Review: A Love Too Late by Winfield Ly

Book Summary
If the time to say what you truly thought deep down has already passed, do you move on, or remain in the past while living in the present filled with regrets? Jackie has always loved his childhood friend, Joyce but she is getting married to someone else. While trying to continue on with his life, he always ends up thinking about her. A Love Too Late explores a snippet of the two childhood friends.

Review
A Love Too Late by Winfield Ly is utterly captivating. Winfield Ly truly has a gift of portraying a life time of feelings and compress them into ten beautifully written pages. This was a complete story full of emotion and inner turmoil. The conclusion provides a fulfilling ending that does not require further literature; it was whole and beautiful. 

We see the narrator, Jackie, struggle with his complicated feelings for Joyce, his best friend since childhood. Jackie’s character is extremely developed allowing us to accurately understand the depth of his feelings towards Joyce. Winfield Ly makes us feel Jackie’s emotions; is love and insecurities are all laid on the table in front of us, making it impossible not to sympathize and love his character. 

The topic of A Little Too Late is one that many can relate to. The idea of being in love with your best friend is such a blissful feeling, but riddle with complications. Winfield Ly shows his audience that it is never too late to say ‘I love you.’ Ly demonstrates that there can be all types of loves, all equally as desired and important. In Jackie’s case, his admittance of love provided him a gift of a truly satisfying response. 

Overall, I loved the simplicity of the writing. The simple, clean cut writing allows for the story to be viewed straightforwardly and accurately, but simultaneously be intriguing. It may not be long, but you will not be disappointed to take a short while out of your day and encounter a sincerely moving narrative of love. 

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Book Information
Publisher: Winfield Ly
Publication date: 5/8/2013
eBook

Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Book Summary
Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons, dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.
 
Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the "slut stall" in the girls' bathroom: "Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers" and "Alice got an abortion last semester." After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they "know" about Alice--and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.

Review
Since I grew up in a small town, The Truth About Alice takes me back to the days of high school, a time that I have tried so hard to put past me. I wasn't one of the popular kids, but knew everyone. Not that it really mattered because I will admit, I was nose deep in my books so I basically lived in the library which spared me the drama that happens such as in this book. We all knew someone like Alice. Well, you think you do but deep down, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. 

The book was told from the perspective of the popular girl Elaine, the jock Josh, Alice's supposed friend Kelsie and the socially awkward but insanely smart Kurt. For the most part, they all grew up with Alice except Kelsie. She was a transplant in the later years but everyone seemed to have a history with Alice, good and bad. What I liked about this is that you get the full picture by getting to know every side which made it great because through each opinion, you get the whole story. 

It all starts with a rumor, the root of all evil. One summer allegedly, Alice hooked up with a couple of guys from school at a party on the same night. No matter what she says, it must be true because it happened with two popular guys, right? Who's going to dispute them? Well, that was old news supposedly when school starts but when one of them dies in a car wreck, guess who is to blame? Alice. It starts up again with another rumor from a conversation said in confidence but within a matter of time she gets branded as the town trollop and murderer both humiliating and defeating but there is always two sides of the story.

Elaine, I roll my eyes as I talk about her. I think is a little stuck on herself. The world revolves around her, well because she is in the "it" crowd. There is a bit history between her and Alice that stems from way back when. If you ask me, I think she is jealous of Alice but she'd never admit that. She is still harping on something that happened in middle school between her and Brandon. Just an FYI...Brandon is the one who died in the car accident, that just happened to be the star athlete and the over time had an on again and off again thing with her, hence her animosity towards her. As you read about her, you see the roots of why she feels the way she does but if you ask me, she's just a mean girl.

Kelsie, is someone that really pissed me off. She doesn't know the definition of what a friend really is. She is the type of girl that many become in high school. She came from another town where she wasn't popular but the first person she met who became her friend was Alice. I don't know about you but unless you did something really bad, I think there would be this unspoken allegiance that would be bonded. Well, then again this is high school. I guess some people will do anything when you are desperate to be in the "in" crowd. What she does to Alice is so unforgivable and the reasons behind it are just so ridiculous, that we will label her in the you were never my real friend category. 

Josh, well he is one of the athletes that was with Brandon in the car when he was drunk. He was really good friends with him but also remembers moments that brings a different perspective about Alice considering he was part of the popular crowd. I consider him the nice dumb jock. Sorry, well you sort of know what you are going to get when you read him. 

Kurt
Well, I really liked him. He is one of the people that keeps to himself, extremely shy but really smart. He doesn't really have friends until the opportunity arises when he gets to be around Alice. You really get to know Alice through his perspective which was a nice character to read. We are going to put him in the a really awesome guy who is misunderstood.

I don't want to give too much away but there is so much more to the book that I think would be enjoyable. I know if you read what it's about, it might sound simplistic but it has more depth than it sounds. Reading each person's perspective really enhances the overall feeling of the book. I think the voice of the characters really capture that youthful perspective that a reader who is high school could identify with. Completely relevant to them today, there are great takeaways and reflective moments that make you sit back and think. 

The best part for me which I had to restrain not to do is read the end of the book first. I thought it was clever and brilliant that the book closes with Alice. It was unexpected but I thought it fit the book well to do it this way. She's isn't perfect either but her story is one that should be told. She didn't exactly have the best life but she also didn't deserve what happened to her which her response makes you appreciate how hard it was to work through that sort of experience alone.

Overall, I think it was an engaging read with characters that were diverse but brought came together well for the book. I think with the social climate with rumors and the ramifications of how they can affect people, this would be a great recommendation for high schoolers to see the consequences of how it affects people. If you are YA, fan this would be a fun pick!

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Book Information
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication date: 6/3/2014
Pages: 208

Review: Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Synopsis
This comprehensive collection of short stories range from lemon-eating vampires to U.S. presidents reincarnated as horses; it’s expansive and full-flowered in its creative approach to the story and tale. In its title story, “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” Russell writes about a vampire couple that are slowly starving, staving their appetite for human blood by eating succulent, Italian lemons. “Proving Up” takes us back a century to the hard, dusty West, and to a family struggling with the establishment of home; “The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis” deals with schoolyard bullying gone awry, and a creepy, mutilated scarecrow that happens to look exactly like a bullied boy the group of youth used to torment. In my favorite, “Reeling for the Empire”, a group of girls are held hostage in a silk factory, slowing transforming into silk worms, themselves. The ending is revolutionary, and entirely satisfying. Each of these eight stories comment on a slice of life that varies enormously, admirably—Russell’s voice is quickly becoming a classic that defies genre—horror, fantasy, drama—they all lead to one inevitable thing: Russell knows story-telling. 

Review
Karen Russell has been one of my favorite writers since college. She infuses her stories with a sharp creativity that is fascinating to read. Her language seems to multiply on the page—her descriptions are lush, evocative, and downright chilling. There is a common denominator to this group—there’s a pervading sadness that can be found in each, a cry for humanity or a commentary on it. Hers is the type of writing that is highlighter-ready—there are so many phrases that are startling in both their truth and composition. The sheer imaginative force of her stories is something that is a stand-alone. Her characters are complex, so uniquely crafted in their faults and triumphs. She writes of magic, and the daily monsters, and a sort of world that is both fantastical and familiar; it is ever varying, always surprising.

The only thing I’d even dare to comment on negatively is that the collection is gloomy. Her stories are beautiful and rich with a sort of language I could only dream of, but there is no break in the sadness, the perpetual gothic overtone of loss, of human disappointment, and the bleakness that is found in every area of life. This is probably on purpose, but there is less of the lightness that was incorporated in her earlier collection, St. Lucy’s Home for Girl’s Raise by Wolves. I wouldn’t recommend this collection in one sitting. It’s something to savor and read over again and again, but with a break, in order to escape the deep, glorious gloom that is so prevalent throughout. 

Karen Russell is only gaining momentum; her imagination and prose’s verve keeps her one step ahead of everyone else. 

Reviewed by M.B. Sellers

Book Information
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date: 2/12/2013
Pages: 256

Review: CULLOO by Murielle Cyr

Book Summary
TALA can't wait to be thirteen; then no one better tell her what to do. Her nosey neighbor is always checking up on her, and now the Welfare Officer is knocking on her door again and her father isn't home to answer. Tala only has a few hours to find her missing father before she and her brother, DASON, get placed in a foster home.

Review
Culloo is the perfect book for a middle school or younger audience but has aspects that are enjoyable to all ages. Murielle Cyr incorporates suspense and action within her story to captivate her readers and ultimately show Tala, the main character, becoming a young women. 

Culloo explores the coming of age process in young Tala and her upcoming thirteenth birthday. The adventures and events she endures to ensure the safe return of her father are representative of Tala growing up. She is shown as a responsible daughter who takes care of her brother, but in these adventures she shows courage and passion for her family. 

Tala referred to her parents on a first name basis and I felt this showed the disconnect within her family. It is clear that her father loves his children, but shown is also the distance he places between them. Throughout their adventure, Tala and her bother become closer but more importantly, their father becomes closer to his children. This was an interesting family dynamic that emerged within the story.

Cyr deals with the absence of a mother within Culloo. Anjij, the children’s mother, was killed in an accident prior to the story. Cyr explores the idea of Tala growing up without her mother. This is a helpful concept for children who also find themselves in this position. She explains that their mother is everywhere and everything around them. Anjij can be thought of as the supernatural within the story that aids the children in finding their father. 

My favorite part of the entire book was the fantastical element. I loved how the fantastic was just barely brushed into the pages of Cyr’s book. Just enough so the audience would notice it, but not enough to truly know if the magical element in her book really does exist. I thought the Native American influences paired well with the fantastical element and found that to be the most intriguing aspect. Is the fantastic spirits of ancestors past or actually the Stone People? Cyr leaves it up for interpretation.

Generally, I really enjoyed this story and feel that it is best suited for elementary to middle school level children. I believe that while it is enjoyable to young adults and adults, it has more to offer in terms of themes and lessons to those who are younger. The exploration of the passing of a family member and becoming an adult have useful teachings to children of a younger age dealing with similar problems. 

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Book Information
Publication date: 7/15/2013
Format: eBook

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Summary
Tally’s adventures begin in Uglies, where she learns the truth about what life as a Pretty really means. She rebels against the surgery that will make her a Pretty, but ultimately succumbs. In Pretties, Tally has forgotten all about her Ugly life, and when she’s reminded, she has a hard time listening. And what little’s left of the old Tally is further compromised in Specials, because Tally has been transformed into a fierce fighting machine. But when she’s offered a chance to forever improve civilization, will she be able to overcome her brainwashing? The answer is evident years later in Extras, after the Pretty regime has ended. Boundless human creativity, new technologies, and old dangers have been unleashed upon the world. But fame and popularity can be just as dangerous as extreme beauty….

Review
Tally Youngblood is an ugly who only wishes to be pretty. Every adolescent ‘ugly’ has to wait until their 16th birthday in order to be whisked into surgery for their perfect plastic body and new life across the bridge in New Pretty Town. Life is bubbly, fabulous, and the possibilities are endless for the perfectly pretty people who are gorgeous and innocent in every way. 

All of Tally’s friends have left her behind to kill the last few months in Uglyville, ugly and alone. Time seems to tick away much faster when her new friend Shay appears just as alone and ugly as Tally herself. The two girls quickly become friends and spend the summer together playing tricks and avoiding the topic of turning pretty and New Pretty Town since Shay is not entirely convinced turning pretty is what she wants. When Tally and Shay have run out of tricks to share with one another, they decide to explore outside the city limits, including the Rusty Ruins. After feeling as if they have explored every corner of the Earth, Shay tells Tally there is another city out there, nothing like their current bubble of a city. The Smoke is a city for runaway uglies who do not want to become pretty. Shay is one of those uglies and wants Tally to come with her.

Tally decides to stay and become pretty, the original plan all along. When Tally is informed that her surgery was cancelled due to the fact that Shay is missing and Tally must help Special Circumstances find her, Tally will do anything to become pretty even if it means finding the Smoke and deceiving Shay. 

The first book of the Uglies series is an excellent start to a futuristic civilization that is focused on control through outer beauty and physical characteristics, rather than features such as strength or intelligence. You could almost say that the author’s depiction of this civilization is a twisted form of segregation, but in a positive way since our society views perfect beauty as a dream or inspiration. I enjoyed this book because it applies to every adolescent or even young adult who grew up in this millennium being forced to know that society and our peers view us as ugly, insignificant beings that are too young to understand the world until we are older and much “prettier.” At first I thought that the novel was a little long in terms of the amount of details and descriptions of characters, but as the plot progressed I realized that this demonstrates strength for the beginning of the series rather than a weakness since there is so much physical beauty in nature and in the characters. Also, the descriptions and titles of cities and objects, characters and professions are all simple and to the point, which is refreshing to see in a novel. 

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys an uprising and inspirational female lead character to invoke change based on her ability to stand out without trying. I enjoy authors that create an alternate reality or future reality based on the bad habits and mistakes we are making today because they are not all fictional, they are all possibilities. 

Reviewed by Nicole Williams

Book Information
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: 5/3/2011
Pages: 432

Review: Sierra Mist by Aubree Lane

Book Summary
Determined and forceful, Jessie Marcus, finds herself embedded within a world full of secrecy and deception. Two men want and need her, one sinister and deceitful, the other mysterious and watchful. Clues quickly unravel revealing something unimaginable and unnatural happening up on Catamount Ridge. The burden falls to her to stop the supernatural forces that threaten her home and family.

Review
The beautifully written story Sierra Mist by Aubree Lane is captivating to say the least. I found myself completely and utterly entrapped within the pages, always on the edge of my seat with the thrilling suspense of the plot. Jessie Marcus, a local forest ranger, finds herself in a compromising position, but she can’t quite remember the dream like events. Nothing is made clear to poor Jessie, but one thing is clear, the Foster cousins have something to do with it and cannot be trusted.

The concept and plot of Sierra Mist is completely unique. Aubree Lane should be applauded on her originality in creating a story that contains supernatural elements in a new and entertaining fashion. I was never bored while reading, and found myself on the edge of my seat with anticipation of the events that were to come. 

The supernatural element in Sierra Mist really sneaks up on the audience, which if you have read the book, is fitting and of character. The first half of the book is subtle and the plot is never truly revealed until the end, keeping readers wanting more. The plot is simple, but complex and impossible to guess until laid out, allowing for Lane to completely trap the attention of her story.

My only complaint is that I wish this story would have been longer, which in reality is not a complaint but a compliment to the author. I was so engrossed within the story that I did not want it to end so soon because, one, I wanted to enjoy more of the beautifully written pages, specifically the witty dialogue. Two, explore deeper into the plot and myths around the events that transpire. And three, I truly did not want the story to end. I wanted to revel in the ending and feel more emotion towards the events that transpired. The story has great character development for being so short, but more pages could have enacted more feelings the audience held for the characters. 

While reading it felt like the book could have been longer and even made into a series. The rushed ending really saddened me because I wanted to delve further into the characters and the plot. Do not be fooled, the ending was extremely satisfying, but I found myself wanting to read more from Lane who writes mesmerizingly. This book is an absolute recommendation, it is wonderful! 

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Book Information
Publication date: 5/1/2013
Format: eBook