I write this post still feeling emotionally devastated by the experience of reading Elizabeth Scott’s Living Dead Girl. This terrifying novel is the account of 15-year old “Alice,” a young woman who has been in the clutches of a sexual predator since he kidnapped her at age 10. Ray has named her Alice…the same name he gave his last victim. Now Alice is nearing the age when Ray tired of the previous girl, and despite the fact that he starves her to keep her looking like a child, Ray grows angrier with her every day. She longs for the release of death, but Ray has something much more sinister, much more sadistic in mind.
The prose in this novel is so sparse and lyrical it feels like poetry. The author convincingly portrays not only the physical but the psychological damage Ray inflicts on Alice; Alice seems barely human at times, incapable of any but the basest instincts.
I usually avoid this type of book, put off by the “movie of the week” feel of the plot description, but this one just drew me in despite (or maybe because of) my intense feeling of horror on reading the inside cover. I feel wrung out having finished this novel, and still slightly nauseated…but I can’t deny it was a powerful reading experience. Certainly a must read for those who liked The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
Well, late 2008 brought us another take on the concept of “fairy” in How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier. The novel takes place in a world that isn’t, according to the author’s note, “Australia or the United States of America but in an imaginary country, perhaps a little in the future, that might also be an amalgam of the two.” Specifically in a city called New Avalon “the greatest city in the world” according to the residents, who never would want to leave…why would you when, as you in learn in school, New Avalon is graced with the highest mountains, the deepest oceans, the most famous artists, the best sports stars…you get the idea. But best of all, here in New Avalon people have their own personal fairies–unseeable charms that help you excel at something. There are loose-change fairies, good hair fairies, never-drop-a-ball fairies…but 14-year old protagonist Charlie (Charlotte Adele Donna Seto Steele) has a fairy she hates–a parking fairy. Charlie can’t drive yet, but she is constantly being used by family and classmates to get prime parking spots. Why couldn’t she have gotten a shopping fairy like her best friend she wants to know? And though there is no scientific proof that you can get rid of your fairy, Charlie sets out to do just that.
When I saw the cover of this book, I thought it was going to be a fluffy bit of romance, nothing more (I know, I know…never judge a book…). I’m glad I went ahead and read it because there’s more going on here than that. Yes there is a romantic interest with a boy from outside New Avalon, but when an all-the-boys-like you fairy starts making trouble, some interesting ethical questions arise. Plus, his outsider status allows him to speak for the reader and ask why are all you people so arrogant? Larbalestier also likes to play with language and the New Avaloners have a whole range of words that outsiders don’t use (you may find yourself turning to the glossary yourself on occasion). There’s also interesting tension built around the prestigious sports school that Charlie attends, where life is regimented and rule-driven…and all the kids love it?
All told, this fairy tale is a modern story of love, friendship, and choices with elements of science fiction sprinkled throughout–and a tale with several subplots left unfinished so be looking for a sequel to come. Fans of Maureen Johnson and E. Lockhart will especially want to check this out.
Anne Green wakes to pitch blackness. She can’t move or speak or even open her eyes. The last thing she can remember is walking up to a scaffold to be hanged for the murder of her baby. Is she in purgatory? Or has she been buried alive?
So begins this chilling and fascinating tale based on the real-life story of a British serving maid convincted and hung for infanticide in 1650. The story begins with Anne regaining consciousness and shifts back and forth between her recollections of how she got to her current state and the perspective of Robert Matthews, a young medical student originally assisting with the dissection of Anne’s body and later with its resuscitation. Even though you know what will happen, the creepiness of the circumstances and the horrorific details concerning Anne’s seduction, labor, and jailing give the book a nice tension and suspense. The historical details are fascinating, though the book remains accessible to those not used to the historical fiction genre. All in all, Mary Hooper has crafted a creepy, bewitching tale perfect for a long car trip or airplane ride.
There’s a great book trailer by the publisher at YouTube as well:
Setting: Gracetown, North Carolina; Christmas; massive snow storm. Three popular young adult authors write three separate but interconnected romances.
In the first, Maureen Johnson tells the story of Jubilee Dougal stuck on a train to Florida and her grandparents because her parents have been arrested as part of a riot over collectible Christmas decorations. Parted from her perfect boyfriend, things go from bad to worse when the train gets stuck in snow in Gracetown. Jubilee decides to make a break for the Waffle House across the interstate rather than get trapped on the train full of hyperactive cheerleaders. There she meets Stuart, who invites her to stay with he and his mom for Christmas. Stuart is sweet and cute, a good listener, who unfortunately asks a lot of uncomfortable questions about just how perfect her boyfriend really is. The question is, is Jubilee ready to face the answer?
John Green brings the second tale of Tobin, who is happily watching a Bond marathon with his best friends The Duke and JP while his parents are stuck in Boston with the snowstorm, when his other friend Keun calls from his night shift at Waffle House demanding they come immediately with a Twister board–for THERE ARE CHEERLEADERS here! Tobin and JP are instantly convinced it is a brilliant idea to go out in the storm for the sake of cheerleaders…the “Duke” however, their lone female friend, is less than enthusiastic…though she is convinced with the promise of Waffle House hash browns. The three friends face one crazy obstacle after another on their quest for the Waffle House, but as they near their destination, Tobin becomes uncomfortably aware that he is less and less interested in cheerleaders and more and more distracted by an unlikely source.
The third story comes from Lauren Myracle and involves the romance, or rather break up, of Addie and Jeb. Addie and Jeb have been dating for the last year, until a week before Christmas, when Addie makes a choice that may have destroyed their relationship forever. Addie is mired in her own misery and begins to feel worse as her friends help her see that it may not be Jeb who needs to change. Is it too late for Addie to start fresh and win Jeb back?
All in all, a cute collection of holiday romance, nothing too deep, but fun to kick back with on a weekend…especially if it ever gets cold enough for snow!
Think you know the story of Alice in Wonderland? Not even close, according to Frank Beddor’s new Looking Glass trilogy. First off, Alice is actually Princess Alyss of Wonderland, whose evil Aunt Redd’s invasion has forced Alyss, the heir to the throne, to flee. With the aid of her trusted bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, she escapes through the Pool of Tears and finds herself in another world, namely, Victorian London. Of course, no one believes her fantastical stories about her kingdom and Alyss can find no way to get back. She finally thinks she has found a friend in the Reverend Charles Dodgson (pen name, Lewis Carroll) and tells him her whole story, but he completely changes the details till it is an unrecognizable children’s fairy tale. Alice feels betrayed and begins to believe it was all a dream.
Meanwhile, Wonderland is falling apart under Redd’s rule, with all of Alyss’s mothers laws thrown out and evil and chaos invited in. A small faction of loyal “Alyssians” fight where they can and wait for the day when they can avenge the princess and return Wonderland to peace and glory once more.
The plot moves rapidly and keeps you hooked the way a well-paced movie does (not surprising since one of the author’s previous day jobs was a movie producer). Like many fantasy movies, the characters are more “>archetypes than fully developed individuals, but their emotions–love, grief, revenge, wonder, lonliness, honor, loyalty–ring true and lend the story a universal feel that all great fantasies need. Seeing Redd is the next book in the series (and you can bet I’ll be starting that tonight) and the third book comes out next fall. There is a companion graphic novel called Hatter M that details the bodyguard Hatter Madigan’s adventures during the thirteen years he searched the human world for the missing Princess Alyss. There is also an extensive companion website to the trilogy, complete with book soundtrack, videos, artwork, video games, and other fan freebies (making the series trend on with the new “transmedia storytelling“). To check out the marketing madness go to: http://www.lookingglasswars.com/.
