Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis

Title: Everything Is Fine

Author: Ann Dee Ellis

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Release Date: March 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0316013642

Size: 160 pages, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade

Rating:




Synopsis
Mazzy’s mom refuses to get out of bed in the mornings. Her dad took a new job, and hasn’t returned home since. The neighbors try to look out for her every once in a while, and Bill, the nurse guy her dad hired, comes to keep an eye on her mom. So everything is just fine for the summer even if the social worker lady thinks things can’t continue on like they are. Mazzy keeps hoping that her mom will act like her old self one day, and forget about what happened in the past.


Review
Everything is Fine is told in a unique format. It almost has the feel of a novel told in verse where each poem has its own title and scene, except these scenes are conveyed in paragraphs of crisp, honest prose. This gives the book a more literary feel that manages conveys deep emotion with subtle touches of humor sprinkled throughout the story. Mazzy likes to express herself through abstract art, and her little drawings appear in the book. I thought this was an interesting technique, but was disappointed that they were all in black and white without any color.

Mazzy is at that awkward stage of adolescence where she starts to have her first crush on the boy next door and worries about her chest size; she often puts oranges in her training bra to make herself look bigger, and draws sketches of breast shapes. I know these details will offend some readers, but they were never crude. This honesty on the part of the author makes Mazzy into a quirky and painfully awkward kid to watch grow up, but the little dramas in her neighborhood, and curiosity about what happened to her family kept me reading. I didn’t want to put the book down when I had to do something else because the story is compelling.

I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. It was an interesting read with good writing, but the bluntly honest style about a girl going through puberty wasn’t really my thing.



Content Ratings

Language:

Violence:

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Growing up, healing.

Age appropriate: Pre-teens, teens. Subject matter may be offensive to some readers.

Writing Mechanics: Unique presentation.

Bright Blue Miracle by Becca Wilhite

Title: Bright Blue Miracle

Author: Becca Wilhite

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: February 4, 2009

ISBN: 978-1606410318

Size: 176 pages, 5x8 softcover

Genre: YA

Target Reader: Teen girls

Rating:



Synopsis
When Leigh’s Mom announces that she is going to marry her new boyfriend Paul she knows that her life is going to change. Paul has a daughter named Betsy, who is exactly her age. Betsy non only moves into her bedroom but starts dating her best friend, Jeremy. Leigh hates feeling like a third wheel when they start dating. She hopes she can stay friends with Jeremy and tries to be kinder to her new sister Betsy. Then Jeremy calls Leigh with frightening news: his cancer is back. Leigh and Betsy need to find common ground so they can support the guy they both love.


Review
The first thing I noticed when I began this book was the strong character voice. Having a strong voice is generally regarded as a good thing, but I felt that in the first chapter the author tried a bit too hard to portray a strong voice, and thus made it feel unnatural. Yet, as the book progresses, the voice softens and becomes more natural, and enjoyable to read.

I felt the same way with the conflict in the first chapter. Leigh finds out that her mom is planning to marry her boyfriend Paul, and goes off on a huge tirade during dinner. The scene felt a little contrived for the sake of conflict, and the majority of the issues that come up in said tirade never really come up again. The main conflict comes when her new step-sister Betsy moves in, and starts dating her best friend Jeremy.

During the course of the novel, I could really relate to Leigh and the situation she was in. Paul and Betsy moved in on her territory, and she wasn’t very willing to share her life. She has to share her bedroom, and her best friend, and the change is really hard for her. I really liked how the author portrayed this conflict realistically without a lot of fake drama.

Despite my complaints about the first chapter, the rest of the book plays off the step-sister/best friend love triangle conflict really well. Leigh is hilarious, sarcastic, and likable while still being a flawed teenager. Besty is annoyingly perfect and beautiful, but has fears and weaknesses all her own.

This short book really is an enjoyable light-hearted read. It is accessible to Mormon and non-Mormon audiences alike as the only mention of LDS culture comes in context with Jeremy choosing to go to BYU for college.

I give it four stars.


Content Ratings

Language:

Violence:

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Friendship, familial love, overcoming selfishness

Age appropriate: Pre-teens, teens.

Writing Mechanics:

Bone Warriors by Bron Bahlmann

Title: Bone Warriors

Author: Bron Bahlmann

Publisher: Sweetwater Book

Release Date: May 15, 2009

ISBN: 978-1599553221

Size: 278 pages, 6x9, softcover

Genre: YA Fantasy

Target Reader: Teens

Rating:




Synopsis
Craving power and lusting for human souls, the wicked necromancer sweeps the land, leaving behind nothing but death and devastation. Returning home, fifteen-year-old Derrik and his friend Tweaks find their homes burning and families missing. They immediately embark on a rescue quest for redemption and retaliation. Such evil cannot be allowed to roam exempt.

Sinister Giants, colossal green jungle cats, and undead monsters confront them as Derrik and Tweaks encounter inconceivable threats in the forbidden woods, as well as gain unlikely allies. The boys soon realize that their only hope to save their families comes from the very creature they cannot trust. But they re running out of time. How can they put an end to the necromancer's terrifying reign?

Review
Remember when Eragon came out? And everyone was raving over what a wonderful book it was and that a 15-year-old was capable of writing such a great story? Personally, I didn't like it. I didn't think it was a wonderful book. The writing was weak. Good for a 15-year-old, perhaps, but not good enough to stand against other books in the genre.

Now, I'm hearing the same things about Bone Warriors. But guess what? This one really is good.

Derrik and Tweaks, the two main characters, were well developed. I loved Tweaks (almost cried at the end). I wasn't quite as fond of Derrik, but that's probably because he behaved more like a typical 15-year-old boy. They gain a couple of traveling companions on their journey to save their family. I liked Ssaska; I wish Clatterin had been a little better developed.

I was amazed at the unique characterizations of the various groups of "people" Derrik and Tweaks encountered—the giants, the boars, the bird people, the alligator pirate, and more. Bahlmann gave them very distinct voices and personalities. I also thought the various fauna and flora in this world were ingenious and very clever.

The storyline was complex and kept me interested. However, as a hero's journey, I felt I needed to see a little more change and growth in Derrik's character. I also thought we needed a little more foreshadowing of the eventual demise of the necromancer and his bone warriors.

My biggest complaint about this book is the overuse of adjectives. It was sometimes too distracting. I'd recommend that on his next book, Bahlmann pull out half of them. And I do hope there is a next book. Bahlmann's book was good, regardless of his age.

I recommend this book to teens who enjoy fantasy. Many adults will enjoy it, as well.

I give Bone Warriors 4 stars.

Erin chimes in: Overall, I liked this book but felt it needed a little tighter edit. (Quit with all those adjectives, already!) I hovered between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. I think that as his writing matures, we'll see some great things from Bron Bahlmann in the future.

Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: The necromancer is evil. His army slaughters people in real time, but it's not gorey. The main characters fight various "people" and get hurt. Some of the good guys die.

Drugs/Alcohol: The alligator pirate drinks something that is similar to ale.

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Good wins; evil loses. Selfless acts save the day.

Age appropriate: Pre-teens, teens and adults.

Writing Mechanics: A few typos; adjectives run amok. Other than that, pretty good.

Trail of Storms by Marsha Ward

Title: Trail of Storms

Author: Marsha Ward

Publisher: Self/iUniverse.com

Release Date: March 11, 2009

ISBN: 978-144012604

Size: 264 pages, 6x9, softcover

Genre: Historical

Series: The Man from Shenandoah, Ride to Raton

Target Reader: Adult

Rating:


Synopsis
Jessie Bingham put heartbreak away to tend to her sister's needs, but when she settled for second best in love, she didn't foresee that James Owen would come back into her life.

The aftermath of the Civil War creates cruel circumstances for the Bingham family. A brutal attack on Jessie's sister, Hannah Fletcher, drives the extended family to flee to the West. They are soon joined by Heppie Bingham's beau George and his brother, Ned, who bring news that the Binghams are being pursued by cronies of Hannah's attacker. Even after they fight off that onslaught, poverty, bad weather, and Hannah's frightful secret plague their journey.

Nursing her battered heart when she hears James Owen took a wife, Jessie accepts Ned's offer of marriage. But a stop on the trail holds surprises that launch Jessie into a tangle of bewildering values and emotions, and high adventure.


Review
At first, I was not thrilled when LDS Publisher asked me to review Trail of Storms by Marsha Ward. First off, historicals, particularly westerns, aren’t my thing. It’s not that I hate them, it’s just that I prefer my stories to be set in the future or alternate realities, rather than in the past. A second strike against it is it’s self-published through iUniverse. I admit, I’m a bit of a snob. I wasn’t expecting much from this book.

So on a Sunday afternoon when I couldn’t find anything else to do, I resigned myself to reading the book. I read the whole thing in one sitting and I loved it! This is one well-crafted story.

This is Marsha Ward’s third book about the Owen family but you don’t need to have read the previous two to enjoy this story. In fact, it wasn’t until I finished the book and read the liner notes that I realized this was a continuing story. Ward skillfully gives us plenty of information about the characters, their history and motivations without using any annoying info dumps of backstory.

The characters were unique and individual, with distinct personalities that made them real and recognizable, and most importantly, believable. My heart ached over Hannah’s misfortune and her feelings of guilt and shame, as I sympathized with her husband Robert’s love and devotion to her. I grieved with James, over the death of his wife, yet still understood his attraction to Jessie, the love of his youth. I commiserated with Jessie over lingering feelings for James, applauded her determination to honor her word and make the safe choice with Ned—and then, just as willingly believed the various changes of her heart as time passed.

There were times when my modern woman sensibilities were strained, such as the fast romances and quick spiritual conversions. But that is the way things happened back then. I’ve read journals of that time period and it was not at all unusual for a man and woman to meet and agree to marry quickly, nor was it unusual for people to become immediately convinced of truth when presented with very basic gospel principles. For the time and place of this story, it was believable.

Although several of the key characters are converted and baptized when they meet up with Mormons, I didn’t feel that the book was overly preachy. The conversion is a very small part of the story and given the individual character's histories, it was believable.

As to the plot, it has an intense beginning and keeps going throughout the book. In a setting just after the Civil War, the story opens with an abduction, a rape, and a killing in self-defense—which propels the Brimhall/Fletcher family to flee their home in Mt. Jackson, Virginia and head out to Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are pursued by scoundrels seeking revenge, preyed upon by a shifty character, must face the outward challenges of traveling by wagon across the country, the loss of a horse, vicious storms, deep snow, all the while battling inner demons of guilt, shame, grief and fear. Oh, and then there are a couple of love stories thrown in as a bonus. My only caution is that this is definitely a book for adults. (See Content Rating comments below.)

As to this being a self-published book, it’s certainly not because the writing isn’t good enough. The writing is fantastic. IMHO, it’s because the story falls into that crack between LDS publishers and mainstream publishers—a little too harsh and realistic for the one, and a little too tame and Mormon for the other.

I really, really liked Trail of Storms and highly recommend it to readers who like historicals and westerns, and recommend that any reader who enjoys a good story give it a try. I plan to now read Marsha Ward’s first two books, The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton. If they’re anything like this one, I’ll enjoy them too.

I give Trail of Storms 4 1/2 stars.


Content Ratings

Language: There is some swearing in this book. Most of it was minimal, tolerable, and in character. However, there was one use of a swear word combined with the name of deity that was personally offensive.

Violence: Real-time abduction and rape. Several real-time killings, in self-defense. Brutal fist fights. A second attempted abduction with an implied intent to rape. I believe these scenes were handled well, they were realistic and not glossed over, descriptive but not explicit.

Drugs/Alcohol: Some of the characters drink coffee and tea, but they aren’t LDS.

Immorality: The bad men are immoral but they pay for it. There are some scenes between husband and wife that hint at shared intimacy, but they’re not at all explicit.

Values/Themes: Encourages faith, courage, strength in the face of difficulty. Also, the healing power of conversion and baptism.

Age appropriate: For adults.

Writing Mechanics: Except for a couple of small typos and the use of “leaped” instead of “leapt” (admittedly, a personal peeve), the writing was excellent.

The Book of Jude by Kimberley Heuston

Title: The Book of Jude

Author: Kimberley Heuston

Publisher: Front Street

Release Date: April 2008

ISBN: 978-1-932425-26-0

Size: 232 pages, Hardcover

Genre: YA

Target Reader: Teen

Rating:




Synopsis
Jude and her twin sister Merry know something is up when their dad takes their family out to eat, and presents their mother with flowers. Jude is convinced that her mother is pregnant again, while Merry is doubtful. Then her mother announces that she has received a Fullbright fellowship to study the art of a famous Czech artist. This means that they will be moving to Czechoslovakia for an entire year.

Jude becomes increasingly angry at the changes that are happening in her life. When they move to Prague, their parents tell them how dangerous it is for them to associate with the people on the street, and that communist leaders keep tabs of American visitors. Their apartment may even be bugged. Jude can’t seem to fight off strange feelings that threaten to consume her.

Then one night she steals a car to drive out to a friend’s home in the countryside, and crashes into a tree. That is when those around her realize that she may have a bigger problem then just merely adjusting to a new environment. When Jude wakes up in a hospital in Germany, she has to face the reality that something in her mind is broken.


Review
Kimberly Heuston’s most recent novel The Book of Jude takes place in 1989 in Eastern Europe. This momentous year in history marks the destruction of the Berlin wall, and in the course of the novel Jude becomes a witness to the plight of brave East German refugee families when they try to cross Czechoslovakia toward freedom. Most of these events occur while Jude is in the depths of her mental disorder and so remain in the background of the novel, but still feature prominently when they affect Jude’s daily life.

Heuston does a wonderful job in portraying Czech culture, the setting in Prague, and the diversity of the people there, but I feel that she could have done a better job presenting the historical and political situation more clearly. She assumes a little too much knowledge on the reader’s part. At the same time it is intriguing to read about the characters that Jude meets at her international school. Her classmates are often in Czechoslovakia due to their parents' jobs in international positions.

While it is hard to watch Jude fall deeper and deeper into mental illness, I could tell from the beginning that something was wrong with the way Jude was reacting to the events in her life. Episodes of deep anger, feeling distant, and wanting to read in bed all day to distract herself were all clues that something bigger was at work in her life. As the novel progresses, her thoughts become more disconnected from reality, only briefly touching upon those things that are real around her.

While the novel shows clearly that Jude is in pain and needs help, it doesn’t dwell on sorrow, but focuses on finding hope. Ever so slowly, Jude begins to connect with reality again, and learns lessons about her agency and God’s love during her healing process.

I give this book a four out of five star rating because I became engrossed in Jude’s world, and didn’t want to put the book down.


Content Ratings

Language: Minor. There is one use of the word hell.

Violence: Life under a communist government is sometimes violent. Jude and her little sister see police breaking up a street demonstration. The police are beating people in the streets, and she sees a little girl with a bleeding head being carried. Characters describe personal experiences with war and describe the death of loved ones. Jude has scary dreams brought on by her mental illness. She also has a very mild problem with cutting herself, mainly her fingertips, as a coping mechanism for her mental illness. This problem is found early on in the disorder and corrected.

Drugs/Alcohol: Jude’s grandparents own a vineyard, and her friend in the countryside owns a vineyard also. Wine and coffee are mentioned in the book. There is also pain medication that Jude uses when she breaks her collarbone roller blading. There is also Jude’s medication for her mental illness.

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Jude and her family are LDS and live the gospel the best they can. It is difficult for them to worship as frequently in Prague where the members must remain hidden from the government and their neighbors.

Age appropriate:

Writing Mechanics: Nothing major that pulled me out of the story.

Above and Beyond by Betsy Brannon Green

Title: Above and Beyond

Author: Betsy Brannon Green

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date:

ISBN: 978-1-59811-714-1

Size: 252 pages; 6x9; softcover

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Series: Hazardous Duty

Target Reader: Older teens to Adult

Awards: 2008 Whitney Award Finalist

Rating:


Synopsis

Now that Savannah has her daughter, Caroline, back after a frightening abduction, life seems calmer. But that serenity comes to an abrupt end when twenty-year-old Rosemary Allen pleads for Savannah’s help after running away from her dangerously controlling father. But her father isn’t just anyone—he’s Mario Ferrante, the criminal mastermind who oversaw Caroline’s kidnapping. Rosemary and her husband had planned to escape from Ferrante’s house together, but the plan was foiled and Rosemary had to escape alone. Now she is begging Savannah to help keep her safe and rescue her husband.

She knows it’s risky, but Savannah can’t resist taking on the challenge. And she knows one person who is just crazy enough to take it on with her—Major Christopher Dane. Savannah just hopes he won’t be able to see through her feigned indifference to him and discover her desperate desire to be reunited with him, even if it requires both of them to put their lives in danger . . . again. Savannah entreats the help of Dane and his team, and after some convincing, they all agree to take the assignment.

Will the team’s undercover plots to beat Ferrante at his own game be enough to win against such a cunning criminal? Will Savannah be able to withstand her resurfacing nightmares when Caroline’s safety is in great danger once again? And will she ever have reason to hope that Dane could someday let her into his complicated life?

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Bear in mind that it really is necessary to read the first book in the series, Hazardous Duty, before trying this one. Above and Beyond is a page turner, just like its predecessor, and I found myself letting other household duties get away from me while I was reading. This, to me, is always the sign of a good read.

I loved Dane—he is the perfect alpha hero. I also enjoyed the camaraderie among the team members. Also, I'm always a sucker for military heroes, so this book worked for me on many levels. The suspense was effective, I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out, and my love for a good adventure was satisfied. I also loved a character in the book named "Madame Leone," who is a fortune teller, of sorts. The setting in New Orleans was perfect; that setting alone invites mystery, intrigue and romance.

If I had any issues in the book at all, it would be Savannah, herself. She is a sympathetic heroine, and I like her well enough, but I found myself wanting to shake her at times and tell her to quit throwing her emotions so openly at Dane when he can only offer disdain in return. I wanted to tell her to pick up her misplaced pride and give him a, "Fine!" Truthfully, though, I can see where she needs him to know how fully she believes in true love and in the fact that they can have a future together.

The only other issue I had with her is her insistence on being part of the team and privy to full disclosure from Dane, but then she questions him and his decisions at every turn. There are times he misleads her or doesn't give her all the information she wants, but it's his right as commander of the team, and she has a hard time separating the rights she would have had in a relationship with him with her rights, or lack thereof, as a subordinate.

Truly, a fun book with engaging characters I have come to care about. I'm anxiously looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend it to anyone with a love for this genre.

I give this book four stars.

Erin Chimes In:

I didn't quite like this book as much as I did the first one in the series. Like you, I liked Dane and the team, I loved the setting in New Orleans and the peek that gives us into Dane's history, but Savannah drove me nuts with her neediness. Yes, I'll read the next installment, but I'd only give this one 3 1/2 stars.

Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: Real-time fights with the bad guys, a shoot out with dead bodies on the floor in the aftermath.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Consistent with the LDS faith and other Christian religions. Main character is prayerful and a woman of faith.

Age appropriate: For older teens and adults.

Writing Mechanics: / Annie says: No noticeable or glaring errors. A clean read. Erin says: It needed to be tightened up a bit. There were some writing techniques that pulled me out of the story.

Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black

Title: Fool Me Twice

Author: Stephanie Black

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Release Date: March 2008

ISBN: 978-1-59811-527-7

Size: 294 pages; 6x9; softcover

Genre: Suspense

Target Reader: Older teens and adult

Awards: 2008 Best Mystery/Suspense Whitney Award

Rating:


Synopsis
When it comes to pleasing her twin sister, Megan O’Connor is an easy touch. She’ll do just about anything to gain Kristen’s approval, including trading places with her. After all, Kristen’s plan promises to get Megan out of a dead-end job and make them both rich. It will be a nice reward for a little genealogical investigation—something that couldn’t have happened without the help of Kristen’s new LDS acquaintances. And who could blame the twins for using a tiny bit of deceit to manipulate an inheritance out of someone as demanding as their estranged aunt Evelyn?

All Megan has to do is pretend to be Kristen, move into Evelyn’s house, and take care of the wealthy old woman until her failing health kills her. It shouldn’t take too long. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Megan’s the nice one. Except for the lie, the task is a natural fit. Everything would be perfect if she could just ignore the guilt—a feeling that only grows stronger as she spends more time with the new friends Kristen arranged for her.

But soon Megan discovers there is more to worry about. She’s living in a house of illusions where she isn’t the only one playing a part. Someone has developed a new plotline that ends with a death scene—and in this version, the victim won’t die of natural causes.

Beneath the surface of the sleepy New England town of Britteridge, deceit weaves a deadly web where turnabout is anything but fair play.

Review
I love a good page-turner, and that's what this book was for me. The author very deftly wove the pieces of the plot together, spending just enough time in the heads of the villains to give me an appreciation for the danger Megan and her friends were really in. I also appreciate an author who has the ability to dole out just enough information to keep me guessing and intersperse it throughout the plot to give me glimpses as to what happened before or may happen. This book contains key characters who are drawn into the conflict and the author doesn’t just tell us what the connection is, but rather weaves it into the plot as the story goes.

I typically like a very strong heroine, and I wouldn’t define Megan that way. Still, though, she is real and her relationship with her sister is shown in such a way that her weaknesses make sense.

I enjoyed this book for its page-turning suspense. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery. I would suggest, however, that the reader be aware that these villains are not nice villains. I certainly did not come across anything that might be considered objectionable to one who reads and enjoys LDS fiction, but I will say that the author does a good job of creating some selfish and slightly creepy bad guys.

I give this book four stars.

Erin Chimes In: Only four stars? I'd give it at least 4 1/2, maybe even 4 3/4. I loved it. It's one of the better mysteries I've read all year.

Jessica Chimes In: I really liked it too. I'm glad it won the Whitney for Best Suspense.


Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: Real-time abduction and roughing up of characters.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes: The villains are creepy and just not nice, but good conquers evil.

Age appropriate: Appropriate for older teens and adults.

Writing Mechanics: