All The Bright Places Review

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Title: All the Bright Places

Author: Jennifer Niven

Series: None

Publisher: Knopf

Publication Date: January 6, 2015

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 388

Format: Hardcover
goodreads

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
 
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

This book was like a vanilla ice cream cone on a hot summer day, soft and melting on the edges, sticky as it runs down your hand and in between your fingers. It was sweet, soft, blissful, and mesmerizing, and I am so glad I indulged.

Written based on Niven’s own memories and experiences, this book tells the tragic and beautiful love story of Theodore Finch and Violet Markey. Finch is savoring the days he stays awake and not in the Sleep, and Violet is counting down the days until graduation, aka freedom. After her sister’s death, Violet is the walking definition of “extenuating circumstances.” Nine months after Eleanor’s death, Violet still can’t write, can’t think, can’t allow herself to be happy. It’s only the day she finds herself on the bell tower, precariously balancing between death and life, that she meets Theodore Finch. Charming, hilarious, weird Finch who just happened to be on the bell tower that same day. With Finch’s help, Violet may be able to move past her beloved sister’s death and allow herself to love again, but it doesn’t take long to discover Finch has his own struggles. Can Violet save Finch the way he saved her?

I wish that publishers would stop equating books with other books. When I see a book that depends on the amazing work of other books to help sell copies, I translate that to the book being too weak to stand on its own, or the publisher/author not being confident enough the book’s value. I cannot tell you how many times I have read a promised Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor and Park (both of which I adore) mutant hybrid and been severely disappointed with the end result. In this case, I was not at all disappointed with Niven’s work, but the publisher just doesn’t seem to get that this book is strong enough to be advertised by itself, no help from past masterpieces needed.

I’m not going to lie; this book destroyed my emotions and left me feeling empty and useless for several days. I was deeply attached to this book (for good reasons), and I never wanted it to end (mostly because I could kind of guess how it was going to end and I really did not want to be subject to that kind of emotional turmoil). I thought it was incredibly brave of Niven to share such a personal story with the YA world, and I am so glad she did. Through her experiences, I have learned so much about loving and surviving. Her words and characters were pure gold, and consequently, her book is a priceless treasure. Everyone should read All the Bright Places, not because it had amazing characters, or an awesome plot line, or a stunning story (even though all of the above it true) but because this book has something really important to say that people should hear. 

Dorothy Must Die Review

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Series: Dorothy Must Die #1

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Genre: Fantasy; Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 452

Format: Hardcover
goodreads

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission.

I don’t usual read spin-offs, like, as a rule. That may be because I’ve never actually read a good spin-off of any fairy tell. And, well, when I saw this cover, I have to admit that I was skeptical. Maybe a little bit more than skeptical. I kind of made a decision to avoid this book because I honestly thought it wouldn’t be any good. But, because of a recommendation, I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad I did.

We all know the story: there’s a tornado, a lion, a scarecrow, a tin man, and lots of gingham. But what about after? Amy Gumm never thought about that, and why would she? It was a happy ever after, end of story, right? Wrong. After Oz, Dorothy found a way back into the magical land and took over all power. As a result, she kind of became a control freak– a blue gingham covered, ruby slipper wearing control freak. Oz is breaking, slowly fading into a sad memory of what it used to be. In one freak accident of a rampant tornado, Amy Gumm finds that she’s not in Kansas anymore. Oz has become twisted. The wicked have become the heroes, and the good have become the enemies. With the help of moody goth munchkin, a wingless flying monkey, and four wicked outcasts, Amy must survive in a world where Oz is nothing like you thought, and Dorothy is anything but an innocent, kind-hearted farm girl.

Reading spin-offs and retellings, in my opinion, is like trying to fix something that is anything but broken. In most cases, it hurts the original story rather than add anything to it. This was not the case in Dorothy Must Die. Besides being hilarious, this parody of the Wizard of Oz was highly creative and delightfully imaginative. In short, I absolutely adored it.

The characters, unlike the two-dimensional sweet and innocent characters of the original Wizard of Oz story, were complex and well crafted. Throughout the entire story, you’re never quite sure who to trust or what the other characters are thinking. I absolutely loved the ingenious manipulation of the lion, tin man, the scarecrow, and, of course, Dorothy. I also appreciated the creation of the new characters I have never heard of before, like Glinda’s sister, Glamora, and Nox.

Amy is nothing like Dorothy, before or after she turned evil. Amy is underestimated and complex. She thinks she is less brave than she actually is, and she is much more capable than she expects. I loved her character’s development through the story.

Long story short: Dorothy Must Die was action packed, grimly magical, and fascinatingly complicated. I can’t wait to find out how Paige will follow up this epic masterpiece.

  

The Wicked Will Rise

March 30, 2015

Say What You Will Review

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Title: Say What You Will

Author: Cammie McGovern

Series: None

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: June 3, 2014

Genre: Romance; Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Young Adult

Pages: 343

Format: Hardback

goodreads

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

I’ve never read a story about characters crippled with disability, and that story was not entirely focused on the disability itself. McGovern handled the story’s circumstances with the utmost grace, and the result was beautiful.

Amy and Matthew are both plagued by a disability. Hers is physical and his is mental, but both are equally affected. Matthew can hide behind his outward appearance, while Amy cannot. Together, they can learn to open up and discover themselves, and each other, beyond the condition that usually defines them. This novel is groundbreaking in the way that we deal with mental and physical illnesses alike. It shows that love is blind to how we look, or the problems we may face, and can heal even the deepest wounds. With twists as wild as windstorms, Amy and Matthew must overcome adversity with a strength they do not know if they possess.

Matthew’s mental illness, OCD (or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), is close to my heart, and is frequently misunderstood and wrongly used in conversations. Most people think that being OCD is the same as being a perfectionist, or liking groups of items to be arranged in an anesthetically pleasing order, either alphabetically or by color. Many people equate being OCD with being overly organized, and while this can be true in some situations, it is not the full definition. People with OCD can be overcome with unreasonable fears (obsessions), and these fears can result in repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Those with OCD can become overcome with anxiety or stress. Unfortunately, I believe as a society, we refer to mental disorders and illnesses with a certain flippancy and disregard. Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other mental disorders along with OCD are considered laughing matters when, in reality, they can cripple and force people to wage war against a condition that is based within themselves. These conditions should not be seen with derision, but with sympathy and understanding.

That which we can see is easier to accept than what we cannot. Matthew’s OCD is virtually invisible and is only recognizable through his actions. In a way, it is even harder than Amy’s cerebral palsy, which can be seen and easily diagnosed and accepted. While both are very difficult, each has its own parts that are harder to deal with than others.

While the character’s conditions and personalities were carefully handled, the plot and its twists were, if anything, overdone. The beginning complications added to the story and created an intriguing conflict. Towards the end, it stopped being an addition and started becoming more of a subtraction. The last plot twist, especially, was superfluous and unnecessary. The story could’ve been better and needed a bit more refining and polishing.

The story needed more editing, but the portrayal of the characters were a piece of art. I had a exceptionally high hopes, that were met in some areas, but not in others.