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Scarlet Killian lives in fear of her own heart.  With a rare, genetic defect that makes the organ pump with abnormal rhythms, she must be careful to stay calm, breathe evenly, and always—always—keep her defibrillator handy.  She's done alright so far, but that's because she hasn't actually done anything.  Homeschooling has kept her safe, away from the drama and insecurities of the outside world.  Now that she's 15, though, Scarlet wants a chance at living like a normal teenager.  She wants to go to school, even if it means constant check-ins with the nurse (who happens to be her stepmom), lugging around heavy medical equipment, and enduring all the whispers that come with being the girl whose heart could stop at any moment. 

High school turns out to be a little more traumatic than Scarlet thought it would be, but she refuses to give up her dream of attending.  Even if it means pushing her heart to pump at dangerously high levels.  It's worth it to have real, live friends who make her feel blissfully normal.  Sure, they're all from her peer mentoring group, meaning they've all got problems.  And yet, the more she gets to know them, the more she likes them.  Jordan Summers, a hot but haunted junior, is especially intriguing.  

Scarlet's new-found independence brings a fresh awareness into her life, changing her perspective on everything.  With that clarity comes some shocking revelations—not just about Scarlet's own self, but also about her family and the helpless vulnerability with which she's always lived her life.  As she starts to see the truth, Scarlet must find the strength to cope, to persevere, and to fight for herself like she never has before. 

Reviewing Broken, the first teen book from C.J. Lyons, a prolific writer of adult thrillers, is going to be difficult.  Why?  Because the majority of Broken feels like your typical YA issue novel.  It's set mostly in a high school and seems to revolve around Scarlet's burgeoning friendships, her growing crush on Jordan, and her fear of dying before she's even begun to live.  Then, the story takes a weird turn.  And pretty much switches genres altogether.  With little warning, we're thrown into the middle of a medical thriller.  The latter part of the novel moves much faster than the former, making for an exciting, edge-of-your-seat conclusion to a story that starts out pretty humdrum.  Which was great.  I definitely enjoyed the faster pace, but the abrupt transition threw me off.  It surprised me a little too much, if you know what I mean.  Maybe I just missed all the foreshadowing, but the big plot twist felt, to me, like it came totally out of the blue.  Because of that and a couple other issues, the novel struck me as bumpy, forced and melodramatic.  So, while Broken kept me entertained on a long airplane ride, it didn't quite come together enough to really satisfy me.         

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green)

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(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Pretend you're me (Congratulations, your life just got infinitely less exciting!).  You're (voluntarily) attending a 2-day long academic conference at a prestigious university, despite the fact that you're really not all that interested in the subject of the meeting.  Your husband, however, cannot wait to absorb everything being said.  You (gracefully) agree to accompany him rather than lounging at the hotel, book in hand.  Aware that lots of great information will most likely be shared at the conference and you really should pay attention, you resist the urge (barely) to pack along the hardcover novel you've been reading.  Also aware that the speakers might just bore you to tears, you sneak in your Kindle (you know, so you can look all brainy while you secretly read something more suited to those—like yourself, but unlike all those around you—with only average intellectual ability.  When you listen to the first speaker and, about 10 minutes into his address, realize you haven't understood a word he's said, do you (a) give yourself a mental slap and vow to pay closer attention or (b) give up and find a good book on your contraband (not really) Kindle.  If you chose A, you know me too well (scary) or maybe it was just a really obvious choice.  Whatever.  The point is, I started reading Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz while sitting in a classroom at the University of Notre Dame.  And I'm pretty sure I didn't hear another word spoken at the conference, so absorbed was I in the adventures of the book's quirky title character.  

I just can't find a way to properly explain this book, so I'm going to let the cover copy do the talking:

"The dead don't talk.  I don't know why."  But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidante.  Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain amount of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn.  Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out.  Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime.  Occasionally they can prevent one.  But this time's different.  A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15. 

Today is August 14.

 In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares - and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Compelling, right?  It totally is.  Although the novel does get gory and disturbing, it's also intriguing, exciting and surprisingly thought-provoking.  I love Odd, who's got a strange charm about him.  I do have some major issues with the ending of this book, but I can't talk about it without spoilers, so I'm going to have to keep mum, darn it.  Besides the unpleasant twist at the end, I enjoyed Odd Thomas.  A lot.  Probably too much.  And now I need more—good thing there are lots of sequels!

(Readalikes:  Koontz's books have always reminded me of those by horror master Stephen King; also other novels in the Odd Thomas series)

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