Review: Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi is an ingenious and subtle take on the fairy tale of Snow White, which is infused with the author’s characteristically vivid prose. There is Boy, a young and beautiful blonde who narrowly escapes her sadistic rat-catcher father by fleeing to a small Massachusetts town, in order to reinvent herself. There, she meets the handsome widower, Arturo, and his enigmatic child, Snow. Boy is fascinated with the girl—she is lovely and adored, but eventually, as Boy’s obsession with her grows, she embarks on the long road of resentment for the child. 

After marrying Arturo and bearing a child of her own, it’s discovered that Arturo’s family is African-American; his parents passed as whites due to their light skin and desire to live amongst the whites. It’s the 60’s, now, and the idea of race runs rampant among their peers. Boy’s daughter, Bird, is clearly black, which threatens an imbalance in the family’s carefully constructed front. 

Boy is rambunctious, highly intelligent, and a skilled mimic. While her mother has a strange fixation with her own reflection, Bird is plagued by not always showing up in mirrors. “For reasons of my own I take note of the way people act when they’re around mirrors.” More and more so, Bird begins to realize that things aren’t as they seem in her household. And when Snow returns from her exile—a banishment made by Boy, years ago—things become even more troubling.

Boy, Snow, Bird was such a delight to read. Oyeyemi’s writing always has a bit of the ‘spook’ to it, which is delicious and pleasantly disturbing for any reader who has an affinity for the surreal. Her prose is at once careful and wild—much like her female protagonists. I found myself re-reading passages in order to soak in her words better: “The first coffee of the morning is never, ever, ready quickly enough. You die before it’s ready and then your ghost pours the resurrection potion out of the moka pot.” It’s Oyeyemi’s playfulness that saves the story from being entirely macabre; however, it is a dark novel, and a complete 180 from the Disney-fied version that most are familiar with. 

My own complaint was the very end of this strange, arresting tale. It ended too quickly, and the catalyst, for me, came far too near the end for comfort. I felt as if we had much more to go, that I was owed more explanations than I was given. However, Oyeyemi has her own agenda, and is never entirely understood, in the first place. 

“I can’t explain, maybe it isn’t something that needs explaining, how the sight of a broken cage just puts you up on stilts. The promise that the cage will always be empty, that its days as a jailhouse are done.”

Reviewed by M.B. Sellers

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover; First Edition edition (March 6, 2014)

Review: The Fifth Vertex by Kevin Hoffman

Summary

Urus Noellor--a boy born deaf who is about to be publicly branded as a burden, incapable of being the warrior his people demand--stands upon a rooftop, poised to throw himself over the edge. His failed attempt at suicide unlocks within him a long-dormant form of magic thought to have died out thousands of years before, a power that may be the key to saving the world from an equally ancient enemy. Urus and his companions--Goodwyn, the greatest warrior in Kest, and Cailix, a mysterious orphan--must find a way to stop a powerful group of sorcerers from destroying the five long-hidden vertices that ward the world against threats from beyond, while fighting off threats from within. They soon learn that the scope of the coming danger may be more dire than any of them could have imagined. As the battle for the vertices spreads to the neighboring realms, Goodwyn must face the realities of war and death; Cailix discovers a devastating truth that could change everything; and Urus discovers his uncanny gifts and courage as he peels away clues to his true identity. But even as Urus gains the power he has always craved, he experiences it all in profound, lonely silence.

Review

Have you ever been wandering aimlessly around the local bookstore, waiting for a book to jump out and demand to be read? Have you ever stumbled across a book with an amazing cover by an author you've never heard of, and after reading the first 2 pages, realized you can't put it down? You're reading during your lunch break, in the car, late at night when you should be sleeping, and even getting up at the crack of dawn in order to read a few chapters before work. You're walking around like a zombie, talking to invisible characters, and making your closest friends question your sanity. The Fifth Vertex is one of those books for me. 

I enjoy reading science fiction and fantasy books because it takes real talent to create a completely new world from scratch. It's even harder to get your readers as invested in this new world as you are. Hoffman did an excellent job of creating, not only the kingdom of Kest, but many other worlds that have their own unique and singular characteristics. Each culture is thrown together and forced to work with one another in a way that is foreign to them. As the book progressed, I really felt like Urus because I was experiencing the same events as him with no previous information on the other cultures.

The character development in The Fifth Vertex was fantastic. There were very few static characters throughout the book, allowing the reader to grow and learn with the majority of the characters. A few surprises and a couple twists had me gasping and tossing my nook in the corner while I absorbed the shock. I even caught myself thinking, “I wonder what Urus or Cailix would do in this situation,” several times, drawing a giggle once I realized. These characters become real people in the minds of readers, which really makes the book come to life.

My favorite and most frustrating part of the whole book is the epilogue. It introduces the next book, and also some characters that were only mentioned in The Fifth Vertex. I cannot wait for the next book to come out, and you can be sure that I will be telling all of my nerdy friends to add it to their wish list. I give this book a 9.5 out of 10. If you like adventure, magic, and a fantastic storyline, this book is for you. 

Reviewed by Tiffany Hammel

Series: The Sigilord Chronicles
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Kevin Hoffman (August 2, 2014)

Review: Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin

Summary

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind. 

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves. 

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

When vampires attack St. Alibe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems.

Review

Becoming Alpha is an interesting story that unfolds before the readers eyes. Tessa, the main character, quite literally becomes and alpha, but much more happens alongside that. Not to be confused, she wasn’t exactly normal to begin with.

I have been recently re- obsessed with werewolf novels. I read myself sick of them a few months back, but I am so happy I chose Becoming Alpha to catapult myself back into the sub-genre. 

A pattern I seem to find myself having is my need for strong female leads in the novels I read, and let me tell you Aileen delivers in this area. Tessa is not only a strong, independent character with a mind and mouth of her own, she is also the strongest female in the sense of her furry powers as an alpha. 

The plot in Becoming Alpha is strange and I must say pretty left field for the stereotypical werewolf novel so that I was extremely and pleasantly surprised. The general plot is similar to others including the typical love interest, but once you get into the story and dig deep inside the web Aileen spun for the audience, there are so many details that set this novel apart. Not only does Tessa have to deal with becoming a werewolf, along with the family issues that presents, like I mentioned before she was not normal to begin with and neither is her family. Without giving away the big reveal, she has much more on her plate than werewolves.

Thinking back on this novel, I cannot put my finger on one element that I would change or wish was added. Becoming Alpha was the perfect length for me. While the number of pages was on the smaller side, the story lasted forever with excellent character development. The audience could experience Tessa grow and learn in the strange new world she was thrust into. 

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Series: Alpha Girl
Paperback: 404 pages
Publisher: Ink Monster (November 1, 2013)

Review: Glimpse of Darkness by Nicole DelaCroix

Book Summary

Charlene (Charlie) Bennett is a simple waitress in the wilds of Hyder, Alaska whose father has just gone missing. Isolated and alone, her fathers’ disappearance is nothing new to her, but this time things are a little different. For starters, there is a handsome stranger, Daniel that has come to town and while Charlie has never taken more than a passing interest in strangers, she has an immediate and intense attraction to this one. Secondly, she’s soon to find out that this stranger isn’t what he appears. He’s about to throw Charlie’s entire world into a major upheaval. Now Charlie has to decide if she believes this strangers’ incredible story and follow Daniel or if she wants to stay in the only home she’s ever known for an uncertain future and an absentee father. As she comes to terms with what Daniel shows her, she realizes that he’s the only true thing in her life and leaves everything she knows behind to follow the handsome stranger.

Review

Glimpse of Darkness by Nicole DelaCroix is a paranormal story that had an interesting concept that drew me into the story initially but there were certain aspects of the narrative that I struggled with.

Charlie lives in Hyder, Alaska and is worried over her father’s recent disappearance. Daniel is a new guy in town, who Charlie feels an immediate attraction towards. But soon, it is revealed that Daniel is far more than just an attractive stranger and Charlie is whisked on an adventure away from isolated Alaska.  

Charlie is a nice person, arguably naive, but she tries to do the right thing and has a degree of level-headedness about her. With this in mind, it makes some of the actions she takes throughout the novel rather confusing. She trusts Daniel implicitly, even though she had only known him for less than 24 hours and stays with him and he withholds knowledge of the situation for a long while. It was established that Charlie keeps to herself most of the time so the idea of her trusting him so quickly strikes me as suspicious.

With the introduction of Daniel I feel that this book starts to lose me as a reader. I am not partial to Daniel as a character. He comes off more as patronizing and unsettling than sweet and kind-hearted to me; and maybe I’m just not very good at flirting, but the dialogue between Daniel and Charlie when they first meet comes across as stiff and forced to me.

DelaCroix seems to focus more on Daniel and Charlie’s feelings for each other than the plot at times which can cause the scenes to seem dragged out. Also, though I understand the need for internal dialogue, and it is used effectively in many instances, the sheer amount of it can become redundant and it slows the story down for me.    

In many ways, this novel’s romance plot reminds me of Twilight which may be why this book did not appeal to me. Daniel reminds me of Edward and Charlie reminds me of Bella. Once I made that parallel, I personally could not find the book very enjoyable. I think that DelaCroix has interesting ideas and concepts, like her version of Biblical myth, but there is little excitement to captivate readers after the first couple chapters. I feel this story would be fitting for readers who enjoyed Twilight.

Reviewed by Jazmin Gousse

Series: Chronicles of the Cursed
Paperback: 366 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 24, 2014)

Review: Serving Pride by Jill Sanders

Serving Pride, by Jill Sanders, is the kind of romance novel that people enjoy reading so much,
that they read it again. As a skeptic of the romantic genre, I wanted to read this book in order to judge the literary merit of the book itself. There were many aspects that I enjoyed including the characters, plot line, and setting. 

Serving Pride is about a boy named Robert who's mother goes missing after having a fight with
her abusive boyfriend. After several days of searching with no luck, Robert is sent to live with his aunt in Pride. Ten years later, Robert is graduating high school and playing hero, when he saves Amelia from the two jocks who want to harm her. A connection is made, but it isn't until another ten years later that Robert moves back to Pride for good, opening up a door for a new relationship with Amelia. The two grow closer and overcome hurdles together as they learn just how much they need each other. 

Characters are one of the most important parts of a book. If readers cannot relate to them in a
personal way, nobody will get emotionally involved or want to read your books again. Jill Sanders does a fabulous job of bringing her characters to life in a realistic way. The main characters, Amelia and Robert, go through many of the real life events that we go through every day. It is easy to put ourselves in their shoes and imagine that we are living their life. The women imagine falling in love with a handsome man with an unpleasant background. The men imagine falling in love with the hot girl they grew up with as a child. It was interesting that the author picked a cop as the male love interest. The contrast between his clean shaven, law abiding side and his passionate, sex crazed side was rather interesting to see unfold. 

The plot line of this book really sets it apart from other romance novels. The book starts with a
bit of Robert's past, helping the reader to better understand his past and sympathize with his reactions. The book then jumps to the present where Robert is graduating from high school, and Robert saves Amelia. They are at an impressionable age and being involved with something like that is lifechanging. As the book continues, we see the two grow closer together as a couple, making the end a bit more dramatic. The segmented plot really works together to create a coherent picture where the reader can fill in the empty spots with their own imagination. I also really enjoyed that the author tied the beginning and ending together, even though there are ten year gaps in the plot. 

Setting can really establish the background or feel of a book. In Serving Pride, we see our
characters growing up in a small town where everybody knows your business. Both characters move away, but ultimately come back to the small town because it is there home. The small town setting really adds character to the book and allows for some comic relief in places. If this book had been set in a different area or time, I don't think it would have been as efective with the plot line and characters. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. My only complaints are the length and some of the dialogue.
I wish the book would have been longer, especially at the end. It wasn't a cliff hanger ending, but it felt awfully close. I also thought the dialogue in spots was a little bit unrealistic. It didn't flow as well as I think it could have. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes romance novels and crime mixed together. It is short enough to read quickly, but long enough to get personally invested in Robert and Amelia's relationship. The characters, plot line, and setting are what really make this book a success. 

Reviewed by Tiffany Hammel

Print Length: 108 pages
Publisher: Jill Sanders (January 6, 2014)

Review: Stinger Stars by Paul Bussard

Stinger Stars by Paul A. Bussard is an interesting dip into science fiction.

Maria de la Cruz, along with two others, discovers a new species with a powerful regenerative agent that can regrow a human’s lost or damaged limbs.

The plot is less action packed and is focused more on personal drama and ethical issues. The tension is mostly focused on how far the scientists will push the boundaries on ethical and moral practice to achieve their goals. For me, that is sufficient because it makes me worry about Maria and how she is going to handle all of it and if she’ll emerge with her future intact.

Maria is a nice, likeable character with a strong moral center. She is one of the few women in her company and faces her own challenges alongside her ethical dilemmas. Bussard gives the reader a peek into the mind of most of the characters, giving us reasons behind their actions and what drives their thought process which I enjoyed. An example of which is for the character Doug. Even though Doug acts like a jerk to Maria you are still made to feel a bit of sympathy for him when Bussard gives us insight into his background and thought process. It is not enough to make him likeable, in my opinion, but I like the insight it gives into his character.

Unfortunately, the pacing for this story varies. It starts out well enough in the beginning, but it alternately slows down and picks back up again with several revelations and events occurring in quick succession. Also, as I mentioned before, this isn’t the type of action packed sci-fi thriller you see in the movies. It has a much slower pace and if that bothers you I suggest you look elsewhere for your science fiction fix.

Ultimately, I liked the book. It was interesting and it explained enough of the science that you don’t feel lost or confused.

Reviewed by Jazmin Gousse

Pages: 204
Publisher: Montag Press (October 1, 2013)