The Sound & the Echoes

Pellucid, D. (2012). The Sound and the Echoes. Echoland Publications. (Audio released 11/6/2013)

YA / Middle Grade Fantasy / Print & Audio book

PRINT: I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars
AUDIO: I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars

Even months after I first read this book, images from the story still vividly pop to mind. And especially as we enter the winter months, I find myself thinking about the fantastic world of the Echoes, where there is adventure, danger, and beauty beyond imagination.

This was a magical, mystical journey into a parallel Echo realm where twelve-year-old Will finds his identity is not what he believed it to be and even things in his world are not what they seemed. There are plenty of colorful characters, including the terrifying, but intriguing Fate Sealers (think Dementors from HP) and also surprising twists and turns that carry the story to a satisfying conclusion.

Pellucid's imagination is wondrous and the author's ability to put ideas to paper is phenomenal. The writing, along with Andy Simmons' haunting CGI illustrations, allow for readers to truly escape into an other-wordly experience every time they turn the pages.  As far as the story, it is an outstanding adventure between parallel worlds and lives. The Echo realm is pure magic -- a mystical, shimmering world of illusions and often deadly realities. Though reminiscent of Harry Potter at times, the characters are fabulously unique and well developed, though they are not always what the seem! Twists and turns abound, and readers will find themselves utterly immersed in this story. Highly recommend this book for strong elementary or middle grade readers who aren't intimidated by its length. Be warned -- there is a fair amount of death, often remorseless, and violence, though not overly graphic. No sex or innuendo of it, or foul language. 

Thank you to Dew Pellucid for sending me a hard copy of this book, which I won in a Goodreads GiveAway, and then an audio download in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.

Check out the Book Trailer:

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK: Love this story in print (I gave it a 4.5) but less in audio format (a 3.5) due to the main narration. I also didn't discover I could speed up the pace until near the end, which would have made a difference on a 14 hour+ audio book! That is my own fault, not the book's, however.

The narrator did a very good job with voicing the various characters and each really was distinct, but the in between narration was clunky and lacked much emotion. . . It reminded me of the awkwardness of anime cartoon voices or how Racer X sounded in the original Speed Racer cartoons. Also, there were times it seemed that punctuation was ignored, so the narration was confusing or off.

Vietnam Redux: For Some the Vietnam War Never Ended

Cohen, H. (2015). Vietnam Redux: For Some the Vietnam War Never Ended. Bookbaby.

Adult / Military / Historical & Realistic Fiction

I gave this book 4* of 5 stars

In Vietnam Redux: For Some the Vietnam War Never Ended, author Howard B. Cohen has written an historical and contemporary military fiction story that takes readers back and forth between the Vietnam War and the war that continues today between the Vietnamese and its indigenous Montagnards, allies to American soldiers in the Vietnam War. 

Politician George Darnell brings together former Special Forces buddies Benny Friedman and Frank Stone -- both retired, wealthy, single, and pushing seventy -- and proposes a plan that Benny and Frank can't resist. Darnell, a lobbyist and advocate for the Montagnards and safe emigration for them, has received information that indicates that the Montagnards are planning a violent revolt, which could compromise any progress Darnell has made on their behalf. He asks Benny and Frank, posing as old Vets touring the country, to go on a fact-finding mission within the Montagnard community and to dissuade them from any violence. With the aid of Nyugen Thi Anh, a Vietnamese woman and Montagnard sympathizer, what Benny and Frank discover is that the Montagnards have an unfathomable problem: a plot by the Vietnamese Environmental Adjustment Agency, run by the vengeful Tran van Throng, to carry out the genocide of the Montagnards. Benny, Frank, and Anh join Dan Carter, leader of the Montagnard resistance, as they set-out to destroy the death camps and document the atrocities for all the world to see.  Through flashbacks to the war, readers learn many of the characters' backgrounds -- full of heartbreak, horror, and heroics -- which molded each of them into the people they are today.  Benny and Frank, compelled by their history with the Montagnards, find themselves going back into the jungles of Vietnam to fight to save their former allies.

What is impressive about Vietnam Redux is how author Cohen must have done meticulous research in order to provide such a factual account of the Montagnards and the role they played vis-a-vis the US Special Forces during the Vietnam War. Additionally, he has pulled current events straight from the headlines, where we see as recently as early March, 2015, there were reports of several dozen Montagnards hiding in Cambodia, hoping to seek refugee status for alleged political and religious persecution in their homeland, who were sent back to Vietnam. The reports indicate that some Montagnards have disappeared and there is suspicion of Vietnamese interrogations and torture.  Cohen's story, given the current climate in Vietnam and with the United Nations, is completely feasible. Military enthusiasts will appreciate the level of detail in describing weaponry, war tactics, and engagements, which are graphic and violent and realistic. It's war, after all, but this war has an entirely new rule book, where the lines are blurry between right and wrong, good and bad. The transitions between past and present were smooth and the characters were well defined. Through the last quarter of the book, the tension builds steadily, resulting in readers rapidly turning pages to get to the conclusion.  

*A note about the writing: readers who are bothered by writing errors will be frustrated by this book. The book is in desperate need of a thorough, professional editing. Normally, I do not recommend books that are in need of substantial editing, but Vietnam Redux is an exception. 

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

Monsters of Men

Ness, P. (2010). Monsters of Men.  NY: Candlewick Press

YA Lit / Dystopian, Post-Apocolyptic

Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of the Year for Fiction (2010); Carnegie Medal in Literature (2011)

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads

This was a spectacular trilogy, and if I could do half stars, I would have given just this book 4.5 out of 5. The story and ideas and format remain original, and this third installment of Chaos Walking is a real roller coaster ride.  It gets very intense, then the intensity seems to resolve itself, and just when you’re feeling calm, you’re thrown for a loop again.  It’s like slowing to the end of the ride, when your heart stops racing and you’re beginning to recover and suddenly, you are jerked forward and going through the whole ride again.

In Monsters of Men, a third narrator voice is added, and I honestly didn’t like it.  (reason one for the 4.5) I found myself just skimming through every time this narrator came up.  I don’t think Ness could have eliminated this voice because the perspective is critical, but it just kind of bored me the way it was written.  It was probably a good thing to have that happening every so often because the rest of the book was so emotionally exhausting.  

As with the other books, there were plenty of surprises and unexpected twists – and lots of death and gore, as would be expected in battle.  Mayor Prentiss is extremely interesting in this installment. . . I just love to hate that guy.  Mistress Coyle is another character who gets even more interesting and does something very shocking and unexpected.  Actually, the Mayor does too, but I didn’t find his action as believable as Mistress Coyle’s.  Ahhh, it’s so hard to talk about this book without revealing anything. 

The second reason I made this book less than 5 out of 5 stars is the ending.  It seemed to me that perhaps the ending was done so that there would be the option of a continuation or spin-off of the series. That makes me crazy. Perhaps Ness left it the way he did so the reader could decide what happened, but I don’t like that angle.  I want a conclusion, firm and clear and it seems like most of the time, books with loose endings end up getting more sequels, and they are usually inferior.  A major character dies in Monsters of Men, and I can’t see how the series could be any good without that character in it.

As with the other two books, the Clean-O-Meter rating stays at a 3.0 – 3.5 out of 5 on the scale. It’s violent -- but it’s about war and could be way more graphic and doesn’t go there -- but there is only “substitute” swearing (for example, “effing” in lieu of the full F Bomb) and there is no sex, sexual situations, or sexual references.  It gets closer this time – there is GASP a kiss and people imagining being GASP naked with others.  (Clean-O-Meter Ratings: 1 – naughty, naughty. . . . . .5 – squeaky clean)

The trilogy’s curse is its length (over 1600 pages for the three books), and I’m afraid that will turn-off many a reader.  But if you start it, you WILL finish. 

The Ask and the Answer

Ness, P. (2009). The Ask and the Answer.
YA Lit / Dystopian, Post-Apocolyptic

I gave this 5 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads

Well I just burned through this and now into Book 3, Monsters of Men.  This should be one giant book because there really is not natural breaking point between where The Knife of Letting Go finished, this one, and the next.

Another page turner with some very interesting pieces of information coming to light.  Viola, our female lead from book one, really becomes formidable and the readers see her much more clearly.  Todd is much more tormented than in the first book (both physically and mentally), and for good reason. And the Mayor. . .boooo, hisssss. He is one evil dude and honestly, I kept turning pages to see what he was going to do next and if he'd keep getting away with his dastardly deeds.  Old characters are more defined, and new characters are introduced - good and bad - and some you can't ever figure out!

I haven't read all books in a series, back-to-back, since The Hunger Games came out some years ago.  This series has my attention for all 1600+ pages.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, this is a 3 out of 5.  As with Book One, The Knife of Letting Go, Ness's writing style gives you the impact of swear words without the offense. In Book Two, the violence is more intense and the descriptions are pretty graphic, so that's where some younger kids might be in uncomfortable territory. (This moved my rating from a 3.5 on Book One.)There is no sex or sexual situations or even sexual references. (1- naughty, naughty ------- 5 - squeaky clean)

Boys will still enjoy this book even though Viola takes on a more prominent and powerful role.  It's war in all its awful gore and glory.

Here's a video of the author, Patrick Ness, reading an excerpt from The Ask and the Answer. Enjoy!

The Diviners

Bray, L. (COMING SEPTEMBER 2012). The Diviners. NY: Little, Brown & Company. (ARC)

YA Lit / paranormal / fantasy
Thank you, TLA Conference and Little, Brown & Company for this free Advance Reading Copy!

UPDATE!!!!  This is an absolutely amazing fan-made (DayIn3 on YouTube) book trailer, and it makes me want to read the book again. Was I too harsh?? Was I just in a mood?  Check this out:


 

When I started reading this, I was immediately bugged by the main character, Evie, but I stuck with it and I definitely got caught up in the story. The story is a mix of Ghostbusters (The Bennington, where everyone lives, is a conduit for the spirits) and Seven (ehh. . .not going to elaborate there) and The Stand (creepy man with the tall black hat) and I'm feeling slightly disturbed that I picked-up and read two books, back-to-back, without any prior knowledge, and they both included digging up the dead. (other book Rotters, which still weighs heavily on me.) 

I was disappointed in the ending -- way too many loose ends and very little closure -- and though the 20s lingo was fun (sorry, it was the bees knees), I would feel compelled to smother any teenager who spoke in nothing but street lingo. Evie didn't need to do that to be hip; it just made her slightly annoying.  Clearly this is designed to be part of a series, but it would have made a nice stand alone by removing a whole bunch of "new" information at the end and just reconciling some stories.

And the stories are many -- there are a ton of characters and many have "gifts" that indicate we haven't heard the last from them.  Not sure how the author can weave all of them in to the next book without it becoming jumbled. We'll just have to see how good she is!

This is a pretty fun video (posted by YouTube user MrRoccoA) that has the author acting out (with action figures) and singing some of the book.

Insurgent

Roth, V. (2012). Insurgent. NY: Katherine Tegen Books.
YA Fiction / Dystopian
ALA Best Fiction for Young Adult Readers,

I was able to snag this Advance Release Copy at the TLA Conference in April, and YES, I got it signed and below is a picture of me with the author, Veronica Roth, signing my book. YESSSSSS again!  As I waited in line to be one of the first to get this yet-to-be-published sequel to the most awesome Divergent, I wondered what it must be like to be Ms. Roth. At the tender age of 23, she's set for life and can look out amongst the middle-aged people like me, who jockeyed for a place in line, and think, "Dang, I hope I never have to sink to that level."

So the book. . .  you know I'm not really into spoilers, but man, could I spoil this one for everyone.  I will say that divergence (what it is to be Divergent) is more fully explored and explained, and that makes for some interesting twists and turns in the story.  Tris is really dealing with the implications and emotional destruction of what she did in the first book, and at times I got impatient with that. Deal with it! Talk to someone! Work through it already!  I really thought the book started off a bit slow, but it may have just been my impatience at getting the story rolling so I could find out where it was all going.  I dunno.  It was worth wading through the slowness to get to the meat of the story. Talk about conspiracies and confusion and the shaking up of everything that had been accepted as truth in their society. Good is not necessarily good, bad might be good, evil may not be in the form it seems. And trust is not easily given or received.

******WARNING: JUST A LITTLE SPOILER ABOUT TRIS & FOUR******
I was happy that this didn't turn into a cheesy romance between Tris and Four, and truly I was surprised that their relationship was survived in spite of the hardships and the psychological scars they both have.  At times, they both displayed very real teenager-ish behavior, which can be the kiss of death. But they continued to be drawn back together and were really pretty patient with each other, considering how messed-up they each are.  I was very glad that the romance aspect was not the focus and did not take away from the story.

****YOU MAY NOW SAFELY RETURN TO THE NON-SPOILER PART OF THE SHOW****
For the careful reader, there are plenty of hints and a bit of foreshadowing about where the book ends.  I was not totally surprised by the ending -- maybe a bit by the specifics of it -- but I thought it was great because Roth hasn't boxed herself in.  There are many directions she could go with it.


And here's a cool little trailer about it. . .

Between Shades of Gray

Sepetys, R. (2011). Between Shades of Gray. NY: Philomel.
YA / Historical Fiction
 UPDATE: I created a thirty-second trailer for this book for day 20 of the Holiday Break Reading Challenge. Check it out!

This book is amazing and tells about a period in history that was unfamiliar to me - Stalin, and his Reign of Terror.  Before I even discuss my thoughts, I encourage anyone to view this trailer/book talk by the author.  It's eleven minutes, but it's well worth the time. (you can also go to the Official Book Website for more information)

   

I was absolutely swallowed-up in this very real story and couldn't put it down.  The style of incorporating flashbacks of her good, normal life as fifteen-year-old Lina is dragged through the atrocities of Stalin's army was a powerful tool to remind readers of the contrast, cruelty, and unfairness to the Lithuanians (Estonians, Latvians, and Finns). My heart ached for these people, and I had to remind myself that the story wasn't really fiction.  Humans had to endure this treatment in the not so distant past.  Even after they were released, those few who survived the injustices weren't able to live freely in their homes or have their lives back.  As recently as the '90s, they still lived in fear.

This is such a powerful story and every bit as important as knowing the story of Anne Frank and Hitler's attempts at genocide.  Stalin was an equal monster.

The Help

Stockett, K. (2009). The Help. NY: Amy Einhorn Books.
Adult / YA Fiction / Historical Fiction

This was a fantastic book, and I just can't believe that this was the author's first effort! I hate to believe it, but I know it's an accurate depiction of life in Mississsippi in the early sixties.  Stockett did an incredible job really bringing the characters to life and giving them depth. The varied writing styles allowed me to really "hear" each of the main characters' voices, plus the format of rotating chapters between Skeeter, Minny, and Aibileen kept the story fresh and rolling along. Parts of it were so painful, parts so joyful, and parts were infuriating, and I was sorry the book ended.  I wondered what happened next in the lives of these three ladies, but I have a feeling they turned out very well. 

Not sure whether I'll see the movie; I've heard split reviews from friends who also read the book.