Jerk, California

Jerk, California

Jonathan Friesen

 

Jerk, California is the story of a boy named Sam……or is it Jack? A young man struggling with Tourette’s Syndrom. He’s been raised by his mother and abusive stepdad. Upon graduation he sets off with a young woman named Naomi on a journey to find his real dad, the man whom he blames for all his troubles. As if social alienation due to TS and abusive/absent parents weren’t enough teen pregnency also gets thrown into the mix when it is discovered that Naomi is pregnent. The story had a lot of elements and I felt jerked around between them all and while resolutions are found I didn’t feel like there was an appropriate buildup, nor was there an appropriate buildup of Sam and Niomi’s relationship. It seemed to me that they were always fighting (Which the book attributes to the roller coaster emotions brought on by pregnancy and Sam’s habit of blurting out what he’s thinking because of the Tourette’s.) and had no real basis for a relationship except that they were both runners and he thought she was pretty. One positive I will say for it is that Friesen himself has Tourette’s and is therefore able to make Sam’s struggle with that believable. I’d probably give this book a 3.5 out of 5.

The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races

Stiefvater, Maggie

Back before the term fairy was relegated to stories of Tinkerbell and Thumbalina, the Fae had a much darker side. Celtic lore told of killer fairies like Raw Hide and Bloody Bones, Erlkings, and Redcaps. One of these dark fairy were the capaill uisce a.k.a. Kelpie. In Stiefvaters latests book, The Scorpio Races, we are transported to an island called Thisby where the capailll uisce are real. Every year around November stormy weather drives the capaill uisce, or water horses, onto the beach. The natives of Thisby capture the flesh eating water horses and race them down the beach in a race known as the Scorpio Race. Invariably, there is much death when trying to ride horses that would rather eat or drown you. The book follows Sean Kendrick and Puck Connolly as they prepare for that years races. It’s a love story for the island and it’s horses. While a specific time frame is never given it feels like the story takes place in the early 20th century due to islanders attitudes toward women and the fact that cars are scarce and tend to be of an old style. As a fan of both horseracing and classic fairy lore, I highly enjoyed this book. It was as beautiflly written as Stiefvater’s Wolves Of Mercy Falls trilogy and I look forward to her next book.

The Son Of Neptune

The Son Of Neptune

Rick Riordan

The latest installment of The Heros of Olympus series doesn’t fail to deliver a rich world full of a synthesis between ancient mythology and modern day that readers have come to expect. As with The Lost Hero, the story is told from the perspective of three questing heros who take turns with the chapters of the book. This time we are introduced to Hazel, a 13 year old underworld escapee, and Frank, an awkward 16 year old chinese canadian. For our third hero, Percy Jackson, now 2 months away from 17, returns. Rich in the lore of Greek and Roman mythology, it’s a world I love to live in. I’m chomping at the bit for fall to get here and the third book in the series to be released. My only complaints with this particular book is that, while most of the characters are reaching their later teens, the humor seems to continue to be aimed at 12 – 13 year olds. Also, I find a 16 year old being romantically interested in a 13 year old a bit disturbing.

Music From Beyond The Moon

Music From Beyond The Moon

Augusta Trobaugh

One fateful night an 18 month old boy is left out in the yard of Glory and Fiona, two childless old women. What follows is the story of love, in all it’s forms. Told predominatly from the view of the two old women, we watch the boy, who they name victor, grow and fall in love. The writer seems to have a rather bitter view of love and this results in some unforseen twists that I found rather dissapointing and disturbing.  I also noticed a rather glaring writing error. The story starts off in 1924 with an 18 month old, yet in 1941 at the bombing of Pearl Harbor Fiona says that Victor is to young to enter the war at only 16. But the math there gets him to 18 or 19 years of age. All in all, not that impresssed.

Dark Companion

Dark Companion

Acosta, Marta

When Jane Williams was six years old her mother was killed by her stepfather and Jane became a ward of the state. Now an emancipated minor Jane finds herself with a scholarship to the prestigious Birch Grave Academy for Girls where she meets the headmistresses two sons, Lucky, handsome but shallow and Jack, a down to earth musician. But as time goes on she realizes that there’s something odd not just about the school, but the community as a whole. I enjoyed the twist to the whole vampire mythos. It’s always a treat to see science applied to the fantastical world (Which the author succeeded in doing in all but one aspect). I also liked that more than one mythical species lives in this world. I particularly liked the character of Jack and could easily see his song “My Titania” being produced by a real rock band. Unfortunately, at times Jane seemed to be childish, arguing and being obstinent for no apparent reason other than the author wanted a rift between characters

Shift

Shift

Curran, Kim

Scott Tyler is an average teen until the day he is dared to climb a tower, falls, and finds that he is a shifter; someone with the ability to go back in time and change the desicions they have made. The plot thickens as Scott discovers a conspiracy and he may be the only one who can stop it. I loved how the book grounded itself in factual science, mentioning Schrödinger’s cat, wave-particle duality, and how the teenage brain is different from that of an adult brain (it is this difference that allows children and teens to shift, but not adults). Of course, the concept of being able to go back and see all the “what ifs” in life is a powerful one that grabs the readers imagination.  Really, my only complaint with the book is that it was so short, at less than 200 pages there was plenty of room to develope the story further.

That’s Not A Feeling

That’s Not A Feeling

Josefson, Dan

I was initially interested by the concept of a theraputic boarding school for troubled teens. However, while the concept was interesting the book proved to be very random and poorly written. The story would drop subjects and switch subjects or time frames at random and without warning. Also, the point of view was constantly changing from omnicient to first person without any rhyme or reason. Another complaint is that characters never seemed to use any form of logic or reasoning. Also, the school was supposed to be for troubled teens yet the school had everything from pre-teens to people in their twenties. I also didn’t like how the writer didn’t make proper use of pronouns. The repetition of “alternative boys did this, alternative boys did that” was bothersome. Overall, an interesting concept that just didn’t follow through.

Shiver

Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver

Sam Roth is living a double life. One as your average 18 year old boy, playing guitar, writing songs, and enjoying the poetry of Rilke, and another as a lycanthrope. He’s had a crush on Grace Brisbane since he was 7 but the lycanthropy makes relationships hard because Maggie Stiefvater has given this story a twist. These werewolves are not controlled by the moon, they are controlled by the weather. When they get cold, they shift to wolf form. So they spend summer in human form, winter as a wolf, and spring and fall oscillating between the two. One day he’s shot by a hunter and winds up on Graces doorstep. The story of shiver is told in alternating first person, switching each chapter between Sam and Grace, allowing you to get into the heads of both characters. Aesthetically Shiver is arresting. The story is in blue ink to match the cover (The sequels follow this pattern in green and red).

The Leap

Stroud, Jonathan. The Leap

When Charlie’s friend Max disapears all the adults think he’s died, drowned, but Charlie knows better. Max has been taken prisoner in an alternate universe reachable only through special portals hidden throughout the world and via your dreams. She is determined to save Max before he is lost forever. The story does a good job of making you question whether it is the adults or Charlie who is right about what has happened to Max. To the last page of the book you are left questioning Charlie’s sanity.