Evernight

Written by Claudia Gray


Goodreads Synopsis: She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerily Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.
Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight" type either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful--even when it comes to caring about him.
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart...and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.


[WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW. It's almost impossible to review this book without revealing some of the major plot points. If you don't want to know, please don't read any further.]


My Confession: Sigh. I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. Despite the clear indications of THIS IS A VAMPIRE BOOK, I wanted to give it a fair shot. Maybe I was bored. Maybe I just wanted to read something that made this supernatural craze seem remotely okay. And to give this book credit, there were quite a few unexpected twists and unforseen turns. The problem with these little tidbits? They came out of left field, in the middle of the book, and made me feel like I'd been lied to for a hundred plus pages.


Newsflash: Bianca's the vampire. WOAH, WOAH, WOAH. Have to tell you, I did not see that coming. Probably because for the first half of the book, you get the feeling everyone around Bianca (including Lucas) is a vampire, not her. When she unexpectedly bites Lucas, causing him to black out, I initially thought that she herself didn't know that she was a vampire.


Wrong again.


She knew all along. Her parents were vampires who miraculously conceived Bianca after a couple hundred years together. Apparently, this is an extremely rare occurrence, and because Bianca was born a vampire, instead of being made into one like everyone else, she's not fully a vampire until she kills someone. How lovely.


On top of this, everyone, seemingly, was a vampire. Except Lucas, who is human. And, wait for it--a vampire hunter. Yeah, didn't see that one coming. Oy.


Here's my problem. Why wasn't it obvious that Bianca was a vampire all along? I felt tricked and mislead by her whining of not belonging at Evernight, when she so clearly does. Once the audience is made privy to this information, all of a sudden everyone's drinking blood and revealing their true ages, which of course, number in the hundreds. This could have been subtly hinted at throughout the book, but instead, it hits you like a punch in the gut, and then the rest of the book just never sat quite right with me.


The Romance: Hate to say it, but I was not feeling it. In the beginning, when Bianca and Lucas first met, there was something sweet and genuine about their relationship. It didn't seem forced or weird, and I didn't feel like the author was hastening emotions that would take time to progress. However, right around the time when we find out that Bianca is a vampire, we also see an odd shift in Bianca and Lucas' relationship. Mainly, I stopped beliving it. Completely. It's stated that since Bianca bit Lucas, a part of her remains inside him, and he will be forever drawn to her as a result. Because of this, I couldn't get behind his ridiculous and downright stupid proclamations of love that happened after the incident. He comes across like he's under a spell, and that weakens any genuine romance you hope to pull off. It just stopped feeling real. And that was disappointing.


Besides that, when we're introduced to Bianca, we're told that she's horribly shy and never opens up to anyone; that's one of the reasons her initial comfort around Lucas seems so special. But not once do we see her acting shy. Not in class, not around her roommate, not around anyone. She seemed perfectly normal, maybe even outgoing. It made her character feel inconsistent and added to my distrust of the story and the feeling that I'd been strung along and ultimately played.


Recommendation: Eh. It's the first book in a four-book series, so it may lack cohesiveness for that reason. The fact that, for once, the vampire is female and doesn't totally pull the "I'm dangerous, stay away from me" routine is different and worth checking out if you're a fan of these supernatural romances. Personally, since I don't buy the relationship or chemistry between Lucas and Bianca, I'd have a hard time picking up the second book and investing in a series that has a rocky foundation. I just wish I hadn't been so blindsided by the plot. The idea had potential.


Rating: 2/5


327 pages, published by HarperTeen (May 1, 2008)

Firefly Lane

Written by Kristin Hannah


From Goodreads: In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all--beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface, they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable. 
For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship--jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart...and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.


My Confession: I've never read a book that spans so many years--30, to be exact. And honestly, I didn't think it could be done. At least, not well. Trying to shove so many years into nearly 500 pages may not seem like a daunting task, but every writer out there knows just how hard it can be to have a reader invest in characters for that amount of time. Yet, amazingly, Kristin Hannah does just that: she created two characters, Kate and Tully, who meet as preteens, and then guided us through the thirty-odd years of their friendship. And I cared. I cared a lot. Maybe it's because I can't imagine knowing someone for thirty years, considering I haven't even lived that long. Or maybe it's because there's a cynical side of me that doesn't believe a friendship can physically last that long. Especially between two people who are such night-and-day opposites like Kate and Tully.


Kate is the quiet, soft-spoken one, while Tully is loud, in-your-face, and wildly popular. Kate often plays second fiddle to her best friend, and almost loses the love of her life because of it. There are times where I felt the differences in their friendship bordered on cliche--not every friendship requires such drama. Kate stays in her box of calmness and practicality--she's the one who goes on to have a family, while Tully blows around, becoming famous but never settling down. Jealousies blossom on both sides, mainly because of Kate's husband, who Tully had a brief fling with before he began dating Kate. Kate's feelings of always being second-best rear their ugly head more than once throughout the novel, and it gets a little old. A forty-something woman who still feels insecure in her own marriage (despite how loving her husband is) because once upon a time, he slept with Tully once while drunk gets rather annoying and doesn't elicit any sympathy. There were a few times I wanted to slap some confidence into her. She came off as whiny and consumed by petty jealousies, which I hated because there were many parts about her as a character that I could personally relate to.


The Big Act of Betrayal: Not as big as I expected. It comes near the end of the book and feels rather anti-climactic. Probably because Tully and Kate have committed many little acts of betrayal throughout the novel. Probably because Tully was written as an obnoxious, self-serving character, and I wasn't surprised by the final antic that pushed Kate over the edge. It's what happens after the 'act" that really surprised me. The last part of the book is riddled with emotion, and I really didn't see the latter events coming. It's interesting to read about how far the bounds of friendship can be pushed, and whether pride is a nasty beast that causes you to lose precious time. 


I was left contemplating my own friendships after this book. For 30 years, Tully and Kate really do "weather the storm" of their relationship together, and the entire time, I was wondering, at what price? In the end, I got it. The ending is poetic. It makes sense. You'll hate it, then love it, then hate it again. But most importantly, it'll make you think. I commend Hannah for being able to write a massive book like this, a book that allowed us as readers to grow with the characters, watch how they change and root for their success along the way. I like the way that no character is perfect. Even though Tully seems painted as the instigator most of the time, Kate has her flaws too. And they balance each other out. Maybe that truly is what friendship's all about. 


Recommendation: I do recommend this book, especially to anyone who has a few failed friendships under their belt. This fresh perspective on a friendship will make you realize what's really important: having that person in your life, or being right. If anything, Firefly Lane shows just how important it is to say you're sorry.


Rating: 3.8/5


496 pages, published by St. Martin's Press (Feb. 5, 2008)

Delirium

Written by Lauren Oliver

Goodreads Synopsis: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love--the deliria--blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cute upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable. She falls in love.

My Confession: I'm still reeling from this book. Like, seriously reeling. I haven't read too many dystopian books, save for Orwell's superb 1984 and Lois Lowry's The Giver (which I read in seventh grade and was terrified by).  Reading the back cover of this book, I was instantly drawn to the idea of a futuristic world where love, identified as a dangerous disease, has been eradicated by the government. The world painted in this novel is nothing short of terrifying. It's like Big Brother, only worse. Emotions are closely monitored; boys and girls are kept separate and "matched" once they reach eighteen--a horror arranged-marriage of sorts. There is no sensitivity, no compassion, no attachment. 

The reasoning behind the eradication of love is because it causes too much pain. It causes humans to act like animals and behave irrationally. Without love, the world is a much more ordered place; hardly anyone divorces, and everyone is a functional member of society. "Invalids," people who escaped the cure and are diseased by love, live on the outskirts of the boundaries set by the United States. 

Lena, whose mother committed suicide because she could not be cured of love, is a fully functioning and happy member of society. That is, until she meets Alex, an Invalid who captures her attention and eventually, her heart. 

Moving Moments: There are some brilliantly moving quotes throughout this novel. Some of my favorites are:

You can't be really happy unless you're unhappy sometimes. You know that, right?

Sometimes I feel like if you just watch things, just sit still and let the world exist in front of you--sometimes I swear that just for a second time freezes and the world pauses in its tilt. Just for a second. And if you somehow found a way to live in that second, then you would live forever.

Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don't. But that isn't it, exactly. The condemner and the condemned. The executioner; the blade; the last-minute reprieve; the gasping breath and the rolling sky above you and the thank you, thank you, thank you, God. Love: it will kill you and save you, both.

"I love you. Remember. They cannot take it:" This quote appears a few times throughout the book. Looking past the romance and the post-apocalyptic society, this is a novel that asks a pretty large question: What is love? And more importantly, what does it mean? The answer, discovered in the last few breath-defying pages, will truly astound you. The conclusion, the moment of clarity when Lena discovers exactly what love is, and why it's been hidden, will entrance you. It floored me. It makes you reflect on the loves in your life, and if you could possibly imagine living without them. And, in the moments closer to the end of the book, you wonder if there's anything you wouldn't do to keep the love of your life safe.

What would our world be like if there was no love? If love was something to be feared, something to be hunted down and erased forever? There were moments in this book where I had to mark my page and close the covers, even if just for a brief moment to digest what exactly I was reading. It sucked me in from cover to cover. The love between Alex and Lena was anything but sappy; in the end, it seems the two of them have truly grasped what love means. 

Recommendation: Alex continually refers to Lena as "beautiful," even though she only sees herself as ordinary. After reading the last page, with my heart pounding, the only word that came to mind was just that: beautiful. This novel is absolutely gorgeous. The action left me gasping for air and the turmoil that love causes between these two young people left me aching. You'll feel this book in your limbs: read it.

Rating: 4.5/5

441 pages, published by HarperTeen (Feb. 1, 2011)