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The Half-Life of Planets. Emily Franklin. and Brendan Halpin. 2010. Hyperion. 256 pages.

I am not a slut.

Liana and Hank narrate The Half-Life of Planets. These two strangers meet in the women’s bathroom at a hospital. What starts out as an awkward beginning turns into much more…over the course of a summer. What develops is a slightly awkward–but in a good way–relationship between two misunderstood people.

They bond over music. They bond over loss. Most of all, they just enjoy being with one another. Not in a romantic way. Not for Liana. Not at first. She’s determined that this will be the summer of no kissing. For Hank, it’s as close to love as he’s ever gotten. Liana is his best chance to be kissed, to be loved. Why? Hank has Asperger’s syndrome and relationships just don’t come easy for him–let alone romantic ones. But he’s trying so hard to get things right…and in her own way Liana is too. Because before the school year ended, she received an anonymous note in her letter calling her a slut. So she’s trying to find out if the label is true. If someone’s perception of her matches reality in any way.

I didn’t exactly love this one. But. I did like it. Hank was my favorite of the two narrators.

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The Half-Life of Planets (YA)

Sphinx’s Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.

From the time of my first memories, my dreams were filled with lions–fierce, impossibly huge monsters with fiery manes and eyes black and cold as a starless night.

Nefertiti. Sphinx’s Princess is a fictional account of Nefertiti’s early years. Set in Ancient Egypt, the novel is rich in detail–history, mythology, culture. Readers learn what life as a royal might have been like through the eyes of a young woman betrothed to Pharaoh’s son. A young woman royal in her right–the niece of the Queen. Her father has warned her for years of the dangers of becoming too close to the Queen, of being a part of court life. Nefertiti is learning about these risks herself–for better or worse. Her story continues in Sphinx’s Queen which releases in September 2010.

Friesner’s Nefertiti is an intelligent, beautiful, compassionate young woman. She can read and write. She can sing and dance. Her life is saved by a slave–a Hebrew slave–and this changes her. She’s now tender-hearted and devoted to the life of one slave girl in particular. (I’m not sure I *believed* that anyone would take such risks for another person, slave or not.) Friesner’s Nefertiti is not concerned about politics, about power. She just wants a simple, private life.

Friesner’s Nefertiti is VERY different from Michelle Moran’s Nefertiti. Both books are, of course, historical fiction. So neither Nefertiti is the “real” Nefertiti.

I enjoyed Sphinx’s Princess. I look forward to reading Sphinx’s Queen soon.

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Sphinx’s Princess (YA)

Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.

I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. They were licking me, biting me, worrying at my body, pressing in. Their huddled bodies blocked what little heat the sun offered.

Our heroine, Grace, survived a wolf attack as a child. You might think that would make her fearful of wolves. But just the opposite is true. Grace borders on the obsessive. With one wolf in particular. Each winter she watches and waits. She seeks him out from the pack. Little does she know that he is always watching and waiting for her. His name is Sam. And he is a werewolf.

After a local tragedy, the community decides to do something about the wolf problem. Grace is angry–and determined. She wants to save the wolves. She wants to save “her” wolf. He is shot but not fatally. When he’s shot–or perhaps soon after he’s shot–he shifts to human form. And Grace has a chance to connect–really connect–with “her” wolf.

Grace isn’t the only one in the community to learn the secret–that werewolves are real. Does Grace’s romance stand a chance against the bitter cold of winter?

I didn’t love Shiver. I’m not even sure I liked Shiver. It was okay. But I certainly didn’t find it romantic or giddy-making.

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Shiver (YA)

Passing Strange (Generation Dead #3). Daniel Waters. Hyperion. 400 pages.

I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again.

Passing Strange is the third in a series. The first two are Generation Dead and Kiss of Life. As “fascinating” as I found Phoebe, our narrator, being tortured by guilt and obligation in Kiss of Life. It was a great relief to learn that she is not the narrator of Passing Strange. This isn’t Phoebe’s Love Triangle, part three. No, Karen Desonne is the narrator of Passing Strange. Before now, Karen has always been a mystery. Phoebe didn’t always understand her. Phoebe didn’t always try that hard to understand her either. Readers at last will get to know the real Karen. The Karen behind the persona.

The differently biotic are having a difficult time in Oakvale–a difficult time anywhere. There are many who consider them to be dead, to not have any legal rights–a few even consider them demons, a problem to be solved once and for all with violence. When Passing Strange opens, Karen and other zombies are being ‘pursued’ by police. She finds refuge in her home–in her parents’ home. But she’s not content to stay in hiding. No, Karen wants to be out in the world passing. She likes to pretend to be a beating heart.

But passing has its own risks. Like what will happen if she’s discovered? What will her coworkers think of her deception? But Karen–perhaps not the bravest or the wisest of individuals–is finally ready to start taking risks. And the biggest risk of all? Pretending to be interested in Pete Martinsburg. Pretending to be his girlfriend. She suspects him of many anti-zombie crimes. And she wants proof…

Karen is also still trying to process what went wrong in her life–her first life. Trying to cope with her suicide and its aftermath. The depression. The secrets. The lies. The shame. Can Karen find peace?

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Passing Strange (YA)

Leaving Gee’s Bend. Irene Latham. 2010. Penguin. 240 pages.

Mama pulled a chicken egg from behind the azalea bush in our front yard and narrowed her eyes. “Ludelphia Bennett! You go back in there and get your eye patch.”

Historical fiction. Set in Gee’s Bend, Alabama. 1932.

Ludelphia’s mother is dying, and there’s nothing she can do about it. That’s what everyone says. But Ludelphia isn’t convinced. She thinks that if she can just get a doctor–a real doctor–to come and see her mother, there might be a chance. True, Ludelphia has never left Gee’s Bend, has never been to Camden. But. If there’s a chance that someone could help her–no matter how small–she’s got to brave it. It’s scary, no doubt about it, because it isn’t easy to leave Gee’s Bend. It requires a ferry. Which may not be a big deal…if you’re not in a hurry, if the ferry man can be found, if there hasn’t been a big storm upsetting the river, if you know exactly where you’re going. Ludelphia will have to brave more than just the river…as she embarks on this journey. A journey that proves physically and emotionally demanding.

I liked this one.

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Leaving Gee’s Bend (MG)

Glimpse. Carol Lynch Williams. 2010. June 2010. Simon & Schuster. 496 pages.

Lizzie and Hope are sisters and best friends. Hope is almost thirteen, Lizzie just fourteen. But one day Hope gets a bit of a shock. She finds her sister, Lizzie, in a desperate moment. She finds her sister holding a gun, fingering the trigger. She does save her sister–in that moment–and Liz is taken to a place where she can get some help. But that is just the beginning of a mystery. For Hope can’t understand what led Lizzie to such an act. Did her sister really want to die? Was it just a cry for help? Can Hope discover the truth–the real reason–behind Lizzie’s actions?

The book is about Hope’s journey to see the why.

Glimpse is a dark novel, a verse novel, for older teens. Carol Lynch Williams made me feel. It’s rare for me to hate a mother so very, very much. But hate her I did. Glimpse may not be for every reader. It’s dark, ugly, raw with pain. But it’s very well written.

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Glimpse (YA)

Kiss of Life. Daniel Waters. 2009. Hyperion. 416 pages.

Phoebe. Beautiful Phoebe.

Phoebe Kendall’s closest friends are zombies differently biotic. Phoebe Kendall’s love interests are zombies differently biotic as well. This includes Adam, the best friend that she didn’t really see in that way until he died saving her life at the close of the first book, and Tommy, the boyfriend she never got to kiss because Adam’s death dampened the party atmosphere.

When Kiss of Life opens, Phoebe is ignoring Tommy completely and doting on Adam. How is Adam adjusting to life as a zombie? Well, he’s having a rough time of it. He is just not as “alive” as the rest of the zombies. At least not yet. Phoebe is hoping that she can change that. She’s hoping that if she loves him enough, he’ll get better. But is she doing this out of love or guilt or pity? Does she love Adam in that way? Or does she still love Tommy?

Like Generation Dead, Kiss of Life is a novel about how people are treated. In the first book, much time was spent on making sure the reader understood that zombies are people too. That they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. That they are not monsters to be feared. Which is why it is so important to never offend a zombie by using the word “zombie”. They are differently biotic as opposed to traditionally biotic. But Phoebe also has learned that among themselves, many do like the word zombies. It’s just the “beating hearts” who can’t get away with the z word.

Are the differently biotic any closer to fitting in with society? Are they still outsiders within the community? This community is very much in danger. Because the world is just not that accepting. And Kiss of Life reveals some of the threats facing the differently biotic.

So there is much drama in Kiss of Life. Sadly, I felt disconnected from that drama. In places I found it lacking in compelling drama. I just didn’t care about Phoebe’s love triangle. Or the broken fragments of what once was a love triangle. There is some tension between Phoebe and the other zombies she hangs out with. Especially with Karen. So that was nice. And then there was the revealing of the bad guys…so there was some drama.

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Kiss of Life (YA)

A Tale Dark and Grimm. Adam Gidwitz. 2010. November 2010. Penguin. 192 pages.

Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.
I know, I know. You don’t believe me. I don’t blame you. A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it myself. Little girls in red caps skipping around the forest? Awesome? I don’t think so.
But then I started to read them. The real ones. The ones from that dusty, clothbound book way off in a neglected corner of the library. Those are darker. Very few little girls in red caps in those.
Well, there’s one. But she gets eaten.

I loved this book. I just loved, loved, loved this book. I loved the narrator. I loved the storytelling. It was so rich in detail. The atmosphere, the setting, was just right. I loved the connections. How Gidwitz bases some of his book on Grimm’s original fairy tales. (The book begins with Faithful Johannes. You can read an online version here.) But he also expands upon the original. He connects these tales, these stories by making them the story–the complete story–of Hansel and Gretel. Instead of Hansel and Gretel being the children of a poor woodcutter and his wife, they are royalty. They are the prince and princess of the kingdom of Grimm. But. After a gory incident with their parents (the King and Queen), the two decide that they can find better parents. So they set out on a search for a good adult–a caring, compassionate, understanding adult. The journey will bring action, adventure, danger, and magic into their lives. They will never be the same.

What did I love best about this one? The writing. The storytelling. The narration. The characters. It was so compelling. I couldn’t put this one down. I just loved everything about this one!

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A Tale Dark and Grimm (MG/YA)

Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Prologue: Larch often thought that if it had not been for his newborn son, he never would have survived his wife Mikra’s death. It was half that the infant boy needed a breathing, functioning father who got out of bed in the mornings and slogged through the day; and it was half the child himself.

Chapter one: It did not surprise Fire that the man in the forest shot her. What surprised her was that he shot her by accident.

Fire’s father was a monster, and deep-down Fire thinks she may be one too. When the king asks her to use her powers to interrogate prisoners, supposed spies, she questions her “gift” more than ever. But with the kingdom so close to war, with the army in need of intelligence, Fire can’t deny that she is needed. That her “gift” could help her country, her kingdom, that her “gift” could save lives. Still Fire is haunted by the mistakes of the past–her father’s mistakes–would the country be in such a miserable condition if her father hadn’t misused his gift?

Fire is a fantasy–a romance–rich in detail, in world-making. It is a companion novel to Graceling. While I didn’t love Fire as much as Graceling, I did enjoy it. I did find it compelling. There’s plenty of action and romance.

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Fire (YA)

Leviathan. Scott Westerfeld. 2009. October 2009. Simon & Schuster. 448 pages.

The Austrian horses glinted in the moonlight, their riders standing tall in the saddle, swords raised. Behind them two ranks of diesel-powered walking machines stood ready to fire, cannon aimed over the heads of the cavalry. A zeppelin scouted no-man’s-land at the center of the battlefield, its metal skin sparkling.

I’ve enjoyed several alternate history novels over the years. Leviathan is a science fiction novel set at the very start of the Great War (World War I). Its alternative world is fascinating. A world divided into two camps: Clankers (those who love machines and technology) and Darwinists (those who love splicing together ‘incredible’ new beings). Of course, if you’re a Clanker, those new beings are monstrous, an abomination–there being nothing natural about this ‘evolution.’

Leviathan has two narrators: Alek, a young boy who is trying to hide his real identity, and Deryn, a young woman who is trying to keep her gender hidden so she can be in the British Air Service. She’s living her new life as Dylan Sharp.

There is much world-building in Leviathan. The world Scott Westerfeld has created is rich in detail. And this novel is just the first book. (The sequel, Behemoth, is being published this October.) I appreciate that. I think I will probably like the second one more.

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