Firstborn

Firstborn 

by Lorie Ann Grover 

When Tiadone was born, her parents had two choices: leave their daughter outside the community to die in the wilds, or raise her as male and force her to suppress all feminine traits. Now, as the first female living as male in her village, Tiadone must prove her father didn’t make a mistake by letting her live.

As her male initiation approaches, Tiadone knows every eye on the community is on her, and desperately wishes to belong and finally be accepted. But at every step, traditional feminine gifts and traits emerge, and the bird she’s been twined with is seen as a sign of evil.

Worse, as Tiadone completes her rites, she finds she is drawn to her male best friend in ways that are very much in line with the female gender.

Confused and desperate, Tiadone tries to become what she must be while dealing with what she indeed has become: a young woman who may be able to stand up to her despotic rulers and uncover her real purpose in life. (Description from Amazon.com)

So, when I read the description for this book, I was thoroughly intrigued. I thought the premise was really cool and I love dystopians so I was pretty sure I'd love this book.  

Sadly, what started out as a really great idea for a book fell short for me. This author's writing was what often gets referred to as "purple prose." Overly descriptive language, analogies that don't really fit the context, etc.  I was so distracted by the actual writing that I would find myself losing track of the story sometimes.  

Secondly, I found parts of the story oddly disturbing.  The story begins by letting us know that Tiadone is around 13, ready to do her year of service to the Madronians.  This girl, who to this point has never gotten her period, has not thought about or talked about sex, suddenly starts LUSTING, and I mean like full-on adult sounding descriptions of lust!, for her best friend, Ratho.  I was really uncomfortable when I read parts of the story.  There was such a huge discrepancy between her stated age and the way that she acted in several aspects of her life, I'd start thinking she was in her late teens! 

One thing I did really love in the book, though, was Tiadone's relationship with her rapion, Mirko.  They had a sweet, loving relationship and I loved seeing their interactions.  

While I wanted to like this book and still think the idea for it is great, I just found myself disappointed when I finished. 

Full disclosure: Audio book reviewed for Audiofile 

Sophomore Switch

Sophomore Switch

by Abby McDonald

Take an administrative snafu, a bad breakup, and "The Hot-Tub Incident" and you've got two thoroughly unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to Oxford may be a chance to ditch her fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara.

This was a great book! I really love stories where someone is thrust into a new bewildering situation and must basically adapt or perish! Now, this is obviously not life or death...more Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, but it is both hilarious and touching.

I loved that both girls grow. They explore new facets of their personalities, turn to each other for social survival skills, and eventually learn to be true to themselves. Not to completely ditch the personalities that got them into trouble originally, not to just become the complete opposite, but to take all the different versions of themselves and incorporate them into a new, true self.

I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to read more.