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Book Review : We Hear The Dead by Dianne Salerni

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“When given a choice between money and the good opinion of society, a lady must always choose her reputation.”

– Dianne K. Salerni, We Hear The Dead

 

Synopsis: It started out as a harmless prank. But soon enough, spiritualism was the fastest growing movement of the nineteenth century, and Maggie Fox was trapped in a life of deceit. 

Meticulously researched by the author, We Hear the Dead reveals the secret of how the Fox sisters faked their rapping sounds and their motives for inventing the séance and founding spiritualism. 

 

I won this book from the Dianne K. Salerni during the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop and I’m glad I did. If I hadn’t  I don’t think I would ever picked this book up. For some reason, I was wary of independent and small book publishers and was surprised by We Hear The Dead. It is a thoughtful and thorough novel with an interesting story to tell….

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Book Review : All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

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“Daddy always said you only explained things to the people that actually mattered.” 

― Gabrielle Zevin, All These Things I’ve Done

Synopsis : In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city’s most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.’s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she’s to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight–at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family. 

Anya Blanchaine is  the daughter of a Russian mob boss, but she isn’t exactly Growing Up Gotti. All These Things I’ve Done is a novel comprised of  17-year-old Anya’s confessions.She has the world on her shoulders; having to take care of her ailing grandmother and siblings while trying to keep out of the notorious family business of selling chocolate–which has become illegal in 2083.

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Book Review : Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

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“Sometimes the only choice is between acceptance and madness.” 

 _ Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

“Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” 

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

 

I thought Clockwork Angel was excellent and as much as I didn’t want to compare it to The Mortal Instruments…I did.

But, let’s answer the banner question: Do I need to read The Mortal Instruments to understand Clockwork Angel? No. In fact, unless you just want to read them, I would skip TMI. You just can’t have the “Hey! It the thing/person/place from the thing !” moments. Don’t worry, in my opinion, it’s a fair trade.

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Book Review : The Hunger Games Trilogy

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“Destroying things is much easier than making them.”

– Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a complicated book series for me to review. I have to look at the trilogy for the forest and not for the trees. Upon closer inspection, the book has a lot of imperfections, but when you take it as an overall narrative tale it is probably one of the most unique young adult series in along time. This book is often mentioned along with Twilight, so I was expecting a Twilight like love triangle and plot, but that is a pretty much non-existent part of the series.

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Book Review : The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

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“Maybe there is hope in the fragments, that what is lost can always be filled in by someone who knows.”

– David Levithan, The Realm of Possibility

 

This  summer I read   Will Grayson,Will Grayson a novel co-written by David Levithan. I got it because I had recently become a fan of  John Green and to be honest I didn’t expect to like Levithan’s writing. However, within a few pages, I fell in love with it. He is an amazing writer. Levithan’s style is so unique and he is one of the few well known YA writers who is writing about gay and lesbian teens.

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Book Review : Want To Go Private ? by Sarah Darer Littman

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“I can be anyone I want to be when I’m online and I don’t even have to wear makeup.”

– Sarah Darer Littman, Want To Go Private ?

 

Synopsis:  Abby knows she’s not supposed to chat with random guys online. But Luke isn’t random, and he isn’t a stranger. Best of all, he really loves her. So what if she never goes out with her friends anymore and her grades are slipping? All she needs is Luke. Luke is her secret, and she’s his — it’s perfect that way. So when Luke suggests that they meet each other in person, Abby agrees. And then she’s gone. Missing. Without a trace. And everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don’t, they’ll never see Abby again…

No amount of  Law and Order:  SVU could have prepared me for how deeply disturbing this novel was for me at times. What starts off as a cute scene of best friends arguing over whether Aragon or Legalos is cuter quickly turns into something much darker and more emotional.

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