Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

 
Smoke is the sequel to Ellen Hopkins' book, Burned, which was okay but not my favourite from her. Hopkins writes in verse which is a format I adore, and her books are the kind that deal with dark issues in a raw and honest way. As a result, I would easily pick up anything she wrote ever, so when I had the opportunity to read Smoke, of course I did. Unfortunately, it reconfirmed that this is just not my favourite Hopkins series. It's not bad, but it's just not to the standards of some of Hopkins other books for me.

In Smoke, Pattyn is on the run after Ethan's death and the loss of her baby, while her sister Jackie is left at home trying to tend to their large, shattered family. Both Pattyn and Jackie have secrets, and unlike Burned the book is told from both their perspectives. I thought that added in a unique element and I am always blown away at how different Hopkins makes her narrators sound even when they are both using the verse format.

I'm not convinced that Burned needed a sequel, and although it did end on a cliffhanger asides from tying that up Smoke feels a bit unnecessary. Although it's a very dark novel, it also manages to tie things up a bit too perfectly, *spoiler* and is too reliant on finding magical love interests who can solve everything, *spoiler* something that just doesn't feel authentic, or empowering, in the context of the book. I will definitely continue to recommend many novels by Ellen Hopkins in the future, as well as pick them up myself, but unfortunately Smoke will not be on the short list.

Release Date: September 10th 2013 Pages: 543  Format: ARC
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry  Buy It: Book Depository

The Bear by Claire Cameron

Adult books told from the perspective of a young child aren't generally my thing, I've read a couple including the renowned Room, but The Bear by Claire Cameron is actually the first one I've loved. Even better? It's Canadian.

The Bear is told form the perspective of 5-year-old Anna, who is camping in the Canadian wilderness with her parents and younger brother, when a bear attacks. Thanks to some quick-thinking by her parents, Anna and her brother survive, but both of her parents are killed. Alone, confused, and responsible for her brother, Anna must survive the wilderness and get her brother and her to safety.

It's obvious from the story description, but this is a heartbreaking book. From the first page I was holding my breath, anxious about what would happen left. As soon as Anna let her brother out of her sight for a second, I was so nervous. That said, this isn't a story with much plot-- it's really a stream-of-consciousness type experience that's not linear, as Anna wanders the woods and thinks about things that have happened before. Despite the lack of "excitement" after the initial bear attack, Cameron had no issues at all keeping my attention with The Bear. I was just totally taken in by Anna's voice and turning the pages hoping that things worked out for her. I also appreciate that this book wasn't incredibly long, because as much as I enjoyed the narrative voice, I don't really want to read 500+ pages that way either. However, The Bear is just long enough to tell the story, and tell it well, without losing my attention.

Overall, I was a huge fan of The Bear and I think Cameron did an amazing job realistically capturing both the Ontario wilderness and the voice of a 5-year-old while still having enough depth to the story to keep an adult reader interested. If you can handle the storyline, this is a book I highly recommend.

Release Date: February 11th, 2014  Pages: 240  Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Doubleday Canada   Buy It: Book Depository

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Teeth is the first book I've read by Hannah Moskowitz, a prolific young adult author I had always been curious about but never managed to pick up a book by. Teeth is a story about a teenage boy whose family moves to a remote magical island to save his sick younger brother--the cure? Fish.
However when Rudy meets Teeth, a half-fish half-boy determined to save his half-siblings from being eaten, he learns that things aren't as simple as they appear.

Like all the characters in Teeth, Rudy and Teeth are complicated and messed up. This is a surprisingly dark book and as the story progresses, it only gets darker. At times, I was definitely searching for a little bit more light in the darkness, but there's something very raw and emotional about the storytelling, and the mix of metaphors and fins brought to life into something that feels real and true despite the fantastical elements. Ultimately, that authenticity in the characters and in the writing are what make Teeth memorable, even when the story itself lost me on occasion, and it has definitely left me inspired to pick up another work by Moskowitz in the future

Release Date: January 1st 2013 Pages: 288  Format: ARC
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Simon Pulse  Buy It: Book Depository

Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen

I actually read a ton of books recently and so I have a lot of reviews to write (plus the ones I never wrote in 2013...) but I have decided to review Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen next, for a very important reason. Basically, I want to review this so it is out of my head and I don't have to think about it and get annoyed anymore.

Shipwreck Island is the story of a girl who goes on an unwanted family vacation with her dad, new stepmom and stepbrothers, and gets shipwrecked. In order for this to happen, they board a really sketchy ship that doesn't seem safe at all, and just when things start to get interesting, the book ends. I think this is probably a trilogy, and if so, it makes sense because this feels exactly like the first third of a book instead of a full book. The characters were cute and had some charming moments, but I was just really annoyed by the time I got halfway through and realized I was going to be strung along for a big cliffhanger at the end and not resolved storylines. Even the bits that were supposed to be creative on the island just felt more like sketches than full creations.

That said, I don't read much middle grade and for the appropriately aged reader, this could be a fun but predictable series, but as an adult looking for a brief escape into fantasy, it didn't work. I won't be picking up book 2, but I have heard good things about other books by Bodeen including a shipwrecked YA novel called The Raft that I do want to try out in the future. 

Release Date: July 29th, 2014 Pages: 192  Format: Egalley
Source: Netgalley  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends   Buy It: Book Depository

Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann

 Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann is a really short book--like a hundred pages of poetry including plenty of pictures--which is kinda fun to read once in awhile because it makes me feel like a super fast reader even though I'm not at all because I can finish it so fast. But I actually didn't rush through Heppermann's debut, because I really loved it. These are retold fairytales, modern and sharp, with twisted fantastical photos to go along with them. The poems themselves reminded me a bit of Anne Sexton Transformations as any well-done, realistic fairytale poem retelling is liable to. However, Poisoned Apples is definitely an original collection.

Heppermann's writing is sharp and full of metaphors. The poems may be short but her turns of phrases leave an impact, and this book is bigger than its page count. I feel like there are so few poetry books for teens and I really loved all the important issues that Poisoned Apples tackles, while not dumbing down the imagery either. These may be fairytales, but they are real. I think Hepperman's writing will also be appealing to people who don't like poetry because of how well it dissects life and emotion. Her words slice things apart and then put them back together again. Poisoned Apples was gorgeous and the photographs included (although some were missing in my advance copy) all matched perfectly and added to the impact. I will easily be reaching for anything Heppermann writes next, and encourage everyone to pick this up when it publishes in September!

Release Date: September 23rd 2014 Pages: 128  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: Greenwillow Books  Buy It: Book Depository