Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

I lift my arm out of the water. It's a log. Put it back under and it blows up even bigger. People see the log and call it a twig. They yell at me because I can't see what they see. Nobody can explain to me why my eyes work different than theirs. Nobody can make it stop.
The merry-go-round spins again. To get off this thing I think I have to scream. But I can't. My bone corset is laced so tight, I can barely breathe.

I have recently become a pretty big fan of Laurie Halse Anderson. As you may remember (if you've been following this blog of mine), I read her book, Speak, a few months ago and immediately added it to my list of favorite books. It's the most popular of her books and for good reason. It was amazing.

I picked up Wintergirls because she was the author and because it looked like it would be quite interesting. I saw that it was about a girl who was struggling with anorexia and, after watching our society's skinny obsession pick off my friends one by one over the last few years, I knew it would be something I wanted to read. And I was absolutely right.

Cassie had been Lia's best friends since the two of them were in kindergarten. They lived across the street from one another and were practically attached at the hip for most of their lives. In fact, it was with Cassie that Lia made the oath that they would be the thinnest girls in school. Only Cassie and Lia stopped being friends a few months ago, after Lia's second stay in New Seasons: a home for girls battling eating disorder, and her parents had her cut off all communication with Lia. And now Cassie is dead.

Alone and still battling demons of her own, Lia continues to shed weight, refusing to believe she is anything other than huge, refusing to admit that what she's doing to herself may cost her her own life-- and irreparably damage those around her.

I deeply enjoyed Wintergirls. Though it's one of those books that makes you want to cry through half of the story and keeps your stomach churning through the rest, it's the type of story our generation (and the generations coming after us) sorely needs.

Anderson handled the material extremely itself extremely well, but she also managed to create a novel whose poetic language draws the reader in more deeply than anything else ever could. Wintergirls is deeply beautiful book, even as the story itself plunges into a darkness that feels tangible at times. (Yet it is that tangibility of the emotions and the darkness surrounding Lia that makes this book so very good.)

I honestly didn't think Anderson could match the fabulous job she did with Speak, but it appears that I was wrong. This is just as good and just as relevant. It's definitely written better than the other novel. (Though I'm quite certain Speak will still continue to be my favorite of the two books, it's at least a close competition.) Also, Anderson herself is quickly climbing her way up the list of my favorite authors. She's just too amazing to not be one of my favorites!

I purchased the book immediately after having finished it and will most assuredly be singing its praises to everyone I come in contact with for months to come.

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~

We held hands when we walked down the gingerbread path into the forest, blood dripping from our fingers. We danced with witches and kissed monsters. We turned us into winter girls, and when she tried to leave, I pulled her back into the snow because I was afraid to be alone.

Revived by Cat Patrick

"At some point, you have to admit that death is coming and be grateful for what you've had instead of pissed that it's going away."

I picked up Revived the other day while Christmas shopping after spotting it on the shelf and recognizing the author's name. I had read her debut novel, Forgotten, in late 2011 and really enjoyed it. I was excited to read her second novel and see if it was as good as the first. It was even better.

Daisy Appleby is stung by a bee, which she's deathly allergic to, and dies on the track field at her school in Michigan. She wakes up eight hours later as Daisy West and is forced to relocate to Omaha, Nebraska with her handlers. This is the fifth time Daisy has died.

After dying at the age in a school bus packed with children that swerved off a cliff, Daisy, along with most of the other children involved in the crash, was brought back to life by an experimental drug called "Revive."

Now fifteen and starting her sophomore year in high school, Daisy has officially died five times. Each time has resulted in she and her handlers being uprooted from whatever suburban area they had most recently made their home, changing their last names, and finding a new place in which they can start a new life. An orphan at the time of the crash, Daisy is taken care of by two agents in the system (called Disciples) and it's they who revive her, take care of her on a daily basis, and pose as her parents when in public.

Upon getting settled in, Daisy starts at a new school and soon finds that she's getting more attached than she's ever been before. Before now, she's always been isolated, fully aware that any friends she made would never truly know her, that she would never truly be able to confide in anyone the dark secrets that set her apart. Yet, here she finds herself not only making a best friend, but falling in love with a wonderful boy in her English class.

In the midst of this, she begins to discover that something's happening in the program that could put her and everyone she cares about in danger. Even Mason, her handler, is concerned. And when she discovers a new case, one outside of the group of test subjects that are meant to be the only ones receiving the drug, Daisy realizes that the creator of the drug is up to something and no one is safe.

I really enjoyed Cat Patrick's debut novel, but Revive absolutely topped it. The science fiction aspect of the novel was totally grounded and fascinating, but instead of focusing on that part of the story, most of it pivots on Daisy and how she grapples with life and the concept of death. Patrick found the perfect balance for her story, positioning it so that the reader bites their nails about what's going on in Daisy's secret world of agents and people who have been brought back from the dead as well as the world in which she deals with the terminal illness of a friend that can't be cured by the serum.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a pretty easy read, yet really interesting. Everything was brought around full circle and no loose strings were left dangling. It was perfectly fascinating and a great read for these winter months in which we're all tempted to stay indoors with our coffee cups and our fleece blankets.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

But I can't. I can't speak. And I can't take Matt's pain, because I have too much of my own, and I have no place to put his.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

All I've learned in Shakespeare class is: Sometimes you fall in love with the wrong person just so you can find the right person. A more useful lesson would've been: Sometimes the right person doesn't love you back. Or sometimes the right person is gay. Or sometimes you just aren't the right person.
Thanks for nothing, Shakespeare.

After falling in love with Jackson Pearce's sophomore novel, Sisters Red, she became one of those authors whose section in the library I check nearly every time I visit. Thus I found her debut novel a few weeks ago and immediately checked it out. I just now managed to get around to reading it, but I am immensely glad I did. I read it all on one sitting that lasted about five or six hours. My day off couldn't have been better spent.

Viola Cohen's whole world felt like it had been ripped apart when her best friend and boyfriend, Lawrence, admitted to her that he was gay. Months later, they're still best friends, but Viola feels invisible and alone, as if a part of her has been broken.

Her greatest desire is to feel like she's a part of something again, the way she felt when she was with Lawrence. She doesn't want to feel invisible anymore. She wants to love someone and know that they love her too. It's the strength of this inner wish that summons the jinn.

When the jinn appears, he informs her that she has been granted three wishes. He expects it to be a routine venture to the world of humans, but Viola isn't like any of the other masters he's come in contact with up to this point. She speaks to him like a person, not just a wish-granter, and she evokes something in him that he's never experienced before--a longing for the friendship both she and Lawrence extend to him and, even more consuming, a longing for her. These are unprecedented and entirely unusual for a jinn. They aren't meant to get attached. They're meant to grant their wishes and go, but Jinn's not so sure he wants to go home anymore.

Viola gets three wishes. Three wishes and Jinn will be gone from her life forever. She won't remember him and he'll go back to his world, Caliban, until he is summoned by another human with a wish. It's not until after she has made her first wish that they begin to realize that they're feelings toward each other are more than anything they could have expected. Will Jinn help heal the brokenness in Viola's heart, only to have it broken once more and break his own heart in the process?

Once again, Jackson Pearce has created a fantastic story based on a classic fairytale. Technically, it isn't a part of her series of fairytale adaptations, but I still think it fits in that category regardless. I don't think I've ever read an adaptation of any stories involving genies before. In fact, it took me a few pages to get the image of the Aladdin genie voiced by Robin Williams out of my head. But it wasn't that difficult. After all, Jinn is a whole other species of genie than the crazy blue one I'm thinking of.

I particularly liked her description of Jinn's home world of Caliban, where the jinn have been banished. It's a beautiful place filled with beautiful people, but because of its lack of flaws is subpar in a way that makes complete sense, yet is kind of mind-blowing. It's our flaws and differences that make the human race so different and, eventually, so appealing to Jinn.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Pearce's other book was the creation of characters that were believable, well-rounded, and that carried strong emotional bonds for each other. Though these relationships were inherently quite different than the ones portrayed in Sisters Red, they still bore that essential loyalty to the people that were most important in the main characters' lives. Each cared deeply for the others and wanted most of all for the ones they loved to be truly happy. They wanted them to be happy being themselves, not trying to be copies of anyone else or copying what others were doing. Being happy with oneself and being happy with that was a major theme throughout the book that I deeply appreciated.

Jackson Pearce is clearly a fabulous storyteller. I cannot wait to read more of her work and it certainly won't be long before I'm scrambling for the next of her books I can get my hands on.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I'm . . . jealous.
Wait. No. I can't be jealous. My fingers tense and I can feel my pulse throbbing under my skin. My heart pounds in my chest and my mind races. The image of Viola and Aaron collides with the realization that I'm jealous. Jealousy is a mortal emotion. One that means I have something to lose--something that, if gone, will tear away a part of me. Jealousy is not for my kind. And yet there it is: I'm jealous.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

The wolf opened his wide, long jaws, rows of teeth and bloodstained tongue stretching for her. A thought locked itself in Scarlett's mind, and she repeated it over and over until it became a chant, a prayer: I am the only one left to fight, so now I must kill you.

I picked up Sisters Red after hearing a pretty great review of it on another book reviewing blog. I bought it a few weeks ago and just now got around to reading it. My reaction? I love almost everything about this book.

You'll often hear avid readers getting "book hangovers," meaning basically that after they've finished the book, they have trouble starting a new one or thinking about anything besides the book they have just finished because they're still in that world. As many good books as I read, I don't usually experience that as much anymore. I still often find my mind going back to a good story or book that I really enjoyed, but I don't often have trouble breaking away from thinking only about a particular story for a day or two after I've finished it. But I definitely experienced that with Sisters Red. Long after I'd finished it, I was still poring over the tale and everything that had happened within it.

Sisters Red is the shared story of Rosie and Scarlett March. When they were children a werewolf (or Fenris, as they're called by those who are familiar with them) attacked them, killing the grandmother who raised them as well as taking Scarlett's eye and leaving scars all over her body. To save herself and her sister, Scarlett killed the beast; and ever since, she has had an all-consuming passion to hunt Fenris so that no one else has to suffer the way she and her sister have.

When a good friend of the sisters and an excellent woodsman and Fenris hunter, Silas, returns from a long family visit in California, things start changing. Not only does Rosie suddenly find herself drawn to the woodsman, she also begins to guiltily dream of a life where she isn't constantly fighting Fenris. But, more immediately, something is changing about the Fenris. They're getting bolder and more numerous, drifting into territory they had long abandoned. As more and more lives come in contact with the murderous creatures, the three are going to have to come up with a plan to take them on and fast. Otherwise, they could lose a lot more than they already have.

A modern and incredibly well-done spin on the old Red Riding Hood tale, Sisters Red was a compelling read from the very start. Not once did I lose interest or feel the tale was moving either too slow or too fast. Pearce did a fantastic job at pacing her story just right, as well as creating characters that the reader can identify and empathize with.

In particular, the relationships Pearce portrays really struck a cord with me. The loyalty between Rosie, Scarlett, and Silas was beautiful and the fierce love that each portrayed for the others was absolutely stunning. Their love for each other was probably the thing I loved most about this book. No matter how much fighting there was or how high the tension got, you never once doubted that each would do anything to protect the others and I cannot say enough how beautiful that is to me.

I would definitely suggest this to everyone, particularly lovers of fairy tales. It was an all-around wonderful book and I will definitely be snatching up the next Jackson Pearce novel I see. I'm thinking her Hansel and Gretel retelling looks like just the right book to be the next addition to my bookshelf.

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~

[Click here for my review of book 2: Sweetly]

The plan forms in my mind slowly, more like a tide coming in than a wave crashing over me. I am confident, I am capable, and I will not wait to be rescued by a woodsman or a hunter. I will escape.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Mr. Freeman thinks I need to find my feelings. How can I not find them? They are chewing me alive like an infestation of thoughts, shame, mistakes.


This is yet another book that I read after seeing the movie, finding out it was originally a book, being frustrated, and rushing out to find a copy. I didn't even realize until I was at the library that I have already read and currently own another of the author's books, Fever, when I was in middle school. I remembered loving it, which made me even more excited for this novel.

When Melinda Sordino enters her freshman year of high school, she had already been blacklisted. Having managed to find her way into a high school party at the end of the summer, she had ended up calling the police and getting several students in trouble or arrested in the process.

But no one thought to ask her side of the story. It never occurred to anyone that she had needed to call the police--that she had been hurt. Now, entering high school friendless and traumatized, she begins to isolate herself. She stops speaking unless necessary. She shuts down.

The only place she feels safe is in art class, where her quirky teacher, Mr. Freeman, both challenges and inspires her. He shows her that, through art, she can breathe again and begin to heal.

Melinda is deeply scarred and feels trapped in the silence that once gave her a sense of comfort. She is still in danger and if she doesn't speak up, someone else could get hurt. But can she overcome her fear and finally speak? She isn't so sure she can--or that anyone will listen if she does.

Speak is a wonderfully written novel about coming of age, healing from deep wounds, and speaking up. Laurie Halse Anderson leaves no doubt through her skillfully crafted imagery that words can create just as well as paint. Her ability to mold the details and the words just the way they needed to give the reader a perfect picture that resonates with them long afterward left me awestruck.

Not only was her capability as a wordsmith one of the things that made this book easily soar to my favorites category, but her ability to capture what it looks like to be a terrified girl who feels trapped in her own emotions left me stunned. Melinda jumps off the page, as real as a character can possibly be without stepping clean out of the book and talking to the reader in person. There isn't a single moment that you find yourself battling with disbelief. Anderson lets you empathize with her character and see what it's like to step inside her mind.

This book is a must read. I cannot express enough how well written and necessary this book is to a generation that has dealt with more pain than any before it. Pick it up immediately. Whether you're in middle school, high school, or even gearing up to cash in that retirement fund: Speak is a book you have to get your hands on.

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~


David: "But you got it wrong. The suffragettes were all about speaking up, screaming for their rights. You can't speak up for your right to be silent. That's letting the bad guys win. If the suffragettes did that, women wouldn't be able to vote yet."
I blow a bubble in his face. He folds the gum wrappers into tiny triangles.
David: "Don't get me wrong. I think what you did was kind of cool and getting stuck in MISS wasn't fair. But don't expect to make a difference unless you speak up for yourself."

Wired by Robin Wasserman

We were on our own. Two machines. Two orgs. Four teenagers with no power and no plan.


(Click here to see my review of book 1: Skinned and book 2: Crashed; predecessors to Wired in the Cold Awakening Trilogy)

The final installment of the Cold Awakening Trilogy, a Young Adult Science Fiction series, Wired lived up to every expectation I had for this book. The first two books were wonderful and intriguing; the world Wasserman created were nearly even more so. I was a little nervous that she wouldn't be able to make the conclusion as good as the story had been up to this point. Rest assured, she managed it.

In Wired, we find that things have steadily moved from bad to worse. The Brotherhood of Man is still gunning for the extermination of the mechs and now it looks like they may have found a way to do that. Suddenly the threat is much more than they could ever have anticipated.

As if that weren't enough, Lia soon finds out that things are more complicated than she had first thought. It seems that everyone is lying about something and no one can be trusted.

When everyone Lia cares about come under fire and are put in danger along with her, she must do everything she can to save them. It's clear that the threat must be stopped. The question is: can it? Things have never looked so hopeless.

But Lia has never been more determined.

Wired was the perfect ending to this stunning and intriguing trilogy that had me hooked from start to finish. When I started it, I honestly didn't expect it to be all that good, so it's pretty clear that I've been blown away by its fantastic execution.

Robin Wasserman proved undeniably that she knows what she's doing when it comes to writing fiction--particularly science fiction--and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from her. She's one of those authors you don't want to miss, because her work is too good to stay out of the spotlight for long.

I'm very happy I managed to find this series and can't wait to see the author at LeakyCon. I can't express enough how much I enjoyed this series. It makes the reader stop and think. It makes you grapple with moral and ethical issues of great importance all while reading an enthralling story that keeps you wondering just what is going to happen next. Nothing is predictable. Nothing is certain.

Go pick up the first book at your library or your local bookstore. You won't be sorry.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Riley said, as we were leaving. "They can't make you."
I kissed him and wondered when he'd gotten so naive.

Crashed by Robin Wasserman

"I can't escape," the train of thought went. "And they can't kill me. They can't hurt me in any way that counts." 
So why think about what's going to happen next?
Why not just stop being afraid?
And then the lights went out.

The sequel to Skinned, Crashed is the continuing story of Lia's life as a mech. When she died, her body was placed into a mechanical body that was meant to simulate the experience of being human. After the incident at the waterfall and a falling out with her sister who doesn't believe she is the real Lia, our protagonist leaves home to live with the other mechs she knows.

It's been six months since the events of the last book and things are steadily growing worse. The world is turning against mechs in a way they haven't before. An uprising is imminent and things are become more and more dangerous for those the humans call "skinners."

In order to protect herself and others like her, Lia must team up with Jude and Riley to figure out how they can win this. But the stakes are higher than they've ever been, the past is coming back to threaten them all,  and the enemy is willing to go to moral depths that Lia's not sure she can follow. How can she be expected to make the right choice when no one seems to be the good guy?

Once again, Wasserman has done a wonderful job in crafting a believable world and tackling moral questions that most novelists wouldn't touch with a stick (or at least, I haven't seen them touch it yet). Her characters are believable and well-rounded (even if some are so irritating that you find yourself ranting at them while you read), while her plot is seamlessly executed and shocking all the same. Every thing about this book was well-done.

I think I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original and I can't wait to see what she does with the final installment of the Cold Awakening Trilogy. It ought to be good.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Then we come up with another plan!" I insisted. "I'm not-" I didn't even want to say it out loud. The words would have sounded ludicrous coming out of my mouth. I'm not killing anyone. As if I was the type of person for whom that was even an option. Unrecognizable was one thing. This was alien. This was unthinkable. "Tell him, Riley. Tell him we can't do this."

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

"You many never feel ready. Sometimes we need to just take a risk, have faith in our own strength."


I judge books by their covers. This may not be a good practice at all times, but it generally works as far as I can tell. Let me tell you right now: under normal circumstances, I would have put this book right back on the shelf because of its cover. Sorry, but it's true. Not only is it stereotypically done in exactly the same manner as all paranormal teen lit these days (bright, visually compelling image placed on a dark background -- seriously, take a stroll through that section of the bookstore and you'll think it's an entire section of the store dedicated to a single series), but it just looked uninteresting.

Luckily, looks aren't everything. I was looking for something to read by the author because she is going to be one of the authors at LeakyCon and I want to read at least one work from each before I go this year, if at all possible. It was the synopsis that caught me and I can now inform you that I really enjoyed this book.

Skinned is the story of Lia Kahn after she dies in a car wreck. Yes, you read that right. Lia is killed when the car she is in collides with another after their navigation systems both malfunctioned at the same time (I suspect tampering). When she wakes after the crash, it's to find that her consciousness has basically been downloaded and placed into a mechanical body that looks almost human. And almost really is the key word here.

Because after Lia struggles to teach herself to control this body of hers, she is thrust back into her old life, only to find there there isn't any room for her there anymore. Her younger sister has all but slid into her place, taking over every aspect of what used to be Lia's life. Meanwhile, there is a big stigmatism associated with being a mech-head (or a skinner, as some call them). To the rest of the world, they aren't real people. They're copies, machines, and not worth anything more than a bit of scrap metal or an old computer. And not everyone is passive in their dislike of the skinners. Some take a rather aggressive stance when it comes to their hatred of the new breed.

Set in a future where nearly everything is artificial and the world has come a long way from where it is now, I found this to be a really interesting and original concept. Wasserman creates a future where the idea of a fully artificial body is frowned upon, yet parents consistently go into laborites upon learning that their pregnant, allowing doctors to tweak and alter their unborn children into exactly what they want, as long as they have enough money to pay for it. High IQ, perfect skin, ginger hair, blue eyes? It's up to them. I found the similarity in the two quite interesting when it comes to the perspective of the characters. Why do they see something wrong with a drastically changing the DNA of a person, yet the fact that the body isn't actually flesh and blood is abhorrent to them?

I really enjoyed this book. Like I said, it was very compelling and original. It's not something I've ever seen before. Wasserman does a great job in writing her character and making you sympathize with her. I don't usually identify with characters like Lia. She's not the type of person I would normally befriend, much less understand (at least before the accident), so the fact that Wasserman is able to make the reader sympathize with her is a testament to her creative ability.

The only thing I didn't enjoy about the first novel of this series (a series I will definitely be eager to finish), was her portrayal of Christians/other religious groups as they appear in that time. Believers are looked upon as simple-minded and odd by the masses. The Faithers are fanatics that take Scripture and seem to twist it to meet their own needs. They are the bad guys in this series, or so it looks like they will be, though it is made clear by one main character that believers are not all necessarily Faithers. Some cling to God because they need the certainty while others use him as an excuse to be manipulative and just plain mean. While I clearly don't like this portrayal, I won't say it isn't accurate. By accurate, however, I mean that it is something I could see religious people becoming (yes, even Christians) when they forget the point of what they believe. When Christians forget that love is everything, their faith becomes polluted and corrupted. So I could see it becoming exactly what Wasserman has portrayed.

Otherwise, I loved it. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series and will be doing so in short order. If you've got some time to kill this summer, this series seems like it will be an excellent way to do so.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


[Click here to see my review of Crashed: Book 2 in the Cold Awakening Trilogy]


"I'm sorry for what he said. He shouldn't have treated you like that."
I shrugged. "I'm getting used to it." 
"You shouldn't have to."
True. But there were a lot of things I shouldn't have to get used to, and if I started making a list, I might never stop.

The Clearing by Heather Davis

"If I could go back in time, Amy, I'd give that gift to you-- and I'd remind you that you're special every time I could. Not just when I showed up with a jar of jam with a bow on top."


When Amy moved out to the country to live with her Aunt Mae, it was an escape. She had needed a change. She had needed to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend and the mental and physical bruising he had given her. She wanted a new start, something different.

The last thing she could have expected to find was Henry. Though she had all but sworn off boys in an attempt to recover herself and the spirit she thought she had lost, Henry somehow manages to sneak past her defenses. He is everything she needs and so much more than she could have imagined.

But Henry has his own pain. He too is running, running from what the future has in store. In 1944, he prayed that things would go back to the way it had been before everything in his life started deteriorating. And by some miracle, it had worked. His farmhouse, his mother, his grandfather, and Henry are all still in 1944.

When Amy stumbles upon Henry and his home, though, everything starts to change. Amy is a breath of fresh air he could never have imagined. Henry is her safe place. And the two begin to heal each other in ways they never could have anticipated. But things can't always go on the way they have before, sometimes healing means letting go of the hurts that once shackled you and stepping out of your comfort zone.

The Clearing by Heather Davis is a story of healing and dealing with your past. Our first reaction, when something bad happens, is to retreat inside yourself. But that never helps resolve issues. Davis does a wonderful job in portraying how facing your fears can be the best action you could possibly take and that true love can change your life forever.

I found this story both compelling and touching. I was nearly brought to tears on more than one occasion. Davis does a great job at hooking the reader with her tale of fear and love, drawing you in to the point where you must turn the page, you have to know what comes next.

I found Davis's writing technique quite interesting, as well. I don't think I have ever seen an author mix first and third person narrative the way she did and, I might add, she pulled it off quite nicely. The chapters alternate from Amy's first person perspective to Henry's third person perspective and it creates an intriguing dynamic.

This book was well-written and executed wonderfully. I definitely enjoyed the journey and would suggest it to anyone who wants a good and touching story about love and how its healing can transcend even the boundaries of time.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


"All of us live in pain, Henry. That's the human condition. Some pain you can see from the outside, and some is buried deep on the inside. We all have our crosses to bear." 

Freefall by Mindi Scott

"I've never liked moving or having to make all new friends. But I'm noticing that people who go from elementary school to middle school to high school with the same kids never get a chance to start over. Like, maybe a certain guy will always be seen as a troublemaker, while some new girl can move to town and be accepted because no one knows her."


Seth McCoy is a sixteen year-old boy with debilitating stage fright who happens to be a musician and is dealing with the recent death of his best friend, Isaac. After finding Isaac dead in his front lawn after a night of partying, Seth blames himself.

Then he meets Rosetta. Rosetta is somewhat new in school and she throws him for a loop. It's not long before he's stumbling head over heels for her. But Rosetta has her own fears and regrets, secrets that haunt her in very much the same way as Seth's do.

The two of them falling in love sounds crazy. It would come with so many challenges, so many issues they would have to push through. But maybe it's worth it. And maybe the other is exactly the push they need to deal with the problems they've bottled up for so long.

Freefall by Mindi Scott sounded good when I saw the cover and read the summary, but it exceeded my expectations by a long shot. Freefall is more than a teenage love story. It's about choosing who you want to be, learning from your past, and overcoming your fears. Scott's writing is well-done and her characters are so believable that I could see them walking off the page and commencing life as planned. Each character, as in real life, has their own set of problems and issues that they need to work through. Not all do, but some are able to come through this sequence of events for the better.

The pacing was perfect and the situations written exactly how they ought to be. Nothing was rushed or confusing. Overall, it was a lovely journey that I enjoyed getting the chance to join. I definitely suggest picking this one up for a good read.

Oh, and a fun detail I didn't notice until after I finished the book and was flipping through pages: the page numbers on the side start at the top of the page and slowly move downward as if they're free falling throughout the story. I love it when there are little gems like that in the design of a book. Very cool.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


"That's why bungee jumping is such a rush," she said, seeming not to notice what she was doing to me here. "Because you know the jump should kill you. They say the people with the most fear of jumping are the ones who end up loving it the most. So I went for it."

Freak by Marcella Pixley

"She's a freak," Jenny said.
I held myself still.
"She's such a freak the guy would rather puke than kiss her."


Freak is the story of a girl named Miriam Fisher, also known by the nickname "Shakespeare" due to her love of poetry and proficiency in writing it. Miriam is a seventh grade girl who just wants to have the freedom to be herself without being ridiculed for it, but that's not the way life turns out for her. Instead, she's labelled a freak, ignored in her own home, and singled out at school.

When she's had enough, Miriam picks a fight with the most popular girl in school -- the one who has been tormenting her from day one. As things steadily grow worse, she wonders why life has to be so terrible for her. But it's not long before she learns that she is not the only girl with problems. And hurt people hurt people.

Freak is both an easy read and and a difficult one; easy in that it's not very long and it only takes a few hours to finish, difficult in that it deals with the isolation of a girl that just wants to be herself and can't understand why that means everyone must abandon her and treat her like she is something disgusting and offensive.

Pixley shows herself to be both a masterful poet and a thought-provoking writer. Her description of emotion is compelling and beautiful, both in the poems written by the main character and in her inner narrative. Peering into the mind of a truly creative person is always a gift and should be fully appreciated in the pages of Pixley's debut novel.

This book will make you think. It will cause you to consider everything that's going on here. Because sometimes we have to stand up to our bullies; and sometimes the bullies are being bullied as well.


Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥


Laughter
rises out of the stomach
like fire
spits from the pores
burns, sears, scours
singes off hair 
rips razors across wrists
leaves notes without any answers

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

"Sometimes inspiration strikes; other times you have to hunt it down."


In her debut novel, Hold Still, Nina LaCour proves herself an immensely artistic and heartfelt author. I was blown away by the depth of emotion in this book and never lost interest for a second. This author is definitely one I'm going to keep an eye out for in the future. I definitely want to make sure I read whatever else she chooses to write.

Writing from the perspective of teenage Caitlin, LaCour tells the story of a girl dealing with heartbreak of the worst kind -- the death of a loved one. The book begins when Caitlin receives the news that her best friend has committed suicide. Blindsided and shattered, Caitlin must learn how to heel and how to move on after losing the person who knew her best, the one she thought she knew so well.

It's an extremely emotional story as LaCour brings you along for the ride, baring Caitlin's meltdowns and heartbreak. We come alongside the teen as she struggles with making new friends though the prospect of maintaining and possibly losing those friendships terrify her.

I chose this book off the library shelves at random because the binding stood out to me and, once again, I'm extremely glad I did. LaCour has an immense talent for writing and imagery. Her description of the way Caitlin struggles and comes to terms with life are spot on and incredibly believable. Prepare yourself for a few intense moments. You may need to keep a tissue box handy during some of these scenes.

Altogether, it's a wonderful book and one I would heartily suggest to anyone who wants a good read, is dealing with a loss of their own, or is even thinking of ending their own life the way Caitlin's friend did. Suicide hurts everyone involved and leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of the people around them. Your life is too precious a gift to give away.

Heartbreak and new love, despair and hope, breaking and restoration: this book is one hell of a journey and one that will surely touch your heart. You don't want to miss it. I'm glad I didn't.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Here she is, once again, never saying things just to say them.