Salt to the Sea / Ruta Sepetys

3.5/5

Salt to the Sea is a short novel telling the tragedy of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Salt to the Sea is a story you remember, and the Wilhelm Gustloff is a tragedy that should be remembered.

Ruta Sepetys alternates perspectives between four characters, which initially seemed like many, but they became distinct very quickly. Each character has his or her own experiences, background, and personality, and stood strong enough to pull me into his or her individual story. I read Salt to the Sea incredibly quickly. The novel sucked me in with its honest writing and unflinching look at the horrors of war. 

I would recommend this to readers interested in WWII, historical fiction, Titanic-like stories, and/or tragedies. This read is on the heavier side, but is definitely worthy of your time and of the accolades it has been receiving. 

The Rest of Us Just Live Here / Patrick Ness

4/5

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a sweet, nostalgic, sad coming-of-age story. Ness does a good job of capturing the storm of emotions that come with high school graduation: the fear of leaving the ones you love and the place you know behind, the sadness of endings, but also the hopefulness and accomplishment of possibility. 

Ness mocks the sometimes (usually) ridiculous plot lines of standard YA fantasy novels and the weird way the teenagers seem to live in those novels. These kids are referred to as "indie kids" and have hipster names like "Satchel." I enjoyed the way Ness included snapshots of the indie kids' plot lines at the beginning of each chapter; they were concise, relevant, and hilariously accurate. I started the novel thinking it would be more focused on how the shenanigans of the indie kids affected those around them, but in reality the shenanigans play a background roll to the lives of the main characters. But really, that's how it should be, as the point of the novel is that there are people who aren't indie kids, that are also leading meaningful lives in the indie kid world.

Ness writes beautifully and consistently, maintaining a steady, honest, and bittersweet tone. Our protagonist Mikey has problems, as do all the characters, and no one escapes from Ness's scrutinizing eye. We get an honest look at each character, who they are, and what they're dealing with. Each character's flaws feel portrayed honestly. I personally am a little wary of coming-of-age books about teenagers with illness because their illnesses tend to be portrayed poorly or unrealistically, and the protagonist ends up whining, but The Rest of Us Just Live Here could not be farther from that. I never tired of what Mikey had to say and loved every minute of his journey. I would recommend Ness's novel for those who like the bittersweet, and especially for soon-to-be high school graduates. 

Tell Me Three Things / Julie Buxbuam

4.5/5

Tell Me Three Things is a sad, truthful look at grief and the journey after loss. Yes, it does spend a lot of time talking about boys (and there are an unrealistic amount of them), but it's never really about the boys. It's about Jessie, and her growing and trying to find a way to live life without her mom.

They did drag the whole "Who is SM?" mystery for a little long. It was pretty obvious who SM was, and whenever Jessie theorizes incorrectly I'd roll my eyes, but that's not the point of the book. It's not about who SM is, or what boy Jessie will end up with. It's about relationships, like Jessie's relationship with old friends and new friends, with old family and new family. 

Tell Me Three Things is thoughtful, a little sad, and a little hopeful. I like Buxbaum's direct writing, and the vignette style where she would disperse bittersweet snapshots between chapters. I finished it in one day, and would recommend it to fans of teen realistic fiction similar to a lighter TFIOS or a heavier Since You Been Gone (Morgan Matson). 

I'm back!

I'm back!

Here's a quick recap of the past few months of reading.

Absolutely Must, Do Read:

• Rebel of the Sands and Traitor to the Throne, Alwyn Hamilton. This series has been so good, and I can't wait for the third book. I love the ambiguity and doubts that Hamilton captures in this second installment. It picks up speed until it slams you at the end with a twist that left me excited for the next. Highly recommend for lovers of Winner's Curse, Blood Red Road, or Throne of Glass.
• Glitter, Aprilynne Pike. Yes, yes, yes! Fun, intense, morally questionable. The ending and insta-love were only small flaws, and I will be reading the sequel.
• Heir to the Sky, Amanda Sun. An enjoyable story about self-growth and discovery. 
• Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Alexie Shermam. Poignant, sad, sweet, and honest. It's a short read and is one hundred percent worth your time. 
• It's a Wonderful Death, Sarah J Schmitt. Both sad and funny, introspective, and very thought-provoking. Would recommend. 
• You're Welcome, Universe, Whitney Gardner. A good look into a world I know nothing about. Enjoyable and worth your time. The protagonist is strong, sassy, and takes sh*t from nobody. Her strongheaded-ness leads her to make a few understandable teenage mistakes, but that makes the novel more endearing.
• Highly Illogical Behavior, John Corey Whaley. More like highly recommend! The portrayal of the relationships between these few characters was complex and well done. This book left me thinking and it made me feel. For all the TFIOS readers, this one is especially for you. 
• Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor. Ah, Ms. Laini Taylor, now I remember how I made it through your entire trilogy. Taylor's writing and imagery are absolutely beautiful. She changes the voice and style for different characters, somehow finding accurate and varied metaphors for each, and doesn't overdo it. Towards the end, the novel started to focus more on the romance aspect, which also occurred in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but it's forgivable. I highly recommend this novel for the beautiful writing, political themes, and creative world. 
• Heartless, Marissa Meyer. Heartbreaking. Highly recommend for fans of Alice in Wonderland.

Read For a Good Way to Pass the Time:

• Seventeen First Kisses, Rachael Allen. The girls are catty, and I love it. Sure the characters can be mean and petty in that stereotypical high school way, but that doesn't make them any less human. If anything, it makes them more so. Allen's novel focuses on the development of the main character, and is full of introspection and growth.
• When, Victoria Laurie
• Caraval, Stephanie Garber. The main character is not a strong female lead, which is what I need in a fantasy novel with a female lead. The novel could not live up to the hype. I felt deceived and cheated at the end, because we never reached a climax. Garber intends on making you wait for the next novel. I'll read the next out of curiosity. Just be warned that this is a two-book deal.
• Three Dark Crowns, Kendare Blake. I love Anna Dressed in Blood, and so I was excited for this. Blake's writing doesn't disappoint. She captures complex characters and complex relationships and dark, lovely writing. But the entire novel did not reach a climax. The entire novel, was set up for the next novel. The whole premise is that the three girls will have to compete; that competition is in the next novel! I think that's a form of bait and switch.
• Vassa in the Night, Sarah Porter. Not bad at all. I even teared up at the end. I think this novel will be especially meaningful if you have grown up with or are familiar with Russian folktales. Otherwise it doesn't make for as strong of a fantasy novel.
• The Reader, Tracy Chee. I loved this book as I was reading it, but the ending meant I had to read the next, which I was unhappy about, especially because this first novel was already so long. You can tell Chee is winding up for a Lord of the Rings length, which really turns me off. But there are a lot of goods: the novel starts off strong with hard punches, keeps a steady pace, and the relationship between the protagonist and Archer is absolutely beautifully handled. If anything, read it for their relationship.
• Female of the Species, Mindy McGinnis. Unnecessarily dark, it was trying to hard to be Dexter. But interesting. 
• Seraphina, Rachel Hartman
• Zodiac, Romina Russell. The slight love triangle was a turn off, but it's slight. Rhoma Grace, our protagonist, has a strong, clear voice. Russell did a good job with both Rho's self-doubt and also confidence; she shows Rho growing and finding herself as she struggles to fight for what she believes to be right. Also, feel free to read Zodiac just for Hysan Dax. 

Maybe (Maybe Don't) Read:

• Cruel Beauty, Rosamund Hodge. Eh.
• Nemesis, Brendan Reichs. Started off interesting. I was so excited. But honestly this book is a mess. It just kept going downhill. It felt like Reichs wrote half of it, then decided he wanted to throw in some dystopia, wrote a few more pages, then wanted to throw in some Hunger Games, then wrote some more, then wanted to throw in some Lord of the Flies, and overall this book was just such a mess. It's too bad, because it had a lot of promise. I didn't finish it.
• Passenger, Alexandra Bracken. The lead is, quite frankly, rather dumb. She is dull and lacks initiative. The world is unclearly explained-- the magic feels like an excuse for Bracken to try period writing. The insta-love is also a turn off. I didn't finish it. 
• And I Darken, Kiersten White. Intense, dark, gritty. The characters are so interesting, but there isn't enough plot to drive the book. I would love to find out what happens to Lada, Radu, and Mehmed, but there just wasn't a strong plot to move the book forward. As I was reading, I felt like I was continually waiting for something to finally happen. I didn't finish it. 

Truthwitch / Susan Dennard

3.5/5

do read!