Title: Vengeance Road Author: Erin Bowman Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication date: September 1, 2015 Pages: 336 Genres: Historical Fiction, Western Summary from Goodreads: Revenge is worth its weight in gold. When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal. I’m not overly fond of revenge stories, but I’ve been looking forward to this western for months. I anticipated a rough landscape and a determined heroine with similarities to True Grit. I mean, look at that cover! While Kate Thompson sounds a little like a broken-revenge-record at times, her vengeance rides on the back of her grief as she launches into this journey hours after she buries her father. The Colton brothers, when they first meet, take to calling her deaf, because she has a red haze around her, out for nothing but blood. Expect violence and a stonehearted girl, who makes her first kill in the first chapter of the book: “That sounds real nice, boy,” he says. “Now for the love of God, lower that damn pistol.” The Colton brothers, Jesse and Will, bring some lightheartedness to the story. They’re taken in by Kate’s disguise as a boy, and decide to follow her as a promise to their father to watch out for the Thompson kid. However, as the mission of revenge against the Rose Riders turns towards the promise of gold, even the Colton boys can’t resist the temptation of quick wealth and comfort. In Vengeance Road, the bad guys are really bad, and the good guys are pulled by revenge and greed. While Kate’s thirst for revenge doesn’t dampen (but justifiably grows), she begins to process her grief and remember the sweetness of companionship. She doesn’t want to be alone, and finally recognizes the danger of wallowing in hate. “I want him to burn for eternity. I should carve a damn rose in his forehead first so he knows just how rotten he is. It’s a book about revenge and it’s a book about healing, about learning to lean on others—not letting hate fester. I really enjoyed Vengeance Road. The grammatically incorrect language might be exhausting for some, but I adjusted quickly and it didn’t distract me from the story. Would I let my teen read this book? Vengeance Road has dark themes more appropriate for older teens. There’s some language, talk about “poking whores,” remains of burned children, and a lot of shoot-outs. Liluye’s Apache character introduces themes about judgment, stereotypes, spirituality, culture differences, and how respect garners respect. These topics along with revenge, forgiveness, greed, God, and community make for some great thought-provoking ideas. With the knowledge above and below, I’d recommend this book for everyone 16 and up. Age recommendation: 16 Language – Moderate, including the use of Jesus Christ as an expletive. Drugs & Alcohol— Characters drink alcohol in the saloon as appropriate to the time Sex – References to whores working; sex referred to as a “poke,” a common, encouraged activity; a few kissing scenes Violence – Lots of characters get shot; burned family in a carriage; two characters are hanged; several characters hit with shovels My Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5 stars Buy Vengeance Road on Amazon.com
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Title: The Darkest Part of the Forest Author: Holly Black Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication date: January 13, 2015 Pages: 336 pages Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Summary from Goodreads: Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for. Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once. At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking. Until one day, he does… As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough? There’s a monster in our wood. The Darkest Part of the Forest has a great mystery— a horned boy in a glass box. However, the story that unfolds after the horned boy wakes up, doesn’t quite measure up to the intrigue of the mystery. Despite having some wonderfully menacing characters (see above excerpt), once moving, Holly Black’s story felt a little too forced and predictable.
Hazel is determined to fight the fae in the woods who haunt Fairfold, but wants her brother to share her mission. Ben used to, but he has a special magical gift from the fae, and now lives in fear of it, because he can’t control it. Throughout the book, we discover Hazel and Ben’s neglected childhood—which leads both of them desperate to prove themselves, and know unadulterated love. The horned boy was more compelling in the box. The love interests for siblings Ben and Hazel felt extremely one-sided on Ben’s side, and somehow underdeveloped on Hazel’s side (even though it was with a character we should’ve known well). Black’s story kept me entertained, but not guessing. I was underwhelmed with the conclusion and wished it had been better—because there was so much potential! Would I let my teen read this book? Hazel and Ben aren’t really the best role models, but that doesn’t really prove a book inappropriate. I don’t mind morally ambiguous characters, but Hazel and Ben felt more superficial. Mostly I struggle to recommend it, simply because I didn’t like the direction of the story. The book is relatively clean, content-wise. There’s some gruesome scenes and gruesome fae creatures. Hazel kisses the boys and makes them cry. Ben is gay and shares a few kisses with another character, he also references what it was like for him to be with a boy for the first time. Sex is mentioned but there’s nothing graphic. Age recommendation: 15 Language – mild Drugs & Alcohol— the kids drink alcohol at parties, kids get drunk Sex – several kissing and make out scenes Violence – knife and sword violence against the fae; character gets fingers broken; characters left in coma. My Goodreads rating: 2 out of 5 stars Buy The Darkest Part of the Forest on Amazon.com Title: The Carnelian Legacy Author: Cheryl Koevoet Sold by: Abbott Press Publication date: February 4, 2015 Pages: 458 Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: Marisa MacCallum always believed that the man of her dreams was out there somewhere. The problem is—he’s in another dimension. After the death of her father, eighteen-year-old Marisa's life is on the verge of imploding. She seeks comfort on her daily ride through the woods of Gold Hill, but when a mysterious lightning storm strikes, she is hurled into the ancient, alternate dimension of Carnelia where she is discovered by the arrogant but attractive nobleman, Ambassador Darian Fiore. Stranded in a world teeming with monsters, maniacs and medieval knights, Marisa is forced to join Darian on a dangerous mission to negotiate peace with his cousin and archenemy, Savino da Rocha. Along the way, she starts to see Darian's softer side and finds herself falling in love. But once she learns that he is locked into an arranged marriage, her heart shatters. When Savino falls for her charms and demands her hand in exchange for peace, Marisa is faced with an impossible choice: marry the enemy of the man she loves or betray them both and become the catalyst for a bloody war. In the midst of grief, Marisa is literally thrown into a parallel universe. Understandably, she’s a little emotional. On one hand, I liked that Cheryl Koevoet addressed Marisa’s grief in the story, but on the other hand it felt like Marisa spent the whole book in confusion and tears. We hear about how she was a leader in her high school, and was always a good student, but the evidence of that is hard to find in the book. It was difficult for me to understand why all the men keep falling in love with her, except that she’s supposed to be beautiful. I liked the male roles better. Darian is a good guy, chivalrous, caring, and trying to do what’s best for his country (though I’m unconvinced he needed to keep some important things to himself for so long). Arrie is a great example of a male friend who doesn’t need to be a love interest. He’s funny, lighthearted, and generally the cheery-relief needed in an otherwise somber atmosphere.
The love triangle with Savino felt a little silly. While Marisa is drawn to his magnetism, it’s obvious he’s not a good person. Marisa’s decision about marrying Savino is more of a political vs personal choice in the end, so it never really felt like a real “love” triangle. The mix of medieval and syfy is a fun combination. I enjoyed Koevoet’s world building – parallel universes, knights, beasts, and royalty were all fun elements. The story concentrates more on the romance, which is ok, except that the book is 450 pages. The first half was exciting, while the second half was drawn out with romantic misunderstandings, misgivings, and a strange turn with Marisa attempting her life (Because she can’t be with the man she loves? I don’t think Marisa was actually this unbalanced. The suicidal thoughts felt more like a plot vice to include some faith-related revelations). I think some content could be cut to make the book more compelling. While I enjoyed the book, it was difficult for me to like Marisa, the twist at the end was not really a surprise (Koevoet hints heavily to the conclusion), and some elements of the love story suspended belief for me. So, I’m a little torn with this one. Would I let my teen read this book? The Carnelian Legacy is really clean with Christian themes. Marisa has a return to faith in the book, and Darian depends on his faith and trust in God to help him rule his kingdom. There are some nice discussion topics about grief, faith, and trust. I might have some complaints, but there are good elements that make it a nice recommendation for teens. Age recommendation: 13 Language – none Drugs & Alcohol— Characters drink wine and ale in a medieval-like tradition - it’s not abused Sex – Several “passionate kisses” – that’s exactly how their described Violence – Characters fight off big-foot and yeti-type beasts My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy The Carnelian Legacy on Amazon.com |
Lindsey Learn
I read a lot. I'm a Mom. I'm officially in my 30s, but strangers often don't believe I'm old enough to drink. I love Young Adult fiction, and thought it was worthwhile to help teens and adults find age-appropriate options. Categories
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