The River

The River by Peter Heller    272 pages

It’s hard to pigeon-hole this novel into one genre; It’s part wilderness adventure, part thriller and part horror story, with a bit of “Deliverance” thrown in.

Jack and Wynn share a love of literature, camping, canoeing and fishing. “They were best friends at Dartmouth, who had decided to take the summer and fall quarters off.” Fall was closing in as the two were reaching the last few days of their canoe trip on northern Canada’s Maskwa River. They do not foresee the trouble that lies ahead. But if there isn’t some sort of dilemma ahead, there isn’t much tension to the story. 

Their days are filled drifting in their canoe, fishing for their meal, picking wild blueberries and long discussions of literature. The descriptions of the landscape and the animals puts the reader right there in the canoe with them.

The book opens with a major concern: “They had been smelling smoke for two days.”  After setting up camp that night, they “followed a game trail to a ledge of broken rock…looking northwest they saw it…and they knew it was a fire.” It was humongous.

Time became more pressing. They had to reach the landing, several days still away, before the flames could catch up with them.

Further downstream, on a fog-shrouded night, Jack and Wynn heard a couple arguing. They decide against warning them about the fire. The next day, a man appears and stops at their campsite. He is alone, but looks as if he’s been beaten.  Wynn, ever the trusting soul, believes the story the man concocts, but Jack isn’t buying it. He believes that the man killed the woman and would kill them if he got half a chance.

Jack and Wynn slip away, but they backtrack to look for the woman. Once they find her, it becomes a race for life as the struggle to reach civilization.

A heart-pounding read, except for one thing. Heller’s preferred format of chunky blocks of text kept throwing me out of the story. It felt like a self-published book where the author was trying to get attention by the unexpected format.  It turns out that Heller formats all his books like that.  Still, I found it highly irritating, and that is why “The River” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Happy

Happy by Grant Morrison and Illustrated by Darick Robertson        Paperback Book:  96 pages         

A friend had told me about the cable t.v. show, “Happy,” and that it was originally a graphic novel, so, I decided to check out the graphic novel.     Good story line although the F Bomb is dropped in nearly every sentence at least once, so, I think the use of the word loses its significance after about the third time and I am not kidding it is literally so over used it is cause to pause and say, “Really?”   however, as I said other than the over use of the F word when there are so many other words easily as potent the story is interesting and I love the character, “Happy,” who is the imaginary friend created by the main character’s daughter.   The daughter gets in dire straits and sends, “Happy,” to find help.    Happy is this really cute conglomeration of a unicorn, a donkey, a horse and Pegasus that the little girl dreamed up one day and brought him into this world.    There is a horrific serial molester/killer that snatches up children and young adults who has her tied up and taped up along with a bunch of other kids he is going to brutalize.   The girl’s father is obviously down on his luck and looks really scruffy like he has been living in a trash can (sorry Oscar no offense – trust me, this guy is a looooonnnngggggg way from Sesame Street).   There is a law enforcement connection and a near death experience maybe all the way dead because this fellow looks like a Zombie and when he was flatlining – Happy comes through as this invisible little cutie that no one but Scruffy Guy can see and hear except that he doesn’t heed Happy’s trying to get him to go help his daughter.   A good story and I am guessing there are more graphic novels to this story.    Reading the novel now I do want to see the treatment done on t.v., too.    Not for anyone who is anti-violence and anti-profanity there is lots of both here, but, gamers, sci-fiers, Walking Dead fans and the eclectic will love it.    Big points for storyline and amazing illustrations by Darik Robertson.  Big kiss for that cutie pie, “Happy,” and hugs for all the guff he has to put up with and his courage in perservering to save his little friend,    Well done, if a little excessive on the F bombs.    I would recommend this to anyone who likes graphic novels, comic books, and has an open-mind to topics and vernacular.

 - Shirley J.

Red Rising

Red Rising by Pierce Brown     382 pages

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

This book took some time getting into it. The setting up of this futuristic world was tricky to take on and anyone who is not very fond of sci-fi might have difficulty getting past it to the more interesting bits of the dystopia/character building/plot.

There are things I enjoyed very much reading this book and things that made me feel less interested in it. The things I didn't care for are that it trods in the path of many previous sci-fi books with a male lead who must save the world. That wouldn't be so bad because, after all, one of my favorite books is Ender's Game, buuuut, the fact that this book has that and that the catalyst that starts the whole thing is the death of his wife. A woman has to die to give Darrow the rage and drive he needs to take down the system. I feel like this is such an overused trope that it makes me depressed when I read it these days. Of course a woman has to die to give the main character the start he needs. Of course, of course, of course.

Aside from that, once the story really gets going there is a lot of violence, rape, and anger that is not my cup of tea. So many people are brutally maimed or killed, the mention of "pissing" on people happens at least a dozen times. I don't really care for that aggressive, animalistic stuff. It's not interesting to read and it's also gross.

Things I did like were the characters. I think Mustang, Pax, Roque, Sevro, and many others are really what makes this book strong. The building of a team, an army, what makes them all work together and trust their leader, Darrow, unconditionally is what really gets you interested in where the story will go. It reminded me a lot of Ender's Game. And the name "Wiggin" is even used, as if that story were an actual part of history. It made me smile.

The plot is strong, once you get past the first twenty or so chapters. That's where the book really hits its stride. If you can wade through the beginning to get this far, it is worth the time. It's action packed, the characters are finally becoming whole people, building off each other, and the plot is full of neat surprises and twists. It is enough of crest to ride till the end. I will definitely finish reading this series. The story captured me enough for that.

I would recommend this book to those who are fond of sci-fi, in addition to liking dystopias. There's also a lot of Greek/Roman mythology mixed in there, so if that's something you're into, it's a neat little feature in this book. Cheers.

The Tightrope Walkers

The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond, 326 pages

This is the story of Dominic Hall, and his best friend, Holly Stroud.  Dom is the son of a common laborer and Holly is the daughter of a draughtsman, but the two have always been thick as thieves.  Both are very intelligent and everyone expects great things from them.  But Dom is also attracted to Vincent, the resident bad boy, who is almost certainly nothing but trouble.  This is mostly a story about growing up and coming of age.  It was pretty good, but with the English slang written out the way it is it's also a kind of difficult read.  This book is mostly going to be for teens who really like reading and are willing to take on more challenging books.

Sweet

Sweet, by Emmy Laybourne, 272 pages

Laurel is a little overweight, but pretty comfortable with her body and happy with her life.  But since her friend, Viv, who constantly obsesses over her weight, got her a free ticket to accompany her on the Solu Cruise to Lose, she can hardly refuse.  Solu is a new sweetener that guarantees rapid weight loss results, and while Laurel is too seasick to eat, she observes that the people around her are losing weight.  But they're also acting pretty strangely- almost like addicts.  And then... then it gets scary.

I liked this- I especially thought it had a really good ending.  As I closed the book, I prayed a little pray: "Dear Emmy Laybourne, please don't do that thing that so many YA novelists do where you can't leave a book alone and you feel like you have to turn it into a trilogy when it's perfectly fine just as it is. Amen."  But just now, looking it up on Goodreads, it has "Sweet #1" in parentheses after the title, which is disheartening.  But if you're looking for a good creepy or sort-of-horror-y YA read and you don't mind some kind of gross scene descriptions, try this one.

Contest

Contest by Matthew Reilly, 334 pages

A co-worker recommended this book to me, and I should have known what genre it would be before I even read it: science fiction. My co-worker loves science fiction, but I'm not really a fan. Nothing personal against science fiction, but it's just not my cup of tea. The last book he recommended to me was science fiction, so I really should have known. Fool me twice, I guess.

With that being said, I am pleasantly surprised as to how much I actually enjoyed the book. The timeline of the book occurs in less than one day, and it is riveting! The action is basically nonstop, and it was because of this that the book made for a quick and exciting read.

The only downside? It involves a contest (that takes place in the New York Public Library) where the last person (or alien) who is alive wins. Normally, I suppose, this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but it can become problematic (and rather traumatizing) if you read this book directly after reading The Hunger Games (which I did).

It is worth it, though. You may just have the inexplicable desire to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar or a Dr. Seuss book afterwards, though.

Hurricane Punch

Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey, 368 pages

A conga line of hurricanes bearing down on the Florida peninsula, an Serge goal is ride each of them that rolls across the Sunshine State. Meanwhile a brutal serial killer is leaving victims at a disturbing rate, even for Florida, and has begun a stalking a sensitive crime journalist. Serge takes offense at this new serial killer and makes plans to stop him, while not out chasing hurricanes or collecting cool souvenirs and gadgets that is. Complicating matters is criminal profiler Agent Mahoney, who has just been released from a mental hospital after getting to deep into Serge's head. He believes that there is no second killer and Serge has snapped and is committing these murders without even knowing it.
This book will leave readers guessing as they try to figure out how seemingly unconnected plots will come together, and who is murdering who. Plus an old character resurfaces to add even more fun to an already fun packed book in this fun filled series

How It Went Down

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon, 326 pages

Told from multiple perspectives, this is the story of Tariq, gunned down in his own neighborhood after leaving a store.  Some people claim he was carrying a gun, some people say he was unarmed.  The media is having a field day, and it appears that the police believe that Tariq is at fault and have let the shooter, Jack, go.  Although it isn’t stated the book is clearly inspired by recent events and many teens have seen or can relate to the type of events in this book.  It was gripping and realistic and one I would recommend to many high school age teens.

I, Death

I, Death by Mark Leslie, 365 pages

I, Death, follows troubled teenager, Peter O’Mallick, who somehow has the ability to kill someone just by looking at them. Encouraged by his guidance counselor, Peter begins to blog about his experiences in order to try to understand this power and himself. The self-directed therapy helps, and strangers who follow his online story virtually befriend him. Only once Peter learns to control his gift he’s pulled into a scene where his curse, might actually allow him to to do some good, except the intentions of his new found ‘family’ might not be what they seem.  

This was a fast paced read with thrills and a slightly comedic undertone at times.  I enjoyed this book a lot, the format for most of it was set up like a blog which made it easy to get into and the twists kept me hooked wondering what was going to happen next. This is a good read for anyone who likes fast paced thrillers, or dark humor.

When I Was The Greatest

When I Was The Greatest by Jason Reynolds, 232 pages

Ali lives in kind of a tough neighborhood, but his friend Noodles and Noodles’s brother Needles, have got it a lot tougher.  Their apartment in the building next door to his is in much worse shape and their mother is rarely home.  Ali has his little sister Jazz, and even though his dad isn’t around much and his mom works so she’s gone a lot, he knows they both love him and his mom, especially, is looking out for him.  Ali doesn’t understand why Noodles treats Needles so bad sometimes, just because he has Tourette’s Syndrome.  No one else in the neighborhood cares but Noodles is always ragging on him.  Ali isn’t sure how much more he can take, and after an incident, it’s possible that Needles may not be ready to take anymore either.  This is a really good realistic story that ought to appeal especially to teen boys.

Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns Mark Lawrence, 324 pages

When he was 9 Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath was thrown into briar patch and forced to watch his mother and young brother slaughtered. At 12 he ran away from life at the castle and became the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By age 15 he intends to be king.


This was a very dark book, much darker than I actually expected, and despite this I felt that you just couldn't help rooting for the murderous psychopath of a main character. Even though the setting is a little unclear at times, I felt Lawrence did good job and would recommend this book to those who enjoy dark and violent fantasy.   

Knockout Games

Knockout Games by G. Neri, 298 pages

Erica has just moved to St. Louis in the aftermath of her parent’s break-up.  A white girl in a mostly African-American neighborhood and school, she quickly becomes entangled with a group in the neighborhood called the TKO Club.  The club’s main form of entertainment is trying to knock out unsuspecting people on the street by punching them.  Erica has a video camera and videotapes several of these incidents and shares them among the members of the club and their friends.  At first being with then group, especially their leader, Kalvin, feels great.  She finally feels like she has some control. But more and more, as the game goes on, she starts to feel uneasy.  The victims are mostly people from the neighborhood who she sees after the attacks and some of them seem pretty badly hurt.  She worries that what they are doing is not just a fun game, but could be dangerous and possibly land her or other members of the club in jail.  A good portrayal of a real problem in St. Louis and other parts of the country, any teens who live in major metropolitan areas might like to read this book.

Alice in Zombieland

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, 404 pages

This book came forcefully recommended by a coworker and potential blogger. I was intrigued by the title and was thinking it was a rewrite of Alice in Wonderland but with zombies. What I got was an entirely different zombie adventure.

Showalter also takes a unique approach in her zombies. These are zombies that can only be seen by select people. The zombies also are only inclined to chase people that can see them. This leads to a sort of war in which the highschool aged zombie hunters are forced to do battle with the zombies or get turned into zombies themselves.

The book was slightly more chic lit like than stuff I normally read but the fact that there were zombies helped. I am very interested to see where Showalter is going to take this zombie adventure series.