Katya's World by Jonathan L. Howard - Ashley's Pre Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry in exchange for a fair review*

Title: Katya's World
Author: Jonathan L. Howard
Year Published: 2012

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Synopsis: The distant and unloved colony world of Russalka has no land, only the raging sea. No clear skies, only the endless storm clouds. Beneath the waves, the people live in pressurized environments and take what they need from the boundless ocean. It is a hard life, but it is theirs and they fought a war against Earth to protect it.

But wars leave wounds that never quite heal, and secrets that never quite lie silent. Katya Kuriakova doesn't care much about ancient history like that, though. She is making her first submarine voyage as crew; the first nice, simple journey of what she expects to be a nice, simple career.

There is nothing nice and simple about the deep black waters of Russalka, however; soon she will encounter pirates and war criminals, see death and tragedy at first hand, and realize that her world's future lies on the narrowest of knife edges. For in the crushing depths lies a sleeping monster, an abomination of unknown origin, and when it wakes, it will seek out and kill every single person on the planet.

Why?: The idea of an world completely covered by ocean sounds really intriguing, and I'm really interested in how Howard executes it. Also, what kind of monster lies in the depths of the ocean? How is it awoken? Where did it come from?

Expectations: I expect this to be very sci-fi, and to have a huge amount of world building. Also, I expect there to be a huge amount of questions and probably not nearly as many answers. And probably a lot of history and military speak. But, I also expect Katya to be a very strong, brave heroine willing to risk everything to save her world.

Judging a book by its cover: The cover kind of has a military feel to it, and I'm not sure that it would pique my interest enough to want to pick it up. I like that it looks like everything is underwater though.


--Ashley

Paul's Band Fags! Review

Pre Reading

Review: This book wasn't exactly what I expected. I had just finished reading Geography Club, which was a very fast read, and I was looking for more LGBT coming-of-age high school stories. This novel was all that and more. This novel takes place over 6 years, following the protagonist from middle school to high school. Throughout the book, the reader is given an up close and personal view of the protagonist's thoughts and opinions. The characters were very well written. Each character felt like a real person. I liked how the characters changed throughout the 6 years, as well. There were so many characters in this book, too, that it felt like a real person was telling you his life story. When some characters were brought up later in the book I had to think back about what they had done in past years.

At first, this book is overwhelming and slightly off putting because of the vast amount of information, but once I got into it and knew the characters I was hooked. Some of the scenes have so much raw emotion. The inner thoughts of the protagonist really add to the realness of these scenes. 

There are a lot of 80's pop culture references. I was born in 1988. The protagonist graduates high school in 1988. So, I didn't know some of the references. But, I googled a lot of them to understand what the characters were talking about and it really added to the story. I liked the way they were used. It made the book feel even more autobiographical. One reference I didn't get was the use of "dah-dah, dah-dah". At one point I thought it might be the Jaws song, but I am still unsure. I'm looking forward to reading Polito's Lost in the 90's because I won't need as much google assistance. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I want to read Drama Queers! eventually, but I think I'll have to be in the right mood for it. This is an extensive novel, that is definitely worth a read. If you were in high school in the late 80's, you will probably enjoy this book even more. I give it a 4/5. 

-PAUL

Alternity by Mari Mancusi - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from NLA Digital Liaison Platform LLC on Netgalley in return for a fair review*

Title: Alternity
Author: Mari Mancusi
Year Published: 2012

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Synopsis: Imagine waking up in a post-apocalyptic, nightmare world--and being told your whole life is but a dream. Skye Brown thought she was your typical teen--good grades, hot boyfriend, and an after school job that pays her to play video games. But then she started having the dreams.

In her dreams, there is no Earth. Only Terra, a bleak, underground wasteland where people live in squalor and oppression. In her dreams, there is no Skye--only Mariah, a rebel leader fighting against a vile, dystopian regime. And then there's Dawn, a handsome, but haunted solider who sees her as but an empty shell of the girl he once love--a betrayer he vows to hate forever, despite what she sees deep in his eyes.

Now, ripped between Dark Siders and club kids, the mundane and the mystic, Skye finds herself in a fight against time--to learn who she really is, where she belongs..and why. The shocking truth will have her questioning her own reality...and her heart.

Why?: I really enjoy dystopian novels, and this one seems really interesting. Especially with the whole two different realities and not knowing which one is which.

Expectations: I expect an epic adventure with a very confused heroine who has to discover (or rediscover) who she really is. I'm sure there will be a ton of conflicts, and I'm interested to see how Skye/Mariah deals with them. And I also expect quite a few things that are very Matrix-like. 

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is actually pretty striking, in my opinion. The tall skyscrapers set against the huge moon, with a girl who looks like she's ready to kick some bad guy butt? I would totally pick this up off of a shelf if I saw it in a store or in the library.


--Ashley

Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Paul's Review pt.3)

This is the third and final post for this collection of short stories. Check out the links below if you haven't read my earlier posts.

Two and Twenty Dark Tales -- Part 1
Two and Twenty Dark Tales -- Part 2

My overall review of the collection at the bottom!

Little Miss Muffet:
This one was very unusual. It is about a family that has a secret that involves spiders. The ending is super creepy. This story left me confused with many questions. 2/5

Sea of Dew:
So at one point in my life, when I was approximately 4 years old, I had this whole rhyme memorized. My parents would recite it to me as I drifted off to sleep. So, this story was very morbid for me. It took a nursery rhyme that I was very familiar with and definitely made it dark. Now although this may sound like I disliked it, I didn't. I thought the writing was done well and re-imagining these characters as survivors on a lifeboat was a very interesting take. I like stories involving survival, especially in very bad conditions. Also, there were many clever references to the original rhyme, involving the moon and such.The ending was just so very morbid. 4/5

Tick Tock:
This one was just straight up creepy. It is a common story of babysitter and unruly children, but these 4 children are so completely creepy, from their clothes to their actions. This story was very well written. It is an instance of a scary story with no explanation. There are so many open ends. 4/5

A Pocket Full of Posy:
This story did not go where I thought it would, knowing the original references in this rhyme. Although, another classic monster is used. A boy wakes up to find blood on him and an empty memory of the night before. I thought this was written well, but I'm not that fond of the way it ended up playing out. 3/5

The Well:
This story features the familiar characters of Jack and Jill, only they are nothing like the childhood images you have in mind. They are no longer chipper, sing-songy siblings. Instead, a virus has killed pretty much everyone in the world except these two. It was interesting how the well comes into play. This one was very disturbing, although I think that's what it was going for. 2.5/5

The Wish:
This one deals with the simple idea of wishing on a star...to be dead. I thought this one was well written, but it was a little too predictable and teen angsty for my likings. 2/5

 A Ribbon of Blue:
The main character in this one is a teen girl with Cerebral Palsy. I thought it was a very interesting read. I loved the way her handicap was dealt with. I thought her grandmother having emphysema was a nice addition to the story, as well. The carnival really gave good imagery. The fortune teller was interesting and I really liked the way the story played out. 4/5

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OVERALL REVIEW: 
This was a well put together collection. There was a good amount of variety between the stories. Some were very dark, while others just slightly twisted the original rhyme. I would suggest this book to anyone familiar with the original Mother Goose nursery rhymes who is prepared to see some wholesome characters in very creepy and scary situations. 

By averaging my reviews for each individual story, the mean rating for a story in this collection is 3.175/5. So, I'll give this collection, as a whole, a 3/5.

-PAUL

Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Ashley's Review pt. 3)

Here's the final part of my review for Two and Twenty Dark Tales! And, if you missed them, the first two parts can be found by following these links:

Two and Twenty Dark Tales - Part 1
Two and Twenty Dark Tales - Part 2

My review of the collection as a whole is at the end!

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Little Miss Muffet: I kind of thought this story was pretty terrible. The incorporation of Miss Muffet and the spiders was strange, and it didn't really flow at all. Plus, the ending was horrifying, and not in a good way. I don't really like spiders anyway, and this just made that worse. Seriously, huge spiders? Not necessary. 1/5

Sea of Dew: This was another that got off to a great start! And then... totally didn't deliver. I guess I can see where the author was trying to go with it, but if you take out the boys and make them animals, including one tiger, it's almost Life of Pi. Only not as good. 2/5.

Tick Tock: I'm pretty sure this one will win the award for "Creepiest Story" in this collection. The kids are terrifying, and I'm glad I never babysat for children I had never met before. As scary as this one was though, I think it fits perfectly with the whole dark re-tellings of  nursery rhymes theme. The whole scary kids, unknowing babysitter thing might be over played, but I thought this was written well. 4/5

A Pocket Full of Posy: I totally didn't see the direction this one was heading from the beginning, but it's a really interesting take on the nursery rhyme. It has nothing to do with any sort of plague, and I think it was refreshing to read something completely different. Although elements of this story are definitely over-done, I didn't think it was too much or too cliche. 4/5 for this one as well.

The Well: I really don't know how I feel about this one. I didn't like Jack or Jill, or connect with them in any way. And, since I wasn't emotionally invested, I really didn't care when they fell down the hill. I wish it had been a little bit different, and not pretty much an exact version of the nursery rhyme... but I guess it could have been worse. The virus thing was strange though, and I'm not sure it was entirely necessary. 2.5/5

The Wish: The way that the whole wishing on stars thing is dealt with here is actually pretty interesting. I loved the character of Peter and the way he makes Lauren feel like living again after she wishes she was dead. I thought the ending was a little bit predictable, but it was delivered well. Plus, who's to say she can't still be with him? I give this one a 4/5.

A Ribbon of Blue: Another kind of predictable story, but this one was also done well. I think the fact that Ruby has Cerebral Palsy makes this one even more interesting. She doesn't really fit in anywhere, and even though she's been handicapped since birth she's still very high functioning and can manage to care for herself and her grandmother. She's a very strong young lady, and I really enjoyed reading about her. I think the ending was a very nice release. Also a 4/5 on this one.

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As a whole, I think this collection was put together well. Some stories were lacking, and others were very good, but nothing was too similar to make it very difficult to read through. Some stories weren't as dark as I had hoped for, but others were much darker than I expected. It ends up being a nice balance of completely scary/horrifying and nice stories with a few dark elements.

I would recommend this anthology for any fans of Mother Goose rhymes looking for new takes on them. Some of these aren't for the faint of heart, but I think young adults who grew up with the original nursery rhymes would really enjoy this. As an overall collection, I would give this a 3/5.


--Ashley

Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Paul's Review pt.2)

This is my second post since there were quite a few stories in this collection. My third post and final overall review will be posted tomorrow.

Two and Twenty Dark Tales -- Part 1

I Come Bearing Souls:
This story finds Egyptian gods in the form of teenage kids living in a funeral home. I loved the way the ancient Egyptian mythology was connected to modern day. The feel of this story reminded me of Dead Like Me. I definitely could have read more about these characters. 4/5

The Lion and the Unicorn, Part the First:
I liked how this story took a real time in history. The witch hunts are brought up with a very interesting explanation. The main character hears voices from angels. This was a well written short story that left me aching for Part Two, which unfortunately wasn't in the eARC. I can't wait for this collection to be released so I can read the end of this story. 4/5

Life in a Shoe:
This story kept to the spirit of the original rhyme. It was interesting to see how this rhyme was placed into a dystopian future with forced children. The wall tv reminded me of the walls in Fahrenheit 451. 3/5

Candlelight:
This was a very predictable story that held to its rhyme. Upset teenagers escape their "mom" mom using magic. Although predictable, I thought this story was nicely written. 3/5

One for Sorrow:
This story felt like Edgar Allen Poe turned into a paranormal romance. There were many things that happened in this story that I did not suspect. I am not a fan of insta-love and I thought there was a little too much of that. 2/5

Those Who Whisper:
This story was a nice one. It was interesting how the birds communicated. It was also interesting how this story showed nature providing. 3/5

-PAUL

Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Ashley's Review, pt. 2)

Since there were so many stories in this collection and the reviews of all of them are probably a lot to read in one post... Here are the next 6 stories! The reviews for the last bunch of stories and a summary of the whole book will be up tomorrow!

Two and Twenty Dark Tales - Part 1

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I Come Bearing Souls: I love when mythology is mixed with contemporary settings, and I think this story was done pretty well. I wish more information had been given about the brother and sister, and how they always ended up back together on Earth, but the main character's story and struggle were well defined. I enjoyed how characters from the beginning related to the overall plot, and the irony of the situation at the end. I wish there had been more after she goes back to the heavens though. What happens next? 3.5/5

The Lion and The Unicorn: Part the First: This story started off really interesting - a girl dressed as a boy, on a mission from the angels. Plus, throw in a king and some witches, and it's got so much potential. I thought the writing was done very well, and the characters and the world are introduced very nicely. However, I wish the second part was in the eARC! I'm so anxious to find out how this story ends. 4/5 for this first part though, especially for making me want to read the second part.

Life in a Shoe: This story was very short. I felt that it could have used so much more detail about the world, and about all of the characters. Why, other than creating more soldiers, were women required to have so many babies? Why wouldn't they be taken care of better if they had so many children? Why don't the older siblings move out when younger ones are able to take care of the youngest ones? I feel like this story had too many unanswered questions and not enough character or plot development. 2/5.

Candlelight: As I was reading this one, I felt like there was very little depth to it. Two sisters are angry with their mother for punishing them and establishing rules... so they decide to run away. It was almost like "ok, here's the nursery rhyme, and here's this story where they pretty much follow the rhyme exactly and end up in Babylon." I didn't like the two main girls, and I wish we had known more about the mother. And Pamela is kind of creepy, and I wish her character had been more developed. Not a huge fan of this one either. 2/5

One for Sorrow: I think I might have known this nursery rhyme at one point in time, but I didn't really remember it when I started this story. I really liked how the crow was incorporated into the story, and especially having one for sorrow and two for joy. I wish we had gotten to know more about the father and about the accident, but I thought that Rose was very well depicted. The plot was interesting and had a pretty good pace. Nothing was really too slow or too fast. 4/5.

Those Who Whisper: I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was a really nice take on the rhyme, and I thought the ending was very fitting. I wish we had seen a little bit more of the main character, but it was a pretty decent amount for a short story. This one was one of my favorite. 5/5


--Ashley