Rutabaga's Reads 2013: Part 1

Here’s my first compilation of reads for 2013. Happy reading, everyone!

Beautiful Chaos (Oct. 18, 2011) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.

There was once a time when Ethan Wate wished something would happen in his dull town of Gatlin, SC. Now strange events are his norm. In this third installment in the Beautiful Creatures series, Ethan and his Caster girlfriend, Lena Duchannes, are trying to grasp the implications of her Claiming. Life has gone from tricky to downright difficult. His best friend, Link, is now a “Linkubus,” an oddly affectionate and fitting term. Their once-boring town is now being ravaged by swarms of lubbers (a type of grasshopper), daily highs of record-breaking heat and wildly damaging storms. Many of the Supernaturals, including Lena, are having a terrible time controlling their powers, which can lead to unintentional misfires. Oh. And. Ethan’s having new nightmares, plus he’s losing more and more of his memory. Like things weren’t bad enough already! Memories lost, lives lost, time lost. Friends always friends, a foe (semi) befriended, foes remain foes. To sacrifice, to persevere, to find the One Who Is Two. To say goodbye?

            This is a worthy series for fans of YA supernatural fiction. Sometimes it feels like there are more words than necessary, and the southern accent isn’t perhaps as present as one would expect, but the story has many layers. Emotions run with rage or are strung tight. Confrontations range from petty to destructive. The atmosphere is mostly dark or gray, but the glow of humor always finds a way in. Their world is broken; it is chaos. But it’s a beautiful sort of chaos.

Caroline, an American Girl (Sept. 4, 2012) by Kathleen Ernst.

   Robert Papp, illustrator. Lisa Papp, vignettes illustrator.

Caroline Abbott is the newest historical character in the American Girl collection. In Meet Caroline, she is a nine-year-old at the very start of the War of 1812. Her shipbuilding father and cousin have been taken prisoner. How will Caroline manage to weather this storm? Caroline and Mama gain boarders and make a dangerous trip to a British encampment across Lake Ontario in Caroline’s Secret Message. Her message is for Papa. How stealthy can she be? Winter has arrived in A Surprise for Caroline, and Caroline wants to skate with her cousin and their new friend. The trouble is, they don’t seem interested. Can the girls meet each other halfway or will Caroline find herself on thin ice? Caroline Takes a Chance when a fishing trip with friends turns desperate. A much-awaited supply boat is on its way to Sackets Harbor, but it’s being chased by a British sloop. What plan do Caroline and her friends put into action? Sackets Harbor is preparing for an attack in Caroline’s Battle. She stands by her mom, helping to keep Papa’s shipyard safe. But if the enemy breaches the harbor’s defense, can she burn the shipyard to keep it from the enemy? There are Changes for Caroline when she is asked to come and help on Uncle Aaron’s farm several miles away. She is determined to help in any way, including keeping her eyes open for a thief. What will Caroline discover?

            These chapter books are a great choice for girls who are ready for short chapter books, but still like some pictures. The historical fiction is never heavy or gory in these books, yet they stay true to their historical settings and don’t completely mask the hard work involved, even for young people like Caroline. The downside to reading these books is that you or the girl you know may want the Caroline doll by the last page!

The Raven Boys (Sept. 18, 2012) by Maggie Stiefvater.

Aglionby Academy is an exclusive all-boys school where most of the student populace is spoiled, snooty and entitled. They are also known as raven boys, owing to the fact that the v-neck sweaters of their uniforms sport a raven emblem. Blue Sargent despises the raven boys so much that she developed her two rules: “One, stay away from boys, because they were trouble. And two, stay away from Aglionby boys, because they were […].” And, of course, her psychic mom and other psychics have told her since she was six that she’ll kill her true love if she kisses him. It’s not alarming, on one point, then, when Blue finds her life inexplicably intertwined with some raven boys. There’s overzealous Gansey with a short future, hardworking scholarship student Adam, Ronan, whose temper ranges from sulky to volatile, and Noah, the smudgy introvert who observes much but says little.

            Blue has decided that she’ll simply never fall in love and that she’s bound to always be an outcast in her psychic household because she’s the only one without psychic powers. Sure, she amplifies energy fields when no one else known does, but what good does that do? With the raven boys, she’s discovering that parts of the world are more strange and sinister than the world should be able to be. And, randomly, Blue = Jane.

            Previously, I read Stiefvater’s “The Scorpio Races.” Despite a rough moment or two, I enjoyed that book. But guess what? I enjoyed “The Raven Boys” even more! Stiefvater seemingly effortlessly blends what can be real with what’s obviously fictional, writes complexly without the strain of miscomprehension and merges the plain with the mystical. It’s a tour de force of entertaining wit, masterful plot and smart imagination. I will definitely look forward to the book’s sequel.

Reached (Nov. 13, 2012) by Ally Condie.

In this conclusive novel, Cassia, Ky and Xander start out in separate provinces working as covert operatives for the Rising rebellion. Ky is assigned to flying airships, while Cassia and Xander are working within the authoritarian Society. They all wait for the signal from the Pilot, which heralds the mass start of the Rising rebellion. A plague has been introduced to members of the Society. Those who fall ill go “still,” but those in the Rising don’t fear it. When the epidemic becomes a pandemic, they will swoop in, save all the ill with a cure, and be heroes, thus overthrowing Society. It sounds simple until the plague mutates, and there is NO cure for it. The trio will come together to try to find the cure. The Pilot, The Poet, The Physic -- Who is who? Who will be lost? Who will be found?

            On the whole, “Reached” is a gripping conclusion to the Matched trilogy. [I didn’t review “Matched,” but see Part 4 for “Crossed.”] As with any good read, there are twists and turns, and like any good concluding novel, readers’ questions are answered. I’m not saying you might not wonder about lesser-known characters or wish other aspects were different, but I am saying I found the ending to be mostly satisfying. Cassia, Ky and Xander spent this trilogy matched, crossed and reaching. By the last page, they had finally reached.

Under the Never Sky (Jan. 3, 2012) by Veronica Rossi.

In this debut YA, dystopian novel, Aria is a 17-year-old Pod-dweller. This pod populace came to be because of the Aether (electrical energy) storms. She lives in Reverie, a main Pod, where life is spent wearing a Smarteye and traversing through virtual Realms where you can do virtually anything: fly, change your eye color to purple, sing arias in an opera house, become a mermaid. Life in the Pods is “Better than real.” And it’s the only life Aria’s known until she’s thrown out into The Death Shop – the world outside. She encounters Peregrine “Perry,” an Outsider she refers to as a Savage. To him, she’s a Dweller. Despite being virtual polar opposites, they join forces as tenuous allies to help each other get what they want. The Outside is a dangerous, harsh place where tribes claim territories, dispersed roam, wolves run rabid, and Croven hunt …? There is never a relaxed day on the Outside, the clouds never clear and the Aether never leaves. They fight to survive in “a world of nevers under a never sky.”

            Told from the perspectives of Aria and Perry, Rossi creates these compelling characters as both uniquely talented and individually flawed. Her landscapes are vivid and filled with raw emotion, pain and rage. The mental picture could have been as gray as a cloudy day, but Rossi uses descriptive words like they’re paints on a palette. Her book is grim but hopeful, brutal but good, scared but brave. All things needed and expected living in a world ravaged by an ecological apocalypse. It’s an appealing read for teens and adults, guys and gals. But ask yourself: Could you survive under this never sky?