Taste the Books: Review Morsels #53 Charlene Thomas, Marisha Pessl, Jennifer Brozek et al.

Intro

Hello beauties!

Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some shorties for a blogging event in 2015. And Karen from For What It's Worth started praising my short recs/recaps 😊. Just to be clear,  I'm NOT taking a break from writing long reviews - no such luck LOL (though for anthologies, shorter books or books that I didn't enjoy/I don't have enough to say about, I decided to stick to minis). But while I'm making up my mind about a new book I've read, I might as well give you the short version 😉. Just be warned - this feature will be VERY random!

Note: all the mini blurbs (in italics) are of my own creation.

Streetlight People by Charlene Thomas (ARC Review)

★★★

In a classist small town, a 17 y.o. girl from the "wrong" side who's dating across the social divide stumbles upon a way to manipulate time - which could break her, if her boyfriend's pals' hostility and the town's secrets don't do it first.

***

Rated 3.5 really.

First off...DISCLAIMER: this title was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Penguin Random House/Dutton Books for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

This was a clever book that managed to keep its secrets well until it was time to disclose them. Told in the dual perspective of Black teens Kady (a girl from the disadvantaged side of Streetlight) and Aaron (her boyfriend's best pal, born outside of town but part of the "in" crowd due to his stepmother's connections), Streetlight People has a lot to say about privilege/elitism - and to an extent, racism - by way of a quirky story about the ability to bend time to relive (or erase) your best (or worst) moments. Kady and Aaron's points of view are very distinct, and if you pay attention, their peculiarities will give you some clues about what's on going on (which I mostly wasn't able to interpretate, if not in retrospect)...but you still won't be ready for the big reveal. I have to say that Aaron's narration worked better for me, while I was a bit annoyed by Kady's dependency from her boyfriend and her putting up with his toxic loyalty to the "in" clique, though it will probably ring true with readers in the right demographic, or who have done the same in their teens. Ultimately, Streetlight People is a fresh, provocative twist on the time-travel trope (by way of magic/magical realism, as opposed to sci-fi) coupled with a strong coming-of-age theme, tackling social inequality, and with a focus on friendship vs. "exclusive clubs". The ending doesn't come in a pretty bow, but regardless, you won't be at loss for answers.

Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).

Darkly by Marisha Pessl (ARC Review)

★★★

A 17 y.o. girl, fan of a late female game designer, joins six other teens at an internship held by her foundation - but the offer hides dangers, secrets and mysteries beyond every participant's imagination.

***

First off...DISCLAIMER: I got the chance to download this title from NetGalley because the publisher auto-approved me in the past. Thanks to Walker Books for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

I'll be honest: Darkly was a wild, fun ride, and I'd recommend it to any younger reader looking for an immersive read rife with secrets and action. On the other hand, there were so many implausibilities and convenient coincidences that the plot was stretched thin. I couldn't buy the premise that a game designer who had been dead for decades could still have such a following, especially among teens. I didn't understand how her creations were supposed to be played, since they were, for all purposes, board games that bled into reality, and allegedly required the participation of random people (I'm not talking about the game the characters play in the story, since that one was staged). Everything and everyone was over the top for some reason (including the MC, with her passion for all things 1930s) or talked funny (speaking of which, how come all the interns were fluent in English, even those coming from France, Iceland or Nigeria?). And the question they had to answer in order to apply for the supposed internship ("What would you kill for?") turned up to be a false hint, making us anticipate something that wouldn't happen in the story at all. Last but not least, there was *cough* the good old love triangle. And yet...I tore through the book in two days, and I did have a good time - so, if you don't expect something deep, memorable and plausible, but are looking for mystery and plain entertainment (with a touch of female empowerment), by all means go ahead and grab a copy.

Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).

Coins of Chaos by Jennifer Brozek et al.

★★

Seventeen hobo nickels altered by a mysterious Carver wreak havoc in the lives of those who end up with one of them, or feel compelled to pick one up.

***

Rated 2.5 really.

As it's often the case, this collection called to me because Seanan McGuire has a story in it (set in the Ghost Roads universe, too, which I love dearly), but on the whole, I was a bit bored - not to mention, a few of the stories are set in the early 1900s, which isn't an era I enjoy reading about (other were a lot more recent though, like from the '90s). The framing device could have been simple but effective, without the Carver (Brozek, I suppose) inserting himself in the narrative via a series of afterwords that sometimes contradict a point in the stories they are attached to (or proceed to "tell" what the stories are supposed to "show" - or to add something that isn't there). I also found it a bit jarring that some of the coins are said to be always cold to the touch, but one is described as unusually warm - maybe giving the authors some basic rules to work by wouldn't have been a bad idea. As for the content, some of the stories are about the coin giving the characters bad luck (yawn), others about them bringing forth the protagonists' inner darkness (much better). The best of the bunch (along with McGuire's - yes, I'm biased 🙂) was The Value of a Year of Tears and Sorrow by Jason Andrew - complex and with a twist I couldn't see coming. Then again, on a side note, too many women were harmed in the making of this book...

Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later, and of course I don't plan to reread this book; also, due to time commitments, I've decided not to write full-length reviews anymore for short stories, novellas and anthologies, except in special cases or unless they're part of a series).

So, have you read/are you planning to read any of the above? And if you have, what do you think of them? Do you post mini reviews? Do you like to read them?