Posted in Reviews

REVIEW: “The Darkest Hour” by Caroline Tung Richmond

Posted on by Sarah S.

SPECS

Title: The Darkest Hour

Author: Caroline Tung Richmond

Page Count: 307

Genres: YA, historical fiction

SUMMARY

Never underestimate a pretty face.

My name is Lucie Blaise.

I am sixteen years old.

I have many aliases, but I am none of the girls you see.

What I am is the newest agent of the CO-7.

And we are here to take down Hitler.

After the Nazis killed my brother on the North African front, I volunteered at the Office of Strategic Services in Washington, DC, to do my part for the war effort. Only instead of a desk job at the OSS, I was tapped to join the Clandestine Operations — a secret espionage and sabotage organization of girls. Six months ago, I was deployed to German-occupied France to gather intelligence and eliminate Nazi targets.

My current mission: Track down and interrogate a Nazi traitor about a weapon that threatens to wipe out all of Western Europe. Then find and dismantle the weapon before Hitler detonates it. But the deeper I infiltrate, the more danger I’m in. Because the fate of the free world hangs in the balance, and trusting the wrong person could cause millions of lives to be lost. Including my own.

THE GOOD

I love spy stories. I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re such a fun and intriguing escapist genre. Perhaps I should blame that on the fact that I spent all of spring break binge-watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I’ve got exciting but unrealistic spy storylines on the brain, but still. This reminds me of a WWII-era version of “Gallagher Girls” (one of my favorite series when I was younger) – it has the same emphasis on female friendship, and there are just as many perilous spy antics and novel gadgets. The difference? Well, the time period, obviously, but also the tone. “The Darkest Hour” is a heavier book – it’s a war story (or at least set during a war – does that make it one? Idk), there’s a lot of killing (never incredibly gratuitous, but extremely sensitive readers probably would be bothered by it), and the characters are almost always in peril. It’s no secret that it’s a grittier story – WWII stories are rarely light – but it’s not ever so gritty that it loses its element of escapist excitement, so it works. That edge is kept at a good level and makes for a compelling page-turner. And the idea of a spy agency made up entirely of teenage girls? Undeniably awesome. I was getting Peggy Carter vibes from Lucie and co., which is always a win – this book actually sort of reminds me of a combination of the aforementioned Gallagher Girls novels and the dearly departed Agent Carter TV series. (Anyone remember that except me? It was SO GOOD.) That was a great combination, if not particularly deep – as explored below.

THE BAD

The characters leave a bit to be desired – there’s not a lot of emotional heft to the story. The strong plot largely makes up for it, but it would have been nice if a few of the characters had felt more real. It seemed as if the characters’ motivations were shown rather than actually displayed by their actions. In addition, it covers a lot of heavy topics without really going deep enough into any of them to be meaningful.

RATING 

Plot: 5/5 – riveting. This was a very plot-driven story and its tight storytelling and compelling narrative kept me invested throughout the book. It has a fascinating premise that never flags or loses steam.

Characters: 2/5 – they’re kind of flat. Though their motivations are explained, they’re never really demonstrated enough to have emotional impact.

Pacing: 5/5 – the story’s pace was quick and well-maintained.

Handling of Subject Matter: 5/5 – though it doesn’t really have much profound to say about WWII, a topic that nearly every book has something profound to say about, it doesn’t really need to. “The Darkest Hour” shines by giving a fresh look at the well-known events of WWII. There was, as the author explained in the author’s note, never a spy organization comprised mostly of teenage girls, but female spies played a very little-known role in the war that the fictional Covert Ops reflects. And, because she’s a teen like the ones this book is written for, Lucie’s struggles are at least somewhat relatable, no matter how far-fetched her experiences are to teens today.

Writing Quality: 4/5 – well-written, but the style wasn’t really a standout.

Message/Moral/Appropriateness for Audience: 5/5 – quite clean. Has several strong messages: courage, especially, is a big one, but it also touches on the themes of sacrifice, family, and the importance of commitment to a higher goal than your own desires. Plus, it’s got many strong, healthy female friendships, and most of the siblings in the book are/were very close and supportive of each other.

Overall: 4.33/5

 

Posted in Reviews

REVIEW: Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

Posted on by Sarah S.

Note: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be introducing a new post format here, because to be completely honest, I don’t really like my old one, so here goes.

SUMMARY 

Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea-at least, that’s what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you’re a boy with a boat.

But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about.
As her college decision looms, Rosa collides-literally-with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?

THE GOOD

As you’ll see in the following section, “Don’t Date Rosa Santos” isn’t a perfect book, but it’s absolutely packed with heart. I saw that especially in its depiction of the Cuban community in Port Coral, a vibrant Florida town. It’s clear that the author has a deep love of and respect for Cuban culture and communities, and that shines through again and again. The way the entire community is so supportive (and chismoso) and willing and able to band together to save its beloved marina made me hope that somewhere out there is a real Port Coral. THE VIEJITAS AND THEIR CONSTANT SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE GAVE ME SO MUCH LIFE. (I love them, and I want a bunch of old neighbors who run a gossipy Instagram page about each other now.) It almost seems like this is a love letter to Cuban culture and the value it places on relationships, and that was by far the best part of the book. It reminded me of that famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quote about “selling your heart” when you write; by infusing her own experiences (as explained in the acknowledgements, much of this novel was drawn from the author’s life) into her characters’ lives, Nina Moreno does just that.

It also explored the strain that cultural and generational barriers can place on relationships with grace and sensitivity. Abuela Mimi’s former life in Cuba is a subject Rosa has never really been allowed to approach, leaving her with unanswered questions that sometimes strain their relationship; Rosa’s fear of repeating her mother’s mistakes, which Mimi shares, puts them all through a great deal of strife; and throughout the book, it’s hard for them to communicate because all have experiences that the others just do not understand. Again, in the acknowledgements, Moreno states that she wanted to shine a light on the reality of diaspora and how it impacts the Cuban community in the United States – mission accomplished. Though I’m not Cuban and I’ve never had any experiences like the Santos family’s, I came away from “Don’t Date Rosa Santos” with a greater understanding of the unique pressures that having escaped from a totalitarian regime places on immigrant communities.

(Also, on a slightly lighter note, Alex is friggin’ adorable, Rosa’s overcoming her fears was fantastically triumphant while being realistically messy and difficult, I wanted to eat all of the food, and every single festival scene was incredibly fun. The post-gator kiss was a highlight.) 

THE BAD

In a lot of cases, it seemed like “Don’t Date Rosa Santos” succeeded more on a thematic/big-picture level than it did on a personal one. Rosa, while she was a sympathetic character, wasn’t a supremely compelling protagonist, and most of the supporting cast (aside from Alex, Mimi, and Liliana), however interesting, wasn’t explored in any depth. (That was understandable, even inevitable – there were so many characters that they literally could not have all been fleshed out – but it would have been nice if a few were.)

Plus, I’m not entirely sure what was up with the witchcraft angle. It could very well be a part of Cuban culture that I’ve never been exposed to, but if it isn’t, it was a little weird and random at times. It would come out of nowhere – almost every time something went wrong, someone was yelling for Rosa to get the materials to do a spell. Since a lot goes wrong in this book, this was frequent. And since the burgeoning popularity of witch stories is one of my least favorite trends in YA lit, that wasn’t my favorite. It may well be very prominent in Cuban communities, in which case it was included for the sake of realism, but if it isn’t, it was a little…gratuitous.

RATING 

All right, guys, new system! Instead of a flat rating, I’m going to be giving the book a rating out of 5 on each of the following categories. Average score is the final rating.

Plot: 4/5 – I didn’t really get what was up with the curse, but Rosa’s relationships with her family, the college decision, and the Spring Festival made for very strong sideplots.

Characters: 3/5 – meh, but not bad in any way.

Pacing: 5/5 – never too fast or too slow.

Handling of Subject Matter: 5/5 – this was the best by far, as explained already.

Writing Quality: 4/5 – it was very well-written, but the style wasn’t really a standout.

Message/Moral/Appropriateness for Audience: 3.5/5 – this book has less of a message/moral than it has social commentary, but it could certainly help readers who aren’t from diaspora communities to better empathize the struggles of those who are – that’s a very worthy moral in and of itself. On the appropriateness side, was pretty clean – there was scattered cursing but it was decidedly PG-13, the romance never got anywhere near steamy, and it only really got docked for the witchcraft stuff. Though it’s pretty clean, I wouldn’t recommend this to the younger end of the YA spectrum just because its themes are very mature – they’re not in any way inappropriate, but it covers heavy subject matter that could be hard to understand/relate to for younger readers. They might not like it much, although if they shared some of Rosa’s experiences, they’d probably be more likely to enjoy it.

Overall: 4.08/5

Posted in Uncategorized

REVIEW: “Love a la Mode” by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Posted on by Sarah S.

SPECS

Title: Love a la Mode

Author: Stephanie Kate Strohm

Page count: 322

Genre: YA

REVIEW

Take two American teen chefs, add one heaping cup of Paris, toss in a pinch of romance, and stir. . . . 
Rosie Radeke firmly believes that happiness can be found at the bottom of a mixing bowl. But she never expected that she, a random nobody from East Liberty, Ohio, would be accepted to celebrity chef Denis Laurent’s school in Paris, the most prestigious cooking program for teens in the entire world. Life in Paris, however, isn’t all cream puffs and crepes. Faced with a challenging curriculum and a nightmare professor, Rosie begins to doubt her dishes.
Henry Yi grew up in his dad’s restaurant in Chicago, and his lifelong love affair with food landed him a coveted spot in Chef Laurent’s school. He quickly connects with Rosie, but academic pressure from home and his jealousy over Rosie’s growing friendship with gorgeous bad-boy baker Bodie Tal makes Henry lash out and push his dream girl away.
Desperate to prove themselves, Rosie and Henry cook like never before while sparks fly between them. But as they reach their breaking points, they wonder whether they have what it takes to become real chefs.
Perfect for lovers of Chopped Teen Tournament and Kids Baking Championship, as well as anyone who dreams of a romantic trip to France, Love à la Mode follows Rosie and Henry as they fall in love with food, with Paris, and ultimately, with each other. 

I AM IN LOVE.

I saw this on Goodreads a while back but initially wasn’t planning on reading it, and the only reason I changed my mind was because it was on a display at my library and I was looking for anything decent to read that they had. I figured “why not?” and checked it out, since I knew I would need something to read on an upcoming flight.

BEST DECISION.

There are many, many things that I loved about this book: firstly, the food. All of the characters were crazy-passionate about food and the way they described it was mouthwatering. I wanted to eat everything they ate. And then there are the characters. Obviously, the book focuses on Rosie and Henry, who are both perfectly decent protagonists, but the supporting cast was what really made the book shine. Priya, Yumi, Marquis, Hampus, et. al. had me in stitches the entire book. (The majority of their appearances had me D Y I N G on a crowded airplane. I probably made myself look pretty bad.) They’re all quirky and fun and lend their own kind of humor to the story. 10/10 comic relief characters with substance. And lastly, Rosie was a smol and I adored her. I loved that she struggled – the fact that she wasn’t the best at everything made it seem a bit more real just how competitive this program was – and she reminds me a lot of myself. (She’s the mom friend, she gets super excited about the tiniest things, and she’s Lutheran, like me; I always freak out a little when I read something with a Lutheran character. Oddly enough, the only two books I’ve ever read with those both have protagonists named Rose…)

Anyway.

This wasn’t without its weaknesses, though. The love triangle subplot was as unnecessary as you’d expect it to be, and Henry and Rosie really, REALLY needed to have an honest conversation that they staunchly refused to have for, like, the entire duration of the book. That irritated me. But on the whole, this was a delightfully fluffy read and I regret none of the times I may have offended my fellow passengers with my cachinnations.

CLOSING

Six-Word Summary: name a problem that sugar can’t fix…

Recommended For: chefs/bakers/food enthusiasts of the world, younger readers (it’s almost entirely clean so it’s a good bet for the 12-14 range), anyone who liked “Love and Gelato” and wants to read something similar, wanderlusty types who like foreign settings

Possibly Objectionable Content: a little bit of language with two uses of the word “a**” and a French curse word (which most people probably wouldn’t notice unless they spoke French or googled it), and two instances of innuendo. On the whole, this is one of the cleaner YA novels I’ve read.

Rating: 5 out of 5 confused llamas

Posted in Reviews

Review: “You’d Be Mine” by Erin Hahn”

Posted on by Sarah S.

 

SPECS

Title: You’d Be Mine

Author: Erin Hahn

Page Count: 289

Genre: YA

REVIEW

Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things.

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen.

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.

This has been on my TBR for months and I had high hopes, expecting it (based on the summary and cover) to be an adorable country music rom-com. While “You’d Be Mine” has some merit, an adorable rom-com it is not. It’s incredibly dark, actually – it’s made quite obvious what fame can do to people and how that hurts those they care about – and it deals with some extremely heavy themes, as stated in the closing. There’s a reason for that, and it serves the story, but it didn’t make them any less disturbing to read about. That was not at all what I expected and, had I known how much adult content was in this book, I’d probably not have picked it up. It was a well-written and compelling book, but…dark. That’s all there is to it.

Let’s start with the positive: Annie, though very damaged, is a likable character who (mostly) tries to do the right thing; the concert scenes and song lyrics – anything that showed the characters’ passion for music – were earnest, real and enjoyable; and there are nice messages – it’s strongly communicated that no one, no matter what they’ve done, is truly beyond redemption. The fact that most of this book was so dark was somewhat alleviated by the fact that the characters’ bad choices usually aren’t glorified, and that the character with the biggest problems manages to turn his life around by the end. And, additionally, most of the characters visibly leaned on God in tough situations, which I appreciated (although it was sort of jarring in contrast to the tone of the book, which was anything but hopeful until the very end).

The negatives – which were mostly tied to the heavy themes – have already been covered in large part in virtually every other part of this review. But there were other small issues – the romance was incredibly unhealthy until Clay manages to turn his life around. I couldn’t really buy into the romance when it was so unhealthy, and since Clay and Annie were sort of the point of the book, that was…disappointing.

Overall, this was a complicated book – in parts earnest and real, in others dark and disturbing. Perhaps in that duality, “You’d Be Mine” is a reflection of the reality of fame that it expounds upon.

CLOSING

Six-Word Summary: 

Recommended For: fans of country music and stories that tackle intense themes.

Avoid If: any of the things in the below category would be distressing for you to read about.

Possibly-Objectionable Content: oh, boy…what DOESN’T this book have? To start with the “lighter”/less disturbing content, there is very frequent strong language, and everyone hooks up with everyone. On the heavier side, underage drinking is rampant; one character is borderline alcoholic and almost has a drug overdose; and another character’s parents committed suicide (offscreen, but the character talks about it infrequently). This is not a light or clean book by any means.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Confused Llamas

Posted in Reviews

REVIEW: “Duels and Deception” by Cindy Anstey

Posted on by Sarah S.

SPECS

Title: Duels and Deception

Author: Cindy Anstey

Page Count: 345

Genre: YA, romance, historical fiction

REVIEW: 

Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father’s choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.

Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won’t hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert’s help, Lydia strives to keep her family’s good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants…

What a surprise “Duels and Deception” was! I picked this up from the library because I had to finish checking out in ten minutes and this was the first thing I could find that seemed interesting. Obviously, I thought it sounded intriguing, but I didn’t expect what I got. This Regency romance is witty,  sweet, and immensely charming, and I spent a lovely few hours reading it.

That was due in large part to its principal characters, Lydia and Robert, both of whom were adorable smol beans. They were both extremely likable characters in their own right – Lydia was smart and independent, and both were genuinely kind people who had good heads on their shoulders – and their chemistry was excellent. Their puppy-dog crushing was adorable and, as much as it drove me crazy, the will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic really worked. And there was just enough drama and scandal (though still relatively tame) to give the story spice and interest.

On the whole, “Duels and Deception” is a charming, light, quick read that will appeal to anyone with an interest in historical fiction. It had sort of a Jane Austen-lite feel: same will-they-or-won’t-they romance, same comedy of manners, same witty writing, but with more modern language, which makes it significantly less challenging to read. That could either be very appealing or  turn-off, depending on your point of view; personally, I liked that it had the feel of a Jane Austen novel without the dense language. If that sounds like your cup of tea (British stereotype pun not intended), I would highly recommend this book.

CLOSING

Six-Word Summary:  Jane Austen-lite…with slow burn.

Recommended For: fans of historical fiction/historical romance, or anyone who wants to read a light, fun Regency romance without the difficult language of the classics of that era.

Possibly-Objectionable Content: there is a lot of ogling of lips here, but that’s about it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Confused Llamas

Posted in Year of Classics

Year of Classics, April 2019: Rebecca

Posted on by Sarah S.

SPECS

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Page Count: 386 (not counting the epilogue or any additional content included)

Challenge Prompt: a classic romance

THOUGHTS:

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives–presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

I was very ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, the last 100-ish pages were utterly riveting, and the writing was absolutely gorgeous. But the first 300-ish pages were utterly dull. Nothing at all seemed to happen and our narrator (who didn’t even have a name!) was one of the more boring characters I’ve encountered. She did absolutely nothing, had zero personality beyond her crippling insecurity, and spent the entire book lamenting about her husband’s dead first wife. It got rather old after nearly 300 pages of “WOE IS ME, I’M IRRATIONALLY CONVINCED THAT MY DEAR HUSBAND (who is old enough to be my father, by the way!) IS STILL IN LOVE WITH HIS DEAD WIFE!”. And Narrator’s descriptions of her lack of belonging in her new life were so painfully relatable that I couldn’t enjoy the long stretch of the book that it populates. After the big twist (I won’t reveal it here; feel free to Sparknotes it if you’re curious) at about the 3/4 point of the book, things started to pick up veeery quickly. Granted, it still wasn’t exactly rip-roaring action, but I was just thrilled that anything at all was happening. So that was good. So was the writing – du Maurier’s prose is lovely, and her ability to capture the essence of a setting is almost unparalleled.

But…overall, this was kind of a drag.

CLOSING

Deserving of Classic Status?: most likely, if only for the quality of its writing.

Rereading Potential: many will probably give “Rebecca” the highest marks in this category; for fans of gothic novels and other such things, it’s certainly a well-written one. But I didn’t enjoy enough to put it above “moderate.”

Recommended If: you like gothic novels, slow-paced, contemplative stories, well-realized settings, and beautiful prose.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Confused Llamas

Posted in Reviews

Review: Prom-Wrecked by T.H. Hernandez

Posted on by Sarah S.

I received an advance copy of “Prom-Wrecked” from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

SPECS

 

Title: Prom-Wrecked

Author: T.H. Anderson and Jennifer DiGiovanni

Genre: YA, Romance

REVIEW

Their prom night ended in a jail cell with forty of their closest friends. But that’s hardly the worst thing that happened to them…

When the principal announces prom is canceled this year, senior Riley Hart is determined to save it. Armed with little more than her own enthusiasm, she ends up working closely with Owen Locklear, who is more than completely off-limits. Because he’s the boyfriend of her ex-BFF, Catherine Reed. Still, Owen knows Riley better than almost anyone, and his charming ideas for turning the prom upside-down and backward win Riley over.

Then they lose their deposit. Twice. And book a band full of octogenarians. And don’t even get her started on the act of God that takes down their venue…

Riley will have an unforgettable teenage experience, damn it, if it’s the last thing she does…

I will be honest, I mostly requested this book off of NetGalley out of boredom. I didn’t know if I’d like it much but thought it sounded mildly amusing, so when I found myself genuinely enjoying it, I was pleasantly surprised. Prom-Wrecked doesn’t have a lot to say – it tries in a few instances to send a message, but it’s actually far better at doing so when it doesn’t appear to be trying – but it’s fun, sort of like the book equivalent of a rom-com. All of the characters are quite lovable and real (save the villain, an evil cheerleader of the mustache-twirling variety), and it has a subtle but sweet message about forgiveness and learning from past mistakes. This is told in dual narratives – one Riley’s, focusing on prom and her crush on Owen, and the other Catherine’s, focusing on her struggles to break free of her mother’s iron grip – and that actually works to its benefit, which is unusual, as contrasting voices usually just make a story harder to follow. More on that later.

This book’s greatest strength, as with any good rom-com, is its humor. Riley and co.’s bumbling adventures in prom-planning were often times uproarious – everything that can conceivably go wrong does in absolutely hilarious fashion (in that, it sort of reminds me of Save the Date, which I also reviewed). I was in stitches by the end, when *SPOILER* half of the cast ends up in a spectacular round of fisticuffs on the dance floor at prom, sets the venue on fire, and is collectively arrested *SPOILER*. That was what made this so enjoyable to read – bad things happening to likable people is funnier here than perhaps it should be.

As I mentioned before, “Prom-Wrecked” follows two stories, Catherine’s and Riley’s; Riley’s is far and away the more humorous, honing in on prom mishaps rather than melodrama. I want to focus here on Catherine’s, because, although it is more serious, it’s extremely sweet. Her story focuses more on emotional struggles than Riley’s does, but by the end of her narrative, Catherine has found the courage to stand up to her controlling mother and admit her mistakes in order to repair a long-broken friendship, sending a genuinely sweet message about honesty and forgiveness. It’s got mildly salty content, but even for that, “Prom-Wrecked” is…well, pure. Its messages and themes are incredibly wholesome, though its characters act as realistic teens would (not always for the best). And although it isn’t particularly profound, “Prom-Wrecked” will leave you with a warmer heart than you went in with.

CLOSING

Six-Word Summary: Murphy’s Law applies to proms, too…

Recommended For: anyone looking for a light, fun, amusing read – perhaps to pass a few hours on a plane or long drive?

Avoid If: you would rather read a book with something incredibly profound to say about life, society, etc.

Possibly-Objectionable Content: scattered vulgar language, a few detailed kisses, underage drinking, and about two allusions to adult situations.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Confused Llamas

Posted in Reviews

REVIEW: White Rose by Kip Wilson

Posted on by Sarah S.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Granted, this book comes out tomorrow, so it isn’t that much of an advance, but still.)

SPECS

Title: White Rose

Author: Kip Wilson

Genre: YA, historical fiction, prose

REVIEW

When I saw a listing for a YA book about the White Rose Society on NetGalley, I nearly lost it. This story is incredibly dear to my heart because a few months back I had the opportunity to play the role of Sophie Scholl in my school’s production of a play (this one – it isn’t entirely accurate, but it’s an excellent dramatization) about the White Rose Society. That show was hands-down my favorite one that I’ve ever been in and I was immensely inspired by the story of those incredible students, so there was almost no way I wasn’t going to love this book.

Though I knew I’d love the story itself, the style in which it was written was an unexpected plus. “White Rose” is written in verse, which is a style I don’t often read and wouldn’t expect to jibe very well with a story like this, but it worked. The stylistic freedom that writing in verse allows worked very well for this story; in many cases, it made for greater emotional impact, as spacing and punctuation could be used for emphasis moreso than they would be in a traditional novel. And I loved the flashback format – both because it let the author paint a richer picture of Sophie and because that is the same format in which “Antigone in Munich,” the play I was in, was written. (I have to wonder if that’s coincidental or not.) Many of the flashback scenes were also used, to some extent, in the play, and seeing references to events I remembered acting out always made me smile. (I had to grin my face off whenever Fritz and Sophie were on-page together remembering the way the audience hollered when I had to stage-kiss the actor playing Fritz…to give one example.) I don’t want to let my personal experience overtake this review, but the fact that I knew the story so well was a key portion of the reason I enjoyed it: revisiting this story is always like seeing an old friend.

Even if you are not, and I assume you aren’t, in my position of having a strong personal connection to the White Rose story, there is a lot to love about “White Rose” – its prose is beautifully worded but impactful, its characterization minimalistic (this is a perfect example of “show, don’t tell” – we’re not told anything; we simply watch events unfold through Sophie’s eyes) but effective, and its story timeless and incredibly important. The story of the White Rose Society first captured my heart because it’s so inspiring – anyone could do what they did if they had the conviction and could muster up the courage – and that translates well here. “White Rose” is effective because it conveys without fail what makes its source material so compelling. That’s what makes a great historical novel.

CLOSING: 

Recommended For: anyone, really. This is an important story, and “White Rose” tells it incredibly well.

Avoid If: reading a book about Nazis and/or one that touches on human brutality would cause you undue emotional strain.

Possibly-Objectionable Content: one scene alludes vaguely to an adult situation, another to drug use…ish (while making leaflets, the White Rose members use pills designed to help soldiers stay awake to pull an all-nighter). One use of the word “s–t.”

Rating: 5 out of 5 Confused Llamas

Posted in Reviews

Review: “Can’t Beat the Chemistry” by Kat Colmer

Posted on by Sarah S.

NOTE: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

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SPECS

Title: Can’t Beat the Chemistry

Author: Kat Colmer

Genre: YA

To Be Released: April 20, 2019

REVIEW

Ionic and covalent bonds are a piece of cake for MJ. But human bonds are a little harder …

There are only two things MJ wants in her final year of high school:

1) Glowing grades and …

2) to convince uber-smart, chiselled-jaw Jason they’d be a winning team outside the science lab as well as in.

Tutoring deadbeat drummer, Luke, isn’t part of the plan. After all, he has average intelligence, takes disorganised notes and looks like a partied-out zombie at their study sessions! Not even his taut biceps will win MJ over.

But MJ learns that she could be tutored in a few life lessons too: That sometimes there’s good reason to skip chemistry tutorials. That intelligence is so much more than a grade average.

And that sometimes you can’t beat the chemistry.

“Can’t Beat the Chemistry” was a not-unwelcome break from the weightier nonfiction I’ve been reading lately: i’s light, fluffy, and incredibly quick (I’m not sure of the page count, but I read it in only a few hours). It wasn’t spectacular, but I enjoyed it enough.

This book’s main defect, which might be a detractor for other readers, was how utterly unlikeable the protagonist, Mackenzie “MJ” Olsen-Wang, started off. She’s portrayed as off-the-charts smart and hardworking, but that comes with a shocking lack of social graces and a superior attitude that drove me nuts at first. Granted, she grows significantly and that’s where most of the story’s emotional punch lies, so there is a reason that she has to start that way. But in the half of the book it takes for MJ to mature, her supercilious attitude got on my nerves. I liked the love interest, Luke, quite a bit more – his passion for helping special needs students, musical skills, and commitment to his family were incredibly sweet – but before he and MJ learned more about each other, his characterization was rather flat. And the supporting cast was rather two-dimensional. There was no character whose characterization interested me from beginning to end, and that was perhaps the story’s weakest point.

Really, the second half of the book is what really shines. The opening one (I’d guess it would be about 150 pages) is a bit flat, repetitively hashing out the same painful discourse between MJ and the people in her life. Once she spends the weekend with Luke, the book picks up speed. That’s where all of the endearing parts of Luke’s characterization, and the struggles that begin to justify MJ’s flaws, take the spotlight. From there on out, it was less of a painfully prickly series of interactions between characters who clearly aren’t communicating well (I know that was the intention, but it was not pleasant). The romance really built up momentum in the second half, too. From there on out, it was a quick read, and one of which I genuinely wanted to know the resolution.

Though it was not spectacular, Colmer’s “Can’t Beat the Chemistry” is a light, sweet, and surprisingly meaningful read, and a worthy use of a few spare hours.

CLOSING

Six-Word Summary: people & chemistry are full of surprises.

Recommended For: fans of light, fluffy contemporary stories with a moral backbone.

Avoid If: you can’t deal with characters who start off unlikeable.

Possibly-Objectionable Content: scattered uses of vulgar language. A good half of the parents in this book are either unhealthily controlling or overtly abusive.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Confused Llamas

Posted in Year of Classics

Year of Classics, February 2019: White Nights

Posted on by Sarah S.

SPECS

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Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Page count: 51(!)

Challenge Prompt: a classic by an author whose work you dislike

THOUGHTS

White Nights, is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky that was published in 1848. Set in St. Petersburg, this is the story of a young man fighting his inner restlessness. A light and tender narrative, it delves into the torment and guilt of unrequited love. Both protagonists suffer from a deep sense of alienation that initially brings them together. A blend of romanticism and realism, the story appeals gently to the senses and feelings.

Before I read White Nights, all I’d ever read of Dostoevsky was “Crime and Punishment,” which I absolutely despised. I read the last 313 pages (which I remember only because they were so painful) in a single, miserable car ride – thirteen hours in 106-degree California heat, driving in a car with no air conditioning and poor ventilation. (Pure hell, by the way.) So I thought, naturally, that I didn’t like his work. So, when I chanced to stumble across a description of “White Nights” somewhere on the interwebs, I was intrigued. What was this? A Dostoevsky novella that seemed genuinely interesting?

I knew immediately what I had to choose for this prompt. And though I still hate “Crime and Punishment,” and will probably not be reading “The Brothers Karamazov” anytime soon, I must admit that I misjudged Dostoevsky. This obscure little novella is an absolute gem.

The main reason I loved “White Nights” so was because of its characters. I can’t overstate it enough, really, how much I adored them. The nameless protagonist, a young man so caught up in his daydreaming (he should probably have seen a psychologist about that) that he can no longer function in society to an extent, is an absolute smol. I know I’m supposed to take classic lit as seriously as a heart attack and never, EVER use fandom speak, but it’s just a fact. He is a smol. Case in point: he talks to houses, and spends the first several pages recalling how distraught he became when the owners of a house he considered a particular friend repainted it an ugly color. This would be very worrisome in real life, but in a book? Adorable. I love him. And Nastenka…oh, Nastenka, you poor, repressed darling. I was about to chuck the book across my room at the end because dang it, *SPOILERS* Nastenka deserves better than a crochety old dude. Nastenka deserves nothing less than our narrator, Maladaptive Daydreamer and Friend of Domestic Residences. I’m mad. *SPOILERS* Not to mention the fact that it’s, at its core, an unrequited love story and a love letter to the city of St. Petersburg – two things that I loved about it. Just…yes. And the way our narrator said things was…*swoon.* HE TALKS LIKE I TALK, AND NO ONE DOES THAT IN REAL LIFE. DO Y’ALL HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THAT? Probably not, but no worries. Just know that I do.

However, a word of warning: if you’re not won over by that glowing review, you definitely won’t be won over by the massive walls of uninterrupted text that make up most of the book. Short it may be, but it is also incredibly dense. The narrator is quite long-winded. That wasn’t a drawback for me, but many people hate that style, and I completely understand why.

CLOSING

Deserving of Classic Status?: A MILLION TIMES OVER, YES. I have quite a bit of personal bias because of how much I fell in love with the characters, but still.

Rereading Potential: high, for me at least. It’s an endlessly lovable story and so short that it isn’t much of a time commitment to revisit. However, some may find the blocks of text (we’re talking uninterrupted two-page lines of dialogue) to be so daunting and/or painful that they aren’t worthwhile. I’d understand that perspective, as much as I loved this.

Recommended If: you’re a dreamer at heart, you love almost unrealistically quirky characters, or you’re looking for a quick but substantial read.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Confused Llamas

NOTE: This story is in the public domain, which means that there are several ways to read it free of charge. One is as an online PDF (link below); Amazon’s Kindle store also has a free ebook of Dostoevsky short stories that includes White Nights. I chose to read a print copy, but am attaching a link for your viewing pleasure: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36034/36034-h/36034-h.htm