Monday 15 February 2016

#Scandal

#Scandal
By Sarah Ockler

From the author who brought us Twenty Boy Summer and Bittersweet comes a story about what can happen when a picture goes viral, #Scandal. In this digital age a picture is worth more than a thousand words and many of those words will be negative ones. Author Sarah Ockler captures social media hazards and teens in this novel. In this day and age there are so many issues with online bullying and #Scandal brings those issues to life.
Our main character, Lucy, finds herself at the prom with her best friends man and they find themselves in a compromising position. This wouldn't be so bad because they had every intention of confessing except before they have the chance to do so a picture as evidence goes viral around the school. This one night of fun brings Lucy's whole world crumbling down. This is a cautionary tale of teen life.
There is a strong message of honesty and standing up for yourself. With confidence Lucy works hard to gain back the trust of her best friend and hold her head up high in the judging halls of her high school. Real life, romance, friendship and confidence all come together in this high school drama.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1163461101_the_girl_of_fire_and_thorns
Rae Carson

Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza, the younger princess of the kingdom of Orovalle, is wed in an arranged marriage to King Alejandro de Vega, of the neighbouring country of Joya d'Arena.  Joya d'Arena is embroiled in a war with another country, Invierene, and their situation is precarious.  Elisa has been marked by God with a blue gemstone embedded in her navel since birth to do something special, although no one knows what.  Yet.  All this and Elisa is only sixteen years old.

After Elisa arrives at the palace in Joya d'Arena, she's kidnapped by a group of rebels, and dragged across the desert. Once they arrive at the rebel village, Elisa embraces their cause, and uncovers a treacherous plot against King Alejandro.  Can she save Joya d'Arena in time?

One of the things I enjoyed the most about The Girl of Fire and Thorns was that Elisa wasn't a typical YA heroine.  She's not considered particularly beautiful, and she's also quite overweight.  Fat, in Elisa's words.  She uses food as a coping mechanism until she no longer has that option and has to figure out how to deal with any problems that arise using her own wits and intelligence.  Another thing that sets this medieval-themed fantasy novel apart is that the marriage is not something Elisa looks forward to.  She's terrified, the people in Joya d'Arena look at her as an outsider, her husband is not the least bit interested in her, and most people treat her like the child she still is.  Carson presents a rather realistic view of what it must have felt like to end up in a dynastic marriage.

There are lots of Spanish-language influences in the book and the religion of Elisa doesn't feel as if it only resides in an alien planet.  The familiar feel of the language and religion reader help ease you into the novel and quickly establishes the setting.  It think it's important to say here that you shouldn't let the heavy presence of the world's religion drive you away from the book.  It's absolutely  integral to the plot and Elisa as a character.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a great action-packed read with a relateable heroine, who repeatedly falls down, makes mistakes, and picks herself back up, because it's the only thing she can do. 

There are two more books in the series: The Crown of Embers and The Bitter Kingdom.

Monday 1 February 2016

Book of the Month - February - Untwine



Untwine

By Edwidge Danticat

This novel grabs you right from the beginning. The story of twins who were connected right from birth, emerging into the world holding hands. They have not been separated since...until a tragedy rips them apart.

As the red van comes hurtling towards the family car, identical twin Giselle slows the action in her mind, trying to prevent the inevitable from happening.

Told through Giselle's thoughts as she recovers, we slowly learn, along with Giselle, what has happened to the rest of her family in the accident,.However, when Giselle is out of the hospital, we find out that the accident may not have been an accident after all. This builds some mystery, but the investigation does not really have much to do with the main story, and is somewhat anticlimactic when we reach the conclusion, but it does serve as a way for Giselle to reconnect with her friends, post accident.

Giselle's recovery requires her to revisit the past, so she can move into the future. Everything is different now and she uses the past to remember things from a different perspective, almost like she is replaying the incidents as an objective observer. This helps her to gain strength from her friends, her family and from within herself.  Because of her renewed vision, she can move forward in her own life.

This was a good read, a tragic tale told well that keeps you interested. Here are some other books by Edwidge Danticat that might keep you interested too! Breath, Eyes, Memory; Krik? Krak!; and The Farming of Bones.