Review: For Real

By Alison Cherry
Available now from Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

I was pretty much sold on FOR REAL by the end of the first paragraph, when heroine Claire muses, "I wish I were watching this on a real television. I fear I'm missing the nuances of his six-pack."  Claire is a reality-television addict, because she wants to work in TV herself and it is the great equalizing genre.

It's always been her weird hobby, but when her sister Miranda dumps her cheating boyfriend, Claire decides to help Miranda get revenge.  It just so happens that a slot has opened up for two new teams on the reality show Sanjay's been bragging about appearing on.  It's the perfect opportunity to humiliate him in front of the whole world.

The reality show Around the World takes clear inspiration from The Amazing Race with a dating-show twist.  I loved all the descriptions of the contests and could've read even more of crazy faux-cultural activities enlivened by forced bonding.  There's nice character work to back up the humor of the competitions.  Most of the competitors only get a little shading, but there are hints of them having their own lives.  Claire works on coming out of her bubble, falling for fellow contestant Wes, and redefining her relationship with her sister now that they're both adults.

FOR REAL was exactly the light and frothy read I needed when I picked it up.  It's fun and effortlessly charming.  The relationship between the sisters is terrific - it has realistic ups and downs, but they've always got each other's backs when the chips are down.  This may be a short read, but it's a good one.

If you need a pick-me-up, I highly recommend FOR REAL.  It's light fare well executed, like the best of reality shows.  (And unlike many real-life dating reality shows, it remembers LGBT people exist, in a nice touch.)  This one put a smile on my face as big as the smiles on the hardcover.

The Flood

So, in the last few days of December my apartment flooded.  Let me tell you, that is a lovely call to get while you're on vacation.

I've been very fortunate and didn't lose much of my stuff to water damage.  However, you'll never guess what soaks up water like a sponge and was all over my apartment.  Throwing out three bags of books didn't do much for my desire to write a book blog.  I'm still kind of sad about it.

Some of it is losing several books that I took special trips to get signed.  I lost my copies of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, both signed by John Green.  Do you know the kind of lines you have to go through to get Green's signature?  (Fortunately, he is a signing pro and keeps people moving.)  I also lost my signed and doodled copy of THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY by Adam Rex, just as I wanted to read it again in preparation for Home.  (Plus the doodle of JLo was ridiculously cute.)  I also lost my signed copy of THE PEOPLE OF PAPER, and Salvador Plascencia doesn't do many appearances.

Some of the books I lost weren't signed, but were favorites, and I'm sad about having to replace them.  LOSERS IN SPACE by John Barnes, which never came out in paperback, and UNSPOKEN by Sarah Rees Brennan, with the pretty silhouette cover.

I've got my apartment basically back in order now, aside from the fact I need to buy new bookshelves.  (No, I don't think I'll buy the cheap particle board ones again.)  It just hurts to lose your stuff.

Review: While We Run

Companion to When We Wake
By Karen Healey
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy

Abdi Taalib and his best friend Tegan, who he's very much in love with, are prisoners of the Australian government.  They tried to expose the government's wrongdoings when it comes to a cryogenics project, but ended up captured, tortured, and forced to publicly recant their statements and support the project.

I haven't read WHEN WE WAKE, but WHILE WE RUN contains plenty of recap.  In addition, at the beginning of the novel Abdi doesn't know much about what is going on and is pretty preoccupied with the mental and physical stress of being a performing monkey with the promise of worse on the horizon.  I was really impressed by this opening, which drew me in despite my unfamiliarity with the setting.  It is not easy to read, but it is engrossing.  Karen Healey does not back away from the horror of the government using Abdi and Tegan as slaves, and the consequences of these months linger throughout the novel.

Healey combines strong character work with a plot from a political conspiracy thriller to bring a future world to life.  It's not too far in the future - countries and religions of today are still recognizable - but technology and social issues have progressed.  The mingling of real-world issues with future tech is very well done.  The world of WHILE WE RUN is relevant to today's reader, but doesn't come off as a blatant screed.

Actually, several elements prevent WHILE WE RUN from being a blatant screed.  For one thing, there are no easy answers.  Abdi might not have any fondness for the Australian government, but that doesn't mean that he agrees with the various terrorist/freedom fighters he encounters either.  He's very determined to make up his own mind, which forces him to face that there often are no good answers.  Then there's the delightful mix of character backgrounds. 

Abdi is a second-class citizen in Australia, but in his home country he's wealthy and privileged.  He's also atheist, but his family thinks he'll come around.  The other characters come from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, and represent a variety of sexualities and genders.  This diversity helps show how all of the characters come at the issues in question from different angles.

I'm quite happy that WHILE WE RUN made the Cybils shortlist in YA Speculative Fiction this year.  It's a thought-provoking read that doesn't forget to throw in some action and keep things moving.

Review: Golden Son

Book two of the Red Rising trilogy
By Pierce Brown
Available now from Del Rey (Penguin Random House)
Review copy
Read my review of Red Rising

GOLDEN SON starts several years after RED RISING.  Darrow is about to graduate the Academy, command his own fleet, and aid the Sons of Ares right under the nose of the ArchGovernor of Mars.  Unfortunately, his plan goes awry and he must scramble to stay one step ahead of his enemies if he wants to stay alive.

GOLDEN SON is an action-packed book that will thrill fans of RED RISING who have been eagerly awaiting Darrow's next adventure. Those who haven't read RED RISING will likely be very, very confused.  There are a variety of intricate alliances and the book makes no effort to catch readers up on what has happened before.  GOLDEN SON expects you to have a good memory.

Now, it wasn't a perfect book.  There's a lag in the middle, and Darrow continually makes surprisingly stupid decisions.  He's amazing at tactics, great at strategy, and yet he often misses the obvious or puts off doing things he knows he must do.  I forgive some of those mistakes because he is only twenty, but at the same time, this is what he's trained to do and is suppose to be a genius at.  To be fair, I mostly noticed these issues after finishing the novel.  I was too busy flipping pages to find out what happened next while reading.

I love how much happens in GOLDEN SON.  It isn't just war.  It's evaluating what you're fighting for, and how you're going to do it so that you can look at yourself in the mirror.  It's about finding the humanity in people who aren't like you, and reaching out to the best in people instead of encouraging their worst.  For a dark, grim series, there's a truly optimistic core.

I do warn you that there is quite the cliffhanger.  If you aren't a fan of cliffhangers, you might wait until the final book of the trilogy comes out next year.  Things look grim for Darrow and his allies, but I have hope that red will rise in the end.

Cybils Finalists and Other Great Nominees

Today, the 2014 Cybils finalists were announced. Our speculative fiction YA list is brilliant.

There is DEATH SWORN by Leah Cypress, about which I wrote:

From the moment Ileni stepped into a cave of assassins to teach magic and discover who killed her two predecessors, I was hooked. In Death Sworn, Ileni goes deep into a culture that values absolute obedience and killing for the greater good. Ileni herself is the novel’s greatest assassin, a heroine who overcomes her fears and doubts, managing to hide that she’s weak and easy prey. The intense tension between Ileni and her assassin protector Soren adds a touch of romance to the action, with a refreshing lack of anything resembling a love triangle. The theme of questioning authority and dogma will resonate with teens, as will Ileni’s growing engagement with the world around her as she discovers that you can forge a new path for yourself after your dreams falter.

There is also:
GLORY O'BRIEN'S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE by A.S. King
NOGGIN by John Corey Whaley
SALVAGE by Alexandra Duncan
THE LIVING by Matt de la Pena
THE WINNER'S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski
WHILE WE RUN by Karen Healey

A few others I particularly loved:
THE GIRL FROM THE WELL by Rin Chupeco, which came close to being a finalist. Unfortunately, chapter five presents a rather exaggerated mental hospital which seemed to perpetuate some unfortunate stereotypes about the mentally ill. It was a great book, but not one the Cybils could wholeheartedly recommend.
BLACK DOG by Rachel Neumeier
MONSTROUS AFFECTIONS edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, which has a hilarious intro and a variety of great stories, most especially the standout "Wings in the Morning" by Sarah Rees Brennan.