Cinder

Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
Lunar Chronicles, book one

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. (description from Amazon.com)

I loved this futuristic sci-fi version of the Cinderella story.  It was *this* close to being a gold star review, except it ended with a HUGE cliffhanger and the next book doesn't come out until NEXT YEAR. Ugh.

I loved Cinder's character. The fact that she is a cyborg was really cool, especially since this doesn't verge so far into sci-fi that I had trouble understanding things. There was no confusion about medical/scientific stuff. YAY! I loved the fact that not only was Cinder's body both hard and soft, but that it reflected her personality so well...

I loved the descriptions of New Beijing.  It was a fascinating dichotomy of the traditional and the futuristic. The fact that the Eastern Commonwealth was at the head of the Earthen Union also felt very possible in humanity's future...and can I mention that the whole Lunar thing was super intriguing? I want to learn more about their history and culture. I'm hoping the next book in the series gives us a more inside perspective there.

All in all, this was book was so close to what my perfect reinvisioning of a fairytale could be it was sort of eerie. I wish that we knew a little more of Cinder's story at the end, but I am SO absolutely looking forward to reading more of her journey in the following books.  I cannot wait for Scarlet to get here!!

Full disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley/Audio book won from Macmillan Audio
*2012 Debut Author Challenge title*

Raven Summer

Raven Summer
by David Almond

Liam and his friend Max are playing in their neighborhood when the call of a bird leads them out into a field beyond their town. There, they find a baby lying alone atop a pile of stones—with a note pinned to her clothing. Mystified, Liam brings the baby home to his parents. They agree to take her in, but police searches turn up no sign of the baby’s parents. Finally they must surrender the baby to a foster family, who name her Allison. Visiting her in Northumberland, Liam meets Oliver, a foster son from Liberia who claims to be a refugee from the war there, and Crystal, a foster daughter. When Liam’s parents decide to adopt Allison, Crystal and Oliver are invited to her christening. There, Oliver tells Liam about how he will be slaughtered if he is sent back to Liberia. The next time Liam sees Crystal, it is when she and Oliver have run away from their foster homes, desperate to keep Oliver from being sent back to Liberia. In a cave where the two are hiding, Liam learns the truth behind Oliver’s dark past—and is forced to ponder what all children are capable of. (description from Amazon.com)

I had a really hard time with this book. It's short and easy to read, so it wasn't a comprehension thing, really...it was that I had no connection with the characters. I would latch on to one piece of the plot and then the author would switch focus to a totally different aspect of what was going on...it was disjointed and I just couldn't make heads or tails of the real point of the book.

It was not the right book for me.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
by John Boyne

Where is 'Outwith' and who is Bruno?
How is he connected?
Soon he will meet the boy in striped pyjamas and befriend him.
But why must the boy stay behind the wire?
(description taken from Amazon.com)

I tried not to read this book for as long as I could. When I read, most often I'm looking for an escape from my daily life...hence, I trend towards fantasy, science fiction, light romances, etc. (The title of my blog reflects this, too!) As a Teen Librarian, though, I do consider it part of my job to read everything that is considered "important." Nutmeg nominees (our state book award), National Book Award nominees, summer reading list books, etc. I also feel I should be able to talk about at least a few books in every genre for reader's advisory purposes.

There are some books, though, that even with this drive, I will do all I can to avoid them for as long as possible. Books dealing with the holocaust are absolutely in this category. I tend to avoid them like the plague...but, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been on our summer reading lists for the high school age group for a few years now, tons of teens have read and loved it, and my audiobook ran out and I didn't have another one lined up.

So, I broke down and listened to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. I finished it several days ago, actually. Usually I finish a book and I go straight home and type up my review. Done. This book, though, was one of those that I still haven't really been able to figure out what I want to say about it.

I went into this experience dragging my feet and have come out recommending this book to every adult I work with. The day that I finished listening to it, I pulled into work with tears in my eyes, an awed look on my face, and I just sat there. It was at least fifteen minutes before I was able to pull myself together to go into work, and then the first thing I did was go talk to the woman I knew had seen the movie to compare experiences!

This book is so well done I can't even verbalize the majesty of it. Boyne dances around the Holocaust in a way that makes it easy to remember the horror without having to directly experience it. The nine-year-old main character's perspective is one of bewildered naivete. His friendship with a boy named Shmuel develops naturally and without artiface.

Even now, I'm having trouble trying to describe the book and how it made me feel. I think that actually says more than whatever I could write. It was powerful. It was touching. It is reverberating with me in a way that few books have...

If you have not read it, yet. Go read it. Even if you hate this type of book, like I do, you should read this one. It is amazing.