Nearly Gone - YA Review by Kit K

Reader: Kit K.
Age: 16
Title: Nearly Gone
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 03/25/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book:  Kim Harrington said, "Start this book with a clear schedule because you won't be able to put it down." I only wish I took her seriously.

I couldn't resist this book; Elle Cosimano's writing is delectable and I was a hungry reader. The quick pacing, the realistic portrayal of the main character, and the fascinating plot line combined to create one helluva novel. I adored the author's writing style, moving speedily and intelligently formed, there was something about it that drew me in far too easily.

I loved to see the clues come together in Nearly's mind as I tried to solve the case with her, as well as the slow but definite development of the character represented by her mother. However, there were also some aspects that I just couldn't connect with as a reader.

Firstly, I couldn't stand the idea that when she touched people she could taste their feelings. It was too paranormal for a book that took place in the natural world, and had nothing out there enough to match it. It was a great idea, but didn't fit with this story.

Secondly, I didn't feel the relationship between Nearly and Reece. It was moving too fast for something I couldn't see a connection in. I wasn't really feeling the chemistry. It would have made more sense to me if they had a brother-sister relationship rather than a romantic one. Though I would definitely change my mind on that topic if there were more scenes between the two that established a romantic connection.

All in all, excellent book! It was a wonderful novel to introduce me into the literary world of murder mystery, and I hope to see another work by Cosimano in the near future.Memorable or Forgettable:  This book was the first YA murder mystery I've read. I don't know if that's because of my choices in deciding on novels or a lack of the sub genre, but this fact earned Nearly Gone a firm claim on my memory.
Cover:  The cover was beautiful. I loved the fading typography, the numbers represented in the title that mirrored the markings of the dead bodies described within the story, the dark blue hues. It could have had an image, however, that matched some key idea in the book, like the personal ads or a body with a marking on it, but it still stood out to me in a positive way.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments:   I gave the story a "Some teen appeal" rating because I don't have many teenage friends who would originally be drawn to this book due to its murder/crime/mystery plot, but I would still recommend this book.
Annotation:  Teenagers, murder and mystery unite to create Elle Cosimano's Nearly Gone. Nearly Boswell's already messed-up world takes a turn for the worse when a killer begins to leave clues only she seems to be able to decipher. With the police following her ever step, Nearly must solve the case before the killer can finish framing her for his crimes.

tags:  mystery / thriller / ya lit

The 100 - YA Review by Kit K

Reader: Kit K.
Age: 16
Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 
Pub Date: 09/03/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book:  Bravo, Kass Morgan! I'm on my toes in anticipation for the sequel I really hope you're writing. Your even and quick pacing was purely excellent as you brought a Lord of the Flies style tale into a futuristic setting.

Usually I'm picky when it comes to flashbacks. I've seen a lot of authors use the technique in an unsuccessful way, revealing something in a complex way that really should have been simplified. However, I truly enjoyed your use of flashbacks in each chapter, dishing out a little bit of information on every character, pushing me to change how I felt about certain people. (Ahem, Wells! What an idiot!! He endangered so many people.)  Great job on that front, and consequently in character development.

It was amazing to see all the stories connect in ways I wouldn't expect, though I wish we went into depth more on the relationship previously shared by Clarke and Wells and how they fit into each others world in terms of their friends and family. I wasn't really feeling the connection between them, which was a big problem for me when it came to the focus on the two of them as a couple.

I also would have liked to learn more about the villain, Graham, and his past. What made him so bitter? What was his life back in space? What landed him in Confinement? I wish we would have discovered his motivation and what makes him tick. He plays a major role on Earth, an extremely powerful force in the teens' community, but we just didn't know him. A view on his story would have really enhanced the book overall.

All in all, I'm in love with this book. I have already recommended it to all my friends who are itching to get their hands on copy. I'm sure the next installment will be as well written and thrilling!Memorable or Forgettable: This book is memorable due to character development (which I felt mostly in Glass) as well as the plot. It was very Lord of the Flies-esque, but I saw a new twist in it from the setting and other key plot-points that set it apart.
Cover:  The cover definitely wasn't awful. I adore the emphasis on typography which I'm seeing more and more in Young Adult covers. The white contrast to the large and dark letters was beautiful. However, I still felt that some element was missing. I understand that the images probably involve scenes from the upcoming tv show based on the book, but I, on principle, am not a fan of film-based book covers.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality:  4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: In a new kind of sci-fi adventure, Kass Morgan explores a post-nuclear war society. Forced to flee Earth, humans now live in floating neighborhoods in space with a corrupt government and distinct class system. With oxygen running low, the elites choose to send one hundred criminal teens back to Earth. But with each of these young guinea pigs carrying around their own secrets and histories, an Earth-bound penal colony may not work out--especially when the planet hides secrets of its own.

tags: science fiction / dystopian / post-apocalyptic / The Hundred / ya lit

The Captive Maiden - YA Review by Kit K.

Reader: Kit K.
Age: 16
Title: The Captive Maiden
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub Date: 11/19/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: At the risk of me seeming like an awful person, I will admit I was definitely deterred from wanting to read the book upon seeing the publisher was Zondervan--the publisher of many a Bible at my school. After reading the book, I can say that I am ashamed of my original judgement. There were some moments talking about God in a sort of repetitive way that I decided to skip over. If you are going to try to send a holy message, I would say to delete the parts where it just repeats the same thing over and over and over again with slightly different wording.

     As for the fairytale aspect of the story, it was fairly good. My secret passion in books is fairytales, and that might have made me judge this one a bit more harshly. The beginning was great: the establishment of the villains, the meeting of the protagonist, the initial connection between the guy and the girl. It began to drop off, though, after the banquet of the first day in the tournament. The storyline began to drag on and on. The story was short in itself, but it could have ended A LOT SOONER. There comes a point when the tale closes, and it closed about half way through.

     As for the title, I would have nixed that right away. The "Captive" part references mostly the second half of the book when she's in Ruexner's clutches--the part of the book that I, personally, began pushing myself through. Overall, I just think the title wasn't as fitting as it should have been, and, because of this, I wouldn't tell my friends the title when they asked what book I was reading.

     Finally, the characters were not relatable to me as a reader. That weren't extremely enticing, they weren't boring, they just...were. I would have really liked to see the characters develop more, especially Gisela. She was the main character and she didn't have a clue what was happening around her. I mean, really? Take a hint! And stop being so gullible. Also, there were moments in the book where it felt like the author was saying a woman shouldn't save herself or be the hero, which really made me want to go slap them. Not cool...

     Overall, though, I did enjoy this book. It was cute, it was quick and it was just a nice romantic read for a rainy day.

Memorable or Forgettable: Compared to other fairytale retellings, it was not my favorite, but it was also not the worst. I would have really liked to see more character development, a better second half, and more strong female characters.
Cover: I'm going to snatch that dress right off that blondie's body. Seriously. I'm coming. I want that gown. It was a beautiful cover, and matched the description of how she looked.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: A charming retelling of a fairytale like Cinderella can never be complete without the wicked villain, the handsome knight in shining honor and the all too lovable riches-to-rags-back-to-riches girl. Thankfully, Dickerson got the memo and pens a cute romance for a weekend read.

tags: historical fiction / fantasy / fairy tales / retellings / romance / Christian fiction / ya lit

All the Truth That's In Me - YA Review by Kit K.

Reader: Kit K.
Age: 15
Title: All the Truth That's In Me
Author: Julie Berry
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pub Date: 09/26/13
Galley: Yes 
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: When I began this book, I was quick to realize I would have to pace myself. I needed to take brief intermissions that would help me make my way through the pages. And this was shocking to me, as I usually love to sweep my way through a book efficiently in order to squeeze out the amazing plot and characters and laughter and suspense so I can go to bed smiling happily. But I didn't go to bed smiling that night. Instead my dad came into my room and saw my face. Needless to say he was concerned: I was sitting in my bed crying.

     This may not seem like much besides evidence of my oddness, but, to be honest, this is an astounding feat. Books often make me laugh, gasp, squeal, but never ever never cry. Julie Berry created a perfectly planned story, releasing information in small doses that help you handle the intake of the desperately tragic situation that has befallen Judith. There is no character in this book that DOESN'T develop over time, whether it's Judith herself, slowly discovering how to cope with the past, her newest friend, Maria, who was once betrothed the the man Judith loved since childhood, or even her mother, who is hostile and unworthy of her daughter, yet shows moments of compassion and pity. I honestly cannot say anything bad about this book. The syntax was excellent from beginning to end. The dialogue was everything it needed to be, and Judith was the perfect character, complex and utterly understandable, though my past is nothing like hers. I even found myself trying to say her dialogue the way she did.

     I guess all I have to say is thank you, Julie Berry, for an amazing book.

Memorable or Forgettable: This book was definitely memorable. The way it was written and who it was written to really got me. The characters are memorable as much as they are well thought out, and, as aforementioned, complex and dynamic.
Cover: The cover didn't really match the book. Yes, the typography was excellent, as was the way the problem of muteness was shown, but the girl just didn't seem right. She doesn't match the time period, and her eyes looked more dangerous than sad or observant.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Annotation:  With abrupt chapters that will make you cry and gasp, Julie Berry will astound you through a story of fear, tragedy and confusing love.

tags: realistic fiction / contemporary / historical fiction / thriller / mystery / sociology/abuse / romance / ya lit

This Song Will Save Your Life - YA Review by Kit K

Reader: Kit K
Age: 15
Title: This Song Will Save Your Life
Author: Leila Sales
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pub Date: 09/17/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Thank you Leila Sales for creating even more amazing characters in This Song Will Save Your Life. Elise's narration is witty, believable, and relatable. We see her go through ups and some low, low, low downs. I got to have moments where I am proud of her, and times when I was forced to be disappointed with her (poor Alex!). I love you (creepy, I know, I tend to do that) for making a main character who IS ACTUALLY A TEENAGER WHO MAKES TEENAGE DECISIONS WITH A TEENAGE ATTITUDE. She could easily be the person I sit next to in my history class but have made the mistake of never getting to know. It was just the type of book that I finished and looked at my parents and whined for ten minutes that it was actually OVER. (They were annoyed and, frankly, so was the guy that was trying to sell us a car at the Chrysler dealer, because, yes, I refused to leave it behind since I just had to read it.) So, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Leila Sales. I can't wait to hit up Barnes & Noble this September to buy this book. And I agree, Char was definitely a waste of a good haircut.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable to me because in YA we are usually stuck with one of three things: 1) Too sweet summer romances, 2) romances with paranormal creatures doing paranormal things with their paranormal powers, or 3) really sad, but not necessarily awful, stories about some girl from towns in the middle of nowhere discovering who they are. But instead of being mopey, or sugar sweet, or paranormal, Leila Sales gave us a fantastically witty and slightly emotional Who-the-Hell-Am-I? story.
Cover: I LOVED THE COVER. DON'T CHANGE A THING. PLEASE. PRETTY PLEASE? The typography is what got me. It was perfect and wonderful and original and just plain old amazing. If the publisher decides to change this cover, someone is going to get slapped by this pissed off teenage girl.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Annotation: Elise Dembowski is a high school loser. After reaching the tip of the iceberg and facing suicidal thoughts just months before, Elise is searching desperately for a way out of her nearly friendless life. When she accidentally finds a dance club called Start, Elise's life finally takes off as she meets new people, makes new memories, finds a new passion, and discovers herself.

tags: coming of age / ya lit

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - YA Review by Kit K

Reader: Kit K
Age: 15
Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Publisher: Dial Books
Pub Date: 08/15/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: My mother did not like this book. I don't blame her. I wouldn't have liked it either if it ruined a whole day of my summer by causing a fifteen year old girl to be squealing and "What?!"-ing every few minutes in loud, squeaky tones.
     Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea comes from a genre that usually isn't my cup of tea. Though it was very mysterious and dark themed book for a summer romance, I really enjoyed it. I loved the fact that Tucholke threw details into the story that seemed to blend though they would normally make me scoff due to their pure cliché state (the parents and their little trip for example). I loved how my favorite character, one of the main characters, was dead for the whole story. I loved the twists and turns towards the ends that made me scream "No way!" much to the dismay of my family. I especially loved how I got a headache by not being able to decide how I felt about the love interest ("He's bad, but that's supposed to be good, but he could be Satan...."), and how most of the swear words used were Damn and Hell and reminded me of the Devil.
     I did NOT like everything though. I was annoyed by the overuse of colors used as names in the book. I get it, it's sort of a "thing" in the story, but it gets really old really quickly. Even worse, I became aggravated by how many redheads there were in the book. Don't worry, I'm not racist against gingers (Can I call that a race? Am I hair-ist?) but only about 2% of the world's population is actually redheaded (Unless you are in Ireland, which is not the case for the story). It was just a little much.
     Even though I had my complaints, I will still be keeping an eye out for the sequel.
Memorable or Forgettable: Though this book was excellent, I have read many excellent books. The main problem for this book is the paranormal romance theme. For some reason publishers have been cranking this type of story out of their printers like the Peeps factory makes marshmallow birds during Eastertime. Quite frankly, I'm ready for something new, something not paranormal, not apocalypse, not dystopian, something that is not any other current Teen Fiction cliché currently on the market. But don't worry, I will still point this story out to my friends next time we book binge at Barnes & Noble.
Cover: The cover was perfect for the story, and it definitely caught my eye. But I wish they made the image of the two on the cliff bigger instead of a little background element.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Violet White's parents have abandoned their two teens to travel Europe with the last of their diminishing fortune. With her parents gone, her beloved grandma Freddie dead, and the whole summer to do whatever she wants on her large estate, Violet ends up caught in a dark and mysterious romance with a dark and mysterious boy. Could he have anything to do with the deaths and disappearances in Violet's small town?

tags:  gothic thriller / paranormal romance / ya lit

Belle Epoque - YA Review by Kit K

Reader: Kit K
Age: 15
Title: Belle Epoque
Author: Elizabeth Ross
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: 06/11/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The dialogue Ross presents us with is perfect, using both English and a wee bit of French to help set the mood. Her descriptions of the setting reel you in from architecture to fashions of the time, though I sometimes got mixed up with the names of places during the story. The characters reflected the time period well and also varied nicely in personalities and lifestyles, offering an array to be experienced. The overall tone was appropriate, but I would have also liked to see a little more between Paul and Maude since they didn't have many scenes together.
Memorable or Forgettable:  Belle Epoque was an excellent execution of historical fiction for teens using a mixture of aristocracy and peasantry with flawed but lovable characters.
Cover: The cover was better than most, but could still use room for improvement. It did, however, reflect the contents, but it feels like there's a lot going on with the gold designs.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: In 1880s France, young Maude Pichon escapes her life as the future wife of a middle-aged butcher, and leaves her farm town life for the excitement of Paris. Forced to take a soul-crushing job to support herself financially, Maude learns that the enchanting City of Light has some secrets up her sleeve. Ross weaves a lovely tale that will keep you reading until you can stay up no longer.

tags: historical fiction / repoussoir / ya lit

This is What Happy Looks Like - YA Review by Kit K

Reader: Kit K
Age: 15
Title: This is What Happy Looks Like
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 04/02/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Jennifer E. Smith did an excellent job of unraveling Ellie's past throughout the book and making her a likable character. The author's writing flowed well and kept the reader interested, and the dialogue between Ellie and Graham was witty enough to be enjoyable, but could still have been given a little more attention from the author to make their instant romance more believable. The quickness of their connection put me off a little and I couldn't really see what made them click. The romance was cute and the characters well created, but I wish they had spent more time getting to know each other (not including the emails) before getting together.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book falls somewhere between memorable and forgettable. It isn't the type of book that automatically rockets up your list of favorites, but it is definitely one I would pick off the shelf on a summer day for a quick and satisfying reread. I enjoyed the characters, all of whom were relatable enough, but the predictable plot line and the cliché final package of it all makes this book more regular than outstanding.
Cover: The cover definitely intrigued me with its cute photo, appropriate use of typography, and colors.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: In a summery chick-flick read, everyday girl Ellie O'Neill's life collides with teen heartthrob Graham Larkin's via email. When his next movie is shot in her town, a surprising and secret romance ensues.

tags: romance / BFYA nominee / ya lit