Review: Prince Of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Translated By: Lucia Graves

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Horror, Paranormal

Pages: 218

Published: May 4th, 2010 (English version)

Publisher: Little Brown

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"A mysterious house harbors an unimaginable secret. . . .
It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they’ve recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house there still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning.
With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the suspicious circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called The Prince of Mist—a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden, which will change their lives forever."~Goodreads

You know those book you read as a kid that just drew you in and totally consumed you for hours on end?  If this book had been translated when I was that age this would have been one of those books.  What am I saying?  It is one of those books.  I picked up this little novel (the first in the Niebla Trilogy) on a whim.  I didn't feel like reading the next book on my to-be-read list yet and needed something quick to keep me entertained for a few days.  The Prince of Mist more than did the trick.  It was charming, exciting and truly scary.  It was everything a young adult horror novel should be.

LIKES:

• Beautiful writing: Zafon's writing is really beautiful.  He somehow captures the voices of his characters perfectly while at the same time allowing the reader to make their own observations about the world he creates.  The atmosphere was perfect whether that atmosphere was spooky at the time or charming and quaint.  The story moved along quickly and succinctly and kept me wrapped up in it the whole time.  
• Different take on ghosts:  I love ghost stories, they're probably my favorite kind, but there's usually some sort of formula.  Ghosts are usually dead people who hang around and scare the crap out of the living.  Not in this book though.  These ghosts are unusual.  I'm still not 100% sure how the whole thing went down but apparently they could take different forms, inhabit inanimate objects and resurrect terrifying circus statues.  
• Truly terrifying villains:  Speaking of circuses, there is a ghost clown.  I hate clowns, I find them truly horrifying at their best so when one of them is walking around all incorporeal with razor teeth I just about lose it.  Throw in some creepy haunted home movies, wardrobe monsters and a ghost ship and I will be sleeping with the light on for awhile.  A+ on the scares.

DISLIKES:

• Where are the parents:  About half way through the book something happens and the parents and youngest sister leave town.  They're gone for the rest of the book only to reappear in the epilogue.  I was disappointed in this because I really loved the family dynamic at the beginning of the story and it was sad to see them written out for most of the action.  However, I can see why this was necessary so maybe I can't really count this as a dislike.
• The ending (maybe):  I'm really not sure about the ending.  There are things I loved (the drama and sadness and hope) but I also was kind of disappointed that the story was wrapped up so completely.  It looks like Max won't be the focus of the second book and I really liked him as a character so that was a bummer, but it will be cool to see what the author does with the story from here on out.  After all, this is The Prince of Mist's story right?

I can't wait to read the rest of this series and see what type of terror The Prince of Mist will create. The second and third books involve different protagonists and different time periods which is a really unique and fun idea for a series.  It will be interesting to see what Zafon has come up with (hopefully no more clowns).  I only wish these would have been translated earlier so I could have enjoyed this amazing tale sooner.

Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 323

Published: March 2, 2010

Publisher: Hyperion

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her." ~Goodreads

I have an admission to make.  I am a giant cover whore.  I can't help it, if I see a cover I love I have to have the book.  Now, of course, I read the description and make sure the story sounds mildly interesting before I blow twenty bucks on a hardback, but the cover definitely is the first draw for me.  Sometimes I even keep books that I really didn't like, just because I love the cover so much. And trust me, with my lack of shelf space, this is a sin.  So naturally when I saw the cover for Hex Hall (well the American cover at least, some of the international covers are just terrible) it was love at first sight, add in a reform school for wayward magic-types and we have some real long-term relationship material here.  But, as with all budding love affairs, there was some apprehension.  What if it was cheesy?  What if it was a thinly-veiled Harry Potter knock-off?  Worst of all, what if there was (dun dun....duuuun) INSTA-LOVE?!  Luckily for me and everyone else, my fears were unfounded.  I got totally wrapped up in Sophie's world and thoroughly enjoyed this magical read.

LIKES:

• Sophie and Jenna: Sophie, our main character, is not your average YA fledgling witch.  She likes having powers, isn't afraid to use them, and is pretty sure of herself.  Once she gets to Hex she realizes she has some major improving to do and works hard to better herself.  There's none of the usual "but I don't want to be a witch" or "I just want a normal life, why must I be so awesome? why?" crap.  She has moments where she questions where her life will go, as we all do, but she is a strong character with plenty of personality to boot.  Jenna is a vampire.  A blood-sucking beastie who happens to love hot pink and sleeps with a stuffed lion named Bram.  She is also Sophie's new roommate and the only vampire student in the whole school.  Her character represents being strong in the face of stereotypes and adversity and I love that about her. 
• Cliches (but in a good way):  Normally cliches are frowned upon in this day and age, but I loved the classic elements of this story.  It was cool to have witches that actually fly on broomsticks, vampires who (without a special talisman) can't eat garlic or go out in the sun and  fairies that have fairy wings and bad attitudes.  It made the book so much fun and it felt so much more familiar.
• So many surprises:  I'm a sucker for twists and this book had quite a few.  Maybe I'm just bad at foreshadowing but most of them caught me off guard and that always makes reading more fun.
• It was just lots of fun.  Nuf said.
  

DISLIKES:

• Atmosphere: The author chose a great setting and I was really looking forward to a creepy, atmospheric feel to this book.  However,  I just don't feel like it was developed enough.  I wanted to know more about the school and its grounds and I found that I could really picture much of it.  I'm hoping this gets better in the next two books.

Isn't it just lovely when cover-love works out?  I can't wait to get my hands on Demonglass and see where Sophie and Jenna's adventures take them.  Oh and did I mention that even though this series is through Rachel Hawkins is coming out with a new spin-off series starting with School Spirits in May of this year?  Yes, we don't have to say goodbye just yet.  I'm so excited to see what Hawkins has planned.  I haven't even finished this series and I'm ready for the next one.  Oh, and in case you were wondering, the cover for School Spirits is just as awesome.  My addiction continues.

Review: Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Author: Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 262

Published: May 1, 2010

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"Jennie Lovell's life is the very picture of love and loss. First she is orphaned and forced to live at the mercy of her stingy, indifferent relatives. Then her fiancé falls on the battlefield, leaving her heartbroken and alone. Jennie struggles to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, but is haunted by a mysterious figure that refuses to let her bury the past." ~Goodreads

 I'll be very honest and say that I had some preconceived notions about how awesome this book was going to be because it had three of my favorite things: ghosts, the civil war and PICTURES!  Yes, I'll admit that I'm basically 12 at heart and love illustrations to go along with a story.  I'm a very visual person so the right illustrations can really enhance my reading enjoyment.  Many people scoff at such things but I welcome pictures in novels!  Ghosts and the Civil War kind of go hand in hand for me so if a book has both, it is a must read.  Throw in an author like Adele Griffin and a super spooky plot and I expect nothing less than awesome.  Picture the Dead  mostly lived up to this expectation.  Mostly.

LIKES:

• Scrapbooks:  Not only was this book beautifully illustrated, the illustrations were done as a scrapbook.  They included letters and drawings as well as photos.  Each scrapbook page pulled you farther into the story and helped to move it along at an exciting pace.  The only problem with this is that I did catch myself cheating and jumping ahead to see what pictures were next.  Bad!
• Twists and turns:  I thought at one point that I new exactly what the "twist" was going to be and I was feeling pretty smug about the whole then.  Then the story did a one-eighty and I was completely at a loss.  I just didn't see the end coming and It hit me hard.  I love it when a story surprised me.
• Jennie:  Jennie was a genuinely likeable character with a lot of spunk, especially for a nineteenth century girl.  I really felt for her and cared about her plight.  She pulled me into the story and made it very real.

DISLIKES:

• Kissing cousins, no seriously:  First off let me say that I understand that it was common practice until fairly recently (in the grand scheme of things) for people to marry cousins.  That being said, it still creeps me right out.  For whatever reason I just can't put it in the context of "that was then, this is now".  This is probably because I grew up being very close to my cousins.  They were like my siblings so the idea of being romantically involved with one of them makes me want to heave.  Jennie isn't just involved with one, but two cousins, with whom she has lived for the past several years after the deaths of her parents.  This is probably the thing that bothered me most about the book.
• It could have been scarier:  I was looking forward to a scary read and, while spooky, I wouldn't call this book scary.  It really read more like an historical fiction with some ghostly elements.  I would have like to have seen a bit more creepiness. 
• Jennie's Uncle:  This character really didn't add much to the story except to underline Jennie's desperate situation.  I wish he would have been developed a bit more.

When all is said and done, Picture the Dead is exactly what it claims to be: a spooky, romantic story with some really great twists and turns.  The illustrations and the scrapbook idea only adds to the story and the overall ambiance of the tale.  This is a quick, fun read that is sure to keep the reader guessing.

Review: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Author: Jackson Pearce

Genre: Fairytale, Paranormal

Pages: 324

Published: June 7th, 2010

Publisher: Little Brown

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?"~Goodreads

Although Sisters Red  is, on the surface, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood,  it is, at it's heart, much more than that.  While the original tale was meant as a cautionary fable about listening to your parents and not talking to strangers,  Sisters Red is a story about loyalty, duty, and above all, family.

The March sisters have spent the better part of their young lives hunting Fenris with Silas, the woodsman's son.  While the sisters are as close as they can possibly be they have differing outlooks on their lifestyle and chosen profession.  Scarlett is older.  She is scarred and mutilated from the attack that left her grandmother dead and she and her sister alone in the world.  Scarlett is hard, determined and deadly with a hatchet.  She believes that it is her duty to kill the wolves and avenge the death of her grandmother and the destruction of her own life and beauty.  The only things she cares about more than killing fenris is her partner, Silas, and her little sister, Rosie. Rosie, meanwhile, hunts because she knows that this is what Scarlett expects from her.  She values her sister's love and trust above all else.  However, Rosie longs for a normal life and she is terrified that this will drive a wedge between herself and Scarlett.  Then there's Silas.  Silas and the girls have grown up together and he and Scarlett have been partners for years, but there may be something blossoming between Silas and Rosie that could destroy everything.  When the three of them pack up and head to Atlanta to try and stop the coming of a powerful new fenris they are all forced to look at their lives in a new way.

This story is unique and well-written.  It has a lot of heart and, even as someone who doesn't particularly care for werewolves, I thought it was pretty creepy.  I loved the way that Pearce told the story and the bond between the sisters was palpable.  However, I didn't really feel like I connected as much as I would like to with the three main characters.  Scarlett, in particular, was a difficult one for me.  She was so angry and hard that I couldn't really love her character.  Maybe this is a sign that she was well written and believable but I would have liked to have felt something more for the character.  What saved the story for me was the action and the exploration of the group dynamic.  The fight scenes were amazingly well-thought out and executed (particularly the final one - I was literally cheering).  I feel like I wouldn't want to meet up with Jackson Pearce in a dark alley.  Along with this the relationships were really well done and while I may not have connected with each character individually, I did connect with the way they felt about each other.  So I'm giving this one three stars, but a good three stars and I can't wait to read Sweetly.

For more on my feelings, feel free to watch the video below:

Review: The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Author: Kody Keplinger

Genre: contemporary

Pages: 280

Published: September 7th, 2010

Publisher: Poppy

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone."~Goodreads

I had put off reading this one for awhile because I was afraid that it was over-hyped.  Boy, was I wrong!  This book was fantastic.  The main character, Bianca, was funny, snarky and and just fragile enough to really have me invested in her story.  The character building in general is great in this book.    Aside from Bianca we also have the nasty, but seriously hot, Wesley,  her two best friends (who just happen to be gorgeous and popular) and her father who is a recovering alcoholic.  We watch Bianca as her parents' marriage falls apart and she has to deal with her father's grief as well as a developing "no-strings-attached" relationship with Wesley and all the consequences it comes with.  Wesley is definitely a nasty person, but we also get to see his softer side which is nice.  The best part about Wesley, though, is that we don't see his good side until Bianca does.  Next there are her friends, Casey and Jessica.  It would have been easy for Keplinger to write them as Mean Girls or bimbos, but they are true friends who have Bianca's back and really care about her.  Finally there is Bianca's dad.  He and Bianca are very close, but his downward spiral throws a serious wrench in their relationship and the author does a fabulous job of writing his character so that I felt for him, but maintained the fear and anger that Bianca feels.

The best part about this book, though, is the message.  This is a book about words, and more than that, labels.  It is a story of what happens when we put each other in boxes and how our thoughtless words can seriously damage someone else's psyche.  More importantly, though, it is a book about not letting someone else's words take your power away and being good to yourself.  I truly love this book and I think it is something everyone should read.

Review: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Author: Anna Godbersen

Genre: historical fiction, romance, drama

Pages: 389

Published: October 12, 2010

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.
Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star. . . .
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age."- Goodreads

Anyone who has talked to me about books in the last year knows that my love of Godbersen's The Luxe series knows no bounds.  That being said I was really worried about reading her most recent historical fiction series.  I put off reading Bright Young Things for a long time, but I finally got around to it this week.  It blew me away.  It was fun, sexy and full of vibrant characters.  This is an entirely satisfying read.  Set during the last golden days of prohibition era New York City, this glittering novel follows the lives of three girls trying to make a name for themselves in the big city.  The glitz and glam of the 1920's is shadowed by the readers knowledge of the economic disaster that looms just beyond the horizon.  This idea of fleeting opulence creates an attachment to the characters that is totally enthralling.  I loved this one so much that I decided to do a video review so I could gush and gush.  Even though I still love The Luxe I think Bright Young Things now tops my list of best young adult historical fiction.  5 fabulous stars for this beauty!

On a side note, I really hate YouTube thumbnails.  I look like I'm weeping tears of joy.  Close but not quite ;) 

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: contemporary, drama, romance

Pages: 470

Published: 2010

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing."

I feel like I should be upfront about something.  I've never liked movies like Groundhog Day.  The idea of living the same day over and over again annoys the hell out of me and usually I find myself twitching violently about half way through wanting to launch my remote at the screen in frustration.  That being said, I probably am not the best judge of a book like Before I Fall but I had heard such wonderful things about it that I had to give it a shot, and I'm actually happy that I did (for the most part). My family may be surprised at this, considering that I walked around grumbling to myself and huffing for the better part of a week (it took me 5, count 'em 5, freaking days to read this beast!) but after I was finished, I felt good about having read it.  So let's just dive right in to my likes and dislikes.

Likes:

Why don't we start off with the positives before we get into the nitty gritty.  First of all I really liked Oliver's writing style, in particular the dialogue.  It felt very genuine and believable.  For being such a sad book, Before I Fall  also had quite a bit of humor.  I also really enjoyed a couple of the supporting characters, namely Kent and Juliet.  Kent was very quirky and likable.  He was able to be himself without totally ostracizing himself from the rest of his classmates.  He was also just so sweet.  In almost every scene with Kent I found myself "aww-ing".  I liked Juliet for different reasons.  She was so like the main character, Sam, in that she had sacrificed her reputation and her true self for her best friend, but she had so much more depth and truth to her than Sam.  I really felt for Juliet and understood her even though her role in the plot wasn't really developed until about half way through the story.  I also have to say that, while I didn't like Lindsey, I liked the way that Oliver wrote her.  She is pretty much cold and ruthless and her true vulnerability isn't apparent until she is in the most dire of situations.  I think I would have been completely disappointed if Lindsey would have turned into some hollowed out version of Regina George after her bus accident.  As a villain, she is great.

Dislikes:

Okay, here's where it gets all negative.  First of all, and most importantly, I really hated Sam.  I kept thinking she would do something to make me feel for her a bit more, but I just couldn't  make myself like her.  She starts out as a nasty, self-centered mean girl and basically stays that way until the very last chapter of the book at least in some capacity.  Sure, she changes her behavior and tries to stop being so mean and vindictive but she doesn't do it because it's the right thing to do, she does it to save herself.  This is super apparent with Juliet.  Never mind that she and her prosti-tot friends have been victimizing this poor girl for years, Sam is sure that she can fix everything with some flowers and a half-assed apology.  And does she do this because she feels so badly about ruining poor Juliet's life? No, of course not, she does it because she thinks if she's successful in getting Juliet to forgive her, she'll improve her situation.  I just wanted to shake her!  In the end, I couldn't really root for her.  She is weak and selfish and it doesn't really matter to me that she tries to make up for it at the 11th hour.  I'm really more concerned about the apparently numerous kids that she's bullied to the point of collapse.  Rant over.  Next, I didn't like the fact that Oliver tried to make it seem like the four main girls' friendship and loyalty to one another somehow excused their actions.  I felt like she was saying "okay, so maybe they are horrible to everyone else, but look at how much they care about each other".  No, thank you.  In my personal opinion this is totally unbelievable.  People who are willing to do ANYTHING to get to the top do not truly care about anyone but themselves.  End of story.  Finally, I felt like the ending (which I won't get into of course) was lackluster.  I didn't feel like anything was really sewn up properly and it left me feeling pretty empty.

I realize that, for many people, this is one of their favorite books and I can certainly see its merit.  I had a real moral dilemma with this one.  In the end, though, the book really made me think and it stayed with me for days.  I may have problems with the characters and the plot, but if a book challenges me then it is worth reading and Before I Fall certainly did that.  So, yes, I would recommend this book, but I would also challenge the reader to reflect on the bigger issue at hand: how we treat one another, and the true consequences of our actions.

Rating:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: fantasy, paranormal, romance

Pages: 335

Published: 2010

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.  Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal."

Anyone who has met me in real life probably thinks I'm fairly sane.  That is until they really get to know me and learn about my obsession with a little show called Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  The extent of my love for this show goes far beyond casual viewership and into the "dangerously crazed" category of fandom.  So much so that I injured myself on more than one occasion when I was in grade school trying to do kickboxing  in my room (i'm not very coordinated).  I have spent countless hours lamenting the fact that I will never be The Chosen One and that I don't get cool weapons (or athleticism for that matter).  Buffy ended awhile ago but I still tend to compare most paranormal-esque things to it.  I picked up Paranormalcy expecting a pretty good read based on the reviews I had read, but I was shocked by the amount of awesome in this book!  It was spooky, quirky and funny.  So why the Buffy intro to this post?  I'll tell you, Evie's witticisms and attitude remind me so much of Buffy!  I think that's why I loved this book so much.  By page 3 I was thinking "why isn't this a show on the CW yet?!".  I am in love with this book!  Let me give you an example of why I fell for this read:

“Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine’s pink withrhinestones.”  - Evie, Paranormalcy

Yes, ladies and gents, that's correct, she has a pink, bedazzled taser.  Oh, how I want one.  And in case you are wondering, yes, they do in fact exist (naturally I looked this up immediately).  There is actually quite a selection of pink tasers.  I happen to think the Hello Kitty one is pretty sweet.

Anyway, adorable anti-rape devices aside, this story had lots of things going for it.  First of all there is Evie.  I've already told you how I love her spunk, but she also has real depth and vulnerability without getting all weepy every time she breaks a nail.  She is strong and capable while still being feminine.  All of the characters that White creates here are realistic (strangely enough) and their motives are relateable.  This includes the bad guys and even the background characters.  I also really enjoyed Lend.  He is a paranormal who is captured while breaking in to the agency where Evie works.  He can change into almost any person and only Evie can see his real face.  Of course they grow to love each other but this is not a case of insta-love.  They form a friendship first and out of that loyalty and admiration comes love.  This is always admirable in YA literature where the model for successful book says that the girl needs to instantly fall in love with the brooding male lead.  That's another thing!  Lend doesn't brood!  He is funny and charming and just a little awkward.  Yes!  I don't know about you but Lend is just my type.  The two of them together are hilarious and entirely believable.  The third character I want to get into is the villain.  I won't get into too much detail because, for the most part, this character isn't revealed until about half way through the book,  but I will tell you that White does an excellent job of making sure that we understand the villain and even feel sympathy for their plight.  

Another thing I like about this story was that it wasn't one-sided.  I didn't feel like one person or organization was all bad or all good.  This is something that Evie comes to realize as well as the book goes on.  I think this is an important theme for a YA book.  I know that as a teenager it was easy for me to feel like the people who didn't always treat me well, or who didn't agree with me were awful people who were just plain wrong, all the time, about everything.  But that's not real life.  In reality we all have our moments of good and bad and White illustrates this with not only the monsters in her book, but the humans as well.

As far as negatives go I really wasn't able to think of anything I would have changed about the story.  It just worked for me.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something both spook and heartfelt with a lot of snark.  Giles would be proud.

The Space Between Trees

Author: Katie Williams

Genre: Contemporary, mystery, thriller, crime

Pages: 274

Published: 2010

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"In this haunting tale, quirky loner Evie is in the wrong place at the wrong time when her sometime friend and total crush, Jonah, discovers a body in the woods -- a body that turns out to be that of her childhood playmate.  At the funeral, a fateful lie leads Evie into a complicated relationship with the dead girl's father and best friend.  Before she realizes what is happening, Evie is on the hunt for a killer, spinning more lies along the way and putting herself in serious danger."

I'm not even going to pretend I didn't buy this book for its cover.  The picture really doesn't do it justice, but it's beautiful.  It is a hardcover that has been laser cut to look like branches that sit over the paper cover underneath.  I found it in a bin at Border's last year during its closing sale (sob!).  It took me a lot longer than usual to read the book because I kept flipping it over and staring at the cover.  But anyway, I didn't get around to reading it for a long time and I didn't expect much.  Luckily, it surprised me.  

The story is about Evie, a loner who isn't really lonely at all.  She has her paper route and she has Jonah.  He hauls dead animals out of the woods behind one of the nicer neighborhoods in town (fun job right?).  Evie loves him and follows him around during her route, but he seems to think she's just a silly kid.  She twists the small conversations they have together into more romantic tales to tell the girls that she sits with at lunch.  Her life with Jonah and her vacuous mother is blissfully boring until a body is pulled out of the woods.  It turns out to be her childhood friend, Zabet, and Evie is immediately obsessed with the crime.  She becomes entangled with Zabet's father, a sad, lonely divorcee and her best friend, the chain-smoking, slightly unstable, Hadley.  She and Hadley begin searching for Zabet's killer and along the way form an unlikely friendship.

So what did I think about this book?  Overall, it was better than expected.  There were moments of real truth.  This was especially true with Hadley.  Her grief over the death of her only real friend sends her into a downward spiral that is realistic and painful to watch.  She tries so hard to be tough and act like nothing bothers her, but throughout the book you can see her mental instability growing and you really start to feel for her.  Mr.  McCabe is another character that seems very well thought out.  He tries to hold on to his daughter by forming a relationship with Hadley and Evie.  His desperation is palpable, from only making spaghetti because it was Zabet's favorite to keeping her room in the complete disarray in which it was left.  He is possibly the saddest character in the whole book.  Finally there is Jonah.  He is sort of an enigma in the book.  He is around but he doesn't say much and the reader rarely knows what he is thinking.  This is the same way that Evie sees him.  The reader wants to get to know him as much as she does.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel like he was given a chance to really come into his own as a character.  I would have liked to understand him more.  Another character who left me wanting was Evie's mother.  She was so self-obsessed and vapid that I couldn't help but dislike her.  I kept hoping that she would evolve through the story, but unfortunately she didn't.  There was sort of a moment toward the end of the book where she seems to have come to her senses (she left the house without makeup, oh my!) but it was lackluster.  The biggest problem I had with the book though was the mystery aspect.  The whole story seemed to be leading up to this thrilling ending.  Some big epiphany and, instead, it fizzled out.  I found myself going, "that's it?  It's over?" which is never much fun in my opinion.

Negatives aside, this book does have merit.  Some of the characters are very fun to get to know and the story, itself, was very interesting at times. Evie is a sympathetic protagonist with real feelings and insecurities and the story does make you think. I wish that the author would have delved a little deeper into the characters and their relationships with one another, but for the most part the story wasn't bad.  I'd recommend this if you want something a little dark, with some quirkiness to it.