Review: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Pages: 211
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: January 4th, 2011
IBSN: ISBN13: 9780374193683

autonomy, n. ‘I want my books to have their own shelves,’ you said, and that’s how I knew it would be okay to live together. 

A nameless couple meet, 
fall in love, 
move in together, 
and then the hard work of loving each other begins. 

Told as a series of dictionary entries, The Lover’s Dictionary is an intimate portrait of a relationship in all its guises; a compelling, deeply romantic story of two people loving each other: passionately, imperfectly. 

Through these short entries, Levithan opens an intimate window into the couple’s space, giving a name to their everyday struggles, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time. 

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

The Lover's Dictionary is written unconventionally through dictionary entries detailing the relationship of a nameless couple out of chronological order. The entries aren't definitions, per se, but a passage relating the relationship to the word.

I'm no stranger to David Levithan's amazingly poetic writing style, but he completely blew me away with The Lover's Dictionary. The main characters are the only ones in the book not given names yet I felt so invested in their story.

The story is pieced together cleverly. Under the entry for 'circuitous' on page 55, the main character says that:

We do not divulge our histories chronologically. It's not like we can sit each other down and say, "Tell me what happened," and then rise from the conversation knowing everything. Most of the time, we don't even realize we're dividing ourselves into clues.

 And the narration is the same: not chronological and in clues. We need to take each new entry and think about where it goes in the grand scheme of the story. I like stories like that - where everything isn't laid out plain and obvious.

The ending is bittersweet, the same as the rest of the story. A realistic ending to a story about a highly realistic relationship dynamic.

The Lover's Dictionary is short (I read it in an hour's sitting) and sweet and beautifully written. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Series: Mistwood (#1)
Pages: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: April 27th, 2010
IBSN: 9780061956997

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them. Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Mistwood was at first a little confusing, since I couldn't remember the blurb and had no inkling what it was about. But once I understood what was going on, I was captivated. I loved the premise: there's a Shifter living in the Mistwood bound by magic to protect the kings of Samorna. She resigns back to her woods when her work is done, but always come back when she's needed.

Mistwood is predominately about Isabel's - the Shifter's - struggle with her loyalties. The Shifter's entire purpose is and always has been to protect the king, but she's faced a dilemma: which one?

I loved Isabel - cold, distant, and kick-ass. That on top of a third person perspective, I can imagine some reader's would have trouble connecting with/feeling for her, but I love my heroines unsentimental and badass.

The plot was fast-paced and to the point. The book didn't as much focus on physical action as I thought it would, but was more about Isabel's slowly figuring out the mystery surrounding why she left last time. Something new is revealed in almost every chapter, and the final twist was so unpredictable yet explained so much.

Mistwood is also incredibly well-written. The author's style was tense and serious, and entirely compelling.

The ending was satisfying, foreshadowed by Isabel's angst about who to side with, and maintained the story's tone. It tied up all of the loose ends with a realistic denouement.

I give Mistwood a 5 out of 5, and recommend it to fans of Graceling and other epic fantasies.

Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Pages: 481
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Published: October 12th, 2010
IBSN: 9780385737630

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. 

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. 

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present. 

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I'm always hesitant to read historical fiction, for some reason. If you asked me if I was a fan of the genre, I'd probably tell you no, but every time I read a book that falls into that category, I end up loving it. Revolution was no different.

I immediately felt a connection with the depressed, brusque, wry protagonist, Andi. She's grieving her younger brother whose murder she blames on herself. Her mother's crazy with grief, too, spending all day everyday cooped up inside painting portraits of her late son. And her father? He's a workaholic and hasn't been around much since he cracked the human genome. He hears about Andi's poor grades and her mother's condition, and so checks his ex-wife into a mental hospital and brings Andi with him back to Paris where he can keep an eye on her.

While checking out a guitar in her father's friend's collection, she discovers the diary of Alexandrina, written in the 18th century to a backdrop of the French Revolution. Her story runs parallel to Andi's told as Andi reads it. Andi's emotions are described vividly - I smiled through the happy scenes, and may or may not have shed tears during the sad ones.

Andi felt a real connection to Alex's story, just as I did, and it's both realistic and heart-breaking how invested in it she becomes. You can draw a lot of similarities between the two girls' stories.

All of the characters in Revolution are written so well. They're all dynamic and three-dimensional, and their personalities are all distinct and non-cliched.

Jennifer Donnelly's writing style is poetic and flows beautifully. I think she could write about anything and make in compelling (I wish she wrote my textbooks for school).

I liked the twist at the end, and how close it brought the two main characters, despite their 200 year difference. I especially liked the ambiguity surrounding it once it was over (it occurs to me that that sentence was, too, ambiguous, but hey, I'm trying not to spoil it).

I give Revolution a 5 out of 5. I recommend it to other reluctant historical fiction fans.

Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Pages: 199
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Published: July 14th, 2009
IBSN: 9780385737425

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I first heard about When I Reach You when an author mentioned it in a blog post. I borrowed it from my library soon after, read it, finished it, and wondered how I had only just heard of it.

I immediately felt a connection with our protagonist, Miranda. She's 12 years old, and keeps receiving weird, anonymous notes from someone who knows things that no one couldn't possibly know. She writes about her life around the time of receiving the notes from some time after she figures out what they mean, often addressing the sender in the prose.

The plot is clever and complicated, and even in the slow parts, never boring. The subplots are all interesting, and tie up together in the end, all related. For some parts, I had to sit and think for a bit, figure it all out, and I love books like that - ones you need to get your head around.

I liked how A Wrinkle In Time was tied into the novel, foreshadowing the time traveling themes. Without something like that, I think the time traveling aspect would have seemed really random.

The writing style is plain and simple, appropriate for the young protagonist. Her observations, thoughts and mannerisms are well-written, and they make her both a relatable and a likable character.

The ending was bittersweet, but still a satisfying and fitting conclusion to the story. Miranda didn't play a big role in the denouement, but was more a bystander, though I admired how when it was all over, she thought more about what this meant for other characters than what it meant for herself.

The short version: I adored this book. Go find a copy and read it. Already read it? Go find your copy - I think it's about time you read it again, don't you? I know I'll read it over and over again.

I give When You Reach Me a 6 out of 5 (a somewhat illogical rating I save for my favorite books).

Waiting On Wednesday (14)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, in which we highlight an upcoming book release we're eagerly awaiting.

This week I'm waiting on Away by Teri Hall, the sequel to her dystopian debut novel, The Line. It's due for release on the 15th of September, 2011.

The blurb currently isn't available.

Goodreads | Amazon

Feel free to leave a link to your own Waiting On Wednesday post in the comments, and I'll be sure to have a look.

Review: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Series: The Lying Game (#1)
Pages: 307
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: December 7th, 2010
IBSN: 9780061869709

I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

Let the lying game begin.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I'd never read Sara Shepard's earlier series, Pretty Little Liars, before picking up The Lying Game, so I didn't know what to expect, and so, I tried to expect very little. I was pleasantly surprised, however.

The Lying Game is narrated by Sutton, murdered and forced to watch her life, now starring her twin sister who's trying to figure out how killed her, from the sidelines. I watch the Pretty Little Liars TV series, so I knew how Sara Shepard can create a compelling premise, and The Lying Game was nothing less. However, like PLL, I can imagine The Lying Game turning into a ridiculously long series with no foreseeable conclusion. I mean, how many books are contracted for the PLL series now? 35?

Sutton, post-mortem, doesn't remember a lot about her life besides the basics and whatever comes to her in flashes. Though, the Sutton that Emma is getting to know - by living her life - is nothing but a bitch. She and her friends are the players of The Lying Game, for which they play huge, cruel pranks. I could connect with the Sutton who was narrating the story, but I hated the real one. Emma, however, I liked. She's nicer, smarter, and more genuine than the girl whose shoes she's in.

The plot is constantly twisting. Just as Emma thinks she's made a break-through in her investigation of her sister's murder, she's thrown for a loop. Every interaction Emma has with the people around her is a clue, I was on my toes constantly while reading.

The ending left so many loose plot threads that I know won't be tied up until books and books from now that I'm not really aching to read the next book, Never Have I Ever, though I know I will once it comes out.

I give The Lying Game a 3 out of 5.