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Book Review: A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb

A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb

  • Method of Obtaining: I received an advance copy from the publisher.
  • Published by:  Orion
  • Release Date:  5.28.2013
        

A spellbinding tale about the power of love, the danger of obsession, and the unfaithful nature of memory. A Half Forgotten Song is by turns haunting, heartbreaking and joyous.

1937. In a village on the Dorset coast, fourteen-year-old Mitzy Hatcher has endured a wild and lonely upbringing, until the arrival of renowned artist Charles Aubrey-along with his exotic mistress and their daughters-changes everything. Over the next three summers, Mitzy sees a future she had never thought possible, and a powerful love is kindled in her. A love that grows from innocence to obsession; from childish infatuation to something far more complex. Years later, a young man in an art gallery looks at a hastily-drawn portrait and wonders at its intensity. The questions he asks lead him to a Dorset village and to the truth about those fevered summers in the 1930s.

I recommend:

My Review:

Finally! My faith in Katherine Webb has finally paid off. When I received an advance copy of A Half Forgotten Song I wondered if this would be the one, the book to finally push me past that “meh” feeling I always get at the end of Webb’s novels and it pushed me… and then some.

I love a good, dark, gothic, love-lost story. The setting in A Half Forgotten Song immediately set the pace for the tale: a rotting cottage on a cliff in the windy, cloudy coastal area of England. The characters: a wrecked father and ex-husband about to lose it all, a somewhat crazy old lady, and an artist long dead. With a skillful touch, Webb weaves the story between the present and the past and slowly reveals bit by bit of the story that had me completely spellbound. And, even as the clues were revealed, I did not know for certain what the end result would be until I reached the end of the story – how I love it when that happens!

This book has haunted me these past few days. I’ve been unable to study, write, or even watch mindless television because each of those things were encroaching on the time spent in this book. I needed a book like that to get me reading again and now that my appetite has been awakened, I cannot wait to dive into the other stories on my shelves.

I just cannot explain how happy I am that my gut feeling about Katherine Webb, and my continued faith in her, has proven to be true. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Chronicles of Radiya | More than a Reading Journal 

 

 

Lydia
3 May, 2013
Favorites, Gothic, Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver

Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher.
  • Published by:  Harlequin Teen
  • Release Date:   10/23/2012
        

This is not the time for the fight to end. Now is when the fight will begin. This is the time to regain what has been lost.Alera

Queen of a fallen kingdom, secretly in love with the enemy.

Shaselle

Daughter of a murdered father, rebel with a cause.

One lives behind the former Hytanican palace walls and walks the razor’s edge to keep the fragile peace in her beloved homeland. The other slips through the war-torn streets, seeking retribution for her family’s tragedy, following whispers of insurgency.

Both face choices that will separate them from those they cannot help but love. As their stories intertwine, a conspiracy ignites that may end in slavery or death—or lead to freedom anew, if only each can face what must be sacrificed.

I also recommend:

My Review:

Once again I am blown away by the complexity of this story. Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver is the third (and final I believe) book in the Legacy series and all of the main players have been maneuvered into places that seem nearly impossible to get out of.

I’ve been following this series since the release of Legacy and it is one of the series of books that I do not have to go back and reread in order to remember where I left off. Within a few pages of Sacrifice it all came rushing back to me – fluttering of my heart included. I felt like a teenage girl all over again.

There are a few things about Sacrifice that make it worthy of your time (and the series as a whole). While the romance aspect is there, Sacrifice centers around two very strong-willed, very determined young women who, ultimately, have to make choices that are difficult and necessary in order for the world to continue in a way that makes sense. I was at peace with where both characters ended up and throughout the entire book kept wondering where exactly Kluver was going to go next. I simply could not figure a way out of their predicaments without the story losing some of its quality, but it worked and it worked well.

This series has a little bit of everything (and some beautiful covers!) and it comes highly recommended by me. I wish I’d been able to get my teenage hands on books like these.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Reader Bee | Dark Faerie Tales | Alexa Loves Books

 

 

Lydia
26 January, 2013
Fantasy, Favorites, reviews, Young Adult
0 comments
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Book Review: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

  • Method of Obtaining: I obtained my copy via my local library.
  • Published by: Viking Australia
  • Release Date:  11/3/1987
        

At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar’s cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere.

But all safety is shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the king and queen and their children are brutally murdered in the palace. An impostor seizes the throne, a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere’s walls, and those who escape are left to roam the land as exiles, dying by the thousands in fever camps.

Ten years later, Finnikin is summoned to another rock—to meet Evanjalin, a young novice with a startling claim: Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere, is alive. This arrogant young woman claims she’ll lead Finnikin and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. Instead, her leadership points them perilously toward home. Does Finnikin dare believe that Lumatere might one day rise united? Evanjalin is not what she seems, and the startling truth will test Finnikin’s faith not only in her but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny.

Reason for Reading:
  • This book got some fantastic reviews!

I also recommend:

My Review:

It is hilarious to me that I can read the same formula over and over in fantasy novels and still be so entertained that it’s impossible to put the book down until I finish it. But that happened once again to me with Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.

What is that formula? Young boy or girl, quest, strange creatures, seemingly insurmountable odds, and a fantastic world that it’s all set in. However, even with this tried and true formula, some fantasies just do not work – because one of those ingredients, or more, are never fully developed. That was not the case in Finnikin of the Rock.

This book had it all – strong male and female characters, confusing quest that reveals all in such a beautiful way in the end. I honestly expected to find something wrong, because there’s inevitably always a character who will annoy me in some way be that I find lacking in another way but I didn’t have that issue with this book. It was well-rounded in every way, which is something I should have expected considering the quality that Marchetta brings to her stories.

This is a series that will be set proudly on my shelves with other favorites. So glad I decided to take the leap and explore the fantasy world of Finnikin!

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Pure Imagination | Mostly Reading YA | Candace’s Book Blog

Lydia
3 November, 2012
Fantasy, Favorites, reviews, Young Adult
0 comments
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Book Review: Jane by Robin Maxwell

Jane by Robin Maxwell

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy via the publisher via NetGalley.
  • Published by: Tor Books
  • Release Date: 9/18/2012
        

Cambridge, England: 1905. Jane Porter is hardly a typical woman of her time. The only female student in Cambridge University’s medical program, she is far more comfortable in a lab coat, dissecting corpses, than she is in a corset and gown, sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of travelling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.

When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father on an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Rising to the challenge, Jane finds an Africa that is every bit exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined. But she quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity’s past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.

Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its 2012 publication will mark the centennial of the publication of the original Tarzan of the Apes.

Reason for Reading:
  • This book has been on my watch list for months.

I also recommend:

My Review:

When I first heard that Robin Maxwell was taking on the monumental task of giving a life to Jane outside of the Tarzan books I had two thoughts. The first was that the book would either be horrifically bad, and the second that it would be incredibly good. The second was that I needed to get my hands on it at any cost.

I managed to get my hands on Jane about two months ago and it took all my willpower not to dive in immediately. I had other obligations and so, when finally I was free to begin to read, I did so with relish. I savored this book, because it was apparent to me within the first chapter that what I was reading was something special – something labored over and something that was well worth all the waiting.

I’ve always been a fan of the Tarzan stories and always been curious about Jane. I got all the answers I was looking for in Jane and I feel as if it was done in such a way that Edgar Rice Burroughs would have approved.

If you are a fan of these stories and are wanting to explore a bit more through Jane’s eyes, I highly recommend this novel. Robin Maxwell did Tarzan proud.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Let Them Reads Books | Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Lydia
13 October, 2012
Favorites, Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

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Reason for Reading:
  • The gorgeous cover, all the hype, and the synopsis.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

My Review:

I’ve been book-lusting after Crewel since the moment I saw it on the list as a book promoted at BEA this past June. The cover grabbed me first, then reading the description sent me into a tizzy and I tried every way I could think of to get my hands on a copy. (People, it releases on my birthday and I did not want to wait that long!)

So when NetGalley showed it on their recent additions I squealed and may have cried a little bit in relief. In just a minute or so that coveted approval landed in my inbox and I downloaded the book, the only thing standing in my way just my scheduled reading.

So last night, with a sigh of relief, I opened it up and fell into one of the most imaginative stories I’ve ever experienced. People, this book is a breath of fresh air. Not really dystopian, not really post-apocalyptic – more a blend of fantasy and sci-fi, it boasts a strong heroine who does not waver on her beliefs, two male counterparts that also manage to stay strong (and not wimp out in the face of her strength), and some beautiful world-building. Gennifer Albin does not err on the side of caution, treating her characters with the harsh brush that needs to be used in order to further the storyline, and it’s very appreciated by this reader.

My only complaint, and the only thing that left a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth, is the character of Pyranna. She, like Adelice, was one of the chosen to begin training as a spinster, and her character is the only one not fully developed. Her changes in attitude and actions were a little too far-fetched, and it was apparent she was placed into the story as a mere tool to keep things moving. I think she had potential to be more, and I was disappointed by her place in the story.

But overall – this is a great, great story and one that impressed me with it’s uniqueness. I’ll be still purchasing this (or maybe receiving it as a present?) to place on my shelves and loan out – and cannot wait to get my hands on the actual, physical copy.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Diary of a Book Addict| IB Book Blogging | BookHounds

  • Method of Obtaining: I received a copy of this to review from the publisher through NetGalley.
  • Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • Release Date: 10/16/2012
Lydia
18 September, 2012
Fantasy, Favorites, reviews, Young Adult
2 comments
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The Map of the Sky by Félix J. Palma

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Reason for Reading:
  • I loved The Map of Time and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

A love story serves as backdrop for The Map of the Sky when New York socialite Emma Harlow agrees to marry millionaire Montgomery Gilmore, but only if he accepts her audacious challenge: to reproduce the extraterrestrial invasion featured in Wells’s War of the Worlds. What follows are three brilliantly interconnected plots to create a breathtaking tale of time travel and mystery, replete with cameos by a young Edgar Allan Poe, and Captain Shackleton and Charles Winslow from The Map of Time.

My Review:

I am completely in love with this series. Felix J. Palma is my hero. Seriously. I loved The Map of Time (which deals with H.G. Well’s Time Machine) – so it was inevitable that I picked up The Map of the Sky with anticipation, and thoroughly expecting a story that dealt with Wells’s sky-themed book like.. say.. War of the Worlds.

People, I cackled out loud several times as I read this story.

Something I’ve learned to appreciate, over the last year especially, is how a narrator can make or break a story. If you, as a writer, choose to write in the first person and the character you have speaking is unlikable or annoying in any way, the narration is going to get on the nerves of your readers. If you choose third-person and that intimate moment crops up when we need to be in the head of the character, then you’ve made a blunder there as well.

Then there are geniuses like Felix J. Palma who give us a third-person narrator who is a character in his own right. This book is like having Palma’s voice in our heads, enjoying the story right there along with us, and guessing (correctly in my case) what are reactions will be and then calling them out in the text itself. It was downright spooky at times – but a good spooky!

I knew from The Map of Time that I could expect another story intricate in its weaving, and filled with misdirection. But even knowing all of that, the misdirection was not easy to spot, and when I did spot it, I fully expect that Palma intended it to happen at that time because just a page later it was brought to light so matter-of-factly I felt foolish for feeling a bit jubilant.

I am not going to talk about the plot, other than to tell you that in three distinct sections, Palma writes such a complete story that is committed to all of the details, that even if you are dying for the answers, it’s impossible to not thoroughly enjoy the ride in getting to them.

This book was fun, pure and simple, and I am loving that the covers were flashy enough to catch my eye and make me pull them off the shelf.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Genre Go Round Reviews| The Secret Writer 

  • Method of Obtaining: I received a copy of this to review from the publisher through Edelweiss.
  • Published by: Atria Books
  • Release Date: 9/04/2012
Lydia
23 August, 2012
Fantasy, Favorites, reviews, Science Fiction
2 comments
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Book Review: The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher via TLC Book Tours.
  • Published by: Harper
  • Release Date: 4/3/2012
 
       

The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. At the turn of the last century, when Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza’s family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.

Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso.

From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever.

Lush and evocative, told in tantalizing detail and enriched with lovable, unforgettable characters, The Shoemaker’s Wife is a portrait of the times, the places and the people who defined the immigrant experience, claiming their portion of the American dream with ambition and resolve, cutting it to fit their needs like the finest Italian silk.

This riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write, one inspired by her own family history and the love of tradition that has propelled her body of bestselling novels to international acclaim. Like Lucia, Lucia, The Shoemaker’s Wife defines an era with clarity and splendor, with operatic scope and a vivid cast of characters who will live on in the imaginations of readers for years to come.

Reason for Reading:

  • The summary caught my eye.

I also recommend:

 My Review:

One word summary of this book: HELLO!

Seriously, The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani just seriously took every one of my expectations of Adriana (from reading previous novels of hers) and slapped them around and made me sit up and pay attention. The Shoemaker’s Wife, folks, is how a historical story about immigration should be done.

I don’t even know where to begin with my review – but let me say this.. this story is so rich in background that by the time the shoemaker gets his wife, I felt as if I knew both Enza and Ciro like they were members of my own family. And, as this story is inspired from Adriana’s grandparents story, it’s easy to see why this story lives and breathes on the pages.

There is so much for everyone in this book. The descriptions of Enzo and Sister Theresa’s cooking had me wiping away the drool – aching for the gnocchi with sage and butter sauce. I cried, laughed, and sighed over the story as it moves over the course of about 30 years. And then.. the immigration – so vivid, I felt as if I was on Ellis Island with both families, and yet I longed for the mountains and the life they’d left behind as well.

This is a perfect book club read – it’s lavish, beautiful, and filled with a little bit of every type of perfection.

About the Author

ADRIANA TRIGIANI is beloved by millions of readers around the world for her hilarious and heartwarming novels. Adriana was raised in a small coal mining town in southwest Virginia in a big Italian family. She chose her hometown for the setting and title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed and bestselling BIG STONE GAP, followed by the sequels BIG CHERRY HOLLER and MILK GLASS MOON. Since 1999, Adriana has delivered a novel a year to her devoted fans. LUCIA, LUCIA, THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME, and ROCOCO were all instant New York Times bestsellers.

For more reviews on The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani, please visit the book tour.

Lydia
22 August, 2012
Favorites, Historical, reviews
2 comments
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The Healer of Fox Hollow by Joann Rose Leonard

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Reason for Reading:
  • The blurb on the cover from Naseem Rakha

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

According to folklore in the Smoky Mountains,“When you enter the world with your feet pawing the air before your eyes can see where to put them, it’s a strong sign you’ll lose your way from time to time.”

Right from the start, Layla Tompkin’s way forward is full of detours after her mother dies in breech birth, leaving only her and her devoted, sorrowful father, Ed. Then, at the age of five, Layla is rendered mute after a horrible accident. “God is leading Layla to speak in new tongues,” proclaims Pastor Simpson at the local serpent handling church. Soon after, Layla is found to possess the gift of healing and her reputation spreads. Even Doc Fredericks, the area’s skeptical physician, is forced to re-examine scientific tenets when Layla’s healing touch is the only treatment that brings relief to his son Brian, whose legs were blown off by a landmine in Vietnam. Doubt and the miraculous, loss and survival, hurt and forgiveness collide when a secret challenges what everyone holds true, leaving Layla, her family and the community profoundly changed in a story about what it means to be truly healed.

My Review:

I love being surprised by a book. I picked up The Healer of Fox Hollow for one reason – the blurb on the front from Naseem Rakha. Once I read the description of the story I acknowledged there were a few more elements that appealed to me: the southern setting, the touch of “magic,” the idea of overcoming physical adversity.

I don’t even know where to begin in gushing over this absolute gem of a novel. Because from the first chapter, I was hooked. Completely and totally hooked. And the reason for that? Layla.

Every once in a while I come across a book where the author is in so deep, knows his/her character so well, that the character seems to become an extension of themselves. When this happens, that character blossoms and is lit up on the page. My imagination caught and burst into flame when I read Layla’s story – I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I had to know her more.

The Healer of Fox Hollow is the story of Layla’s life – from five years old when a devastating event happens which robs her of her speech through the twilight years of her life. It deals with horrifying issues such as abuse, abandonment, depression, and war but counters those with the gentleness of spirit within Layla and those close to her, the open love, forgiveness, and most of all, hope. I was moved to tears several times, I’m moved to tears writing this and remembering how intimate this picture was to read. There were moments I felt as if I not only knew Layla, but she knew me and I was able to take comfort away from what I was reading, tuck it away for those moments when my own life seems dark.

The Healer of Fox Hollow doesn’t have a flashy cover or a thrilling story that will have you turning pages as your heart pounds with excitement. But what it does offer is something precious, relevant, and beautiful to experience. I hope you’ll take the time to experience it as well.

About the Author

  • Information regarding Joann Rose Leonard:

Wisconsin born JOANN ROSE LEONARD was Texas-raised and has chigger bite scars to prove it, theatre-trained and frostbitten at Northwestern University, and worked as an actress in New York.   She studied mime in Paris with Marcel Marceau while dubbing films into English to earn her daily baguette; raised 9 kids (2 human, 7 goats) in State College PA, where she was founder and director of MetaStages, the youth theatre program at Penn State University, and, with her husband, Bob, a retired professor and theatre director, has relocated to CA to be nearer their sons, Jonathan (DJ Child, an award-winning music producer and founder of the multi-media company, Project Groundation) and Joshua (actor/filmmaker including The Lie, Higher Ground and The Blair Witch Project.) Joann is author of The Soup Has ManyEyes: From Shtetl to Chicago; One Family’s Journey Through History, “From Page to Stage,” a chapter in Holt Rinehart Winston’s Elements of Literature and two collections of multicultural plays, “All the World’s a Stage Volumes I & II” (Baker’s Plays).   In her research for The Healer of Fox Hollow, Joann discovered that the truth the novel is based upon is infinitely stranger than the fiction she wrote.

 

For more reviews on The Healer of Fox Hollow by Joann Rose Leonard, please follow the book tour.

Lydia
20 August, 2012
Coming of Age, Favorites, reviews, Southern
4 comments
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The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

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Reason for Reading:
  • I was challenged by Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels and wanted to read more.  Plus, I love the selkie myth.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

On remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings—and to catch their wives.

The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment.

Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love.

My Review:

Out of all the mythical creatures out there, I think one of the most magical and haunting is the legend of the selkie. The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan treats these beautiful, mysterious creatures with the respect deserved. She tells their story with some of the most beautifully painted pictures and heart-breaking scenarios imaginable.

Told in several parts, each from a separate point of view (including the “witch” who brings the woman forth from the seal), this is a complex story that begins with a warning dated from some point in history and moves into a present which has failed to learn from its own history. The Brides of Rollrock Island deals with greed, power, lust, pain, heartache, infidelity, and strength. It’s not a book to be taken lightly, or picked up with the thought of some mindless amusement for a few hours – but then again, that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the author.

Margo Lanagan’s book Tender Morsels was my first experience. I found it raw and brutal – and in a way, The Brides of Rollrock Island has the same rawness and brutality, but it’s more muted. The true horror in this story didn’t hit me until I’d closed the book and took several hours to reflect on what I’d finished reading. Much like the selkie women, the story held a fascination for me that kept me in its grip and refused to let go until enough time had passed.

I don’t know that I’d recommend this to teenagers unless I was convinced of their maturity, as it’s not your typical fantasy young adult read. I think this is more for those thoughtful people out there who enjoy being challenged to stretch their reading limits and learning about a culture and its myths which may be drastically different from his or her own.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Waking Brain Cells| The Reclusive Reader |Book Monkey

  • The publisher provided this review copy via NetGalley.
  • Published by: Knopf Books
  • Release Date: 9/11/2012
Lydia
16 August, 2012
Fantasy, Favorites, Mythology, reviews
1 comment
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Every Day by David Levithan

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Reason for Reading:
  • I’ve heard a lot about David Levithan’s writing and wanted to experience this story (the premise looked incredible).

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

My Review:

Imagine living in a world where you are free from sex, gender, sexuality, identity, and experience absolutely no repercussions for your actions. Now, with that thought in mind, ask yourself: “What would I do?”

The answer for A is clear through this brilliant, beautiful, heart-aching story written by David Levithan. In Every Day, A wakes up in a new body – able to access memories, actions, and every day occurrences, but unable to create any lasting bonds for him/herself. Then, one day, a girl named Rhiannon walks into A’s life.

The premise behind this story is mind-blowing. The idea of jumping from body to body, experiencing life through the eyes of such a diverse group of characters – but not only seeing that, but also how it can affect an individual. I found myself constantly wanting to know more of A – why A ticked the way s/he did, why s/he acted with the thoughts of others in mind. And, in the process, I fell for this 16 year old spirit who, through the events in his/her lifetime, had an older soul than I could have imagined as a 16 year old.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect for an ending for this book, and I don’t want to spoil the ending – but I will say that it worked. That I reached the end and I cried. I cried because I wanted to see the world A did, I cried because I wanted to be surrounded by others who saw the world that way.

I’ve just returned from a week away with people who acted with integrity, where all races, ethnicities, religions, background, etc came together and listened and talked openly with one another in a place devoted to learning about leadership. It was, for one week, an isolated world that showed me what things could be like if each of us lived in the others shoes. The timing of reading this book was perfect for me because I was primed to accept it. Not only that, this book proves what I passionately believe: that reading opens the mind and teaches people how to not only accept, but respect each other, not for decisions made, but because we are all human, each and every one of us.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Red Headed Book Child| Reading Writing Breathing | Sweet Tidbits

  • The publisher provided this review copy via NetGalley.
  • Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
  • Release Date: 8/28/2012
Lydia
12 August, 2012
Coming of Age, Contemporary, Favorites, reviews, Young Adult
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