Review of "Tailchaser's Song"

"There's something to this one."

     Today's title is a cat lover's dream. Written by Tad Williams, Tailchaser's Song documents Fritti Tailchaser's quest to rescue his heart-friend Hushpad, who has disappeared without a trace from the Meeting Wall Clan. Fritti, who had hoped to Join with her at that night's Meeting, is incredibly worried. A search of the M'an nest where she stays brings about a horrifying discovery: Hushpad, and the Big Ones who lived in the nest, are gone. Now Fritti must embark on a journey to rescue his heart-friend, crossing plains and valleys and venturing into territories no cat has dared go near for centuries. This undertaking will gain him unexpected allies, lifelong friendships, and terrifying new enemies, but, most importantly, he also discovers more about himself than he could ever have imagined.

     Tailchaser's Song does not read like an over-the-top fantasy story. It isn't full of politics and fantasy races, and there are no glorious battles between Race A and Race B, but that doesn't mean it lacks excitement or energy. It is the simple story, or "song", of a young cat on a mission to rescue the fela he loves, and readers can feel Fritti's passion through the writing. The Folk, as cats are called, are a distinct race of creatures with their own language, the Higher Singing, along with a fleshed-out history and distinct rituals and habits. Everything, from cleaning to Meetings, is described in such a way as to make it seem natural. If a word is not explained, it can usually be worked out by context.

     The characters in this novel fit their roles well. Each cat in the Meeting Wall Clan is distinct and fun to read, and, although there are far too many for each to be very rounded, they have just enough depth to seem realistic. Fritti is joined in his journey by Pouncequick, a lively kitten with a thirst for adventure, and the half-crazed tomcat Eatbugs. Both companions are well-rounded and full of depth, and the three balance each other out well. They are also full of life and add a great deal to the story. Readers may find themselves attached to Pounce, and Eatbugs' ramblings are simply fun to read.

     There is more to Tailchaser's Song than one might think. From felas to Rikchikchik to a monster straight out of the songs of the elders, Tailchaser and his friends encounter more than their fair share of trouble. Each encounter is met differently as Fritti and Pouncequick gradually mature. The bond these two share is also quite lovely, and, from their playful banter to the concern Fritti shows over his young charge's safety, it is easy to tell just how much these two care about each other. By the middle of the story, the two cats have made incredible changes, and by song's end it is impossible to reconcile the characters with their earlier selves.

     As this is a tale about cats, it follows that characters do not curse, but that is not to say it is appropriate for kids. Although much of the violence is simple and clean, there are times when even strong-stomached readers may pale. The animal kingdom is a violent thing, and there are instances of gore that, while not over the top, are rather unsettling.

     I would recommend Tailchaser's Song to anyone looking for a story about self-discovery and epic journeys, or who just loves cats. While there are a few mildly gruesome scenes, the world is effortlessly built and very well structured, and the characters are beautifully dynamic. Each cat is realistic and distinctly feline, and the non-Folk who dot the landscape of the story are cleverly designed. Tad Williams has created a great story with Tailchaser's Song, which easily earns five stars.

Review of "Pretty Girl-13"

"Don't fight me, pretty girl."

     In Liz Coley's Pretty Girl-13, we explore the world of someone who shares her mind with other people. Angie Chapman is a thirteen-year-old Girl Scout in the local troop, and she loves it. She and her best friend, Livvie, share a tent with Katie on their campouts to the nearby woods, and it's great fun--until Angie comes home to the realization that she's sixteen, has been missing for three years, and doesn't remember a thing about the interim. Now Angie must face the past her mind has tried so hard to protect her from, and the discoveries are terrifying.

     I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Pretty Girl-13. The prologue, written in an italicized second-person point of view, was intimidating. Was the whole book like this? Thankfully, it wasn't. And I can honestly say that the trend of exceeding my expectations continued throughout the rest of the story.

     The characters in this book are incredibly realistic, primarily because they are flawed. Dad, Grandma, Angie's friends--everyone is marked by an undeniable imperfection that shapes who they are. Her father, for instance, is a distant and unaffectionate figure--not because he doesn't love her, but because of the shock of finding his dead-and-buried daughter on his doorstep, alive and cheerful. Angie herself is broken, her mind shattered into five separate and distinct personalities that work together to shield her, the Primary, from the traumatic events she's gone through. Each flaw is unique to the individual and works with their personalities to create rounded, realistic characters you can sympathize with whether you like them or not.

     A big thing to consider when recommending this book is the premise. It's full of potential triggers and some sickening plot twists, but if you can make it through the dark moments it's a great read. Angie has Dissociative Identity Disorder, and each of her personalities is designed to safeguard her core self from a certain part of her captivity. Each piece of herself, called an "alter", is unique and sympathetic, even if one or two are unlikable. It's easy to see how much they care about Angie and work hard to protect her.

     Although this is a YA book, it's a far cry from the action and adventure stories that crowd the shelves in that section. Pretty Girl-13 touches on some delicate subjects--physical and sexual abuse, kidnapping, and recovery--and while none of Angie's eventual recollections are too graphic, they leave no room for doubt about what happened. Readers should note that when Little Wife, one of the alters, gets the chance to tell her side of the story, it's with a great deal of cussing and crude remarks. Otherwise, there is little to no foul language. Angie's story isn't, however, all about her kidnapping. She must adjust to the reality that she is now sixteen, and face it on all fronts. School, friends, and family dynamics are all very real battlefields for her, which lends a sense of realism to the story.

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA book about Dissociative Identity Disorder, kidnapping and amnesia, and recovery in a world turned upside-down by a traumatic event. With her attention to detail and dynamic plot, Liz Coley clearly paints the picture of a girl quite literally torn apart by her past. The characters are all deeply flawed and fit perfectly into the story, like the pieces to a jigsaw. For all these reasons and more, I give Pretty Girl-13 five stars.

Review of "The Cay"

"Like silent, hungry sharks that swim in the darkness of the sea, the German submarines arrived in the middle of the night."

     So begins The Cay, a 137-paged novel by one Theodore Taylor. Eleven-year-old Phillip is fascinated by the war that has engulfed the world, and now that word has come in that the Germans are approaching the island of Curaçao, where he lives, he's ecstatic. Maybe he'll be able to catch a glimpse of the guns or a torpedo! Phillip's mother, however, doesn't see the situation in the same light. She books them passage aboard the next ship out of Curaçao, hoping to escape before the first shots are fired--but when an enemy vessel torpedoes the ship out of the water and the two are separated, Phillip loses more than his mother. He loses his sight.

     The Cay is a fascinating little story about overcoming the racial barrier. Phillip's mother is wary of the black men who work on the boats in the harbor, with whom her son occasionally plays "pirates and Dutchmen". "They are different," she tells him, "and they live differently." So it's with great irony that Phillip wakes up after the attack to find himself on a raft, surrounded by seawater and accompanied only by a cat and an old black man. While the narrative concentrate on Thomas himself, the old man is a force of nature all of his own and proves, over the course of the story, just how little true friendship relies on race.

     The characters in this story are brilliant. I have to admit that I didn't like Phillip at first--he's a spoiled kid living with his parents on an island in the Carribean, and that makes him slightly irritating. For one thing, he disobeys his mother when she tries to keep him safely away from the shoreline; for another, he insists on drinking more than his fair share of water during his first few days as a castaway. But Phillip undergoes some serious development in these hundred-some pages, and by the last chapter he had become someone I could relate to and sympathize with.

     Phillip isn't the only one who develops as a character during the story. Thomas, the white-haired old man who finds himself stuck on a raft with him, also changes. In the beginning he's a stereotypical 1942 black sailor, all thick accent and rough mannerisms, but midway through the book it's impossible to see him as such. Thomas is a truly kindhearted soul who cares for Phillip more than the boy could ever know, and it shows in his actions: the way he makes a rope to guide Phillip around once they make camp on a sandy little cay, teaches him to fish, and stays quiet when his charge complains or gets upset because can't Thomas ever remember that he's blind?

     Taylor really sets the scene with his simple, yet vibrant, imagery. He makes a point to use vivid visual descriptions at the beginning of the story, gradually shifting to rely more and more on the other senses as Phillip learns to live without his sight. He also describes Phillip's blindness in such a way that it feels real. Readers may find that they can visualize the cay without actually knowing what the various plants and trees look like. When visual description is needed, Thomas steps in with kindly observations about the birds or the shade of the sea.

     This is a book set in the 1940's, in the Carribean. Readers should note that black/African-American men are referred to as "Negroes", but this isn't derrogatory. It's simply a description. The only violence between characters is a slap across the face, while the rest comes from a terrible storm that tears across the cay partway through the book. Characters are clean-mouthed, although readers may encounter difficulty in deciphering Thomas' heavily accented dialogue.

     I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a short read about friendship, survival, and one boy's extraordinary shift from racism to acceptance. With its straightforward plot and complex characters, Theodore Taylor's The Cay is perfect for kids and older readers alike. The worldbuilding and dialogue in this book are also fantastic. Altogether, these are only some of the many reasons I apply to this book five stars.

Review of "From Ashes to Honor"

"Must be one heckuva fire to make a mess like this."

     Loree Lough's From Ashes to Honor is not your typical romance novel. It isn't about a strained marriage, reconnecting high school sweethearts, or even a soldier off at war while his wife or girlfriend deals with her own problems at home. It's about a man plagued by regret and a woman struggling to find meaning in a world she perceives as godless, and it's a tribute to those who risked their lives--and continue to risk them--to save thousands of innocent people.

     On September 11, 2001, NYPD officer Austin Finley ignores a call from his brother, Avery--the third call in the past two days. Avery, an investment banker working at the World Trade Center, has been nagging him about switching over to a safer career, but Austin is determined to have none of it. He's a police officer, and that's that. So he ignores the buzzing of his phone in his pocket as he races off toward the pillars of smoke that have begun to darken the New York skyline. Eight years later, Austin's guilt over that phone call has led to the loss of his job; now he works as an EMT and lives on a beat-up tugboat named One Regret. When his new line of duty causes his path to cross with the shrink whose report got him fired, Austin doesn't expect anything but tension, but what he gets is entirely different: a new friend, a confidante, and unexpected love.

     This is a fairly well-written book. Lough's writing style is very straightforward and full of detail. The worldbuilding is fantastic, filled with miniscule details that work together to paint a tapestry of the world in which Austin and Mercy, his former therapist, live. From rain to football stadiums to the smell of a sea breeze, From Ashes to Honor is filled with great descriptions that make the setting feel real. The romance, however, strays a little too close to insta-love for my liking.

     The characters in this story are very fun to read. Although the plot circles around Austin, a devout Christian, and Mercy, a pragmatic woman with no patience for faith, the side characters and subplots are just as interesting. Austin's neighbors, the charming elderly couple Bud and Flora, face a terrible sickness. Mercy's fun-loving brother comes to visit. We also meet several of Austin's coworkers, each of them unique and dynamic. Characters, the protagonists especially, are complex and remarkably realistic. A downside, however, is that the level of depth each character starts with never changes. While they're interesting to read, they don't go through a lot of development.

     On the surface, the plot of the novel appears to be a simple boy-meets-girl romance, but that's far from the truth. While there is plenty of flirting and some very sweet moments, the book is, at its heart, about looking past love to the storms ahead. Austin and Mercy are two very different people when it comes to faith and religion, and it's this difference that drives the plot. Together, they must face difficulty after difficulty as they decide whether it's safe to commit to a relationship where they are "unevenly yoked".

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance featuring characters of two different faiths, or anyone who is interested in stories about 9/11. With its rounded, if somewhat static, characters and a great plot, Loree Lough's From Ashes to Honor captures the heart of a first responder. Readers beware: this book features a very cute couple and plenty of "feels". For all these reasons, I give From Ashes to Honor four stars.

Review of "Matched"

"Cassia Reyes, the Society is pleased to present you with your Match."

     In Ally Condie's Matched, everything in the Society is regulated. Who you marry. Where you work. When you die. Seventeen-year-old Cassia has been waiting for her Matching Ceremony her whole life, and the event has finally arrived. Everything is perfect: the feast, the dresses, the silverware. One by one, the Matchees' names are called and they rise, ready to view their spouse-to-be on the portscreen. Then they are handed a small silver box containing a microcard that lists everything there is to know about their Match: hobbies, skills, interests. But when Cassia rises, things are different. The screen doesn't light up, which means her Match is in that room. Cassia is Matched to Xander, her best friend, and she's ecstatic--until another face appears on her microcard, and she finds herself torn between two boys, and a decision that will change her life forever.

     The characters in Matched are very well-written. Cassia is a complex creature of shifting desires and motivations. She's torn between a safe, secure life with Xander and the freedom she has with her pseudo-Match, Ky. Xander, in turn, is good-natured and fun to read. Ky is a more mysterious character, full of secrets and hidden depths. Although this is supposed to be portrayed as a good thing, I have a hard time connecting with Ky because of it. Cassia's grandfather, however, is my favorite character by far: wise, mischievous, and insightful. Grandfather has a depth that none of the other characters possess, and it's written beautifully.

     Theoretically, Matched should have been a perfect read for me. It's all about a girl who discovers sinister secrets about her supposedly utopian society and must learn to fight against it. Even without the love triangle, the stage is set for some really great subterfuge, rebellion, and passionate arguments...except, those things don't come. Cassia spends most of her time hiking, watching her friends play games, and spending time with her family. The most dramatic point in the book is when her father loses an object of vital importance and the Officials search their house. This, in particular, was extremely disappointing.

     One of the contributing factors to Matched's passive nature is the prose. Condie's writing, though rich in detail, is written from a...well...passive point of view. The focus of the story is more on the illegal poems that Cassia finds in her grandmother's old compact than it is on what she's going to do about them. It doesn't help that Cassia is essentially a bystander character. She wants to fight back, but she doesn't know how to do so without disrupting the peaceful life she's grown to love. Our heroine has a hard time realizing she can't have her cake and eat it, too, and it's this docile attitude that holds the story back.

     An upside to this is that the characters in Matched are very well behaved. No one curses or swears, conversations are always appropriate--painfully so--and there is absolutely no violence. Compliments are always sincere, and nobody is malicious. Even the Officials, who make it their business to keep Cassia and Ky apart, don't hide barbs behind their words of concern.

     I would recommend Matched to anyone looking for a YA novel about totalitarian societies and rebelling in small ways. Although the characters are rather distant and the plot moves at a slow pace, the world is beautifully built and Cassia's inner struggle is interesting to see. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it's gripping, Ally Condie's Matched is certainly not one to skip over in your search for a good read. It sits at the upper end of three stars, held back only by the passivity of the prose.

Review of "The Neverending Story"

"The nothing is spreading."

      Written in 1979 and translated by Ralph Manheim in 1983, Michael Ende's The Neverending Story is a classic tale about imagination, friendship, and the power of choice. When Bastian Balthazar Bux, ten years old and the punching bag of his entire class, stumbles through the door of a bookstore in an attempt to hide from a crowd of bullies, thievery is the last thing on his honest mind. But the shopkeeper is reading The Neverending Story, and in that moment Bastian wants nothing more than a book that never ends, one he can read without ever having to worry about returning to the real world, so he takes it--and runs. Holed up in the attic of the schoolhouse, Bastian finally cracks open this mysterious book, only to find that its contents are very real, and the empress who rules this fictional kingdom needs his help to survive. And even if he succeeds, can Bastian deal with the results of his actions?

      The concept of a book whose characters are real is not a new one, but The Neverending Story is nothing if not original. Bastian, a young boy with a passion for books, spends much of the story reading about Atreyu, a green-skinned hunter engaged in a quest to find someone to rename the Childlike Empress and save her life, and the reader gets to read it right along with him. Atreyu is a little flat, but his devotion to his empress makes for great reading. And the plight of Fantastica's ruler isn't the only driving force behind the plot; there is also the nothing, an emptiness that is spreading across the land. Only by giving the Childlike Empress a new name can the nothing be defeated and order be restored. It's a nifty idea, and it works: the plot is riveting.

     Bastian is a flawed character who is incredibly relatable. He's proud but self-conscious, friendly but vulnerable. He longs to be the hero in his own story, rather than the victim. In Fantastica, he has the chance to explore the responsibilities of a hero while learning that the most important thing to be is himself. When he stumbles, he stumbles big time, and even his victories are tinged with loss. But this isn't detrimental to the plot. It's acknowledged and confronted, and in the end it is one of the things that shapes Bastian into who he becomes. Bastian must come to terms with the consequences of his actions and decide what he values most before he can truly become a hero.

     As this is a children's book, it can be expected that there is no profanity or inappropriate language used. Characters may utter the occasional "My God", but that is the extent of it. Some characters are particularly rude, while others are kindhearted to a fault. There isn't a whole lot in the way of violence, as the monsters are usually either misunderstood or deal in riddles. However, there are occasional battles that result in blood and death, although such things are skimmed over whenever possible.

     The storytelling in this tale is incredible. The world of Fantastica is built with impressive detail, each species well thought-out and completely in balance to its environment. The rules of the land are absolute and easy to understand, each character a constant battle of shifting desires and fears, each plot point perfectly in line with the rest of the story. The prose is definitely geared toward a younger audience, but there is no reason it shouldn't be just as satisfying for adults.

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good-sized children's book about friendship, loyalty, and redemption. Bastian is a flawed character who is easy to connect with, just as Atreyu and his other friends are sympathetic. The world, the plot, and the characters are all thought out and well-rounded. Whether you're looking for a tale to entertain your kids or a satisfying read to eat up all that free time, The Neverending Story is worth checking into, a trait that earns it a rating of five stars.

Review of "White Space"

"As Kramer drones, she stares at words and sentences that, up to five seconds ago, she thought were hers alone."

     In Ilsa J. Bick's White Space, we get a glimpse into the world of a writer. But Frank McDermott isn't your ordinary author: he gets his stories from the Dickens Mirror, an entrance to the Dark Passages that lets a creature his daughter refers to as "the whisper-man" give him ideas in return for blood. What he doesn't know is that his daughter has a similar talent: the ability to get into the minds of characters, dolls, and toys, to weave herself into them until it's impossible to tell who's who. And when Emma, a college student with a head full of metal, writes a short story that turns out to be a plagiarized version of McDermott's final, unfinished novel, things get even weirder. Soon, Emma is lost in a foggy valley with several strangers from different times, places, and lifestyles, and they can't help but wonder: In this crazy world, where pieces of their pasts rise up around them, what is truly real?

     Technically speaking, White Space is a YA book. Its characters are primarily older teenagers, with the exception of two Vietnam War veterans and McDermott himself. There's a bit of romance, and travel between Nows, and a girl whose abusive dad had thought it would be a brilliant idea to test whether his baby daughter would bounce against the basketball hoop. Add in a pair of brothers who killed Drunk Dad in self-defense, a young woman who can talk to ghosts, and a military commander whose head was blown off in 'Nam, and you have the cast and a bit of the plot of White Space. So yes, it is technically a young adult novel. Would I recommend it to a teen? Probably not.

     That's not to say it isn't gripping. I'm not usually a fan of horror stories, but White Space had me from "There is a crazy lady in the attic." Although much of it is confusing at first, most of the mysteries are explained near the end and the odd language--Nows, the Sign of Sure, Dark Passages, etc.--is simple enough to pick up on if you pay attention to context. The point of view switches constantly between the various characters, and there are times when the author switches to an entirely new Now: a flashback, or a piece of McDermott's life, or several scenes that follow the train of a character's thought. These are characterized by a third-person point of view that is written in the present tense, making it somewhat easy to tell what's happening when.

     One thing White Space really has going for it is the characters. Each person, from Frank McDermott to Lizzie, to Eric and Casey, is relatable on a fundamental level. Something about each one is sympathetic. Maybe it's a piece of their history, or a trait, or a manner of speech that sounds familiar, but there is always something about these characters that makes them feel real. They're rounded out, believable, and extraordinarily well-written.

     This book is a horror story. There are monsters, deaths, and terrifying encounters with the unknown as the characters traverse the White Space between words. The enemy is terrifying, their situation chilling. Characters curse in manageable doses, from "f---" to taking God's name in vain. Some are torn apart by monsters, another blown up, and one is possessed by a ghost from his past. If you're squeamish, this may not be the book for you.

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a horror story that plays with reality. Despite it's flaws, it's very well-written and is enjoyable to read, even if it's confusing at times. While it is technically a YA book, it reads more like a NA one, but that's okay--the characters are wonderful, and the plot is great. As for a rating, I tend to lean toward four stars. So if you're interested in some Young/New Adult horror, try picking up Ilsa J. Bick's White Space for a chilling good time.