The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Release: June 28, 2011

Pages: 320 (hardcover)

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: Galley Grab

Summary:

Sometimes there's no turning back.

Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of her family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell that he's also looking for an escape. Together they...Click here for more of this summary.

Thoughts: The Day Before perfectly exemplifies the beauty of words tied together through emotion - this story is poetic, lyrical...and just overall spectacular.

Amber needs this last day for herself, and only herself. Running off early in the morning with a backpack full of essential items - her drumstricks, P!NK blaring on her iPod, and of course, some jelly beans - Amber heads off for a day that she can control. Early on, she runs into Cade, the two of them click, and decide to see where the day takes them. As the day spirals onward into more adventures, the separate mysteries surrounding these two characters are slowly revealed. Mixed in, letters to Amber help hint at her predicament, but it's Cade's that will surprise the most.

Schroeder knows how to string words together beautifully. Her characters are easy to connect with and I couldn't help but grow quickly curious about what was going on in Amber's life. Her impromptu day trip alone intrigued me -- After all, who hasn't ever wanted just a day that you can control completely, where you can go anywhere and do anything?^{1} The situations and issues revealed in this novel are a bit heartbreaking, but this story still manages to come across as endearing. 

From fun at the beach, to an awesome concert I wish I could attend^{2} and so much more, The Day Before is truly an incredible story about one day and how easily life can throw some surprises your way. 

Highlights: References to various musical artists, movies were a bonus (especially for a current pop culture movie/music fan). But even more, I enjoyed how Amber and Cade bonded over music/movies. This novel is written in pure emotion and still remains very realistic to the narrator - despite being so lyrical, she still comes across like a teenage girl. I'm not usually a verse-novel fan, but I always find Schroeder's work enjoyable and worthwhile to read. 

Lowlights: It was far too quick, too short. By the time it ended, I wanted just more out of the story/characters to give them both a bit more depth. The attraction - while sweet - between Cade and Amber needed some more time to develop into something believable. 

Rating:   

{1} Raises hand*

{2} Trust me, you'd want to be at that concert too. *dances*

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Buy it: Amazon / Book Depository
Release: June 7, 2011

Pages: 464 (hardcover)

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Amazon Vine Program

Summary:

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. 

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. 

Thoughts: Blood Red Road is exciting and introduces a different style of writing that succeeds in creating a gripping and thoughtful story.

Narrated by Saba in writing that perfectly reflects her character, the story begins with Saba's life at Silverlake with her father, Emmi (sister), and Lugh (her twin brother). Saba herself comes across a bit unkind and very easy to dislike in the beginning, but her growth and gained maturity is  obvious throughout the story. Saba's broken knowledge of English shows on every page, but I eventually came to enjoy how the story was written in the way that she speaks - it creates an even more immediate connection to who Saba is and who she becomes. Emmi is another character that took some time to warm up to, but I ended up loving her personality. Lugh is one character we only know for a short time (which was a bit disappointing) but I had plenty of other characters to enjoy reading about. Secondary characters like the Free Hawks girls and Jack stand out and shine the way Saba does. 

The setting changes as Saba moves swiftly across the deserts of Silverlake, to Hopetown where gladiator-like battles take place, and the more unique Freedom Fields (as well as a few other intriguing places). Each new place Saba takes the reader blooms to life, and the possibility of danger at every turn made this story captivating to me. The storyline is both filled with exciting moments that will have you hooked, as well as slow, thoughtful moments too. Imaginations will run wild with Blood Red Road, and you'll definitely want more.

Highlights: Action. Adventure. More Action. Loss. Family. Love. These things are all at the heart of this story, and I love that. Even the romance, what little there was, did not take over the plot. This book is about coming of age, and about the crazy things you'll do for your family. I love a book with a plot that's actually worthwhile. This is by and far the most uniquely written story I've ever read. Plus, the characters are interesting (which is always a good thing).

Lowlights: I'm just curious how it all came to be, this society. I also thought a few aspects of the story were predictable. In addition, I almost gave up in the first 50 pages or so pages because I wasn't adjusting to the writing style/character - this story has a very slow start, but it does pick up the pace eventually.

Note: If you have issues with novels written in the voice of a character who really does not have the best diction, then you might want to check this one out at the library first (or read a chapter at the bookstore) to see if you'll be able to enjoy the writing. I thought I would hate this book, but I ended up enjoying how it was written completely in Saba's voice. 

Rating:  

White Cat by Holly Black Review

White Cat 
Holly Black
May 4th, 2010
310 pages (hardcover)
Publisher - McElderry
Source - Borrowed/Bought

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Addictive, deadly, and a bit surprising, White Cat delivers an excellent and intriguing story.

For my first time reading a Holly Black book, I wasn't disappointed. Cassel has a lot to sort out, especially since he's discovering lies and loose ends everywhere he turns. After waking up from a sleepwalking incident, he's starting to discover more things about his family than he can even imagine. Cassel's brother's are hiding something from him, and figuring everything out will take every con that he has in him.

When it comes to the plot, it is fairly easy to see what's coming next. However, it was still very enjoyable. I'm going to try to keep this review spoiler free, because it there are a few surprises tossed in. Black's writing keeps you addicted, and wanting to learn more about the curse workers and the abilities they all have. Even the end, I knew what was coming, but the way it played out surprised me.

Highlights: Sympathizing with Cassel was easy. He was always being left out of all the secrets and conversations, which is easy enough to relate to. After finishing  White Cat, I desperately wanted more. I also really liked the ideas behind curse workers, just a touch and someone can change your memories, kill you, harm you, et cetera. It was completely fascinating.

Lowlights: A lot was very predictable. It tends to bother me when I can see a storyline coming from the first fifty pages. I want surprises, and shocks (there were some, so I was pleased). There were also some blah, boring moments. Yet, as a whole, I was enjoying this story.

Rating: 4 out of 5