Rehabilitating YA: 20 Trope-Free Standalones/Series to Read if You've Given Up on It (Pt.2)

Hello sweeties!

I've been wanting to write a post like this for a while. Every now and then, I hear someone say they've given up on YA (or are reading much less of it lately) because they got fed up with the tropes that come with the "genre". Now, while of course it's not mandatory to read YA at any age, and while I'm not denying the existence of such tropes (though really, any literary genre/age range has got its share of them...), I made it my reader's life mission to discover YA books that stand out for any reason and employ as little of those overused plot devices as it's humanly possible (hence, of course, my blog's name). So I thought I'd put together a list of YA novels blissfully devoid of tropes (or employing them in minimal doses), hoping to prove those reluctant/jaded readers that there's so much more to YA than meets the eye. And I ultimately decided to make this post into a series, because my list was too long for a single one. Here goes Part 2 (broken down by genres/my blog's Reading Rooms)...

(Note: these are not necessarily my favourite books - though some of them are. I only choose them for their lack/minimal amount of tropes. Also, there are a few mature YA/NA/adult friendly books in this list).

Lyssa Chiavari: "Fourth World"

Title: Fourth World [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Iamos Trilogy (1st of 3 books, but there's also a novella that is book 1.5 in the series)
Author: Lyssa Chiavari [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi
Year: 2015
Age: 14+
Stars: 3/5
Pros: Interesting premise. Varied (and diverse) cast of characters who (mostly) feel like real teens.
Cons: While interesting, the premise is not overly original. While nice, the characters don't exactly grab you. Some telling-vs.-showing.
Will appeal to: Those who like time travel, mandatory but slightly out-of-the-box romances, and accidental heroes.

Blurb: Life on Mars isn't all it's cracked up to be when you're Isaak Contreras. Ever since his dad disappeared two years ago, Isaak's been struggling to keep up in school, and he never seems to be able to live up to his mom's high expectations. But everything changes when he finds an ancient coin among his missing father's possessions. The coin makes him a target of both the Martian colonial government and a crazed scientist with a vendetta - and it leads him to a girl from another time named Nadin, who believes that Isaak might just hold the key to saving both their worlds. That is, if they can survive long enough to use it...(Amazon)

Review: First off...SORT-OF DISCLAIMER: I won a digital copy of Fourth World in a giveaway a while ago. Of course, this didn't influence my opinions.

(MODERATELY) HAPPY MEAL

Fourth World technically had all the ingredients for my kind of story. And I did like it...but less than I expected. The premise is interesting enough - Mars became an Earth colony, though I'm not sure how it could be accomplished; a teen guy (Isaak) searching for the answer to his father's disappearance finds more than he bargained for, and gets whisked to a past where the planet is on the verge of dying, with all its original inhabitants. Here he befriends a privileged, but questioning girl (Nadin), and they set on a journey to save Mars' native people (and possibly, to send Isaak home). Also, there are conspiracies going on in both timelines, and a bunch of diverse characters both in the sexuality spectrum (lesbian, demi, ace) and the ethnicity one. So...interesting. Maybe not exactly fresh, you know, but as a combination of different themes, it works. On the other hand...I'm not sure if it was because I recognised a few tropes that I was left wanting more. Maybe it had more to do with the execution than with the ingredients. I liked the taste, but the whole dish didn't ultimately amount to more than the sum of its parts. That's not to say that this book (or series) hasn't a few things going for it though, especially in the rep department. [...]

Todd Mitchell: "Backwards"

Title: Backwards [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Todd Mitchell [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery, Contemporary with a Twist
Year: 2013
Age: 14+
Stars: 3.5/5
Pros: Fresh, well-executed premise. Great guessing game.
Cons: Lacks a strong emotional punch - though the very structure of the story accounts for that.
WARNING! Graphic depiction of suicide. Rape in the background.
Will appeal to: Those who like unusual premises, bookish puzzles, and stories about second chances - of the time-travel (but not sci-fi) variety.

Blurb: At the moment Dan's life ends, the Rider's begins. Unwillingly tied to Dan, the Rider finds himself moving backwards in time, each day revealing more of the series of events that led to Dan's suicide. As the Rider struggles to figure out what he's meant to do, he revels in the life Dan ignores. Beyond the simple pleasures of a hot shower and the sun on his face, the Rider also notices the people around Dan: his little sister, always disappointed by her big brother's rejection, his overwhelmed mom, who can never rely on Dan for help, and Cat - with her purple hair, artistic talent, and misfit beauty. But Cat doesn't want anything to do with Dan. While the days move in reverse and Halloween looms, it's up to the Rider to find out why Cat is so angry, and what he must do to make things right. (Amazon)

Review: As I already stated in the introductory section, this is NOT a sci-fi book, despite time travel being at its core. So you may probably enjoy it even if sci-fi is not your jam.

YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET

I'm fairly sure that you've never read anything like Backwards. Going back in time may be a pretty common book device, except I can't name another novel where not only the thing happens on a day-by-day basis - that is, every new day the narrator (the Rider) lives is, in fact, the day before, from start to finish - but the real protagonist (again, the Rider) is also unsubstantial and just a spectator at first; and later, when he tries to retroactively change what's to come, the flesh-and-blood character he's tied to (Dan) is oblivious of it - or even gets in the way. I know, this sounds like a mind-fuck...except it's easier to actually follow the story than to explain its logistics. Also, while the narrator tries to prevent a tragedy (that may not be the one we think it is in the first place) by slowly peeling layers of truth away and figuring how to influence things, we have our own mystery to solve - just WHO is the Rider, and how did he come to be? and are there any other entities like him? This makes for a fascinating read, even if Dan's everyday life is pretty average on the whole, and the Rider's interactions with...well, anyone are fairly limited at first. [...]

Christopher Pike: "Thirst No.2"

Title: Thirst No.2 [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Thirst (previously: The Last Vampire) (2nd of ?? books | omnibus, reissued 2010 | contains the original TLV short novels: Phantom, Evil Thirst, Creatures of Forever)
Author: Christopher Pike [Facebook | Goodreads]
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Year: 1996
Age: 14+ (please note: for years it's been considered YA lit, but the human age of the protagonist would place it in the NA category nowadays, and the series gets more mature - and darker - by the book)
Stars: 5/5
Pros: Original take on vampires. Plenty of kickass action and entertaining (if often bloody) moments. Blends urban fantasy with thriller, history, and more than anything, Eastern spirituality.
Cons: Requires more suspension of disbelief than Book 1. The blend of UF and sci-fi may not work for everyone.
WARNING! Abundance of blood, gore and violence.
Will appeal to: Those looking for a fresh approach to vampires, in what was probably the very first YA/NA series about them.

Blurb: What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true: she is once again human. But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and, for the first time in centuries, emotional. As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of life-and-death decisions. Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes? (Goodreads)
[Please note: "Alisa" is the main character's alias in the first installment, but her real name - the one she'll go by for the rest of the series, when she's not undercover for some reason - is Sita. Also, the blurb just scratches the surface of what the second three books in the series - now repackaged as one - are about...to be precise, it only refers to Book 4]

Review: This series is not perfect. And I won't shun its faults in this review. But for some reason, I can't bear myself to rate it less than 5 stars. It's not author bias - there are a bunch of Pike books I rated 3 stars and even less. But if TLV/Thirst stills works its magic on me almost 20 years after I first read Book 1, and if I'm still peeling its layers after all this time, that should count for something...

I WANT TO BELIEVE

There's a fil rouge to all the Thirst series, and the French metaphor comes in especially handy, since the common denominator is all kinds of enemies (human or not) going after Sita's blood. And there's a corollary to this - Sita having to defend humanity from the havoc her blood could wreak on them. But the 4th and 5th original installments break this pattern (that will resurface in Book 6), focusing on two special births and the need to defend one of the infants from malevolent forces. Plus, for a while, Sita is human again, and for the very first time we see her bonding with another woman (like her apparent insta-love with Ray in Book 1, this could have a huge insta-friendship vibe, if there wasn't a century-old backstory to it). Since from the original separate book blurbs I knew she would go back to being a vampire, I enjoyed my ride with human Sita. In a way, it was even more interesting for me to have that version of her to explore and compare to the one we had known so far. Some things change, some are oh so much alike. It's SO hard to review this part of the story without spoilers, but what I can say is, your enjoyment of Phantom may depend on to what extent you're capable to suspend disbelief, unless the illusion that the title openly references has, indeed, a life of sorts (which I suspect is the case, given the multiple references to "the abyss" as if it were a place that could generate something more solid than a simple hallucination). It still poses a few practical problems, but like Sita with her predicament, we probably aren't to examine the story that closely, or it will blow in our face 😉. Still, even before I formulated my crazy (ingenious?) theory about what goes on in Phantom, I was invested in the story, and a certain part before the very end broke my heart. [...]

James Wymore: "The Last Key" (ARC Review)

Title: The Last Key [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: The Actuator (book 4 of 4)
Author: James Wymore [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Year: 2017
Age: It's marketed as an adult book, but it can be read by teens, though a bit heavy on horror/gore
Stars: 3.5/5
Pros: Creative premise. Breathless adventure, though there's a time for reflection as well. Poignant ending. Female characters finally get more screen time and weight.
Cons: As with the rest of the series, the premise is somehow better than the execution - there's more telling than showing, and the storyline is a bit too hectic sometimes. Some editing issues (among them, a character changing name midbook*).
(*Edit: after posting my review, I was told the issue would be fixed prior to pub date).
Will appeal to: Alternate realities enthusiasts. RPG fans. Readers who get bored easily.

Blurb: The Actuator, a machine capable of literally changing reality, was created to make a utopian paradise. Before it happened, a saboteur used it to transform the world into patches of every kind of genre fiction, scattering the keys necessary to put it back across the globe. Everyone alive found their lives radically altered, some living in fantasy realms with real magic and others in incomprehensible horrors. Thrown into chaos, people struggled against aliens, pirates, orcs, and vampires. Many died. Only a handful of people on the planet, called Machine Monks, even knew why it happened or how. Now they have to put it all back before humanity is destroyed. Even if they could get all the keys, the small group opposing the tyrant don’t know what to do when they get to the final one - a key they’ve never seen before. If they don’t find the answers fast, the world will be lost. (Goodreads excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I am a semi-regular reviewer of Curiosity Quills titles (like this one), but if you look back at my ratings, this never prevented me from being unbiased. And all the books I received from them were generously sent with no strings attached.

OUT WITH A BANG

It's kind of funny, you know. I went into this last installment expecting it to follow the same pattern of the previous ones, and in a way it did - lots of jumping around the world in a teleporter, epic fights, interior moral dilemmas. But I was pleasantly surprised by a few tweaks that made this book stand out - and not only because duh, it gives us closure. Here are the things I didn't expect:

• The Actuator finally becomes its own character, what with everyone wondering if it might have turned into something more than a supercomputer that feeds on thoughts and ideas, and have developed a conscience of sorts - and if that's the case, is its conscience good or bad? does it have plans for the world? can it be reasoned with? and, last but not least...does it have a gender? Of course, the living computer is far from being a new concept, but Wymore puts a spin on it. I should probably have seen it coming...but I didn't.
• Time travel is introduced! Though it has a few limits and can't ultimately save the day, but it would have been a cop out if it did, so I'm happy about that.
• The female Machine Monks get more space and finally kick ass 😀. [...]

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Would You Rather Time-Travel or Teleport?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WOULD YOU RATHER TIME-TRAVEL OR TELEPORT?

Seventeen years ago, I wasn't a sci-fi fan or fantasy fan yet (still not in love with fantasy overall, but now I do like a bit of it on certain occasions, and I absolutely ADORE sci-fi). I just was a die-hard mystery and police procedural enthusiast. I didn't know I would fall in love with time travel back in 2000, when I stumbled upon a Charmed episode called Morality Bites. (I didn't even know I would become a Charmed fan, but I digress). In it, the sisters travel ten years into their own future in order to prevent something horrible that Phoebe saw in a vision - herself burned to death. And they do that by actually inhabiting their future bodies (as opposed to what happened in That '70s Episode).
 

Morality Bites: Prue is a blondie now...

Alison Goodman: "Singing the Dogstar Blues"

Title: Singing the Dogstar Blues [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None (but there's a companion short story/follow-up, The Real Thing, featured in the new edition of this novel, and first published in Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy. Also, here you can read the original story that later would morph and expand into STDB: One Last Zoom at the Buzz Bar. Note: don't let the original story scare you away from the book. They have very little in common...)
Author: Alison Goodman [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi
Year: 1998
Age: 12+
Stars: 4.5/5
Pros: Full-fleshed, snarky, deliciously flawed, resourceful heroine. Adorable co-protagonist. Unconventional friendship. Lots of humour. Tackles themes of identity and gender/sexuality without making them "issues".
Cons: There's no use in racking your brain about the premise/reveal. It just is. Also, the smartest readers would probably solve one of the mysteries early on.
Will appeal to: Sci-fi fans. Not sci-fi fans too, if they like humour, unusual pairings and coming-of-age stories.

Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Joss is a rebel, and a student of time travel at the prestigious Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. This year, for the first time, the Centre has an alien student: Mavkel, from the planet Choria. And Mavkel has chosen Joss, of all people, as his roommate and study partner. Then Mavkel gets sick. Joss quickly realizes that his will to live is draining away. The only way she can help Mavkel is by breaking the Centre's strictest rules - and that means going back in time to change history. (Amazon)

Review: Oh boy, another tough one. Because in this novel there are not one, but two mysteries - largely intertwined - and I shall make sure I don't spoil either of them for you. Shucks.

RIGHT ON TIME

First off: you don't have any prejudices about reading a book that is nearly 20 years old - do you? Well, maybe you don't, but come on...you regularly get distracted by new, shiny books, and/or new, shiny books that everyone and their hamster is reading - so what chances does a book written in 1998 have? Well...to its credit...I honestly don't think this particular book reads dated. It has a pretty strong timeless vibe to me. Which maybe should come as no surprise, since it deals with time travel ;D. Maybe a certain detail might have been written in a slightly different guise nowadays (more on this later), but all in all, STDB can easily be enjoyed by readers who weren't even born when it came out. Short book premise: Earth has developed time travel in the recent past, while Choria - Mavkel's planet - hasn't. For once, it's aliens who need human to teach them advanced technology. Cool, isn't it?

GENDER BENDER

I decided to give this book a try for two reasons: 1) time travel (my number-two obsession after dead-not-dead characters); 2) a supposed male/female friendship story (and an unusual one at that) without romantic undertones. I use the word "supposed" because it turns out that Mav (like Joss calls him) is not a "male" alien. "He" comes from a planet where both sexes coexist in the same body (though Chorian physiology remains a mystery through the book - see: the humorous description of Mav's bathroom), and he's actually referred to as "it" until he becomes Joss' partner in the time travel academy. Only then the two of them agree on using the male pronoun, for the following reasons: 1) the obvious one: "it" is a pronoun used for objects; 2) Joss - when Mav asks her - admits being the kind of gal who would choose a guy as a sexual/romantic partner...so Mav basically argues that, since they are a pair now, she might as well have a male (though, I'll add, totally platonic) partner. The whole thing would probably have been played out a little differently now - maybe (just my guess) Mav would have been addressed as "they/them". I don't know if this detail is enough to turn genderfluid readers off this book, but the thing is, there's no judgement or disrespect for "alternate" sexualities in STDB. Quite the contrary. For example, Joss' mother is bisexual, and her ex long-time female partner, Louise, has a new family with a same-sex lover; also, Louise and her new partner have a son thanks to a sperm donor, who is actually involved in his kid's life. Goodman even took the time to weave a heartfelt memorial to all the AIDS victims into her book. [...]

Robert Schell: "The Mariner King"

Title: The Mariner King [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Temporal Affairs (2nd of 3 books)
Author: Robert Schell [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi, Time Travel, Fantasy
Year: 2016
Age: 12+
Stars: 3/5
Pros: Well written, with a few fresh ideas. Fantasy and science blend nicely.
Cons: Everything happens so fast...Like I said, a few fresh ideas, but their potential often remains unfulfilled.
Will appeal to: Those who like time travel aimed at the past. Those who are in for a mix of historical and fantasy.

Blurb: Caroline’s junior year at Diaz High School was hard enough. Her best friend Tony was behaving oddly, and she was suffering from a mystery illness that had claimed the life of her older sister, Elizabeth, years ago. If that weren’t enough, Caroline gets kidnapped by a time-traveling would-be god.
For N’Nae, daughter of the Adjunct King of Atuaxan, eking out a living in a small city-state at the tail-end of an Ice Age was challenging enough. But she was also expected to comport herself in a manner befitting her station, which entailed sacrificing her life for the good of the kingdom. And then the Shadows from another Universe appeared.
Now Caroline, N’Nae, and Tony are drawn together into a conflict in which the combatants must warp reality itself to do battle: the stakes are no less than the survival of life on Earth itself. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. This didn't influence my rating in any way.

FANTASY FLIGHT

For the record, I read and reviewed the first installment last year (link at the end of this review), and I have to say that the sci-fi aspect is less prominent in this one. Yes, of course time travel is the core of this series, but in Book 2 the fantasy/magic angle definitely steals the scene. What I mean is, while time travel is the reason why Tony and Caroline have their adventures, those are firmly rooted in alternate historical fantasy. I'm still putting this one in my Sci-Fi Room because 1) it has a sci-fi premise and 2) I don't even have a Fantasy Room, since I don't usually read fantasy. Sorry for any inconvenience.

OUT OF TIME

There are a few interesting ideas in this book. My favourite? Well, without giving too much away, not everyone is necessarily linked to a particular time frame. You can always land back to your native time stream, but what if you don't have one?...How can it be, you ask? Well, suffice to say, it can. The book explains the logic behind it, and the consequences (because OF COURSE there would be consequences) that ensue from such a state. This is actually a pivotal point in TMK, and it links back to something that was mentioned back in Book 1 and left hanging. [...]

Edward Aubry: "Unhappenings"

Title: Unhappenings  [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Unhappenings (1st of 2 books)
Author: Edward Aubry [Facebook | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi
Year: 2015
Age: Can be read from 13-14 on, but because of its complexity and the characters' age, it's essentially geared towards adults
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Fresh concept. Entertaining ride. Nicely blends science (or scientific speculations) with personal issues. Poses interesting - albeit not new - moral dilemmas.
Cons: Characters could have been deeper. Love story turns out to be quite weird (though the author is able to have you buy into it). We don't get all the answers we need. At least one of the twists is easy to figure out.
Will appeal to: Time travel aficionados who wants to see a different angle - with a less sci-fi and more human feel.

Blurb: When Nigel Walden is fourteen, the UNHAPPENINGS begin. His first girlfriend disappears the day after their first kiss with no indication she ever existed. This retroactive change is the first of many only he seems to notice. Several years later, Nigel is visited by two people from his future. But the enigmatic young guide shares very little, and the haggard, incoherent, elderly version of himself is even less reliable. His search for answers takes him fifty-two years forward in time, where he meets Helen. But Nigel's relationships always unhappen, and if they get close it could be fatal for her. Worse, according to the young guide, just by entering Helen's life, Nigel has already set into motion events that will have catastrophic consequences. In his efforts to reverse this, and to find a way to remain with Helen, he discovers the disturbing truth about the unhappenings, and the role he and his future self have played all along. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I received this novel from Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. To be more precise, I specifically requested a review copy. That didn't affect my opinion and rating in any way. Here goes...

WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD

I'm a sucker for time travel, but to be honest, I wasn't aware of that until a few years ago. So it's not like I'm claiming to be the maximum expert on the matter or something. I haven't read/seen so huge an amount of time travel stories that I can vouch for the novelty of a particular concept. What I can say is, the story of a man whose life constantly seems to rewrite itself with no reason sounded too fresh and compelling not to give it a chance. I do have a few issues with how the thing is played (I'll address them later), because I feel like there are questions that didn't get a solid answer, or no answer at all - but the book as a whole was an entertaining ride, and didn't even lose its appeal when I reread it in search of missed clues.
As far as time travel goes, Unhappenings touches/explores a few already known theories (like the causal loop one) but also brings fresh concepts on the table, and heavily relies on the idea that, once a human being has been born, her/his life can't be negated simply murdering her/his parents before that person's birth; then again, there will be consequences - and interesting ones, too. And I promise, my review is not going to get any more spoilery than that ;). Also, if sci-fi and time travel intimidate you, I think you can still read this book without banging your head against a brick wall, because the story in itself is still compelling even if you don't get all the theories and their ramifications. This is not a book geared to science nerds - they will enjoy it, sure, but if you aren't privy to time travel scientific speculations, you can still read Unhappenings for its entertainment value :). [...]

Ilsa J. Bick: "Dark Passages" (Series Review)

Hardcover and Kindle

Paperback

Title: White Space [on Amazon | on Goodreads]

Series: Dark Passages (1st of 2 books)

Author: Ilsa J. Bick [Site | Goodreads]

Genres: Metafiction, Multiverse, Horror, Supernatural

Year: 2014

Age: 14+

Stars: 5/5

Pros: Different, exciting, engrossing - an outrageous kick in the butt of "regular" fiction, which is, at the same time, a love letter to it.

Cons: May sound confusing to some. Truncated chapter endings and suspense may drive the reader a little mad sometimes.

WARNING! High level of gore and horror (also of the psychological kind).

Will appeal to: Metafiction and multiverse enthusiasts. Patient, fearless readers, ready to engage with a nonlinear story.

Hardcover, Kindle and paperback (this is an edit. Paperback came out in 2017)

Title: The Dickens Mirror [on Amazon | on Goodreads]

Series: Dark Passages (2nd of 2 books)

Author: Ilsa J. Bick [Site | Goodreads]

Genres: Metafiction, Multiverse, Horror, Supernatural

Year: 2015

Age: 14+

Stars: 5/5

Pros: Different, exciting, engrossing - an outrageous kick in the butt of "regular" fiction, which is, at the same time, a love letter to it.

Cons: May sound confusing to some. Truncated chapter endings and suspense may drive the reader a little mad sometimes. All the different versions of the same characters and/or characters at different age stages may frustrate those who like step-by-step narrative.

WARNING! High level of gore and horror (also of the psychological kind).

Will appeal to: Metafiction and multiverse enthusiasts. Patient, fearless readers, ready to engage with a nonlinear story. Readers who like alternative history and steampunk (though I'm using the term in an oblique way here).

Christopher Pike: "Black Knight"

Title: Black Knight [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Witch World (2nd of ?? books)
Author: Christopher Pike [Facebook | Goodreads]
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Multiverse, Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Year: 2014
Age: 14+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Unique approach to witches and alternate universes. Faster pace and more cohesion than Book 1. Never a dull moment (with the possible exception of Ch. 1).
Cons: Heroine reads like a slightly different version of Sita (The Last Vampire/Thirst), this time with a penchant for being in love/lust with two men at a time. Most characters are unbelievably skilled for a bunch of newborn teen witches or witch wannabes. We don't get the explanations we need in the end (and it's unclear if we will, because there's no talk of a book 3 yet. I asked Pike himself and he said he wants to complete the series, but apparently his publishers have very little interest in it right now. Or - my take on the matter - maybe ever...).
WARNING! This one has blood and guts. Literally. Sex is mentioned/approached, but we don't really get to see it - only a would-be prelude.
Will appeal to: Those who like feisty female leads. Those who can tolerate some gore and suspend disbelief if a story draws them in. Those who don't necessarily need ALL the answers...

Blurb: Jessica Ralle thought the worst was over. The mindblowing revelations. The terrifying danger. The heartbreaking loss. Turns out, discovering Witch World was just the beginning. The riveting Witch World saga continues in a sequel packed with even more shocking twists and sexy suspense than Book One…(Amazon excerpt)
[BTW - I never comment in this section for obvious reasons but I HATE this blurb. It doesn't say anything about the story, and the "sexy suspense" is there for shock value only, so that this book can be lined out with a stream of supposedly successful and steamy novels (please notice the alliteration...it just popped up, and I decided to keep it...) that have nothing to do with it. Yes, there's sex - this is Christopher-friggin'-Pike after all, the one who was already incorporating sex into his books as far back as the '80s! - but "sexy suspense"? WTH? Someone at Simon & Schuster has obviously tried hard to market this book as something it wasn't in order to draw attention to it. And failed nonetheless...]

Review: As my review of Red Queen testifies, I liked the first installment of this series, but didn't unconditionally love it. I've reread it prior to tackling this sequel, and despite enjoying some bits a lot, I still was annoyed at some others. The main problem for me - apart from the heroine Jessica reading too much like an alternate version of Sita without 5,000 years of living under her belt, but sometimes acting like she did - was that the book was all over the place. So I was pleasantly surprised by Black Knight being, on the whole, much more cohesive than its predecessor (which I admit it's not easy for a book set in two different universes, and sporting the addition of a second almost-main character). Also, this novel's got action, blood and guts (not that the first installment didn't, but it was still a crossover between such things and your average high-school aftermath), not to mention a bunch of mysteries of different kinds to keep you enthralled. And curveballed. (Can you say "curveballed"?). Of course, Jessica is still too good to be true - a 18 year old girl who can take care of anything under the sun while barely flinching, and a newborn witch who can fight with the best of them. Because go figure, there are others like her. But once removed from the post-high-school/normal life setting, the fact that six half-dozens of teenagers can be catapulted in the middle of a godforsaken place to be pitted against one another, and adjust to it, doesn't sound that far-fetched anymore...Yes, actually "catapulted" and "pitted". Because six groups of six witches and latent witches each find themselves stranded on an off-the-map island, where they are supposed to fight until only one of them remains. In typical Highlander fashion... [...]

Sarah J. Schmitt: "It's a Wonderful Death" (ARC Review)

Title: It's a Wonderful Death [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Sarah J. Schmitt [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife
Year: 2015
Age: 12+
Stars: 3/5
Pros: Funny and bittersweet story with an unconventional premise for a YA book. Colourful set of characters.
Cons: The main character's moral switch is pretty wide and the butterfly effect is a bit extreme - they stretch believability.
Will appeal to: Those who like humour and sarcasm alternating with sweet interactions and emotive moments.

Blurb: Seventeen-year-old RJ always gets what she wants. So when her soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll. But in her quest for mortality, she becomes a pawn in a power struggle between an overzealous archangel and Death Himself. The tribunal presents her with two options: she can remain in the lobby, where souls wait to be processed, until her original lifeline expires, or she can replay three moments in her life in an effort to make choices that will result in a future deemed worthy of being saved. It sounds like a no-brainer. She’ll take a walk down memory lane. How hard can changing her future be? But with each changing moment, RJ’s life begins to unravel, until this self-proclaimed queen bee is a social pariah. She begins to wonder if walking among the living is worth it if she has to spend the next sixty years as an outcast. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. As a matter of fact, I wrote to Sarah J. Schmitt as far back as December 2014, when the first blurb of IAWD was released. She replied shortly after and in a really kind fashion, promising a PDF copy of her book to me as soon as it was ready to go around. Many months passed, during which I made a point not to bother Schmitt again, hoping for the best but prepared to find out she had probably forgotten all about this small blog and its owner - and I wouldn't have hold a grudge against her if she did. You know, so many blogs, so little time :). But, true to her word, in August Schmitt reached out to me again, and confirmed that I was going get IAWD from her publicist, which happened in a few days. So, a huge THANK YOU to Sarah J. Schmitt and SkyHorse Publishing for sending me an eARC! As usual though, this didn't affect my appreciation of the book in any way. Same for the fact that the author is a self-proclaimed fellow Heroes fan :). Here goes...
Afterlife novels. I simply can't have enough of them. And the best thing about them is, I still have to come across an afterlife story that isn't original in some respect. IAWD is no exception to this unwritten rule. I don't know about adult fiction, but as far as YA lit goes, I've never read a book before where the main character gets "collected" by mistake and ends up pleading demanding to be restored in her timeline in front of a heavenly tribunal.
IAWD starts with a bang - a tragicomic one. Instead of being gradually introduced to the main character - seventeen year old RJ - we meet her at the very moment of her accidental (and bizarre) reaping. But RJ's reaction to the event gives us a definite flavour of her personality. She realised that the Grim Reaper wasn't originally aiming at her, and of course she won't volunteer to get collected - but the way she fights and demands for answers (and for her destiny to be reverted to its natural course) lets us know all there is to know about her...except it doesn't. Because for all her spunk and egocentrism and supposed mean-girl attitude, RJ is essentially guilty by association, and weak when it comes to leave the protective umbrella of the actual mean clique at school - as we are to learn soon. Not to mention, a potential good girl who has progressively lost her track.
Anyway, RJ's real nature and her chances of redemption if restored in her original timeline are not, turns out, the main concern of the afterlife bureau. Since RJ's case is apparently unprecedented, and many different interests are involved, the "legal" battle about her destiny doesn't exactly revolves around righting the wrong she endured. This is the part of the book I enjoyed more, because the limbo setting, the characters and the tribunal fight are plain fun. Schmitt populates her afterlife with a mix of characters from the Scriptures (the angels, Saint Peter), other religions (Buddha), Greek mythology (Cerberus) - all reimagined of course - plus a few originals (Al, Death-Himself), and no one is what they seem, or what you'd expect them to be. Also, RJ's reactions to the events and her banter with the supernatural beings are really enjoyable. [...]

How to Develop a Taste for the Weird

[Original image here]

Hi my beauties! are you still there?

Because I've been really, really lazy lately. Part of it was old age tiredness, part was probably lack of stimuli and/or ideas. Anyway, I seemed to have blogger's block and I didn't like it in the slightest. So, while I was fishing for new post ideas, my brain swirled with images from my favourite books and TV series, and I thought I'd write a sort of crossover article about them, and how I was shaped into the kind of reader/TV watcher I am now. This is meant to be a homage to some of the TV series and novels that have left their mark on my mind, or if you like, soul...

Robert Schell: "The Foster Children of Time"

Title: The Foster Children of Time  [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Temporal Affairs (1st of 3 books)
Author: Robert Schell [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi, Time Travel, Fantasy, Comedy
Year: 2014
Age: 12 +
Stars: 3/5
Pros: Well written and well researched. The time travel aspect is fresh and interesting. Fantasy and science blend nicely.
Cons: Could have gone deeper with main characters and given a better sense of their friendship. Also, some things seem to happen a bit too hurriedly.
Will appeal to: Those who like time travel aimed at the past. Those who are in for a mix of historical and fantasy.

Blurb: One day while on a family outing at the beach, Texas teen Tony Marco happens upon a group of time tourists from the year 2088. Unsure of what to do, Tony reconnects with his more adventurous, estranged childhood friend Caroline Montano, who impulsively crashes the tour, dragging Tony along with her. Tony and Caroline soon find themselves on a black hole-powered portal to various exotic eras in Earth’s past, where they encounter Stephen Gaudet, an independent time scout who promises to take them home, free from the oversight of the time travel governing authority, Temporal Affairs. Instead, Gaudet kidnaps Tony and Caroline and transports them to a twisted fantasy kingdom in the 11th Century A.D., where they encounter a quirky cast of characters. Relying only upon their own wits and with help from their newfound friends, Tony and Caroline discover that one does not have to be a legendary monster slayer or great warrior to face off against Giants and Dragons. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. As a matter of fact, I connected with him via the Young Adult Fiction for Adults group on Goodreads, and asked for the chance to read his book. This didn't influence my rating in any way.
The first thing you need to know about TFCOT is that it's a self-published book. The second is that it's a well written self-published book.
This needs to be emphasized, for no other reason that the cruel stigma attached to indie/self-pub books: bad editing, worse delivery. Which may be true sometimes, maybe even most of the times, but not necessarily true.
I did notice a handful of typos in this book...but they were genuine typos, like missing quotation marks or a name with a different letter. I also noticed that "anyways" was used freely, but only in informal speech. All the rest was, I think, flawless writing, the type that shuns lazy words without going for pretentious ones. It was refreshing to be reminded of the many alternatives to the unimaginative "she said, he said" :).
Tony and Caroline find themselves in the middle of a bizarre, peculiar adventure. Instead of merely ending up in the past (though they indeed do that), the two friends are cast into a twisted version of it, which still retains/relies on elements of our present, like computers and genetics. Those are revealed a little at a time, or mostly uncovered by the duo (especially by Tony, who apparently has a curious, inquiring mind). History is woven into the tapestry of their adventure, but there are other forces at play, like what appears to be a touch of real magic. The historical events are thoroughly researched (the notes at the end of the book testify just that), but at the same time, profitably used as a background to a fun fantasy ride. [...]

Diana Wynne Jones: "The Time of the Ghost"

Title: The Time of the Ghost [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Diana Wynne Jones [Fansite | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural
Year: 1981
Age: 12+ (but it can be enjoyed by younger readers as well)
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Rich, nuanced story. A well-woven blend of supernatural and ordinary (well, so to speak) peppered with humour and mystery, and sporting an unusual ghost.
Cons: A bit slow and old-fashioned. Requires more than a read to create a strong connection with the reader.
Will appeal to: Those who can delve into a book with patience.

Blurb: The ghost turns up one summer day, alone in a world she once knew, among people who were once her family. She knows she is one of four sisters, but which one? She can be sure of only one thing - that there's been an accident. As she struggles to find her identity, she becomes aware of a malevolent force stirring around her. Something terrible is about to happen. One of the sisters will die - unless the ghost can use the future to reshape the past. But how can she warn them, when they don't even know she exists? (Amazon excerpt)

Review: This book taught me a lesson. I pretty much bought it on a whim, because the title put my two favourite themes together...dead-but-not-quite-dead characters and time travel. While some reviews mentioned it to be a bit slow, I decided the thing wasn't likely to bother me. Later, upon reading it for the first time, I thought I should have paid those reviews more heed - I liked the book fine enough, but it was more of a three-star item for me. Except that I've re-read it twice since then...and every time I found myself appreciating it more - hence the four stars. I've always had a feeling that books need a couple of reads for their ratings to be accurate. Now I have proof that at least some of them do.
In The Time of the Ghost, the main characters are four sisters, whose age is not clearly stated - though they must all be in their teens or around, except for Fenella (there's a later paragraph in the book from which we gather that she's ten when the story begins). They live next to a school for young males, run by their neglectful-bordering-on-abusive parents (when I say "abusive", I specifically mean their father). On the other hand, this is not a Virgin Suicides type of story, not at all. Most of the time, the four sisters are simply left fending for themselves in regard to their basic necessities (more often than not with amusing results, despite the potentially tragic situation), and carrying on with their lives without any adult supervision (which is one of the reasons why the story ultimately takes a dark turn). When the book opens, they've actually envisioned a plan in order to shake the usual torpor out of their parents, a plan whose main point involves the "disappearance" of one of the sisters. And, grotesque as it may seem, the plan is not even working. [Note: most of the incidents told in TTOTG, despite sounding highly peculiar, are based on the true life of DWJ - see this autobiographic page]. This is precisely when the ghost of one of them - oblivious of her own identity - comes back from an unknown time and place in order to prevent a horrible "accident". [...]

J.L. Morin: "Nature's Confession" (ARC Review)

Title: Nature's Confession [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: TBA
Author: J.L. Morin [Twitter | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi (more precisely, Cli-Fi)
Year: 2015
Age: 12+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Adventure-packed book that explores serious issues from an often funny angle.
Cons: Requires some suspension of disbelief. The fable-like telling may take a bit to get used to. Multiple points of view may not be everybody's cup of tea.
Will appeal to: Those who like their sci-fi peppered with humour, but also driven by a purpose. Those who can appreciate a modern fable coupled with a (non preachy) message.

Blurb: A smart-mouthed, mixed-race teen, with the girl of his dreams, inadvertently invents living computers. Just as the human race allows corporations to pollute Earth into total desolation, institute martial law and enslave humanity, the two teens set out to save civilization. Can they thwart polluters of Earth and other fertile worlds? Along the way, they enlist the help of female droid Any Gynoid, who uncovers cutting-edge scientific mysteries as their quest takes them through the Big Bang and back. Will youth lead the way to a new way of coexisting with Nature? (Goodreads excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. It's also my second ARC review in two years of blogging - but this didn't affect my opinion in any way. 
There's something I have to warn you about straight away: don't approach this book thinking the romance will play a huge part in it, like the blurb seems to imply. Or, to be precise - the romance does play a huge part in it, but mostly offscreen, so to speak. Also, this is a book that gets better the second time around. While reading the first chapters, the unusual style - almost fable-like - threw me for a loop. Not to mention, some occurrences seemed too convenient and far-fetched at first, even for a sci-fi novel. The main characters, fourteen and sixteen respectively, are supposed to be a couple of geniuses, able to create (accidentally or on purpose) living computers. That sounded like a stretch to me, to put it mildly. Then, a few chapters in, the book finally clicked for me, and I began to really enjoy the story. 
Boy is a 14 y.o. mixed-race teen (points to Morin for writing a diverse character without emphasizing his ethnicity) who doesn't have a name yet - in the distant-future society he lives in (I hesitate to label it as dystopian, since alas, it might come true for us) one can't be named until his/her fifteenth birthday. Valentine is the 16 y.o. daughter of a scientist, who keeps appearing in Boy's dreams, although he doesn't know she's real yet. Even when the two teens do finally meet, there's very little interaction between them, until much later in the story. Also, Boy has a half-sister, Kenza, who is a clone of their mother. Despite the sci-fi contest, plus a hint of magical realism (Boy's dreams), the family dynamics are somehow typical, up to a point (a father who works a lot and cheats on his wife, a mother who mainly takes care of the family), but we'll soon realise that there's a lot more than that under the surface. Every member of Boy's family (including a telepathic alien pet with six legs and an undisclosed number of tails that we are to meet later) will be given the opportunity to play a part in the rebirth of planet Earth and its new, eco-sustainable course. Some of these characters are unlikely heroes - take Porter, Boy's father, who leaves for a supposed pleasure-filled space trip with a soon-to-be lover, and ends up traveling through the Big Bang and back with a gynoid and meeting a few unexpected allies on old planet Earth. This adds humour to the story, and makes the scientific stuff easier to digest. [...]

Cristin Terrill: "All Our Yesterdays"

Title: All Our Yesterdays  [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Cristin Terrill [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi
Year: 2013
Age: 12+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Time travel is mostly believable and well executed, and puts new spins on the concept. Narrative is peppered with nice twists, hints (to be caught later) and reveals. Dynamics among characters ring true.
Cons: A couple of unresolved or too far-off details. The writing would have benefited from a little more sophistication.
Will appeal to: Time travel lovers, of course. But pretty much anyone who likes a romantic adventure packed tight with action and feelings.

Blurb: Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain. She's tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present-imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. Marina has loved her best friend James since they were children. But on one disastrous night, James's life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina's hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: How do you review a book that half the blogging world has sliced and reassembled in any possible way already? Is there a different, fresh perspective you can examine it from? An invigorating challenge :). Let's see what I can come up with...
I've had this book on my radar since the very first blurb was revealed - there wasn't even a cover yet. Now, time travel never fails to draw my attention, especially if it promises two different stories about the same character in two different time frames...and the possibility of them confronting each other. I was aware this book would have romance in it, too, and a once-spoiled girl - but somehow, even that early, I was convinced it would end up a winner. Which it ultimately did. Why? Here are my reasons...

a) Refreshing, well founded time travel. Now, it looks like you can break all kinds of time travel rules in fantasy, especially when it comes to TV shows: "Charmed" and "Supernatural" have taught us that much. But sci-fi is usually much stricter. I guess you're familiar with time travel golden rules n° 1 & 2...

1. Golden rule n° 1: there's only so much you can change (see "Grandfather Paradox").
2. Golden rule n° 2: you can't meet your past self, or the fabric of time would never survive that (though I don't think anyone ever explained us how).

Well, Terrill finds a way around the above rules, which allows us to enjoy an exciting ride without having to tear logic to pieces. Though the future and past selves are face to face only for a (relatively) short span of time at the end of the book, it's worth the wait. Also, I found Terrill's use of flashbacks interesting. While they are inserted matter-of-factly in most stories, here the author chooses to tie them to the characters, so that such flashbacks become part of their ongoing experience and don't interrupt the flow of the story. On the contrary, they are weaved effortlessly (though dramatically) into the narrative, and make us privy to a lot of information without sounding contrived.
Em and Finn's is a one-way trip, which adds a realistic and serious feel to the time travel aspect. Because they're not simply jumping from time frame to time frame - they're on a mission whose cost will be their annihilation. There's no coming back and finding a "magically" changed future for them. Only their younger selves will be left, and the bond Em and Finn have forged during their trials will be undone. Also, they end up partly changing the future at some point, so that they can't rely on their own memories and tell what comes next anymore. This adds to the drama and spices up the story even more.
My only problem with the time travel aspect is: since 14 previous versions of Em and Finn have tried to prevent the creation of the time machine and failed, what became of them after? They supposedly weren't erased, because despite their best efforts, the machine is still going to be built. But in case they were "sucked back" into the future (how?), they would simply resume their previous version. This seems to indicate that any failed attempt to change the future ends up with Em and Finn (and the past they've visited) vanishing and starting from scratch. It doesn't make solid sense though. 
On a side note, James is a genius at 18, and Finn not only will be able to operate the time machine in the future, but also to simulate a different date than the one he and Em are going back to. This is a bit of a stretch, but of course it's convenient. [...]