• Point 1: Nature plays a large role. The textures, the aromas, and the sounds all center around the things that grow and thrive in nature; shifting from air to sea to fire to earth to metal, and sometimes intermingling.
• Point 2: The unicorn is rather vain, but in such a way that her vanity seems justified. Throughout the text we’re reminded that the unicorn is the most beautiful creature, much of which is her own musing, and when she’s turned human, she’s incredibly distraught because she’s mortal and dying, and therefore no longer beautiful.
• Point 3: This book is a musical without the sheet music. If anyone had any doubts that Mr. Beagle enjoys writing lyrics, hand them this book. Just about everyone sings something at some point, ranging from the silly and nonsensical to the melancholy.

Full Review of The Last Unicorn

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

The Last Unicorn Synopsis

A unicorn residing in a lilac wood overhears two huntsmen one day discussing the existence of unicorns. When the unicorn learns that she’s the last of her kind, she decides to find out for herself and embarks on a journey to find her kin.

She travels for many days and nights without any sight of other unicorns. When she comes in contact with humans, they all look at her and see a horse. In other words, men have forgotten unicorns and that gives her hope—maybe the unicorns do still exist, but since the men can no longer see them, they assume they are no more.

After meeting a dizzy butterfly, she learns that her hopes were mislaid. In a roundabout way, the butterfly tells her about the Red Bull which drove all the unicorns away. But where? And are they still alive?

Then one night, the unicorn is captured and placed in Mama Fortuna’s traveling sideshow of mystical creatures. However, the animals in the carnival are not what they appear to be, except one (not including the unicorn). While in captivity, the unicorn learns from Mommy Fortuna that King Haggard controls the Red Bull. The unicorn also meets a magician named Schmendrick who later helps set her free. As repayment, he asks to come with her and reluctantly she agrees.

Along the way, Schmendrick is captured by a bungling group of thieves and it’s where he meets Molly Grue. Molly, having seen the unicorn (who helped rescue Schmendrick), basically invites herself on the quest and they continue the journey to find the Red Bull and find out what truly happened to the other unicorns.

After some travel, they come across King Haggard’s domain. It’s fruitless and desolate, but one town is prosperous. In that town, called Hagsgate, they learn the legend and prophecy of King Haggard’s castle.

When they set out from Hagsgate toward the castle, that’s when the Red Bull strikes for the first time. In a fit of panic, Schmendrick summons up his magic and begs it to do as it will and its will was to turn the unicorn into a human girl. The new form allowed the unicorn to continue on to the castle without being further bothered by the bull, since it was only seeking out unicorns.

At the castle, the unicorn is introduced as Lady Amalthea and she quickly steals Prince Lir’s heart. Over time, she begins to forget who she once was and her mission altogether, so when the king confronts her about being a unicorn, and tells her where they are, she truly has no idea what he’s talking about—in fact, she’s trying to avoid it altogether. With time running out, Schmendrick and Molly turn up the heat on their mission.

This all leads to the lair of the Red Bull where Prince Lir and Lady Almathea must fulfill their individual destinies, though heartbreaking.

Final Thoughts On The Last Unicorn

If you have no patience for florid language and sometimes overly abstract descriptions, then this is not the book for you. Mr. Beagle loves his similes and adjectives and adverbs; nearly every sentence is rife with them. In any other story, I’d probably admonish the author, but for The Last Unicorn, it works. It brightened up the narration, even in the dreariest of passages (and there were some dreary passages).

From the very first page, I was sucked into the fairytale, into a completely different world possibly long ago or existing parallel to this one. Who truly knows? What I do know is that I felt as though I were standing right next to the unicorn throughout her entire journey and meeting the same creatures and people that she did and escaping from the same dangers. In other words, the story felt real. Intellectually I knew the story was fiction, but deep inside, in a place that’s usually lost to age, it was completely believable.

Each character was built with a perfect balance of strength and weakness. For instance, the unicorn is vain. In the beginning, the vanity seems justified to an extent, but when she’s transformed into the Lady Amalthea who now has human emotions and desires, that justifiable vanity becomes arrogance, mainly to disguise her fear. Schmendrick was a good-natured bungling wizard who occasionally had an off day. It was the off days that made his character incredibly relatable. And the indomitable Molly Grue, the voice of cool reason and support. Together the characters all complimented each other well.

The story had a nice flow, though I will admit some parts tended to slow down, but it wasn’t so bad that I could put the book down and never want to pick it up again. The opposite, actually. Those sections gave me a breather so I could put the book down for the night get some rest and come back to it another day. Frankly, I was glad that the book took a little longer than usual to read because I wanted to prolong the story. Even when it ended I felt a little sad because I wanted to continue on with each character on their journeys.

Rating: Worth Every Penny (?)

Get The Last Unicorn at Amazon

* I watched the DVD after I finished the book and was surprised at how much was taken out. Despite removing some scenes and changing a few of the characters slightly, the movie still worked and was still as captivating as the first time I watched it.

Back Cover of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

Fitzgerald’s talent for short fiction is on display in this selection of four of his finest tales, chosen from two collections: Flappers and Philosophers (1920) and Tales of the Jazz Age (1922). Included are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a fantasy whose protagonist is born an old man and ages in reverse; “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” a coming-of-age story about a daring young flapper; “The Jelly-Bean,” a story of disillusionment and love lost; and “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong,” a case of a character torn between self and society.

Three Quick Points About The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

• Point 1: Another era. Not gonna lie, Fitzgerald’s language caught me off guard a couple of times, but it certainly reminded that he was writing in another era.
• Point 2: Life can be frustrating. It seems that your time line doesn’t matter, you’ll still come up against obstacles; they’ll only be slightly different.
• Point 3: Sad. That’s what I felt when the story of Benjamin Button ended.

Full Review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

Let me be upfront and say that this is more of a short story review than an entire book review. I’ve only read the cover story, which was my reason for purchasing the book in the first place. However, if you have no interest in owning the book, you can read the entire story of Benjamin Button for free online.

As time progresses, I’m sure that I will read the remaining stories in the book, but right now, it’s all about Benjamin. So, without further ado…

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age Synopsis

This is a short story (roughly 31 pages) of a man named Benjamin Button who was born an old man one morning in a Baltimore hospital.  His birth was enough to make everyone uneasy, especially his father Roger Button, who tried everything in his power to make Benjamin seem more acceptable.

He forced Benjamin to wear short pants, cut his long white beard, dye his hair, and try to play with children his own age. Unfortunately, for a man of threescore and ten, romping around with young children wasn’t going to happen, especially since he needed a cane to get around. During that time, Benjamin spent his time smoking cigars and passing time with his grandfather, who was roughly the same age.

When Benjamin turns twelve, chronologically, and realizes that he’s growing younger, he declares that he’s grown and demands his father let him wear long trousers. After a bit of discourse, and agreeing to maintain the facade of youth by dying his hair and trimming his whiskers and not wearing his glasses or carrying a cane on the street, his wish is granted.

At the age of eighteen, and physically fifty, Benjamin was shipped off to Yale to attend university. After the registrar caught sight of him, he was laughed off the campus, quite literally.

Soon, he began keeping the company of his father, who was of the same age—people often remarked that they two looked like brothers. While attending a social affair, Benjamin met his future wife; it was a case of love at first sight. Despite protests in the community, the two were wed and eventually had a child, who they named Roscoe.

Benjamin continued to age backwards as his family continued to age normally. Soon, his wife (who he’d lost interest in) and son became frustrated with him and assumed that he was the cause of his strange predicament. That was enough for Benjamin to join the military.

After becoming a decorated soldier and veteran of the Spanish-American war, it was time to go back to school. This time around, he looked roughly the right age, though a little large for a freshman, and he attended Harvard. But, the last two years wasn’t a cake walk because he continued to get younger and soon, people thought he was some sort of child prodigy who received early admission.

From there, life only continued to seem more difficult and painful for Benjamin until eventually, regressing until he was no more.

Final Thoughts On The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

The story itself is timeless, but it’s made apparent that it was written in a different era; the language is one you don’t see used too often in this day and age.

In the opening scene, when Roger Button learns of his predicament and while playing the scenario of taking Benjamin home in his head, he passes a slave market and for a dark instant Mr. Button wished passionately that his son was black.

There’s nothing that seems maliciously racial in the story; however someone going into the story without a mindset for the setting (circa late 19th century) might be knocked off kilter to read such plain references to slavery.

And as I did with Island of the Blue Dolphins, I felt a slight pang when I came across the word gay used for its original meaning, to be happy and carefree, and wondered how it would be construed today. Would the story be rendered gay as a result?

In context, however, the story was an enjoyable read. There were instances I found myself having a good chuckle out loud:

“See here,” the old man announced suddenly, “if you think I’m going to walk home in this blanket, you’re entirely mistaken.”

“Babies always have blankets.”

With a malicious crackle the old man held up a small white swaddling garment. “Look!” he quavered. “This is what they had ready for me.”

“Babies always wear those,” said the nurse primly.

“Well,” said the old man, “this baby’s not going to wear anything in about two minutes. This blanket itches. They might at least have given me a sheet.”

“Keep it on! Keep it on!” said Mr. Button hurriedly.

At the beginning of the story, I found Benjamin to be quite an agreeable character. It wasn’t until he had grown to his early twenties (i.e. in his fifties chronologically) that I began to have some discourse with him, specifically around the time he began to lose interest in his wife because she was getting older and slowing down while he was growing younger and speeding up.

When they had met, his wife was the one who dragged him about to social gatherings and when the roles were reversed, it seemed as though Benjamin shirked his duties. Of course, it’s understandable when you begin to see that his mind is also regressing as his body does.

Yes, he maintains his experiences and memories, but it became obvious when he went to Harvard and suddenly found the studies difficult in his junior and senior years. That’s when the point was driven home: he was living his life in reverse. Reconciling his memories and experiences mentally with his chronological and physical age must have been tremendously difficult. Coupled with the reactions, especially from his family (grandfather, father, mother, wife, and son), and scandals only added another ton weight to his shoulders.

That’s what made the ending so bittersweet. On one hand, I was glad that Benjamin was out of his misery (and trust me, toward the end, it must have been misery), but it was also sad to see all those memories and experiences just fade away. Poof. Part of me is left wondering if that’s what it’s like to grow into the winter of one’s life.

This story is rather thought provoking, and even after you finish reading the last word, you’ll continue turning the possibilities over and over in your head. Now, I simply must go and see the movie (which I’ve heard is spectacular).

Rating: Required Reading (?)

Get The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age at Amazon

Back Cover of I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back…

…sort of.

Ava can’t see or touch him, unless she’s dreaming. She can’t hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she’s crazy, but she knows he’s here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she’s spend the rest of her life with. He’s back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

Three Quick Points About I Heart You, You Haunt Me

• Point 1: It’s really written in verse. OK, I read that it was a verse novel, but I really didn’t know what to expect and true enough, the entire novel, all 200+ pages of it, is one long continuous verse.
• Point 2: So he’s a poltergeist? Sort of. Let me be upfront here and say I expected a creepier haunting (it’s filed under “Spine-Chilling Horror” at Amazon) and it was anything but. Overall though I couldn’t complain.
• Point 3: Short story in book form. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but once I finished the book, I realized it could easily be translated into a short story.

Full Review of I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me Synopsis

I Heart You, You Haunt Me is told, in verse, from the perspective of fifteen year old Ava who’s mourning the death of her boyfriend Jackson. The story begins at his funeral and as we follow the thread, we learn how he and Ava met, about their relationship, and ultimately how he died.

During this grieving period, Jackson comes back to Ava as a ghost. Although he can’t be with her like he used to, he invents creative ways to get her attention and make his presence known.

Ava is afraid to tell her parents and friends about Jackson because they would call her crazy, so she decides to keep him all to herself. Of course, dating a ghost is tricky; a lesson that Ava learns the hard way and she’s forced to make a decision that could change her life forever.

Final Thoughts On I Heart You, You Haunt Me

I Heart You, You Haunt Me was not anything like I expected. I was expecting something a bit more on the creepier side of things, but “Spine-Chilling Horror” it was not; there wasn’t anything that made me want to flick on the lights or sleep with one eye open when I was finished.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t like the story. In fact, I really enjoyed it and it haunted me a bit after I finished reading.

It was a quick read, and it brings you through all the stages of Ava’s grief in quick bursts. I would have liked to know more about Jackson and the details surrounding his death. Not to say that glimpses aren’t given, but sometimes I found myself wondering if he was abusive in life (eventually, that was cleared up and, as far as I can tell, he wasn’t).

Toward the end, a character named Lyric was introduced. While I understand why he was introduced (from an analytical standpoint), something about its development stuck out like a throbbing red thumb.

When Ava first met him, I was looking forward to seeing how the relationship would develop, but it was too rushed and the problem it presented was resolved far too easily. I don’t want to say much more than that for fear of giving up too big a spoiler.

That section should have been stretched out, possibly through another interlude that transitions their relationship. And even though I yearned to know more about the characters, I didn’t feel as though I didn’t know enough.

What I believe is so beautiful about this book is the message of healing it imparts with the resolution of Ava and Jackson. Again, I’ll hold my tongue, but suffice to say that anyone who has ever lost love (whether through a break up or death) could relate and, I hope, gain something from this book.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)

I’d also like to add that I can definitely see myself re-reading this book in the future. It’s quite sensitively written, and has an ethereal quality. You can also read an excerpt online.

Get I Heart You, You Haunt Me at Amazon

Back Cover of Uninvited

When rejection comes back to bite you…

Jordan’s life sucks. Her boyfriend, Michael, dumped her, slept his way through half the student body, and then killed himself. But now, somehow, he appears at her window every night, begging her to let him in.

Jordan can’t understand why he wants her, but she feels her resistance wearing down. After all, her life — once a broken record of boring parties, meaningless hookups, and friends she couldn’t relate to — now consists of her drinking alone in her room as she waits for the sun to go down.

Michael needs to be invited in before he can enter. All Jordan has to do is say the words….

Three Quick Points About Uninvited

• Point 1: This book reads like the anti-Twilight. The characters are shallow and the plot is paper thin. The difference is, rather than a clean cut honor student being completely enamoured by the new vampire who’s been stalking her, it’s the story of a constantly drunk honor student wishing she weren’t being stalked by the new vampire.
• Point 2: Redefines the term “lush life.” Everyone is drunk and high (except maybe the parents, but I can’t be certain) throughout most of the book. It became redundant.
• Point 3: Jordan needs a lot of therapy or to develop an actual personality. I really wanted to like Jordan’s character, but didn’t. Throughout the book, we’re trapped inside her head while she complains about every facet of her life (and it feels as though the air is slipping away fast). In the end, she turns over a new leaf, sort of, but never quite redeems herself.

Full Review of Uninvited

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Uninvited Synopsis

Uninvited begins with Jordan talking to a vampire who’s perched in a tree outside her bedroom window. The story then walks us through how that situation came to be.

Three months prior, a year after she and Michael dated for two months, Michael Green up and dies of an apparent suicide, then he makes a reappearance at her house the night of his funeral. At first, Jordan thought a mistake had been made and he was still alive, but she put the pieces together when he explained what really happened to him.

So, her routine changed as a result. For three months, she holed herself in her room before nightfall and waited for Michael to come calling. Every night he’d ask to be let in and every night she’d deny him, because, apparently, becoming a vampire makes you more patient than you were in life.

Jordan’s life (social and otherwise) suffers due to this change and she regularly finds her solace at the bottom of an empty bottle (alcohol or otherwise). Finally, her friends—who she’s not quite sure are really her friends, but then why would they show concern for her well-being if they weren’t?—ambush her and take her to a party to get her out of her funk.

At the party, Jordan has an epiphany about her life and what she’s doing to herself. She also learns that Michael followed her there and what she once thought about his motives, she now has to rethink.

When she gets back home, she finds her friend Lisa there who is behaving strangely and apologizing profusely for telling Michael about the party. Thus begins Jordan’s mission to finally face her problem head on.

Final Thoughts On Uninvited

I wanted very much to like this book; it has such a cool cover and plenty of positive reviews at Amazon. However:

• Half-way through the book, I began mixing up the characters because they all seem to be the same person—one dimensional and struggling for a voice.
• By chapter six, I wanted to put the book down and not really pick it back up again because I was afraid the whining about life would continue endlessly.
• And when I closed the book, I said “meh, that’s it?” and then it just became another foggy memory.

Let’s tackle these bullet points in order, shall we? The characters are all one-dimensional and sometimes stereotypical. Jordan, who narrates the story, has a social anxiety disorder and a self-centered absentee mother. Her way to deal is by partying, and by partying, I mean drinking to get “faced”, partaking in various illicit substances, and having random “flybys” with guys she doesn’t know.

Of course, that’s not my main problem with her. My problem is that her ennui drones on for about a hundred pages and when other characters did pop in, they were just another version of Jordan.

There’s an effort to make them different, but it never quite worked. Some exaggerated to the point where it wasn’t believable; especially Michael, the vampire who’s stalking Jordan, and Lisa, the convenient catalyst, who makes an appearance late in the game.

For the first half of the book, we’re basically getting the back story explaining who Michael was in life and Jordan’s quest to find out why he’s chosen to torment her of all people. Unfortunately, the revelation of said back story is banal and redundant.

I stopped caring that Michael smelled like coconut suntan lotion, that he was an asshole who chased anything with legs, and that Jordan felt she wasn’t stalk-able because she was some lowly prole he dated for two months.

The final let down came at the big climax where we all learn the reason Michael is stalking Jordan. This is going to be a huge spoiler, but necessary to see the plot’s paper thinness. If you wish to read it, highlight the following paragraph:

The back cover lied. Michael did not dump Jordan, she was the one who dumped him. The first line (i.e. when rejection comes back to bite you…) is a play on the storyline in which Michael begins stalking Jordan because he can’t believe she, the pathetic lush, dumped him. I guess when you have an eternity on your hands, it’s best to torment the one that got away.

Then to throw a chunk of salt into the gaping wound, we have Lisa who enters the story as the catalyst (I won’t reveal more than that, but that’s another spoiler). The relationship between Jordan and Lisa didn’t translate well (i.e. the closeness which would cause Jordan to uproot her previous behaviour) and seemed very rushed which made the situation unbelievable.

In that vein, Lisa’s character could easily have been replaced by Nutty, Jordan’s cat. The conversation could go something like:

Michael: “If you ever want to see Nutty alive again, you’ll beg me to come in…”

Jordan: “Oh gawd, no, not Nutty…Michael, come in. Please. I’m begging you to come in. Just leave Nutty alooooonnnneeee.”

Michael: “I knew you’d cave.” Starts climbing in window, then stops. “Oh wait…I think I’ll still kill Nutty just because I’m an asshole. Muahahahaha”

Jordan: Uh oh, no. I love Nutty so much I can’t let him do it. I better grow a pair and do something. Where’d I put that stake again?

My apologies for the snark, but, I hope it helps to get the point across.

While I don’t regret reading the book, I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it either.

Rating: Save your money (?)

If you’re truly interested in reading this one, check it out at the library or borrow it from a friend.

Back Cover of The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump,” and of course, “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” But not only are they the equal of fairytales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.

Three Quick Points About The Tales of Beedle the Bard

• Point 1: This was a quick read. Coming in at roughly 100 pages, with good spacing, margins, and font size, it could be lazily read in a couple hours or less.
• Point 2: Ms. Rowling channeled the bard himself. The book is not like reading a Harry Potter book, it’s like reading someone else’s text and stories whereas J.K.R. just interjects a few footnotes. (Totally cute.)
• Point 3: J.K. Rowling is a skilled illustrator. Illustrations appear throughout the book, and though they have the wispy quality of doodles, they are quite well done and add to the book’s atmosphere.

Full Review of The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts. (Special Note: the synopsis is a bit longer than usual because I’ve decided to summarize each individual story along with Dumbledore’s commentary.)

The Tales of Beedle the Bard Synopsis

This book is a collection of five fairytales, generally for the magical population. Each tale, translated by Hermione, is followed by notes made by Dumbledore. In some cases, JKR even inserts a footnote of her own when she felt it necessary to explain a magical term as:

Professor Dumbledore appears to have been writing for a Wizarding audience.…

The Wizard and the Hopping Pot: After a kind old wizard, who used to fix the ills of his village, passes away, his son is left to pick up where the old wizard left off, but is reluctant. He turns away the humans seeking his help until he’s forced to do the right thing by his father’s magical pot and learns a lesson about helping those less fortunate.

Dumbledore’s notes explains why the story was not well received during its time. It was decidedly Muggle-friendly, which was not a good thing because witches and wizards were being persecuted and hunted. Dumbledore also offers an excerpt from the story re-written from a more “cheerful” perspective by Beatrix Bloxam.

(Grammar Police: On page 11, line 12, the word survived is misspelled. You’d think in a 100 page book, someone might have caught that.)

The Fountain of Fair Fortune: Once a year, the Fountain of Fair Fortune permits one person to bathe in its water and thereby grants the bather good luck forever. When the time came, three witches, Asha, Altheda, and Amatha, and an unwitting knight, dubbed Sir Luckless, find themselves permitted to make the journey to the fountain. Along the way, they’re met with obstacles. Each of the witches overcomes an obstacle and at the fountain the knight also finds his own fortune, but in a most unexpected way.

Dumbledore notes that this story also caused some controversy because of the witch-Muggle element. He also recounts an interesting story of the Hogwart’s Christmas pantomime which went terribly, horribly wrong.

The Warlock’s Hairy Heart: A warlock vows never to let the emotion of love overrule his judgement, so he takes magical measures against it by removing his heart and locking it away in a dungeon. Then he finds himself in the position of wooing the fairest woman, but despite his pretty words she felt the coldness behind them and told him so. The warlock then reclaims the heart he’d hidden away with disastrous results.

Dumbledore notes that this is one of Beedle’s tales which hasn’t received too much criticism and that it was also one of the most gruesome of tales (I must concur) and it should only be shared with older children. He also delves into the core meaning and lesson in the story, as it applies to witches/wizards (but Muggles could pick up a lesson from it, I’m sure).

Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump: When a greedy and intolerant king declares all witches and wizards should be hunted, because he wants to be the only one with magic, an opportunistic con man pounces. When his plan goes awry due to an old witch named Babbitty, he sets out to have her destroyed, much to his own detriment when his plan backfires and she transforms into a rabbit and tricks the king into leaving all the witches and wizards in his kingdom in peace.

Dumbledore uses this story to point out a few limitations of magic (i.e. reviving the dead) and to explain the difference between Animagus (rare magical ability to shift into an animal at will) and transfiguration (magically turning oneself into an animal and which would require another witch or wizard to transform one back into his former self). He then goes on to debate some of the actual facts within the story and whether Beedle used his literary license.

The Tale of the Three Brothers: Three brothers, on approaching a treacherous river, conjure a bridge to cross. Half way over, they meet with Death, who was quite unhappy about being cheated of three lives, but deceived them into thinking he was pleased and offered them each a wish. The first two brothers inadvertently squandered their wishes, which lead to their demise, but the third brother was wise with his wish, knowing that you can never truly escape Death (only evade him), and managed to live a long life.

Dumbledore admits that this tale made a profound impression on him as a child. He discusses the message behind the story (that no one can escape Death and anyone who believes otherwise is foolish) and the legend of a special wand, stone, and cloak that arose from the story.

Final Thoughts On The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The book’s arrival was an event, made so by the special packaging it came in. The box (which I could have sworn I took a picture of before tossing out) had a warning for Muggles not to deliver or open before December 4. Even the packing slip was specially made.

I immediately thought of The Brothers Grimm while reading some of the stories. Except, the stories are told from the magic folks’s points of view as opposed to the human’s (or Muggle’s as the case may be).

Let me start off by saying: people expecting another “Harry Potter book” will be sadly disappointed. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is, as the title implies, a collection of tales created by a bard named Beedle, not a book about Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling.

Once you get past that, the book itself is quite entertaining. Some areas made me laugh out loud, especially a section in the story of Babbitty Rabbitty and some of Dumbledore’s commentary throughout.

Each tale reminded me of some Muggle version of a story, either from the Brothers Grimm or from other cautionary tales (for instance, The Monkey’s Paw). That allowed me to connect on a more personal level with the stories and the lesson they aimed to teach young witches and wizards. It made me feel like they were just like me. But I did find it a little disheartening when in one of the footnotes, it proclaimed there was no hope for humans who wanted to be a witch or wizard.

For me, the most entertaining story was Babbitty Rabbitty and the Cackling Stump, but as with Dumbledore, the one which left the most profound impression was The Three Brothers (and The Warlock’s Hairy Heart was just plain disturbing).

The story of the three brothers was a reminder that we must all meet our maker some day and that to try and circumvent death is futile (and, tongue in cheek, never to trust Death).

One big gripe I did have with the book comes with the inclusion of the illustrations. From the images shown at Amazon, done for each story, it was apparent that they weren’t all rendered for the standard edition of the book (and I’m not talking about the “10 exclusive” images either); it’s as though new illustrations were done specifically for the standard edition. (Not entirely sure if it’s the same deal with the deluxe version.)

But that quibble is minor in the grand scheme and crafting a creative fable is not the easiest thing to do, so she definitely deserves some accolades for the stories themselves, and I truly wish there had been more. But, for $7 (of which the proceeds go to charity) I really can’t complain.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)

Get The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Standard Edition) at Amazon.com

Back Cover of Magic Bites

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic…

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Three Quick Points About Magic Bites

• Point 1: The prose and pacing are exquisitely done. The book is smartly written without being pretentious and urges you forward without shoving you down a flight of stairs. It’s evident that the word selection and syntax were assembled with care.
• Point 2: This novel is a perfect exercise in world-building. Set in a future version of Atlanta ravaged by magic, the descriptions are vividly dark and disturbingly crafted. It becomes real.
• Point 3: What, no sparkly, beautiful, or dangerously seductive vampires? Nope. In this book, vampires veer from the contemporary norm. They are hideous quadrupedal humanoids continually degrading into something much worse—”an abomination in progress.”

Full Review of Magic Bites

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Magic Bites Synopsis

In Magic Bites, Kate Daniels receives a cryptic message prompting her to check on her guardian. (When I first saw the term ‘guardian’, I thought it was some sort of super/preternatural type of guardian–it’s her legal guardian.) When she checks up on him, she learns that he’s been murdered.

After kicking up a bit of dust, she’s allowed to investigate his murder. She even receives some help to grease the wheels. During her investigation, she learns that her guardian was getting close to discovering a conspiracy that he shouldn’t have been.

After a bit more digging, Kate learns that there have been multiple deaths within two opposing groups in this world ruled by magic. In order to stop a complete uprising and war between these two groups, the Pack (shapechangers) and the People (necromancers), Kate needs to figure out what’s really behind the murders.

What results is that Kate brings us on a super/preternatural mystery complete with red herrings and all. Although it’s not a traditional mystery in the Agatha Christie sense, we do get to sit back and watch Kate piece together the clues to find out who’s behind the mysterious killings.

Eventually, with much ado, Kate and company finally manage to figure out who it is and Kate kicks herself when she looks at how obvious the answer should have been from the beginning. But, frankly, it’s easy to overlook. (Trying desperately to avoid spoilers.) Essentially, this book is like following Kate as she comes across a variety of cast members while venturing into the new-to-her field of sleuthing.

Final Thoughts On Magic Bites

My first thought after shutting Magic Bites was this is how a supernatural/preternatural fantasy book should be written. The strongest point of the book is the world created; the tearing down of the Atlanta we all know and the rebuilding of a dark, dilapidated, and disturbing place complete with menacing creatures and a new code of conduct.

The book is told from the point of view of Kate Daniels, a mercenary. She’s a spunky, in your face, get things done the hard way kind of girl. Being inside her head for the entire 260 page book wasn’t bad. She was rather entertaining. The only tough humps were the moments when she was down on herself physically. When she was ragging on herself, she really ragged and that did become a little annoying.

While the characters were also well crafted–Kate Daniels and Curran (the scary, and yet somehow sexy, Lord of the Free Beasts) in particular–a few did seem off somehow. Most notably was Bono. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about how the character was crafted rang false. Another qualm I had with the book was the various new agencies (and their abbreviations) thrown at the reader. It’s a little overwhelming to keep track of who they are, what their purpose is, and what they’re actually doing, but as the story moves forward, it does become easier to manage.

Those small points aside, Magic Bites was easily read in a single sitting. The descriptions of the people and settings were vivid enough to place the reader in the story while leaving enough room for the reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks. The prose was clever, well thought out without being pretentious or forced; it was very natural to read from one sentence to the next and one page to the next. It had a little bit of everything: superficial romance, depraved bad guys, and bloody battles. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable read.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)

Get Magic Bites from Amazon.com