Rutabaga's Reads 2023: Part 8

If you think I regularly read adult fiction since I am an adult, you would be mistaken. It has taken me this long to compile an adult fiction compilation post. Better late than never! For those out there who do read adult fiction on the regular, who are your favorite authors?

The All-American: A Novel (Apr. 4, 2023) by Joe Milan Jr.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Thanks to my childhood friend, Kristi W., for gifting me this novel! It’s written by a Creative Writing colleague of hers. All opinions are expressly my own.

            The paperwork wasn’t filed correctly because the check bounced, so after a fight sends 17-year-old Bucky Yi to the police station, the U.S. government deports him to South Korea. It’s a totally foreign land to him, and he doesn’t speak, read or write the language. He can’t even properly pronounce his own name! (It’s Yi Beyonghak.) All Bucky wants to do is fulfill his all-American goal to get out of rural Washington state and become a college football player. But he doesn’t get scouted, and now he’s stuck in Korea. His raw physical strength gets him a job at an expat bar in Seoul until he gets notices of loans overdue courtesy of the bio father he doesn’t know taking out massive loans in his name and soon enough he’s forced into his mandatory military conscription. There’s more remoteness than his backwoods home, but with extras like an erratic sergeant and North Korean spies (they might be chasing shadows). Bucky has to start from the ground up by learning a new language and figure out how to reformat himself with no guide on how to rewrite the code.

            This unique take on undocumented immigration makes for a strong debut. It’s propulsive and irreverent, bold and dark. It is a story of identity, and Bucky goes through quite the disorienting crisis to find who he is or at least who he can be. There is drama: drama feeding into his desire to return home to Washington, drama when it comes to his sexual desires, drama in his family and drama trying to manage his ego. It’s understandable that Bucky has very strong negative feelings surrounding his deportation when he should’ve, like me, been a naturalized citizen from a very young age. But it’s hard to feel bad for Bucky. He feels powerless to control what is happening, everyone and everything seem to be against him, which is very Kafkaesque, but his ego gets in the way of everything. He so often turns to violence. Mad about this? Fight. Mad about that? Fight. Mad in Korea? Fight. I never connected with Bucky, and he never truly grew as a character in the story. I wanted to be impressed by a young man working without the model minority stereotype to rise above the hand he was dealt. But nope, he remained a jerk throughout the story. Chantal should stay far from him. She has wings to fly, but Bucky’s volatile personality, his quick anger, will box him in.

Murder Your Employer (Feb. 21, 2023) by Rupert Holmes.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Welcome to The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts. Dean Harbinger Harrow opens with a Foreward and entreats readers not to use this as a guide to the McMasters campus, but “for those engaged in home study.” “There is no more unpredictable force of nature than the sadistic employer.” With that said, the three students featured all look to delete an employer: Cliff Iverson, Gemma Lindley and a Hollywood starlet referred to as Dulcie Mown. Cliff’s perspective features the most with his journal entry chapters. He’s the rare student who has a sponsor, unknown to him. He refers to his sponsor as X. There’s an annual “Track Meet” (“track your quarry, meet your quarry, and delete your quarry,”) that carries grave weight in calculating a student’s average for the term and readiness for one’s thesis. Thesis, in this case, outlines the motivation and justification for deleting someone (deleting, if you haven’t figured it out already, is synonymous with murdering, but murdering is so vulgar, where deleting is classy). A successful deletion equates graduation without any pomp or circumstance, as all who graduate to deletists must never receive the credit they deserve. Those who aren’t successful will themselves wind up deleted. Life isn’t easy, nor is it fair, especially with the likes of Merrill Fiedler, Leonid Kosta and Adele Underton still breathing. Best of luck to those fortunate enough to be admitted. Here, have a sherry. Or maybe not. It’s probably poisoned.

            I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It’s delightfully diabolical and completely compelling in a twisted sort of way. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college is expansive, luxurious and killer. The wordplay is jaunty, the writing witty, and the plot is clearly that certain sadistic employers will hopefully cease existing, but with so many chapters featuring Cliff’s journal entries, it reads conversationally much of the time. Details into the master plans of Cliff, Gemma and Dulcie give delicious insight and enable readers to craft credible and detailed pictures in their imaginations. Holmes creates an entertaining and specifically educational story set on the campus of a clandestine college and back in “civilian life” (a.k.a. “the battlefield”). It is cheeky and cleverly wicked. It’s a literary dark comedy. Anyone looking to be admitted to this covert school where you can ”learn to live each day as if it might be your enemy’s last?”

Poster Girl (Oct. 18, 2022) by Veronica Roth.

<This is a standalone novel.>

From a time well before Sonya Kantor was born, the Sea-Port (Seattle-Portland) megalopolis lived under constant surveillance from the Insight, an ocular implant that tracked every word and action, rewarding or punishing according to a strict, static moral code set forth by the Delegation. Offering a handkerchief to an elder would earn you DesCoin, while whistling would debit two DesCoin. 10 years ago, the Delegation fell, and was replaced by the Triumvirate. The Delegation’s most valuable members were locked away in the Aperture, a prison on the outskirts of the city. Where everyone in the Aperture still has the Insight implants, everyone in the outside world does not (supposedly). Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has lived in the Aperture for 10 years. Her parents (August and Julia) and older sister (Susanna) are all dead. Also dead: Aaron Price, once her betrothed. Not dead: Alexander Price, Aaron’s older brother. Alexander comes to her with a deal to earn her freedom. All she has to do is find a missing girl who was “rehomed” (stolen) when the parents had a second child, which was disallowed unless a couple had earned that second child and obtained the proper permit (Exception to Protocol 18A). Her search will bring her in contact with the very leader of the Analog Army, a rogue organization that has gone from threats to planting explosives and murdering others. The path Sonya takes will be dangerous and more illuminating than she could ever have guessed. She’s going to learn that her family’s past has deep, dark secrets. How will this affect her view of the Delegation she grew up under and as the face of it, no less?

            I knew I wasn’t going to purchase this novel of Roth’s, but I happened upon it at my local library and decided to check it out. It’s no secret that Roth has a knack for fascinating world-building, and her plot is intriguing, especially watching as Sonya’s morals shift through the story. Self-awareness comes gradually. Sonya’s lived in a world ruled by technology, which readers may think mirrors our own, but it’s definitely not. You’re not just constantly monitored, you’re potentially, constantly rewarded and punished. Like being graded 24/7/365. It’s alarming only in the sense of how close to reality it could be. The novel is fairly slim, but there’s complexity within. I didn’t love the book, but as someone whose bookshelf once contained plenty of dystopian YA, this dystopian adult novel was interesting. Don’t read this if you’re looking for a happily-ever-after. Do read this if you want a story where privacy’s been, essentially, surrendered (especially for those who still have Insights) and technology has been abused. Do read this if you want to see the revelation of complicity and the terrible outcome that comes of it. The story is cold, but there is fragile humanness beneath the chaos and the guilt.

Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 7

Surprisingly, I did have enough adult fiction (AF) novels for a second compilation post for 2021. I may surprise myself further and wind up with a third AF post.

Big Little Lies (July 29, 2014) by Liane Moriarty.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Welcome to Pirriwee Public School, home of the Blond Bobs (they’re like “mum prefects”) and a colorful cast of characters. There’s Madeline Martha Mackenzie; she’s funny and acerbic and is fond of holding grudges. There’s Celeste Wright; she’s hurtfully beautiful but holds close the secret that her perfect life is all an illusion. And there’s Jane “no-middle-name” Chapman; she’s a single mom struggling with insecurity and is young enough that she’s mistaken as an au pair. Jane initially meets Madeline and Celeste six months prior to Pirriwee Public’s Trivia Night. At the trivia night, costumed parents have become tipsy and beyond when one of those adults falls off a balcony and dies. Back to the months before, when Kindergarten gets underway. Alliances and rivalries are formed. Madeline is married to Ed, but was previously married to Nathan Carlson, who’s now married to Bonnie, and Bonnie is “impossible to hate. I’m very good at hating people, and even I find it difficult.” Nathan and Bonnie have a daughter (Skye) in Kindergarten, too. Celeste and her husband, Perry, have twin boys (Josh and Max) in the class. Jane’s son is Ziggy; he’s incredibly sweet, loves to eat pumpkin and has been accused of bullying a classmate. Three women. Three crossroads. All on a beeline to intersect at a shocking trivia night. Oh, calamity.

            My first story from Aussie author Moriarty, and I’m floored. My grandma read this book prior to me and thought the first half of the book was slow, but I never felt that. The author expertly crafts a novel focusing on a scandalous suburbia. It’s a tale from the other-side-of-the-tracks, except that other side is the seedy underbelly of one character’s “perfect” family. I love the wit of the prose and the fluid way the story flowed. This adult fiction novel contains darkness and violence, but it’s also compassionate, funny and insightful. Women’s fiction should all be this sharp and engaging.

            I do sincerely hope that none of you have had to tell any “Big Little Lies” in order to survive any sort of harassment or abuse. And if you have, please speak up. Talk to trusted family and/or friends and a professional (who can be objective).

            Favorite lines, coming from dramatic, sarcasm-wielding Madeline when another mother explains that she lashes out when she’s frightened: “Really? How terrible for you. I have a very placid personality myself.” (p. 434)

Chosen Ones (Apr. 7, 2020) by Veronica Roth.

*This is a standalone novel, as far as I can tell.*

15 years ago, five teenagers were plucked from their homes, singled out by a prophecy and given an education in magical destruction to defeat the Dark One. They did defeat him five years later. It’s now 10 years after that, and the year is 2020, but it is a 2020 on Earth that knows some magic. Not everyone can wield it; it is not a commonplace ability. For most, life has returned to normal without the Dark One and his Drains (“infamous catastrophic events that could not be explained” in which watching people get swept up by one would be to see “their skin pulling away from bone while they were still alive to feel it, blood bursting from them like swatted mosquitoes”), but there is no normal for those five teens who are now adults closer to 30 years old. The Chosen Ones: Sloane Andrews, Matthew Weekes, Albert (Albie) Summers, Esther Park and Ines Mejia. Life is hardest on Sloane, who’s not handling her PTSD well. Talking to her isn’t so much a conversation but a game of Minesweeper. Or life seems the hardest on her, until another Chosen One dies.

            It’s when they gather for the funeral that things really turn topsy-turvy. Chicago is also Cordus, a primarily magic-infused Chicago where the inhabitants wear extravagant fashion that emphasize their siphons (they channel magical energy, but look like tech and jewelry) and contradict with some of the city’s non-magical aspects such as gas-powered lamps. Magic is the norm. Haven cities, like St. Louis, exist for those who don’t want to rely on magic. Their planet is not called Earth, but Genetrix. It is a parallel dimension, but it does not directly coincide with Earth. For example, the Thompson Center in Earth’s Chicago is the Cordus Center for Advanced Magical Innovation and Learning (or Camel) in Genetrix’s Cordus. Three are summoned to Genetrix because of their Drains and a Dark One called the Resurrectionist. But is the Resurrectionist the cause of the Drains? Or does the use of magic make the worlds unstable? Perhaps Mox will be of assistance. At any rate, it looks as though a different Dark One needs to be fought. Will the Chosen Ones be able to win again?

            Veronica Roth’s first foray into adult fiction (previously she’s been a YA author) is propulsive. I do not think the fairly regular inclusion of top secret documents and news articles moved the story forward. The diverse cast (I especially love that Esther is Korean), layered world-building and remarkable plot of magic and action are more than enough. And if that isn’t enough, Roth weaves into the magic weighty topics such as mental health and surviving trauma, while also dealing with celebrity status in a social media world. Sloane is a dark, sarcastic heroine in a novel that needles one to evoke multiple emotions* and find the humor within (“I’ve always wanted to be an emotionally distant father.” –Sloane to Albie, p. 47). It’s quite the multi-verse. Step aside, Teen Heroes, for these Adult Heroes will make their mark!

            *Who knew saying goodbye to anyone undead could be emotional?

The Storyteller (Nov. 5, 2013) by Jodi Picoult.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Being reclusive suits 25-year-old Sage Singer. She is a tremendous baker and bakes bread through the night when many others are sleeping. This suits Sage, too. The scars of a traumatic accident live on her face, which Sage is overly aware of, and the memories of her mother’s death prevent her from connecting with her sisters, swirling her into a pile of dough which won’t rise to its full potential. She has been attending the same grief group for three years. Josef Weber attends this same group and is a customer at the bakery Sage works at in a small New Hampshire town. He’s a 95-year-old who brings his dog, Eva, to share his treat. Josef is well-known in the community as an upstanding man; he taught German at the local school for decades and was a Little League umpire. But he harbors an awful secret and asks Sage to kill him. Sage, who does not identify as being Jewish, while both sisters had bat mitzvahs and their parents were devout, is prompted to think about his request as a moral dilemma and a potentially legal one, too.

            Sage brings into the picture Leo Stein. He’s an attorney working in the Department of Justice’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions office. He is part of the division “that prosecutes cases against people who have committed human rights violations – genocides, torture, war crimes.” His key historian is a woman named Genevra; she speaks seven languages. He doubts Sage initially until he doesn’t and makes the drive to New Hampshire. Where Sage appears to war with morality, Leo seems more decisive. Sage’s grandmother, Minka, plays a vital role in the story, too. She’s a Holocaust survivor and has a knack for writing, which helped her to survive, though what she wrote wasn’t the story of being a survivor.

            The little that I’ve read from Picoult has been enough to show me that she doesn’t shy away from tackling tough issues. While I felt Minka’s recounting of her time during the Holocaust was verbose, it was written skillfully and with compassion for the subject matter. Multiple narrators can easily muddle a story, but Picoult manages to write them distinctively; the characters are easily identifiable when purviews change. What grasped me most was Sage’s moral conflict. It’s not as simple as good guy vs. bad guy and to forgive or not to forgive is not black-and-white. I do not normally read stories like these, but I cannot deny that the story is as horrifying as it is powerful with prose that manages to be graceful.

"The End and Other Beginnings" by Veronica Roth

The End and Other Beginnings (Oct. 1, 2019) by Veronica Roth.

Despite containing a collection of six novella-length stories, this YA novel from Divergent and Carve the Mark author Veronica Roth is relatively short. Each story is a story “from the future” and includes two stories which take place in the universe that the Carve the Mark duology is set in. Below, I will give an overview of each of the stories and conclude with my overall thoughts.

   1. Inertia: Claire Lowell is woken in the middle of the night to attend the last visitation of her best friend, Matthew Hernandez. At least, they were best friends until about three months ago. A last visitation happens when hospital analytics determine that a person’s life will end “regardless of surgical intervention,” and Matt was in a devastating car accident, which severely damaged his spine. In different rooms, technology allows Claire and Matt to share a consciousness. She only gets 30 minutes with him. Will it be time enough to say the things she never said and previously couldn’t admit as he’s approaching death’s doorstep?

   2. The Spinners: Atleigh Kent isn’t your typical bounty hunter. She hunts “leeches.” These leeches (a.k.a. symbios) are ETs (yes, extraterrestrials). Their centipede-like bodies attach themselves to a person’s spinal cord, taking over the host’s brain and body. The host’s memories become their own, eventually suffocating the person’s mind to whom it belonged. If a leech/symbios detaches after a long attachment (either by force or of its own will), the body will go on living if cared for, but the person will be a vegetable. Atleigh and her sister, Lacey, are taking a road trip to the coast with an urn, but Atleigh wants to make a detour first to Nashville (it’s related to the urn’s contents). Vengeance and all that, but it’s in Nashville that she runs into Eon. He’s a trusted ET, but flickers with the telltale signs of wearing digital skin. What true form does he cover up?

   3. Hearken: Darya Singh has perfect pitch. This makes her a candidate to be a Hearkener, as perfect pitch is one of the prerequisites. Once through years of training, including choosing three instruments, Hearkeners receive an implant into the temporal lobe after choosing to hear people’s “life songs” or “death songs.” The type of songs Hearkeners hear determines the color of the web-like tattoo dye that is seen under the scalp of every Hearkener: red for life, black for death. Darya attends the Minnesota School for Hearkeners in Minneapolis. Hearing death songs, especially, has grown in demand with the ever-constant threat of bio-bombs. Bio-bombers prefer heavily populated areas (mass casualties = faster apocalypse), so the poorer families live downtown as opposed to the suburbs or outward. If someone inhales the gas contained in those bombs, depending on the potency, the victim may be infected within a few weeks or a few minutes, but death is always imminent. There is no antidote. The bio-bombers want to destroy the world, but do not believe in ending their own lives, which is why one always looks closely at those wearing gas masks (which hopefully you yourself are wearing, but they are expensive).

   4. Vim and Vigor: Edie Robbins doesn’t know what to do. She’s been asked to the prom by two boys: Evan is good-looking, smart and good at conversation, but he’s pretentious; Chris is hot, funny and allegedly a good kisser, but he’s also her ex-boyfriend. Since the death of a friend, anxiety is always close to the surface, making the choosing of a prom date a significant issue for her. So she sketches the superheroines of the Protectors – Vim, Vigor, Transforma and Haze – based on friend Kate’s fan fiction. She attends the Vim and Vigor movie with Kate and Lynn, but their relationship has changed since Amy left. After the movie, she doubts her decision to go to Kate’s, but going there gives her the opportunity to use Kate’s father’s prototype: the Elucidation Protocol (EP). It doesn’t tell the future, but helps you see what you think would happen between two scenarios. It is very expensive, but Edie assures Kate she needs to use it for a very important reason. Does the EP help Edie decide which boy to take to prom? What will happen if Kate figures out the reason she’s using the EP?

   5. Armored Ones: This novella is split into two parts. The first, from Teka Surukta’s point-of-view, tells of the first time she’s ever in the same room as Cyra Noavek. Teka’s mission is to kill Cyra. But her anger is a hindrance; it makes her foolish, as she cannot focus on her work and observe Cyra simultaneously. If she isn’t careful, that could get her interrogated, tortured and eventually executed. What Teka doesn’t understand is why Otega, a Dormant (a renegade usually on a sensitive, long-term mission who therefore doesn’t regularly attend meetings), seems to want Teka to see Cyra as a person, not a monster.

            In the second, Akos Kereseth is appealing yet again to his commander, Vakrez Noavek of the Shotet Army, to be granted his request for the Shotet Rite of Armor, “in which a candidate went head to head with an Armored One – the most dangerous creature on their planet – and either killed it or died in the attempt.” Armored Ones do not like the current, so what will an Armored One make of Akos’ lack of current? Despite the danger they pose, they are innocent creatures. Can Akos do it? Can Akos kill something innocent, not to save his own life or his brother’s life, but to get something he wants?

   6. The Transformationist: Otho Judacre has spent the past year (a.k.a. season) at the ACYR (the Assembly Center for Youth Rehabilitation) for a death that wasn’t intentional. With over one-and-a-half seasons left to go, Otho is surprised when his attorney (Tyzo) shows up and states he’ll be released to his uncle for a week. He gets to return to his home planet of Zold (one of nine nation-planets) for his fluency exam. He could be on Zold much longer if he himself testifies. His kind uncle (Auly) is the one who asked his attorney to appeal his sentence, and, for the first time, someone else came forward to speak on his behalf. That person is Jove Doret. Jove grew up along the same street as him and still lives there with his mom (Kiiva) and younger sister (Dasha). Jove’s family are not Ts (short for Transformationists). Ts are oft-seen as a cult. They believe in self-annihilation and call it “unmaking.” What Otho’s mother put him through could’ve killed him, not that his brother, Catho, sees that. With Jove’s help, can Otho find it in himself to speak on his own behalf?

   Overall Thoughts: While I didn’t prefer all of the short stories (I found “Vim and Vigor” to be the least interesting), I liked this YA collection overall. Roth reaches out with her imagination and paints with words tales of advanced technology, aliens and the types of monsters that don’t look monstrous because they’re human (currentgift or not). These stories of the future can be strange (I want to know more about the Minnesota School for Hearkeners), but they have familiar themes such as friendship, revenge, love and self-doubt. That there may be ETs with centipede-like bodies involved? Those are just details, my friend.

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 5

Although I love reading YA novels, I’ve gotten behind in reading the books I pre-ordered and therefore received awhile back. By the time I read this one, I realized its sequel had already released months before. This duology has long been awaiting its turn to be featured on my blog.

Carve the Mark (Jan. 17, 2017) by Veronica Roth.

Lazmet Noavek mostly ignored Cyra until her currentgift manifested at an early age, but his focus on her big brother, Ryzek, tainted him. Whereas Cyra won’t be broken, Ryzek’s brokenness prompts him to cause suffering to others. As he cannot tolerate pain, he has others do what he cannot. Cyra isn’t known as “Ryzek’s Scourge” for nothing. She and Ryzek are children of the brutal tyrant of the Shotet people on Thuvhe.

            Akos Kereseth is the youngest of three. With his sister, Cisi, and brother, Eijeh, they are all three fated children of the Thuvhesit people on Thuvhe. They’re the children of a farmer (Aoseh) and an oracle (Sifa). Not everyone is fated: “Everyone had a future, but not everyone had a fate.” “Only parts of certain ‘favored’ families got fates, witnessed at the moment of their births by every oracle on the planet. In unison.” However, everyone has a currentgift; these are abilities unique to each person that normally develop during puberty. Akos and Eijeh are captured by enemy Shotet. Although the younger brother, Akos is the stronger one, and he’s determined to get Eijeh out alive.

            Thuvhe is valued for its iceflower production, the most significant iceflower being the hushflower. It is bright red and can be poisonous when not diluted. Thanks to his mother, Akos is skilled with working with iceflowers. His gift is also unique, as he interrupts the current no matter the currentgift. Considering how her own currentgift can incapacitate her, having Akos nearby – however unwillingly and hatefully – is useful to Cyra. With all the time they spend in each other’s company, will they help or destroy each other?

            The first in a YA duology, “Carve the Mark” is cringe-worthy in an exemplary way. The plot is intricately-layered, the characters are any mixture of brutal, strong, powerful, secretive or even cowardly, and the world-building is a web of dangerous beauty all rolled into a galactic adventure. It is a sweeping fantasy, and it does not want to be ignored.

The Fates Divide (Apr. 10, 2018) by Veronica Roth.

One is dead, and any mourning for the person is conflicted at best, and another thought to be dead is alive, which is tremendously unfortunate, for the not-dead person is a sadistic, unconscionable tyrant whose mind is so twisted that bloody violence isn’t simply for the act of violence, but for learning. Multiple characters find themselves on separate paths. Cyra is bent on killing the tyrant, and she’s on a very short timeframe, especially since it’ll take three days alone to travel through space from Ogra to Thuvhe and the Shotet. But war has already come. With fleeing innocents felled at the sojourn ship (Shotet) and healing innocents fallen at the hospital (Thuvhe), the heart of anywhere is not safe.

            Growing up the youngest in the family of the sitting (current) oracle, Akos accepts that he will “suffer the fate.” And he, of a fated family, knows that the fates are inescapable once determined. But what if his fate isn’t defined as he originally thought? Akos would die for Cyra, and he expects he could just die – he is fated, after all – but he also wants answers. So he goes for them without first telling Cyra. He is prepared to kill a barbaric tyrant, even if it ends him, too.

            Cisi, oldest of the Kereseth siblings, leaves her family. It’s not as a betrayal to them, but for the Thuvhesit chancellor, Isae Benesit (of the third fated family), and to, hopefully and with stealth, soften Isae’s decisions. Isae mourns someone close to her, but in an explosive way, sometimes without care for other innocents, as grief can be blinding, and violent grief can be debilitating. With Cisi nearby, the effects of Isae’s decisions may still be catastrophic, but it could be far worse without her. Then there’s a new person in the picture: Ast. He doesn’t bother with a surname, as he doesn’t “need any kind of honorific.” He’s ultra-aware of Cisi’s gift, which is discomfiting to them both, and his aims may not be toward peace. How far will he go to steer Isae toward his own wishes?

            The world set before us as readers is sprawling in its world-building, plot and characters. This duo from Roth doesn’t just take us across the feathergrass, but across planets. The plot isn’t limited to one problem from one antagonist; it isn’t only one tyrant bent on serving one’s wants to oneself through the decimation of others. Granted, it is that, and the tyrant is one’s own brand of evil, but there are also interplanetary politics at play. No one is likely to go gently through the currentstream with the ruthless circumstances the protagonists are up against. “The Fates Divide” and the duology together are finely-detailed and richly-imagined.

"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

Caution: The following book is the last in a trilogy. I can promise that there are no major spoilers, but I don’t promise that there are no spoilers at all.

            Also, look for the movie version of “Divergent,” the first book in the trilogy. It hits theaters March 21!

Allegiant (Oct. 22, 2013) by Veronica Roth.

Chicago is a fenced-in city plagued by violence. It is practically impossible to find peace and kindness amidst the destruction and power struggles. It affects everyone, including Beatrice “Tris” Prior, who’s also been scarred by the loss of loved ones and betrayed by someone who should have put love first. When given an opportunity, she and several others go beyond the fence – literally – to discover what’s on the other side. Also with her is Tobias “Four” Eaton. He disapproves of the way the factionless are trying to assert power, and they are overseen by someone he long thought was dead.

            Outside the only place they’ve ever known, they find that the grass is not greener on the other side. They find out more about their origin, and that reality is perhaps the most alarming thing of all. Even in the new location, at the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, there is a hierarchy. There are those deemed “genetically pure” (GPs) and those deemed “genetically damaged” (GDs). To which category do the Divergent belong and why? The discoveries made about their history and the current reality will test them. Tobias will cross an imaginary line and be riddled with guilt over the outcome. Tris will battle to understand sacrifice. Does she understand letting someone sacrifice oneself out of guilt as opposed to out of love? Can she find courage and strength under the greatest duress?

            As far as the writing itself, Roth again showcased that she is an intelligent writer capable of complexity. She wrote this conclusive YA novel from the perspectives of both Tris and Tobias. While I enjoy multiple-perspective stories, I sometimes found the segue between the two to be too similar. Like, the characters thoughts were so similar that they occasionally appeared to read as the same character. But don’t let that stop you from reading “Allegiant!” If you have been following the trilogy, you won’t want to miss this book. And with it hitting theaters shortly, many others might not want to miss this book and its predecessors, either!

            Although I liked the complexity of the plot, and the conclusion wrapped itself up in a satisfactory way, I still have mixed feelings of the book. And this is only because this book will be now known to me as The Book That My Favorite Character Dies In. For spoiler reasons, I will not say who that character is, and if you do know, I ask that you please do not publish it in a comment. All that aside, Roth definitely made this final book a dramatic one. The back of  the book jacket says: “One choice can transform you. One choice can destroy you. One choice will define you.” And of her choice for the finale? Well, let’s just say she’s rather dauntless!

            Book One: Divergent

            Book Two: Insurgent

Rutabaga's Reads 2012: Part 6

This is Part 6 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2012. This compilation of book summaries/reviews represent my most recent reads of the year + a couple picture books.

Anna Dressed in Blood (Aug. 30, 2011) by Kendare Blake.

Killing the dead is all in a day’s work for seventeen-year-old ghost hunter Theseus Cassio “Cas” Lowood. People send him tips on murderous ghosts, and he travels around with his witch-mom and his athame (special knife) to dispatch those ghosts. His most recent mission is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to the home of Anna Korlov. She’s a lethal ghost whose M-O is to rip apart anyone who enters her house. But she doesn’t kill Cas. Her life ended brutally in 1958. What is her story? How is Anna different from other ghosts Cas has encountered? Cas will need help and befriends a couple peers who are a big help: Thomas Sabin, a psychic, and Carmel Jones, the popular girl who’s braver than she appears.

            This YA novel is a paranormal/horror tale. It is not for anyone with a weak stomach or who is prone to nightmares. There is some strong language, perhaps typical of teen-speak these days, but it is worth noting for those who like to know. I quite enjoyed reading this book. I like the droll humor and the allusions to the Ghostbusters. Despite the gore, reading this book was attention-grabbing with its humor, suspense, horror and light romance. The sequel, “Girl of Nightmares” is in this compilation as well.

The Best of Me (Oct. 11, 2011) by Nicholas Sparks.

Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier were high school sweethearts whose lives took different paths after graduation. Now both in their early forties, they find themselves back where they grew up, in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. Their love for each other is still evident despite all the years apart. They’ll have some time to catch up on their current events and their past relationship. But members of Dawson’s violence-prone, criminal family know he’s back in town, and they want to rewrite the past in the present. Has Dawson’s past come back to haunt him? And can long-ago love override what is present-day life?

            “The Best of Me” is classic Nicholas Sparks with a twist. It is characteristic of his regular body of work: romance that isn’t too lovey-dovey, even if occasional lines teeter on that line, and has a strong message of love overcoming all, even when the going is rough. But the twist is the thriller element with a couple of Dawson’s relatives. They’re so broken in their deranged state that their thoughts are cringe-worthy. The story is heartfelt and heart-wrenching and may even have you shedding a few tears before the end.

The Bridesmaid (Sept. 11, 2012) by Beverly Lewis.

In this standalone second novel in Lewis’ Home to Hickory Hollow series, Joanna Kurtz is a single Amish woman in her mid-twenties. In the eyes of others, she is practically considered an old maid amongst the Amish. Residing in the fictional area of Hickory Hollow in the real Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, she longs to find that special someone. She wants him to exist in reality, not only in the fiction stories she jots down as a closet writer. While visiting Virginia Beach for the funeral of a relative who spent his life in Hickory Hollow and Shipshewana, Indiana, Joanna meets Eben Troyer. From Shipshewana, Eben is taken with Joanna right away and vice versa. He is fully prepared to move to Hickory Hollow to be with Joanna, but circumstances may not be in their favor …

            Is Joanna destined to remain a bridesmaid, but never a bride?

            As always, Lewis’ novel shines with love, sadness, happiness, betrayal, and above all, a devoted connection to the Lord. Her books continue to show her readership the strength of characters in their trust, faith and devotion. And after Joanna is betrayed by someone so dear, Lewis shows us Joanna’s willingness to forgive and her perseverance to keep tenacious, hurtful thoughts away. Are we as willing to forgive others as Joanna is?

The Five Chinese Brothers (Oct. 7, 1938) by Claire Huchet Bishop.

   Kurt Wiese, illustrator.

I read this on a recommendation from my Aunt Patty awhile back, and I’m so glad she recommended it to me, for it is a clever read. For those of you who’ve read it, you know it is not a happy-go-lucky story, but it’s witty. This Chinese folktale is about five Chinese brothers who all look identical to one another and each has a special talent. When the First Chinese Brother is condemned to death for something beyond his control, the brothers subsequently stand in for each other and employ their special talents to avoid death. What is the judge’s verdict at the end? The story is illustrated with simple pictures and little color, but that does not detract from the text.

Girl of Nightmares (Aug. 7, 2012) by Kendare Blake.

In this sequel to “Anna Dressed in Blood” (the first entry in Part 6), Cas cannot get Anna Korlov out of his mind. He sometimes sees her when he’s asleep and other times when he’s awake. Each time he sees her, Anna is being tormented in twisted and sadistic ways. His friends tell him to let her go – she’s truly gone this time – but he cannot. After a mysterious picture arrives, he is adamant about going to England, and he takes Thomas with him. He sees his old family friend, Gideon Palmer, and eventually Carmel shows up. They meet new faces, though they’re not entirely trustworthy, including Jestine Rearden, a teenager with the Order of the Biodag Dubh. No matter the animosity or danger, Cas will do anything to save Anna, but there will be a price. There is always a price.

            What I mentioned about “Anna Dressed in Blood” applies here as well, including a positive reaction to the book despite its darkness. It is simultaneously as ominous and horrible as it is moving and tender. Blake pulls you into a world both terrible and exciting. She’ll take you on a rollercoaster ride of fear, love, panic, desperation and light romance. Hang on tight and be careful of the Obeahman’s teeth. He bites.

Insurgent (May 1, 2012) by Veronica Roth.

Taking right off from “Divergent” (see Part 3), Tris Prior is seeking refuge after surviving the massacre on Abnegation (the selfless) that Jeanine (Erudite, the intelligent) initiated using the simulation-serum-induced Dauntless (the brave). The serum didn’t affect Tris due to her Divergent abilities. Tris moves a lot in this novel. She goes momentarily loopy when given too much peace serum in Amity (the peaceful), undergoes an interrogation by truth serum in Candor (the honest) and spends time with the factionless. She even chooses to walk herself over to Erudite and the traitor Dauntless twice, but each time for completely different reasons. She can’t handle even holding a gun right now, and she is at times so consumed with guilt and grief that it might overpower her.

            This is very much Tris’ story. Her mentality weighs more due to the weight of grief and guilt she carries, which doesn’t say much except that her actions are sometimes less Dauntless-brave and more reckless-suicidal. This occasionally makes for an annoying, self-pitying character, but despite that, Tris is still able to think logically, selflessly and bravely when she truly needs to, touching on her Divergent points. There is a reveal that hints at their gated origin. Roth’s two books are must-reads for anyone who’s into dystopian settings.

Little Known Facts about Well-Known Places: WDW (Aug. 25, 2011) by Laurie Flannery.

The title makes it obvious that this book is of very specific interest. This is a fun little book full of tidbits about Walt Disney World (WDW), most of which you probably didn’t know the history of or the story behind. I am a HUGE fan of WDW (please do not confuse it with Disneyland -- it will grieve me). In fact, I feel very passionate toward the vacation spot. So for me, this book is a good choice and may be for you as well if you love WDW as much as I do or enjoy learning random facts about different places. And, if you are heading to WDW anytime soon and need something to read on the airplane, grab a copy of this book. Just think how smart you’ll feel being able to blurt out random facts about WDW!

The Mark of Athena (Oct. 2, 2012) by Rick Riordan.

Riordan scores big again with his third installment in the Heroes of Olympus (HoO) series. The seven demigods have embarked on a quest after a friendly visit to Camp Jupiter becomes unfriendly. Aboard the magnificent Argo II ship – built to float and fly – dangers await all the demigods, both those from [Greek] Camp Half-Blood and [Roman] Camp Jupiter (especially for Annabeth, a daughter of Athena). From headache-riddled gods to angry Roman demigods to kill-hungry monsters, it’s just another day for a demigod, particularly for those on a quest. Good thing they have their mixed-martial-arts-obsessed, battle-happy, satyr-chaperon, Coach Hedge, with them. And their joint arsenal of superpowers doesn’t hurt, either. But all will cross humbling/intense obstacles. Can they all work together to protect each other and save Rome?

            Enthralling plot. Convincing characters. Dangerous expeditions. Marked with comedy. It is what I have come to expect from a Riordan novel. It’s a no-brainer must-read for already-followers of this series (or his previous ones). But, for newcomers to Riordan, you won’t want to simply start at Book One of HoO, you’ll want to start with the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. This book follows four demigod protagonists: two we’ve known since Percy Jackson and two we just met in HoO. Time to brush up on your Greek mythology with Roman counterparts!

The Night Before Father’s Day (May 10, 2012) by Natasha Wing.

   Amy Wummer, illustrator.

Whether you think this Father’s Day is long past or next year’s is too far in the future (or both), don’t ignore this most recent title from Wing’s “Night Before” series. While the dad is away on a [fairly lengthy] bike ride, his family gussies up his garage and makes his car shiny clean. As expected, it is written in rhyme and is a cute little story. Read it to your little ones or little ones you know and perhaps they’ll be inspired to make the next Father’s Day an extra nice one!

Rizzoli & Isles: Last to Die (Aug. 28, 2012) by Tess Gerritsen.

In the tenth installment, Boston PD Detective Jane Rizzoli and Boston Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles are back to keep three twice-orphaned teens safe. The parents of Teddy Clock, Claire Ward and Will Yablonski were once all murdered within a week of each other. Orphaned once. One-time survivors. Then two years later each of their foster families are murdered. Twice orphaned. Twice survivors. The three kids are sent to Evensong, a boarding school/sanctuary surrounded by acres of Maine wilderness with a locked gate and a state-of-the-art security system. Anticipating that there’s no place safer, imagine the surprise and fear when violence and death enter Evensong’s premises. Can these kids escape death a third time?

            Before “Last to Die,” I hadn’t read anything by Gerritsen, and I’ve never watched Rizzoli & Isles on TNT, but I expect I’ll read more from her. Her books are the type of thriller fiction that I prefer to read: bothersome moments, but not nightmare-inducing, and harmful scenarios without all the detailed, messy gore. There is some technical jargon, as is likely more expected from adult fiction than for a YA fantasy (though, fairly, those stories usually have their own set of “technical” lingo). I wasn’t sure I’d like this book, but I was immersed from the beginning, and it had a crafty ending. Smartly written. Additionally, the book was stand-alone, thus allowing me to not feel lost in back stories and tons of characters.