Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon
Cath Crowley
Release: February 14th, 2012
Pages: 272 (hardcover)
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

Mini-Thoughts: In one night, everything can change. It begins innocently enough, with Lucy and friends searching for Lucy's favorite street artist, and Ed's stuck as an unwilling guide. Both Ed and Lucy have their own distinct voices, personalities, and hobbies¹. I found Lucy's odd, melodious voice to be slightly more fascinating than Ed's, but they both were intriguing and unique narrators. The story itself is interesting - filled with adventure and fresh outlooks on life. Graffiti Moon is simply a story that everyone should read.

Highlights: Graffiti Moon is filled with beautiful, breathtaking prose. There's a sense of realism and authenticity that makes it easy to relate with the characters and enjoy the story. Everything is described using vivid words. Poet's few pieces of poetry mixed in with the narrative was wonderful - each piece was lyrical, memorable.

Lowlights: Mostly predictable, like many realistic fiction novels. I wish Poet's limited and brief interruptions in the POV had happened more often.

Rating: 

1 Lucy's hobby is so cool!

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*