YA or STFU

Ruckdeschel, Liz and Sara James (2007). What if you . . . Broke all the rules?. NY: Delacorte. 304 pages.

After reading (or attempting to read) this book, I realized that I had lost precious hours of my life that I could never, ever get back. I was drawn to this title's promise of a "choose you own adventure" story: the cover and back matter indicated that this romance/realistic novel would adhere to the choose your own adventure trope and that readers would be called upon to make decisions for the book's main character, Hayley. Maybe it's because I didn't read the first book in this multi-book series, but, by the time I got a chance to choose whether or not Hayley went to the popular kids' New Year's party or hung out with her alterna-friends, I didn't really care. The protagonist and secondary characters were so underdeveloped, it was hard to make good (read: perverse) choices. Unlike the old fashioned "Choose Your Own Adventure" novels, which were told in the 2nd person and featured you as the main character, this book (and probably this series) assumes we care about the main character in at least as significant a way. Not so. Additionally, unlike the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" series, the consequences of "wrong" choices were not nearly as dire. While, in the old "CYOA," choosing a wrong door could lead to your tragic and painful death, in this novel, a bad choice required merely that you "hang your head in shame" (yes! These are the exact words from many of the stories' endings!). The only reason I'm hanging my head is because I invested several hours in this lame title.

Posted by Amy P. at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Brian, Kate (2007). Confessions ("Private" series). NY: Simon and Schuster. 232 pages.

OK, I am officially a sucker. After I read the first three books in the "Private" series, I thought I'd had enough. Never mind that I still didn't know who had killed Thomas, the hot but unstable guy series heroine and narrator Reed hooked up with (and lost her virginity to--gasp!) in the first book. The genuine boringness of each installment I read, the lack of characterization (I mentioned in my initial review that I had a hard time keeping all of the mean girls straight), and the "all tease, no tickle" promises made by the books' back matter pretty much convinced me that this was a series in which I didn't need to invest myself. Then, I saw Confessions at the library and I thought, "Hmmm . . . Maybe I should at least find out who killed Thomas." What an idiot (and a masochist) I am!

So, anyway, the drama that drives the first four books in the series centers around the mysterious murder of one of the BMOCs at Reed's exclusive private school. A fish out of water--a scholarship student among richies--Reed somehow insinuates herself among the cream of the crop at her new school and gets invited to hang with the mean (but powerful) girls and live in their exclusive dorm. Reed hooks up with Thomas (the aforementioned BMOC), then he goes missing, then he's found murdered, then she hooks up with his best friend, then his best friend is accused of the murder! Drama! The whole time, the clique at the dorm are alternating playing mean girl tricks on Reed and gifting her with designer clothes, taking her to exclusive parties, and getting her drunk on expensive alcohol. What?

Finally, it starts to look like the Stockholm Syndrome Sisters are somehow behind Thomas's death. What's Reed to do? Those bitches are her ticket to the upper class! In a dramatic (not really) final scene, the real killer is revealed. But, because none of the characters have any depth or distinction, you have to be a real idiot to buy the guilty party's confession. At least now I know who did it. I can stop reading now. I don't want to spoil it here for anyone who might be a fan of the series, but if you want to know the guilty party, just drop me an email. You'll thank me for not having to suffer through book four in the "Private" series.

Posted by Amy P. at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shan, Darren (2007 [2008, US]). Demon Apocalyspe (Book 6 in the Demonata series). NY: Hachette (Little, Brown). 200 pages.

The first two sentences of Darren Shan's sixth book in the "Demonata" series pretty much exemplify the entire installment: "A demon shaped like a giant scorpion digs its stinger into a woman's eyes. As they pop, it spits eggs into the bloody sockets, then watches with its almost human face as the eggs hatch and wriggling maggots feast on her flesh" (2007/2008, p. 3). Yes! This scorpion creature thankfully makes a few more appearances in the story and, lucky for us, performs that little maggot-hatching trick more than once. Some folks might judge Shan's latest series to be gratuitously violent, but I think it's totally hysterical.

Those who have been following the "Demonata" know that the series revolves around the mythic war between humans and demons, each of whom live in alternate worlds. While demons seem to live in a variety of created non-human worlds, the latest demon plot involves sneaking into the human realm and taking over. Enter Grubbs Grady, the primary hero of the series, who has become embroiled in the counter-plot to stop the demons, led by the evil demonmaster Lord Loss. I have to admit, I hadn't read book 5, so I was a little lost at first when I entered book 6; however, the primary conflict here follows much of what anyone who's read more than one of the previous novels understands as one of the series' main struggles: namely, the "good" guys want to stop the "bad" guys from opening a gate between Lord Loss's demon world and the human one.

Interestingly, though this book seems to conclude and resolve some major issues, Shan has indicated (via his website) that this is not the end of the series, but the beginning of what he considered the series' major plotline. At any rate, Demon Apocalypse delivers much of what we've come to expect from the series' installments: the sixth book sets up the battle to be fought in this episode and describes it and its results in grisly detail.

As I mentioned earlier, I think some folks might consider the series to be overly gory; however, I think that it is this aspect of the series that really distinguishes it in a rather hysterical way. For one, the creative descriptions of the demons and their attack patterns (e.g. the scorpion dude) are actually so over-the-top as to be morbidly funny. There were so many passages that could be read as either horror or lampoon and that, to me, is one of the attractions of the books. That Shan includes this level of detail (and really, the book's aren't that descriptive in terms of pain and suffering, just in terms of action) shows, in my opinion, a level of respect for readers that you don't often see in a middle-grade horror novel. Yes, there is a lot of what some might call violence, but I don't really consider "violent," per se. It's more like gross-out description that titillates in the same way that violence in standard (adult) horror novels does, but that excuses its readers from really suffering along with the fictional victims. At any rate, I think the series is hilarious, and I have no doubt that others find it so as well.

Posted by Amy P. at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

de la Cruz, Melissa (2007). Angels on Sunset Boulevard. NY: Simon and Schuster. 240 pages.

This is the first book in what I hope is a new series (or at least a trilogy) by "Ashleys" and "Au Pairs" author de la Cruz. Decidedly unlike the "Ashleys" and "Au Pairs" and deeper than de la Cruz's other fantasy/horror series "Blue Bloods," Angels blends mystery and elements of dystopian fantasy in a Scott Westerfeld-type way.

Narrated in the third person with limited omniscience, the novel follows Taj, the ex-girlfriend of an Internet music sensation turned legitimate rock star. When the rock star, known as Johnny Silver, disappears, a boy on the fringe of Taj's scene tries to make sense of the web of intrigue surrounding Taj, Johnny, and embedded in a popular social networking site known as TAP.

This book has it all: rock and roll cool (that, for once, is not overdone), social networking conspiracy, a slowly revealed mystery, and even a little twist at the open ending. Fans of de la Cruz will find the same easy to read but fast paced prose here as in her other novels, but may be surprised at how suspenseful and downright mysterious the narrative is. Unlike the "Blue Bloods" books, which, I think, pretty much lay everything mysterious out in front of you and which seem to take pains to resolve most of the suspense within a single novel, Angels slowly raises a number of questions and doesn't leave any of them answered. Again, unlike "Blue Bloods," and other series of its ilk, Angels doesn't manufacture a cliff-hanging hook in the last chapter to keep readers waiting for the sequel. Instead, the first book in the series (I hope!) answers a question readers may not have even posed and then complicates the other mysterious elements in the plot.

According to de la Cruz's website (link here), the author plans on releasing a second book, in the fall of this year (2008). I hope I'm not the only one sweating this one out.

Posted by Amy P. at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brian, Kate (2006). Private, Invitation Only, and Untouchable. "Private" series (books 1-3). NY: Simon Pulse.

This relatively new series by Kate Brian would seem to have everything a cheap reading date like me could want--rich bitch characters, an exclusive private school setting, adolescent intrigue, the promise of a mystery--however, the first three books didn't really do it for me the same way the "Gossip Girl" series does. I'll admit it: I initially read the books out of order (I read book #2 before I read book #1). But even when I did finally get myself oriented, I just didn't find this latest mean girls series to be that satisfying.

The first book in the series begins with fifteen-year-old Reed's arrival at an exclusive private boarding school. A lower-income Pennsylvania girl, Reed's scholarship to the prestigious Easton Academy is her ticket out of town. When Reed spies a group of uber-wealthy, popular and--it would seem--powerful girls on campus, she sets her sights on becoming one of Them. Turns out, the girls are interested in Reed, too, and by the end of book 1 in the series, have accepted the newbie into their exclusive clique and set her up in their posh dorm. She even gets a hot boyfriend. By the end of the book, however, the boyfriend has disappeared, and the next two installments detail the mystery surrounding his disappearance.

Like I said before, the "Private" books seem to have all the ingredients that made Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl" series the smashing success it is; however, author Brian seems to have left something important out of the mix: the heart. Say what you want about "G.G.," I think that series has balls, wit, and even humanity; "Private," on the other hand, does not. It was hard to distinguish Reed's girl crushes from one another and I had to keep going back to their beginning-of-the-book descriptions to figure out who was who. I thought that as I got to know the cast of characters better, I'd sort all those bitchy girls out in my head, but I was wrong. By the end of Book 3, I still had to consult the first pages to figure out who was talking.

On a more prurient level, by reading Book 2 first, I was privy to some sexy information readers of Book 1 would have to wait until the latter part of the first book to discover: Reed gets devirginized! Unfortunately, for all the attention paid this event in retrospect, the whole shebang is barely described when it happens. How disappointing! I was hoping that "Private" would at least have some hot sex going for it (It is called "Private," after all). Something tells me this one isn't going to be optioned for a TV series . . .

Posted by Amy P. at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Miller, Kirsten (2007). Kiki Strike: The Empress' Tomb. NY: Bloomsbury USA. 350 pages.

Oh, man, I love the Kiki Strike books! The Empress' Tomb is the second in Kirsten Miller's series following a rogue group of young teen girls who call themselves the "Irregulars" and, with the guidance of their mysterious leader Kiki Strike, foil the sinister plots of some of Manhattan's most dastardly crooks. Narrated by Ananka, the Irregular who is probably the closest to Kiki, the new novel (like the first book in the series) is 99% narrative and 1% instructions to the young reader cum spy.

In the second book in what I hope is a protracted series (and, if Miller's "Kiki Strike" website is any indication, the Irregulars have a lot more evil to encounter), Manhattanites take notice when both graffitti-ed images of large squirrels and large squirrels, themselves, begin to show up on the city streets. When the squirrels seem to be signaling the Irregulars, Ananka and her friends become involved with an old enemy--Lester Liu--and some new complications--a potential romance with the squirrel-handler for Betty, the Irregulars' mistress of disguise, for one. The new installment is long (350 pages) and complex though very satisfying; the various plot strands ultimately come together in a conclusion that somehow doesn't seem pat. Although the primary conflict involves some comicly eccentric characters, these figures are not introduced in a way that would render them stock pieces and even these secondary figures have quirky depth.

Like the old Christopher Pike novels (think Chain Letter and Weekend, not Whisper of Death), the "Kiki Strike" books are sophisticated pieces that don't pander to their youthful audience. It is Miller's authorial empathy for her teen characters and her authorization of their subjectivities (even as their maturity seems to belie their age) that make this book a pleasure to read.

Posted by Amy P. at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Schraff, Anne. A Matter of Trust(2006), and Lost and Found(2007). NY: Scholastic.

I've just read the first two books in Scholastic's relatively new "Bluford Series," a series of novels about a group of mostly Black, urban teens who attend Bluford High School in coastal California. The first two books feature a female protagonist, fifteen-year-old Darcy, who expands her social world by befriending a couple that she and her best friend, Brisana, had dismissed as too ghetto, and grows closer to her crush, a singer and guitar player named Hakeem. Darcy's father, who left her family when she was just 10 years old, has suddenly returned and, although Darcy's younger sister is eager to reunite with him, Darcy and her mother wary of his intentions.

These first installments of the larger series are easy and natural to read. In spite of the fact that the series is sold with a Teacher's Guide, I don't feel hit over the head with morality. It's clear that Darcy and Hakeem are going to be the Elizabeth Wakefield and Todd Wilkins of the series and, to be honest, the four would probably have a lot in common. Unlike "Sweet Valley High," however, in which the default and assumed race of all the characters is white, in the "Bluford Series," the default and assumed race is Black. To me, it's very exciting to read a popular series about Black characters where that kind of "hidden curriculum" assumption is challenged in a subtle way. That is, the characters aren't described in elusive terms meant to indicate their Blackness; the series just assumes we are approaching the characters as the Black folks they are. Just like "Sweet Valley High" didn't go out of its way to describe Liz and Jess's whiteness in every book, this series doesn't go out of its way to inscribe Blackness on its characters for the benefit of a dominant audience. And, in the mostly white world of juvenile and teen series fiction, this is saying a LOT.

The publisher's website (Townsend Press, though the CIP data indicates Scholastic has taken over the series) touts the series' "accessible writing style" and its 5/6 grade reading level, as well as each novel's "relatively short length" and emphasizes what the publisher believes is the series' broad appeal. I'm always a little wary of a popularly constructed series that needs to tell its readers and buyers that the content is broadly appealing. After all, isn't that how popular fiction is supposed to work normally?

Posted by Amy P. at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shan, Darren (2006, 2007 [US]). Bec (Book 4 in the Demonata series). NY: Little, Brown. 235 pages.

If you're going to read a series out of order, progressing from Book 2 to Book 4 in Shan's Demonata series is the way to go. Book 4, Bec, takes us back in time to the first emergence of the demons of the Demonata, way back in very early Christian Europe. Told from the point of view of Bec, a young priestess foundling living in a primitive rath, the story follows her on a journey to close the gate opened between the human and demon worlds. After a mysterious and seemingly simple boy visits Bec's rath, Bec joins a small band of her people as they follow him in hopes of joining force with another small clan and to beat the demons who terrorize their homes every night. Along the way, the band meets a druid who encourages them to follow him to the gate between worlds, where the group may be able to close the gate and die heroes.

The story unfolds at the fast clip characteristic of Shan's work and is full of the usual blood and gore. Steaming entrails aside, the historical story held greater appeal than the contemporary installments of the this series; I had long been curious about the emergence of the demons and found the pre-pre-modern setting of this volume intriguingly described. During Bec's travels, she and the group witness the druid's play with a primitive chessboard, a set piece that should figure prominently in later installments. While this series is not as much about character development as it is about telling a swift but powerful (and gorey) tale, I've found the installments that I read satisfying in themselves and effectively suspenseful. An appearance of Lord Loss, a demon leader whose power and general evilness has been well established in earlier books, was just the icing on the cake. Of course I'm going to read the next one and maybe even backtrack to book 3. After all this investment, how could I not?

Posted by Amy P. at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shan, Darren (2007). The Demon Thief (Book 2 in the "Demonata" series). NY: Little, Brown. 256 pages.

Darren Shan, author of the "Vampire Saga" series, is at it again. This time, his focus is the demon world and the ways in which this world intersects with our own. The first book in the series (Lord Loss) establishes the character of Lord Loss, a powerful demon ruler who makes an appearance in The Demon Thief. Interestingly (and according to the notes on Shan's website, [click here]), this second novel is set 30 years before the first book and is meant to aid in the establishment of the history of the demonata.

Cornelius "Kernel" Fleck is an ordinary kid who doesn't seem to fit in with any of the other kids at school. Even though he dresses cool, watches the same TV shows and listens to the same music as all the other kids, they (and, to be honest, even Kernel) senses something different about Kernel. Since he can remember, Kernel has been seeing lights--glowing shapes that hover in the environment that he can manipulate into patterns with his mind. One night, when he's playing with the lights (sounds like a euphamism for something dirty, doesn't it?), he opens what seems to be a window through which he catches a glimpse of the demon we've come to know as Lord Loss. Kernel steps through the passage and awakens five days later, clutching his baby brother in his arms and with no memory of what had transpired. The bulk of the novel is given over to his search for answers.

As gorey as a Stephen King but absent the pathos, the second book in Shan's new series is a fast and fun read. In spite of the fact that folks are, literally, exploding and getting their limbs ripped off right and left, there are some pretty hysterical moments (most notably when 35 kids "crap their pants" all at once when they witness the appearance of an evil demon called Cadaver). While I am an admitted sucker for series fiction, I do have some standards and, I have to say, Shan's horror series have R.L. Stine's "Fear Street" beat. Beneath the blood, guts, and mayhem, Shan's characters are dealing with real feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. The end of this installment packs an intriguing surprise as Kernel faces the real consequences of his own lonely desperation.

Posted by Amy P. at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

de la Cruz, Melissa (2007). Masquerade (a Blue Bloods novel). NY: Hyperion. 320 pages

The second book in de la Cruz's series about the vampire elite finds the key teen characters coming into their vampire powers. In the first book, Blue Bloods, primary character Schuyler Van Alen (who is described in a way that brings an Olsen twin to mind) discovers she is a half-vampire in a Manhattan controlled primarily by "Blue Bloods" (vampires) who live among the "Red Bloods" (humans). In the second book, Schulyer is searching for her estranged grandfather, whom she believes can help her determine if "Silver Bloods," evil vampires who hunger for power over other vampires, have infiltrated their Blue Blood society. Additionally, Schuyler is struggling with her strong romantic feelings for fellow vampire Jack Force and her confusion over whether her relationship with her human best friend will be ruined by all the vampire business.

De la Cruz is a former magazine writer whose forays into young adult literature include the "Au Pairs" series. This latest vampire series is very much of the same ilk and features light horror mixed with indulgent descriptions of the lifestyles of the rich and (literally) bloodthirsty. Of course, I love it: the gothicized New York setting, the teen soap opera sub-plots and the brand name-dropping--it's all there. Yum.

Posted by Amy P. at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)