Return to Paradise

Quick Plot: It's a Sequel, and also-- I'm guessing-- the conclusion to a story. Caleb Becker is living on his own and is in a lot of trouble-- because after all, he's a trouble maker (isn't he?) He's given a last chance at redemption, and of course there he encounters the problems he tried to leave behind-- namely Maggie. She limps back into his life and suddenly Caleb has to deal with his problems. All of his problems.

Okay-- I think this book is okay. Not the worst, not the best. I felt that Ms. Elkeles did get the emotion of teenage life correct. yes, it's raw and yes, it's neurotic. Yes, you always love who you shouldn't and things always seem simpler for other people. I also felt though that she was trying a touch too hard to push a message. Don't get me wrong, irresponsible drinking has gotten many a person (underage or otherwise) in lots of trouble, and maybe it's because I'm not a teenager, but I found myself at points rolling my eyes. I wanted a story, not a lecture. So despite the fact that I have the first novel in this series, I'm going to skip it. I'm just not a fan of being lectured-- sorry.

R.

The Thin Executioner

Quick Plot: Jebel Rum is the youngest-- and smallest-- of three brothers, sons of Rashed Rum, the great executioner. Jebel has grown up in a society where "honor" is prized; brute strength is highly valued; and "justice" for all things-- from petty theft to the vilest murder-- is meted out with the loss of ones head.
Rashed Rum shames Jebel -- purposely or inadvertently is irrelevent-- and Jebel goes on a quest to regain his honor. Across an unfriendly land Jebel and Tel Hesani, a slave Jebel has taken with him to act as a sacrifice, travel to complete an impossible quest. They meet adversaries, evil men, and gods. Throughout this epic story, Jebel and Tel Hesani meet good people, fight for their lives, bargain with criminals, make deals with death, and toil in slavery.
Do they finish their quest? Are their lives spared/taken/destroyed??? Alas, i cannot be the person to write that spoiler. The magic of this book must be discovered I think.

This book was excellent. It's very close-in my humble opinion-to a must read. It's not an epic, but only in that it is not written in poetic verse. It is a story of a journey, it has otherworldly beliefs. It has criminality, it is really playful and yet at times dark. this book was exciting and hard to put down. I thourougly enjoyed it once I picked it up.
With The Thin Executioner that was the whole problem, picking it up. I almost didn't. I'm not a fan of horror-- I don't want to stay up all night worrying about psychopaths or creepy things, so when I saw this book, I'll admit, I judged this book by its cover-- and its title, and its font, and its large print back cover description (I didn't originally bother with the small print.) It looks like something that I would NEVER want to read. And while it is a tad masculine, it was definitely within the realm of my reading taste. I wish it had a different title, and a different cover-- without creepy red eyes. This is a book worth the time. With nods to classic literature, and a odyssian journey complete with the coming of age touches of Huck Finn, pick it up, read it-- just maybe find a book jacket not designed to scare your pants off.


R.

Sorta Like a Rock Star

Amber Appleton is homeless and poor-- she's living in a school bus for chrissakes. But she's positive and philanthropic, she's sweet and joyful, and deserves basically nothing that happens to her. She and her friends are misfits, but this is not a book about where she fits in-- not really. Instead it's a Job-esque tale of overcoming personal trials of the most difficult kind.

This book sorta rocks-- and then sorta doesn't.

The story is fabulous (spoiler warning...) This girl is poor and tortured. Homeless and yet finding ways to deal with the struggle of not appearing to be homeless. Hungry, and finding ways of dealing with finding food. Outcast-- and yet finding a place among the outcasts. Hers is not a struggle to identify with-- instead it's one to observe and hope to never be a part of. When Mr. Quick kills off Amber's mother, it's horrifying-- slightly unexpected, but not really. And watching Amber's character deal with this grave blow forces forward the readers empathy and forces a need for her to overcome this that is difficult to bring forward. As a reader I am at once sympathetic and hopeful, devastated and joyful, upset and riveted.

The drawback is the character's voice. The unfortunate thing about Amber's voice is that it's something that the reader has to get past in order to read the story. Mr. Quick has this fabulous story and placed it in this bizarre first person. It's like reading a story narrated by Naruto (yeah-- I just referenced Naruto.) I can't even imagine a real person talking like that. When she mentioned that she was in a class for learning how to cope with difficulties and learning to fit in-- I started to think she was the one with mental deficiencies-- not the other characters in her band of misfits. I suppose you can't really have a significantly different second edition of a novel, but if you could-- this would be one where the voice just needs to sound a little more normal. Sorta like a real person.

All in all, it's a story worth reading. This book is one that sticks with you-- I'm not sure if it's because of the shear horror (social, societal, and criminal horror,) or perhaps because I keep asking myself why did he write it that way, or perhaps because at the end of it all she's a modern day Job. Regardless, despite the fact that I want to get this girl some classes in elocution, I have hope for this hopeful character.

R.

Immortal Beloved Giveaway!

Yes, you too could be a lucky winner of a pre-publication advanced copy. I'm giving away one copy each of the books listed below. There will be two winners, each winner will receive one book:

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan-- Pub date 9/10

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes-- Pub date 11/10

To enter, just comment below and leave your name -- and your email address, so I know how to find you.

Extra credit (please let me know in your comment if you qualify for any of these):

+1 New followers

+2 If you're already a follower

+1 Tweeting this giveaway

+2 New follower on Twitter (@benjiru02)

+3 For posting about this giveaway on your blog.

+2 Add me to your blog roll

The contest will end on Friday, September 3rd at Noon. I'll be randomly selecting the winners from all the entries. I am happy to ship the copies of Immortal Beloved and Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes out to the winners. The Winners will be announced on Friday, September 10th . Good luck!

Guardian of the Gate

Quick Plot: This book jumps in where the other left off-- not really giving the reader a lot of space for understanding. In this sequel, Lia Milthorpe goes on a quest for help to end the prophecy that has killed her family and disrupted her life. She is actually traveling, and traveling on the plane at the same time. There are new love interests that conflict with old love interests, there is a new and mythical island world where everyone is-- yikes-- casual! In this novel it's the same story lines as the original, so there's not much new information about the characters, nor is there a lot of new information about what they're trying to do.

This is a book that can't stand on its own. As much as I'm enjoying this story line, in my opinion this is a big no no. The strengths of Prophecy of the Sisters; the development of the characters, the subtle energy of the book, the development of the relationships between characters-- the development of a villain. All of these things were so great in the Prophecy of the Sisters and they're so very weak in Guardian of the Gate. There are new characters introduced, but they are far more shallow than the characters we know. And having read the first book, some of the actions of the characters in this sequel are kind of...well-- unbelievable. The worst part is, having read the first installment of this series, I really really want to know more about the plot/ the characters, what's happening in this dark universe that was so masterfully set up in the first book. I guess this is just one of those situations where I will be forced to wait for the third installment. I hope it fills in some of the white space that Ms. Zink left in the Guardian of the Gate.

R.

The Daughters

Quick Plot: Lizzie is not a famous celebrity herself-- instead she is the unfortunate looking daughter of a supermodel. Her best friends are in similar situations, daughters of the super rich and famous. She hates being dragged around by her mother, and feels embarrassed with it to the point she is fed up and says something, well-- stupid. After that things change, and the changes bring with them questions and challenges that Lizzie wouldn't have ever expected while dodging cameras at fashion week.

Okay-- this book had a lot of good and a little OMG. So... for all those folks out there who are writing books. I understand the "write what you know" philosophy, but... If you're a famous celebrety daughter, don't write a book about a famous celebrity daughter writing about a famous celebrety daughter. Like seriously. The story was pretty solid except for that. The main caracter is interesting and quirky. The concept of being used for who your parents are versus who you are-- totally relatable to most folks. But would it have been so hard to make the character write about -- anything else in the world??? So my advice here-- read this book-- read the sequil (It should be pretty cool,) Just overlook these little things, they make for mild annoyances at best.

R.

Sisters Red

Quick Plot: It's an updated Little Red Riding Hood, complete with all the sexual implications of the original. Scarlet and Rosie March are sisters, normal enough girls except that they have watched their lives crumble around them as their grandmother was killed by a werewolf and they subsequently killed that werewolf, becoming hunters of the Fenris. In the book, scarlet is disfigured and obsessed. Scarred from the first werewolf she ever killed; obsessed now with killing other Fenris and preventing the spilling of innocent blood. Rosie is wistful for a life that was taken from her, and while concerned about hunting the Fenris, it is her sisters obsession, not hers. The march sisters know something is wrong and they follow the bloody trail out of the country and into Atlanta and the horrible truths and realizations that await them there.

Despite a truly terrible (and I mean horrible-- no good-- very bad) self promotional video, Jackson Pearce has delivered an excellent read. Sisters Red is frought with the emotional confusion and stress of growing from a child into an adult, coupled with the blood thirst of the Fenris and the stress of heroism. Knowing the history of the tale always made Little Red Riding Hood one of the darkest and most distressing fairytales. Because Sisters Red takes from that original tale it has the gravity of something that is both terrible and famliar.

R.

Infinite Days

Quick Plot: Lenah Beaudonte was a vampire. Now she's not. She's navigating high school life, breaking hearts, learning to drive, and making friends-- you know, normal high school girl stuff. Oh wait-- then she is a vampire again and then the most interesting character... dies--and I'm not talking about the vampire queen??? or is that a sequel plug (oh, let it be a sequel plug.)

This one is quick and enjoyable. I think the twist of the vampire turned human is interesting. There is a bit of belief suspension as the reader is expected to believe that the main character has been suspended for 100 years, but is able to suddenly pick up and behave normally enough in everyday life. A fun twist about this novel is that, as in the luxe series, it's always fun to hear a character wax on about old fashions. (I'm not being facetious.) Maybe it's girly of me, but I enjoy a good description of a dress, and shoes. I expect that this is a series, and look forward to reading the next one.

R.

13 Treasures

Quick Plot: Tanya is tormented by fairies that only she can see. They've been torturing her for her entire life-- seemingly only because she's the only one who can see them. She's plagued by questions about why her, what's so special, how can she make them go away. At her wits end, and not understanding that her daughter has a second sight, her mother sends Tanya away to live with her grandmother. This leads only to more problems with the numerous fairies about-- and questions, whose answers could change Tanya's life forever.

Bravo Ms. Harrison, you have created a fantasy realm which is near to tangible. The character Tanya is well evolved and believable. The reader is drawn through into her realm as she deals first with the horror that is her life and then the horrors which come with the answers to her questions. The fear of the character is palpable, as is the anticipation of what is to come. There are not a jumble of loose ends in this book-- just one. I enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to the sequel...13 Curses???

The Mockingbirds

Quick Plot: Alex, a Junior, is date raped at a coed boarding school. She opts not to tell anyone, (because of course the teachers wouldn't actually handle the problem, and no one wants police involvement) but instead allows her problem to be handled by: 1. her merry band of close friends, and 2. the schools unofficial honor society, The Mockingbirds.

I'm going to say right off the bat that I have issues with this book. The subject matter is so incredibly serious, sensitive, and frankly-- I think-- inappropriately handled. I understand that the author was date raped in college, I get that this kind of stuff is not at all limited to college campuses... I know that it is a topic that should be discussed, openly and honestly with young men and women so that they understand their rights, and the recourses of action open to them. I think Ms. Whitney was attempting to write a warning for young women to ease awareness and create a champion of justice for these types of situations-- I just don't think it was done particularly well for a few reasons. 1. The setting she chose was a high school, not a college. Why would this matter? Well it does, because in high school there are laws regarding minors that would come into play here. 2. It also matters because there is no high school teacher that thinks their students dukie smells of roses-- it's unrealistic to paint that portrait. (and kind of insulting to those teachers who have to deal with our powder-keg teenage youth) 3. It would also be illegal for a teacher to keep the knowledge that one student raped another to herself. Suggesting to teenagers that might find themselves in a situation wherein they should talk to the police, or at the very least an adult, that they should turn to an internal body to deal with something as serious as date rape-- or mutilation-- or bigotry, and that justice for that action could be quitting the water polo team, or some other extra curricular embarrassment is irresponsible. Date rape may be embarrassing, but it is not an embarrassment. It's an illegal action, and a kid who does that to another kid should be arrested, at the very least.

I only hope that teenagers who read this, read it for the fantasy that it is and don't try to emulate it in some way. Honor codes are great, but this concept is for the birds. My understanding is that there is a sequel coming soon. I hope this time Ms Whitey decided to do something where there is actually questionable recourse of action-- such as cyber-bullying.

R.

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes

Quick Plot: They're three girls, they're seventh graders and they all live on the seventh floor of a brooklyn building-- oh, and they're best friends. Over the course of a snowed in Valentines Day the girls evolve their friendship and learn to take fortune into their own hands.

Is the book good-- sure, I think it's a decent read. It's for the girl who is still reading the babysitters club series, but wants a challenge. The ideas in the book are cute-- fortune cookies which help people feel better about/create their own future; three close knit families completely in tact; an environment safe enough for tweens to run around in, in slippers; boys who are concepts, real enough to relate to the girl's obsessions; a building with lots of nooks and crannies--like a gym and laundry room-- with apartments which range from studios to four bedrooms(for lots of different types of people). My only issue at all is that this book is kind of like seventeen magazine, but it would be like 13 magazine. I'm just not sure how interested the average 10/11 year old would be in such a boy focused book. Of course maybe I'm just an old fogie ;-).

R.

Ship Breakers

Quick Plot: In a dystopian future, the polluted oceans have risen, there's extreme class segregation, it's survival of the fittest, and money rules the world-- no, but seriously, how is it different than today??? The wiry teenage boy Nailer is lucky--he's a survivor-- and he's honorable. He saves a wealthy girl--Nita-- from almost certain death.

The reader follows as Nita tries to reclaim her privileged life, and Nailer tries to find the direction of his against horrific odds.

This is a book worth reading. Its gritty look at a (who knows what's possible) future has significance with regard to our current culture. The feel of the book is at once both familiar and foreign, monopolizing on current truths and potential fears. As I read this book, I thought to myself yes-- I suppose this is a realistic, albeit dim, view. And while I hope that the future does offer more than body harvesting, drugs, abuse, malnutrition, dangerous jobs, and a general atmosphere of ruthlessness for the poor in this world; I applaud Mr. Bacigalupi for the dignity of his vision.

R.

Immortal Beloved

Quick Plot: An immortal, Nastasya (yeah-- she goes by Nasty, not sure how I feel about that...) sees her friend do some really messed up stuff one night and decides that she needs to change her immortal life. Long story short, she steals herself away to the middle of nowhere, meets some cool immortal people like her, decides to change her life, and learns a bundle of stuff about herself in the process...

What can I say... I like everyone else have been inundated lately by books dealing with all kinds of otherworldly issues. Trust me, I appreciate that Immortal Beloved is not about warewolves, or fairys or vampires-- well not technically.
I read this book yesterday, and the first 100 pages were kind of tough to get through. The prose was stilted. It seemed that the author wasn't really in touch with her character. Once she did find her, the story picked up. I'm extremely interested to see what happens with Nastasya, (though I hope there's a name change) and the original band of characters we are introduced to in this book. I'm a little upset that so little was resolved at the end of this book. I fear that is a trend though that will surely follow us through the next few years. The unresolved novel-- because surely there will be a sequel, or a trillogy is already planned, so it's okay to leave the story lines hanging.
All in all, I think that ms Tiernan did a good job in creating her less evil characters and I look forward to meeting them in future books. Hopefully then there will be some resolution and I won't be worried about her viscious imortals who are still running around, tricking me into leaving my own mortal life behind.



R.

Hi, and welcome to The Book Consumer.

I am an avid reader. Most people who know me, know that I'm always carrying around some book or another. I love to read, on paper or digitally. More than that, I'm a fast reader-- I don't skim, I'm just really quick. If a story is good, even if it's cheesy-- if it's well put together I'll get through it, and usually in less than a day. If I put a book down--just can't get through it-- (uh-oh) it probably sucks.
That's what I want to do with this blog, review the books that I read (sometimes as many as 5 a week.) Some are already on store shelves, some arent. Most are worth discussing in some way.