Review: WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart

Title: WE WERE LIARS
Author: E. Lockhart
Published: May 13th, 2014
Genre: YA contemporary
Pages: 240
POV: 1st person
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Format: e-ARC
Source: Netgalley / Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

On the outside, the Sinclair family is perfect. Just ask anyone. But for Cadence Sinclair, life is anything but perfect after an accident she cannot remember. For her, life is one big show of acting like she's okay, she's fine, even as she suffers from severely crippling migraines and the lingering uncertainty of what exactly happened her fifteenth summer on the island - the summer she can barely remember and the summer that changed her life completely. We Were Liars is simply captivating, and the type of story that demands you set everything aside in order to finish reading in one sitting.

We Were Liars is a quiet type of story, and it quickly became a story that I did not expect to read. From the very beginning, I was not sure what to make of Cadence. From the title alone, the possibility of having an unreliable narrator is high, but Lockhart shapes Cadence into a character you want to trust and fully believe. With each new reclaimed memory from Cadence and all of the little confusing moments, I was hooked, curious, and eager for more. This is a genuinely challenging story to discuss, but it is one worth reading and rereading. Smart, evocative, and surprising, We Were Liars is a thrilling puzzle to piece together, tear apart, and put back together again and again. 

Highlights: Lockhart's writing style is simplistic yet evocative. Cadence's voice is a nice mixture between a familiar YA-style prose and bare, revealing poetic lines. Despite the numerous hints, I guessed the wrong ending, which made the reveal more shocking and intense. Cadence, as an MC, was great simply because of her imperfections - she's a spoiled rich girl, and even though she tries to be better, her privileged side shows through in some moments. 

Lowlights: I wish it was longer, and that the side characters had been developed a bit more. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. We Were Liars swept me away right from the beginning with its mesmerizing writing style and tantalizing mystery. This is one story you need to check out. 

Highlights / Lowlights: IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS by Cat Winters

Title: IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS

Author: Cat Winters

Published: April 2013

Series: N/A

Genre: YA historical / paranormal

Publisher: Amulet Books

Pages: 387

POV: 1st person, past tense

Format: Kindle Book

Source: Purchased

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Highlights: Mary Shelley Black¹ is smart, sharp-witted, independent, and completely fabulous as a narrator. She's not some weak-willed girl, and I adored her for that aspect of her personality. The conclusion was mostly a surprise, and even though I did guess a few small aspects, Winters threw a few more twists my way. The importance of family was wonderful, especially Aunt Eva's presence throughout the story. Even the very bittersweet romance was nicely portrayed. The ghost aspect was entirely different than what I assumed it would be, which caused this novel to become a very refreshing story. All in all, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS is likely incredibly different from what you may expect, and completely worth your time. 

Lowlights: I set it aside for a few weeks after reading a couple chapters. While there were many interesting moments, I was never 100% compelled to read straight-through. But, I was probably in a book slump at that time. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf. A wonderfully descriptive historical novel featuring a fabulous main character, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS is worth checking out. 

1 My gosh, her name is a mouthful (but still a very awesome literary name and a nice nod to Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein).

Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

Shadowland by Meg Cabot 

(The Mediator #1)

Release: 2004

Pages: 304

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Bought

Summary:

Suze is a mediator -- a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business with the living. But Jesse, the hot ghost haunting her bedroom, doesn't seem to need her help. Which is a relief, because Suze has just moved to sunny California and plans to start fresh, with trips to the mall instead of the cemetery, and surfing instead of spectral visitations...read more at Goodreads.

Review: By and far some of Cabot's best work, Shadowland (the first installment of the Mediator series) is witty, fun, and full of heart. 

Susannah "Suze" Simon isn't your average teen: she can't drive, she wears a motorcycle jacket, and she's a mediator - a person who can see, speak and (if necessary) give ghosts that extra nudge (or shove) into the beyond. Giving up NYC life to go live in Carmel, California, Suze attempts to make the best of her new stepfather, Andy, and his three sons, Jake (Sleepy), Brad (Dopey) and David (Doc). But the moment she steps foot in her so-not-Suze bedroom, she realizes the move will be more difficult than she anticipated. Mostly because of the Spanish-speaking ghost that refuses move out of her bedroom. But in comparison to a ghostly Queen Bee named Heather waiting for Suze at her new school, he's the least of her problems. Being a mediator, it's up to Suze to deal with Heather, especially before someone gets hurt...or worse.

Every time I reread this book, I'm reminded why I love Cabot's writing (especially her earlier work) so much. Cabot includes intriguing storylines, characters you can't help but to adore, a strong/realistic heroine, and an abundance of amusing moments to keep your spirits up. Suze isn't some weak protagonist - she's not afraid to defend herself and the people she cares about. This is also one of the few paranormal stories that manages to keep family/friendship at the heart of the story, and I love how Cabot writes a light paranormal story where the family is present and cares about our protagonist (instead of killing off the family/making her parents completely suck like other books do). There's enough to keep a reader pleasantly surprised as well.

If you're looking for a lighter, amusing paranormal story for summer, then Shadowland is the perfect choice. 

Highlights: Suze's witticisms and attitude bring this story to another level. She is without a doubt one of my favorite book characters. Even her stubbornness makes her endearing. Many of the characters - from Father Dominic, Jesse, to the Ackerman family - are enjoyable and amusing because of how realistic and unique they are. I loved the California descriptions because it was a bit interesting to see Suze's reactions to the beach/palm trees/Cali life in comparison to NYC. 

Lowlights: Not quite enough is done with some of the supporting characters (especially Jesse, Ceecee, Father Dominic, and Adam), but it is only the first novel. Besides, I already know that all of these characters get more page-time later on. 

Rating: 


Read an excerpt at Meg Cabot's website