Teen review of "The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant" by Joanna Wiebe

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe
TEEN WIEBE (new)

*This is a review of an Advanced Readers Copy*

Based off of the summary alone, I had no idea what this book was about. It’s very jumbled and confusing. All I got was: creepy boarding school, competition, something mysterious is happening. And frankly, that was enough for me to want to read it. I have a love for stories set in creepy boarding schools… What I didn’t expect was how amazing the story was going to be.

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant is definitely one of a kind. All we really know at the beginning is that Anne has been sent to this mysterious boarding school on an isolated island. She doesn’t know why she’s there or why everyone is obsessed with competition for the “Big V,” or valedictorian. That’s when things start to get weird. We’re thrown into this mystery involving the students, the faculty, and the competition and nothing feels right. The students are graded on everything they do. I mean everything, not just academics.

I wasn’t really sure where the story was going until all these elements aligned in my brain and I figured it out. All of it. I felt pretty proud of myself since the past few books I’ve read have completely baffled me. (And I didn’t feel that the main character was stupid since she figured it out pretty much after I did.) I really liked Anne as the main character. She was smart, nosy, and was determined to see things through to the end, to find every last detail. And the rest of the characters surprised me as well. Some had outcomes that I didn’t expect to see at all.

I was surprised at how well written the novel was. Like I said before, I didn’t really know what to expect. The whole story had the creepy mystique to it, but was surprisingly hilarious at other times. And the ending… oh my, the ending had the mother of all plot twists. I really wish I could go into detail because so much of the plot was crazy and awesome, but I really don’t want to spoil anything.

Overall, I enjoyed The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant much more than I expected to. I’ve been getting into stand-alones much more lately, but I’m so glad this has a sequel. I really can’t wait to read the rest of the novels and to see what becomes of Anne Merchant. Bravo, Joanna Wiebe. Bravo.

- Caroline
Originally posted on The Attic blog.

Teen review of "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
TEEN BLACK

It takes a lot for me to get excited about a vampire novel. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was one of those books that just screamed for me to get it. After reading and absolutely loving The Immortal Rules, I was interested to see where Coldtown went with the premise of vampires. From the jacket flaps they sounded quite similar. It took me a little while to fully get into the story, but once it got going, I could not stop reading. (Which was a good thing since I was snowed in and had nothing better to do with my time.)

I was absolutely fascinated at how the vampires were completely integrated into pop culture. Unlike The Immortal Rules where the world falls into dystopia, everything pretty much stays the same, with the only difference being the existence of vampires. There are reality shows about vampires, commercials stating that their chicken nuggets will make you “hungrier than a new born vampire,” feeds of parties broadcasted from inside the Coldtowns. These video feeds being broadcasted from inside the quarantined cities make it seem that being a vampire or living among with them makes life one big party. There are message boards, blogs, and communities for those who want to move to a Coldtown, willingly. We get to see characters, all with different reasons for being in Coldtown. Those who are infected by a vampire, those who want to become creatures of the night, those who already are, and those who were stuck when the walls went up. The latter especially reminds me of the Berlin wall.

This whole concept of vampires becoming celebrities to those outside the Coldtowns really reminded me of how vampires became huge after the Twilight franchise hit the big time. It really amuses me because vampires have become so romanticized in the public eye, through movies, books, etc. Holly Black does an amazing job of exemplifying that fact by almost satirizing those obsessed with the vampire culture, and then turning it around to show how desolate and dangerous the Coldtowns really are. The writing itself was amazing. I was completely mesmerized by the eloquence of it all and how the syntax fit the story and the world completely. I knew Holly Black was a popular author, but I hadn’t really read any of her novels before now. Now I need to read all of them.

Overall, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was one of those works that will stick with me. I absolutely loved that it was a standalone. When it comes to paranormal/supernatural books, they always seem to be in trilogies, which is nice in some cases. But because it is only one book, I felt completely satisfied upon my completion. It was the perfect balance of everything that a story needs.

- Caroline
Originally posted on The Attic blog.

Teen Review of "Unbreakable" by Kami Garcia

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
*This is a review of an Advanced Readers Copy*

I was quite excited to get a copy of Kami Garcia’s new book. I really like the Caster Chronicles and Beautiful Creatures was one of the first books I read when I just got into the YA universe. I was really interested to see how Kami’s voice differed from that of the Caster Chronicles since she’s a singular author here and not teamed up with Margaret Stohl. And I have to say, I was not disappointed. Unbreakable had a distinct voice from Beautiful Creatures. Most of that of course had to do with the setting and subject matter, but I could tell the difference. But it wasn’t a matter of quality; the writing in both novels are equally as good.

Unbreakable read at a very quick pace, which I really liked. It did not feel like one of those first books that took it’s time setting everything up, and by the time you get to the end,the story is only beginning. It gives us an interesting plot, likeable and intriguing characters, and a main character who is relatable. I really connected with the main character. I found the relationship between her and her mom to be similar to my own and just her overall demeanor to be similar to mine. The relationship between all the characters is really what drives the whole novel, and I think it was very well written.

However, many aspects of the plot were similar to the show Supernatural. It’s probably just because of the subject matter, i.e. hunting down spirits and demons and urban legends. But once I got past my initial questioning of all those similarities, I really enjoyed the plot. The locations they visit are just so creepy and described so well (and I could totally see each location as an episode of Supernatural. Okay, I’ll stop.) I think the storyline is what made it read so quickly. The characters are going on a scavenger hunt of sorts and the constant motion prevented the story from becoming stagnant. But what really got me was the plot twist at the end. IT’S HUGE! Seriously, it changes everything! GAHH!!

Ahem. I’m okay.

That cliffhanger really got me. I did not expect it to happen. The end really sets itself apart from other YA books in ways I can’t really say without spoiling anything. I’m really quite anxious to find out what happens next for the main character, and to see where the rest of this story is going to go.

- Caroline
Originally posted on The Attic blog.

New books in the paranormal romance genre

Check out the similar poses on the covers of The Lifeguard and A Beautiful Dark!

	The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal Spending the summer at her aunt's beach house, teenaged Sirena struggles with her parents' divorce and falls in love with a mysterious lifeguard.
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies When Skye, who lives with her aunt in Boulder, Colorado, turns seventeen and is suddenly pursued by two boys who are polar opposites, secrets of her true identity--and destiny--begin to emerge.
	Everneath by Brodi Ashton Regretting her decision to forfeit her life on Earth to become an immortal on Everneath, a world between Earth and Hell, teenaged Nikki is given the chance to return to the Surface for six months, in this story loosely based on the "Hades and Persephone" myth.
Die for Me by Amy Plum After their parents are killed in a car accident, sixteen-year-old Kate Mercier and her older sister Georgia, each grieving in her own way, move to Paris to live with their grandparents and Kate finds herself powerfully drawn to the handsome but elusive Vincent who seems to harbor a mysterious and dangerous secret.This if the first book in the Revenants series and is newly released in paperback. Book #2, Until I Die, will be released May 8.