Witchcraft Couture

BEAUTIFUL NEW COVER 7/15!

West, K. (2014). Witchcraft Couture. Self-published.

Adult / Fiction / Supernatural? / Magic?

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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Witchcraft Couture spins the tale of artist "Oscar" Federico Pellegrini, who has lost his confidence and creativity. When he faces his former love, who has now become a major player in the fashion world, the stress to succeed becomes too much for Federico, who goes into a panic of self-doubt, fleeing the country and drinking himself into oblivion. As he vacillates between reality and hallucinations, Federico gains possession of a machine - either divine or devilish -- which converts plain clothing into designs which have otherworldly qualities. In the process, Federico becomes obsessed with the machine as the public becomes obsessed with his pieces. Rather than feeling better about himself as he becomes a fashion world sensation, Federico suffers debilitating depression, paranoia, and guilt, as the voices in his head call him an imposter and the few people who love him are forced to distance themselves from his erratic and destructive behaviors.  Does something supernatural power the machine, or is it Federico's mind that creates via the crutch of the machine?

Katarina West has created a truly unique premise that will have readers drawing their own conclusions as to what is real and what is imagined, and no conclusion will be final. I found myself feeling strongly that Federico was simply a delusional, brilliant artist suffering from mental illness, but then West would provide some evidence that would taint my theories with doubt.  West built her characters so richly that we could feel they were going through the same struggles as the readers with what to believe. Conflicted friend Ben and designer Dante seem to be the only people who are clearly sane, but even they get swept away with the magic and success of Federico's designs. Federico's mother seems intentionally blurry for the reader, adding to the mystery of what is truly unfolding. Readers know only what Federico tells them through his journal, which is the format for most of the book, and we can't know for sure if its truth or only Federico's version of it.  When Dante asks, "Why can't you do ordinary things in an extraordinary way," Federico, in striving to do something extraordinary, can't grasp the possibility of escape from his self-imposed chains.  An epilogue written by Ben clears-up some issues, but muddles others so that the reader is left with MUCH to ponder. 

Clearly, author Katarina West has been deliberate in her word choices, creating beautifully descriptive scenes and characters, for a well-edited, cohesive, and captivating story. Witchcraft Couture explores the power of the mind and how experiences and expectations can drive people to extreme behaviors. 

Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

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We Are the Goldens

                                                 
Reinhardt, D. (2014). We are the Goldens. NY: Random House Children's Books.
Young Adult / realistic fiction

I gave this book 3 of 5 stars.





Great potential in this book, but open ending aside, there was just too much unfinished business.  I was interested enough to read it straight through in a sitting (it's short), and it seemed to be building up to something,  but afterwards, I was unsatisfied. 

The writing is good and seems natural for our teenaged main character, Nell. It is epistolary, with Nell writing a long diary-style, chaptered letter to be read by her sister, Layla.  Nell tells us that she and her sister have been one unit their whole lives until recently, but it really isn't convincing to me -  what I felt was more a one-sided idolization by Nell more than any kind of equal adoration between sisters.  On top of that, Layla isn't particularly like-able to me - pretty and popular don't really cut it for the level of coolness she's supposed to possess. There are hints of a deeper person in Layla, but mostly, she came off flaky and very narcissistic (fairly normal for a seventeen-year-old in her shoes).  I understand how sisterly bonds run deep and so despite the perceived flaws in Nell and Layla's relationship, I could accept it and even empathize, knowing that there was so much more to it than readers were told. 

Back to the unfinished business. There were basically three things that didn't work for me and that held me back from rating this higher. One: By far the most interesting and favorite character in the story is Felix, but Reinhardt throws in a significant side story about Felix's family, and then leaves it dangling; it needed resolution or elimination.  Two: two dead brothers play a significant role as a coping mechanism for Nell (this isn't a spoiler); that's not normal and it's just out there with no explanation, acting like it is normal. Three: this is a young adult story, so I expect to see some consequences -- or at least some empowerment on the part of our main character as she makes decisions and/or takes control; there are/is none.  The hint in the ending that Nell is finally making a decision isn't enough because her plan is simple, vague, and flawed given what readers know about Nell's family.

At just 200ish pages, there was room for so much more to this story to be something to which a teenager could read and relate and from which a teen could learn something. Maybe a teen reader will be satisfied, but I am doubtful. 

There is some language, sexual situations without elaboration (including adult sex with minors), and underage drinking. It's all appropriate for the context of the story. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing me this free ARC in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give!

Punkzilla

Rapp, A. (2009). Punkzilla. Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press.
YA Fiction / Realistic Fiction ? I hope not!
Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Wow.  I am not sure if I should let this one sink in a while before writing about it.  This book is a bleak and raw story, written in letter/journal entry format, about a fourteen-year-old boy who becomes a "street teen" after running away from military school and trying to get to his dying brother.  I hate to think of this as realistic fiction because I hate to acknowledge that kids are living this way.

As a warning, the book has everything that would make it a guaranteed challenge: vulgar language and situations, sex, pedophiles, drug use, alcohol use, gay and transgender characters, bigotry, racism, crime without remorse, violence  . . .  I'm sure I've forgotten some offensive item!  But the story is real, and the main character, Jamie (a.k.a. Punkzilla) is real.

At times, it did seem as if the author was intentionally shocking for the sake of being shocking and those scenes didn't really move the story along.  Jamie's intelligent and likeable, despite his deeply flawed and disturbed character, but I went back and forth between feeling sympathetic and angry with him. There was a shard of hope at the end, though my feeling is that Jamie maybe can't really be helped and probably won't change his ways.

Worth reading? Eh. Jury is still out.  Appealing to teens? Absolutely.