The Solace Pill

Werbeloff, J. (2014). The Solace Pill: Giving You the Time You'll Never Have. . . Self-published on Smashwords.

Adult / Dystopian

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars

Giving you the time you'll never have. . . 

**shiver**  In Jason Werbeloff’s The Solace Pill Omnibus Edition, which collectsThe Solace Pill trilogy into one single volume,  readers are taken into a dystopian world where 3D printing has advanced to having the capability of scanning and reprinting humans with whatever modifications they desire. Want to understand quantum physics or have memories of a Caribbean vacation? Reprint yourself. Want to be young and perfectly sculpted? Reprint yourself. Want to be fueled and fully rested without wasting time to eat or sleep? Yep, reprint yourself.  With so much time freed-up and no limits on life expectancy, the world is overpopulated and overworked, and the solutions provided by 3D imprints are beginning to show their imperfections.   Fortunately, there’s a pill for that. The Solace Pill allows users to escape reality for fifteen minutes, but their perception is five hours of relaxation and rejuvenation without the stress of the real world.  But, as is often the case with seemingly perfect worlds, there is a dark side where some people and issues are erased with a push of a button, and other people aren’t who they seem and have hidden motives.  Civilization collapses when tainted pills have disastrous effects of death, destruction, and mayhem. The few who survive without Solace in their system must find a cure for those stuck in the Solace induced worlds, but time and options are running out. 

The premise of The Solace Pill is both fantastic and frighteningly possible.  While many of us can barely wrap our minds about the reality of 3D printing in our world today, certainly there are scientists who are already considering how to take 3D printing to organic levels. Much like today, in the future, people are fascinated by that which they have lost – authentic, real, unadulterated items which they call “tiques.”   I found it very interesting to read and see how the future society, as is typical today, took something good and perverted it: the loopholes were found, the immoral was done to turn a buck, and the humanity was taken out of the human.  And of course, there was economic bias created so that not everyone had equal access to imprinting or the Solace Pills. In this respect, the character of Anders was particularly intriguing as one of the few who worked his way up from nothing, to seemingly having it all, yet craving the old ways. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to know him better, to better understand him and the turning-point of the book.   

Jason Werbeloff didn’t hold back any punches in showing the self-serving, ugliness of people when they are encouraged to be egocentric and the sense of community is lost.  The loathsome Jordan was probably the best written character because he represented the evil of so-called progress, and he was consistently wicked in all three sections.  The character of Sahasra was promising but then got weird and confusing in book two with the introduction without explanation of the elders – I really had no idea what was going on there. For me, there was also confusion with chapters jumping forward and backwards in time and some full scenes being identically repeated – this could be due to the Omnibus edition consolidating three stories, but it was confusing nonetheless.  

Overall, The Solace Pill is a disturbing snapshot of a feasible future, and it was worth the time to read it. Readers be warned, though: it will leave more than a few questions unanswered and situations unexplained, leaving readers feeling foggy. The book includes sexual situations, violence, and profanity.

This book was reviewed for Readers' Favorite, who provided me a free eBook in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

Circle Nine

Heltzel, A. (2011). Circle nine. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
YA Mystery / Contemporary /Psychological Thriller

QuickNEasy*, 260 pages, ages15+

I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

It is hard for me to say this is a good story, as it's really pretty disturbing what the mind will allow when it is traumatized.  The brain will allow and accept alternate truths and delusions so that it doesn't have to deal with reality and repress anything disturbing. 

But it is a good story, intelligently written with good characterization where it was important. I pretty much read it straight through because the pieces of the puzzle were enticing me to want to see the whole, completed picture.  There were enough hints that I knew the complete picture was going to be ugly, but I had to know.  I desperately needed an explanation.

Our main character, seventeen-year-old Abby, lives in utter bliss.  She doesn't remember anything except Sam, and Sam is everything to her and she everything to him.  Their life seems like a fairy tale, but there is blurring at the edges to signal something's terribly off.  Abby's reality is richly descriptive, and like Abby, the reader wants to believe in the decadent life Abby is living.

Abby's complete and utter dependence on Sam is frustrating, and Sam's complete and utter control over Abby even more so; but there is so much below the surface and neither is truly completely in control or completely controlled. Again, running beneath the surface was this NEED for me to find out why Abby was so passive and easily manipulated. . . I kept on reading.

Recently, the books I've been reading haven't had satisfactory resolutions at the end, but that is not the case for Circle Nine.  Though we don't have all the answers, and we don't know exactly what happens around the bend, the direction the story leads makes sense.  There is some hope for Abby, even after the dire and depressing life she's lived.

I could definitely see this being made into a movie. . . 

So, the Clean-O-Meter is tough on this one.  There is abuse -- serious, ongoing psychological and sexual abuse.  The sex isn't graphic or detailed, but it's there and the context makes it sickening.  There is some mild vulgar language -- though a day later, I can't remember specifically which ones, indicating they were apropos for the situations.  There are references to underage drinking and drug use, and drug addiction is a major component of the story though not blatantly so.  So, maybe a 6.5 because it's done so well.

*I initially read this because due to the length, I thought it might appeal to reader who has little patience for lengthy stories; however, this isn't written at a low-level. The vocabulary is better than I'd expected, and there are plenty of literary references that the average reader may not know. Having said that, I don't think the vocab or references are show-stoppers to those who don't understand them, and they definitely enrich the story.

Burnout

Vrettos, A.M. (2011.) Burnout. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
YA / Mystery

QuickNEasy, 193 pages, ages 12-17

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

Told in alternating viewpoints "Today" and "Remembering," we get the picture of our main character, Nan, who's been through rehab and sworn off drinking, only to find herself in a place she doesn't remember, in clothes she doesn't remember wearing, having blackouts and nausea as the realization that she's fallen off the wagon washes over her.

Nan is a very well-written, realistic character. She struggles with her body image and yearns for friendship and acceptance.  In steps Seemy, who initially is the answer to Nan's prayers but eventually becomes a negative influence through her self-centered and destructive behavior.  Nan is smart enough to be able to recognize the emptiness of the friendship, but she has nothing else.

I was not satisfied with the lack of information about Seemy -- there were a lot of unanswered questions by the end, and how things played out seemed a little unrealistic.  Nan's actions didn't make sense given the circumstances, but I did like that Nan found her inner strength -- that needed to happen.

The writer did a very good job of conveying blackouts, which was a pretty powerful reminder that whatever Nan had done was still in her system and could cause permanent damage. It made it scarier that even though she seemed to be distanced from the danger, it was really right inside her still.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, it's probably an 8 out of 10.  The subject matter of alcohol, drug use, and addiction is handled without a lot of details.  There is some minor swearing, and though it's clear Seemy is sexually active, there aren't details. Really, that sums up everything that could be controversial -- it's in there, but it's just mentioned and not spelled-out in any way, making this pretty safe reading.

Desert Angel

What makes the hunted turn hunter?

Price, C. (2011). Desert angel. NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.
YA Lit / Thriller / Realistic Fiction

QuickNEasy, 233 pages, ages 12-17

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

An interesting but improbable storyline kept me reading, but the climax was disappointing and everything resolved a bit to quickly and tidily. 

 The main character, Angel, is fourteen and alone but stalked, and she gets help from all kinds of unlikely sources, but she doesn't seem destined to get the real help she needs, which is psychological since she clearly has regular suicidal thoughts and mood extremes. I found it hard to believe the people who were helping her continued to do so when the cost was so high to their own families and lives.

The narration bothered me, jumping from Angel narrating in first-person to an omniscient point-of-view, one paragraph to the next; however, that was an efficient way for the reader to see all the things going on around the corner, that Angel didn't know about and that moved the story along.  Those omniscient narrations gave us information that then seemed to dissolve -- like parts of the story were missing and those extra pieces of information went unexplained. 

Having said all that, it is an easy book to read and is compelling enough that I wanted to find out more.  Seems like a couple more rounds of revision (I did find some type-os as well) could have taken this book a peg or two higher.

On the Clean-O-Meter, I'd give this a 7 out of 10.  It's violent, and the violence includes references to domestic violence and sexual violence. There is reference to multiple incidents of sexual abuse of a minor, but no actual sex scenes or discussions. The book is NOT sexy. I was surprised when late in the book, the first swear word showed-up (g*damn); it actually seemed weird.  Additionally, there are references to drug use and drug selling, and fairly clear descriptions of how to load a gun and use it.

Beneath a Meth Moon

Woodson, J. (2012). Beneath a meth moon. NY: Nancy Paulsen Books.

YA Lit / Realistic Fiction /Contemporary Fiction (12-17)

182 pgs. Quick ‘n’ Easy.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, but I’d give it a 4 ½ if I could.

The story is about addiction, but at its roots is a story about a teenager trying to recover from the aftermath of Katrina.  Laurel, the main character, is so broken and vulnerable as a result of the devastation to her life and family, and Woodson’s writing really brings out the heartache, the regrets, and the uncertaintly that Lauren feels.  The writing is outstanding in format and word choice. It’s real – it’s so realistic that I felt the cold, the shivers, the highs. . . 

There is a small LGBT byline in the story, but it's more of a statement than a secondary story; however, the small amount of time devoted to it makes an impression.  

I generally don’t discuss specifics or synopses of stories, but I want to point out one thing that bothered me about the book.

*****SPOILER ALERT **********SPOILER ALERT **********SPOILER ALERT *****

There was just one part of the book that didn’t ring true to me, and it was in the initial scene where Laurel tries meth.  I can believe that a girl that age, in that state, and with a cute boy would try a drug, but it really didn’t fit with the character that she’d have no hesitation.  I could set that aside, though.  But that she immediately was calling it “the moon” and waxing (no pun intended) poetic about it just seemed awkward. There were absolutely no indications that she’d had exposure to meth/the moon before, so that rang a littl false, and it bothered me throughout the book how she talked about “the moon.”  Maybe I missed something that made that work. . .

***** END SPOILER ALERT ****** END SPOILER ALERT ****** END SPOILER ALERT *****

On my Clean-O-Meter, the book is squeaky clean, so it gets a 10.  There are not any swear words, there is no sex, sexual references, or sexual innuendo. (kissing, but not details) Of course, the subject matter is teen drug use, but it’s handled tactfully and certainly isn’t as gritty and ugly as real drug use can be.  Having said that, I suppose that the topic itself could offend some readers.

A great, short interview with the author, Jacqueline Woodson, about her mindset in writing this book and 

a short book trailer can be found by CLICKING HERE.  Scroll down on B&N's page to see them.

Also, there apparently is an audio CD coming out in February 2013 titled Beneath a Meth Moon: An Elegy.  I can't tell if it's a sequel or if it's voiced differently from the book, like a true elegy. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

laurel would do anything to turn back time ? to tell her mother and grandmother not to stay home near the beach with a hurricane coming to say no when her boyfriend, T-Boom, the co-captain of the basketball team, offers her that first hit of moon ? the drug that makes her feel bigger than all she's lost to have been there for her little brother and her best friend, Kaylee, when they needed her, instead of chasing the moon But she can?t. All she can do is move forward now. And only she can decide whether to face the pain and joy that is a part of living, or follow the moon to numbness and probably death. Only she can decide to choose to be there for her family and friends ? or give them another thing to grieve. Kaylee says, ?Write an elegy to the past . . . and move on.? She says it's all about moving on . . .