REVIEW: We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund

A powerful and haunting debut novel about friendship, acceptance, and learning to let go as the balance between the living and the dead is upended, perfect for fans of We Were Liars.

It's been more than 50 years since a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in tiny Mercer, Illinois, leaving dozens of teens -- a whole generation of Mercerites -- dead in its wake. So when another tornado touches down in the exact same spot on the anniversary of this small-town tragedy, the town is shaken. For Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller, the apprehension is more than just a feeling. Though they seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong, the teens' paths continue to intersect, bringing them together when they least expect it, and perhaps, when they need it most. Both the living and the dead have secrets and unresolved problems, but they may be able to find peace and move forward--if only they work together.

A beautifully told, haunting yet hopeful novel about pushing past the pain, facing the world, and finding yourself.

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MY THOUGHTS
I did not find out about this book until right before it came out (which meant that I did not have to wait long to read it!). I immediately found the synopsis intriguing. I love stories featuring magical realism and midwestern settings! 

Over 50 years ago, a tornado devastated a small town after hitting a drive-in, killing almost an entire generation. Everyone in the town knows someone in their family who died that day and every time the tornado sirens go off, there is that fear that another one will come. Now a tornado has come, on the anniversary of that tornado, and in the exact same spot the drive-in once stood. Old cars that were not there before appear, and three teens each find a stranger in their lives.

This book was wonderfully written. It follows three teenagers, each having their own struggles, but the book also follows the dead of the small town (not just the ones who died in the tornado). They speak as a collective group, but occasionally share their stories, as well as what they have seen. It was a very interesting way to present the book. I did not expect ghosts to be in this book, but the way the ghosts are presented is not in a horror way. The closest I can maybe call it are guardian angels, but they are not really that either. Just that the ghosts are not there to be feared, they are simply a part of the town. The strangers the main characters meet have each experienced something similar to what they are currently facing, so they are there to talk with them. I do wish I heard more stories from the past. As sad as they were, I also felt sad that some stories were not known by the people currently living in the town. 

IN CONCLUSION

Despite the small paranormal elements, this book felt entirely real. I am writing this review months after reading this book so it is clear that I am still thinking about it. I hope to read more from Natalie Lund in the future.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

Four children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country. Who will invent a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Lightning Chew?

Logan, the Candymaker's son, who can detect the color of chocolate by touch alone?

Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds and the color pink?

Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy like it's a feather?

Or Philip, the suit-and-tie wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook?

This sweet, charming, and cleverly crafted story, told from each contestant's perspective, is filled with mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations.

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MY THOUGHTS

Wendy Mass was one of my favorite authors when I was in middle school. This book came out after I left middle school and while I added it to my TBR, for some reason did not get read until now. I mainly listened to this on audiobook but I read the last portion of this in physical form because I really wanted to keep reading! I'm happy to say that this was a fantastic book!

The summary does a great job of summarizing the main point of this book, so I'm not going to give a big rehash, but basically, four twelve-year-olds come to the Life is Sweet candy factory in order to come up with the perfect candy for a national competition. Each character is given a point-of-view, but instead of switching the POV every other chapter, we are given multiple chapters from one perspective, and then it switches. We start with Logan, the candymaker's son, so excited to meet the other kids. We follow Logan until we get to an incident. A really intriguing incident. Then the book rewinds and follows Miles, as he is coming to the factory and meeting the other kids. We follow him until the incident, then rewind to show Daisy (who is not who she seems), until the incident. The same goes for Phillip. So with each perspective we see the same days, but with a different perspective. I've never read a book that dealt with perspectives this way and it was done so well! I loved seeing how each character saw the day, each other, and learning more about them. Each POV ended in a cliffhanger that made me want to see how everything comes together and with each perspective, you see the small details that add up to that one moment. It was just so exciting by the time I got to Phillip's perspective because it felt like everything was coming together! Even though it was tense, I was filled with joy!

The characters in this book were fantastic and I felt like I really got to know them. Logan is such a nice guy and he really knows everything to know about candy making, but he's also anxious about the competition and making friends. But even though he is feeling unsure about himself, he does his best at talking to the others and making his dream candy. Miles is obsessed with the afterlife, has his own language, and is on the watch for signs. I felt bad for him at times because he was so scared, but I loved how he tries to look at life. Daisy, well I can't say much about her due to spoilers, but I can say that I was really surprised by her character. I was also surprised by Phillip because from the first time we meant him (in Logan's perspective) he comes off as obnoxious, but I ended up really liking his perspective. Partially because everything comes together, but also because he's not a bad guy, he's actually a nice guy, but he always has a barrier up towards others. The best part with the characters, though, was them all together. One of the reasons why I love MG books is that there is such a strong focus on friendship and by the end of this book the friendship warmed my heart.

This book is also a wonderful blend of reality and magical. There are some things you may have to suspend disbelief for, but it's so gosh darn fun! And even within the improbable, the characters and their stories bring real and relatable problems. That's another one of the reasons why I loved the characters so much, because I really felt like I understood them and they still felt realistic.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this was such a wonderful book. I loved the characters, the mystery, the unique layout. When I closed this book I felt like a ball of emotions and I knew I had just finished a great book. Wendy Mass is a great writer and I can still call her a favorite author. There is a sequel and you bet I'm going to read it!

I hereby give this book

5 Stars!

Meaning: A new favorite!

REVIEW: Release by Patrick Ness

Adam Thorn doesn’t know it yet, but today will change his life.

Between his religious family, a deeply unpleasant ultimatum from his boss, and his own unrequited love for his sort-of ex, Enzo, it seems as though Adam’s life is falling apart.  At least he has two people to keep him sane: his new boyfriend (he does love Linus, doesn’t he?) and his best friend, Angela.

But all day long, old memories and new heartaches come crashing together, throwing Adam’s life into chaos. The bindings of his world are coming untied one by one; yet in spite of everything he has to let go, he may also find freedom in the release.

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MY THOUGHTS
I kind of made a mistake with this book by not reading the synopsis before reading. I love Patrick Ness' books, so I automatically wanted to read this book. Unfortunately, I did not know that it was a nod to Forever and Mrs. Dalloway, both of which I have not read. I had difficulty understanding this book and I wonder if that had something to do with it.

The book follows two separate storylines. The first one is Adam, who is dealing with many things at the moment, such as his strict, religious family, his boyfriend who he wants to love, his ex who he still may have feelings for, and many other things (and this all takes place in one day). I understood this story pretty well. The other story was...confusing. It was about a girl who was dead but not dead? There was a Queen? and a faun following her around? I really struggled with this section and that did bring the rating down a little. I was more than halfway through this book and I couldn't even tell what this story was even about. Heck, I'm still not quite sure what these sections were telling me.

The writing of this book is fantastic, though, which is to be expected. Patrick Ness is a fantastic writer. I do wonder if my disappointment comes from just my unfamiliarity with the references, my struggles with the second plot, or even just the time which I read it. I read this book while on vacation, which meant I had little time to read. This gave me difficulty with the Adam story because every time I picked up the book, I expected it to be a different day in the story (because it was a different day for me). This does seem more of a book to read straight through, with few interruptions. Unfortunately, it took me almost a week to read this.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I was disappointed by this book. I will say that despite my troubles, I did think the ending was interesting and while this has to be my least favorite Patrick Ness book, he is one of my favorite writers so I will continue to read his work.

I hereby give this book

2 Stars

Meaning: It was okay

REVIEW: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

What if you aren’t the Chosen One? The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.

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MY THOUGHTS

Mikey is just an average guy. Sure, his family is a mess, but all Mikey wants is to graduate high school, leave this town, and get the courage to finally ask his crush out. That's it. Yeah, weird things are happening in his town, glowing blue eyes and whatnot, but that;s not Mikey's problem. Mikey just wants to finish his last school year with his friends before the indie kids blow up the high school. Again.

There are times when you just know you're going to love a book. I knew I was going to love this book to second I found out that Patrick Ness was writing yet another book. Part of that was because Patrick Ness is an author god, but also, the premise is just too amazing! A book about a main character who is not the chosen one? Who just has to deal with the crap that the chosen one creates? YES PLEASE! I am so glad to say that this book exceeded my expectations. Yes, it's that good.

My favorite part of this book has to be how it just pokes fun at all the YA tropes. First off, I need to explain some things. In the 'world' that this book takes place in, there are indie kids. Indie kids are basically the main characters of YA novels. They have weird names, are too cool for prom, and die a lot. Also, all the weird things that happen always seem to be related to them. There's been soul-sucking ghosts, zombies, whatever, and the indie kids are always related to it. There was also mention of a few years ago where everything was vampires and romance (*cough* Twilight *cough*) and another mention of indie kids "dying beautifully of cancer". Seriously, it hits all the tropes. I haven't even hit all of them.

Mikey and his friends are essentially the classmates of the indie kids. They go to school with them and know them, but it's like how you know your classmates. Still, they have to deal with the things the indie kids do. I really liked this unique perspective on this because it gives you an idea of what the 'extras' have to go through in books. Yeah, they notice the vampires, the zombies, and whatever. Mikey and his friends do have run-ins with the weirdness going on in fact, and some of it really affects them (some doesn't. Because the weird things always go after the indie kids).

The main thing, though, is while this perspective is unique in the YA world, it's really just normal. Mikey is normal. His friends are (mostly) normal. This book is mainly just about Mikey and his friends and I enjoyed reading about a normal group of friends just trying to have average lives, in their weird world. It also felt just so real. The characters have real problems. Mikey and his sister(s) have problems with their family, but Mikey also struggles with anxiety and OCD. Other characters also have very real struggles shown (though, Jared had some out-of-ordinary ones). And it was all shown realistically! It seems like it would be boring to read about, but I really liked it and I thought it was amazing!

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I loved this book so much! It's just so weird, so unique, so gosh darn interesting, and yes, very amusing at times. Please just pick up anything that this man writes.

I hereby give this book...

5 Stars!

Meaning: A new favorite!