bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

Privileged white girl is kidnapped, and after she is returned has Stockholm syndrome and selective amnesia. Alternating between the POVs of her mother, the lead detective on the case, and her kidnapper in "Before" and "After" the kidnapping chapters, the reader is led to wonder why was Mia kidnapped, why did her kidnapper not hand her off to the man who hired him to take her, and why is her family so shitty?

I was compelled enough to finish, but the ending just made me mad and not in a "wow that was so worth the anger" way. Fans of "Gone Girl" will probably enjoy, but this wasn't really for me.

Majestic and expansive, this was really wonderful. Two truly star-crossed (and not to mention time-crossed) lovers and their attempts to save humanity from a vicious, sentient disease called "The Caul." Just beautiful. I only wish that was longer so I could learn more about these worlds, and that I had more time to read it and decipher the alien language used (FYI there is an alphabet for that in the back of the novel).

Lennie (short for Lennon) was the companion pony to her racehorse of a sister, Bailey. But, Bailey died and now Lennie is left bereft, confused, and lost. The only person who seems to understand is Toby, her sister's boyfriend, but how can Lennie be attracted to him? And why do they keep making out every time they see each other? Toby helps Lennie remember, but new guy Joe who shares Lennie's own passion for music helps her forget. Both make her feel absolutely guilty for not keeping Bailey in focus.

Wow -really great. I loved the narrative structure and how almost stream of conscious it often was. You can definitely tell Jandy Nelson is a poet, and I adored the inclusion of the pictures of poems Lennie leaves on scraps of paper, empty Styrofoam coffee cups, and tree branches; poems set adrift to the world.

The story is very frank about sex and longing and the shattering feelings that death can bring to a family. Lennie is a jerk, but you can't help but feel for her as she struggles to overcome her own grief and realize she isn't the only one mourning her sister. Lennie's passion for music and poetry is clear and beautiful, and it helps her grow a lot in this tale.

Some may question the morality of Lennie's actions with the two guys, but this seems far more realistic to me than "there can only be one." She's 16 for crying out loud, and her own personal growth regarding her actions is an important lesson for teens.

The cast of supporting characters is also amazing (especially Gram and Uncle Big).

Highly recommend. I'm excited to read I'll Give you the Sun - Nelson's next offering.

Super violent but riveting story about four zoo lions who escape after the Baghdad zoo is bombed during the second Iraq War. Based on true events, Vaughan and the artist Niko Henrichon have a captivating and horrific tale. Often banned for "sexual content" I found the violence more shocking, but only as a very important part of the tale.

Frightening, twisty, and gruesome, "The 5th Wave" is humanity's worst nightmare come to life. Four different waves of an alien invasion have rendered the earth a wasteland, with over 7 billion humans dead. The few remaining survivors struggle to live in a land where the enemy has the face of a human.

Brilliant dialouge from the various teens in this novel along with a variety of mysteries that will keep you on your seat. Yancey also ties things up enough in the end to make this a stand alone, but also leaves a door propped for further sequels. This book is optioned for film and to no wonder! Can't wait.

Listened to audiobook from 09/14-09/24/2014 (or around abouts). Great narrators with authentically "young" voices kept the story moving along.

I went into Broken Monsters expecting to be horrified by the serial killer who kills people (including a young child) and fuses their various body parts to dead animals but honestly I thought that was one of the "tamer" parts. More horrifying was social media's role in the major conflicts in this novel, especially that of teenager Layla who gets involved in some really scary (and REAL) stuff.

The supernatural elements of this story didn't really play out for me like I'd hoped, and I definitely prefer The Shining Girls. That said, still a great offering.

Spoilers ahead. Stop now if you haven't read both The 5th Wave & the Infinite Sea.

Phew, what an absolute mind f***. Yancey doesn't pull any punches here, from the toddlers as human bombs and the copious amounts of blood, violence, and torture. And I loved every line.

I wasn't expecting such a focus on Ringer's point of view, but after the big reveal about the nature of the alien invasion, I totally got it. I'm super scared for Cassie, Ben and gang in book three.

I must also take a moment to praise Yancey's writing. Each character's POV is entirely unique. I can tell just by reading who's head I'm in, and I love it. Cassie's especially, due to her manic snarky-ness in the craziest of moments.

My favorite quote:

“You make your whole existence dependant on another human being you’re asking for a world of trouble. Think of every tragic love story ever written. And I didn’t want to play Juliet to anybody’s Romeo, not if I could help it. Even if the only candidate available was willing to die for me and sitting right beside me holding my hand and looking deeply into my eyes with the not-so-gah-now eyes the colour of melted chocolate. Plus being practically naked under those covers and possession the body of a Hollister dude . . . but I’m not getting into all that.”

The best sort of non-fiction - readable, witty, and well-researched. Rudder does an amazing job breaking down very complicated stats and methodology and also illuminates some thought-provoking questions about what we are all doing while "online." A perfect book to ready slowly, chapter by chapter while on breaks at work.

What a ride this tome was. Gabaldon does epic, escapist, adventure/fantasy/sci-fi/romance like no other. I tried to hold off reading Voyager for a while (trying to savor this experience), but after the cliff hanger in Dragonfly in Amber two weeks was the longest I could hold out. While there were still many plot points that had my going "really?!" I still loved every second I read this book. And it fucking made me cry. Again. Gah.

Spoilers abound for the rest of this review:

Spoiler

I'm intrigued to say the least to see what will happen with Brianna and Roger in the 20th Century. I felt the separation of Claire from Brianna was a bit abrupt, but hey, she seems to be in good hands with Roger. I wonder if we'll get Brianna's POV in the future books.
My god, that scene where Jamie and Claire reunite for the first time in 20 years about killed me. Thank you Gabaldon, thank you. But, it was simply beautiful and really it couldn't have been done better. I was worried a 20 year older Jamie and Claire may not work for me, but it TOTALLY does. I have no clue how they'll pull this off in the TV show, but whatevs. Lovin' it.
Additional things I adored:
Fergus has a hook. Yes.
Using a peg leg to bash someone in the head. YES.
Nessie as Time Traveler?! Best Theory EVER.
FUCKING GEILLES IS ALIVE?!?!?!? Shit. And fat, and a pedophile? And is she really dead this time?
Geilles address the huge question - what the hell is up with this time travelling? Why would you want to do it? And she totally says to CHANGE THINGS. That crazy lady is still trying to get a Scottish King on the throne of Scotland.
More stones that can cause time travel!
There is a prophecy?! I need to know more about this, now.

Anyway - in this six months of drudgery waiting for the second 1/2 of Outlander on Starz, at least I have the books to get me through it. Again, I want to wait awhile and savor but Drums in Autumn will probably be put on hold at the library soon!

Finn Easton, with his heterochromatic eyes, epilepsy, and penchant for marking time not with seconds but with miles, is one of the best characters of Young Adult literature in 2014. I smell Printz honor bait here.

Struggling to be "fine" is hard when you suffer from seizures caused by a horse carcass that fell on you and killed your mother when you were just a kid, and especially when your father basically stole your very self - eyes, scars, and name - to write a bestselling novel. Finn does a good job portraying fine, especially since his best friend Cade Hernandez is such a god. Cade's nickname isn't Win Win for nothing.

But, Finn's veneer begins to crack as a series of events show him that maybe fine isn't enough. Can Finn get out of his father's book and come into his own?

Quirky, vulgar in the best possible way, and so poignant, 100 Sideways Miles is the best YA novel I've read this year.