Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

I usually strike out with supernatural and paranormal books. Especially of the YA variety. Maybe it's because they're all trying to be the same thing and lack a lot of originality. Maybe it's because it's such a creative genre in and of itself that the books just don't live up to the creativity expected. Or, maybe it's because I'm just a hater. Whatever the reason, I usually end up giving the lowest ratings to supernatural/paranormal YA books. This novel, however, is different.

I actually really enjoyed this one. And now I'm going to use a completely original phrase that has never been uttered in ANY book review before: It hooked me from the very first page. No, really, though. The prologue was so creepy. I actually read it online and after that, I absolutely knew that I had to read this book. It was probably one of the scariest openings I've read, and it seriously sent shivers down my spine. After that boom of a beginning, the story does not let up. There wasn't any down time in this book for me. I read it straight through and only put it down when I had to go to the bathroom or eat or, you know, go to work and school. But, oh I how wished I could just crawl back into the book the moment I got the chance. Funny anecdote: I was almost finished and was getting to a really, really good part when I looked at the clock and saw that my class started in ten minutes so I had to get out of my car and run to the classroom. It was useless, though, because I couldn't concentrate on anything and was counting the minutes until I could get out of there and finish the 20 pages I had left to read. God, it was torture.

The main strength of the book is the plot, the story, the concept. And, I'll mush those three things together because in the book, they are all kind of the same thing. The concept that you read about in summaries is one that you get when you read the book--it doesn't disappoint. So, if you read a synopsis and think it's worth reading, then you should really just pick up the book because it delivers what you want. The plot was wonderfully crafted. I think you can tell that Kelley Armstrong is a seasoned pro at this kind of thing because she absorbed me so completely in the story that I never got a chance to think, "I wonder when we're getting to the good part," like I do with so many other books. It wasn't even that it was action-packed...it was just that the author made sure that every scene was interesting and not just filler. Like I said, I didn't find myself bored at any part of this book so you know that she did a good job.

Obviously, this isn't some great masterpiece. I'm not going to say the writing was amazing and beautiful and so original. Because, well, it wasn't. But, honestly, that's not what this book is aiming for anyway. This book is all about the story being told and makes the writing a means to get to the story instead of making it an obstacle getting in the way of the story. And I really respect an author who realizes what she has to do to her writing in order to achieve the affect that she wants. I wasn't sitting there thinking, "Man, that metaphor was really horrible," or, "If only she used more literary devices." She made her writing small and discreet so that you could enjoy the show. And, for that, she's a great writer and an expert at what she does.

The characters? I really liked them as well. I was SO GLAD that they weren't insanely gorgeous or absurdly unrealistic. Chloe, the main character, could've been any girl in school. I actually really liked that the author put normal kids (well, some) in there and not OMG-the-most-popular-in-school types. Also, I'm incredibly glad that she put a kid with acne in her story. With all the teen books that I've read, I have yet to encounter a main character that is dealing with skin problems. Which is weird because 90% of all teenagers deal with acne in high school. It should be brought up more in YA lit. It's a trivial thing, I guess, but it takes trivial things like that to make a character more relatable to the reader.

You may have noticed that I didn't actually tell you what this book is about. Well, that's because I am really scared of spoiling you since this book IS all about the plotline. So, I guess I'll just tell you the it's about a girl who can see ghosts. If you wanna know more before you jump into this book, I'd suggest goodreads...that has good summaries and they usually don't spoil you much.

All in all, I'm definitely going out to get the second in this trilogy as soon as I can. And that's not JUST because it leaves off on an insane cliffhanger but I'm genuinely curious as to where the author takes the story from here. Okay, maybe those two are kinda the same thing. Whatever.

I give it a: 4/5 stars.



Review: Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson



I don't think you can fully appreciate the YA genre if you haven't read Laurie Halse Anderson. She just gets how to write for teens. She doesn't BS and she definitely doesn't sugar-coat the issues that a lot of teens go through. For those of you who haven't heard of this fabulous author, you may have come across the novel Speak in your browses through the library or local bookstore. I actually haven't read that particular title because I think it takes quite a lot of emotional power to sit down and read books dealing with rape. I do intend to read that book but I just thought I'd start off with something smaller and lesser-known of her's. When a person I trust recommended Catalyst, I was sold. The premise seemed like something that would be really interesting.

Which brings me to...the actual premise of the book. Okay, for those of us who have gone through the process of applying to colleges, we know how incredibly stressful it is. It was so stressful for me that I mostly hid in my room senior year, huddled behind piles and piles of library books, refusing to see daylight and dealing with ANY of this college crap. More horrifying than the actual applying (which don't get me wrong, it sucks) is the waiting for your acceptance letters...or rejections. And it's this indecisiveness that puts most teenagers on edge. Am I going to get in? What if I don't get in? What in the world will I do? It's basically waiting for either the beginning of your life or the end of your world. And that wait is brutal. Trust me, I know. So, I was extremely excited to learn that Laurie Halse Anderson had chosen to write about this very stressful period in a teen's life. 

Basically, the book is about a girl named Kate who has applied to her dream school--MIT. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a pretty prestigious school. It's also incredibly hard to get into. But, Kate is smart. She gets excellent grades. She places in local science fairs. She balances all that with a job in the pharmacy and running for her track team. So, for some reason, Kate decides to apply ONLY to MIT and have no back-ups because, well, she figures she doesn't need one. It seems like a great idea at the time, but when acceptance letters start to come in, Kate is not so sure if her great idea was so great after all. Because, God forbid, what if she doesn't get in?

This is just the basic premise of the book. There are so many more layers to the story, so many other characters with stories of their own in the book, and so many more aspects to Kate's personality that you'll discover while reading this novel. This is what makes Anderson such an incredible writer. She strips her language down to a strange simplicity but within that simplicity lies a complex mastery of language that few writers can pull off. This book is honest. So honest that it's brutal. You'll want to look away but you can't because you care about Kate, you care about her story. 

However, as with most books, there are some flaws. Nobody's perfect. There came one point in the book (which I would say is a pivotal moment in the story) where I had to put the book down and throw up. It seriously disturbed me. It was one of the most emotionally scarring things I've read in a book and it just made me want to quit reading. I'm obviously not going to tell you what it is but I just want you to be prepared before you jump into this YA novel thinking these are just fun little high school problems you're reading about. If you go in thinking that, then boy are you in for a nasty surprise. Like I said, Ms. Anderson does not sugar-coat. Like, at all. For most of the book, this was a good thing. But in that moment, it just broke the barrier of reading about something horrific as opposed to actually experiencing something horrific. When I read that scene, I felt like I was actually witnessing this in real life. That was scary...and not the good kind of scary.

To sum it up, I think Laurie Halse Anderson is probably one of the most powerful writers I've come across in YA. She can navigate her way through themes, symbols, characters so effortlessly that you won't even notice her doing it. But, sometimes, you'll feel the brutal honesty wear you down and overwhelm you. So, come prepared with a box of tissues and a barf bag before you start reading this book. That being said, please DO read this book. It's absolutely worth it.

I give it a: 4/5 stars.