WAYR 7/23/11: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Lately, I've been wrestling with Michelle Hodkin's debut novel, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. And I mean wrestling in the best, most infuriating way ever.

TAC 11 Book #3: Despite my known abhorrence of headless figures on covers, I'm actually okay with it. This cover fits the tone of the book very well so far.

I'm not going to use the jacket description here, because it really doesn't describe much.

The premise is that Mara, our narrator and protagonist du jour, has just survived an accident that has left three of her friends dead. She has no memory of the event, including how her friends died, how she survived completely unscathed, or why they were even at the location of the accident. What she does know is that the accident has left her with increasingly intense hallucinations - the product of PTSD from the accident, her doctors tell her. While Mara is consumed by guilt for her friends deaths, fear of her deteriorating mental health, and frustration at the amnesia her own mind has enforced on her, the decision is made to move away from the constant reminders of her friends. Maybe, with reminders of the tragedy and her lost friends put behind her, Mara can move on with her life and begin to get well.

She doesn't.

The family's new home in Florida only seems to exacerbate Mara's problems with the additional stresses of a new school, a high profile court case her father has taken on, and an alluring if infuriating classmate with a rather daunting dating past.

I'm about halfway through as of this post and working myself back into reading the rest. I enjoy Hodkin's writing and it's easy to get wrapped up in Mara's unease as her mind betrays her and the tantalizing mystery of the accident as her memory regains bits and pieces of that night. In fact, the intensity of the writing in that regard is part of why I had to put it down - I get very empathetic toward characters in stressful situations; it's a real problem sometimes.


I like that Mara, as a character, is morally ambiguous. She's not obviously good, but she's not bad either. She's simply existing in her mind as it appears to be falling apart around her.While I think Libba Bray did it better in Going Bovine - and Madame Bray does just about everything better, I think - , Hodkin's imparts a believable sense of horror and fascination with what's going on.

There are a few things that are driving me crazy, though.

It can't quite seem to make up whether or not it's a paranormal thriller or a psychological one. There are certainly heavy aspects of both, but it can't quite seem to decide if it's one or the other, and it hasn't quite resolved itself enough to be both.

Also, love interest Noah is attractive in that way only fictional characters can be; too cool for school in a fictitious universe, the guy I and my friends used to harass mercilessly in real life. As a reader, I'm sure many a girl will lust after him, but I have a hard time seeing Mara falling for such an absolute asshole. She gets that he's cute, but she doesn't want a relationship - at least at the point of the book I'm at now, where everything is all tense and broody between them. Then again, she is going crazy....

Anyway, I'm curious to see how this book ends and will get back into as soon as I stop being such an over emotional wuss*. For those who care about such things, this IS part of a series. Michelle Hodkin's is working on Mara Dyer 2: Electric Boogaloo AT THIS VERY MOMENT. If you lack an ARC like moi, you can still visit the website at http://michellehodkin.com/ or talk to the author herself on Twitter.

Psychodelically Yours,
-Maria

*That said, I'm going to go cry over Deathly Hallows some more.

Book Review: Shut Out

TAC book 2

From Amazon:

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Tastes Like: Year-old Halloween candy.

Smells Like: Cotton candy body spray and unwashed socks.

Looks Like: Laura Prepon getting ready to kick Topher Graces ass over who gets to be on top.

Analysis: I think Kody Keplinger is a talented young wordsmith. I think there's a lot of reason to be excited for her and her work as both she and it grow. But I also think there's a lack of maturity in her characterizations and ability to narrate fully dimensional characters.

Two chapters in, I hated the characters. I found them to be shallow and flat, and while comedic writing does seem to allow for less intensive development of personalities - the abuse of stereotypes seems to be de rigueur for comedy - I thought it was a very bad way to introduce your characters. Personally, I need more than an unusual or impressive set up alone to get involved in a story*; I don't necessarily need to like a character, but I should feel curious about them and be interested about how their lives are changed. And the first couple chapters of Shut Out did not sell it to me successfully.

I did not finish this book and probably won't pick it up again - in a world with so many wonderful books, why waste time on the ones you know you aren't interested in? However, I will still check out Keplinger's future books. I think she's a talented young writer and I want to see how that skill develops with time and experience.

My Rating: No mushrooms, since I didn't read the whole book.

Release Date: September 5, 2011

Now children, play nice or Nanny will have to pull out the plasma cannon,
- Maria

*And at 22, a battle between the sexes over a high school sports team rivalry runs the risk of being more irritating than amusing.

Book Review: After Obsession

The first of the TAC11 books.

From Goodreads:
 
Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.

The Good:

After Obsession is a 1st-person, present-tense point of view novel with alternating narrators.  There is nothing in that sentence that would indicate how much I would come to love this book by the end.

Steven Wedel and Carrie Jones handle what could have been a very cliche plot beautifully. A new student and the local weirdo join forces to save the town. But Alan, a normally confident albeit offbeat young athlete, is treading carefully in a new and uncomfortable situation with all the trepidation and insecurity that comes with being a teenager. Aimee balances on a precarious ledge, being the daughter of a 'crazy' mother and having more than a few secrets she has no one to share with. The voicing on the part of both writers is familiar enough to draw readers in, while their situations are unusual enough to keep readers engaged to the end.

The writing on the part of both authors manages to be youthful without feeling shallow or overbearing, and with each author taking on a narrator for themselves, Aimee and Alan's internal dialogs are subtly, but obviously, different. While Carrie Jones had a few moments of what I call "Teen-Speak" - trying a little too hard to sound like a teenager - they were few and far between, and thankfully didn't take me out of the story.

For a small book, there's a wide cast of characters, and given the length, I thought they were reasonably well explored. The parents and teachers especially were enjoyable, as they interacted with Aimee and Alan. I do wish the teachers had had more to do. I feel like the adults needed their own prequel of sorts to explain some of their idiosyncrasies.

Most of all, I loved how they handled the horror. It creeps up on the reader and grows magnificently. Honestly, I could not put this book down once I started reading.

The Bad:

I really don't have much of anything bad to say about this. There are a few things I wish had been done a little differently(longer) or had been featured more prominently(the teachers are cool; more please), but there was nothing that negatively impacted my enjoyment of this book.

Except maybe the cover.

Tell me that she doesn't have man-hands. And the torso looks out of proportion with the head and arms. Does anyone else see this? Anyone? I love the ambiance of the cover. I think it suits the tone of the book perfectly, but - man-hands.

The Rest:

While at times the plot was predictable, I still felt uneasy and fearful at all the right places. I liked and sympathized with the characters. While I was reading, I was totally and utterly absorbed. This book is short, sweet, and scary.

And for those readers who are wary of paranormal romances in this age of vampire and fallen angel lovers, fear not; After Obsession is 100% free of mythical paramours. A welcome relief, I know.

Final Thoughts:

As a fan of YA and a life-long lover of the paranormal, I loved this book. It had that wonderful vibe of good old horror movies like The Exorcist and The Haunting of Hill House; anything that can push my Shirley Jackson button gets an automatic A. I would strongly recommend this book to fans of the paranormal and ghost stories, as well as to fans of Stephen King who want that scare without the grit, gore, and pulp, or to horror aficionados working their way up to the Fright Master.

Also, I really really want a sequel. Please? Pretty please?

My Rating: 5/5  Mushrooms

Release Date: September 13, 2011

Don't Stop Creepin'
- Maria

Teen Author Carnival 2011: Round 1

Last month, I attended the 3rd annual Teen Author Carnival. Needless to say, it was pretty cool; I came home with all this swag!

Note the ketchup stains. Further evidence that I can't have nice things.

TAC - as it's referred to online -is run by Devyn Burton, Korianne Wey, and Mitali Dave, as part of my internet alma mater, the Five Awesome YA Fans. I attended last years' event as well and completely dropped the ball as to blogging about it. Never again, I say!

I went with other, better bloggers Cassandra Yorgey and Emma Volee, and other FAYAF friends Genevieve Thursday and Michael. Much fun was had as Cassandra got us lost, Emma got us back on track, Genevieve packed swag bags forever, and Michael was forcibly dragged to panels by Cassandra and I. Authors were entertaining and friendly, seating was scare, and I wore a silly hat, asked questions, and garnered much questionable attention (I wear a fez, now. Fezes are cool.). I also may have developed an unhealthy love of the word 'appendage' thanks to Carrie Jones.


Over the rest of the summer, while I take a well deserved break from school to focus on Nevermore, I'm going to resume reviewing things, many of which will be books from TAC. However, since I'm still a busy girl with a lackadaisical work ethic, I'm not going to be able to get through many of these. In order to keep the blog busy(ish), some of these reviews are going to be...unorthodox. So keep an eye out and expect silliness.


For now, though, here's:

A Quick Overview

The Authors

1. Carol Estby Dagg - The Year We Were Famous
2. Nova Ren Suma - Imaginary Girls
3. Carrie Jones - Need, After Obsession, Dear Bully
4. Scott Tracey - Witch Eyes
5. David Levithan - Every You, Every Me
6. Melissa Walker - Small Town Sinners
7. Michelle Hodkin - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
8. Elizabeth Scott - Between Here and Forever & As I Wake
9. Michelle Zink - Circle of Fire
10. Michael Northrop - Trapped
11. Leah Clifford - A Touch Mortal
12. Nick James - Skyship Academy
13. Amy Fellner Dominy -OyMG
14. Kirsten Hubbard - Like Mandarin
15. Malinda Lo - Huntress, Ash
16. Bettina Restrepo - Illegal
17. Caridad Ferrer - When the Stars Go Blue
18. Kody Keplinger - Shut Out
19. Torrey Maldonado - Secret Saturdays
20. Hannah Moskowitz - Invincible Summer, Zombie Tag
21. E Archer - Geek Fantasy Novel
22. Gayle Forman - Where She Went
23. Courtney Allison Moulton - Angelfire
24. Susane Colasanti - So Much Closer, Something Like Fate
25. Andrea Cremer - Wolfsbane, Nightshade 

This year, there were four panels instead of the rotating three from last year. I think I prefer the rotating schedule, that way attendees can see all the panels instead of having to choose. Having to choose, I went to Otherworldly Adventures and Getting It Right. I'm happy with my choices, I must confess.

Kick Ass Females in YA: And Why It's A Big Deal To Have Them

Moderator: Lisa Desrochers

1.      Malinda Lo

2.      Andrea Cremer

3.      Michelle Zink

4.      Courtney Allison Moulton

5.      Carole Estby Dagg

6.      Elizabeth Scott  

7.      Michelle Hodkin 
8.  Kirsten Hubbard

Otherworldly Adventures: With a Bit of the Real World Thrown In
Moderators: Chelsea Swiggett & Karsten Knight

1.      E. Archer

2.      Carrie Jones

3.      Nova Ren Suma

4.      Michael Northrop

5.      Scott Tracey

6.      Leah Clifford

Teenage Angst: Getting It Right - The Emotions, The Voice, The Drama
Moderator: Ellen Hopkins

1.      David Levithan

2.      Susane Colasanti

3.      Melissa Walker

4.      Kody Keplinger

5.      Hannah Moskowitz

6.      Gayle Forman

7.      Torrey Maldonado

8.      Caridad Ferrer

Debut Author Showcase: The Journey to Publication
Moderator: Lenore Applehans

1.      Carole Estby Dagg

2.      Amy Fellner Dominy

3.      Kirsten Hubbard

4.      Bettina Restrepo

5.      Michelle Hodkins

 6.      Nick James 

7. Scott Tracey