Title: Stolen
Author: Lucy Christopher
ISBN: 978-0-5451-7093-2
Story Length: 304 pages
Genre: Young Adult Drama

Three Quick Points About Stolen

• Point 1: Slow. No, that’s not right. In fact, a new word needs to be coined because “slow” (and all its various synonyms) is inadequate.
• Point 2: The camel won. It was the only character that felt genuine. Ty came close, but meh. Let’s not start on Gemma.
• Point 3: A twisted love story. Still, it was an interesting take on the evolution of Stockholm syndrome.

Short Synopsis of Stolen

Sixteen year old Gemma Toombs is stolen from the Bangkok airport and brought to Middle of Nowhere, Australia by a man named Ty. During her captivity, Ty explains how they’ll have a perfect life together away from the evils of the city. Gemma protests, and then after a late-night epiphany, she decides that Ty is only marginally insane and falls in love. Unfortunately, theirs is a complicated love and it comes with its own set of problems.

My Thoughts on Stolen

Let me say up front: This is a hard review for me to write. I wanted so much to love Stolen. So much. But, oh sweet Mother of All Things Good, the writing was bad. (Typing that broke my heart a little, but it needed to come out.)

For me, how a story is told is just as important as the story itself—sometimes more so. Stolen is told in the 2^nd person POV as a letter from Gemma to Ty, which can be an amazing style if done right. In this book, however, the narrative was more arid than the desert landscape it depicted; it meandered and drifted between various shades of lavender to purple. And at the end a justification was offered for the narrative choice, but it didn’t redeem the book, not one iota.

Of all the characters, I only cared about the camel. It was the only one who felt genuine. When she was left behind, I almost cried…almost. And if you force me to pick a human character to like, it would be Ty (yes, the mentally unstable kidnapper) because the only emotion Gemma ignited in me was apathy. I wanted to feel for her, and right when I thought I would, the writing got in the way

Ultimately Stolen is a powerful story drowned by stodgy writing and though it may seem like it, I didn’t hate this book; I just wish it were written by someone else.

Rating: Save Your Money [D+] (?)

Title: Broken
Author: Karin Fossum
ISBN: 978-0-1510-1366-1
Story Length: 272 pages
Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

Back Cover of Broken

A woman wakes up in the middle of the night. A strange man is in her bedroom. She lies there in silence, paralyzed with fear.The woman is an author and the man one of her characters, one in a long line that waits in her driveway for the time when she’ll tell their stories. He is so desperate that he has resorted to breaking into her house and demanding that she begin.

He, the author decides, is named Alvar Eide, forty-two years old, single,works in a gallery. He lives a quiet, orderly life and likes it that way—no demands, no unpleasantness. Until one icy winter day when a young drug addict, skinny and fragile, walks into the gallery. Alvar gives her a cup of coffee to warm her up. And then one day she appears on his doorstep.

Three Quick Points About Broken

• Point 1: Where’s the mystery? A quarter of the way through, I realized this wasn’t a traditional whodunit mystery—it wasn’t a traditional mystery in any sense.
• Point 2: It’s about characters under a microscope. Flawed but hauntingly natural characters crafted with aplomb.
• Point 3: Smooth prose and pacing, for a translation. Lost in translation isn’t a cliché for nothing, but if anything was lost in this translation, I didn’t miss it.

Short Synopsis of Broken

A writer agonizing over the line of people waiting to have their stories told is surprised when one evening one of those characters invades her bedroom. After a bit of back and forth, they decide on a name for him—Alvar Eide—and she agrees to start his story. She carved out his life: living alone, working in an art gallery, and shunning basic human interactions until a drug-addicted girl wanders into the gallery, and his life. From time to time, Alvar would stop in on the author to discuss the story, particularly when things weren’t going as he expected.

My Thoughts on Broken

First, I was confused. Then, I was intrigued. Finally, I reflected.

On the cover it says that it’s “a mystery”, and from that I expected something along the lines of a detective in a room with a bunch of people when at some point he would declare that Professor Plum did it in the parlour with a candlestick. But that’s not what I got.

The walls around me dissolved as I drifted into the world the author created. With morbid curiosity (and some sympathy) I watched as Alvar’s world spiraled out of control, all because of one crucial choice he made to help the drug-addicted girl instead of shooing her from the store. When he felt the consequences of that choice—what he thought was an act of kindness backfired—he went to the author and practically asked, “Why hast thou forsaken me?”

Surprising is the author’s answer: she can only write what she observes as she drifts down the river; she does not have as much control over what happens as Alvar thinks. But Alvar believes, since she is the author, she can write it any way she pleases and begs her to write something more suitable to his nature.

This novel is a mind warp. The true mystery is not whodunit, but whatmadewhodoit: whether our actions are the product of fate or free will. Subtle clues were sprinkled throughout to support each theory and to, no doubt, spark discussions.

Although it wasn’t what I expected, I enjoyed it. Broken is a quiet, languid philosophical book for people who enjoy pondering the mysteries of the human condition. What made this novel even more disturbing was how real each character felt, despite having exaggerated personalities. At the end, you may be left wondering whether we are creations of divine inspiration or the puppets of a frustrated novelist.

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

Title: Still Missing
Author: Chevy Stevens
ISBN: 978-0-3125-9567-8
Story Length: 352
Genre: Adult/Thriller

Back Cover of Still Missing

Eh hem…well…I’m rather embarrassed.

Normally this is where I’d type out what’s written on the back cover of the book, but I can’t because this book is currently on loan to a few people and heaven only knows when I’ll see it again—if ever. (You’ll understand why I say that when you read my thoughts.)

Three Quick Points About Still Missing

• Point 1: Morbidly captivating. This book deals with some strong subject matter, but it’s so captivating you can’t pull your eyes away from it.
• Point 2: An easy writing style. Annie’s words flowed in such a conversational manner that reading from one page to the next was perfectly natural.
• Point 3: Some minor contrivances. There were a few inconsistencies in the story, but in the grand scheme of the novel they were minor.

Short Synopsis of Still Missing

Thirty-two year old realtor, Annie O’Sullivan is kidnapped from an open house and held hostage by a deranged psychopath for a year. Still Missing is where she recounts, through sessions with her therapist, what she went through (rape, beatings, psychological abuse) and the course of the investigation afterward.

My Thoughts on Still Missing

First, this book is graphic. It lays bare everything Annie went through during her captivity. It’s not gratuitous, but it will make you shudder. So fair warning.

With that bit out of the way, let me say that this book was absolutely captivating. I simply could not put it down. I thought I would read a few pages before bed and before I knew it, it was 3AM and I was flipping the last page. And then I just stared at it. My mind was reeling from it.

As a character Annie’s flawed and broken, but not so flawed and broken as to be unlikeable. At one point I remember thinking, This is a person I’d probably be friends with in real life. And the way the story unfolds it’s as if you’re right there with her in the therapist’s office or in the mountain cabin with her captor.

It’s a rare thing when a novel comes along that engages my head (the psychological), my heart (the emotional), and my body (the physical), but Still Missing did. The characters were drawn enough that I kept wondering about their motives and choices and why they made them.

At one point I literally punched the air and screamed, “YES!! Do it again!” (This makes no sense out of context, I realize, but those who’ve read this book should understand where and why such a statement would have been appropriate. Of course, those same readers will probably think I’m a sociopath for actually wanting her to do it again.)

The novel isn’t perfect, though it comes close. I’ll admit there are a few consistency issues and the psychology behind The Freak felt a bit contrived and I won’t even get started on the police procedural section (there’s one scene in particular that I’m on the fence about), and though it seems like a lot, all of those things are forgivable.

As a whole, this book was amazing…so amazing that I’ve loaned it out to several people (all but one finished it in a single day—the other finished it in two—and all of them called me squealing because “OMG!! That book was AWESOME!”) and it’s still making the rounds. It seems the book is receiving quite a bit of hype, but in this case, I believe it’s warranted.

The book can now be purchased from Amazon.com, but if you want to test the waters first, you can actually read the first two chapters for free. Grab the first chapter, in PDF format, from the MacMillan website and read the second chapter at the NYT website.

Rating: Worth Every Penny (?)

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: The Gardener
Author: S. A. Bodeen
ISBN: 978-0312370169
Story Length: 240 pages
Genre: Middle Grade Science Fiction

Back Cover of The Gardener

Mason has never known his father, but longs to. All he has of him is a DVD of a man whose face is never seen, reading a children’s book. One day, on a whim, he plays the DVD for a group of comatose teens at the nursing home where his mother works. One of them, a beautiful girl, responds. Mason learns she is part of a horrible experiment intended to render teenagers into autotrophs—genetically engineered, self-sustaining life-forms who don’t need food or water to survive. And before he knows it, Mason is on the run with the girl, and wanted, dead or alive, by the mysterious mastermind of this gruesome plan, who is simply called the Gardener.

Will Mason be forced to destroy the thing he’s longed for most?

Three Quick Points About The Gardener

• Point 1: Ample material with which to start a discussion. The book deals quite a bit with the changing global environment and its ramifications for the human race.
• Point 2: Spotty character development. Mason, as a character, started out well enough, but when Laila was introduced the character development faltered and stalled.
• Point 3: Plot by numbers. The unfolding plot was too convenient, even for a middle grade read, and a side effect was a problem with consistency.

Short Synopsis of The Gardener

I’m skipping the short synopsis because the product description basically tells you the entire story. :/

My Thoughts on The Gardener

I love that this book will ask the reader to think about big things: the food crisis, global warming, moral and ethical responsibilities in bio-engineering and some other similar conundrums. Although each of these issues were superficially touched upon in the book, it was enough to make the mind wander.

What I didn’t love, however, was the plot-by-numbers unfolding of the story. It lead to a number of consistency problems. To give an example without offering a huge spoiler, Mason’s mother is supposed to be an alcoholic—I guess in an effort to add color to the story—but the moment it becomes inconvenient for the plot’s unfolding, it’s abandoned. That wasn’t the only time an established tack was abandoned for the sake of the plot either, which made the story feel unnatural.

Then there’s the problem with the character development, or more specifically, the relationship development. In the beginning, Mason was a well-established and likable character, but after Laila was awakened and he became smitten by her beauty, he became bland as though going through the pre-ordained motions. To make matters worse, there never seemed to be a true connection from Laila’s side. It sent the message that beauty is the only reason one should love, although the author may have been trying for the opposite.

At very least, Mason and Laila should have spent a few scenes getting to know each other on a level other than trying-to-unravel-the-big-conspiracy. It may have made the instant undying love connection easier to digest, if not plausible. On that note, the epilogue with its happily-ever-after ending was a let down.

Rating: Get It Used [C+] (?)

Title: Rumor Has It
Author: Jill Mansell
ISBN: 978-1402237508
Story Length: 416 pages
Genre: Chick Lit

Back Cover of Rumor Has It

This man doesn’t seem to match his reputation…

Newly single Tilly Cole impulsively moves to a small town, only to find she’s arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the most desirable man–irresistible Jack Lucas, whose reputation is beyond bad. Tilly has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost. But the thoughtful, caring guy she comes to value as a friend doesn’t seem to fit the town’s playboy image. Tilly doesn’t know what to believe–and Jack’s not telling.

Three Quick Points About Rumor Has It

• Point 1: Somewhat predictable. It’s the nature of the beast with chick lit, but in the case of Tilly & Jack, it’s a bit more obvious than necessary.
• Point 2: Slow to start. The “good stuff” doesn’t begin to reveal itself until about the first five or six chapters in, but when it does it becomes a fun (and funny) romp.
• Point 3: Culture shock. I’ve read a bit of Brit chick lit, but this one seemed especially heavy on the Briticisms. It took quite some time to acclimate.

Short Synopsis of Rumor Has It

Tilly Cole arrives home one evening to find that her boyfriend has cleared out. She can’t afford her apartment on her own, so she takes a trip to visit her best friend Erin in the small town of Roxborough to drown her sorrows. But the small town dug its claws into Tilly and she ends up taking a job as a Girl Friday with one of its more prominent residents, Max Dineen and his teenage daughter Louisa.

Through her connection with Max, Tilly meets the most coveted bachelor, Jack Lucas. Unfortunately, his reputation precedes him and Tilly tries everything in her power not to fall for his charms.

While this is happening, there are a number of side stories: Erin is dating a separated, but not yet divorced man whose wife, Stella, is borderline nuts. And Kaye, Max’s ex-wife, accidentally runs over an important puppy in Hollywood and needs to escape back to her UK home to wait out the drama.

My Thoughts on Rumor Has It

I had to start this book a couple different times because it took a while to get into. It starts with a relative bang—Tilly coming home to a half cleaned out apartment—but I found Tilly to be a rather bland character. But around chapter five or six when the other characters and sub-stories were introduced, the pace and appeal of the book immediately picked up.

For me, Tilly was too plain Jane. Every once in a while she trips over something or says the wrong thing, but it all seemed random and misplaced. Then there’s Jack. Everyone is whispering that he’s a playboy and warning Tilly off of him. It all became too contrived, so I never really got into the blossoming of their relationship; I rolled my eyes more than not.

Thing is, I adored the side stories of Erin and Kaye. They were hilarious. Erin seemed far more real and affable than Tilly and Kaye was just off the wall wacky, reigned in when necessary, of course. Even Louisa, Kaye and Max’s teenage daughter, was just the right amount of quirky and watching her story unravel was quite pleasant. These would be the reasons I’d recommend reading this book and although the relationship between Tilly and Jack is supposed to be center stage, it felt more like a secondary story to me.

Also, if you aren’t used to reading British literature or watching the BBC, this book will take some getting used to. There are a number of slang terms used throughout; enough to make you raise an eyebrow and wonder what just happened. Once you get used to them, though, it’s smooth sailing.

Rating: Get It Used [C+] (?)

Title: wtf
Author: Peter Lerangis
ISBN: 978-1416913603
Story Length: 272 pages
Genre: Young Adult Action/Adventure

Back Cover of wtf

ONE PLAN, TWO PARTIES, SIX PLAYERS:

Jimmy: the driver
Cam: the connect
Byron: the know-it-all
Waits: the supplier
Reina: the conscience
MC: the crasher

On one Friday night these six will test their limits to the extreme. Some are driven by lust, others by greed. One just wants to have fun, and another desires to be free. If everything goes as planned, they all get what they want. But within twenty-four hours, bones will break, bodies will touch, hearts will race, guns will be drawn, and everything will go oh so very wrong.

Three Quick Points About wtf

• Point 1: Ultimate in mental junk food. It’s like a McD’s Big Mac with extra cheese and special sauce with bacon piled on top and no lettuce or pickles.
• Point 2: There’s no room to breathe. It felt like being trapped in the passenger seat of a high octane sports car with a brick on the accelerator.
• Point 3: Darkly comical. I laughed a few times, but I had to wonder whether or not I was supposed to and if it made me a bad person because I did.

Short Synopsis of wtf

The shenanigans of six prep school teenagers over the course of one night involving a car accident with a deer, drug deals gone wrong, and horny couples hooking up in front of strangers.

(If you want a full rundown of the story, you can read the story summary, but be warmed: it includes spoilers.)

My Thoughts on wtf

I’ll admit that I had no idea what to expect from this book—the back cover blurb is ambiguous enough to keep me in the dark, but intriguing enough to pique my curiosity.

From the first page the story flies. Though there are some lulls, it never slows down. This equates to a fast read—easily done in a single sitting—but the downside is that it leaves little time to process or digest the unfolding story.

Each chapter is time-stamped and  alternates between the perspectives of the individual students. It’s very much like watching a movie put together in short vignettes. And although there was plenty of action, it wasn’t the typical bombs exploding or rapid fire shoot-outs, it was more quirky action.

To give an example, there’s a scene where one of the guys needs to get something out of a dead deer’s mouth. When he gets back to the scene of the accident, he spots someone loading up the deer and driving away. He follows and right when he thinks he’s going to get what he needed, he’s looking down the barrel of a shotgun. (You’re probably trying to process the part about something being stuffed in a dead deer’s mouth, huh?)

While the book pushes you forward, it reveals how each of the characters are connected. There was even a dark twist at the end that tied everything up, but the happily-ever-after style ending felt contrived.

As far as quick fun reads go, this gets the job done. It truly is a romp. Just don’t expect any compelling character development or an earth-shattering plot. You’d probably enjoy this book if you enjoy movies in the style of Ocean’s Eleven, Snatch, or Get Shorty.

Rating: Worth Every Penny [PB] [B] (?)

Title: Morpheus Road: The Light
Author: D. J. MacHale
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0438-0
Story Length: 344 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Psychological Horror

Back Cover of Morpheus Road: The Light

It begins with mysterious sounds, a fleeting face outside a window–all things that can be explained away. That is, until he comes face-to-face with a character who only exists on the pages of a sketchbook–a character Marshall himself created.

Marshall is quickly convinced these strange incidents have something to do with his best friend, Cooper, who has gone missing. Together with Cooper’s beautiful but aloof sister, Sydney, Marshall searches for the truth about his friend while ultimately uncovering a nightmare that is bigger and more frightening than he ever could have imagined.

Three Quick Points About Morpheus Road: The Light

• Point 1: More of a creepfest than a gorefest. Although I’d definitely place this book in the horror category, there’s a relatively small amount of blood and guts.
• Point 2: So. Much. Tension. It just didn’t stop. Right when you think all is well–BAM!–something else jumps out at you.
• Point 3: There’s a mystery begging to be solved. Too bad the second book isn’t out yet, because (and I can’t believe I’m going to say this…) OMG I can’t wait for it!

My Thoughts on Morpheus Road: The Light

(Below are my thoughts on the book. If you want a full rundown of the story, you can read the story summary, but be warmed: it includes spoilers.)

I actually kept flipping the last page back and forth hoping there would be more. I was hoping that by some miracle, the last page would transform into the second book in the series so I could continue because there was a huge teaser that left me bug-eyed and slack-jawed. But let me back up.

The story is narrated in Marshall’s own voice. He’s a somewhat idyllic sixteen year old who still plays video games, reads comic books—oops graphic novels, as he would correct—and builds model spaceships. On the surface he was somewhat immature, but it worked for him. He was a good kid through and through, though some would call him a geek through and through.

However, his best friend Cooper is his complete opposite. Cooper is a lady’s man, risk-taker, and borderline bad boy. In the beginning, I didn’t really feel the chemistry between these two characters, but as the story progressed and I witnessed the lengths to which Marshall would go for his friend, it felt more natural.

Then there’s Sydney. Oh, Sydney. I’m used to seeing the angst-ridden and brooding hero in YA literature, but this time it’s an angst-ridden and brooding heroine. Sydney is snarky and unapologetic in her virulence. But as the story progressed, we get to see a different side to her. She truly did evolve as a character and I absolutely love the evolution of her relationship with Marshall. It actually felt like an organic part of the story.

As far as character development goes, this book did an excellent job of making the main characters (Cooper and Sydney) real; they were imperfect and made mistakes and grew from those mistakes, while (most of) the secondary characters, including the villains, had just enough personality to make them entertaining.

Where this book shone, though, was the tension. This isn’t the typical horror that has killer clowns climbing out from under the bed with a scythe to lop off heads. This is the kind of horror that makes you question your own sanity. You’re inside Marshall’s head as he’s experiencing weird happenings—blood that can’t be explained, his character coming to life, the ground opening up and swallowing a VW Beetle—and it doesn’t take long for you to start questioning what’s real and what’s not right along with thim. This book had my heart racing more than a few times.

It’s also fast-paced. There are sections that offer a brief respite, but before you’ve had a chance to fully catch your breath, you’re swept up again. Not only that, this book was actually funny. Even under all the pressure, Marshall still had a sense of humor. Granted, in some of his quips, he makes references to bands, celebrities, and television shows which might be foreign to the younger generation and might date the book in a few years, but it was tastefully done.

I’ll admit there were a few moments where this book slipped into cliché-land, but frankly, it’s more than forgivable. This is one of the better YA horror-thriller-suspense-with-a-dash-of-mystery-thrown-in books I’ve read in a while.

Slightly wild tangent: I have to point out that although this is the first book in a series, it had a complete story in itself with the promise of another, bigger one lurking around the bend. In fact, it was a single sentence in the Epilogue (which I can’t share because it would be a MASSIVE spoiler) that made me ask WTF happened and when is the second book being published?

Lately I’ve been noticing a trend where the first book in a series is basically a prequel with no self-contained story—like a set up where nothing actually happens—and it always irks me when I come across them (am I the only one who’s noticed this and is annoyed by it?), which is why I appreciate this tidbit about Morpheus Road: The Light.

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

Title: The Devouring
Author: Simon Holt
ISBN: 978-0-316-03573-6
Story Length: 231 pages
Genre: Young Adult

Back Cover of The Devouring

When dark creeps in and eats the light.
Bury your fears on Sorry Night.
For in the winter’s blackest hours
Comes the feasting of the Vours.
No one can see it, the life they stole.
Your body’s here but not your soul…

Three Quick Points About The Devouring

• Point 1: A bit chilling. At least, the beginning was. What would you do if some dark creature offered to eat your fears?
• Point 2: Mmmm, cheesy cliché filling. The entire middle section of the book is devoted more to shock value than fear factor.
• Point 3: Curiosity inducing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I’ve been brainwashed because I’m anxious to read the next installment.

My Thoughts on The Devouring

(Below are my thoughts on the book. If you want a full rundown of the story, you can read the story summary, but be warmed: it includes spoilers.)

Some parts were good, and some parts were lame, but something must have been done right because I have a burning desire to read the next book.

The story unfolded well. We get the back story on Regina and her family. Her mother left her along with her brother and father. No one knows what happened to her and their family hasn’t been the same since.

One way Regina copes is by drowning herself in scary stories and she’s managed to rope her little brother Henry into it by reading him scary bedtime stories. One of the stories was about entities called Vours.

Then, on Sorry Night, when Regina and Aaron, her best friend, decide to call a Vour, their plans go awry while Regina’s little brother is possessed.

I have to say, the unfolding of Henry’s devouring was downright chilling—that makes up the first quarter of the book. I was hoping the momentum would continue, but it petered out and the story became something straight out of a B horror movie.

Although Henry is acting differently (like people and pets dropping dead in his presence), neither Reggie nor Aaron wonder whether he’s possessed until well after any clear thinking person would have. But I was willing to forgive that.

What I had difficulty forgiving was the gore-for-scare effect filling out the story, some of the dialogue was pure cheesy cliché, and character development left much to be desired.

Call me jaded, but anyone who’s ever watched more than a few classic horror movies would see right through it—in fact, I laughed a couple times. I truly wish it had more of the creepy ominous effect displayed in the beginning, but if wishes were pennies, I’d be a millionaire.

But what has my panties in a bunch is the fact that I really, really want to read the next book. The Devouring ended at the beginning of a bigger mystery. It’s not to say that The Devouring wasn’t a full story in and of itself—it was—but the story left me wondering: Who is Eben really? What are the Vours? And what is their plot?

That’s why this book was so difficult to rate. On one hand, a chunk of the story I would consider lame in the horror department, relying more on gore than suspense with gore, but on the other hand, it did an amazing job of painting a larger story and piquing curiosity. So, with that in mind, I’m middle of the road.

Rating: Get It Used [solid C] (?)

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] (?)