Book Sketch: How to Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

HOW TO DISAPPEAR
By: Ann Redisch Stampler
Published By: Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Series: None
Pages: 416
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: This electric cross-country thriller follows the game of cat and mouse between a girl on the run from a murder she witnessed—or committed?—and the boy who’s sent to kill her.

Nicolette Holland is the girl everyone likes. Up for adventure. Loyal to a fault. And she’s pretty sure she can get away with anything...until a young woman is brutally murdered in the woods near Nicolette’s house. Which is why she has to disappear.

Jack Manx has always been the stand-up guy with the killer last name. But straight A’s and athletic trophies can’t make people forget that his father was a hit man and his brother is doing time for armed assault. Just when Jack is about to graduate from his Las Vegas high school and head east for college, his brother pulls him into the family business with inescapable instructions: find this ruthless Nicolette Holland and get rid of her. Or else Jack and everyone he loves will pay the price.

As Nicolette and Jack race to outsmart each other, tensions—and attractions—run high. Told in alternating voices, this tightly plotted mystery and tense love story challenges our assumptions about right and wrong, guilt and innocence, truth and lies.



First Thought After Finishing: Wow. It all makes sense, but wow.

Nicolette Holland—aka Cat—is on the run from the police, determined to make Nicolette disappear. Jack Manx, son of infamous Arthur Manx, is sent to eliminate her. They aren’t used to their new life, but they know that not succeeding could have dire consequences. Every action, reckless or calculated, passionate or desperate, is driven by the need to survive and take care of loved ones. The characters bring us into their world, one most of us will hopefully never live in, and it’s a whirlwind.

There’s a running joke that authors’ Google search history could get them in trouble. That could definitely be the case with How to Disappear. The details of how Cat kept herself hidden were fascinating and made me impressed with her resourcefulness. Jack, on the other hand, is a character that you can’t help but want to put your arms around. He’s trying to move past his past and his family’s reputation, but at times it seems impossible. These are two strong characters who make an impression.

When I started reading How to Disappear, I expected an exciting cat-and-mouse game that spanned the country. I kept turning pages to see what would happen next, wondering the whole time what Jack would do if he found Cat. After a while, however, the book shifted to focus more on the characters’ inner battles. Getting glimpses into Cat and Jack’s minds were intriguing. Even though the book slowed down (and admittedly I missed the fast-paced adventure), I was still curious enough to know how things ended for Cat and Jack. It’s almost impossible to stop reading because there would be so many questions left unanswered. And the answers are definitely necessary.

Most Memorable Aspect: The details in this book made what could have been a glossed-over adventure turn into a vivid survival story. It was almost like a guide about escaping an old life and finding a new identity.

Book Sketch: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

THE SCORPIO RACES
By: Maggie Stiefvater
Published By: Scholastic Press
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Series: None
Pages: 409
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.



First Thought After Finishing: But, but, but...I need at least one more chapter!

I realize that posting this review now probably makes me a bad blogger. Not because of the content of the review, but because of the book is based on. A good blogger would be posting a review of The Raven King or, at the very least, a book in the Raven cycle. However, I once heard an author say that part of the beauty of having so many books and your collection was having the book available when you are ready to read it. This was the time that I was ready to read Scorpio Races, and I am so glad that I did.

Scorpio Races is based on the lore of water horses. In the fall, horses emerge from the ocean, stronger and faster than any horses bred on land, but also far more deadly. On the island of Thisby, these horses are raced at the beginning of every November. The prize for winning is wealth and fame, but you run the risk of dying in the process. Sean Kendrick has cheated death four times to be the winner of the Scorpio Races. He has a special way with the water horses, especially the horse that has been his own for years. Puck Connolly never paid much attention to the races, but desperate for money for her family, she adds her name to the list of riders.

Throughout the story, these two virtual strangers are thrown together again and again as the races draw closer. Neither is looking for a friend, but an alliance of sorts begins to develop. Sean is a sort of mystery, and Puck is a sort of contradiction. I loved seeing how the two complimented each other. Neither was afraid to be themselves, and both had a quiet strength and intelligence that showed through their actions.

From childhood, I've loved reading books about horses. I always wanted to take riding lessons, but books were the closest I could get. Scorpio Races reminded me of everything I loved about horse books and made me want to ride again. From the descriptions, I could picture all of the horses in my mind, how magnificent they must be, and the bonds between Sean and Corr and Puck and Dove were palpable through the page. It wasn't hard to see why horses, even water horses, responded to Sean, because the more that I read from his perspective, the more I liked him. Puck also has chapters from her point of view, which was a nice balance, but I still wanted to read more about Sean.

From the sea cliffs to the stables, I found myself wanting to be immersed in this book. Since it is a stand-alone novel, it's a good reminder that I need to get lost in Maggie's latest series!

Most Memorable Aspect: The sense of timelessness this book had. All of Maggie's books that I've read have a spellbinding, trance-like quality to them, where time and reality are suspended and the story is all that matters. It makes for a wonderful escape and reading experience.

Book Sketch: The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

THE SERPENT KING
By: Jeff Zentner
Published By: Crown Books for Young Readers (Random House)
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Series: None
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real-life fantasy.

Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship. But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living.



First Thought After Finishing: So many teenagers could probably use this book. It has a great message about making your own path in life no matter where you come from.

I bought The Serpent King based off of snippets of other reviews that I saw from bloggers I trust. I didn’t really read the summary though, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. This book ended up unfolding almost like a Lifetime drama (yes, I do like Lifetime movies), and it tackled several tough issues head-on but without being “preachy” about it. In the acknowledgements, Jeff Zentner said that he wrote this book for some of the teens he worked with at a summer camp, and after reading it, I can see how this book could be just what some people need to read.

"If there was a way I could explode with beautiful heat and light, like a firecracker, that's what I'd want I want people to talk about me and remember me when I'm gone. I want to carve my name in the world."

The Serpent King follows three friends—Dill, Lydia, and Travis—who live in a tiny town in Tennessee, not far from Nashville. None of these three friends conform to what everyone in their town expects of them. Dill is the son of a signs preacher who was imprisoned, Lydia runs a fashion blog and isn’t afraid to speak her mind and challenge the status quo, and Travis escapes his life by reading an epic fantasy series and discussing them on message boards. Each character has chapters from his or her own point of view, so we get to know them and their families fairly well. And each one was relatable in his or her way, especially for anyone who has ever felt out of place in high school.

This book brought back a lot of high school memories for me. I went to high school in a small-ish southern town, and my high school was the “country” high school. There was definitely a certain way people were supposed to act and be; if you didn’t fit it, you were ostracized. Zentner portrayed this through his characters, but also offered hope for a better future. He showed the bond between all three friends and why it was so important; it was a friendship I wanted to be part of. He also wasn’t afraid to write about issues—parents who certainly weren’t winning any Parent of the Year awards, wanting to live up to others’ expectations, and dealing with depression. My heart went out to each of these characters as they struggled, but that somehow made their moments of happiness even sweeter.

"And if you're going to live, you might as well do painful, brave, and beautiful things."

Most Memorable Aspect: Lydia’s wit and sarcasm. Her comments reminded me of things that I’d say, and I found myself laughing out loud several times. She had a great voice, wasn’t afraid to be herself, and I really enjoyed reading the chapters from her POV.

Book Sketch: The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian

THE LAST BOY AND GIRL IN THE WORLD
By: Siobhan Vivian
Published By: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Series: None
Pages: 432
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: What if your town was sliding underwater and everyone was ordered to pack up and leave? How would you and your friends spend your last days together?

While the adults plan for the future, box up their possessions, and find new places to live, Keeley Hewitt and her friends decide to go out with a bang. There are parties in abandoned houses. Canoe races down Main Street. The goal is to make the most of every minute they still have together.

And for Keeley, that means taking one last shot at the boy she’s loved forever.

There’s a weird sort of bravery that comes from knowing there’s nothing left to lose. You might do things you normally wouldn’t. Or say things you shouldn’t. The reward almost always outweighs the risk.

Almost.

It’s the end of Aberdeen, but the beginning of Keeley’s first love story. It just might not turn out the way she thought. Because it’s not always clear what’s worth fighting for and what you should let become a memory.



First Impression: WOW. This book was not what I expected, but in a good way.

"Although that spring was the end of Aberdeen, I'll always remember it as full of beginnings. And not just for me. For all of us. Things around us were changing, sure, but we were changing too, and we couldn't pretend we weren't any longer. Maybe that's what happens when you're suddenly living your life on a warp speed setting, trying to make the most of it before everything you know slides underneath the water."

I had the pleasure of hearing Siobhan Vivian talk about this book at a signing. She happened to see a painting of a city that had become a real-life Atlantis, and the painting and thoughts about it inspired the book. Aberdeen wasn’t the city in the painting, but it certainly gave a great backdrop for this story. It was the sort of town I always dreamed about living in—at least, until I remembered I would not function well in a town without Starbucks. Aberdeen is a small, close-knit town. Keeley has lived there her entire life, Morgan has always been her best friend (and even their moms have always been best friends), and everyone knows everyone.

Small town or not, Keeley still can’t get the boy of her dreams to notice her. But all of that changes one day when they end up stacking sandbags next to each other to prevent flooding in the town. Just like the unthinkable happens for Keeley in having Jesse’s attention, the unthinkable happens for the town when the flooding actually does start. Suddenly everyone might be losing the only home they’ve ever known. That’s where Keeley and Jesse’s comedic and daring antics come into play. They dream up wild ideas to make the most of the time that’s left. They throw parties that sound like something I’d want to be at. They joke and make videos and embrace that kind of joie de vivre that I sometimes wish I could have. When reading about golden-boy Jesse, I could almost feel it, feel how good it would be to have someone like that put his arm around me and say something like, “I dare you to have more fun than you’ve ever had before!”

But this book isn’t all parties and the discovery of a first love. At her signing, Siobhan also said something along the lines of how romance doesn’t always have to be between a boyfriend and girlfriend. The fact is that there are more types of relationships in the world—family, mentors, and friendships. Those types of relationships really take center stage in this book. That isn’t to say that there is no romance, but this book captures so much more than that. In life, we need more than one person, and for good reason. Keeley didn’t just have and need Jesse, even though Jesse was the boy she’d loved for forever. She needed her BFF Morgan. She wanted things to be okay for her family. Even Levi, who was the often-annoying overachiever, was still a relationship in Keeley’s life. The book would have been incomplete without any of them and their shared experiences.

I haven’t read Siobhan Vivian’s other books, but if they are anything like this one, or if future books are, it’s safe to say that I’ll be adding them to my to-read list. From characters where I found little pieces of myself to a story that was completely engrossing, The Last Boy and Girl in the World will absorb your mind and tug on your heart.

Most Memorable Aspect: Aside from all the emotions, what struck me about this book was how perfectly human it was. Perceptions about people and even the truth shifted for the characters and for me as the book went on. The book felt like little pieces of lives were unfolding on a page—sometimes exciting, sometimes slower, sometimes emotional, but always real.

Teaser Tuesday (86)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"It must have been the dark, my eyes playing tricks on me. Or, even more believable, my own insecurities getting the best of me, casting shadows where there should only be sunshine. Because something was clearly still sparking between Jesse and me."


p. 128 from THE LAST BOY AND GIRL IN THE WORLD
by Siobhan Vivian
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!