REVIEW: After Dark by James Leck

Title: After Dark
Author: James Leck
Format: E-ARC
Publication: August 1st 2015 by Kids Can Press
Source: Publisher via Netgalley (thank you Kids Can Press and Netgalley!)
Genre: Fiction—Contemporary, Horror, Humor, Paranormal
Other classifications: Young Adult

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Fifteen-year-old professional slacker Charlie Harker can’t believe his bad luck. On the first day of the summer holidays, his mom springs the worst news: they’re moving to the sleepy town of Rolling Hills to restore Charlie’s great-grandfather’s old inn. Summer is supposed to be about lazy days spent by the pool, sipping ice-cold lemonade. Manual labor and early mornings were definitely not on Charlie’s to-do list. Things go from bad to weird when his new neighbor Miles Van Helsing runs screaming out of the night, insisting that he’s being chased by “humanoid creatures.” Charlie chalks it up to Miles being the town nutcase. But it soon becomes clear that something’s not right in Rolling Hills. A mysterious illness seems to be spreading through town. At first it seems harmless enough, but the number of infected people keeps growing—and what might be a simple headache by day becomes something entirely different when the sun goes down …

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work. Wry and engaging, After Dark pokes fun at tropes of the genre with irreverent tone and a smart-alecky protagonist.

Tenth-grader Charlie Harker is so ready for summer, a “time for sleeping and swimming and watching three really bad horror movies back to back to back.” But Ma has a better idea: move to the old hick town of Rolling Hills and renovate the family’s decrepit inn. And right on Charlie’s first night, he meets Miles Van Helsing, the town’s resident conspiracy nut. As the two spend more time together, Charlie begins to suspect that Rolling Hills, after all, might not be too boring. Nor safe. Leck’s latest novel finds its strength in its MC. Nothing gets me to stick to a book better than an interesting character and Charlie is exactly that and some. He’s hilarious and endearing and curious but also afraid and lazy. He’s a person. The author triumphantly mixes sarcasm with sincere dopiness.

“Seeing those tracks made my bladder ache. If the Baxters showed up now, I was going to need a new pair of pants.”

After Dark also benefits from its self-awareness. It owns its ridiculousness, and that’s the most amusing part next to the narrative voice. Almost every investigation Charlie and Miles undertake—ironically yet effectively juxtaposed with commentaries from the former—often ends up being an episode of the horror movie Charlie mocks. It would be tacky except our hero is very tongue-in-cheek. Plus, there are several winks at gothic cult (Miles’s last name is Van Helsing, there’s a character called Igor) as well as family drama. The family drama, however, is decent at best, paltry at worst.

“”A trapdoor that leads into a dingy root cellar is exactly the kind of thing I’d expect to see in a ridiculously predictable horror movie. And you know what else would be predictable and absurdly stupid …?” I asked. “I’m going down,” Miles said.”

Moreover, the book is effortlessly atmospheric. Rolling Hills’s sleepy-town-ness is palpable, the kind that teleports you back to your childhood days watching Goosebumps. The kind that exudes old school horror movie vibe. Albeit, more eerie and less scary. And the monster of the story, the “zompire,” is a nice twist on two of today’s most celebrated undead. In fact, I can see After Dark being a massive hit with a younger audience. Because I feel like the resolution was a bit flimsy, at least for my taste. And with a denouement that both surprises and does not surprise, a sequel is not unlikely but unnecessary.

“The world doesn’t want heroes, Charlie. You’ll learn that eventually.”

Light and thoroughly enjoyable, be sure to include “read After Dark” in your to-do list.

James Leck lives in Nova Scotia, where he’s spent almost all of his summer vacations. He’s always enjoyed lounging beside pools, drinking ice-cold lemonade and sleeping in. Poison ivy, running face-first into trees and waking up alone in the dark are some of his least favorite things. However, he’s pretty sure being chased by humanoid creatures would be worse.

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What was your last light, entertaining read?

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REVIEW: Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda

Title: Hollywood Witch Hunter
Author: Valerie Tejeda
Format: E-ARC
Publication: July 20th 2015 by Bloomsbury Spark
Source: Publisher via Netgalley (thank you Lynn Stevens, Bloomsbury Spark and Netgalley!)
Genre: Fiction—Contemporary, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Other classifications: Witchcraft and Wizardry, Young Adult

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From the moment she first learned the truth about witches…she knew she was born to fight them.

Now, at sixteen, Iris is the lone girl on the Witch Hunters Special Ops Team.

But when Iris meets a boy named Arlo, he might just be the key to preventing an evil uprising in Southern California.

Together they’re ready to protect the human race at all costs. Because that’s what witch hunters do.

Welcome to Hollywood.

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

Hollywood Witch Hunter could’ve taken either of two roads: a clever satire on celebrity culture masked as a gory witch hunt or a fast-paced, kick-ass witch hunt that embraces its ridiculousness. Sadly, however, it took neither.

Across the globe, Witch Hunters have kept witches at bay. Witches who pry on unsuspecting humans. But in Los Angeles, it is quite different; witches go after shallow, spoiled brats. But with the Bentlys in command, the City of Angel is safe. Until it no longer is. Things are getting weirder and a powerful witch is gaining more powers. At the center of it is Iris Maria Bently, the only female Hunter ever. And with her brother and a new recruit named Arlo by her side, she’s determined to take matters into her hands. After all, she knows she’s born to be a Hunter. As someone who grew up in a household that watches dubbed Latino soap operas, I was thrilled to find a female Colombian MC. Tejeda’s representation and feminist references are this debut’s strongest suits. Unfortunately, that’s all there is for me. A couple of chapters in and everything went downhill.

“People aren’t born monsters, Iris. Something always happens that makes them that way.”

This one’s a light read, but my biggest concern is Iris. I didn’t connect with her. She’s irresolute at best, whiny at worst, and the third person point-of-view didn’t help. There are too many plot holes and most confrontations felt at times half-baked and at times downright flat. I mean, why would you discuss the group’s strategies in front of a freaking witch? I’m all for witchcraft and wizardry and there is an unlikely friendship and an amusing villain involved, which are always a treat, but Hollywood Witch Hunter just didn’t slay me. And I’d say another run of edits wouldn’t hurt, but I’m being subjective more than anything right now—as is invariably the case with my reviews. I did enjoy Arlo though. His lines are often grin-or-snort-inducing—but even he can only carry so much dialogues—and I’m totally into his story arc. In fact, I wonder if I would’ve appreciated the book more if he were the point-of-view character.

“I’m just saying, sometimes we don’t understand why people do what they do.”

Reminiscent of the Vampire Academy movie, Hollywood Witch Hunter had good potentials but somehow lost them in translation.

Entertainment journalist and author Valerie Tejeda spends her days reporting on books, television, and all things pertaining to pop culture, and spends her nights writing novels for teens. Her stories have appeared on a variety of different publications, including Vanity Fair, MTV, The Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, Latina, Yahoo! Shine, Cosmopolitan, and more. Valerie holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and is currently based in Northern California with her husband, where she reads loads of books, binge-watches Netflix, and drinks tons of Peets coffee. Hollywood Witch Hunter is her debut.

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Whoa. This is my shortest review to date. So is this book on your TBR? Can you put up with a novel with a character(s) you can’t connect with? Moreover, do you DNF often? Do you DNF at all? Let’s talk!

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REVIEW: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Format: E-ARC
Publication: May 21st 2015 by Macmillan (first published May 19th 2015)
Source: Publisher via Netgalley (thank you Pan Macmillan and Netgalley!)
Genre: Fiction—Fantasy
Other classifications: Adult, Witchcraft and Wizardry

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Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, ambitious wizard, known only as the Dragon, to keep the wood’s powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman must be handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as being lost to the wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia—all the things Agnieszka isn’t—and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But no one can predict how or why the Dragon chooses a girl. And when he comes, it is not Kasia he will take with him.

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

What’s with me and these witch books? As I mentioned in my review of The Witch Hunter, I’ve been in a streak. Uprooted is my third novel on the sub-genre in the last two months and I seem to keep wanting more. But of the three, how magic works in Novik’s world is probably the most fascinating, in that it’s unexpectedly unique and completely immersive. Of course, medieval stories set in a perfunctorily veiled European country is not uncommon. But the author shifts the landscape with Polnya, a seemingly fantastical version of Poland, away from the go-to England. And the way she built the Wood is just enthralling and palpable; you can almost feel it breathing.

“It didn’t make much sense to me. We were all afraid of the Wood. But our valley was home. How could you leave your home?”

Agnieszka’s people live in constant fear of the Wood and the creatures that populate it, lurking in the shadows of trees, taking stray men unawares or children playing in the fields. But even so, for these people, home is home and it’s protected by the Dragon, a powerful wizard living in a tower at the crest of the valley. He holds the Wood at bay for the whole kingdom of Polnya and he only asks that one girl be taken under his service for ten years. What the girl does or why the Dragon demands this, no one can be certain. All that’s clear is when the girl returns, she wants to leave the valley for good. While the story has a slow start and loses its momentum halfway through, there is one particular white knuckles battle sequence that more than compensates for it. This is bolstered by strong characterization, a quiet love story and a well written friendship, laying down the foundations of an epic read. Novik, however, like her characters, has one or two flaws. Uprooted has rough-around-the-edges prose and it reads as a trilogy packed into a stand-alone.

“”I don’t want more sense!” I said loudly, beating against the silence of the room. “Not if sense means I’ll stop loving anyone. What is there besides people that’s worth holding on to?””

In a variety of levels, Uprooted is reminiscent of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest, but chiefly of the former. The way witches are treated in the capital reminded me of the grishas in Ravka, the I-don’t-fit-in-a-box protagonist with abilities unlike her peers, but mostly the striking resemblance between the Dragon and the Darkling—and not only with the first letters of their names. It’s in the fog of mystery around them, the magnitude of power and self-command, the reluctance, their effect on people. I’m not saying these are disappointments; these are mere observations. Plus, the Dragon is way snarkier and I highly enjoyed that about him, especially the chemistry he and Agnieszka clearly have. Even when they weren’t rooting for each other*, the two make a good duo. Their banters are just pure fun.

“The pain got worse instead of better. I pulled away from them and tried to press myself into the wall, the cool hard stone, as if I could make myself a part of it and be unfeeling.”

At the heart of the book is Agnieszka and Kasia’s friendship. It is one of the main driving forces of the story and I really admire how Novik delivers. And, while the pacing is quite less than outstanding and a three-part series would’ve left more room for deeper character exploration, Uprooted still is worth checking out, more so if magic and witches/wizards are your thing.

Lastly, many have called this YA, and it must be said that when I requested this title, for reasons hazy, I thought it was too. Except it isn’t. The protagonist is seventeen but the tone and style of the narrative is undoubtedly adult.

Naomi Novik is an avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings. She is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.

Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.

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*See what I did there?

Have you read this one yet? If you’re deciding whether or not to pick it up, was I helpful? Also, let’s talk magic and witches, throw them books (or films) my way!

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REVIEW: The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Title: The Witch Hunter
Author: Virginia Boecker
Format: E-ARC
Publication: June 2nd 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via Netgalley (thank you Hatchette Children’s Books and Netgalley!)
Genre: Fiction—Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal
Other classifications: Fae, Witchcraft and Wizardry, Young Adult

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Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey doesn’t look dangerous. A tiny, blonde, wisp of a girl shouldn’t know how to poison a wizard and make it look like an accident. Or take out ten necromancers with a single sword and a bag of salt. Or kill a man using only her thumb. But things are not always as they appear. Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters in Anglia and a member of the King’s elite guard, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and bringing those who practice it to justice. And in Anglia, the price of justice is high: death by burning.

When Elizabeth is accused of being a witch herself, she’s arrested and thrown in prison. The king declares her a traitor and her life is all but forfeit. With just hours before she’s to die at the stake, Elizabeth gets a visitor—Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in Anglia. He offers her a deal: he will free her from prison and save her from execution if she will track down the wizard who laid a deadly curse on him.

As Elizabeth uncovers the horrifying facts about Nicholas’s curse and the unwitting role she played in its creation, she is forced to redefine the differences between right and wrong, friends and enemies, love and hate… and life and death.

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

I expected to enjoy The Witch Hunter, what I did not expect is how refreshing it’ll turn out to be. It’s atmospheric, engrossing, and the romance is just so good. I’m admittedly not big on this element but Boecker hits all my marks and I cannot complain, really. The MC has a clear voice and there are serious badass supporting cast. I like Elizabeth’s internal monologue; she’s very introspective. She doesn’t cower from the fact that she’s afraid to be alone, she acts based on principles, and it’s interesting to witness how she processes what she learns along the journey.

“I’m weak. I’m tired. I’m injured. I’m confused. I’m ashamed of what I’ve done, afraid of what I’ve got to do. I am what I always feared I’d be: alone.”

It took me a while to settle in the rhythm of this world, but after a few chapters, I was sucked right in. The Witch Hunter is not about the epic battle sequences, although it has a few; it enchants with its quiet scenes. The way Elizabeth questions and makes sense of what she believes in, the stolen glances, the gradual shift of reality for each character. Elizabeth gets three companions: John, George and Fifer. And I feel like every single one of them received the right amount of airtime. And that’s one of the strongest features of this debut, because the dynamics among the four is pure fun. Well, there may or may not be unanticipated punches involve. And Caleb Pace, Elizabeth’s childhood friend, warrants a mention. In the minimal appearances he has, I saw a glimpse of a well-realized, if positively flawed, character. Here’s me throwing a coin in the hopes that one of the planned two novellas centers on him. Basically, I’m saying Boecker gets it right. She gets it right especially with one particular scene which, up until now, still gives me the feels.

“The wizard who rescued me, the boy who healed me, the girl who bathed me, the fool who befriended me. I’m indebted to each of them in some way, yet they are my enemies. They’ve shown me kindness, yet I’m prepared to kill them.”

I have issues with the language, it’s contemporary when I would much prefer otherwise. But this is a pet peeve more than anything. Plus I somehow guessed the twist, but that didn’t stop me from racing through to find out what happens in between. If you’re a fan of works like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters or Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, this one’s your cup of tea.

“I’m quiet for a moment, enchanted by the idea of something stealing over you, settling into you, and telling you, with absolute certainty, who you are and what you’re meant to do.”

Boecker delivers a forcible debut—and a duology starter at that—with The Witch Hunter, which places her among the set of authors whose future books I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for.

Virginia Boecker recently spent four years in London obsessing over English medieval history, which formed the basis of The Witch Hunter. She now lives in the Bay Area, California with her husband and spends her days writing, reading, running and chasing around her two children and a dog named George.

In addition to English kings, nine-day queens, and Protestant princesses, her other obsessions include The Smiths, art museums, champagne, and Chapstick.

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Have you heard about this book? Are you interested to pick it up after reading my review? And, while I’m in a streak, do you have suggestions on witchcraft-and-wizardry titles up on your sleeve? Sound off in the comments below!

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REVIEW: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Title: More Happy Than Not
Author: Adam Silvera
Format: E-ARC
Publication: June 2nd 2015 by Soho Teen
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (thank you Meredith Barnes, Soho Press and Edelweiss!)
Genre: Fiction—Coming of Age, Contemporary
Other classifications: LGBTQIA, Young Adult

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The Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto—miracle cure-alls don’t tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. Aaron could never forget how he’s grown up poor, how his friends aren’t there for him, or how his father committed suicide in their one-bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it’s not enough.

Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn’t mind Aaron’s obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn’t mind talking about Aaron’s past. But Aaron’s newfound happiness isn’t welcome on his block. Since he can’t stay away from Thomas or suddenly stop being gay, Aaron must turn to Leteo to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he is.

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

More Happy Than Not is a strong debut from YA newcomer Adam Silvera. It is as unrelenting as it is hopeful, as gut-wrenching as it is absorbing.

Set in a Bronx neighborhood that is a character of its own and with a bit of a speculative tinge, Aaron Soto’s story may seem ordinary, another of those teens navigating the firsts—first love, first kiss, first sex. But it’s not before long ’til Silvera starts tearing down expectations, busting one assumption after another. The plot twist sucker-punched me and, just when I thought he’s exhausted his arsenal, he delivers the final blow. He paints the extent to which being gay in a close-minded community may lead to all sorts of horror with severe, and often brutal, honesty. There were multiple instances I had to stop reading because his words cut deep.

“This is one of those times where you swear you have to be sleeping and living a nightmare because it’s so impossible that your life can only be a string of bad things until you’re completely abandoned.”

In More Happy Than Not, the author plays at one of the oldest societal debates: nature vs. nurture. Aaron firmly holds that his being a “dude-liker” is something he didn’t choose but rather something he had to deal with. It’s refreshing to view sexuality through this lens, especially in line with homophobia. And especially considering how this novel wins at diversity. Not only does it have a gay MC, it has a Puerto Rican gay MC. But that’s not all of it. In one scene, Thomas tells Aaron, “I was the only brown Scorpius Hawthorne” and it doesn’t feel forced. I think Silvera’s voice—unabashed and observant as it is—is a promising addition to an important conversation.

“It’s not like my heart is in running or anything like that, but at least I learned that you can’t always choose who you’re going to be. Sometimes you’re fast enough to run track. Sometimes you’re not.”

Then, you have the characterization. One thing that’s remarkable is the chemistry between the characters. They are complicated, thrown in further complicated positions, but Silvera successfully balances the complexity with relatability. He didn’t try to redeem the bad guys (for lack of a better term) and that’s a major score. And there’s family dysfunction. Aaron comes from a poor family (which, I cannot overstate this, is scarce in literature but is a reality) and it’s not an easy household.

“This is the most painfully confusing time in my life and he’s the first person who said all the right words to me and reminds me of the first days of summer where you leave home without jacket, and my favorite songs playing over and over.”

I want to point out, as well, how geeky the book is. There are several pop culture references—leaning heavily on comics—and you don’t need to know that the author is a potterhead to observe the winks and nods to the Harry Potter series. Plus, I really enjoyed moments when Aaron and Genevieve (I’m going to use “the girlfriend” as a descriptor but, trust me, you’d want to get to know her) would hang out or when Aaron and Thomas would and, this is me being nostalgic, I love how street games are a big part of the community Aaron lives in.

“Do you think there’s a chance you were someone really awful in a past life? Like Darth Vader? I feel like you can’t catch a break.”

With characters as unforgettable as the book is unflinching in its portrayal of confusion, love, homophobia, family, friendship and a lot more, Silvera is set to win many, many fans. He’s barely started, too. Readers who adore Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe will come upon another favorite.

Adam Silvera was born and raised in the Bronx and is tall for no reason. He was a bookseller before shifting to children’s publishing where he worked at a literary development company, a creative writing website for teens, and as a book reviewer of children’s and young adult novels. He lives in New York City.

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 Have I convinced you to pick up this title when it comes out (2 weeks from today!)? Are you a fan of heartrending coming-of-age stories? And will you take the Leteo procedure if you can? There’s an amazing pool of emerging new voices in the book industry, especially in YA, who are your recent favorites? Tell me in the comments below! I always want to hear from you! Also, while you’re at it, you may want to participate in The “More Happy Than Not” Tag?

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REVIEW: Galgorithm by Aaron Karo

Title: Galgorithm
Author: Aaron Karo
Format: E-ARC
Publication: May 5th 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (thank you Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss!)
Genre: Fiction—Contemporary, Realistic, Romance
Other classifications: High School Romance, Young Adult

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What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That’s the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice.

After the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance go outrageously awry.

As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart, abandon all the rules, and ignore his own advice in a quest for true love. What he discovers, no formula could ever predict…

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

Galgorithm is a fun, light, if often trite, read with short chapters that make for an easy entertainment. Here’s the thing with the author, Aaron Karo is a comedian and this is evident throughout the book. Shane is funny, though he can get cheesy at times. But, hey, I’ll take peanut butter with my pancakes. (Yes, on a scale of one to bacon—one being the lowest and bacon being, well, bacon—peanut butter receives one-point-five in the Food Analogy Scale of Awesomeness.) And there are instances where Shane is existential but also faintly reminiscent of Ryan Dean West’s hormonally-charged voice, albeit toned down and with a bit of maturity.

“He’s the most finicky guy I’ve ever met. He nitpicked everyone and everything. Girls were “too nice.” The air was “too breathable.” He once said that a sandwich was “too bready,” which I think pretty much defies the laws of sandwichness.”

Meanwhile, Jak, Shane’s best friend since childhood, is so witty! She has a thing for ruining perfect moments and Karo nails this all the time. Almost everytime she’s in a dialogue, it’s sarcastic and all that teen stuff. My main issue with this novel, however, is the lack of a unique, stand-out voice. I mean, all the side characters kind of blur in the background and, though Shane and Jak were enjoyable to read about, they were predictable.

“”What is almond milk anyway?”
“It’s milk from ground-up almonds. It’s healthier because there’s no dairy.”
“That feels like one of those made-up facts.””

The novel is very contemporary so it doesn’t take a move of muscle to get into the story. Plus it isn’t before long until a Harry Potter reference comes up. And, darn, what a reference! I seriously laughed out loud at this one (which I’ll do you a favor and not spoil for you). In addition, there are other pop culture references but I especially like that Twitter and emojis are mentioned. This novel will appeal to fans of Will Gluck’s Easy A.

“”Easier said than done.”
“Life is easier said than done, Shane.””

Galgorithm is at its core a high school rom com, and much as it lets you down at some points for using a hackneyed trope, it still is something to pick up when you want to relax and just stay in for the night or when you want a quick read that’ll make you grin.

Aaron Karo is an author, comedian, and screenwriter. His books include Galgorithm, Lexapros and Cons, I’m Having More Fun Than You, Ruminations on Twentysomething Life, and Ruminations on College Life. He was born and raised in New York, currently lives in Los Angeles, and always pays on the first date.

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Have you read this one? Do you share my opinion? If not, it’s okay. We can still discuss. Or if you haven’t read it yet (considering it’s not out ’til next week), have I been helpful in determining whether you’d pick it up or not? And, ultimately, what is your favorite high school romance? Come on, let’s talk!

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REVIEW: None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

Title: None of the Above
Author: I. W. Gregorio
Format: E-ARC
Publication: April 7th 2015 by Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (thank you HarperCollins and Edelweiss!)
Genre: Fiction—Contemporary, Realistic
Other classifications: Bullying, LGBTQIA, Young Adult

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What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.”

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

In the past two years I’ve been trying to actively diversify my reading, picking up books by and about people in the LGBTQ community. And I am fully aware that I’m still in the part where I’m more trying than actually doing, but until None of the Above, I didn’t realize the glaring inadequacy of my effort: I have not read a story that centers on an intersexual protagonist. But boy, am I glad this is my first dip; Gregorio delivers such a fascinating and sensitive look on how a young woman, who recently learns of her intersexuality, comes to terms with who and what she is—and how society wants to define her.

“Who decided that pink = girl and blue = boy, anyway?”

Let me tell you this: None of the Above doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality of bullying and the politics of friendship and the anatomy side of its theme. I like that the decisions Krissy took weren’t exactly what I would’ve wanted for her but that they’re very realistic in her situation and true to the character. She spends a good part of the book being terrified and takes actions based on the people around her, on what they think and say about her, how they feel about her. She’s fleshed out, this Kristin Lattimer. I laud the author for writing a character who has other stuff going on in her life besides the Main Problem. Krissy’s a a hurdler, b the daughter of a single parent, c a graduating student, d best friends with campus Queen Vee and and-everything-nice Faith, and e the girlfriend of golden boy Sam Wilmington, and all these different facets of her the reader witnesses in nuanced details as things come down in a horrible snowball.

“Where could I run? Where could I possibly go to hide from what I was?”

Gregorio’s debut is pitched as “Middlesex meets Mean Girls,” I don’t know about the former as I haven’t read that but it’s a no-brainer to make the connection with the latter. I believe the relationship Krissy has with Vee and Faith. It’s tainted and at times ugly but it’s also the kind of close relationship we see in our everyday life. Gregorio packs all the wonders and complications of a tight-knit friendship in a box, with a bow. Not just that. The other secondary characters are also more than cardboards for display. And in the interest of not spoiling you, while catering to my self-fulfilling desire to put into words the engagement I had with this book… There were two episodes in the second act that incited a visceral reaction. (I read this in my phone and I was at the airport and I was ALL BIG EYES AS THOUGH I WAS SLAPPED.)

“Did I have any questions? My mind roiled with them, but it was like shooting a moving target—I couldn’t pin one down.”

I can go on and pretend—like the bogus that I am—that I didn’t care about the romance, but who am I kidding? Yes, there are other devices from which to choose to showcase pivotal points in a person’s life, but, what teenager does NOT give a darn about the woes of the heart? Having said that, I savor the slow burn romance and the easy banters. And if you haven’t read anything with an intersexual protagonist (welcome to the club—we have jackets), search no further. None of the Above is gripping, poignant and ultimately hopeful.

I. W. Gregorio is a practicing surgeon by day, masked avenging YA writer by night. During her residency, she met the intersex patient who inspired None of the Above, her debut novel. She is also a founding member of the We Need Diverse Books team.

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Have you read a book with an intersexual character(s)? What are the books you’ve read and/or loved that portray friendship through clear, honest lenses? And will you read None of the Above? I’d love to hear from you!

UPDATED: The protagonist is INTERSEXUAL not transexual. I apologize for this mistake.

REVIEW: The Hurt Patrol by Mary McKinley

Title: The Hurt Patrol
Author: Mary McKinley
Format: E-ARC
Publication: March 31st 2015 by Kensington Books
Source: Publisher via Netgalley (thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley!)
Genre: Fiction—Coming of Age, Contemporary, Realistic
Other classifications: Bullying, LGBTQIA, Young Adult

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Give me your nerds, your freaks, your huddled outcasts yearning to breathe free. Stick them in Boy Scout uniforms and you’ll have the Hurt Patrol—a sorry bunch of teen rejects who will never make Eagle.

Welcome to the club

Beau has been scouting since first grade. Not because he loves it, but because his dad does. It’s the only thing they’ve ever bonded over, what with Beau’s dad being into sports, beer, and brawling. So when they move to yet another Midwest town, Beau expects the usual Boy Scout experience, filled with horribleness and insults. Instead he finds something else entirely. Kicked out of every other patrol, their little band of brothers is equal parts nuts and awesome. For the first time, people are watching Beau’s back instead of throwing things at it. Nice. Novel. And also necessary, when you’re dealing with parents splitting up, crushes, first love, and coming out.

The first—and only—rule of Hurt Patrol: We are never going to win—but if you’re outcast elsewhere, you’ll do just fine here.

I received a review copy from the publisher which in no way swayed my opinion about the work.

Once in a while, we stumble upon books that affect us so deeply we feel forever changed after closing the last pages. Then there are those that we abhor so much it’s not funny. But every so often we come across ones that we feel indifferent to. Stories we don’t have strong opinions for, for better or worse. The Hurt Patrol is such one cookie.

“I knew I was weird, but I just thought it was because I was smarter.”

One thing I like about this novel is how it depicts bullying as something that is not cool and that you can actually take actions to alleviate, if not wholly prevent, the blows. Sadly, however, that’s it. I had hopes for this book. The synopsis got me—the underdog trope—but I didn’t feel any connection with the characters. And that may have something to do with the length of the book, because it’s quite a short read, which didn’t leave much room for characterization. I mean, I know I’m supposed to sympathize with them. But it didn’t really come. Beau with his deprecating father and terrible coming-out episode. I wanted to be touched by his story, but all the time there’s an air of detachment I cannot quite shake off. Even the family story arc. I love family drama as much as the next person, but here the parents are one-dimensional, especially Beau’s father. The narrator, Rusty, is humdrum. And up until the end, Rusty’s motives for running away weren’t explained. (But maybe it’s because Beau’s story was the point; I don’t know.)

“Since we are both so hated on, it was like expresslane friendship. Buddies by default.”

There are neat lines every now and then, which is helpful. But it  bums me out when I feel apathetic about a book and that’s the case with The Hurt Patrol, so much so that when a scoutmaster was talking deep talks, it fell flat. I appreciate what the author’s getting at, I really do, but I wasn’t invested in the characters enough to be fully hit by the emotional impact.

“I get such a deep feeling in my heart, of sadness. . . . That feeling that you’d do anything—no matter how painful, just to be accepted and thus more comfortable in your own mind.”

I’m antsy writing negative reviews (this counts as negative, right? Right), as I would rather prefer sharing things that I love. But here it is. The Hurt Patrol is a straightforward story that has cardboard characters. As with all my other reviews, this is highly subjective. You might enjoy stuff I do not and vice versa.

Mary McKinley is a TV writer/performer whose work has been featured most recently on the new Seattle-based sketch comedy project, The 206, and on Biz Kid$, an Emmy-winning young adult show on PBS. For the last thirteen years, she has written stand-up and sketch comedy with her partner, John Keister, as well as several TV pilots. A nearly lifelong Seattle resident, Mary graduated with a BFA from Seattle University.

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