Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publishing date: August 1st, 2010

Pages: 244

Summary: "Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

Rating: 5 stars

ATTN READING MANIACS AND BOOK LOVERS: To all of you who have regular reading slumps, READ THIS. I can guarantee this book will get you out of it. 

So, I finished this book 4 days ago and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts into coherent sentences. 
The writing was so beautiful that I kept stopping to stare at the words. I wanted to crawl across the page and come up to the words and snuggle them. And also hug the characters. 
This is the kind of book that puts a huge smile on your face. The kind of book that makes your day better. Hell, it makes your day, period. 
The storyline was realistic and lovely, the characters had depth and personalities, the banter was perfect and I just wish I could take a swim in this novel and never come out. And hug the characters. Always hug the characters.

I do hope the author will make some kind of companion novel to Graffiti Moon. She has more than enough talent to pull it off, and honestly, I'm not ready to say goodbye to these folks quite yet. I'd even want to read the parents' story (they're actually multi-dimensional! And interesting!) I don't care. JUST WRITE MORE.

I would recommend this book to anyone, anybody who loves good writing and lovable characters. It's right up there with Saving Francesca (review here) and the likes. And if you don't trust me, trust the judging panel of this year's Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Graffiti Moon won the first prize in the "Young adult fiction" category. Yup. Go read now.

Review: Stay by Deb Caletti

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing date: April 5th, 2011

Pages: 320

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it's almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he's willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won't let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough...

Rating: 4 stars

This would normally earn 3.5 stars from me because I rate books based on how I felt about them, not how well-written they are or how awesome the plot/characters are. But I can't in good conscience give this less than 4 stars. I can't bring myself to. So I'm rounding up. And you know what? I don't mind, because this book deserves it.

This is a story about love, loss, family and overcoming your fears. It's the strength of a father-daughter relationship, the hope of a young adult just coming out of her shell and a budding love story sprinkled with humor and heart-wrenching writing.

This book will hit home, whether you've been in Clara's situation or not. The prose flows perfectly, Clara's characterization is really well done and the plot is poignant yet to the point. I can't even tell you how glad I am to not see this dragged out on 500 pages. Choosing to write the book in chapters alternating from past to present, Caletti draws you into the plot and sets the atmosphere of the novel right from the start. I remember this sense of dread that I kept feeling for whatever would happen with Christian and how it would push Clara to leave town. Also, this is one of the very rare cases when the time jumps didn't bother me one bit. She's just that good.

Clara is a genuinely funny narrator. She adds little annotations in the book, and it brings you closer to her because her annotations are addressed to you, the reader. And they're so cute. Like, after an umpteenth person made a cup of tea and you start wondering just how often people make tea in America, she adds a little note "Everyone in this story, in my life, makes tea." I just want to hug her. Her voice is honest and unique, and she feels so real and fragile yet strong and brave. I don't know how to describe it. I love her.

I'd also like to point out that Clara's dad might just be in close competition with Mia's dad in If I Stay and Juli's dad in Flipped for the award of the most awesome YA dad ever. His characterization is so wonderful. The man is a writer, and it shows, you know? He says deep shit. Seriously. Also he calls Clara "pea". How can you not love him?

And Finn. Oh, how I love Finn. He's the perfect balm to Clara's mangled heart. And his characterization is, yet again, amazing. He's sweet and doesn't push Clara and supports her and is generally perfect. Also, he likes to walk around shirtless. Uhuh. If you want a visual of what he looks like, head over to Nic's my book boyfriend post (and stalk her other posts too, while you're at it.)

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Parents can be such children," Finn said.

"We ought to raise them better."

"I'm in a baked potato mood," Dad said. "Butter. You know, Pea, I love butter. I really love it. My heart even swells a little when I think of it."

I just saw it as praise, falling down now like glittering snowflakes. But it was something else. A drop of poison on gathering snow. That moment in the fairy tale when we know what just happened but the princess doesn't.

See see see? The prose is just <3

To sum it up, this is a well-written, tactful and subtle novel that will definitely make an impression on you. I would recommend it to anyone.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Series: If I Stay #1

Publisher: Speak

Publishing date: January 1st, 2009

Pages: 196

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

Rating: 5 stars

I have no idea how to do this story justice. It seems like I could go on and on about it for hours without even getting close to how amazing it is.

This book is bittersweet. Hot and cold, funny and depressing, heart-warming and sob-inducing. It's the perfect roller-coaster, a prime example of how powerful writing can be. I adored everything about it. The plot, shocking and realistic (despite my skepticism at first), the characters, touching and real, the writing, both light and deep... I don't know how Forman managed to put all of that in one book? I'm completely baffled at the enormous quantity of talent she put in those 196 pages. How? I don't get it. Thankfully, I'm not a writer so I don't have to. I'll just keep gushing.

This book has one of the best set of characters I've ever read about in a YA book. You can't not love Mia, you can't not adore Adam, you can't not worship Mia's family. It's impossible. I just... I'm mostly incoherent right now for reasons I can't say because I don't want to spoil readers, so let me just say that this book is a must-read. This is the kind of book you want to have read at least once in your life, because it carries the kind of message you hope to understand but never have to face. Because I can't put my thoughts together even a week after reading it. Because it's that good.

I'm mostly useless in this state, so I'm just going to leave these few quotes and hope you'll magically find your way to this book soon.

Anyhow, she didn't care that people called her a bitch. "It's just another word for feminist," she told me with pride.

"Holy Crud. Is that Brooke Vega?" I hear someone ask in a totally fakey dramatic voice from outside the ICU's automatic doors. I've never heard any of Adam's friends talk so PG-13 before. It's their sanitized hospital version of "holy fucking shit."

He searches around, like he's dropped something and then finds what he's looking for: my hand.

Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Publishing date: 2003

Pages: 252

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: Francesca battles her mother, Mia, constantly over what’s best for her. All Francesca wants is her old friends and her old school, but instead Mia sends her to St. Sebastian’s, an all-boys’ school that has just opened its doors to girls. Now Francesca’s surrounded by hundreds of boys, with only a few other girls for company. All of them weirdos—or worse.
Then one day, Mia is too depressed to get out of bed. One day turns into months, and as her family begins to fall apart, Francesca realizes that without her mother’s high spirits, she hardly knows who she is. But she doesn’t yet realize that she’s more like Mia than she thinks. With a little unlikely help from St. Sebastian’s, she just might be able to save her family, her friends, and—especially—herself.

Rating: 4.5 stars

What you need to know about this book: This is a character-driven book. No! Don't run yet. Hear me out. It does start out pretty slow BUT that's because Francesca is confused, a little lost and it takes a few chapters for her to wake up (and for you to start empathizing with her). But once you do, you won't be able to stop reading. Her voice is honest, funny (she's hilarious, seriously) and to the point. It's the kind of book you look forward to picking back up, like, you're doing something and think "oh, I still have to finish this book" and it puts a smile on your face.

What I loved: The realism of the book. Marchetta doesn't gloss over Mia's depression, quite the contrary. She portrays very accurately what it's like to be a teenager, to not quite know where you fit in and how it feels to have adults telling you what to do all the time. To look at a cute boy and think "my god, what a disgusting pig" because no, teenage boys aren't all perfect and just because they're not doesn't mean they're one-dimensional, shallow people.

Why you should read it: Because not once did I not understand/empathize with the narrator. It's like the author mixed up all the ingredients to make a perfect character and here I am, adoring Francesca and cheering for her like a demented fangirl.

"I look past them to where Will and his friends are sitting, and he catches my eye for a moment and smiles. It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul. The one that holds Mia's scent and Justine's spirit and Siobhan's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this bastard of a disease that could be sleeping inside me."

Do you love her yet?

Why you need to read it right now: This is the kind of book that goes somewhere, you know? Even if not everything is resolved, you see the characters maturing and it gets you a little teary-eyed because you feel like you were there, right along with them as they tried to make sense of life. And you wish them the best, and you're sad to let them go.

It's a short book, but one that will definitely stay in your heart for a long time.

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Series: Bumped #1

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publishing date: April 26th, 2011

Pages: 336

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I felt a lot of conflicting emotions while reading this book. It's well-written, the plot is original and the universe is well set (which is very important, in dystopia) but I didn't love it. It's impossible not to like it because of the subject matter and the way the author deals with it, but quite frankly... This book lost a star because of Harmony. Why Harmony? More on that later.

The story's told from both Melody and Harmony's point of view. I'm usually not a fan of POV switching in first-person narration, but this worked out pretty well. I really liked being in Melody's head. She felt very real in her questioning of her society, which is a feat because it's usually always too slow-paced (see: Matched). She was very well-written and I could sympathize with her and her need to please her parents, even if I didn't agree with her. Plus, she was funny and sarcastic. I just love her. Now Harmony, on the other hand... She annoyed me. A lot. To be fair, I think this has a lot to do with my personal taste rather than the way the character was written, but she was just too naive for me and I have no patience with naive characters. I couldn't relate to her at all, and at times she felt really selfish when I know her intentions were good. I'm kind of indecisive about her.

I've found the plot to be realistic and intriguing. McCafferty sets her universe really well, and even invents specific slang that Melody uses rather frequently. The vocabulary is easy enough to understand but I had issues with fully grasping the concept of what the "MiNet" was. Thankfully, this doesn't hinder your comprehension of the plot as a whole and even gives a refreshing aspect to the reality you're presented with. I was very, very relieved to see that the author didn't shy away from dealing with the issues resulting from the (rather bold) story line she chose, because it could have been a disaster. I really appreciated the fact that she talked about sexual relationships in a very upfront, healthy manner, and as something that has consequences but doesn't have to be "wrong" (as so many YA novels do nowadays).

I can't reveal much about the pairings without spoiling, but the person Harmony was paired with was surprisingly adequate and I just love Melody's love interest. Love, love, love him. HERE is an example of a healthy love interest who doesn't try to control, influence or jerk around the heroin. They had amazing chemistry and I very much enjoyed reading about them.

I would, despite my annoyance for Harmony, strongly recommend this book to everyone. It leaves a very strong impression, perhaps reinforced by the disturbing feeling that maybe, in a hundred years... It could be the actual reality.

Review: Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing date: June 1st, 2008

Pages: 320

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things for as long as I can remember.

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best there is—her mother. They never stay in one place long enough for Dani to have real connections, real friends—a real life.

But in the town of Heaven, everything changes. Suddenly, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

Rating: 3 stars

This started out really well. So well, actually, that I found myself highlighting passages every 2 pages. I loved Scott's prose, the chemistry between the characters, and more than anything, I loved the character development. Dani's slow coming of age from a tentative teenager, overwrought with guilt and self-esteem issues to a strong woman who takes her destiny into her own hands was beautiful to watch. Now, when I say self-esteem issues, I don't mean the annoying whining you sometimes see in YA novels. Dani was written beautifully, with subtelty and care, giving us the impression that this girl could actually exist.. I fould myself heart-broken or overjoyed right along with her. This is the kind of character I'd love to have a chat with.

The banter between Dani and Greg was perfect. Perfect. There's a line involving fungus that I won't spoil, but dear god, I actually laughed out loud. And that never happens.

Dani's mom (I don't think we ever get her real name) is also a very interesting character. It would have been so easy for Scott to demonize her and make her the villain in the story. And she is, in a way, but the author also empathizes her role as a a mother, ex-wife and most importantly, as a person. I found myself hating her and feeling sorry for her at the same time. Plus, she's hilarious.

   Anyway, it pissed her off because she says, "I thought he was stupider than that, baby. And so now I have to be extra careful with him. It's annoying."

See what I mean?

So, why only 3 stars? Because about half-way through, the books lost some of its charm for me. The plot finally started moving and things got more serious, and the book's atmosphere changed drastically. It was still well-written, but I enjoyed it less. I think that's more my personal taste, though. Scott's prose was gorgeous through and through, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for her future books.

I'll leave you with this quote:

   I haven't been careful enough because I stand in the shower and cry for what I've never had and never will. A real home. Things I can truly call my own and keep forever. Friends. I am in the place where you cry and mean it. 
   It sucks.