The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (ISBN: 978-0-553-49668-0)
Okay, so I just reviewed Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon earlier this month, but I wanted to read her other book right away since I loved the first so much! Another beautiful cover, another story told in vignettes, I was just delighted to pick it up. I really did like this book too. As much as Everything, Everything? No... but it was still a really solid read. Natasha is a Jamaican American who was born on the island. Daniel is a Korean American who was born in the States. But both are dealing with the issue of straddling two worlds - parents at home who want their children to have respect for their culture, versus their own teenage inner desire to just fit in. They meet by chance on Natasha's worst day ever - she and her family are about to be deported because of her father's poor choices. Daniel, however, is having the kind of day where it seems like the universe is causing everything to come up roses. The initial spark of an interesting conversation, a bold proposal, a shared lunch, the confiding of secrets... all things culminate in a day that totally changes both of them forever. Can poetic Daniel persuade scientific Natasha to fall in love with him before she leaves the country forever? I won't give away the most important plot points or surprises - or even ruin the ending. But you know that feeling when you're getting closer and closer to the end of a book and you're worried that things are just not going to be resolved in the way you want them to? Then sometimes they just aren't. And you're a little bummed... almost like you spent all of those hours reading for nothing and you can't shake the unfinished feeling. That's how I felt with this book... until literally the last six words. Then all was right in the world. The. Last. Six. Words. It's a story you might like - especially if you love New York City, love stories that involve multicultural characters and references, or like a little bit of loaded-topic-exploring in your fictional reading material (aka: extramarital affairs, racism, immigration, birth order stereotypes, poverty, loss and grieving, drunk driving, etc.). Want to hear from the artist who created the beautiful cover for this book? Check it out!
And here's the author herself talking about this second book, the art, the format, the characters, and some of her difficulties in writing a book that takes place entirely within the span of 12 hours (with a tiny cheat at the end).
What shirts do you think Natasha and Daniel would wear? Why... these two, of course!
OR you could sport some band gear and wear this Temple of the Dog tee since it's while listening to "Hunger Strike" that Natasha first catches Daniel's eye. You know, it's whatever floats your boat.
As I was doing my end-of-the-year library inventory and scanning every book on the shelves, I came across this one and just figured I'd take it home to read over the summer. The cover was appealing, the back blurb sounded interesting, so I put it in my pile. I'm so glad I did! It's another dystopia book, but sometimes these books involve regimes utilizing extreme technologies, or even repressed groups developing some kind of fantastic-supernatural abilities. This one instead discussed what might happen to a gene pool of the wealthy without enough genetic diversity. Yay for something different! Gaia Stone is a midwife, and the daughter of a midwife, living in the poor area of Western Sector 3 - outside of the Enclave and next to Unlake Superior. Only the wealthy and powerful can live in the Enclave, and residents of the outer sectors have difficult lives and further must submit to the baby quota. Every month, each midwife must give the first three babies she delivers to the nursery inside of the Enclave. These babies are raised inside of the walls, adopted by wealthy families. This is supposedly to show how the Protectorate cares for those outside of the walls too. However, the reason for the baby quota is really that the families inside of the walls are becoming inbred with side effects like hemophilia and other defects. Those mating with their close family members are convicted of genetic crime, and not everyone inside of the walls feels that the Protectorate is doing enough. Gaia's mother and father are arrested and this becomes the catalyst for Gaia to find out what is really happening within and outside of the walls. Aided by Leon, the adopted son of the Protectorate himself, she seeks to figure out the code her mother used to mark babies to save both her family and perhaps her entire sector. Anyone who enjoyed "The Giver" by Lois Lowry might also really like this book too. They both include many of the same themes and plot points. Furthermore, this book touches on the topics of adoption, genetic disorders, and the problems with dictatorship, torture, and surveillance. Overall, a solid book that's actually a part of a trilogy, the rest of which I can't wait to read! Want someone else's review? Check it out!
After reading this book, you'll totally understand why this is the only shirt that you could wear to represent your love of this story. #Birthmarked
I know that I am late to the game with this one, seeing as how it was published in 2015 and has been heavily marketed by Scholastic during their book fairs, and other places too, I'm sure. But I'm glad I finally picked it up off my nightstand and gave it a go. My favorite genre is totally dystopia, and this falls right into the mix with some of my other favorites. To start, Mare Barrow is growing up in a world in which common red blooded people are disenfranchised and poor because of their lack of special abilities. Silver blooded elite who have evolved to have these special abilities are really the ruling class, and they hold all of the power over the reds. Mare is about to be conscripted into the army when she meets a random stranger in a pub. This stranger gets her a job at the palace, and on her first day of work, she realizes that she'll be serving during the Queenstrial. This is the event which happens when the eldest prince is ready to choose a wife. Mare realizes two things: the stranger she saw in the pub was really prince Cal, who will be selecting a wife, and she is in grave danger. In a chance turn of events, Mare finds herself falling into the arena where the daughters of the most powerful houses are competing for the prince and as her life is in grave danger, she is able to summon electricity from her hands. She is a never-seen-before red... with silver powers. You can perhaps imagine where the story goes from there. Will Mare be able to change the world in which she's grown up? Will the silvers realize they should view their red brothers and sisters with a bit more respect? Will there be a love triangle? You'll have to read this book to find out! PS - did anyone else read "The Pledge," by Kimberly Derting? If you did and liked it, you'll totally like "Red Queen" since they're essentially the same book. OR, if you read "Red Queen" and like it... try the rest of the series (duh), and then try "The Pledge." Okay, you get the idea. Here's a clip of the author talking about her book and it's chances of being turned into a movie!
And here is a quick teaser for the book that says the same things as me... only differently. :)
Want to see other books on my Dystopia shelf? Check them out on Goodreads.com!
Want to know what t-shirt I would wear if I was going to wear one to show my fandom of this book? Well here it is! Mare is thrust into a world of power, but has her own powers to conquer and hone at the same time. This conquer the storm shirt seems like a perfect fit!
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (ISBN: 978-0-553-49664-2)
I have tried starting this paragraph four times, and I don't even know where to begin. The cover! The clever format! The emotional moments of this book which caused me to use up 7 tissues between 10:30 and 12:15pm! The twist! Basically I loved Everything, Everything and everything about it. I was told about this book by a number of people, and it's been creating buzz in both entertainment and literary circles. I finally got around to reading it and have had the story re-running through my head ever since. I'm not going to lie - I do like a smidge of romance in my books - but I am not a romance-a-holic. It's not my favorite genre, and there needs to be something else holding me to the story. Like in The Fault in Our Stars by the wonderful John Green. Is there romance? Yes. But is there a depth to the story and characters that also holds you there? Yes. So it is with Everything, Everything. It made me laugh, and cry, and feel all the feels, and surprised me as well. Madeline cannot leave her house because of a rare disease in which she's essentially allergic to the entire world. She lives in a home that boasts a hospital grade HVAC system that completely clears the air of all toxins, and people cannot enter the front door without going through a special airlock. Madeline's mother, who is actually a doctor, as well as an in-home nurse are her only companions. But all of that is disrupted when a new family moves in next door, and she lays her eyes on the mysterious teen aged son Olly. They begin communicating using a bundt cake (yes, don't ask) and window sign-language. Eventually, she's able to text and e-mail with Olly, and her longing for friendship and the outside world grow. I can't say more... because that would start to ruin important parts of the plot... and I would never, ever, ever do that. Librarian's honor. One of the more delightful features about this book is the fact that it's interspersed with all kinds of fun formats: diary entries, text chains, emails, microscopic book reviews, imaginative sketches (drawn by the author's husband!), and more. Madeline loves architecture and at one point designs a restaurant where an astronaut might dine. I could go on, but you should really read this book to see for yourself what all of the buzz is about. Speaking of buzz, there is also a movie. I haven't seen it yet, but here's the trailer from YouTube. BUT WAIT - stupid movies... stupid trailers... they include spoilers! If you don't want to spoil the book, stop watching at 1:37. That is all.
Here's another little tid-bit of my own - my own teaser video featuring me and my cat. There are no spoilers. But there is a cat.
Need a tee or two for this book? Try these! First, you might want to take Madeline's advice and...
Or perhaps you want to take Olly's advice and do more...
The Midnight Star by Marie Lu (ISBN: 978-0-399-16785-0)
This book is the third and final book in the Young Elites series, and provides readers with not only the ending to Adelina Amouteru's plot line, but also the fate of the entire world of Kenettra, and the Skylands and Sealands. The Young Elites (from both the Daggers and Roses) have shifted in their alliances and as Adelina is now the conquering queen of many lands, she has made many enemies along the way. Her friendships have mostly dissolved, and even her own sister is in hiding. Yet, the marked ones who survived the blood plague start to realize that their special abilities are actually creating rifts in the universe between the land of the mortal, and the worlds of the gods. Adelina's powers are actually poisoning her mind, and she is not alone. The marked must work together to try and save the world as they know it. This book is super dark! There are whole chapters in which Adelina's mind is a swirling soup of chaos and despair; voices whisper evil to her mind as she continues her rampages of pain and torture on the people she has enslaved. It's an amazing world that Marie Lu has created, but not an easy protagonist to live with. There are hints of romance thrown in, as well as some action and survival. But this book is solidly in the camp of fantasy, and the ending is sure to satisfy readers who have stuck with the series this long.
Side note, if you like this, you'll totally like Graceling by Kristin Cashore. It's been a long time favorite of mine and a series I've recommended to a bunch of readers! Want more? Check out this video!
Looking for some home-made tees? Sure, you could go all professional and actually buy a t-shirt designed for this series. That would be okay:
But you could also pay homage to Adelina with a white wolf t-shirt instead! That seems like a better fit to me.
