The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong - 4/5 stars

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, cougars are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.


It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

-Goodreads

So I was very pleasantly surprised by this one! The teens at my library love Kelley Armstrong which is awesome because not only is she Canadian, she's from my province. Let me tell you some of the things I loved about The Gathering:

• unapologetically Canadian! Uses terms like 'cougar' instead of 'mountain lion', for instance, and takes place on Vancouver Island. That being said, I still think it will appeal to American readers (the same way American books still appeal to my teens). It was just nice reading a Canadian book that didn't try to be American.
• Really great main female character! Maya felt three-dimensional because she had interests like taking care of animals and was interested in her native heritage. She's smart but not annoyingly so. She's strong but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel things or have a vulnerable side.
• Native heritage! It was cool reading about the various native myths and learning more about Maya's heritage. Hopefully this will be further explored in future books.
• No love triangle! Maya's friend Daniel is just that - a friend. I hope that doesn't change in later books.
• Not the same ol' paranormal -  I won't spoil you with what the paranormal twist is in this book, but suffice to say we haven't really seen it before and I think it's fairly well done.
• Doesn't end on a cliff-hanger! There are definitely loose ends and things to figure out but the first book wraps up nicely and didn't leave me wanting to throw it across the room. 

Overall, loved it! Recommending to paranormal fans and fans of Canadian YA.

(reviewed from an ARC provided by the publisher)

Review: Body at the Tower by Y. S. Lee

Body at the Tower by Y. S. Lee - 4/5 stars


This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder's assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower.


-Goodreads.com


First off, if you haven't read A Spy in the House, get thee to a library! In her second adventure, Mary is just as complex, clever, and for lack of a better word, kick ass. She has to disguise herself (again!) as a boy to sneak onto a construction site and almost has her cover blown the very first day. What's that? A flawed character who makes mistakes but then learns from them? Yes please! 


I could almost write this entire review about all the things I love about Mary - her fierce independence! her conflict over her racial identity! how adorable she is when she gets accidentally drunk! - but really you should just read the book and fall in love with her yourself. 


Everyone's favourite Victorian engineer is back - James! And of course the romance is just as heated as in the first book. Victorian romance is almost hotter than contemporary romance just because you know every improper move they make is a Big Deal. 


The plot itself seems simple - murder on a tower - but like the first book, nothing is as simple as CSI makes it out to be. Everything unravels with twists and turns, leaving the reader struggling to figure out what is going on just like Mary. While you might guess at the cause of the murder, it's really only revealed in the climatic scene - the way it should be in a mystery. 


Overall, another rockin' Victorian spy mystery. Can't wait for the next one! 


Recommended to fans of historical fiction who want a bit of a twist. 


(reviewed from a library copy)

Review: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

 Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - 4/5 stars

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

-Goodreads.com

Rarely have I seen alternating POVs done quite as effectively as in this book. Brittany and Alex are from such different worlds that it's easy for them to dismiss the other as rich and snobby or a gangbanger loser. It could be easy for the reader to do likewise except then you see into the other person's life and it's clear that they're not a two-dimensional stereotype. 

[spoilers here on in]
It was easy to fall in love with the building chemistry between Brittany and Alex and then when they actually kiss for the first time - phwoar! I haven't read about characters with this much chemistry in a long while. While the ending might have been a bit cheesy and over the top, it was exactly what I wanted for them. 

Overall, I really loved Perfect Chemistry. It gave a really interesting look into latino gangs and the importance of not judging a book by its cover.


(reviewed from a library copy)

Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

I wasn't planning on reading Lost Hero for the POC challenge but then I realized that two of the protagonists were visible minorities - hispanic and aboriginal - so there you go!

Five things I loved about Lost Hero

• awesome girls - I loved how he writes female characters. The heroines kick ass, the female villains are super powerful, and you DO NOT mess with these goddesses. (I also love Leo's mom, what we saw of her. As a Hispanic shop mechanic, she defies stereotypes)
• awesome boys - Okay, I have to say it, I loved how Jason respected Piper. He could have easily taken advantage of how Piper thought they used to date, but he didn't (to the point where you, and Piper, were like, 'you could take a little advantage. A kiss would be okay). I also loved Leo and his ridic crushes on demigods (not to mention all his ~issues. What a complex character)
• mythology - He always makes me want to get out a mythology book and look stuff up and geek out over mythology all day.
• diversity - not only were our heroes dealing with their demi-god identities, they were also dealing with cultural identities. For Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, being Cherokee is a big part of her identity but her father is often at odds with his two identities as a Cherokee and a Hollywood actor which sends mixed messages to Piper. I really liked how a lot of the heroes were visible minorities.
• setting - you guys, they came to Canada! :D They were also all over the USA, but Canada doesn't often make a cameo in big blockbuster American books so that made me super happy.

So who cares that it was like 200 pages too long. It was an awesome ride!

(reviewed from a library copy)

Review: Lola: A Ghost Story by J. Torres

Jesse sees dead people, monsters, demons, and lots of other things that go bump in the night that no one else can see. No one except his ailing grandmother - a woman who used her visions to help those living in her small town... the same rural community in all the scary stories Jesse's heard as a child. Man-eating ogres in trees. Farmhouses haunted by wraiths. Even pigs possessed by the devil. Upon his grandmother's passing, Jesse has no choice but to face his demons and whatever else might be awaiting him at grandma's house.

-from Goodreads.com

What the summary doesn't mention is that Jesse's grandma's house is in the Philippines. A lot of what makes this story so rich is the folklore from the community that Jesse's family passes onto him. It's through these folktales that Jesse begins to see the gift in what he has always thought of as a burden.

What also makes this story unique are the gorgeous illustrations. They're monochromatic and simple but really effective. The story itself, of Jesse gradually accepting his 'gift', was really moving and interesting too - a good story of family and the things that you may or may not want to come to terms with.

It's classified as a children's graphic novel, but I think it's a good read for anyone. The ghost story part is creepy enough to keep kids entranced but it was the parts with Jesse's family that really moved me. Recommended!

review from library copy

2011 POC Challenge

I pledge to read (at least) 10 books with people of colour. (Level 4 of the POC Reading Challenge)

So far I'm looking forward to reading...

1. Lola: A Ghost Story by J. Torres

2. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
3. Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
4. Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang

5. The Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers

6. Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

7. Body at the Tower by Y. S. Lee

8. The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

9.

10.

and need to find at least 6 more books to read