REVIEW: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Bird Box

by Josh Malerman

Goodreads synopsis:

Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news. But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street. Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent. The phones stopped ringing. And we couldn't look outside anymore. Malorie raises the children the only way she can; indoors. The house is quiet. The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows. They are out there. She might let them in. The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall. Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them. Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything.

What I thought:

I would classify Bird Box as Horror Light.
I know a lot of people have written in their reviews "Don't read this before bed!",  but for me, this novel didn't get under my skin the way Henry James, Stephen King, or even a good zombie novel will. Nor was it as ghastly and horrific as a James A. Moore novel.

The novel is a fun romp through a horrific landscape, and reminded me a bit of "The Happening" (except much, much better). Most of this novel takes place in flashback, which works really well to keep the reader's interest and not bog down the actual act of Malorie and the kids leaving the house with what seem like contrived events.

The "big bad" in this novel, for me, was excellent. It was an unexplained phenomenon, with many theories thrown out as to what it was, but with no one truly knowing. I appreciate that there was no true answer given, and that the only way to really find out was to look, which, of course, had deadly consequences. The fact that you never got a straight answer really upped the creepy factor, because it left you in the same boat as the people experiencing what was going on.

There were a few things that bothered me a little about the book too. The first thing was the nature of the way people died. In the beginning, it seemed that people were prone to kill their loved ones and then kill themselves, but later on, it seemed they lost interest in being murderous and instead were just suicidal. For me, since I felt like we didn't get to know any of the characters particularly well, it would have been scarier if the phenomenon victims kept a more murderous intent.

The second thing that bothered me was one of the later plot twists. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that while the whole thing was actually foreshadowed in a way I appreciate, the event itself was something I saw coming a mile away. It's a plot twist that's been used before, so with the rest of the book being so interesting and refreshingly original, I kind of wish this major point in the story had been too.

Overall:

This was a really enjoyable, fast read. Perfect for the upcoming Halloween season!

A Weird Girl Reading List: 10 of the Best Outsider Books for Teenagers from Flavorwire

Check out this interesting article from Flavorwire that offers 10 alternatives to mainstream YA novels:

http://flavorwire.com/377524/a-weird-girl-reading-list-10-of-the-best-outsider-books-for-teenagers

And just for the sake of being concise, here's a list of the books they're recommending... click on the article link to find out more about each one:

1. The Orange Eats Creeps, Grace Krilanovich
2. Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block
3. Rose of No Man’s Land, Michelle Tea
4. No One Belongs Here More Than You, Miranda July
5. The Vanishers, Heidi Julavits
6. Geek Love, Katherine Dunn
7. Vida, Patricia Engel
8. Magic for Beginners, Kelly Link
9. Out, Natsuo Kirino
10. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, Danielle Evans

Of this list, I have only read Out by Natsuo Kirino, but it was definitely an interesting, strange book that I would recommend. 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Synopsis (via Amazon):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.


Characters:
Beatrice "Tris" Prior: The main character, Beatrice is from the faction of Abnegation, who are supposed to be the selfless types... but she's always felt she doesn't fit in, because by nature, she is not selfless. She chooses to go live with the Dauntless faction instead. Dauntless is a faction of warriors and risk takers, and also where Beatrice changes her name to the shortened version of "Tris"
Beatrice sees herself as unattractive... but as per usual in YA novels, it's simply her own perception of herself.
Four: Tris's instructor when she starts training as a Divergent. He is the main love interest, and a boy with secrets. I don't know what it was, but something about Tris and Four's love story really struck home for me. Maybe it's that it was born through blood and tears... and not just two dopey teens mooning over one another with little to no explanation of attraction other than hormones.
Thomas: Another High School student, and the one who lured Cas there in the first place... he is a mind-reader and a witch (although this book does not make it clear if ALL mind readers are witches or not). He attempts to befriend and watch out for Cas, and is dogged about it, even though Cas is a total jerk to someone who, you would think, Cas would recognize immediately as an important ally.  
Caleb Prior: Tris's older brother, who choose to go live in the Erudite faction, which is the "intelligent" faction, always seeking to learn new things.
Christina: One of Tris's first friends in Dauntless, she is a good friend, but struggling through issues of her own.
Peter: Another Dauntless boy who is cruel and vicious. He causes plenty of problems for Tris and her friends.
Will: Another good friend of Tris's, and Christina's love interest.
Marcus Eaton: One of the leaders of the Abnegation group.
Al: A sweet, but weak willed, Candor born Dauntless initiate, and a friend of Tris's.
Tris's Parents: Tris's father is one of the leaders of Abnegation, and both of Tris's parents have secrets they're hiding.

 Writing: The book is fast flowing, with constant action, making it a quick read. The language is dynamic and the prose flow smoothly from one event to the next.

Ending:

Shocking. That's all I have to say. Shocking.
While I saw some of it coming, I truly did not expect half of what happened in the last few pages of that book.

Plot:

I enjoyed the plot of this book. Granted, it's one of those dystopian futures, much like the Hunger Games, where you sit around for a while wondering why anyone would even set their whole society up like that in the first place... although it's more plausible when you realize that this is, in face, not the entire world, but one large city (Chicago).  
The story actually spends most of its time following the personal struggle of the main character, Tris, as she fights to earn her place in the Dauntless society, and to find out who she really is. 
The story then smoothly transitions from Tris's own inner struggle, to a much larger war that has been raging in secret between the factions. Tris and her friends are pulled into it in a plausible manner and the scene is set for book two.

Believability of World: Like I said, it's one of those dystopian novels that make you wonder, "How did the society even get like this?" ... but for me, that doesn't ruin the story in the least. I expect dystopian novels to have extreme societies.. and this one has a structure that is believable and fun to watch unfold.

Overall Grade: B ~ This was a fun, fast read. Would I reread this book? Probably not. It didn't bring anything new and ground-breaking to the dystopian genre... but will I pass it on to others to read? Heck yeah. An absolutely enjoyable book.

Summer People by Shirley Jackson

 Summer People

by Shirley Jackson

This one was a short story.

I'm not going to lie,

I read it because I'm reading Stephen King's book,11/22/63, and he mentions it in there.

The best part of checking this book out from the library is that I learned that I knew more Shirley Jackson stories than I thought!

She's written a lot of great suspense/horror that we've all heard of, like The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle...

I can see why she'd be a name that King referenced.

She is a master of subtle horror.

The Summer People was a quick read, only a few pages long, about a couple who decide to linger at their vacation home after the summer season is over.

The whole story is beautiful, it tells you exactly what is going to happen to these folks, without *actually* telling you anything.

However, this is not a story for people who need everything spelled out for them in black and white.

This haunting tale leaves a LOT to the imagination, and readers will have to fill in the blanks.

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

  Anna Dressed in Blood

 by Kendare Blake

There are spoilers in the PLOT section of this review.

Synopsis (via Amazon):

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.


Characters:
Cas: The main character, son of a ghost hunter and now a ghost hunter himself, he leads a lonely, troubled life. Personally, I don't like Cas much through most of the book. He's kind of an arrogant ass, and not in an endearing way. He makes assumptions about people, and is very contradictory, one minute thinking he's all that, then the next talking about how he's scrawny... his thoughts don't always mesh.
Carmel: The "It" girl at the High School Cas attends while he hunts Anna, Carmel find herself drawn into Cas's haphazard adventures. She seems to be a decent kid, and is a whole lot more likeable than Cas.
Thomas: Another High School student, and the one who lured Cas there in the first place... he is a mind-reader and a witch (although this book does not make it clear if ALL mind readers are witches or not). He attempts to befriend and watch out for Cas, and is dogged about it, even though Cas is a total jerk to someone who, you would think, Cas would recognize immediately as an important ally.
Anna: The ghost. She's obviously tormented, and for whatever reason, can't kill Cas, which allows him to have some deep conversation with her. Is it sad that I prefer Anna's character to Cas?
Cas's Mother: A white witch who travels the country at the whim of her teenaged son. She comes across as a protective, but meek character.
Mike, Will and Chase: The three moronic, predictable goons of the story. Are they jocks? Yes. Are they stereotypes? Yes. Did they offer any surprises? No.
Gideon: The mysterious British voice over the phone... aka, an old friend of Cas's father that we never actually meet, but he conveys really potent, important info to Cas, and gives a little background story concerning Cas's father. He reminded me of Giles from Buffy.
Morfran: Thomas's grandfather... and someone I really expected to step in a little more... I mean... you've got all these kids dealing with crazy occult and ghost stuff... you're pretty informed in that area, and you let the kids do their thing and call all the shots? Hmm.
Cas's Father: Dead from the start of the book, Cas's father is what set him on the path he's on. He died under mysterious circumstances that Cas just can't let go, despite everyone's warnings. 
Tybalt: Cas's mother's cat, he is a special cat who can detect the supernatural... which is evidently something all cats can do, but this one is better at it for some unexplained reason (literally, it's unexplained... Thomas mentions the cat is special... but no one ever says how).

 Writing: One thing I will say about this book, I actually love Kendare Blake's writing style. It flowed, and the description of the ghosts and the atmosphere were just downright creepy. She had my looking over my shoulder in rooms of my own house... and I've lived here for years without anything "spooky" ever happening. She is gifted at creating imagery in the reader's mind.

Ending:

The VERY end of this book really is enticing. Even though I disliked quite a lot of things about this book, I will read the second, hoping the things I disliked about this book are not quite as glaring in the next.

Plot:

Ah... the parts I hated most about this book all lie in the plot.
1. THE ATTIC. What... the... heck. Cas and his mother professionally hunt ghosts? They even have a cat who detects them... they clense every house they live in... and yet they neglect to check THE ATTIC???? It's like not checking the friggin basement. This was really, really unacceptable for me, as far as being able to believe this story or these characters... *especially* when Tybalt started freaking out about the attic, and Cas's mother heard things up there that went bump in the night. How was that NOT a glaring warning for them?? When I got to the part where the thing comes down out of the attic, I wanted to throw the book across the room... but it was a library book, so I refrained (I also wanted to smack Cas for literally telling his mother to shut up... it made me like him even less). It was so dumb that they didn't check EVERY room of the house, especially after their little house walk through, and the story of what happened to his mother once before. It made no sense and was an inexplicable, glaring oversight.. and just really bothered me because I felt like the author just couldn't think of anything better, so cheated to get the ghost in the house.
2. LOVE PLOT FROM A MANGA: Have you ever heard of shojo manga? It's the girly love story brand of manga (a manga is a japanese comic), where the characters tend to fall in love within the span of a page or two for no really great reason. Well... that's how I feel about the love story in Anna Dressed in Blood. Cas falls in love with this ghost (who has ripped human flesh to shreds right before his eyes) in the span of pages, and then suddenly trusts her whole-heartedly. Don't get me wrong, as far as characters in this book go, Anna is one of my favorites, but for Cas, Mr. Trust-no-one-even-if-they'd-obviously-make-an-excellent-ally, be-a-total-dick-almost-all-of-the-time, Super ghost hunter on a mission to do nothing but avenge his father... falling in love with Anna seems totally out of character. He literally is instantly transformed from a real jerk into a character I can actually find myself liking... it's why I'll read the second book, because I hope the author relents on his stupid machismo attitude... and there is promise of that... but unfortunately it came at the expense of a believable love story. I get it, he's all swoony and not thinking particularly straight... but his lack of fear around her just makes me think he's an idiot... even Sam took longer to fall in love with a Demon (that being Sam from Supernatural... a tv show with a hauntingly similar plot) than Cas did to fall in love with a Ghost. To me, it seemed just like the attic, a convenient plot device that felt contrived. Would it have been so awful for him to befriend her in the first book, and come to really respect her? There are obviously more than one of these books coming, so why not take your time and make it a rich, wonderful love story... why rush it?
3. TYBALT: Yes, it pisses me off that he died. I hope he haunts Cas and makes his life a living hell!!! This cat did his job 100% and they blithely ignored him. Shame on you, Ghost Hunters, shame on you (and really lame of you too, for supposedly being so experienced).
4. HUMAN VILLAINS WITH NO DEPTH: I mean this... did Mike, Will or Chase do a single thing that surprised you? Nope... very boring human villains. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue with this, but Cas made a point of pointing out repeatedly how clever Will seemed to be.
5. BIG BAD SUPERNATURAL VILLAIN WITH NO BACKGROUND: I can only hope this will be filled out more in future books... I'm hoping the end of this book didn't actually see the end of this villain... because an Obeahman could be really terrifying... if, you know, we had known more about him. I mean, yeah, the whole eyes stitched shut, jaw unhinging was creepy... but other than that, all we got was an info drop on what an Obeahman was, and a pretty skimmed one at that. Voodoo can be some really, really, really scary, creepy stuff... and he's supposed to be creepier than Voodoo? I need to know more to believe it. Just telling me isn't showing me... and what I was shown of him wasn't creepier than what I saw of Anna... so I wasn't really feeling the terror... nevermind we know *nothing* about this specific Obeahman... so he's just some vague, random ghost that Cas's dad had the bad luck of running into.

Believability of World: I think all the ghostiness works... it's creepy and I like the explanation that people don't WANT to explain some deaths. That works... we've all seen the world turn a blind eye to atrocities, especially when they can't explain them... but Cas's stupidity about certain things and the love story's rushed feel really kill a little bit of it for me.

Overall Grade: C+ ~ I really loved certain aspects of this book, and will read the second one... but there were certain things in this story that really just made me angry... just glaring plot holes, or contrived romances, or generally unlikeable main characters that made me want to chuck this book across the room. I'm hoping book two is a little more well thought out, and a whole lot less convenient when it comes to events that occur within the story.
I would like to give this book a higher score, because I really thought Blake's physical description of the ghosts was spooky and fantastic (and so was some of the emotional conflict the ghosts experienced)... but this book just made me so angry when it came to those other things that I can't overlook that.

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion

Synopsis:
(from Amazon):
 
R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.
Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

Characters:
R: The main character, and a zombie. While his spoken words are a bit... lacking, his thoughts are eloquent, and it's a beautiful juxtapose of what one wants to say and what one does say. Is this really the story of a zombie, or just any teenage boy? Well, except the brain eating bit... LOL!
M: R's kind of pervy zombie friend, and another of the zombies with a hint of memory of what life was like.
Perry: Julie's boyfriend, and the catalyst for this entire story.

Julie: The heroine of this story, and a living girl... she is strong and defiant... but for me, a little unbelievable.
Nora: Julie's best friend. She is a side character who is filled with character.

Julie's Father: He's not in it much, but when he is, he makes an impression.

Bonies: The "other" zombies... a strange, skinless religious faction of zombies that are absolutely terrifying.

 
Writing:

It pulls you in. The prose are beautiful and the pace is fast... I have to admit, I actually *didn't* want to read this book, but my neighbor gave it to me, and I felt obliged, since it was the first book he ever loaned me... but I am really glad I read it. This was an excellent zombie story. Once I started, I couldn't put it down.

Ending:
An ending that seemed to leave this book open to the possibility of more in the future.

Plot:

Ok, I have to admit... I REALLY love some aspects of the plot... and don't care much for other aspects of it. First... everything from R's perspective, I LOVE. It all makes sense in a zombie sort of way and I think it's a pretty awesome idea. I really, really, really love that bit... but... I have a really hard time believing Julie's half of it. Now, I'm being vague so as to do this without spoilers... but we all know this is a romance of sorts. I find the aspect of her befriending R to be absolutely plausible... I find the idea of her encouraging a romance to be just nuts. This book really takes a lot of liberty with overlooking what a dead body that hasn't been preserved is actually like... and "kissable" is not one of those things, unless, you know, you're into that -_-
I also have to say, I love the way the Bonies were explained... it was really, really terrifying, and frankly, they scare me.

 

Believability of World:
This is set in our world, post-zombie-apocalypse, so it's a pretty believable setting, and I love that zombies congregate the way they do.


Overall Grade: B+ I've read a lot of zombie stories, and frankly, a lot of them are awful... but this one is actually pretty darn excellent! Check it out!

REVIEW: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

 Ashes

by Ilsa J. Bick 

Synopsis:
(from Amazon): It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Characters:
Alex: As far as a main character goes, I really like Alex in the beginning. She's strong, independent and self reliant. She obviously has issues... but rightfully so.
Tom: A soldier who is likeable through and through. Tom seems to be hiding issues that I'm sure will surface sooner or later.
Ellie: Obnoxious. Little. Brat.  I hate to say it, but it takes a while for Ellie to muster any redeemable qualities. I understand that she's in pain over her parents, and a bitter child, but she's repeatedly a brat... and the adults around here are almost saintly in their patience.

Chris: Described as a boy surrounded by shadows... which seems appropriate. Despite being in a good portion of the book, I am left feeling like I know this character barely at all.
Lena: One of the most believable characters in the book, especially for her age. Lena is a minor character, but she's stuck with me enough to be mentioned here. She's not a nice character, but she's a determined one, willing to risk anything for a chance at freedom, and a chance to go find her family.

Jess: Elderly woman who looks after the girls... as of the end of the book, I'm not really sure what Jess's motivations are. Does she see something in our main character, and she's trying to expose her to the reality of their situation... or is she just trying to get her killed?!

Everyone Else: This is a zombie novel... and like all good zombie novels... it's filled with characters that are seemingly important, the kind that you warm up to and begin to like... but that you know are there for the sole purpose of being hideously devoured. There are a lot of them, and it will be interesting to see what becomes of them all.

Writing:

The author's style is fast paced and easy flowing. I found I got through this book in record time. There are few moments of lull, and there is constant action... and it's not all zombie feasting action either. This book mixes it up and keeps things interesting.

The only thing that bothered me was Ellie. She was one of the most obnoxious children I've ever read... to the point where she seriously annoyed me and I started to find her character a little unbelievable... there's bratty, and then there's Ellie.

Ending:
Terrifying, and makes me 100% certain to read the next book.

Plot:

I kind of love the whole reasoning behind why things happened the way they did in this book.

First off, the "zombies" in these books are not the living dead... they're actually still the living... and while the bit about craving human flesh hasn't really been explained, the reason as to why they survived the initial attack, and why their behavior patterns have been modified, IS explained, and I love the concept. One of the reasons I'm going to KEEP reading these books is because I'm looking for more explanation. So often in zombie novels, things just happen (Oh, hey, yeah, your mom has been turned into a reanimated corpse and stuff... sorry bout that, oh, and she wants to eat your brains... no clue why. Bummer, huh?) and are left unexplained... this book actually tries to put a little science behind it... and of course there are holes in idea as big as Texas, but I just don't care. The initial idea is a great one.

Then there is the fact that everything isn't easy for the main characters. Terrible things happen to them, and about 3/4 of the way into the book, you totally lose track of 2/3s of the original main characters, and are introduced to a new set of characters that you just aren't sure you can trust.

 Believability of World:
Incredibly believable. All of the human interaction seems to be just the way I'd imagine it to go.


Overall Grade: B+ ~ I've read a lot of zombie novels and this one was one that not only kept me entertained, but also attempted to explain the whys and hows of it. I really enjoyed that.

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

Here is what I am waiting for:
(Click on the book cover to go to D.M. Cornish's blog)

Monster Blood Tattoo Book Three: Factotum
by D.M. Cornish
Release Date: November 2010

You have no idea how much I'm waiting for this book... supposedly being released in the US in November of this year... the first two books in this series are amazing... and I mean... AMAZING. Possibly 'Golden Squid' amazing (as ridiculous as that sounds).
But the world woven by D.M. Cornish is detailed, rich, believable and frightening.
Being in love with these books is an understatement.

If you've never heard of Monster Blood Tattoo... pick them up. PICK THEM UP NOW!

Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce

This book is... amazing. The story is so rich, detailed, full of mystery and intrigue. It has so many levels and layers to it that are constantly shifting back and forth, overlapping, twisting around eachother and then wiggling back to where they started.

A brief summary: This book is about Flora Segunda, she is from one of four magical houses and ancient family lines, and usually the houses are run by a magical butler... but in Flora's house her Butler has been banished and her house has fallen into disrepeair. Her mother is the General, possibly the most powerful person in their kingdom, and her father is a mad drunk who spends his time lamenting his loss of Flora and roaming about the house wrecking things and wishing to die.

Yes, you read that right, her father lost Flora, the first Flora... which is why this Flora is Flora Segunda. All of this is very strange and mysterious, and something that will keep me reading this series until I find some answers.

But don't get me wrong there were MANY answers in this book and it was wholly satisfying. It's a story as layered and intriquite as Howl's Moving Castle (which I hold to be one of the best YA books I've ever read)

Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Ending: 4/5