The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

4.5 stars
I appreciated this book so much more than recent forays into grown-up suspense (think Gone Girl). There were plenty of adult themes, but they weren't peppered with obscenities. In other novels, I feel that using the f-bomb every other word is extremely distracting, and while this book did use language, it did so in a seemingly natural way rather than a jarring one. Aside from that, this book was extremely well done. It had me on the edge of my seat biting my nails and flipping the pages as fast as I could on my Kindle.

The omniscient narrator worked well since we get a chance to see the bad guy up close and personal. I think Carla Norton had a good handle on what it must be like inside a twisted and sadistic person's mind. But she also nailed the mind of the victim or rather survivor. I think Reeve would prefer to be called a survivor.

I liked Reeve a lot. There were some things that were started like her ritual in getting to the doctor's office that seemed to magically disappear when she began talking to Tilly. I would have liked to see her deal with her issues while reaching out to the family. She was tough without being bitter, and that is a hard balance to write a character who has been affected but not warped by her mistreatment.

This book deals with serious and disturbing issues so if things like sexual abuse of children bother you, you might want to skip this one. But everything was handled well and really shines a light on missing girls and their experiences. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for her next book.

Sia by Josh Grayson

This was an inspiring read that tells the reader that you can make a difference in the world. It only takes a spark kinda thing. It also tackled bullying and being kind to one another. The mean side of things that happen in every high school, but are seldom talked about. My only quibble with the book was that everything was too neat. Problems are resolved with either a conversation or within a day's time. I do think this is a great book for opening the conversation about how students treat one another. Sia has a great voice and a very determined attitude about how people should be treated. Carole was a great touch and was disappointed not to read more about her.

I also loved how the book portrayed kids making a difference to their community. Kyle is a very admirable young man and has his priorities in the right place. I am a sucker for epilogues and am so glad the author included one.

You Are Mine by Janeal Falor - Best Book of the Year!

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Sometimes that is a tricky situation - if the book is bad, how do you review it without hurting the author's feelings, but if the book is good, then people think that you are just saying that because you got the book for free. I try very hard to be honest in all my reviews, but this one is especially honest.

This is the absolute best book I have read this year! Everything that makes a great book was stuffed in this book and then some. The world building was phenomenal and believable. The characters were expertly drawn and full of life.

Currently I am taking a gender and children's lit class so this book's theme was an added bonus. It highlights the oppression that women used to live under and makes you think about gender equality in today's world. Serena is a perfect character to explore this through. She has just the right amount of rebellion to be believable and the perfect amount of fear for you to realize that things were bad for her. I also appreciated the pressure that Serena faces from the females in her life to conform. So many times we, in our modern thinking, assume that every woman was discontent with how things were. Serena's mom is one the biggest proponents to obey and toe the line.

The writing draws you in from page one to the last one. Janeal Falor has a gift with words as well as character development. I wish I could convey with my meager words how well done this book was. I think nearly every fantasy lover will find something to love about this book. I am going to recommend it to some of the daughter's friends. I am also going to purchase a copy of this book. I seldom buy books that I have a Kindle copy of. I reserve that for only the best of the best which this book definitely is.

Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dockey

This novel keeps true to the traditional tale while incorporating a full back story replete with characters who are important throughout the story. The twist on the tale in the enchanted forest is original albeit confusing. It was never explained why Aurore didn’t need to sleep for one hundred years. This would be a great discussion starter on what constitutes a good ruler as Aurore and her father do things differently than previous rulers by their interest in the common folk. The writing was engaging, but the plot was a little confusing.  You have basically a time travel book, but no explanation as to how or why the time travel existed.  I am not gifted in physics, but I would have liked at least a little explanation. 
There was nothing objectionable in this novel - no language or sex - so it would be a nice, clean read for younger children who are advanced readers.

Sorry it's been awhile...

Life has gotten in the way of my writing good, solid reviews.  I am back in the swing of things, but you should be warned that I am working on a project for a children's lit class I am taking.  So you will probably see a lot of books that are based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.  I am excited to be reading so many variations of the tale and to share my thoughts with you about them.
Jo

Watching the Roses by Adele Geras

Caution: This book contains a rape scene as well as discussing the aftermath.  It is handled in a sensitive way without explicit details.

A metaphorical Sleeping Beauty tale which has a young lady raped on her eighteenth birthday due to a curse from one of her numerous aunts.  Unable to overcome the shock, she lies in her bed day after day almost in a comatose state.  The house she lives in is surrounded by roses which her father allows to become overrun since the rape of his daughter.  A young man she has been corresponding with, overcomes the rose mess and wins her back to reality.  This is a heavy book even though it is very short.  It deals with mature matters as the protagonist, Alice, asks herself whether she is the cause of the rape.  Elements of the old fairy tale are present, but the book is brilliantly told in first person as journal entries from the “sleeping” girl.   

Stained by Cheryl Rainfield

WARNING: This book contained mature scenes and language.  There is a disturbing rape scene and a lot of disturbing violence.

 

This took awhile to get going, but once it did I could not put it down. There were some chapters that could have been eliminated in the middle or condensed, but overall it was a fantastic book. This book had so many angles to it. I can really see it being used in a book club for older teens or for victims of abuse. There is a lot of mature content that is disturbing - needed for the story, but disturbing. But this books tackles abuse, psychological trauma, and bullying in a real and honest way. Sarah's reactions and feelings were fully fleshed out and struck a cord. It was no surprise to see that the author had experienced a similar situation because the emotions conveyed seemed so genuine.

I found the writing to be solid, the plot made me sit on the edge of my seat. You know when you have a good book, and you can't turn the pages fast enough to see how it is all gonna end? Yeah, this was that book.

One of favorite parts was the portrayal of Charlene turning on Sarah just to fit in. Sometimes we all get caught up in trying to be cool (I know I did in high school) that we forget who are the real people in our lives versus the fake ones. I think that is an important lesson to learn, and not just for teens, but for adults too.

But Nick was, by far, the best part of this book. His unflagging devotion to Sarah and her family was heart wrenching. I hope he gets his happy ending because he certainly earned it.

All in all, a very good book - extremely well written, exciting and great characters. I will be looking for more books by this author. 

 

This book will be released October 1, 2013.