Iron, Steam, and Monsters

The Iron Thorn
By Caitlin Kittredge

In an alternate history, where the cities are driven by Engines and the streets are protected by Proctors, there is a girl named Aoife (Ee-fay). Her mother is mad - the crazy kind - and her brother became mad on his 16th birthday. Aoife is days away from her 16th birthday and she fears this same madness will consume her. The Proctors hunt down mad people and throw them into mad houses.

Aoife wants to escape. She can escape from the city but can she escape from genetics?


Let me preface my review with this: I was so very unattached to all characters, uninterested in the story, and it pained me to finish this whole book. If my review is skewed, this is why. The story might be wonderful and I was not in the mood.

Mainly I found myself uninterested because the book felt like it still needed some serious cutting. It was 492 pages. For what really happened, that is too many. There were scenes that were superflous and much of the nattering inside Aoife's head was unneeded.

The world is cool. It's steampunk basically. Aether glows in lights much like electricity, but blue. An Engine located underneath the city constantly churns and keeps the Aether going. Typical steampunk things make appearances: goggles, dirigibles, machines with gears and cogs.

The best part of the world was not the steampunk aspect, but the insertion of Lovecraftian monsters. The monsters are THE best part of the book. There's creepy undead things, skittering humanoid creatures that lurk in the night, and faeries (were they faeries?) so dark you shiver at night thinking about the descriptions Kittredge gave.

Aoife (apart from having a ridiculously difficult name to pronounce) is a believable character. She studied engineering and machinery - yay intelligence - and, for the most part, she barrels through events without needing much of anyone's help. She is anything but helpless. Instead she needs her friends for moral support. I liked this apsect of her character. Not dependant on the boys around her.

Yes, there's boys. Of course. It's young adult. First, there's Conrad her mad brother who's disappearance takes her away from the city in the first place. Then there's Cal, her best friend. He's an incredible annoying character, with a chip off his shoulder, and he's there for her through thick and thin. And finally, Dean. With a name like that, you're sure shootin' he's the romantic interest. Oh, he's a rebel, a dark mystery about him, and he's totally into Aoife.

The story. At the core, it's a great story. A great set up for a trilogy I will not read. There was too much side stuff. Cut about 150 or 200 pages from this book and you've got a story that's action-packed and moves at a clip. Looking at the second and third book, looks like the publishers, or the author, realized  that the story needed to be more compact - the last book being 304 pages.


This book was NOT for me. Every time I sat down to read it, my mind wandered elsewhere. I found myself skimming half the time. After all that skimming, I lost nothing. I still took in the details of the world and the twists and turns of the characters' journey.

Venture into this dark, steampunk world and try not to have nightmares about the monsters. I know I am happy to have left it, never to return.


2/5 STARS

Gah, that cover is gross.

We Are Not Alone

Earth & Sky
By Megan Crewe

Skylar, 17, is bothered by passing feelings that parts of the world around her are wrong. When it happens, she has panic attacks. Then she meets Win. Suddenly her whole life is explained to her and the answer is both cool and terrifying at the same time.

ALIENS!

No seriously. Aliens. And time travel. This book was such a happy surprise!


Ok, clarification - generic without spoilers, I promise. Our planet is the subject of alien experimentation. Whenever Skylar feels something wrong, that's because they have been interfering. They mess with time.

Win is a part of the rebels who want to end this interference. So yes, he is alien. Having fun yet?

Crewe took this really cool idea and turned it into this crazy, time hopping chase between the rebels, the human Skylar, and the alien scientists. So neat!

How did she manage to create this story and keep it from being off-the wall cheesy? Her characters are believable and very flawed, details of the world are explained slowly (apart from one possible info-dumping section that I'm going to ignore because I loved this book so much), and her world is created with real science. In order to get the reader's mind around the complexities of time travel, Crewe was able to explain it in such a way that felt neither dumbed down nor overly unnecessary.

For the most part, the book focuses on the interactions between Win and Skylar. There's conflict - believeable conflict - between them, but also a mutual push to save the world.

My ooooone complaint. At the beginning of the book, I was pleased to be reading about a girl with anxiety issues. I was loving the way it was explained. Her coping mechanism was real and carried throughout the book. My complaint is that part of her anxiety is explained away by the alien interference. On one hand, wouldn't it be cool if all those with anxiety be given a logical (loosely logical... because aliens) reason as to their paralyzing panic attacks. On the other, it's a real issue that cannot be fixed that easily. The redeeming factor of this thread is that she continues to feel panic, even though now she knows what causes it and she retains her coping mechanism. In the grand scheme of things though, it's a minor complaint.

I'm a sucker for anything time travel related... so this book was right up my ally. AND, Megan Crewe is Canadian. Whoo Canadian writers!!!

Highly recommend for the young adult, sci-fi enthusiast.

4.5/5 STARS

Filed Memories

The Archived
By Victoria Schwab

Mackenzie is a Keeper of the dead. When people die, their memories become Histories and are filed away in a library between worlds. Sometimes, the memories wake and it's Mackenzie's job to return them to rest in the library. When she moves to a new place, her family reeling from her little brother's sudden death, and the converted hotel in which they live in is full of mysteries and waking Histories.

A richly imaginative world. The concept is unique and every time there's an answer, five more questions pop up. Memorable characters and a deep world I'd love to visit.

Mackenzie seems super human - if this could be her only flaw. She is dealing with issue after issue and I wonder how she didn't break down a cry. I don't think she slept much. This girl is go go go and business like. I liked that about her.

Her family dynamics are lovely. The main character switches between present and memories from the past of her Da, her grandfather, who trained her to be a Keeper. For the first part of the book, I could not make the distinction between her Da (grandfather) and Dad (father) - quite a bit of confusion between those two.

Her fellow team mate Keeper, Wesley, is equally likeable if not more so. I liked their ambiguous chemistry. Business like, but possible hinted at romance. Not sure if this was a romance or a great friendship. Either way, the chemistry between these two is tentative and delightful.

The unravelling of the world was done in a delicate manner. The reader is confused for the first few pages, then slowly Schwab begins to explain the mechanics. This is one that takes a bit to get into, but once you do, be prepared to fly away to another dimension.

Would I want to visit the Library? Yes. But I would refuse to see any filed relatives. See people I don't know, for sure. And, hello, I'd love to meet Roland (who Schwab says is based on David Tennant's Doctor). Uh, yes please.

Overall, really cool. Really REALLY cool. Recommend for those wanting a sorta creepy, dimension expanding, library kinda story.

4/5 STARS

Turbulant Vacation

172 Hours on the Moon
By Johan Harstad

A contest from NASA surprises the world: 3 lucky teenagers will accompany astronauts to the moon.
The Winners: Mia from Norway, in a punk band, wants to be musician-famous; Midori from Japan, wants to get away like her big sister and the moon is just the start; and Antoine from France, who wants to put the heartache of a breakup behind him.
Things go wrong.

 *shudders*

Finished this in a day for the Cramathon. I am pleased I chose to read this, it zipped by once their rocket left Earth. A little more than the first third of the book is setting up the actual 'going into space'. I might have wished to go sooner, but I get it: there's three main characters, scattered with a few more other points-of-view, to set up beforehand.

All chugs along as normal. All teenagers are unsatisfied with their current lives. Their chance to go to the moon is the perfect way to change that. While their characters are being set up, there are scenes with Heads of NASA and an old man who remembers more than he thinks. Under all of this, waves of tension crash and unnerving alarm bells ring.

Cleverly built, when things start to go wrong the reader is forced to experience these very odd, creepy scenes. Not ever are we really given a full explanation. AND THAT WORKS!

The last 40 pages or so, hold onto your chairs, there's going to be turbulence.

The ending scenes are incredibly vivid and I keep replaying them over and over in my head.

*shudders*

A cool use of the WOW! Signal.

Highly recommend.

4.5/5 STARS

Lush Prince of Palmares Tres

The Summer Prince
By Alaya Dawn Johnston

Probably the best dystopian, future-society book you'll read in today's YA.

Set in a fictional city named Palmares Tres, Brazil, June wants to make art and be the best artist in the city. Political intrigue and high tech surround the world she lives in. Then she meets Enki, the charismatic and lush Summer King. He explodes with life itself and reinvigorates the city with raw passion. At the end of his short reign, he will die. Which makes their team up to make an artistic statement to the citizens all the more poignant.

While reading, listen to some Brazilian music to get you in the mood. Bossa Nova perhaps?

I finished this a few days ago. I needed time to gather my thoughts and steady my emotions. There is no doubt this will be on my Top 5 for 2015.

The thing I liked the most about the characterization was that you could never quite figure out the characters. They were so multi-dimensional. No one seemed cardboard. Not even Bebel (June's rival at school) who at first was cardboard became more complex as the story went on.

One downside, this world took a while to get into. Like any sci-fi or fantasy, there's always a hiccough stage where the author is trying to reveal slowly the completely new world and in a way that's not overwhelming. Once I got about 70ish pages in, the story began to flow.

I realized its wonder and devoured it slowly. Sipping each description, breathing it it.

June's relationship with the Summer King, Enki, is something more than romance. Romance seems like a juvenile word to describe what their connection is. In a sense, this book is full of romance, but it's not your typical heart-pounding, swooning kind.

LUSH. That's a good word to use to describe the story, characters, and world. It had me wanting to find out more. Johnson does this wonderful hinting at other places in the world, but never gives you enough to sink your teeth into. It's great! Some people might find this annoying - those people don't understand that sometimes the mystery is greater than being told outright. Unknown might seem like the author was lazy and didn't want to tell us more, but we have to be intelligent readers. We can't be handed things on a silver platter a la Divergent explain-ese. Trust your imagination.

I wept. No shame. The last 30 pages promptly took my heart out and put it back in. I couldn't breathe. For a story to do that is a great undertaking. It spoke to me on a human level. Isn't that what books are meant do. 

5 STARS

When you finish the book, listen to the song that Bebel sings at the end. It adds another dimension to the story. If you need some reference.Translated to English.

Classroom: Please note, sexuality is discussed in an open manner. Recommended for 16+.

Bean's Game

Ender's Shadow

By Orson Scott Card

Compaion novel to the sci-fi classic “Ender's Game”, the story follows Bean, a tiny, but incredibly intelligent rival to Ender. Earth has been to war against aliens, known as Buggers. To protect Earth and humanity, the Battleschool is built. High above, in neutral territory orbit the brightest children are sent to train as soldiers and commanders. Here, Bean's tale parallels Ender's in a fully rounded, incredible story.

If you can't tell already, I loved this book. Now to create some waves. I enjoyed this book more than “Ender's Game”. Here's why:

Bean is complex and intelligent. He explains situations and works through them with you, not for you. You're in his head. Basically, you're him. His life began with difficulty and it continues, but he never gives up. Perseverance sees him through.

Ender is morose and most of the time “woe is me” attitude. He does not accept his talents and what's expected of him. Bean, most of the time, believes himself to be better suited for Ender's position.

While it's not a light, easy read, I flew through this story. Bean's voice was uplifting and confident.

One could easily read this without having read “Ender's Game”, however, reading it after will give more insight into the events of the story.

Highly recommended.

4.5/5 STARS

Classroom: Use “Ender's Game” for the classroom. This book is quite lengthy. Or, suggest it to a student who loves Sci-Fi. Introduce them to the wonderful writing of Card.

The Book of Sci-Fi Western

The Knife of Never Letting Go

By Patrick Ness

There are no women in Prentisstown. Todd will be a man on his thirteenth birthday, it's in a month. But before he finds out what being a man is, his guardians tell him to run away. All of the men of Prentisstown are after him, and none of it is explained to Todd. He has no idea why. Then he runs into a girl. A real girl.

Whew. Well. I wanted so badly to like this book. The language took some time to get used to. The voice of Todd is unique. This slowed my initial absorption into the book.

Not sure what it was, but I just couldn't love it. Todd was a reasonable enough character, so were all the secondary characters. What proved tough was the length. I fear this book succumbed to plot-dragging. Perhaps, it would've moved faster with passages cut out and less inner monologues of Todd coming to terms with the reality of the world he's in.

It is sci-fi, however, it has the feel of a western. Pioneers on a new planet, guns and horses. I will be trying the second book.

3/5 STARS

Classroom: Too long to be used in the classroom.

Persuade Me, Win Me

Unravel Me

By Tahereh Mafi

Earlier in the year, I reviewed the first book of this trilogy, Shatter Me. I was on the fence about reading this sequel. The first book did not capture me. I felt nothing for the characters. I liked the writing. Not the plot.

*spoilers from the first book*

Unravel Me starts exactly where we ended. Juliette just got a fancy “superhero” suit and feels, for the first time, like she's a part of something. She is accepted and loved, not feared and hated. The underground movement, Omega Point, is gearing up for a counter attack. Above ground, the Reestablishment is wreaking havoc on civilians in an attempt to find Omega Point. To top it all off, there's drama – SO MUCH DRAMA – between Juliette and her boring love interest, Adam.

Unexpectedly, I was hooked. I stayed up way too late to finish the story. It was more gripping, there were consequences, things were finally explained, characters were given more depth, and Juliette took action (some of the time).

Juliette's character does bother me. We are in her mind the whole time. The language is beautiful in her head. She cannot seem to emulate the flowery thoughts into her words. I wish she did.

The drama between her and Adam is ridiculous. It's exactly how teenage drama and miscommunication play out. However real it is, I tended to skim those parts...

The most captivating character is a tie between Kenji and Warner. I am hopeful there is more of these two in book three, Ignite Me. I will continue with the series, for these two. Most people are “Team Warner”. Kenji has my heart.

Overall, Tahereh Mafi you have converted me. I will finish the series.

4/5 STARS

Classroom: Nope. Too “girly”. Also, a little racey.

Cover comment: THIS cover is the reason why I picked up the series in the first place. Beautiful. Even the detail of the bird in the eye.

Cyborg-ella

Cinder: Lunar Chronicles I

by Marissa Meyer

Cyborgs, androids, and Cinderella – smash 'em all together, you get Cinder. Reworking the fairy tale, Cinder is a gifted mechanic and a cyborg. In this society, any machinery is deemed second class, they are not human, and that includes humans that have replacement limbs or minor body repairs. A mysterious plague ravages the city of New Beijing, where Cinder lives. And, of course, there's a prince – soon to be emperor.

The story lures you in and takes you away. It's a face paced read that you can knock off in a day at the beach. The main character of Cinder is delightful, loveable, sarcastic, and thoroughly confused. Her step-mother and older step-sister make life practically unbearable. Cinder supports the family with her mechanic business and her step-mother makes her feel guilty for her father's death.

The only glimmer of hope is the relationship she has with her younger step-sister, Peony. I loved Peony. I loved Cinder. Meyer also improved the character of the prince. Cinder and Prince Kai actually interact well before the famous ball. And it's definitely not love at first sight.

I am certainly intrigued by the world. Little detail is given, only hints. There has been a World War IV – no details. Gasoline cars are antiquity, but somehow still around and functioning. A colony has lives on the moon (hence Lunar Chronicles), for hundreds of years, and have somehow flourished and evolved into ethereal, manipulative beings. Think Tolkien elves only sinister.

The next book, Scarlet, is Little Red Riding Hood; the third, Cress, is Rapunzel; and the last (coming soon), is Winter, The Snow Queen.

I am a huge fan of a fairy tale retelling. Done right, they make you think differently about the original. Add depth or unexpected motivation to otherwise unexplained actions. I gobbled this one up and I highly recommend it.

5/5 STARS

Classroom: One could use this in the classroom – sparking debates on how much human qualifies humanity and how much robot defines machinery. Topics of treating people with disabilities differently. Many “what if” questions. However, because of the romantic aspect, I would suspect this would only be a hit with the girls and very few (if any) boys.

Time Travelling Troupe

A Wrinkle In Time

By Madeleine L'Engle

Genre: Sci-Fi

Meg Murry is ordinary. It seems only her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, and her mother really understand her. Meg's father has gone missing and she's witnessing her mother slowly fall apart. Feeling isolated and utterly lonely, she feels her life is going nowhere. On a dark and stormy night, Meg's life of adventure begins when a mysterious stranger appears... and then a couple more.

L'Engle is a rockstar fantasy/sci-fi writer that everyone must read. This book is a classic. Published first in 1962, it just celebrated it's 50^th anniversary. There's a reason this story has stood the test of time.

The time travelling, a complex endeavour, is explained expertly. L'Engle got the idea after reading a paper by Einstein! For a children's book, the complexity of plot challenges the mind and intrigues the scientific reader. Anyone who is a fan of time travel (Doctor Who), aliens, and space travel (Star Trek), this is highly recommended.

4/5 STARS

Classroom: Yes! Please do use. Sci-fi is becoming more popular in the mainstream, and children will respond well to this. It deals with family dynamics, a missing father, a girl who feels less than everyone else, topical science subject matter, and brilliant writing. Juvenile reading level; can be used in middle or highschool (grades 6-9, ages 11-14).

“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” C.S. Lewis

Celestial Shades

Shadows Cast by Stars

by Catherine Knutsson

Genre: Sci-Fi

Drawn to the beautiful title and cover, and then to its setting, this was find of the year. I read the back, then the author's bio and was sold. From my Christmas gifts, I was most excited to read this one.

Set in the future, on the West Coast of Canada, on an island very much like Vancouver Island, we are introduced to a world where a plague ravages the people who have survived land-destroying earthquakes. Cassandra, a Métis, lives in the Old Way with her twin brother, Paul, and her father. There is something in the blood of aboriginal people that protect them from the plague and the government actively searches them out to harvest (for lack of a better word). They escape to the island where they must integrate with a Band that is also in hiding. Here they are met with challenges of social order, personal struggles, and the ever present fear that something is wrong with the Spirit World.

Knutsson drew me in with her poetic descriptions of the landscape and everyday life on the island. She wove intricate myths and tales into the fabric of this story in a delicate and relateable manner. As Cass learns to be a medicine women, she travels further and further into the Spirit World. Here is where reality blurs and I loved it. Honestly, I wish there were more books out there like this. Finally, a Canadian author that I want to recommend to friend after friend. Beautiful.

The beginning is a little slow, but soon after Cass and her family arrive on the island it picks up and runs. Believable and complex characters, you get the sense that something else is going on with everyone that you meet. Nothing is as it seems. Some secrets never get revealed completely and that's like real life isn't it? We never truly know a person to their core.

Because I know Vancouver Island well, I felt a personal connection with this novel. My nagging fear of an earthquake surfaced. And Cass can see people's totems, or Spirit animals. I wonder what mine would be?

5/5 STARS

In the Classroom: Individual or Literacy Circles. There are many serious topics and cultural issues to discuss. Perfect jumping board to discuss West Coast aboriginal myths. Recommended for age 14 and up.

The Satiated Games

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Genre: Utopian/Dystopian

Upon the insistence of my students, I read this book. I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to reading books that are “all the rage”. Mostly because I've read horrible books that people love and I was afraid to say something because of their EXTREME loyalty. Here's where I was wrong. This is a fantastic book. I have not read the 2^nd or 3^rd. Do not give them away. And, I am slightly excited for the film (2012).

North America has been divided into 12 districts. The Capitol, the central place of power, keeps these districts in line by forcing them to send one boy and one girl, every year, to fight in the arena. These children must fight, to the death, on live TV for the sake of punishment, entertainment, and tradition. Katniss Everdeeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games. She quickly becomes a fan favourite, both in the world of Panem and in reality.

Every book seeks to offer background on the main character, and the first part of this book does this is in a slow fashion. I was not at all grabbed until the contestants were thrown into the arena. From there on in, I was hooked and could not put the book down. 

Overall, I loved this book. It pushes the limits of what young adult reading should be. The topic of the book can bring many debates into the ring, such as the morals behind throwing children into a fighting arena or bringing to light the realness of this entertainment in the Roman Empire through gladiators. I highly recommend this for any young adult reader.

4/5 STARS

** My only reservation about reviewing this book highly is that it's been done before. Most notably in the Japanese book, Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (copyright 1999). It takes place in an alternative time, where Japan is under totalitarian regime and to create paranoia and fear, students are taken to an island where they are told they must fight one another to the death. I find this version to be much darker, less toned down, and like anything Japanese, pushes the boundaries of what it is to be human. You can find more info on the wikipedia page here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale and on the movie here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale_%28film%29.

Use in the classroom:
Already this book has gained recognition through young people, however, it is very graphic and a very mature topic. Think carefully about the class you are presenting this to as well as contacting the parents. It presents many gripping open ended topics that can be debated. I would also offer the debate about books being popularized, the "Harry Potter Effect". We want critical thinking adults, not commercial zombies. An excellent springboard for that discussion. Highly recommended for individual, would definitely use in a literacy circle, and would be a great class novel.

The House of the Rising... Scorpion?

The House of the Scorpion

by Nancy Farmer

Genre: Sci-Fi

I will admit, for the past eight years I have looked at this book over and over, undecided about whether or not I would read it. I finally have and it was completely different than I expected it to be. I didn't realize how sci-fi it was.

Matt is a clone of the all powerful, 140-year old El Patron who's the leader of a corrupt drug empire located in between Mexico and the US. We follow Matt as he grows up from birth to 14 in this empire as he struggles being labelled as a beast.

The first few chapters were really hard for me to read because of the way they treated this boy because he was a clone. This touches issues in human treatment, what it means to be human, and of course, cloning. I really got into the story once we passed his first 6 years. Then I could relate and understood the reasons behind his actions. Farmer creates memorable characters that surround Matt as he grows up.

Halfway through, the book takes a turn that I wasn't expecting. It almost interrupted my journey of his world because the whole world changed. I don't want to spoil the book for readers so I won't go into it it.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the book though I enjoyed the characters more than the plot. It is well written, your morals and sense of reality are tested, and I would recommend this book.

4.5/5 STARS 

Use in the classroom:
This book offers many interesting discussion topics, especially treating humans with respect. Good debate question: Is a clone a human? I would use this definitely if I had a strong group of readers for a literacy circle. An excellent choice for in the classroom.