Various Positions

Various Positions by Martha Schabas follows fourteen year old Georgia as she starts the Royal Ballet Academy.  Georgia's classes are run by Rodrick a cruel man whom Georgia develops a sexual obsession with which overwhelms her life.  Georgia has a confusing home life and does not know how to ask for help.

This book was horrifying.  I finished it, however only because I was so horrified that I couldn't stop reading.  The entire thing reads like an explanation as to why statutory rape isn't wrong because it's normal and natural for girls to be enamored and try to seduce much older men.  That it can't be the man's fault because the girl really wants it.  The main plot of the book is Georgia's sexual obsession with her teacher.  She doesn't just obsess over him but obsesses over men that she sees on the subway and the relationship between her father and her mother (as she finds out that her mother started dating her father when she was a student).  She looks up information on the internet on teen-adult relationships and becomes fascinated with an internet pornstar.

As for this being a dance book.  It's isn't.  She's in class and talks about putting her shoes on and doing singular dance moves occasionally but there are no scenes to put the reader into the dance or the lifestyle of a real dancer.  Her dance teacher is mean and cruel to his students putting them all up for ridicule on a regular basis.  Her classmates are just as screwed up as she is (which is not like ballet students at all) and are into partying, boys and extreme bullying (to the point where they told a girl that she had to go perform a sexual act on a group of strange boys).  In response to her teachers critique of her friends weight Georgia encourages her friend to diet and develop an eating disorder (and never acknowledges that it was a problem even commenting several times how much better her friend looked).

Appropriateness:  This is not a young adult book even though it seems to be marketed as such and it's not a book that I would give to a teen.  It did not read like a young adult book and the content is certainly not what teens would be comfortable with.  I could see readers of literary fiction enjoying the weird character study but it's not what readers of YA fiction will enjoy.  As for adult content we've got a teen-adult relationship, alcohol, teen bullying, eating disorders (and not presented in a way to teach) and unprotected casual sex.  All of the relationships in the book are unhealthy and destructive.

Review copy obtained from Amazon Vine

The Way We Fall

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe is told in journal format by Kaelyn a girl who is stuck on an island which has been quarantined because of a horrible virus that kills everyone that contracts it.  When Kaelyn's friend's father gets mysteriously sick it starts a chain reaction that leads to the island being quarantined as more and more people die every day.  The quarantine gets worse and worse everyday as the islanders are cut off and abandoned  by the rest of the country.

I really enjoyed this novel.  The author did a good job creating a situation that is both terrifying and believable.  Kaelyn is a great character and loved the interactions with her friends and family.  There are enough new revelations as the story goes on to keep the reader interested.   I did find the story to be a little slow at times and I was very frustrated by the sudden ending.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  The romance is limited to a few kisses.  There is a lot of death making this a very emotional book.  I would recommend this book to teens who are a fan of dystopian and post apocalyptic novels.  

Review copy obtained from netgalley

Switched

Switched by Amanda Hocking is the first book in the Trylle trilogy.  This book is being re-released after being published independently.  The book follows Wendy who has lived with her brother and aunt after her mother tried to kill her when she was six because she was sure that Wendy was not her child.  Wendy has always felt different and has recently gained the power of persuasion.  When the mysterious Finn comes to her and tells her that she's a changling and that it's time that she returned to her real family in Trylle (troll) society.

I had major problems with this book but I do admit that it's engrossing.  It has one of those sickly sweet obsessive forbidden love stories that comes out of nowhere which included a scene where Wendy lays down and cries and wants to die because the boy she met weeks earlier leaves (I almost threw the book across the room during that scene).    I also had a problem with the mythology as it just seemed absurd that Wendy was supposed to fit into a new society (as a princess) within two weeks of leaving the family that left her.  I just felt that the writing was uneven, the plot and mythology uneven.

Appropriateness:  Aside from the unhealthy relationship there isn't any adult content.  I recommend the book for readers 13+

ARC provided by the publisher

Hallowed

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand is the second book in the Unearthly trilogy.  This series follows Clara a teenage angel who is destined to perform her purpose.  This book focuses on a new purpose that Clara has been dreaming of that will take place at the funeral of a loved one and the dark angel who is stalking her.  Clara also struggles choosing between two boys, the human Tucker and fellow Angel Christian.

I enjoyed this book but found it suffered from a bit of slowness that often is found in the middle book of the series.  This book focused heavily on the love triangle with the heroine letting things happen to her instead of making strong and confident decisions.  I did enjoy the bits and pieces of mythology that were revealed and the information that was revealed about Clara's father.  I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed the first book (however if you didn't love the first book you'll want to skip it).

Appropriateness:  Aside from a little heavy petting there is no adult content in this book.  I would recommend it to readers 14+ (however it is not inappropriate for younger teen readers).

Review copy provided by Netgalley

The Darlings In Love

The Darlings in Love by Melissa Kantor is the sequel to The Darlings Are Forever. Natalya, Victoria and Jane all find themselves in relationships that aren't perfect.  Natalya's finds herself falling for a girl with a boyfriend, Jane's boyfriend has questionable motives and Victoria is loosing herself in her boyfriends interests.  The three of them have to figure out how to deal with these relationship issues while continuing to be friends.

This is a fantastic book for young teens (however adults and older teens will roll their eyes at the naivete of the girls) each of the girls goes through a pitfall in their relationship that girls can learn from.  From not being willing to admit that your boyfriend is gay to being in an unbalanced relationship.  It's nice to have a book that points out the problems that many have in their relationship instead of romanticizing them like other books do.  Fans of Kantor's first book will find the same style and the same focus on friendship that was found in The Darlings are Forever.

Appropriateness:  This is a book best suited for a middle school audience.  The relationship issues are a good teaching point for young teens and I would encourage parents to discuss them while their girls are reading the book.  Aside from a little lying to parents the girls do not participate in any adult behavior.  I would reccomend the book to readers 11-15.

Review copy provided by Netgalley.

Ditched

Ditched: A Love Story begins at the end with Justina being pushed out of a car in a very stained prom dress.  She makes her way into a convenience store where she tells her story to the cashier.  We are brought to the beginning of the story and Justina explains everything that happened leading up to her stumbling into the convenience store starting with the events that led up to prom.

This was a delightfully entertaining love story.  While at first I didn't like Justina I grew to love her as the book went on and her missteps and disasters were so funny.  She was flawed in a very real way but was still sweet.  The other characters seemed very real from her best friend to Ian and Mike and Other Mike.  The book was fairly short and a very fast read which I finished in a few hours.  It reminded me of an end of the year crazy teen movie about that one crazy night where everything goes wrong but ends up ok in the end.

Appropriateness:  This is a book with lots of teen behavior and the teenagers act like teenagers.  There is drinking by other characters however, the main character does not drink.  There also seems to be a constant search for designated drivers which gives this book a nice anti-drunk driving message.  There is a set of stoner characters who talk about their bong.  Justina's romantic situation is in part due to the fact that she and her best friend tried to kiss as many people as possible when they were younger which gives a nice message about how your past actions will follow you.  There is no sex and the romance is limited to a bit of kissing.  Despite all of this I wouldn't have a problem with handing this book to even a young middle schooler because the message is ultimately a good one.  Justina has to deal with the consequences of her past actions and the whole experience is related in a way that does not glorify any of the negative behaviors.  I would recommend this book to teens 13+

ARC Provided by Netgalley

Drink Slay Love

Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durnst follows Pearl, a sixteen year old vampire.  While snacking at the ice cream shop (from the boy behind the counter) she sees a sparkly unicorn.  The unicorn pierces her in the heart and she wakes up on her doorstep.  Pearl soon finds that she is able to walk in the sunlight and is sent to the local high school so that she can befriend the locals and find dinner for the upcoming ceremony with the king.

I think this is what happened with this book.  The editor told the author to write a book about vampires because vampires are hot in teen lit.  The author then rolled her eyes and thought fine, if you want a vampire book I'm going to make it absurd.  Then she wrote a terrific and serious book with the most absurd characters and twists (were-unicorns anyone?).  This made for a book that was both compelling and well plotted but also hysterically funny in it's small moments of absurdity.  I couldn't put the book down and loved it.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book (aside from a little nudity because of clothes that had to be burned).  The main character is seventeen and acts her age.  The romance is sweet and fairly innocent.  I would recommend this book to both older and younger YA readers 12+

Toads and Diamonds

Toads and Diamonds follows two girls Dirbani and Tana who are blessed with gifts by a magical goddess.  Diribani speaks jewels and flowers which and her sister Tana speaks snakes and toads.  The two both find that their gifts are not as they initially seem and both present the girls with danger and with the ability to help others.  When their gifts separate them they have to figure out how to navigate life on their own and master their gifts.

This is a wonderfully delightful fairytale.  It is set in colonial India (although fictionalized) and the world building and setting makes for a beautiful read.  Although for much of the story the sisters are separated with the story moving back and fourth between narrators and location the book still manages to flow nicely.  I enjoyed the story and it gave me that nice warm feeling that fairytales often do.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  The characters are in their late teens and face adult responsibilities.  There is a bit of romance but not enough to turn off younger readers.  I would recommend this book to teens 13+ (and there is nothing to bother younger readers if they are interested).  The lexile is 820 putting it around a sixth grade reading level.

Under The Never Sky

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi is told in alternating voice.  Aria was born in a domed city, a world where everyone spends most of their time in the digital realms (like on Caprica).  Perry lives in the real world in a settlement and has advanced senses.  When Aria takes off her viewscreen and steps into the real world with some friends in a hope that one of them will be able to get some information on her mother.  Things quickly get out of hand causing the deaths of a few of her friends and she finds herself kicked out of the dome and left to die where she meets up with Perry who is searching for his nephew who has been kidnapped by Aria's people.  The two start on a journey together which will put both their lives at risk.

This is one of the books for the new year that has been over hyped and portrayed as totally fantastic.  The back of the book compares it to The Hunger Games and Graceling which made me raise my eyebrows.  It does not resemble the Hunger Games at all.  In reality it's more like Graceling (people with strange enhanced powers and a couple going on a journey though a strange and dangerous world) combined with the digital world of Caprica set in a post apocalyptic wasteland.  Ultimately however, it is a book about two unlikely characters meeting up going on a journey and falling in love while realizing they're more alike than they once thought. 

This book was interesting but flawed.  It has some major pacing issues and doesn't really come together until the two main characters meet up several chapters into the book and the book felt much longer than it really was.  I had no problems putting the book down and wasn't anxious to pick it back up.  The world is large and not fully explored and characters and situations are far too often left hanging with no resolution (although I'm sure they'll pop up in the later books).  There were however some interesting ideas and situations in the book and I came to care about the characters and their motivations and I never felt like giving up on the book.

Appropriateness:  This is a book that was obviously written for older teens.  The characters act older and the book was fairly heavy, it is not a quick or light or fun read.  There is one sex scene but it's so tame that you might miss it if you blink and the characters drink alcohol a few times (once with a character getting drunk and then getting himself into a fight because he's so upset).  However there is a huge amount of senseless violence with characters killing without a second thought and for the most part feeling no remorse after the fact even when multiple people are killed.  I would recommend this book to teens 14+ and caution parents of younger readers about the excesses of violence included in the story.

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine