Putting the Sass and Snark Back Into Supernatural Romance: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

From the cover (dark clouds, pretty girl in Gothic-esque attire), you might think that Paranormalcy is another supernatural romance full of forbidden love and tragedy.  You would, however, be delightfully wrong.  Paranormalcy is a snarky and fun ride through a world populated by vampires, werewolves, elementals, faeries, and mermaids.  But all these paranormals don't really impress Evie anymore.  The sixteen year old's best friend is a mermaid, her sort-of ex is faerie, and she has grown up working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, using her unique ability to see through paranormals' glamours to tag and bag rogue paranormals.   But all Evie wants is to be a normal; for her, nothing seems as exotic as the world of high school she sees in her favorite television show, the teen soap Easton Heights.  Knocking out predictable vampires with her favorite pink taser Tasey is great and all but it can't top lockers, driving, or prom in Evie's mind.  But suddenly paranormals are being murdered in huge numbers and a cute shapeshifting boy attempts to break into the IPCA headquarters.  Evie's unexplained abilities might be linked to the deaths, her creepy faerie ex won't leave her alone, and the IPCA seems to have some even darker secrets than Evie ever predicted.  


Paranormalcy is a refreshingly fun take on the popular paranormal/supernatural trend flooding the bookshelves in the YA fiction sections of libraries and bookstores everywhere.  Evie is sassy and snarky and innocent and strong; she's a great kick-butt heroine who remain very much a teenager despite her special talents.    In her review, Abby the Librarian compares the novel and Evie to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is a brilliant connection.  Like Buffy, Evie possesses great power and must deal with some dark situations but she remains snarky and humorous and she persists in her attempts to carve out a 'normal teenage life' despite the strange reality of her situation.  Similarly, the novel takes on a traditionally dark and sometimes melodramatic genre with a lighter approach.  


The romance between Evie and Lend, a shapeshifter who (like Evie) feels like an outsider, is sweet and fun.  I admit I found it a relief to see that Evie views the dark, brooding faerie who tried to seduce in the past as creepy and dangerously possessive;  it was a nice change from some paranormal romances in which the plot revolves around the innocent girl who can't seem to resist the clearly dangerous dark creature who wants to seduce/hurt her.      


I sped through this novel with ease and can't wait to include in it some booktalks for 7th and 8th graders later this year.  I feel confident that it will fly off the shelves with very little work from me :) And, best of all, Supernaturally, the second book in this trilogy-to-be, was published in July so there's even more of Evie's sassy supernatural adventures to enjoy! 


4/5 STARS 

Thrills and Chills: A Review of The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

I love mysteries.  I am an unapologetic mystery fiend.  Since my first Nancy Drew in fourth grade, I have been a bit addicted to mystery stories. But I usually find my mystery reading from outside my preferred shelves of the young adult section.  So when I heard that one of my favorite YA authors, the brilliant Maureen Johnson, was publishing a murder mystery with a supernatural twist, I pretty much threw a party in excitement.  One of my favorite writers writing in one of my favorite genres? A dream come true! 


It is always a highly anticipated event for a bookworm when an author writes a book that seems very different that previous novels.  It's sort of a gamble: will it be brilliant or will it flop?  While I was at ALA this June I was lucky enough to be at the YALSA Young Adult Authors' Coffee Klatch.  So I got the opportunity to hear Maureen answer the question that she has likely already grown sick of hearing: why write a murder mystery about Jack the Ripper and a secret London police force? She said that she had always wanted to write a mystery.  Well, I for one am very glad that she has finally been able to pursue that interest! 


Maureen's other novels (which include The Bermudez Triangle, Suite Scarlett, 13 Little Blue Envelopes) usually fit very clearly into the sub-category of young adult realistic fiction; the delightfully supernatural Devilish is an exception to this statement.  The Name of the Star seems, initially, quite different from these other novels. It begins like many of the best mysteries: with an intriguing murder.  Then we meet Rory Deveaux, a native of Louisana whose arrival in London coincides with a brutal murder that appears to mimic  the first of Jack the Ripper's famous crimes.  Starting senior year of high school in a foreign country is already pretty terrifying and confusing but soon it appears that Rory is going to have to worry about something much scarier than British slang and unfamiliar classes as the murders continue and she finds herself caught up right in the middle.  


Rory is what I like to think of as a classic Maureen Johnson heroine: smart and spunky with a solid sense of humor.  She is likable, admirable, and realistic.  As usual, I completely adore her.  She is a great narrator, interspersing her narration with sharp and often self-deprecating observations about the world and stories about her kooky but beloved Southern family.  The novel is spot on in its descriptions of the wonders and confusions that come with studying abroad (especially in England) as well as the more universal experiences of being a teen (kissing, high school politics).  But amidst her signature elements, Maureen Johnson slowly sneaks in not only a compelling mystery but also a great supernatural twist.  By the last page, I was simultaneously thrilled and furious to remember that this book is the first in a series; it left me eager for more but frustrated that I now need to wait to get it! 


So definitely be watching the shelves of your local libraries and bookstores this September for the release of Maureen Johnson's newest, The Name of the Star!


5/5 STARS


* The copy of The Name of the Star I read and based this review on was a free (and signed!) ARC I received from the publisher at ALA Annual 2011.  
  

In My Mailbox #3

  I'm back! Somehow I've managed to plow through a few more of my books for review in between grad school work, interning, and my small attempts at a social life and so I allowed myself to grab a few more on a recent library visit. So I am able to once again join in the In My Mailbox party!  IMM is a fantastic meme in which bloggers list the books that they received over the last week via mail/bookstore/library.  It's hosted by the lovely Story Siren over at her awesome blog. For more info, look here. So this week in my "mailbox," I got:

All of my IMM picks this week come from one of my lovely local libraries. 


 Bliss by Lauren Myracle


 Rampant by Diana Peterfreund


 Ash by Malinda Lo


I'm very excited about these books; they've all been on my radar for a while now and it's great to get my hands on them at last! Look out this week for reviews for a few of my past IMM books, such as The God Box and Forget-Her-Nots.  What was in your mailbox this week?

Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Devilish 


Maureen Johnson


SUMMARY:  All Jane Jarvis wants to do is survive senior year at St. Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls and carry her best friend Allison Concord along with her. Jane and Allison have always been a little bit too unique and unusual to be in the popular crowd at St. Teresa's.  But they've been together and so far, that's been enough.  However, after Allison has one publicly embarrassing moment too many, she comes to school transformed.  Suddenly, Ally doesn't need Jane to protect her; instead she's got the perfect new hair and wardrobe and will barely speak to Jane.  Meanwhile Jane seems to have picked up a unusually serious and knowledgeable freshman stalker named Owen and Allison has started dating Jane's ex-boyfriend.  Soon, Owen helps Jane discover the unbelievable truth: her best friend has sold her soul to a demon.  Now it's up to Jane to try her best to save Allison and stop the mysterious Poodle Prom from changing the world as she knows it forever in the most negative of ways. 


ONESMARTCUPCAKE SAYS:  After my introduction to Maureen Johnson's fiction in The Bermudez Triangle, I was pretty sure I would enjoy basically anything she wrote.  So far, my suspicions have been confirmed.  Devilish was a delightful reading experience, portraying the horrors of high school with supernatural twist.  Jane makes a great narrator, with her smart and sarcastic observations and her heartfelt determination to rescue her friend.  I loved her spiky hair, her sometimes equally prickly disposition, and her attempts to remain logical in the face of bizarre situation.  She's spunky but also human in her fears and small weaknesses.

Johnson does a great job of balancing the supernatural aspects of her narrative with the more everyday, earthly aspects.  She crafts an interesting and darkly humorous world where Hell is structured like any other big corporation and the boy's school across the street is a former satanic temple. Lanalee, a demon working her way up the evil corporate ladder, is the ideal antagonist for the story; she offers people escape from the pain of being different or unhappy in exchange for their souls and so is a villain that fits in perfectly with the desperate world of high school.  She's confident and cruelly manipulative, making her suited to lure in girls like Allison, whose own lack of confidence triples with every embarrassment.  Plus she uses cupcakes in her evil schemes, which just adds a new layer of amusement for me at least!

At its root, Devilish is a story about friendship and the value of individuality.  It prompts questions about what values or people are worth fighting for.  The novel highlights the very real pain of feeling like a freak and power of feeling like an insider.  In the end, Jane and Allison's friendship becomes the key motivation for both girls to fight against the seduction of having a perfect life in order to have their own lives instead.

In Devilish, Maureen Johnson combines dark humor and good characters in a smart and fantastic story with definite heart. If you're looking for a fun quality read, pick this one up asap!

4/5 STARS

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver

Maggie Stiefvater

SUMMARY: Grace has watched the wolves in the forest behind her house since her strange childhood encounter with the pack—an encounter in which Grace was nearly mauled to death only to be rescued by a member of the pack with brilliant golden eyes. Each winter Grace waits for this wolf especially to appear amongst the trees bordering her backyard. But this winter, something strange is going on in the town and everyone seems to be turning against the wolves. Just as Grace worries that her wolf will disappear forever, she suddenly meets a boy with golden eyes who seems remarkably familiar.

Sam has lived almost his entire life torn between the wolf-world of winter and the few precious summer months of his humanity. But through both forms, his interest and admiration of Grace has remained steadfast. Now that the two have finally spoken and realized their connection, Sam must struggle to remain human as the air turns colder or face the loss of his human self, and Grace, forever.

ONESMARTCUPCAKE THINKS: Now this is supernatural romance done the right way, my friends. This book was recommended to me a while ago but I just got around to reading it; I cannot believe I waited so long!

Stiefvater writes with a lyrical grace and manages evoke passionate emotions and intense atmosphere with delicate phrasing and a concise style. Reading Shiver felt like being curled up by a fire in the middle of a snowstorm. It was such romantic, wintry book that it almost made me believe it was late September instead of sweaty July! The plot is technically simple but the layers of emotion and interaction are rich and complex.

Also, it was great to read a love story that manages to be classically romantic but neither over-dramatic nor boring. The characters, especially Grace and Sam, are likable and interesting; they are neither annoying nor stereotypically simple. Moreover, both remain individuals within their blossoming relationship. The narrative shifts between Grace’s and Sam’s perspectives and both speak eloquently of their growing love and intense bond. Yet both Grace and Sam also maintain individual personalities. Additionally, Stiefvater manages to portray the sexual aspects of the relationship with elegance.

I also really enjoyed the new take on the werewolf mythos. Werewolves are one of my preferred supernatural creatures and it was interesting to read a unique conception of them. The emphasis on temperature in Stiefvater’s version was especially cool because it was worked into the thematic feel of the story as whole; concepts of heat versus cold were used to describe emotional states as well to evoke the atmosphere of situations. Stiefvater does a great job uniting the pieces of the novel using this concept.

Overall, Shiver was an incredibly enjoyable read and left me desperate for its recently released sequel Linger. I’ve managed to resist purchasing Linger but I don’t know how much longer I can hold back! Shiver was the first Maggie Stiefvater novel I’ve read but I can’t wait to check out her fantasy duo Lament and Ballad as well as the rest of Wolves of Mercy Falls series!

5/5 STARS

PS- Check out Maggie Stiefvater’s fun companion website.

I Enjoy My Stake with a Side of Snark and Unique Characterization

Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Scattered Thoughts After Viewing About 2.5 Seasons

So I have a confession to make. Until about two weeks ago, I had never watched an entire episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Whew! It feels better to get that off my chest. I had seen a clip or two in passing but that was it. I heard about the show a lot though. Many of my friends are huge fans and it was mentioned frequently in articles, message boards, and discussions alongside many of my favorite tv obsessions, such as Veronica Mars and Firefly. It was actually getting to the point where I was starting to feel slightly ashamed and somewhat confused as to why and how I had missed this pop-culture bandwagon. So a few weeks ago I had an hour off and deciding tool around on Netflix, that enabler of all my television addictions. Low and behold, Netflix instantly provides access to entire series of Buffy.

Since that fateful day, I’ve watch approximately 2.5 seasons of BTVS. And as predicted, I’m completely addicted. The combination of pulpy fun, quirky and smart dialogue, complex teen characters, and dark humor is irresistible to me. So I naturally felt the urge to discuss my newfound Buffy love. Sadly, no one in my vicinity seems terribly interested in my pop culture catching-up. So I will simply state my thoughts to the broad and anonymous online world instead.

First, quick overview if you too have not seen BTVS. While just over a year ago she was an ordinary 15 year old California girl worried about clothes and boys, Buffy Summers has been transformed into the Slayer-the young woman of her generation destined to become the primary combatant in an ongoing war against the powers of evil, especially the undead. After a rather obvious mishap in her hometown of LA, now 16 year old Buffy and her mother have moved to Sunnydale, CA where they hope to begin a new life free of Buffy's recent 'behavioral issues.' However, it turns out that Sunnydale is ripe for Buffy's arrival; the town is located over a Hellmouth and so experiences an unusually high amount of supernatural activity. Unable to escape her destiny, Buffy takes on her role as Slayer with the aid of her Watcher/high school librarian Giles and her new friends Willow and Xander.

My instinctual reaction to Buffy is similar to my reaction to other awesome inhabitants of that fantastical place known as the Whedonverse: this is how good sci-fi is done. Whedon creates a believable and interesting universe but does not allow the mythos or the world-building process to overpower either the story or the characters. Instead the supernatural elements are used to discuss current, human issues in new, revealing ways. My tv preferences are frequently like my reading preferences: I’m all about the characters. While the supernatural aspects can always draw me into a show, it’s the characters that keep me watching. The fantastically clever and amusing writing doesn’t hurt either.

The title character took a few episodes to grow on me; I was more immediately a fan of ‘the Scooby Gang’ than the Slayer herself. But she has grown on me. I like Buffy and I think that in many ways she, like Veronica Mars, stands out among female characters on television. I enjoy her snarky wit, of course. But more so, I enjoy the combination of vulnerability and pure anger that she illustrates. Like Veronica, Buffy has some distinct flaws and she makes mistakes. She does not always win. She can be incredibly tough yet still break down into an emotional wreck. Also, her gifts and training as a Slayer give Buffy the opportunity to be aggressive and to express her anger more openly than most women are ever permitted or encouraged to do. This ties in with a larger topic I’ve been thinking about for over a year now: the portrayal of angry young women in YA media. I first began thinking about this after reading the amazing Graceling by Kristin Cashore and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart last summer and the thoughts are still brewing in my mind.

But, I think I will let those thoughts brew a little while longer before I share them in detail. After all, I still have SEVERAL more seasons of Buffy to catch up on, in between reading, writing, and that whole having a job business. But watch for more teen tv chatter mixed in with the book reviews and an upcoming booklist over the next few weeks!