Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I got this book based off of a review by vlogger Alex Carpenter. It’s a good review so I thought I’d give the book a go. I am happy that did.

Anna and the French kiss is a good book about a year in the life of an American high school student who is sent to a Parisian boarding school by her parents. Her father is a sappy romance novelist whose books are finding fame as films, and to seem more cultured he sent Anna to Paris. Understandably, Anna is not pleased by this. But like all good stories, the main character does not brood for long. Anna soon finds companions and indeed a crush or two, but this isn’t a typical teenage love story.

Perkins does well not to heap the romance in n over the top fashion—that is, if you can call it romance. There are longing looks, but Anna isn’t self-involved enough to believe they are solely for her, or because of her beauty. But that’s not to say that Anna is a wall flower, waiting for the right man to come along and show her how beautiful she really is. Anna is as logical and selfless as any teenage girl; she doesn’t always think the world revolves around her. In fact, when a crush makes a drunken pass at her she denies him because of his own emotional problems, and she doesn’t want to add to them, but that doesn’t stop her from making a fool of herself when she too is drunk later in the novel. Anna sometimes acts cringe-worthy, but Perkins does a good enough job getting into her head that you accept why she acts these ways even if you don’t agree with them.

The characters are believable, if not a bit bland, and the story does gloss over some important aspects of a teenager’s life like picking the right college, but it is a great read and something that people of all ages will like, not just teenagers.

Let me know if you have read Anna and the French Kiss, and what you thought of it, or if you have any suggestions for similar books.

Kathy

Themes: young adult fiction, stephanie perkins, anna and the french kiss, romance, alex carpenter 

You Against Me

Article first published as Book Review: You Against Me by Jenny Downham on Blogcritics.

If someone told you that your brother committed a terrible crime, would you believe them?
If your sister told you that she had been raped, would you believe her?

This is the basic premise of the Jenny Downham book You Against Me. This fast paced story is told from two points of view: Mickey, whose sister Karyn says she has been raped by Tom Parker, and Ellie, Tom’s sister. Mickey will do anything to protect his family, even threaten to extract revenge on Tom so Karyn will feel safe enough to leave her house — but so will Ellie. The further you read, the more sympathy you feel not only for Karyn but for Mickey, Ellie, their parents, and even a bit for Tom himself.

Jenny keeps the issue of Tom’s actual guilt vague throughout most of the book. While it’s no doubt that something went on that night, the real question is whether Karyn consented or not, and this is where the book asks some tough questions. Ellie once says “why would he [Tom] rape her when she was clearly going to give it to him anyway?” and the readership is asking the same questions. The book also brings up the topic of consent under intoxication as well as regret masked as rape.

But Jenny just doesn’t stop there. Because Karyn is from the Estates, the poor neighbourhood, and Tom is from the rich side of town, the inevitable question surfaces, is Karyn lying in order to get money? Again, the further one reads the clearer it becomes that money does not make a happy family, nor a good person.
Rather than paint Tom as a horrible rapist, the story paints a stunning picture of the complexities of modern life, and what it takes just to make it through one day. The characters are believable and richly textured. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses, their good and bad points.

The setting is stunning and one cannot help but be swept away by the sea-side town.

Jenny Downham is a strong writer, and this story is proof of that. I can’t wait to read more of her works.

Kathy

Book Time! The Night Creatures: Burn Bright

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Article first published as Book Review: The Night Creatures: Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierre on Blogcritics.

I’m not gonna lie; I love Marianne de Pierres's work. She and I have met a number of times at conventions, and she is such a lovely and down-to-earth person, despite her worldwide following. I say this now so that when I say that I read this book honestly I hope you believe me. I am an avid reader and I rarely continue to read something if I don’t like it. I finished Burn Bright in two days: it’s just that good.

Burn Bright is a young adult supernatural thriller that is actually thrilling. There are no long monologues of self doubt or emphasis on a love triangle — although there are some of these. This isn’t a story about a love — sick young girl trying to make a man love her; this is about a lonely and isolated young woman who wants to find her brother.

Retra is an interesting character for a lead in a series. Raised in an enclosed society (think Amish mixed with Orthodox Jew), her brother ran away to join the land of Ixion, of never-ending night. When life got too bad for Retra, she decided to join him, and this is where the story begins.

Ixion is an island of partying. Young people from all over the area escape from home in the dead of night to a place where dancing and having fun is the only way of life. Their metabolism is altered so they don’t need a lot of sleep, meaning that they can party hard with little consequences. Or so the tale goes. Lead character Retra and her fellow "baby bats" Rollo and Suki find out soon that all is not that it seems, and some people have very different ideas as to what "party" really means.

What makes Retra such a great lead character, and Burn Bright such a great story, is that Retra is different from the others from the outset. While everyone else has come to Ixion to have fun, Retra is only there to find her brother and convince him to leave. This is why Retra is able to find out so much about the behind the scenes of the society and why she is around when secrets are being shared. In some novels, writers have to make elaborate reasons why the character is making new discoveries, but with Retra Marianne doesn’t have these problems.

You can tell right from the outset that Marianne has a history in science fiction writing. The story doesn’t spend unnecessary pages in detailed exposition when it can be sprinkled in amongst the text. Marianne expects her readers to be able to keep up with her characters as they make new friends, break out of their comfort zone at a full fun, and try to figure out the secrets behind the mysterious and alluring Ixion.

For parents of young adults who want to read this book; be sure that this isn’t a story that emphasizes underage sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. Burn Bright shows the attraction of freedom but also the dangerous side effects of having too much of a good thing.

I recommend Burn Bright to everyone, and make sure you check out the original music from artist Yunyu that is based off the book series. You can view "Angel Arias" on YouTube.

So what do you think? Have you read the book and have a different opinion? Let me know in the comments.

ISBN: 9781864719888

Imprint: Random House Australia

Kathy

Themes: The Night Creatures, Burn Bright, Angel Arias, science fiction, Marianne de Pierres, young adult fiction