Obscura by Joe Hart

Obscura by Joe Hart takes place in the near future, when a new disease called Losian's is attacking the brains of its victims, leaving tangles of neurons that cause trance-like states, occasional violence, and other issues. It's a bit like Alzheimer's on speed and it has already killed Dr. Gillian Ryan's husband. Now, her daughter has it, as well.

When Gillian is offered unlimited funding for her research into Losian's if she'll travel to a space station, where astronauts are suffering similar symptoms, she's hesitant. Her funding is about to be cut, not only destroying her work but the chance to save her daughter's life. Gillian doesn't want to leave her daughter, whose episodes of what she calls "the fuzzies" are increasing in frequency, but the funding she's been offered may be her daughter's only hope. Gillian's sure she's on the verge of a breakthrough.

She agrees, only to find that she's been misled. But, now that she's on the ship, Gillian has no way to return to Earth and no choice but to go ahead with the job. When people begin dying violently, Gillian is suspected of murder. Even she is not 100% certain if she's innocent. But, there's no time for that. Can Gillian figure out the cause of the memory loss and violence before it's too late?

Recommended - While I didn't absolutely love Obscura, I liked it more the farther I got into it and the ending was edge-of-your-seat, violent, action-packed, and exciting. I sort of predicted what would happen in the end and was correct to a point, but I did find a lot of the book surprising and I liked the concepts and loved the ending. I'm glad I read Obscura and I know exactly which friend I want to pass it on to. Recommended particularly to fans of sci-fi and action/thrillers.


©2018 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican
Copyright 2014
Thomas Dunne Books/YA
413 pp.

Davidek began reading the paper every day, knowing there had to be an update, some follow-up, some explanation about what happened. But there was nothing, not even a week later. "I think I saw something about it on CNN," Bill Davidek said at dinner. "'Playground fight at local school,' right?" The old man scratched his beard with a self-satisfied smile.

"Come on, Dad! That guy jumped off the roof! He almost killed himself!" Davidek said, his cheeks stuffed with food. "He chopped off a dude's fingers!"

Davidek's mother clanged her fork and knife flat on the table. "For God's sake, we're eating fish sticks," she said.

~from pp. 27-27 of Brutal Youth

Brutal Youth is the story of Peter Davidek, Noah Stein, Lorelei Paskal, and a sizable cast of students attending a private Catholic school in Pennsylvania. An explosive prologue introduces the reader to the characters on Visitor's Day at St. Michael the Archangel High School, a day potential students are allowed to attend classes so they can get a feel for the school and its routine. Instead of a typical school day, though, Visitor's Day goes horribly wrong when a bullied student reaches his limit, becoming both violent and suicidal.

Davidek really doesn't want to attend St. Michael's, especially after such a harrowing Visitor's Day. He has plenty of friends at the public high school. But, in spite of his protests he ends up a student at the school and decides the best approach is to keep his head down and do what he's told. Stein, on the other hand, is an angry guy and not about to let anyone push him around. Lorelei is hoping for a fresh start after a misunderstanding at her old school left her friendless.

A love triangle, sanctioned bullying, a mixed bag of teachers both kind and cruel, and a priest who privately wants the school to close are among the elements in Brutal Youth, a novel worth talking about for the way it exposes the dark side of school life.

I think what I loved most about Brutal Youth was the dark humor (as evidenced in the excerpt, above) but I also cared about the characters. And, I think just about everyone can relate to the kind of behavior in the book -- either the bullying by fellow students, the surprisingly bad behavior of adults or the parental failures that make trouble at school doubly hard to handle. Breznican's writing is almost painfully astute.

I've read Brutal Youth twice, now.  The first time I read it, I checked out a library book and chatted with the author on Twitter while I was reading. Doing so gave me some really interesting insight -- some of it after the fact. On the first reading, I felt like the bullying was relentless and desired a happy ending or at least a light at the end of the tunnel. The second time, I was sent a copy by the author's publicist for a Q & A (which will come some time in the future) and had time to stop, mark passages, ponder the characters and their motivations a little more deeply, and really appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish. It helped that we'd discussed his goal. This is what the book looked like after the second reading:

I came out of the second reading with such an appreciation for Breznican's craftsmanship that I bumped up my Goodreads rating from 4 stars to 5.

And, I managed to talk my book group into reading Brutal Youth. I'm excited. There's so much to discuss.

Highly recommended - A sharply drawn story of friendship, bullying, and the failure of adults to act responsibly or serve as decent role models, both as parents and teachers. Exceptional characterization, dark humor, and an understanding of interaction at the high school level are the particular hallmarks of Breznican's writing. I can't wait to see what he comes up with, next. Warning: There are some particularly uncomfortable scenes of violence and humiliation. Brutal Youth is truly brutal; the title is fitting. But, it's a book that makes you think about what true friendship really involves and examine the concept of bullying. I'd go so far as to say it's an important book, one that should be read and discussed by students and adults alike.

©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Are you getting tired of my heavy posting, yet? Sorry about that. I'm really happy to be nearly caught up on reviewing. One more review to go after this one!

Inside Out is a dystopian young adult novel about a young woman who lives in what amounts to a gigantic metal cube. There are four levels in the cube, two of which are reserved for the lower class people or "scrubs," the two upper levels for the higher class folks who are simply known as Uppers.

The lower levels are painfully overcrowded with scrubs. Trella is a scrub whose job is to clean pipes. Because she's skinny and solitary, the job is perfect for Trella. She often escapes to the pipes to sleep or just spend some time alone, away from the masses. Thanks to her exploration and knowledge of the pipes, vents, elevator shafts and spaces between, Trella is known as the Queen of the Pipes.

Introverted and firmly convinced that she doesn't like people, Trella does have one very close friend by the name of Cogon. When Cog talks her into hearing a "prophet" speak about his belief in a door to the outside world, Trella isn't interested.

****Warning: I'm trying to keep this review as general as possible but it may contain some spoilers. If you plan to read Inside Out anytime soon, you might want to skip the next paragraph.

You have been warned. ****

But, when the Pop Cops (Population Control officers) find and arrest the prophet, Trella begins to question her skepticism. Why would the Pop Cops grab the prophet if he didn't have something to hide? With only seconds to save the prophet and Cog already rushing to the rescue, Trella makes a decision that will thrust both of them into a dangerous search for the truth.

****The safe version begins here. Skip this sentence if you've read the potentially spoilery paragraph****

But, then something happens to change her mind and Trella makes a decision that will thrust both of them into a dangerous search for the truth.

Is there a hidden door to Outside? What is beyond the walls of Inside? And, why is the exit being hidden from the scrubs, if it exists?

Did you skip the spoilery paragraph? Well, good for you (either way). It's good to know your mind.

First things first. I loved the immersive experience of Inside Out. Trella's world is grubby and terrifying, but surprisingly believable. I can't tell you what Trella and her growing army of information seekers discover without ruining the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but like most dystopian young adult books, the world of Inside is horribly messed up, change is inevitable, and it will take some potentially deadly, surreptitious, clever and violent action to bring about that change.

Although Trella has no interest in leadership, she has a compelling reason to seek answers (which I'm not going to share, sigh). Trella initially risks her life for The Compelling Reason but eventually her priorities expand to bettering the lives of the people she lives with and overthrowing the powerful people in charge. In the process, Trella must face her feelings, her prejudices and the unknown truths of her world head-on.

Inside Out is a remarkably uncomfortable book -- frightening enough that I'm a little surprised I didn't end up having nightmares. There's this thing called the Chomper, you see. If you really screw up, you're fed to the Chomper and recycled. Everything, in fact, is constantly cleaned and eventually recycled. There are some pretty strong hints about what's outside, but I was still surprised when the answer to the crucial question was revealed.

One thing's for sure. Inside Out will make you appreciate what's outside your door and the freedom to step outside any time you so desire. This is not outside my door, but I'm sure you get my drift.

There is a sequel to Inside Out called Outside In and I am anxious to read it, but Inside Out was a Borders close-out purchase and they didn't have a copy of Outside In, unfortunately. I've added Outside In to my wish list and it may end up being my first real e-book purchase (all the e-books I've downloaded, so far, have been bargain priced or free).

A terrifying dystopian world, a young, stolid heroine who must fight her instincts and a fascinating, marvelously twisty plot make Inside Out a winner. Highly recommended. There is a good deal of violence but none of it is superfluous, in my humble opinion. The dystopian world of Inside is so desperately awful that it's a case of the proverbial peasants forced to rebel in order to instigate change.

Inside Out is the first book I've read by Maria V. Snyder but it will definitely not be the last. Fortunately for me, Kiddo is a fan and already owns both the Glass and Study series' by Snyder.

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Wounded Spirits by April W. Gardner (review)

Wounded Spirits by April W. Gardner

Copyright 2010

Vinspire - Historical Fiction

254 pages, incl. discussion questions and author's note

Author's website

It is 1813. Adela McGirth lives a comfortable life in her family's Georgia plantation. Of the three sisters, she is the calm, level-headed one and pretty enough to have drawn a number of suitors. Till Phillip Bailey set his sights on her, none has even slightly interested her. He's determined to marry her, but Adela is conflicted.

Then, suddenly, life takes a dramatic turn as war breaks out between the peaceful Creek nation and white settlers. When the danger becomes too great, local settlers move into a fort for protection. But, the leader is lazy and disorganized. It's only a matter of time before the fort will fall victim to attack by the Red Stick faction.

Captured by Indians, grieving the loss of loved ones, Adela eventually finds herself starving in the wilderness, facing a dilemma that only God can help her solve.

There is so much more to this book than the brief description I just wrote, above. Wounded Spirits begins from Adela's perspective and then switches to the point of view of a Creek warrior named Totka, who has a gimpy leg and a gentle spirit. Adela is kind-hearted and godly; Totka is loving and only fights because he must. You get a good glimpse of both sides of the tale, which is based on the true story of the McGirth family, some of whom were captured under the guise of becoming slaves by an Indian who was at one time orphaned and raised by the McGirths. Nokose, the former orphan, is brother-in-law to Totka.

After Adela and some of her other family members are captured, apparently the only survivors from the fort, they are treated harshly but Adela learns the language and eventually falls in love. Her father, Zachariah, was away from the fortress to check on the livestock at their plantation during the massacre. Returning to find nothing but bodies -- some unrecognizable -- he assumes his family has been killed and responds by following the army, exacting revenge on the people he thinks responsible.

What I loved about Wounded Spirits:

Author April Gardner has done an amazing job of giving readers a full perspective of this real-life eruption of war between Native Americans and encroaching settlers. She's done such a marvelous job of allowing readers to peer into both camps that it's impossible to take sides. Although it took a while for the story to turn from what seemed to be a romance to an action-packed tale of conflict and violence, once it got going it was hard to put Wounded Spirits down.

There is a tremendous amount of nail-biting action, a slow and believable build-up of interest between Adela and Totka, and excellent character development, all-around. The setting is believably rendered, the emotions right on, the senses well done. You will love Adela and care what happens to her and her family. But, you'll also care for Totka and his loved ones. When there's slaughter on both sides, it's heart-breaking.

I know next to nothing about the time and place, although some of the regional names are familiar to me, but from the author's notes I gather that she did her homework and it shows. There's a definite ring of authenticity to the story.

What I disliked about Wounded Spirits:

You're going to think I'm confused, now, because I've just gushed so thoroughly. But, Wounded Spirits is not perfect. It is slightly rough and reads, at times, like the work of a new writer. Stylistically, the writing is straightforward rather than lyrical. There are plenty of errors that should have been edited out -- mostly misspellings, possibly some typos. But, in the end, the story wins out and its flaws virtually fade into the background.

The bottom line:

I loved this book. I adored the characters, cared for people on both sides and found myself gripping the pages and sometimes wiping away tears. There's a little bit of "hokey" and a lot of Christian reflection because Adela's Christian and it's her faith that gets her through a year of life starving in an Indian camp. While not perfect, the book is nicely balanced between action and quieter internal or daily life scenes. The author gives readers an unbiased look at the two sides of war and the story wins out over the writing flaws. Definitely recommended.

You can read a free chapter of Wounded Spirits, here.

Cover thoughts:

The cover is a little cheesy, but I like it. There is a scene in which the McGirth girls must fight for their lives and an axe is involved . . . and I do think the cover model fits the description of Adela perfectly.

In other news:

I'm pretty happy with my reading, so far this year, and the fact that I'm keeping up with my reviews. But, I realize I still haven't gotten to that 2010 Favorites business. If you saw a mostly-empty 2010 Favorites list pop up in your reader, it's because I got started writing the basic skeleton and then hit the wrong button when I meant to save my progress in draft form. Sorry about that. I'll finish it eventually, but it might be 2012. I hope not.

In the meantime, I've got some recent DNFs to talk about -- why I stopped reading them and whether or not I'll give them a second chance, as always. I'll review The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern, after that, and someday I'll give a Books In/Books Out report, but I've fallen so far behind on that I'll probably only photograph the most recent arrivals. The good news is that Books Out are still surpassing Books In about 2 to 1. Go me.

In case you're wondering:

The Mental Floss History of the United States has been lingering in my sidebar for-freaking-ever because it's written in short sections and I'm reading it in bits and spurts. Still. I've mentioned that, before. I haven't set it aside or forgotten about it. I'm just taking my time reading it. It's a hugely entertaining book and it might take me another month because I want to extend the joy, but I can already tell you I'll highly recommend it. So, just go buy a copy if you like your history handled with levity. It's a very fun read.

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Missionary by William Carmichael and David Lambert

The Missionary by Carmichael and Lambert
Copyright 2009
Moody Publishers - Fiction/Christian Thriller
384 pages
Sneak peek chapter

The Missionary is the story of a young man who runs a home and clinic for homeless children in Venezuela with his wife and an older couple. David Eller, his wife Christie and their young son Davy live at Hope Village; Christie is a nurse who works in the clinic. When the story begins, David is rushing to try to save a street child who has pneumonia. A stranger with an ulterior motive offers help but David declines.

***WARNING: There may be some spoilers in the following 2 paragraphs***

The next day, the stranger shows up at Hope Village with a donation. His name is Carlos and he says he has some friends who can be an even greater help. Christie has a bad feeling about Carlos but David ignores her and goes to meet Carlos and his friends. Carlos has a proposition. David has made some bold televised statements about the Venezualan president; he believes President Guzman is only making conditions worse for the homeless. Carlos says David can do a few small errands that will help lead to a peaceful coups; in return Hope Village will receive a substantial donation.

Although David is a little unsure about what he's been asked to do, he reasons that the money is worth the risks and doesn't bother to tell his wife his intentions. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and suddenly an innocent missionary is in over his head. Will he be able to save his family and escape from a dangerous dictator?

***It's safe, now***

There's more to the plot but I don't want to spoil it, so I'll just stop right there and say that David ends up in a heap of trouble and a good portion of the book is run-chase-hide as David tries to get his family out of the country.

3/5 - I'd call this book average. I liked it, but I thought the identities of various people who were involved in the coups, the Venezualan government officials at various levels and the drug cartel were confusing. Carlos, in particular, appears to be a good guy with a secret then a bad guy then maybe a good guy. To be honest, I never quite figured out quite a few of the characters and their motivations. Also, David is like the proverbial stupid heroine (except for the fact that he's a guy). He just keeps making one ridiculous decision after another till you want to hit him upside the head.

In fact, I think probably the main problem with The Missionary is that David is so clueless that he keeps getting himself into more and more trouble. There's never a point that you feel like he's the hero, resourceful and strong, a man who can save himself and his family. I wanted him to wise up, feel his courage bolstered after he prayed and make intelligent decisions. I kept hoping he'd be proactive rather than reactive.

There were things I enjoyed about this book. There's plenty of action. In general, I tend to like books in which people are on the run from something or someone very bad. I love a fast-paced novel. There is a Christian aspect to the book, but it's incredibly watered down and there's a good bit of violence. Read this if you like a fairly suspenseful book about someone on the run and don't mind violence.