What I Did by Christopher Wakling

What I Did by Christopher Wakling is not an easy novel to read, both emotionally– it's an upsetting story, and literally– it's written in the voice of a six year-old boy.

When Billy runs away from his dad, and right into traffic, his dad impulsively spanks him; and those events will change their lives forever. A woman sees Billy's father, and reports him.

In Billy's words: 
"This is a story about a terrible thing which happens to me. I have to warn you that nobody is bad or good here, or rather everyone is a bit bad and a bit good and the bad and the good moluscules get mixed up against each other and produce terrible chemical reactions."

That quote from the very beginning of What I Did is the best way to share what reading this book is like. It's most easily compared to novels like Room by Emma Donoghue, or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon because of the unique and young voice of the story, despite most definitely being an adult novel. Like both Donoghue and Haddon's narrators though, I found Billy to be an incredibly smart child for his age. However, at the same time, Billy was also insanely clueless about other things, to the point that I definitely wonder if he was supposed to have some Asperger type tendencies that made it difficult for him to pick up on social cues. Of course, I haven't been in the mind of a six-year-old in a long time– so maybe this is what the average child would do, but I doubt it.

At times, I actually preferred Billy's voice to Jack's in Room. The major reason for that is because Billy absolutely adores David Attenborough and animals and nature documentaries. And I just loved all the animal metaphors and connections, all the random facts. This is also what makes the North American cover a billion times better than the UK one, in my opinion. It also reminded me of those passionate, focused, interests that we have as kids when it seems like there's really only one thing in the world that matters. The only issue with this is that Billy often gets distracted from what's actually going on in What I Did by side stories or memories that mean that the pace of the novel is really slow. 

The narrator of What I Did is only one of the components of the novel ready to be discussed. There's also the entire incident that sets off this series of events. Because while the reader is there from the beginning, and knows what led Billy's father to spank him, nobody else is besides the two of them. In a way, it's like a terrible game of broken telephone. But it would also be a great novel for reading groups because I'm sure everyone would have a different opinion about if Billy's father should have spanked him. Obviously, if he'd know what was going to come next, he never would have.

What I Did is an incredibly scary story. It doesn't have gore or zombies or anything supernatural– it's quietly horrifying. I'm not even a parent, but it's the sort of story that, like See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles, is definitely a worst nightmare scenario. And, because of the pace of the novel, it's really like watching a car crash in slow motion. The fact that it emotionally tears the reader apart like that is completely due to Wakling's skilled writing. The story is told from Billy's perspective, and it's clear he doesn't know what's going on, and doesn't know what kind of impact his words are having. But reading the book, you do, and that's what makes it so heart-breaking.

When I finished reading What I Did, I was honestly very conflicted. I really loved the novel in small doses, but as a whole I found it slow and had a hard time digesting some of the misunderstandings that take place. I really just wanted to shake the pages and get the characters to talk to each other... but that didn't exactly help. I did love how, exactly as Billy promises, none of the characters are good or bad. Billy's father is in a terrible situation, but he also makes it worse for himself. Ultimately, What I Did is flawed and complicated, but so are its characters, and that's what makes Wakling's novel such a great source of discussion.

Release Date: July 17th 2012  Pages: 288  Format: ARC
Source: TLC Book Tours  Publisher: William Morrow  Buy It: Book Depository

Winners: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Just an announcement to let you know the winners of the Seraphina giveaway (found here) have been selected and have claimed their prize. Congratulations to Sarah and Fiery N. ! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered, and I definitely encourage you to pick up Seraphina, Rachel Hartman's incredible fantasy novel.

Just for Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Just For Fins, but may contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Forgive My Fins and the second book Fins Are Forever. A spoiler-free review of the first two books can be found here. 

For some unjustifiable reason I still haven't picked up any other books by Tera Lynn Childs after falling in love with her clever and funny mermaids in the Fins series, but when I heard there was going to be a third book I definitely had to rush to read it. Even though the last book, Fins Are Forever, wasn't quite as amazing as the first one, Forgive My Fins, I still had very high hopes for Just for Fins. And while it was a cute, enjoyable story, it didn't blow me out of the water in the same way Forgive My Fins first did.

In Just for Fins, Lily is finally Princess of Thalassinia, and her boyfriend Quince finally has the ability to breathe underwater. Things should be perfect, but of course they're not. First, there's that mer-bond (in name only) and promise Lily's made to her friend Tellin, whose kingdom is being destroyed by changing ocean temperatures. And it's not just Tellin's kingdom at risk, all over the globe mer people are suffering, and Lily knows she'll have to bring them together if she has any hope of making things right. Then, if that wasn't enough, it turns out there's actually some ancient law that might keep Lily and Quince apart after all! It will take everything Lily has, along with help from all of her friends– and maybe a few new ones– in order to make things work but Lily has no intention of going down without a fight.

I really, really loved Quince when he was first introduced. But for some reason, he just didn't really capture my heart in this novel. I think it may have been his minimal page time, because when he was there he was mostly just confessing his love for Lily or making out with her. And the whole future together forever after only dating for a few weeks seemed really rushed, especially without much of a reminder of what they love about each other in the first place. Mostly though, Quince just didn't have the snark of the first book, and that was what I loved about him so much. In Just for Fins, the romance is mostly an afterthought, and it seems like every hurdle possible was being thrown at Quince and Lily. I get that the series isn't over and it's not time for them to swim off into the sunset yet, but I wanted a conflict that was more internal and had more to do with Quince and Lily themselves and less to to do with yet another unheard of ancient law. What I did appreciate was that there was even a joke in the novel about how this keeps happening; and I can only hope that means that it won't again if there's a book four.

In addition to Quince, I just didn't feel so strongly about the supporting characters in Just for Fins either. They felt pretty flat to me, and those that did change from previous books seemed to do so too easily. There were a few instances of bad characters becoming good, which is great, but their change didn't feel realistic, it just seemed sudden. And even though they were suddenly helping Lily instead of working against her, didn't give them extra depth or layers which is what I wanted. Another minor complaint was the way Lily treated college, like of course she didn't need it because she was going to be a mer princess and they didn't teach mer politics. But obviously the marine biology she was originally interested in would still have been helpful to know about. Also, when it came to Quince she said he already had a job lined up in construction. Which is great, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have gone to trade school or gotten an apprenticeship or something. For such a big life changing decision, it really felt brushed off.

Surprising to me was the fact that the major storyline, about Lily trying to get the mer kingdoms to work together, was definitely the component I enjoyed most in Just for Fins, because going into the novel all I wanted to read about was Quince. But I liked the sweet message of harmony behind Lily's quest, and I thought it would be really wonderful for younger readers especially. It also gave Lily a chance to be a strong leader, but at the same time it showed how much she needed support in order to accomplish her mission. I loved that she couldn't have accomplished what she did on her own, because even though this is a book about mermaids, it made it feel true-to-life. It also showed how much Lily has grown up, even though this series takes place over a matter of weeks.

This Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs are definitely my favourite cute mermaid books, but I admit that some of the charm is starting to wear off and I'm afraid that additional novels will only decrease the sparkle for me. That said, I really love Lily, and I absolutely adore Childs' writing (especially the puns), so that I have a hard time claiming I wouldn't pick up another book. I probably would. I enjoyed the main storyline of Just for Fins and thought it showed a lot of growth for the character and the series, but the book just didn't awe me in the same way the first one did, and even though it ends on a good note it definitely leaves the possibility open for further novels– I'm just conflicted over if I want any more. I think I'll be picking up a different Childs' series next instead.

Release Date: July 3rd 2012  Pages: 272  Publisher: HarperCollins  Buy It: Book Depository
Also By This Author:  Forgive My Fins (Fins #1);  Fins Are Forever (Fins #2) 

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann is the kind of book that's hard to explain and easy to recommend, by which I mean: complex, riveting, and beautiful written.

The story takes place in the United States, mainly at Tiger House which is located in Martha's Vineyard, beginning at the end of World War II and spanning several decades. When it starts, Nick and her cousin Helena– who are more like sisters, really– are parting ways as they go off to their husbands. Helena is off to Hollywood with a new husband, a man obsessed with another woman, while Nick is reunited with her husband, Hughes, who has just returned from the war, distant and cold and maybe with a secret of his own.

A decade and a half later, Nick and Helena return to Tiger House, a family home owned by Nick, joined by their children, Daisy and Ed. But the visit goes awry when the two kids discover a body that was brutally murdered and the violent crime will change all of their lives forever. 

Tigers in Red Weather is  actually divided into five perspectives: Nick, Daisy, Helena, Hughes, and Ed. It's the kind of thing I hate–too confusing and you never really get to know anyone– but Klaussmann makes it work because even when it's from another character's viewpoint the reader is constantly learning about the other key characters anyway. Plus, because 4 of the 5 perspectives are from the third person, the writing remains similar between them and provides a kind of continuity. While most events are unique, there are a couple key ones that appear in more than one of the narratives and allow the chance for the reader to see what different characters were thinking at the same moments. I especially loved that the fifth and final perspective was first person, as it just suited the narrative perfectly. Klaussmann definitely knows what she is doing!

Of course the most remarkable thing about Tigers in Red Weather is the writing, which is absolutely gorgeous. Each sentence is perfectly crafted, and the flow of them together is just lyrical. As a result of Klaussmann's skilled writing, each character is rich and well-developed, with just enough strangeness and cruelty to make them both interesting and believable. The relationships between the characters, especially Nick and Helena, was also complex. It was clear that they both loved each other, but there was also a lot of tension involved because of Helena and her jealousy of Nick, especially when it came to money, and that had some unexpected repercussions.

Although Tigers in Red Weather is definitely a literary novel, it also had an eery edge of mystery mixed into the story that I loved. Some literary novels may have beautiful writing, but Klaussmann combines that with an incredibly compelling story and plot, so that I was definitely turning the pages wanting to know what happened next and how things fit together. The ending was one hundred percent not what I expected, but it was also absolutely perfect and creepy. In fact, the entire novel was just as rewarding from page one right till the very ending, everything tied together by Klaussmann's beautiful writing and storytelling skill. Tigers in Red Weather may be Klaussmann's debut but it is absolutely not the last novel by her I will be reading.

Release Date: July 17th 2012  Pages: 368  Format: Hardcover 
Source: Publisher Publisher: Random House Canada  Buy It: Book Depository

Auracle by Gina Rosati

How could I not want to read a book with a cover this beautiful? But surprisingly, it wasn't the cover itself that drew me to Rosati's debut novel, Auracle, it was the incredibly unique and intriguing summary that matched it.

At the centre of Auracle is sixteen-year-old Anna a girl with a secret ability that she's only ever shared with her best friend, Rei: she can astrally project, meaning she can leave her body behind as her spirit explores the world, and even the universe. With a crummy home life, astrally projecting offers Anna the kind of escape that would otherwise be impossible. But when a fatal accident claims the life of girl in her class, and that same girl takes over Anna's body instead, what was a temporary escape may become a permanent condition. With only Rei to help her, Anna has to race to get her body back because their innocent friend has been accused of murder, and the person accusing them is using Anna's body to do it.

Auracle is a really easy to read book that's more about the paranormal and its romance subplot than the mystery I initially expected. But once I realized that, I was able to appreciate the actual story instead of the one I had thought there would be.

Anna was an interesting and authentic character and I really enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. Also, because she isn't limited to where her body can go, the reader gets to listen in on a bunch of conversations and situations that would usually remain behind the curtain in a first person narrative. So that was cool. Anna also wasn't perfect– she could be jealous and selfish and mean, but she was also real and kind and hurting. In contrast, Rei was a bit too flawless. I actually can't think of anything negative about him, except maybe that he liked to hang out with a friend besides Anna sometimes, which is really only a negative from Anna's perspective. Still, I definitely thought the friendship between Anna and Rei was genuine, and I loved their interactions and all the history they had. There were some really perfect moments between them, like sharing the headphones on an iPod, or (especially) looking after Rei's little sister together. 

The character I had the most issues with in Auracle was the villain, the classmate that takes over Anna's body. She just felt all mean and evil, in the same way Rei was all good and handsome, and I wanted her to have more complexity than that. There is one attempt at it, when it turns out her parents have pushed her into a life she didn't really want, but it's barely anything and seemed like an afterthought.

The story of Auracle takes awhile to develop, which means that at first the book is a bit slow. But as time passes, it turned out to be something I really enjoyed even if I could have done with a surprise or two. The other issue I had was with some developments near the end, when it seemed like a lot of powers were suddenly (and conveniently) being added in. Still, the way the book wrapped up is one of those nice endings where everything feels concluded but there's definitely still room for a sequel, and I'll be curious to see if Rosati writes one since I can't find any news about it yet. Auracle definitely caught my attention with its characters and incredibly original storyline, and if there is a sequel to Rosati's debut novel I would certainly pick it up.

Release Date: August 7th 2012  Pages: 304  Format: E-galley

Source: Raincoast Books  Publisher: Roaring Brook Press  Buy It: Book Depository