Review & Giveaway: OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

Amy Fellner Dominy's website here // $10.79 from {amazon}  
Publisher: Walker & Company (May 10, 2011)
Hardcover: 256 pages
Source: Publisher (ARC)
Summary: 

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moley.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she's sure that if she wins the final tournament, it'll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she's confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship's benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?

Debut author Amy Fellner Dominy mixes sweet romance, surprising secrets, and even some matzo ball soup to cook up a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself.

My Thoughts: I didn’t start OyMG with sky-high expectations, or with any, really. Hot boy competition and learning self-confidence? Light read, check. But don’t let the brief, innocent summary deceive you; even while swaddled in layers of fluff and goodness, OyMG teaches meaningful lessons in self-identity and self-discovery that, days after reading it, still linger pleasantly in the back of my mind.

In a society that so freely advocates equality, it’s sometimes easy to think of racial and religious discrimination as things of the past. Yet while no longer at the Nazi-level, prejudice still exists, and that’s what Amy Dominy capitalizes on in her debut novel. In OyMG, a seemingly insignificant prejudice against Jews leads to so much more: family splintering, teen relationship troubles, and the required internal struggle. It’s not soap opera drama and rivers of tears; rather, the magic lies in how this small prejudice slowly and subtly infiltrates Ellie’s life, growing from a little check-box on a pink scholarship application to a huge family affair.

Although the underlying religious tension carries the plot, OyMG is made awesome by Ellie’s strong voice and genuine main characters. Ellie and I are different on so many levels: she’s a debater while I can barely speak in public, she’s Jewish while I’m atheist, and so much more. Yet I could definitely relate as she struggled to define herself by her own standards. She’s like the best friend I never had who could chew out someone’s butt if she chose to – and quite literally. Her debate skills are sharp and she’s not afraid to use them, whether to intelligently flirt with dreamy Devon or to win herself a scholarship.

My only issue with Ellie (and my only issue in the entire book) was the discrepancy I saw between her age and her deep insight. As in, think (the movie, but I’m using it as a saying) “13 going on 30.” While her actions revealed the naivety of a young teen, Ellie’s intelligence, rhetoric skill, and collected aura all belied the fact that she was an incoming ninth grader. Half the time I forgot she’s only about 13 and was subsequently frustrated when she didn’t show the maturity I expect in someone older.* But if that’s what eighth/ninth graders are like these days, they are debate-refined beasts.

That’s not to forget Devon, who’s (a) pretty beast himself. He can match Ellie’s sass, no problem, as well as any physical expectations. Yet my second favorite character has to be Zeydeh, Ellie’s grandfather, who happens to be utterly fabulous. He’s like the blue flamingo in the room that you just can’t ignore because it’s unique, stubbornly ostentatious, and cares more about taking a dump than what other people think of him. It’s obvious Zeydeh cares deeply for Ellie as he introduces a whole new Jewish twist on tough love, and he’s such a macho cutie. The man has personality, and that’s hard to find in a light read.

Outside of Ellie and Zeydeh, the other characters, though not particularly standout, are still enjoyable and real. However, the book’s brilliance lies in how Amy Dominy is able to make such a fun, unassuming novel so meaningful and relatable. While almost unbearably cute (think Sean Griswold’s Head cute), OyMG really leaves a lasting impression on why we should always say “no” to discrimination and the importance of family. (/cue content sighs please.) In fact, if offered to me a few years back, reading OyMG would probably have been way more effective in reinforcing these lessons than any Martin Luther King speech my middle school forced us to watch. As inspirational as MLK’s speeches are, it was hard for my younger brain to personally connect and sympathize with a small, poetic (aka hard to understand) figure on a black-and-white screen.

With its young voice, clean humor, and relatable characters, OyMG is a feel-good, modern take on an age-old issue that’s depth shouldn’t be overlooked just because of a cute cover and a tad cliché summary.

Liked: Ellie & Zeydeh, nicely-paced plot, solid lessons, fuzzy feelings
Disliked: meh, Ellie's age wasn't that believable for me, but I suppose the plot wouldn't have worked so well otherwise.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 

Bottom Line: OyMG is a lovable read that skillfully mixes the harshness of reality with the drama of teen life. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light yet substantial read, or for a fun book to instill moral values in children (of whatever relation)**. Really, anyone, as OyMG isn't about religion per se as much as it is about discrimination as a whole. And Zeydeh is so darn sassy. Amazing debut!

Cover: Not stunning, but I think it matches the feel of the book perfectly and it has all the important components: mic, medal, Christian cross, etc. Though I imagined Ellie with curlier/frizzier hair...

* I seem to often have issues with naïve main characters, but I’m impatient and working on it, sigh.  
** I abused the parentheses button in this review, sorry. *pats my ( ) keys* 

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GIVEAWAY 
Courtesy of Bloomsbury Walker & Co., I have one finished copy of OyMG to giveaway to a lucky reader! :)

Rules: 
• To enter, please fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open to U.S. only
• Contest ends Friday, May 27th at 11:59 EST 
• For more information, please view my contest policy.

Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Bree Despain's website here.

Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 22, 2009)

Hardcover: 372 pages

Buy: {amazon}, {b&n}, {borders}, {book depot.} 

Summary: from {goodreads}

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

Rating:

My Thoughts: (I don't know where to start with this one. I think I’m having a review block, gah.)

The Dark Divine is exactly what it says it is: dark and divine. It had all the aspects that mark a captivating paranormal read: the bad boy, the dark secret, the biting action. Just when I thought I had something figured out – guess again. I literally could not put this book down and almost fell asleep with it in my hands.

Everyone thinks Grace Divine has it all: the hot brother, the perfect family, the image of purity. But no one knows what happened three years ago, when her brother’s best friend and her first crush disappeared – not even Grace. So it comes as a surprise when one day Daniel appears again, looking dangerous, different, and hungry. As Grace tries to assimilate Daniel back into the family and is met by a harsh reaction from Jude, her brother, she finds that they’ve been keeping some secrets of their own, ones that Grace needs to uncover and soon, before more innocent people are killed.

Grace has always lived under the expectations of her mother that she behave well, dress well, and set an example as the pastor’s daughter. So who can blame her when she sees Daniel offering mystery and intrigue and grasps the chance? I could definitely relate to Grace, and I’m sure that many other teenage girls can too. It’s that traditional dynamic of resenting parental control and disobeying – just because it’s different, exciting, and, most importantly, because you can. And the fact that a hot, occasionally half-naked guy is chasing after you probably makes your decisions that much easier. But it’s hard to shake off the weight of promises and upbringing all at once, and Grace constantly struggles between making what she deems the right, dutiful choice and the lure of temptation. Again, that only makes her more relatable because she’s not just some 2-D, once-sided character, but another girl that’s just struggling to get through life.

Grace is also stubborn, controlled, and commanding. She’s not afraid to sacrifice for others, and she does what she needs to, regardless of danger. Definitely a refreshing change from heroines who are either: 1) wait for their love to kiss them and make everything better and 2) too selfish to consider others. The ony possible complaint I have about her is that she says Daniel the one who's hot and cold, but I could probably make the same argument for Grace. Possibly my favorite thing about Grace is that she goes through a reasonable phase when she finds out what Daniel is (no spoilers, but it is a paranormal read). No major OMG freak-out, and Grace skips the denial to the scared, which is 100% reasonable. Did you hear that, Luce?! (For those of you who’ve read Fallen, which I’ll post my review of soon.)

An issue I was wondering about before reading was the numerous references to Christianity and the concept of grace versus damnation. Am I religious? No. Did that make the book any less awesome? No. I’m atheist, and I’m fairly certain that I have only graced the door of a church twice in my life. Despite that, I loved Bree Despain’s seamless blending of redemption into the story, and, actually, that’s what made The Dark Divine stand out from many other paranormal YA books released/being released at this time.

But The Dark Divine does share one very, very important feature: the bad boy. Can I please melt now at Daniel’s feet? He puts up a hard front, but I quickly fell in love with him. It was obvious that he deeply cared for Grace, and he might not be that prince in shining armor, but he was definitely the bad boy you know isn’t good for you but fall in love with anyways. Daniel’s always there to catch Grace when she falls – literally - and he’s constantly putting her and others before himself. And did I mention he’s scorching hot? On the other hand, there's Jude who's the exact opposite of Daniel. Angelic front, but there's that slowly growing dark flame within him. I wish I could have seen more of Jude, and I ended up not having a real standout opinion of him, just that he was okay.

Both of those boys are delicious and all, but what really got me was the ending – the classic wow, packed action ending. It was totally unexpected, though, looking back at what were seemingly unimportant events at the time, the ending made perfect sense. The twists and conflicts were shooting out so fast that I’d barely wrapped my head around one concept when another one would pop out. How many times I have to reread usually reflects how confusing the action was, and I admit I had to reread a small section just to make sure I got it right, but that was it. So while the action was definitely intense, it was still easy to follow and didn’t throw some obscure, mentioned-once character out there. The ending was wrapped up nicely though it left some gaping questions that I want answered NOW that will most likely be answered in the sequel. However, for those of you that have already read the book, I’m still not sure I like how Grace ended up in the end. Hm.

Romance: An emotional roller coaster. Hot but sweet. Daniel was extremely caring towards Grace, and there were definitely ups and downs in their relationship. All's well that ends well.

Cover: 5.0 - Can I say I love, love, love this cover?! The colors are even more vibrant and gorgeous in person.
Writing: 4.0 
Characters: 4.5
Plot: 5.0

Bottom Line: The Dark Divine was a gripping, dark debut by Bree Despain, and I would definitely recommend it to all fans of the paranormal. The plot was intricate, the romance was complicated, the characters were unique, and the action was intense. Bree Despain is definitely a great addition to the world of YA authors, and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be picking up the sequel to The Dark Divine!