Review: Father of Lies by Ann Warren Turner

Ann Warren Turner's website here // $10.59 from {amazon} 
Publisher: HarperTeen (February 8, 2011) 
Hardcover: 256 pages 
Summary:

Truth or Lies?

Lidda knew, with a clarity that was like a candle in a dark room, that all had changed; something was loosed in the village—Devil or not—and they would pay for it, every last man, woman, and child.

Fourteen-year-old Lidda has always known she was different. She longs to escape Salem Village and its stifling rules—to be free to dance, to sing, to live as she chooses. But when a plague of accusations descends on the village and witch fever erupts, Lidda begins to realize that she feels and sees things that others can't, or won't. But how will she expose the truth without being hung as a witch herself?

Gripping and emotional, Ann Turner's retelling of the Salem witch trials captures one girl's brave soul-searching amidst a backdrop of fear and blame.

Rating: View my rating system.

My Thoughts:  

An unfortunate girl caught in a tumultuous time, Lidda is an “appalling” nonconformist in a time where women are expected to submit everything to their husbands and to society. Triple that with an at-the-time unknown mental illness and mass prosecution, and you find one very compelling premise in Father of Lies.

While I highly esteem Ann Turner’s creativity, I feel this small book of a little over 200 pages just wasn't enough to capture the full potential of bipolar disorder and the Salem witch trials. When I think of the Salem, I envision unbridled hysteria, insane little girls, and many jabbing fingers. While Father of Lies remains true to all of the above, the intensity level was taken down a notch; Lidda continually states that the town was crazy, but I failed to see enough of the town actually being so. Misguided, perhaps, but not “SALEM, THERE ARE FREAKING WITCHES AMONG US” hysterical. And I think a large contributor to that not-quite-hysteria was Lidda’s bipolar disorder. The story alternates between Lidda’s experiences of internal and external craziness, which, while interesting, made me feel torn between the two; just when I would start to get into the Salem trials, the focus would switch back to Lidda's internal struggle. As a whole, the story just felt rather slow and extremely linear: A, then B, and thus C, no surprises to be had. The action only really kicks up at the end, and it wrapped up just as I started getting really into it. 

Yet my main issue is character. Father of Lies is narrated in third person, though it concentrates on Lidda. Despite that, I can sum Lidda and everyone else up in one or, at most, a couple words: obedient, envious, desperate, [insert characterization here]. The relationship between Lucian and Lidda had me wondering, but everyone else seemed to simply fit their role in the course of the trials. If you're an accuser, you're an attention-seeking girl and nothing more. With such a strong subject area, I can see that character may not be the strong point, but I’d prefer it to be like the lone girl in red [Wikipedia] in Schindler’s List; I like to get personal, and that just didn’t happen here. Yes, I could relate to Lidda’s independence and idealism and admire her continued strength, but she simply failed to come off the page for me.

All negativity aside, I still enjoyed Father of Lies. In the author’s note, Turner emphasizes how historically accurate parts of the book are, and I could definitely tell. That accuracy didn’t exactly endear the book to me, but at least I can see why the Salem portion of the plot may seem formulaic and appreciate the in-depth research that went into this book. And in retrospect, considering the circumstances, I think the bipolar disorder was done very well. It was intriguing, unique, and mystifying, and I could really sense Lidda’s struggle, even if I didn't feel that strongly for her.

Of course, after mentioning my main issue, I have to mention my favorite aspect as well: the writing. It consists of beautiful, powerful imagery, perfectly matching Lidda’s singularity and adding to the authenticity of the time period. Loved it. 

Once she was outside the dark room, Lidda flung back the hated gray hood, pretending she wore a bright scarlet cloak instead, and danced down the frozen path with no one to see, holding her hands out to the light.

-pg.149

Romance: Nothing really.
Cover: 3.0 -- The girl and text are both very, very pretty, but the whole huge-face-on-cover thing is quite generic.

Bottom Line: Father of Lies is a book that falls flat for me in terms of character and plot-line. However, the vivid writing flawlessly complements the dark nature of the concepts being explored, with the premise and  writing mostly filling in other areas I found lacking. Overall, I'd recommend Father of Lies to historical fiction fans, especially if you're interested in the Salem witch trials. And I again applaud Ann Turner on her willingness to tackle two such intense topics, combining them into a very question-provoking, very unique read.

Review: The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

Emily Franklin's website here, Brendan Halpin's website here // $11.55 from {amazon}
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (June 15, 2010)
Hardcover: 256 pages
Source: ALA
Summary: from {goodreads}

Liana is an aspiring planetary scientist... and also a kissing addict. This summer, though, she plans to spend every kissworthy hour in the lab, studying stars. Hank has never been kissed. He’s smart and funny and very socially awkward, because he’s got Asperger’s syndrome. Hank’s plan for the summer is to work at a music store and save enough to buy the Fender Jazzmaster he craves. What neither Liana nor Hank plans for is their fateful meeting... in the women’s bathroom at the hospital. But their star-crossed encounter could be the very best kind. Two veteran YA authors tell, in alternating chapters, the story of two kids who discover that the best parts of people can’t be summed up easily.

Rating: View my rating system.

My Thoughts: The Half-Life of Planets is a perfect summer read with a bit of depth and a lot of fun, adorable fluff. The unique perspectives and dual narration are strongly reminiscent of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, though the sunny beach setting alleviates the tension and sense of urgency seen in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist; instead, soothing coffee shops and hand-holding teenage couples replace the dark streets and beach-side walking takes the place of frantic cabs. And ultimately, regardless of much you do or do not enjoy The Half-Life of Planets, it's tale of innocent and awkward first love is certain to leave you with a wistful smile on your face.

There's Hank, the boy with Asperger's syndrome. There's Liana, the girl with a kissing fetish. Then there's them together. Hank and Liana came off as authentic teenagers with their understandable adolescent insecurities and family troubles - Hank with his dead father and normal brother and Liana with her distanced mother and preoccupied father. With their shaky past, Hank and Liana are both looking for normalcy and support and that's what they're tentatively trying to find in each other. However, it's not a smooth road and Hank and Liana's engaging voices and thoughts immediately drew me into their dilemmas. The writing is spot-on with my fellow teenagers' speech and mentality and proved to be my favorite aspect of The Half-Life of Planets; it kept me hooked on the book when the plot lulled. The dual narration also flows smoothly and efficiently. We get a glimpse of why Liana is skeptical of love and why Hank is unsure of it, and I loved seeing both of their perspectives on the same event with the slight narration overlaps at each transition.

Despite The Half-Life of Planets's light premise, it works in some depth with Hank's Asperger's syndrome and the resulting lessons. During Hank's narration, there's an evident lack of body language analysis and he speaks, outwardly and inwardly, in a blunt, archaic, over-formal, and hard-to-describe way. It's surprisingly endearing and as the book progressed, his tendencies become less-and-less noticeable; it just becomes Hank. I definitely felt more strongly for Hank than Liana, mostly because Hank is awkward but adorably quirky while Liana is kind of like every other girl I know - minus a kissing obsession. But maybe that's the appeal. However, while Hank and Liana were very strong characters, I would have liked to see more of their families. Their family members are there enough to cause drama and impart the intended message, but they felt a little two-dimensional; as in, Liana's dad is always worried about his health condition. And he flies around the country to give lectures. Period, done.

Still, The Half-Life of Planets had me completely engrossed for the majority of the book. There's nothing especially stand-out about it and the plot moves incredibly slow, but I still couldn't put it down. I suspect the main cause was the authentic YA voice, though the fact that it's just the right time for an idyllic, carefree summer romance can't hurt. The end wraps up very fast compared to the rest of the story but it's sweet, it's promising, and it's satisfying. Really, this is the perfect type of book for a "holding hands and walking along the beach and sunset" cover - with a guitar, of course (Hank's focus on music). Overall, The Half-Life of Planets is such a feel-good, enjoyable read with sprinkling of solid lessons about self-acceptance and self-identity.

Romance: Holding hands, light kissing. There's a bit of kissing, but that's about it. I'd say it's safe for the book recommend age range of 12 and up, though be mature to handle some mentions of sex, "slut," and masturbation. Mentions, not actual blow-by-blow descriptions of the event.
Cover: 2.0 -- The disc idea is cute and matches the large role music plays in the story, and I can envision Hank like that. But that is not what I imagine Liana to be AT ALL. Liana is depicted with a medium-big chest (model: small to none), "womanly hips" (model: super skinny), and dark brown hair with short choppy pieces at the front (model: light brown/dirty blond hair with bangs - I don't think the bangs are exactly what they were going for...).** The 33 1/3 I just find mysterious.
Writing: 4.5
Characters: 4.0
Plot: 3.5

Bottom Line: The Half-Life of Planets is definitely something I'd recommend if you're looking for a light, smile-inducing summer read that isn't complete fluff. Plot-wise, it is slow - so if you get frustrated with slow plots, you may want to skip this one - but the solid teenage writing kept me interested and if you're into music, Hank spews endless interesting facts about KISS, the Kinks, etc. I'm not a big chick-lit fan, and I loved The Half-Life of Planets much more than I expected to. Liked it to the extent that I almost want to say "why haven't I been hearing more reviews of this one?!"

** WHAT IS IT WITH SKINNY MODELS THAT DON'T MATCH THE CHARACTER?! *sigh* I still love you, Liana.

Review: Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu

Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu

C.J. Omololu's website here // $11.46 from {amazon}

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (February 2, 2010)

Hardcover: 224 pages 

Summary: from {goodreads}

Everyone has secrets. Some are just bigger and dirtier than others.

For sixteen years, Lucy has kept her mother's hoarding a secret. She's had to -- nobody would understand the stacks of newspapers and mounds of garbage so high they touch the ceiling and the rotting smell that she's always worried would follow her out the house. After years of keeping people at a distance, she finally has a best friend and maybe even a boyfriend if she can play it right. As long as she can make them think she's normal.

When Lucy arrives home from a sleepover to find her mother dead under a stack of National Geographics, she starts to dial 911 in a panic, but pauses before she can connect. She barely notices the filth and trash anymore, but she knows the paramedics will. First the fire trucks, and then news cameras that will surely follow. No longer will they be remembered as the nice oncology nurse with the lovely children -- they'll turn into that garbage-hoarding freak family on Collier Avenue.

With a normal life finally within reach, Lucy has only minutes to make a critical decision. How far will she go to keep the family secrets safe?

Rating: View my rating system.

My Thoughts: Dirty Little Secrets was a riveting, inside-look into the life of hoarders. Or, more accurately, the youngest daughter of a hoarder. Lucy's story was heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time, and I definitely loved the unique premise of this book.

It's not every day you come across a girl that can have her mom die on her and think rationally, aka Lucy. Lucy is strong and independent yet extremely vulnerable, exactly the type of heroine you can immediately relate to and sympathize for. Her strength lies in the fact that she acknowledges her emotions, regardless of how embarrassing or insentive she knows they are. Don't miscontrue that statement - I'm not saying Lucy is heartless, but she realizes that she probably deosn't feel as strongly about her mother's death as she knows she should. However, should Lucy feel strongly about her mother's death? The relationship between Lucy and her mother was intricate and impossible to pinpoint it down into a specific word or phrase. How can you love a woman that effectively isolated and constantly blamed you? A woman that made your life hard and miserable? But Cynthia J. Omololu reveals the duality of Lucy's mother as both a hoarder but also a parent, and I really found myself questioning the mother-daughter relationship. After reading the book, I can definitively see Lucy's mother as an actual person, though I'm still not decided on whether or not she loved Lucy. But that's the beauty of it, no?

A majority of Dirty Little Secrets is told in well-integrated, short flashbacks, and if you're wary of those kind of formats, I'm going to say that so am I. Flashbacks usually throw me off, and I was surprised at how well they fit into the story. In fact, Dirty Little Secrets actually had an entirely different structure than I was expecting; instead of going far forward to find out what happens after Lucy's mother dies, the entire story takes place within the next 24 hours, where Lucy reminisces about her mother and wavers between what she should do about her situation. The flashbacks effectively develop their relationship and the triggers for them made the transition very smooth, though I can't say the same about when the flashback ended. Cynthia Omololu would often end them by saying something along the lines of "but that was not my case" and it got a bit redundant after a while.

There are two reasons this book isn't getting a 5-star: 1) a tad too long and repetitive in the beginning and middle and 2) the ending. "I Love Lucy" and all, but I was really anxious to see when the other characters would come in. Lucy's crush and best friend are spotlighted at the beginning, but they then dissapear until about the last 30 pages, which the most action in the entire book. (I admit I'm an action girl though.) I was also constantly waiting and waiting and waiting for Lucy to realize the futility of her actions. She would after a while, but still! - I'm going to accredit her slight slowness to aftershock and panic from her mother's death. I've talked to Cynthia Omololu and she did say it's part of the point of the book, how Lucy doesn't realize her existing support system, but it's a little annoying nonetheless. Moving on to the ending, it was satisfying and one I definitely did not see coming, but my problem was that I felt everything wrapped up so quickly. The quality was the same, but the ending really left me hanging; I want moooorre. It's not an issue, though the ending made me question Lucy's sanity. Cynthia Omololu developed her conflict well enough that I could justify Lucy's actions, but, ah, so surprising! Or rather, insane. It speaks volumes that I am not sending Lucy to the looney bin right now.

A notable aspect was even when I felt the plot was a bit slow, Lucy's sarcasm always kept me interested. And I find sarcasm one of the most entertaining and hilarious things ever. :)

"I prayed there werem't anny maggots, because I wasn't sure how I would explain those away. High school science experiment? Surburban 4-H?"

- Lucy, pg.128

Romance: A small portion, but cute. Basically the last 30 pages consists of Lucy and her love interest talking and kissing a bit. They fall for each other very fast, but he's the sweetest guy ever and plays a very important role in Lucy's final decision.
Cover: 4.5 - I actually really love this cover. The colors are simple, but Lucy looks very much like how I would imagine her and the window definitely shows the signs of hoarding. Gorgeous!
Writing: 4.0
Characters: 4.0 - Interesting cast, but more background would be nice.
Plot: 4.5 + .25 creativity points

Bottom Line: Gritty, realistic, and disturbing, Dirty Little Secrets is an intricate story that leaves you musing about the possibilities long after the book has ended. I found myself sympathizing with Lucy even when I didn't agree with her actions, and the unique premise of this book really gave me a wake-up call as to the complications and suffering associated with hoarding. Overall, an outstanding debut, and I'll definitely be looking out for books from Cynthia Jaynes Omololu in the future!

Source: Thank you to Anna from Bloomsbury Children's Books!