January, 2014

"Plus One" by Elizabeth Fama         

Sol, a night dweller, purposefully injures herself, in order to go to the day hospital.  Sol is determined to steal her niece, so that her dying grandfather can hold her before he passes.  She sneaks the baby out of the maternity ward, only to discover that she has taken the wrong baby.  Her grandfather is kidnapped and she is forced to trust a day dweller with her survival and safety.

     This is a very interesting world with fascinating characters.  I thought the explanation for why the world was divided into night dwellers and day dwellers was unique and well thought out.  I would love to read a sequel and continue with the adventures of Sol.

"Montana Bride" by Joan Johnston         

When Hettie's wagon is attacked by Indians, she is left alone to die.  Fortunately, another wagon stops and Bao, a Chinese man, nurses her back to health.  Quickly she learns that the women and her children traveling with the Chinese man are intended to be a mail-order bride/family for Karl.  When the woman dies, Hettie takes on the children herself, pretending to be the bride Karl is expecting.

     Overall I thought this was an OK book.  The characters seemed a bit stereotypical.  Every time the author switched points of view, she repeated the same information that she gave before, i.e. Karl is insecure about his looks, Hettie is upset about her previous flitting.  If the author had cut out the repetitiveness, the book would have been half as long! 

"Dead Beautiful" by Yvonne Woon          

When Renee finds her parents dead in the woods, her life is completely turned upside down.  Her grandfather swoops in and sends her away to Gottfried Academy, a place much more than it seems.  Transported from sunny California to gloomy Maine, Renee is in for a culture shock.  Her classmates are a bit odd, especially Dante, the handsome, yet aloof boy who she is drawn too.  As Renee uncovers the mysteries of the school, she realizes that the supernatural is all around her.

     Overall, I thought the book was fairly decent.  The first 2/3 of the book dragged a little and then the ending seemed rushed.  However, I liked the supernatural twist.  It is quite different from other books out there and an intriguing concept.  The book seemed a bit juvenile for my tastes, but I think teenagers will fall in love with it.

"Olivia, Mourning" by Yael Politis         

When Olivia's father dies, she jumps at the chance to inherit 80 acres in Michigan.  Determined to put in a crop, and earn the property, she convinces Mourning, a free black man, to join her.  Without warning, she leaves behind her two brothers and ventures into the wilderness.

     I thought the beginning of this book was a bit slow, but eventually it picked up the pace.  The characters were realistic and I found myself rooting for Olivia.  It was interesting to see the black/white dynamics and how Olivia and Mourning interacted.  Overall, a good book.  I will definitely have to pick up the sequel.

"The Way The World Is" by Yael Politis         

A sequel to Olivia, Mourning, this book takes off exactly where the other left out.  After her baby is born, she takes him to a black church and leaves him with the minister.  Immediately she regrets her choice and longs for her baby boy.  Determined to find Mourning, she goes back to Michigan and begins searching for him.  Along the way, she becomes involved in helping a black family escape slave hunters.   Determined to help others, she opens up a boarding house, and becomes a stop on the underground railroad.

     I really enjoyed this book.  Sometimes sequels aren't as good, but this one was.  Olivia is a strong female character, which I am naturally drawn too.  I would love to read more from this author.  Highly recommended.

"Life in Motion:  An Unlikely Ballerina" by Misty Copeland         

Living in a motel room with her mom and five siblings, Misty felt like she was trapped.  Through a class at the Boys and Girls Club, she discovered ballet.  Although nervous at first, she soon discovered that she had an innate talent .  In order to learn more, she moves in with her teacher, who shows her an entirely different life from the one she had.  Although her mother tolerates this for a while, when Misty is on the verge of success, her mom launches a custody battle to regain control of her daughter.

     I thought the first half of this book was pretty interesting.  It was well written and had a good pace to it.  The second half seemed to devolve into name dropping, thanking everyone and passing on the same words of wisdom over and over.  The last few chapters all seemed the same and I found myself hoping that the book would end. 

"The Collector of Dying Breaths" by M. J. Rose         

This book alternates between Rene le Florentin in the 16th century and Jac, a modern day myth buster and perfumer.  Rene, taught by a great perfumer, is charged with his death.  Rescued by Catherine de Medici, he quickly becomes her personal perfumer and poisoner.  Jac, who suffers from past life flashbacks, is trying to create a potion to reanimate someone's dying breath.

     This is a book in a series.  As many of Rose's other books, I found the story set in the past infinitely more interesting than the present day story.  For the present day story, the characters seemed more like caricatures than real people.  They just weren't believable.  Overall, not something I would re-read or recommend. 

"Exile Hunter" by Preston Fleming          

This book is set in an alternate/future universe.  Intelligence Officer Warren Linder becomes the target when he botches an undercover mission.  Immediately arrested, the agency tries to make him a scapegoat for everything that has gone wrong.  He is sent to a labor camp in the arctic, where he is forced to endure frigid temperatures, lack of food and endless work.

     This is one book set in this futuristic world.  It stands alone and can be read without reading the other books.  Overall I enjoyed this book.  It is an interesting take on the future and comes together fairly well.  My only criticism is that at times the flashback scenes dragged on too long and were very slow

"Trapped Under the Sea:  One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles into the Darkness" by Neil Swidey

When attempting to solve Boston Harbor's sewage problem, the city decided to build a 10 mile long tunnel to filter the waste.  Grossly behind schedule, the builders, designers and committees focused little attention on how to remove the plugs, the last step in making the tunnel functional.  After removing the air supply, communications and electricity, a team of divers was sent into the dark, frigid tunnel to finish the work.  Immediately their breathing systems began to malfunction, yet they continued on with the job.  On that fateful Wednesday, five divers went in and three came out.

     This was a fascinating book.  I couldn't put it down and found myself reading throughout the night.  The stupidity of the management was staggering.   After everything was done, the finger pointing commenced while the three divers were left stricken and emotionally damaged.  This was a piece of history I had never heard of before.  Overall, highly recommended.

"The Plagues of Kondar" by Lynne Kositsky         

When Arien's parents are killed, she is sold in the market.  The Chief Seer of Vor, Yaddair, purchases her and takes her home to his family.  He lives much closer to the darkside of Kondar, a place where the sun never shines.  Creatures from the darkside crash onto the lightside and bring with them a highly destructive plague.

     Overall, I thought this book was a bust.  The author tried way too hard to come up with terminology to describe common things i.e. trekken for a trip.  castrel for castle,  It just became annoying after a while.  She would then name things, without really describing them to us.  Are drogs supposed to be dogs?  Are we supposed to make that assumption.  Most of the characters didn't seem realistic and their personalities seemed to conflict with their actions.  I think the author just threw a bunch of stuff out there without rhyme or reason.  Explanations or descriptions would have been nice.

"Bittersweet" by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore         

After winning a scholarship to a prestigious college, Mabel finds herself rooming with Genevra Winslow.  Initially Genevra completely ignores Mabel, but after her cousin commits suicide, the two draw close.  That summer, Genevra invites Mabel to her families summer estate in Vermont.  Dazzled by the wealth of the Winslow's, Mabel finds herself quickly drawn into their intrigue.

     This book was incredibly slow moving.  Mabel came across as a greedy, money grabbing person who would do anything to belong.  Very few of the Winslow family secrets were shocking or all that earth shattering.  I was frustrated by the end and wish I hadn't spent my time reading it.

"The Martian" by Andy Weir         

Six days into a mission on Mars, Mark Watney is left behind when his team believes he is dead.  Waking up alone and discovering his crewmates gone, Mark uses his knowledge and creativity to survive.   Using the resources left behind, he quickly comes up with a plan to survive until the next Mars mission should arrive, in four long years.

     This was a fascinating book.  It was well paced and did a good job of moving back and forth between characters.  My only criticism is that I wanted more.  I think the book should definitely have an epilogue.  Overall, highly recommended.

"Mutation" Robin Cook         

When Victor decides to alter his son's genes, it takes years before he fully realizes what he has created.  VJ, an extremely intelligent ten year old, has the personality of a sociopath.  Determined to do everything he can to succeed in his own medical research, VJ eliminates the threats around him.  When his parents realize the extent of his determination, they both quickly grow scared.

     Overall, I thought this book was lukewarm.  The characters were so unrealistic that I found myself unable to connect to either of the parents.  As far as a medical drama goes, there wasn't really an element of suspense.  The drama was a bit mediocre and the book itself did not hold my attention.