I had a hard time deciding what to review today so I thought I do a few YA mini-reviews. I decided to review some of the more recent books that have been released this year. All of these books are now published and can be found either in your libraries or local bookstore. Today I'll be reviewing Fracture by Megan Miranda, Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay, and Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley.
Description (from Goodreads): Eleven minutes passed
before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by
her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating.
Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied
medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney
to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange
sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to
the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?
Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?
Review: Of all the 2012 debut YA and middle grade novels, I was really excited to read Fracture. The book was marketed to fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, both book with I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, Fracture doesn't come close to either books nor does it satisfy on a paranormal romance or magical realism level either because it tries to do both at the same time.
Delaney should have died when slipped into the icy water, but she survived and now seems to have this strange ability. Her ability isn't explained, but it has to do with identifying people who are close to dying or who are dying. The majority of the book is Delaney coming to terms of with her ability and whether or not to use her 'power' for good.
The romance in Fracture is more disappointing than the lack of the paranormal explanation. It is of the "we're friends but I want to be more but I'm afraid to tell you/ I can't believe it was in front of me and I never knew" variety. Delaney flounders between her best friend Decker and a slightly older guy named Troy who seems to have similar abilities. Both love interests were boring and I grew frustrated with the story. Overall, really disappointed with this one and felt duped by the marketing strategy.
Rating: 2 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong language, underage drinking, and some heavy make-out scenes. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.
If you like this book try: The Mark by Jen Nadol, The Vision by Jen Nadol, and if you're looking for more a paranormal mystery/suspense with romance try the Waked trilogy by Lisa McMann, Numbers by Rachel Ward, Slide by Jill Hathaway, or the Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting
Description (from Goodreads): "Love and Leftovers" is a powerfully
written debut novel that chronicles one teen's journey navigating
family, friends, and love.
Review: I had no idea that Love and Leftovers was a novel in verse when I opened the book, which was a delightful surprise. I think the format works well for the story as words were carefully chosen to express the emotions of the characters.
Love and Leftovers covers the wide spectrum of love, both familial, between friends, and mates. When Marcie's father reveals he is bisexual and leaves her mother for another man, Marcie and her depressed mom move from Idaho to a family summer home in New Hampshire. What follows is a series of misunderstandings, mistakes and trying to figure out what exactly is it means to love and be loved. While the book is not groundbreaking in its plot, I really liked the way the author manages to depth with her ability, in just a few and pitch-perfect words, to palpably express both the emotions of love and the physical longings that go along with it.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language and frank discussion of sex. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.
If you like this book try: What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Description (from Goodreads): Senior year is over, and
Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find
Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the
city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue
sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone
she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a
party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward
date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow,
they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy
can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.
Review: Graffiti Moon is the perfect summer read. The characters are fabulous, flawed and real each dealing with their own problems, some of which mirrors our own. With equal amounts of humor, introspection, and romance, Graffiti Moon was a delightful read. I loved the slow development of Ed and Lucy's relationship throughout the book as they learned about each other as well as themselves. While I did like Poe's section, which was written in verse, I felt it was sort of out of place and tacked on to the story. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a quick yet fulfilling contemporary romance read.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong language, underage drinking, frank discussion of sex. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.
If you like this book try: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist or Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan, The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
Description (from Goodreads): Eleven minutes passed
before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by
her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating.
Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied
medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney
to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange
sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to
the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?
Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?
Review: Of all the 2012 debut YA and middle grade novels, I was really excited to read Fracture. The book was marketed to fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, both book with I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, Fracture doesn't come close to either books nor does it satisfy on a paranormal romance or magical realism level either because it tries to do both at the same time.
Delaney should have died when slipped into the icy water, but she survived and now seems to have this strange ability. Her ability isn't explained, but it has to do with identifying people who are close to dying or who are dying. The majority of the book is Delaney coming to terms of with her ability and whether or not to use her 'power' for good.
The romance in Fracture is more disappointing than the lack of the paranormal explanation. It is of the "we're friends but I want to be more but I'm afraid to tell you/ I can't believe it was in front of me and I never knew" variety. Delaney flounders between her best friend Decker and a slightly older guy named Troy who seems to have similar abilities. Both love interests were boring and I grew frustrated with the story. Overall, really disappointed with this one and felt duped by the marketing strategy.
Rating: 2 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong language, underage drinking, and some heavy make-out scenes. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.
If you like this book try: The Mark by Jen Nadol, The Vision by Jen Nadol, and if you're looking for more a paranormal mystery/suspense with romance try the Waked trilogy by Lisa McMann, Numbers by Rachel Ward, Slide by Jill Hathaway, or the Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting
Review: I had no idea that Love and Leftovers was a novel in verse when I opened the book, which was a delightful surprise. I think the format works well for the story as words were carefully chosen to express the emotions of the characters.
Love and Leftovers covers the wide spectrum of love, both familial, between friends, and mates. When Marcie's father reveals he is bisexual and leaves her mother for another man, Marcie and her depressed mom move from Idaho to a family summer home in New Hampshire. What follows is a series of misunderstandings, mistakes and trying to figure out what exactly is it means to love and be loved. While the book is not groundbreaking in its plot, I really liked the way the author manages to depth with her ability, in just a few and pitch-perfect words, to palpably express both the emotions of love and the physical longings that go along with it.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language and frank discussion of sex. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.
If you like this book try: What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Description (from Goodreads): Senior year is over, and
Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find
Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the
city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue
sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone
she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a
party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward
date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow,
they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy
can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.Review: Graffiti Moon is the perfect summer read. The characters are fabulous, flawed and real each dealing with their own problems, some of which mirrors our own. With equal amounts of humor, introspection, and romance, Graffiti Moon was a delightful read. I loved the slow development of Ed and Lucy's relationship throughout the book as they learned about each other as well as themselves. While I did like Poe's section, which was written in verse, I felt it was sort of out of place and tacked on to the story. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a quick yet fulfilling contemporary romance read.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong language, underage drinking, frank discussion of sex. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.
If you like this book try: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist or Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan, The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
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YAY! So glad you loved Graffiti Moon too Rummanah! I just adored that one, Lucy and Ed were such great characters I thought:) I'm disappointed in Fracture, I had hoped the romance would be a bigger part of that one - I can tell I would be screaming at the two of them to just let the other one know how they felt! Thanks for all the fantastic mini reviews!
I have to say that I also loved Graffiti Moon. I was surprised that I liked it so much!
Too bad about Fracture. I was hoping that would have been a good book. :(
I loved GM, too! But I think you're right about Poet's section seeming a bit out of place.
And I've been curious about L&L since spotting the adorable cover. Glad to know that even though it's nothing new, the author makes the story memorable.
I loved the relationship between Ed and Lucy in Graffiti Moon. I know nothing about art, but I still really enjoyed it.
It's too bad Fracture was disappointing for you and didn't live up to its marketing. If I Stay and Before I Fall are two books I've loved so I'll probably skip reading Fracture.
The only one of these I've read is Graffiti Moon and I loved it! I totally agree with your assessment of it! It was a wonderful story.
I love mini reviews! I haven't read a novel in verse, yet. I need to see one in the store to know if I'll enjoy it. What does it mean in verse? Does it rhyme? Does it feel contrived?
Heather