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Premise? Intriguing. Execution? Not So Much.
(Image from Barnes & Noble)(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for From Bad to Cursed, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Bad Girls Don't Die. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Katie Alender's first book, Bad Girls Don't Die, creeped me out. I didn't expect it to give me nightmares, but it did. Old-fashioned ghost stories don't appear that often in the vampire/werewolf/angel/demon/fairy/shape shifter-saturated world of YA fiction, so this one made me happy. News about a sequel made me even happier. Another sneaky, subtle scare fest? Yes, please!
So, did it work? Did it leave me trembling in my bed with the covers pulled over my head? Wait and see, my friends, wait and see ...
From Bad to Cursed begins about a year after Kasey Warren's possession by an evil ghost tears her family's lives to shreds. Now, with Kasey safely ensconced in an institution, the Warrens are eager to put the whole haunted house thing behind them. They've moved into Silver Sage Acres, a modern subdivision without enough personality to attract evil spirits. It feels safe, normal. Even 16-year-old Lexi Warren is breathing easy, looking forward to a new school year with the perfect boyfriend, the perfect best friend, even not-so-perfect, but better-than-average parents. Then she gets a shock: Kasey's back. Although the 14-year-old seems haunt-free, Lexi's wary. And disappointed. What if her perfect year turns out to be anything but?
Most kids go out of their way to avoid Kasey, so Lexi's thrilled when her sister starts making friends. She even becomes a founding member of the Sunshine Club, membership in which seems to be making her prettier, more outgoing, even popular. Lexi feels a tinge of jealousy as she watches Kasey and her dorky friends go from awkward to A-list in no time at all. Then she discovers Kasey's dirty little secret: the Sunshine girls have pledged their allegiance to a malovelent spirit named Aralt. Determined to protect her family from another paranormal assault, Lexi vows to take down the Sunshine Club, breaking Aralt's connection to the girls forever. But infiltrating the club won't be as simple as Lexi thinks it will be, especially not when she gets a taste of what Aralt can do for his faithful followers. Maybe a little deal with the devil's not such a bad thing after all ...
As much as I like the premise behind From Bad to Cursed, the execution didn't impress me. The story got too predictable, the characters felt stale, and whatever originality existed in the idea of the book didn't make it into the actual plot. I still booked through the novel in less than a day, so it was entertaining enough to keep my interest, just not enough to make me scream and shout and beg the author for another sequel. Not that I won't read the next book, because I totally will, but you get the point - this one was just okay for me.
(Readalikes: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender)
Grade: C
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for intense situations
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of From Bad to Cursed from the generous folks at Disney/Hyperion. Thanks!
Start Your Engines: NASCAR Murder Mystery Quite the Ride
(Image from Barnes & Noble)(Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for Flash and Bones, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Temperance Brennan mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Temperance Brennan knows little about NASCAR, but she's lived in Charlotte, NC, long enough to know what Race Week will bring - traffic and lots of it. While 200,000 fans cram themselves into the stands at Charlotte Motor Speedway, she's planning to hide out in her apartment, sipping Diet Coke and petting her cat. But, alas, fate has different plans for the intrepid forensic anthropologist.
When a body is discovered in a landfill near the speedway, Tempe's called in to help identify the remains. With little to go on, she's considering several possibilities - the corpse could be that of a missing barhopper or a racing fan from Atlanta who hasn't been answering his phone or really, just about anyone. When a NASCAR crew member shows up in Tempe's office with a story about his missing sister, yet another possibility opens up. Could the body belong to 17-year-old Cindi Gamble, who disappeared with her 24-year-old boyfriend in 1998? If so, who killed her? And why is her brother so convinced the FBI covered up their findings about the case? Is Wayne Gamble completely delusional or is there something to his story?
The more Tempe investigates the teenager's disappearance, the more puzzling the mystery becomes. With remains vanishing, police records being confiscated, and plenty of strange to go around, the idea of a government cover-up doesn't seem so far-fetched. The only question is why would the Feds care about a missing young nobody from Kannapolis?
As pressure to solve the case builds, Tempe's personal life is heating up as well. Not only has she somehow become her ex-husband's brainless fiance's most trusted confidant, but a handsome new associate is threatening to push the absent Andrew Ryan right out of her mind. And heart. A deluge of problems to go with the damp weather - just what Tempe needs. So much for hanging with her cat.
I've loved the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs since the first book (Deja Dead). Although some of the novels have been more appealing to me than others, I've found them to be consistently well-written and entertaining. Much of it has to do with Tempe herself. Her voice, with its unique blend of smart, compassionate and snarky, gets me every time.
As for Flash and Bones, I enjoyed the NASCAR setting (You should have seen the gleam in my husband's eye every time I asked him something like, "Did you know stock car racing started because of bootlegging during Prohibition?" or "Wow, that Jacques Villeneuve is kind of a legend, huh?"), even if that's not exactly my thing. Reichs gives enough facts and background to make the sport interesting without going overboard - the same tactic she uses to keep the reader's interest while explaining all the pertinent details of forensic science. While I liked the setting and all the subplots in Flash and Bones, I was a little disappointed in the mystery. I solved the case (almost) as soon as I "met" the killer, then spent the rest of the story waiting for Tempe to catch up. Not that it wasn't an enjoyable wait, but I would have preferred a little more mystery in this mystery. Still and all, I raced (pun intended) through the book and pouted *a little* over the fact that I have to wait a whole year for the next installment. Despite its flaws, this is still one of my favorite series.
(Readalikes: Other books in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, violence, and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I bought Flash and Bones from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Just Go Read The Book. You Can Thank Me Later.
(Image from Barnes & Noble)"Of course, that was then and this was the end of the world" (265).
So, here's the thing: The best zombie apocalypse book I've read to date isn't even really about zombies. I mean, it is. They're definitely there in all their blank-eyed, foot-dragging, gut-slurping glory. It's just that there's so much more to Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick that you kind of forget about the zombies. How to explain this epic novel, the first in what promises to be a most excellent trilogy? Well, it's like dumping all your favorite dystopian stories into a blender, selecting the finest mix-ins (vivid prose, intriguing characters, heartpounding suspense, etc.), hitting puree, and pouring out the perfect blend of dystopian goodness. Yep, that's Ashes.
The story begins in Michigan's Waucamaw Wilderness, where 17-year-old Alex Adair is hiking in the woods. She's toting camping gear, her father's Glock, and a black case that holds all that remains of her parents. The tent and sleeping bag are necessities for the days-long hike to Lake Superior, where she plans to spread the ashes. And the pistol? Well, that's just in case. Just in case she finally finds the guts to blow the cancerous, inoperable tumor out of her head once and for all.
Before Alex has time to make it anywhere near the lake, it happens. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) lasers the Earth. A flock of birds drops out of the sky, dead. A terrified doe bolts off the edge of a cliff. The kindly, old hiker Alex had just been talking to collapses and doesn't get up. Alex is alive, but ... changed. The haze in her head, a constant reminder of the cancer inside her, is gone, replaced by a weird sense she doesn't understand and can't explain. She doesn't have time to worry about it, either, because the world's gone crazy in the most inexplicable way possible and now she's fighting for her life on a remote mountain in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, she's now got 9-year-old Ellie to take care of. And precious few supplies. When they meet up with Tom Eden, a 20-year-old soldier on leave from an assignment in Afghanistan, the makeshift family has to find someplace to hide. The forest is crawling with wolves, coyotes, and something much more sinister. Something that looks human, but isn't. Not by a long shot.
While the trio hides out in the woods, they try to make sense of what's happening in the outside world. Widespread damage, they know that. Millions of deaths, they know that, too. Then there are the teenagers, who didn't die, not exactly, but changed into rabid zombies. Why Alex and Tom were spared they don't know. The hunt for answers takes them out of the mountains, into what was once civilized society. Now, it's more like a war zone. All the rules of safe, normal life have flown out the window. Everything has changed.
Desperate for food, shelter and medical help, Alex heads for the nearest settlement of survivors. No matter how crazy the world's gone, it's human nature to take in the helpless. No matter what she's seen, she has faith in people's innate goodness. No matter what, she has to get help. The heavily-guarded village of Rule offers that, but not without some strings attached. Alex will do anything to keep Ellie and Tom alive - even if it means living by strict, unfathomable laws. But the longer she stays in the town, the more unsettled she grows. Something's very wrong in Rule. Only one question remains: Will she survive longer in Rule or outside of it?
Grrr. My measly summary doesn't even come close to describing Ashes with any kind of accuracy. The book's hard to classify since it's part surival story, part sci fi adventure, part horror story, part psychological thriller, and 100% post-apocalyptic, dystopian awesomeness. Mostly, though, it's the story of a tough, courageous girl finding her will to survive in a world devoid of hope. Tense, taut, riveting, engrossing, unputdownable ... Oh, forget it, I give up - just go read the book.
You can thank me later.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of a bunch of dystopian novels - The Passage by Justin Cronin, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Birthmarked and Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien, the Chaos Walking series [The Knife of Never Letting Go; The Ask and the Answer; Monsters of Men] by Patrick Ness, the Last Survivors series [Life As We Knew It; The Dead & The Gone; This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, and lots more)
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (a couple of F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and gore
Mormon Mentions: Ilsa J. Bick
If you're new to BBB, you may be wondering what in the world a "Mormon Mention" is. You may even be wondering what the heck a Mormon is. Well, a Mormon is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Like me. As such, I'm naturally concerned with how my church is portrayed in the media. Since this blog is all about the written word, every time I see a reference to the church in a book written by someone who is not LDS, I post it. Why? That depends. Sometimes it's just to snicker along with the author at my crazy Mormon culture, other times it's to correct a misconception or simply to offer my view as an "insider." I always welcome your thoughts, opinions, comments and questions on these posts and if you have no interest in them, feel free to skip right over them. I won't be offended. Promise.
With that disclaimer, here we go:
In Ashes, Ilsa J. Bick's new YA dystopian novel (see gushing review above), the heroine finds her way to a walled village called Rule. In trying to figure out how the town works, Alex has this conversation with Kincaid, one of Rule's residents:
"Why is it so important that I see this Council and the Reverend? I mean, they can't decide where everyone goes. There are too many people."
"Five hundred, give or take, yeah. And no, they don't eyeball everyone. Wardens - men who've been given the keys - do that."
"Keys? You mean, like, to unlock doors?"
"Not physical ones, no. It's, ah, a biblical reference. Matthew: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Same concept as the Mormon priesthood, although we're not Mormons. What it boils down to is that the Council awards certain men the authority to make decisions in certain areas: the farms, the armory, supplies, sanitation, for example ..." (319).
Twenty-some pages later, Alex asks Kincaid, "What is this place? Are you a cult or, you know, one of those really religious ..." She groped for the right word. "You said you're not Mormons or something, but like the Amish? Some kind of weird sect? Things seem so decided."
[Paragraph omitted]
Kincaid studied her for a long few seconds. "Considering some of my best friends are Amish, I might take offense. They're not weird, or a cult. They're gentle, good people."
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do" (346).
Let's go ahead and deal with the second passage first ... I realize Bick's not suggesting the LDS Church is a cult, but it's such a prevalent myth that we might as well get this out of the way once and for all: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (members of which are commonly known as Mormons) is not a cult. It's a church, which - as its name indicates - is centered around Jesus Christ and His teachings. Yes, members of the mainstream church did practice polygamy in the 1800s. This no longer occurs. Hasn't for over 100 years. It is against the laws of the country and the LDS Church.
Disagreements among early church members over various doctrines led to the formation of off-shoots like the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. These sects are not affiliated with the LDS Church. They differ in theology, practices, leadership, everything. While I have no personal experience with the FLDS Church (run by famed polygamist Warren Jeffs), it is often referred to as a cult and I don't disagree.
Make sense so far? Let's recap: The LDS Church (also commonly known as the Mormon Church) is not a cult. Not. A. Cult. Got it? Good. Let's move on.
The comparison Bick makes between the "Mormon priesthood" and Rule's government is interesting. In some ways, it's apt; in other ways, not so much. Let me explain.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe the priesthood is the power of God. The keys are the right to use this authority in certain ways. Jesus Christ has always held all the keys of the priesthood. When He called the Twelve Apostles, He gave them the priesthood. Before He was crucified, He gave the keys of the priesthood to Peter, James and John (see Matthew 17:1-9). In the ensuing centuries, this power was lost. We believe it was restored via Joseph Smith and that, today, those same keys are given to all the apostles and the prophet/president of our church. Although all of the apostles hold the keys, only the prophet/president can exercise them in behalf of the church.
Because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is an enormous church, with congregations all over the world, the prophet/president cannot manage it all alone. He delegates certain of the priesthood keys to men who then use it to preside over their specific area of responsibility. They, in turn, appoint other men and women to help with necessary tasks. Thus, every active, adult member of the church has a "calling," or a job within the church. I, for example, teach a weekly Sunday School class for 10-12 year old boys. Someone else plays the piano/organ for meetings, while another person is in charge of scheduling church activities, while yet another organizes meals/housecleaning/yard work, etc. for people who are too ill or elderly to do it for themselves, and so on. Callings are voluntary, unpaid positions which are absolutely vital to the efficient running of church congregations everywhere.
With me so far? Totally lost? Either way, click here for a much, much better explanation of everything I said above and more.By comparing the Rule's government to the "Mormon priesthood," Bick seems to be saying the priesthood is something reserved for only a few, elect members of the LDS Church. Not so. All worthy (meaning they do their best to honor God's commandments by living honest, chaste, responsible lives) males 12 and over hold the priesthood. Depending on what type of priesthood they hold, bearers are allowed to perform ordinances (i.e. baptisms, marriages, the administration of the Sacrament during Sunday meetings, etc.) as well as give blessings of comfort and healing to those in need. Holding the priesthood is considered a sacred gift and duty. Those bearing this power must make sure they always live worthily of having it.
No priesthood holder is considered more special, more powerful, or more trustworthy than another. All are equal. "Certain men" aren't "awarded" authority - all are offered opportunities to serve within the church community and these opportunities change over time. A man might be a bishop (leader over a local congregation) one year, a children's Sunday School teacher the next, and a pianist the next. Women, by the way, do not hold the priesthood, but do have leadership positions in the church. These also change over time. For example, a woman might teach a class of toddlers one year, preside over a Relief Society (the church's women's group) the next, and direct a choir the next.
So, what do you think? Clear as mud?
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