My Name is Mina by David Almond

My Name is Mina by David Almond

Rating: G, 5 stars

Summary: Mina doesn't have any friends. For most children, this would be a terrible loss. But Mina has an incredible imagination, and she uses this to fill the pages of her journal, giving the reader a glimpse into the world as only a child can see it. Mina's journal recounts her journey to find a good education, after leaving the public school, her trip into an old mine shaft, and so much more. All of these are told deftly in Mina's unique voice.

Opinions: I didn't know this books was a prequel to Skellig until after I had finished it. And I'm ok with that. This book is lyrical, so transformative, that I didn't feel I was missing a single thing while reading it, except for maybe 100 additional pages of Almond's poetic prose. Seriously, I need to read Skellig now to figure out whether or not all of his books are this poetic.

I picked up this book because I was fascinated with the cover. I couldn't tell if the title was simply My Name is Mina, or if it was My Name is Mina and I love the Night, or what. That alone intrigued me. And then I opened the book. The opening passage was beautiful. I started this book half an hour before I had class, and I regretted it. If I'd had the time, I would have read all of it in one sitting. As it was, this was a book that snuck out during dinner, at breaks in class, right before bed, etc.

What makes this book succeed so much is the voice. The actual plot and the character would be good, but nothing spectacular, without Mina's voice. The way she sees the world is imperative to how well the book reads. My Name is Mina is filled with unique formatting and different font sizes that truly communicate Mina's voice. Almond created a narrator who simultaneously thinks like a child and speaks with a profoundness that many adults lack. The stereotype that “children's” is synonymous with simple is absolutely shattered in this book, and shattered only in the best way possible.

Basically, I loved this book. There were times that the sheer beauty of the prose nearly had me in tears. I think this is the type of book that anyone can and will enjoy. I think children will be drawn in by the surface simplicity, while adults will fall in love with prose and the beautiful undercurrents. This is a book that everyone should read.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie

Rating: PG-13; 4 1/2 stars

Summary: Cassia is determined to be reunited with Ky, no matter what it takes. After working in various camps with Aberrants, Cassia may be close to finding Ky. That is, if Ky is still alive and hasn't run away...which he has. Oops. That won't deter Cassia, however, and she is determined to follow his trail into the wilderness, perhaps locating the legendary Rising along the way.

Opinions: Perhaps you will recall the tail end of 2010 when I reviewed Matched, the first book in this trilogy. As good as Matched was, Crossed did not disappoint. I read the entire book in just two sittings, and for the most time was riveted. I found myself alternately laughing and gasping aloud, and when my friends assured me they didn't mind spoilers, I began ranting about the stupidity of various characters. One of my big pet peeves is when characters are obstinate, even though I know it's for the sake of the story, and it usually drives me to read more.

One of the big things that I liked about Matched was the fact that Cassia was not working to save her dystopian society. She was simply trying to live her life the way she wanted to. It was a refreshing change from the standard convention. Crossed follows in much the same way. Cassia is trying to reunite with Ky. Along the way, she learns of an underground rebellion, and she wants to join, but her priority is finding Ky.

I would have liked to see more of Xander, but since the book is from Cassia and Ky's perspective, I understand that why his presence was limited. Still, I really like his character, especially after learning certain things about him in this book. I can only hope that he will once more become a major player in book three, which is slated for release late this year.

I have to say, something that I continue to love about this series is the repeated use of older poetry, particularly Tennyson, because I'm a Tennyson nut. I've also become incredibly fond of Dylan Thomas' “Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night,” which I believe is a villanelle...Sorry, that's the English major in me coming out.

Middle books in a trilogy are hard to write. They usually both pick up and end at a bit of a downswing, tension-wise. However, Crossed does not seem to suffer from middle-book-blues. Yes, the ending is not as satisfying as I wanted it to be. However, it tied up many loose ends, while still indicating that more was to come. It did not end on a cliffhanger, which I personally like. Others will disagree.

I gave this book a PG-13 for violence, as there is quite a bit at certain points. I don't recall any swearing, but that doesn't mean there isn't any. I gave it 4 1/2 stars for being an awesome book, but still missing that final, almost indescribable, “oomph” that puts it into the 5 star range.

I recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed Matched. If you haven't read the first book, but you enjoy dystopian fiction, give this trilogy a read. So far, I've enjoyed it immensely.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Ok. So this post is a week late. I've been incredibly busy. And sick. And busy. I'll try harder to stay on schedule from now on. So anyway, here goes.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Rating: PG-13; 4 1/2 stars

Summary: Imagine a world cured of the most deadly disease in history. Now imagine this disease isn't cancer, AIDS, or any other known medical problem; this is disease is love, amor deliria nervosa. This is the world Lena Holoway lives in, the only world she has known. And she is looking forward to the cure, the medical procedure that will forever keep love from her body and mind. She has memorized the symptoms. She takes care of herself, for she doesn't want to end up like her mother: infected with the deliria to the point of suicide. Yes. Lena is excited for the cure. And then she falls in love, and nothing will be the same.

Opinions: This is my first dystopian read of the year, which is rather sad, as dystopian is one of my favorite genres. Delirium definitely didn't disappoint. So much in dystopian fiction is about concept, and this was definitely a good one: a world in which love is illegal and is treated and “cured” like a disease. That's some heavy-handed stuff. On top of that, Oliver's protagonist-narrator is complex and well-developed. And despite the dystopian setting, Lena thinks and acts just like a teenager. She is awkward, moody, and confused about herself and her upbringing. She just had this air of genuineness about her.

One of my favorite things about this novel is actually a pretty unimportant detail: I loved the melding of religion and science. The future that Lena lives in is filled with the combination of religion and science that, to us, would be weird, if not offensive. But to her, it's the only thing she's ever known, so it all makes perfect sense, even the poem for remembering the periodic table, which is recited as a prayer.

In a similar vein, the world building in this novel is just fantastic. Every detail included is convincing, and nothing necessary is left out. Each chapter is headed by an excerpt from some literature of this society; most chapters have propaganda or other government texts, but further into the book are examples of banned writing. I found this fascinating, wishing that Oliver would take the time to actually write some of these texts in full. I haven't really had this wish since I finished the Harry Potter series.

I also loved Lena's attitude towards her world and its rules. In a lot of similar books, the protagonist is either rebellious from the beginning, or at least curious about other ways of doing things. Lena is convinced that “the cure” is the only way. She is terrified of contracting deliria nervosa. As the novel progresses, she starts to think differently. But it isn't until almost the end that she reaches a conclusion that most readers will have had from the beginning (I won't spoil it).

I gave this book a PG-13 for language, violence, and some very light sexual content. There's not really too much that might be objectionable, though the f-bomb is dropped a few times. The violence is no worse than in a lot of classic literature, but there are definitely books lighter on violence. I gave it 4 1/2 stars for several reasons. I really enjoyed this book. That being said, there really wasn't anything that made it stand out as a 5 star book. I'm starting to think that I'm rating books too easily and I need to be more critical. So yeah, there was nothing to make this really stand out as a 5 star book. I was also disappointed to find out that this is part of a series. Based on recent experience, I'm starting to sigh when I find another dystopian series, not because I don't like series, but because I want to see a YA dystopian that can do it all in one book. I also really liked the ambiguity of the ending of Delirium, and the fact that it will probably be clarified in the next book is a little disappointing.

Rest assured that I will continue the series, though. This was a really good book. I read the last twenty pages or so while following my mom around in the grocery store, it was that unputdownable. I definitely recommend it to fans of dystopian fiction, and even for those who maybe don't read the genre as much. Once you accept the premise of the novel, it is very easy to get swept up in Lena's world (even if the romantic in me was weeping for much of the novel :P). This is a great book, and although I wish it was a standalone, I am looking forward to the next installment.

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie

Rating: PG-13; 4 ½ stars

Summary: Cassia lives in the future, in a time when people live relatively pain-free lives, but there are no choices. On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia is Matched with Xander, the boy she will marry one day. However, there's a hitch. When Cassia gets home and reviews her Matching materials, it isn't Xander's face she sees. It's that of her friend Ky. Although she is assured that it is merely a glitch, and that she is, indeed, matched with Xander, Cassia can't get Ky off her mind. The more she gets to know him, the more it seems that perhaps her society isn't as perfect as it seemed.

Opinions: I thought the premise of this book was really interesting. It seems to me that the current trend for YA dystopian fiction is that world has gone to pot and everyone is miserable (examples include Unwind by Neal Schusterman, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and the as-yet unreleased Wither by Lauren DeStefano). Matched however, seems to go back to the trend of society seems perfect until the protagonist takes a closer look at it (the best example of which is The Giver by Lois Lowry).

As it turns out, Matched has a lot in common with The Giver. Looking at other reviews online, it seems that many readers looked at this negatively. I view it differently. The Giver is my favorite book of all time. Although there were many similarities between Matched's Society and The Giver's Community, the focus of the novels were completely different. And as far as this type of dystopian lit goes (where life seems perfect, but really isn't), there are only so many different options. Choice has to be taken away from people; emotions must be suppressed. Had the focus of the novels been the same, I might accuse Condie of plaigarism. However, the focus of Matched was entirely different from that of The Giver, both plot-wise and in what they tell the reader about so-called utopia.

I really enjoyed Matched. As I mentioned before, I thought that the premise was a good one. It is rare in a dystopian novel to find a character who does not seek to change their entire society at some point in the novel. And although that goal may come later on in the series (I believe this is set to be a trilogy), it hasn't shown up yet. Everything that Cassia does is motivated by her own interests and her love for the family and friends around her. This makes the novel feel a lot more personal. She's doing the same things that an ordinary teenager might do if placed in her world.

I liked the way the plot unfolded, too. Information was revealed bit by bit, so that the reader could sense something was wrong at the same time that Cassia realized it. There was only one point in the novel when I figured something out before Cassia did, and at the time I didn't think it was a big deal (I was later proven wrong, but that just means that I didn't get it all right). In general, the pacing was good. As it got towards the end, the book definitely reached “unputdownable” level, which was a problem because I was at the dentist at the time. I will say that the very end (meaning the last two chapters or so) was a bit disappointing, but I understand that Condie had to sort of let things down a bit for the next book.

I almost rating this book a PG. There is very little violence and no swearing or sexual content, but I feel like some of the concepts and ideas can be difficult, both to understand and to accept (meaning that they were cruel, not poorly explained). This novel was very good, hence the 4 ½ stars, but it was missing that final oomph that would push it into the 5 star range. However, I have a prediction that the series as a whole could be 5 star material. In general this was a very good book, and I can't wait for the next installment.