The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
Published by Crown

From the publisher:

In a dusty corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire, a door has long been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts. 
           
The home’s new owners are Chip and Emily Linton and their twin ten-year-old daughters. Together they hope to rebuild their lives there after Chip, an airline pilot, has to ditch his 70-seat regional jet in Lake Champlain after double engine failure. Unlike the Miracle on the Hudson, however, most of the passengers aboard Flight 1611 die on impact or drown. The body count? Thirty-nine – a coincidence not lost on Chip when he discovers the number of bolts in that basement door. Meanwhile, Emily finds herself wondering about the women in this sparsely populated White Mountain village – self-proclaimed herbalists – and their interest in her fifth-grade daughters. Are the women mad? Or is it her husband, in the wake of the tragedy, whose grip on sanity has become desperately tenuous?   

The result is a poignant and powerful ghost story with all the hallmarks readers have come to expect from bestselling novelist Chris Bohjalian: a palpable sense of place, an unerring sense of the demons that drive us, and characters we care about deeply.

The difference this time? Some of those characters are dead.

I feel compelled to start by saying that I LOVE Chris Bohjalian and have pretty much loved everything I’ve read from him. So I was surprised and disappointed when I didn’t love The Night Strangers, didn’t even like it much, in fact. For many reasons, the book just didn’t work for me.

I didn’t feel drawn to any of the characters in the book. I felt for Chip, sure, what he experienced when his plane went down and all of those people were killed was absolutely devastating and I cannot imagine feeling responsible for such a tragedy. But I didn’t connect with him in any real way, and that made it difficult for me to truly care about his situation. With Emily, again I felt for her – having to move to a new town and start a new life and having to live with a husband who has PTSD, all while holding down a job and caring for two children is certainly something I cannot imagine having to deal with – but again, I felt no real connection to her so it was just surface-level caring on my part. And I felt the twins were kept at arms’ length from me, that I wasn’t able to truly get to know them.

Second, the ghost story part of the book. I like a good ghost story as much as the next person. To me, this wasn’t a “good” ghost story. It was simply a few ghosts, from the plane that crashed, scaring Chip. Or were they even ghosts? Was that his PTSD talking and they were all in his head? The reader never really knows, which can be cool, but in this case I found it relatively annoying. Especially when Chip started going off the deep end – I just didn’t get it.

And then we have the herbalist women. My absolute least favorite thing about the entire book. They felt SO out of place among the rest of the novel. I just could not with these women. And the ending? Not a fan, not even a little bit.

Basically … I found the entire book to be uneven and not very cohesive. It’s very likely a case of this particular book and this particular reader not being a good match, because truly I have loved most everything Bohalian has done and I will continue reading his novels. But this one will never be one I can recommend.

Mini-review binge

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Published by Random House

June Elbus is fourteen years old in 1987 when her beloved uncle Finn dies of AIDS. Her family can barely speak of the reason for his death, and they definitely don’t talk about the man they believe killed him by giving him the disease, his long-time partner Toby. When June begins a secret friendship with Toby, she learns of this whole other life that Finn had, a life he kept her completely out of, his life with Toby.

You guys, this book is everything. Heartbreaking, unflinchingly honest, great characters, perfect writing, EVERYTHING. I loved it and I need you to read it. I just wanted to reach through the pages and give this girl some love. So, so sad but so beautiful too. Please read it.

House of Bathory by Linda Lafferty
Published by Amazon Publishing

Elizabeth Bathory, a countess in the early 1600’s, ruled a castle in Slovakia, and rumor has it that she tortured and killed hundreds of young women, after which she would bathe in their blood to preserve her youth. Four hundred years later, Betsy Plath, a psychologist, is working with difficult teen Daisy Hart, when the two of them discover ties from the legend of Bathory to their own lives.

This book is why I love being in book clubs. I never would have picked this up on my own, it is totally not my thing, but I really, really liked it. The plot was intense and unique and, especially in the second half, like a thrill ride that I didn’t want to put down. My only complaint would be that the writing is far from perfect, but honestly I was so captivated by the craziness and the characters that I didn’t really care about the writing.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Published by Little, Brown and Company

This book is by far the most compelling and well-written case against eating animals that I’ve ever read. I’ve always gone back and forth between wanting to go vegetarian and loving meat and Eating Animals might just have pushed me over the edge. Although I can’t quite get there all the way (I still eat seafood, eggs, and some dairy products), I haven’t eaten red meat, pork, or turkey since I started reading this book, and I’ve only had chicken a handful of times. I have to say, if you don’t want to question your meat-eating, I wouldn’t pick this one up, because it’s just that good, and it will force you to at least consider cutting down your meat consumption. But if you’re at all concerned about where your food comes from and the truth about how we treat animals at factory farms, Eating Animals is a must-read.

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Published by Simon Pulse
Review copy received at SIBA 2012

Carmen is a teen prodigy, a violinist who is thisclose to winning the prestigious Guarneri competition. She decides one day to scope out her competition, Jeremy, and while she finds him arrogant and obnoxious, she can’t help falling for him a little, too. When the urge to be with Jeremy gets in the way of her competitive drive to win, she has to make an incredibly difficult choice.

I really liked this one and it’s stayed with me even though it’s been a while since I finished reading it. I felt deeply for Carmen, as the pressure her family and peers put on her to be the best became suffocating to the point that she had to take anti-anxiety medicine just to get through a violin lesson, let alone her performances. When she grew close with Jeremy, I rooted for them to figure out a way to be together, despite their circumstances. This really was a sweet YA novel that had some tough subjects wrapped up in that sweetness.

Return to Tradd Street by Karen White

Return to Tradd Street by Karen White
Published by NAL Trade
Review copy provided by the publisher

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love Karen White’s books, and the Tradd Street series in particular is one of my favorite things (as a whole) that she’s done. So when I learned she was coming out with another book about Melanie and Jack, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to read it right away. Warning – this will contain spoilers for the first three books in the series.

The book begins with Melanie, sick in her first trimester of pregnancy, and utterly devastated at the fact that she and Jack are not currently together (not that she’d ever admit that, of course). After Melanie declared her love for Jack, and he responded with “thank you”, she turned down his marriage proposal. Of course. So now she’s alone, again, in this big old house she’s renovating, when yet another ghost comes into the picture and demands answers – and Melanie, as always, answers the call and begins hunting for clues to solve this new ghost story.

I have yet to be disappointed by Karen White and this new installment of the Tradd Street series was another hit with me. I love the dynamics between Melanie and Jack – just when I think I’m over their bantering back and forth and not being honest with one another about their feelings, another book comes out with the exact same dynamic and I’m hooked once again. I just love these two! Add to the picture them having a baby together and things just got crazy, in the best possible way.

The ghost story in this book was another good one, the fact that it was about a mother and baby was that much more relevant to Melanie as she is pregnant and then gives birth herself over the course of the novel. The ghost was truly speaking to her, mother to mother, desperate for Melanie to uncover the secrets of the house’s past and let the ghost go “home”. The way the truth of what happened to this ghost was revealed was done slowly and expertly, as White knows how to do perfectly.

I absolutely loved the ending to Return to Tradd Street, and although it ended in a way that suggests White is finished telling Melanie and Jack’s story, there were a few hints at the very end that suggest that might not be the case. I would of course love another book about them, but I also feel satisfied with how this book ended so I’d be okay with the series finishing with this book. Either way is good with me!

I highly recommend this series of books for a combination of ghost story, historical old homes, romance, and a main character in Melanie that you can’t help but love, frustrating as she may be at times. Highly recommended – but start with the first book if you haven’t read the rest of the series!

The Descent by Alma Katsu

The Descent by Alma Katsu
Published by Gallery Books
Review copy provided by NetGalley

This final installment in The Taker trilogy has Lanore tracking Adair down at his home set on a remote island in the middle of nowhere. She’s come to ask him a favor – to help her travel to the Underworld to release Jonathan, who is being held hostage by the Queen of the Underworld. Upon arriving at his home, though, Lanore learns that he’s keeping two women for his pleasure and old feelings stir up inside of her. Lanore promises Adair she’ll return to him as soon as she frees Jonathan, but once she gets there she has the opportunity to make a real choice between life and death, and must decide who she truly loves, and if that love is worth fighting for.

This trilogy was a complete surprise to me when I read the first book, The Taker, and fell in love with this dark, gritty, twisted world Katsu created. I was definitely sad to see it come to an end but overall I don’t think Katsu could have ended this series in a better way than what she did here.

There is something undeniable between Lanore and Adair, and those feelings are obvious as soon as she gets to his home. Katsu has developed both of these characters so well over the first two books that the ways they were interacting with each other in this final installment – with kindness, concern, and a mutual respect – made perfect sense and was nice to see. The addition of the two women Adair brought into his home was confusing at first, and felt out of place, but towards the end of the book the reason they were there is clarified so it made sense too.

While the middle of the novel meandered a bit for me, once Lanore reaches the Underworld, things really picked up and I was hooked once again. While the ending wasn’t one I would have wanted in the first book, by the time it happened, I LOVED it. I thought it was absolutely perfect and helped me put the series away in my mind, it was the definition of closure.

I cannot recommend this series more highly for those who love strange, gritty, dark books that will shock you but keep you riveted to the pages. The Descent was the perfect end to a great series. I can’t wait to see what Katsu does next.

Emerald City by Alicia K. Leppert

Emerald City by Alicia K. Leppert
Published by Cedar Fort
Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Olivia is the kind of person who prefers to live in solitude. She doesn’t have friends, lives alone, and spends her days going to work and back at the small coffee shop where she makes a living. One night, her depression overtakes her and her suicide attempt very well would have been successful if not for the neighbor who saved her and called the ambulance in time. Although Olivia doesn’t like to be around other people as a rule, she is curious enough about the man who rescued her to seek him out and get some answers about why he would go out of his way for a complete stranger. What she finds with this stranger is not at all what she anticipated, and her life begins to change in unexpected ways.

Emerald City was an interesting read for me. It almost felt like two separate books, as the first half is completely different from the second half. Basically what happens (as spoiler-free as possible) is that Olivia falls for her savior, Jude. They have this incredibly intense but platonic friendship, in which Olivia is in love with Jude and it seems like he feels the same way but nothing really comes of it. But at about two-thirds of the way through the book, Jude reveals that he is not who he appears to be. He is otherworldly, and Olivia must choose to accept that about him and love him anyway, or move on with her life. Jude also must make a huge decision in regards to their relationship.

Had I known this book was a paranormal romance, I’m not sure I would have picked it up; however, I did enjoy the book quite a bit so for that I’m glad I read it. I was completely invested in Olivia’s story from the first page – her suicide attempt is what Leppert begins the book with, so I was sucked into the pages immediately. While the romance between Olivia and Jude is not a real romance by any means, and completely chaste, I was still addicted to finding out if something would actually happen between the two of them, so that kept me compulsively turning the pages.

The ending of the novel definitely felt rushed to me, and I’m not sure I can say the writing was anything special. However, those are minor complaints because honestly I had a difficult time putting this book down. Emerald City is the kind of book I like to call “brain candy” but sometimes that’s exactly the type of read I’m looking for. I definitely enjoyed this novel and would recommend it, even if you don’t typically read paranormal romance. It might surprise you.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Published by Hyperion Books

*This review may contain spoilers for the first book in the series, Hex Hall. You have been warned.

Sophie Mercer thought she was sent to Hecate Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium, because she was a witch and had performed one too many spells with negative consequences. But that changed when she discovered the secret everyone has been hiding from her – she’s actually a demon. She decides she needs to go to London to endure The Removal, which will rid her of her demon powers, but when she gets to London things don’t go quite as she planned.

I enjoyed Hex Hall [my review] so much that I picked up Demonglass almost as soon as I could get my hands on it. Overall I have to say that the second book in this series lived up to my expectations and I’m excited to read the third when it is released in a few months.

The pace of this novel was a bit faster than its predecessor, and I liked how fast things moved along in this book. There was a bit more action and less world-building, which was nice. I enjoyed watching as Sophie got to know the father she’d never met and learned more about her family’s secrets. I have to admit that I find Sophie’s relationship with Archer extremely interesting – Hawkins makes their forbidden attraction extremely realistic, and I believed every minute of it. Also, it was cool that the setting of this novel was in an entirely different location from the first book, although with several of the same important characters. It was familiar but not – familiar enough that I didn’t need a reminder of what happened in the first book, unfamiliar enough to keep me on my toes, if that makes sense.

Demonglass is an exciting sequel to the fun and engaging series that began with Hex Hall. I’m truly looking forward to discovering what Hawkins does with the third book!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Published by Hyperion Books

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Mercer just learned three years ago that she is a witch. Her mother, a non-witch, has been as supportive as possible, while at the same time refusing to give Sophie any information about the warlock father she’s never met. When Sophie casts a love spell for a friend that goes horribly wrong, she’s sent to Hecate Hall, a reform school for witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. In her first week at Hex Hall, she’s made enemies with the most popular girls in school, befriended the only vampire there, and developed a crush on a seriously off-limits warlock. But there’s danger at Hex Hall – someone or something is attacking the students – and her best friend is the main suspect.

I had lunch with Sandy and Heather last week and they inspired me to feature a Halloween-themed book for today’s post – the only problem was, I had to read one first! So I knew I needed something light and fun that I could read quickly, but also something with that creepy Halloween factor, and Hex Hall turned out to be the perfect choice. I flew through the book, enjoyed every minute of it, and what could be more Halloweenish than a school full of witches, faeries, werewolves, and vampires?

I’m sort of over the whole paranormal/supernatural YA trend, but Hex Hall is so different from lots of other books in that genre in that it’s got a lighter style to it – it feels more YA and less supernatural, if that makes sense. Sophie is the kind of character the reader can easily get on board with – she’s realistic and very likable. I had a lot of compassion for her as she tried to navigate this world, completely new to her, without the aid of either parent. There’s one point in the book where she has a total breakdown after learning that there is a LOT she doesn’t know about her past or about what she’s really capable of as a witch, and I felt for her deeply. At the same time, Sophie is really funny and clever, and the novel had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

Hawkins took Hex Hall in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and the ending was the perfect set up for the sequel, Demonglass, which I will be reading soon. I loved the plot of the book because it always kept me guessing and Hawkins tossed in several surprises which made the story even better.

I definitely recommend Hex Hall. It’s certainly not the most serious of novels, but it’s really fun and totally engaging. I loved it!

Happy Halloween!

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of RandomHouse

Annah’s world has been a cold, dark, and terrifying place ever since Elias left for the Recruiters. The city she lives in is surrounded by the zombies that have taken over most of the planet. Her daily goal is simply to survive. But when she meets Catcher, things begin to look bright once again. She begins to feel that there might be hope for her still, and although it’s clear that Catcher has secrets of his own, Annah knows that her only chance at survival lies with him.

When I read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the first book in this series [my review] I liked it but wasn’t completely convinced. Then I read the second one, The Dead-Tossed Waves [my review], which I thought was even better than the first. And now, with The Dark and Hollow Places, I’m finding myself extremely satisfied with this series overall and very happy that I stuck with it, despite my initial trepidation.

What I love about this series is that each book deals with a different main character. The Dark and Hollow Places introduces the reader to Annah, a character with deep emotional scars to match the scarring on her body. She is in a very dark place in her heart, she is scared and hopeless and certain that she will not survive much longer. In addition, the pain she has dealt with in her life has caused her to shy away from other people, even when she has the desperate need for friendship and love. I could relate to her pain, her fear was palpable to me, and I really connected to her. While I knew that the book would be extremely dark in nature, I couldn’t help but hope for a happy ending for Annah.

Because this story is the third in a trilogy, I don’t see the point in discussing plot here. But what I will say that this book, along with the other two books in the series, are not happy or pleasant reads. The world Ryan created here is a depressing and awful place, and it is terrifying to imagine having to live in such a place. So don’t expect for the conclusion of the series to be wrapped up in a neat little bow with pretty paper – you have to expect more of a gritty, realistic resolution to this series. But there’s something about these books that inspires hope in me. The idea that people would do everything possible to continue to live in a world in which they have no real hope for survival, let alone any kind of normal life. The idea that these people would continue to fall in love, create friendships, and protect one another amidst all the zombie chaos. There’s just something about these concepts that I can’t help but latch onto.

I would definitely recommend the entire Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan. These books are exciting, fast-paced, well-written, and have excellent characters. Above all, the conclusion of the series did exactly what it needed to do, causing me to be very happy with the books overall.

A few mini-reviews (because I’m dangerously behind and no longer sure what to say about these books)

The title says it all, folks.  And here we go.

Something Blue by Emily Giffin is the companion novel to Something Borrowed, a book I recently reviewed here.  I went into Something Blue with a little trepidation, since the heroine is Darcy – a character I didn’t enjoy a bit in the first novel.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, when Giffin managed to mold Darcy’s character into a personality I could really get on board with.  She started out the book just as vapid as she was in Something Borrowed, but throughout the book she got her priorities in order and made an excellent (not to mention believable) transformation.  I have to admit that the events in the novel were somewhat predictable (okay, very predictable) but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.  It was a fun, light read that entertained me over the course of a few afternoons – exactly what I needed at the time I was reading it.  So I’m now two for two with Ms. Giffin – hopefully the streak continues, as I’m about to pick up her third novel! 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender is one that I read on a whim.  I’d heard so many good things about the book but the idea of reading it didn’t capture me until I realized I could download it to my iPod for my listening pleasure – this is when I decided to give it a try.  The main thing that stuck out to me about this novel was the writing.  There were some absolutely beautiful passages throughout the story – Ms. Bender certainly has an interestingly delicious way with words and I would be more than happy to read more of her work for that reason alone.  However, if I’m being honest I’d have to say that the story didn’t wow me much.  I liked the premise (girl can experience people’s feelings when she eats the food they cook) but the main character, Rose, didn’t do a whole lot for me and I thought the story meandered a little bit.  Plus, I’m still confused about what the deal was with her brother George.  The audio production was good, though, so if you’re interested in reading this one I can recommend listening to it for sure.  The book just wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, personally.

Here’s one I loved:  Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.  As with Shiver, I continued to enjoy the dynamics between Grace and Sam, I found the book to be extremely creative and very well-executed, and the plot definitely went places I wasn’t expecting.  I also really enjoyed the addition of new characters’ voices.  I LOVED the ending, although it was certainly not a happy one I thought it was just perfection and set up the third book so very, very well.  This is a series I’ll continue to rave about to anyone who will listen and I’m anxiously awaiting the third book!  

By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan is sadly another book I’m fairly ambivalent about.  I really, REALLY wanted to love this book.  Historical fiction about the Inquisition?  Yes, please!  I feel like I should have loved it – it has been getting rave reviews by many people whose opinions I value and trust.  And I enjoyed the novel, it just didn’t have that “this is amazing” factor I wanted it to have.  I’m fairly disappointed in myself, actually, as I almost feel like this was a user error – perhaps I didn’t devote the time and attention to the book it deserved.  Whatever the reason, while I appreciate By Fire, By Water (especially the meticulous research that clearly went into it) I just didn’t love it.

Let’s end on a positive note, shall we?  For Keeps by Natasha Friend was the perfect audiobook for me to listen to as I was working out, cooking dinner, doing household chores, etc.  Josie is a sixteen-year-old girl who has never met her father – and is totally okay with that.  Josie’s mom got pregnant with her when she was sixteen, and was subsequently abandoned by Josie’s dad, which created an extremely close relationship between Josie and her mom over the years.  But one day, Josie and her mom find out that her father’s parents have moved back to town, which sends Josie’s life into a direction she never could have anticipated.  Everything changes, and she is left to figure out who she is, what she wants, and what really matters in life.  I really, really enjoyed For Keeps and would absolutely recommend it.  Josie is such a fantastic character, such an accurate depiction of a teenage girl while still being an interesting character that continued to surprise me.  And I LOVE the depiction of the families in this book – Josie’s best friend Olivia, for example, has two dads and this is completely normal, nothing that needs to be discussed, it just is.  (As it should be, but rarely is in real life OR fiction.)  I probably should have given For Keeps its own post, because it really resonated with me and I can think of a million reasons I’d recommend it, but I didn’t do that – so just read it.  Natasha Friend has written a little book with a lot going for it.

I may do another one of these mini-review things soon because I really am behind.  And I’m also feeling like I have nothing to say about anything I’m reading these days, which isn’t a good combination.

Enough about me, though – what have YOU been reading lately?

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Published by Margaret K. McElderry

Clary Fray is enjoying a night out with her best friend Simon when she witnesses three teenagers murder another teen.  Unfortunately, when help arrives she cannot prove anything because the victim simply disappears.  Very quickly, she learns that she is special because these three teens are Shadowhunters (people who kill demons) and Clary shouldn’t be able to see them as she’s not a Shadowhunter herself.  It doesn’t take long before Clary is caught up in this supernatural world – her mother is kidnapped and she must work with these Shadowhunters, her new friends, to get some answers.

I’d been meaning to read The Mortal Instruments series for quite a while now, and I finally checked City of Bones out from the library earlier this month.  I must admit that I’m of two minds about this one:  I enjoyed the book, but I was left feeling like it didn’t live up to the buzz it’s generated over the past few years.

Allow me to clarify:  I liked the book.  I especially liked the character of Clary – I thought she was a bad-ass heroine, very strong and intelligent and also very teenager-like, which is perfectly okay for a teenager.  A little oblivious, perhaps, especially when it came to Simon’s interest in her, but overall an excellent heroine.  I thought the Shadowhunter world was explained very well, and I could really picture some of the places they went and the adventures they had.  I liked all of those things.

My issue with the book is that I built up my expectations of it too much.  I’d heard so many things about this series – people saying how amazing it is, how it’s their favorite YA supernatural series, etc.  And I just thought it was good, but nothing overly special.

That being said, I will continue on and read City of Ashes, the next in the series, and hope that since I now know the characters and am already invested in their lives, the second book will be slightly more enjoyable.  We will just have to see!