Review: CHARM & STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn

Title: Charm & Strange
Author: Stephanie Kuehn (@stephkuehn)
Published: June 2013
Series: N/A
Genre: YA contemporary
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
POV: 1st person
Pages: 216
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publicist
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.

Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

It took me a bit more time to read Charm & Strange than a novel usually requires, which is strange when considering the limited number of pages. I didn't keep setting it aside because I hated it. I didn't set it aside because it was boring. I repeatedly set it aside because Kuehn's debut is intense, and it was emotionally a bit difficult to experience the first person narration. Even once I finished the novel, I found myself struggling to write my thoughts down. This is a story that dares you look into the darkness that resides inside one young man, and it's a sight that is challenging to observe.

"Forget summer's heat. I was on fire." ¹ 

With chapters alternating between past (titled antimatter, when Win was a child) and present (titled matter), Charm & Strange tugs readers back and forth with teasing glimpses of who he was/is and what is currently haunting him as Win's secrets come to light. I knew to expect some serious matters, but the truths that are revealed are even more heartbreaking and intense than I initially imagined. This novel initially blends genres as you tiptoe through the story, uncertain of what is true or false within Win's narration. With each page, I was simultaneously eager and hesitant to know more. If you're interested in a story that will fascinate you, horrify you, and generally make you feel, this book will give you all of that and more.

"I'm split. I'm torn.
I am both ever evolving and ever decaying." ² 

Highlights: Emotional, evocative, and imaginative, Charm & Strange deserves any praise that it receives. This book is a challenge to read on an emotional level, and thrill to read on an analytic level. Win, both past and present, has a voice that feels so honest that at times I felt uncomfortable reading his story. His family was nicely developed in the past chapters. Kuehn made Win's character and his struggles feel real, and that's the best compliment I can give an author. I realize I'm being vague regarding the story itself, but it's difficult to mention anything detailed without saying too much.

Lowlights: Any problems I had with the story can be contradicted with a highlight. It's a slower, chaotic story. Maybe it would have been nice to see more of the side characters, but the only character I was truly interested in was Win. 

Note: There are some serious subjects. I don't want to mention them, because I do not want to spoil the novel, but it's not a lighthearted read. This isn't going to be a book for everyone, but I'd suggest giving it a chance. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. Charm & Strange lives up to its title, and proves to be a story worth reading. I'd highly recommend it. 

1 Keuhn 89
2 Keuhn 97

Review: SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by Trish Doller

Title: SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL
Author: Trish Doller
Published: June 19th, 2012
Genre: YA/NA contemporary
Publisher: Bloomsbury
POV: 1st person
Pages: 214
Format: Hardcover
Source: Won

"When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero."

One free month, and then Travis is headed back to Afghanistan to complete his final three years of active duty in the Marines. But upon arriving home for his short break, he finds that nothing is the same. He has no girlfriend (because she's dating his brother), no car (brother, yet again), a father he can't please, an overenthusiastic mother, a girl that isn't interested in him after he ruined her life, and the most disturbing change of all: haunting nightmares and visions of a friend that died in Afghanistan that won't leave him alone. Travis is trying to keep everything together, especially himself, before it's time for him to leave. But sometimes, you just can't escape your demons.  

I initially judged this book on its cover and almost let a wonderful, touching story pass me by. SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL quickly became one of the most surprising debut novels that I read in 2012. Doller takes a story you don't see all that often in YA lit and brings it authenticity through Travis's straight-forward narration. It's almost awkward to read Travis's narration, simply because it feels so realistic that it almost seems as if you are intruding on an actual person's thoughts. Travis is struggling with the past while looking to the future, and I was thoroughly invested in his every word as his story unfolded. Doller shifts easily from the humor to the serious moments, but it's with her characters that she truly excels. Everyone is flawed in some way, and they all manage to be memorable by the end. SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL is an emotional story that makes a strong impression. 

Highlights: Once I began, I couldn't put this book down until the final page arrived. There's humor, a little bit of romance, and plenty of honest and true-to-life moments that you want out of a contemporary novel. Even better, Travis is an older young adult. He's lived life in a dangerous way, and I found his story to be compelling. 

Lowlights: It's a very, very short book. I think a few scenes and characters could have been fleshed out a bit more to help this story make an even stronger impact.

Cover: Based on the cover, I never would have bothered to read this book (I'm very grateful to have won a copy, or else I wouldn't have read it). There is a romantic subplot, but it's not the largest aspect of this story, so I'm surprised the cover features a couple making out (which is a shame, since I think boys would like this book, but the cover doesn't show that side of the novel). I like that they included dog tags. 

Half Way Home by Hugh Howey Review

Book: Half Way Home

Author: Hugh Howey

Release date: May 1st, 2010

Source: Author

My Summary: 

When Porter awakens to flames, he knows something has gone horribly wrong. Out of the original five hundred colonists that were being raised in vats, less than sixty made it out, if even that many. To make it even worse, the colonists only have half their training, and at fifteen years of age, they are not ready to start a life on this new planet. Yet, the Colony, a robotic being behind all the plans for the colonists, gives them hope that they can make a life here.

At least, until the Colony's choices start to make even the most hopeful fill with despair. Colonists start running, escaping the madness that lies within the walls that are meant to protect them. Porter, along with his two friends Tarsi and Kelvin, need to decide if staying is worth it...and just what secrets is the Colony keeping about their new home planet?

Review: Half Way Home is a unique story that is sure to surprise readers.

Porter, our narrator, is smart, and a bit confused about things. His profession (though his training is only half finished) is a psychologist. It's his job to help everyone else, but he definitely could use a helping hand sometimes as well. Tarsi and Kelvin were interesting side characters, especially with the very complex love triangle they created. 

The plot is easy to follow, keeps you curious, and it's a quick but thoughtful novel to read. Howey creates a world with intriguing creatures and environments that come alive, and it's difficult to stop reading without curiosity getting the better of you. The tension builds with every page, and the final chapters do not disappoint.  

Highlights: I loved the inclusion of Porter's character struggling with his sexuality, because that's something I wasn't expecting to see in the novel. Porter's journey in his discovery of who he is became a definite highlight. Howey doesn't fail to surprise as well, with an ending that is every bit as smart and shocking that I've come to expect from him. 

Lowlights: Porter's narrative got a bit tedious to read at some points. Because he is, essentially, a half-trained psychologist in a fifteen-year-old body, his voice can be a bit confusing in that his personality almost seemed half-trained. The characters weren't quite as memorable as I would have liked. At times, I just felt like something was missing from the story; a "wow" factor that Howey's other novels have.

I enjoyed Half Way Home, although not as much as Howey's Bern Saga novels, but I liked it and it's uniqueness. 

Rating:   

Other books by this author:

Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue (review) (Kindle version priced at $2.99!!)

Molly Fyde and the Land of Light (review)

Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions (review to come)