FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher

It’s books like these that allow me to offer a solid example when defending, and recommending young adult fiction to adults.

Considering recent discussions about the increasing darkness of the genre, this story is a welcome diversion and proof of how well it can be done when the author has a solid plot and endearing characters.

It may not satisfy the older portion of the age range who tend to like the popular dark fantasy or steampunk, but for those wanting a good mystery – this is just the book.

What makes this a unique and interesting mystery is the children who strive to solve it. I enjoyed every one of them. Not all of them are likeable at times, but who is? We all have our quirks, our faults and these characters are no different.

Even better is watching the development of their relationships and selves throughout the story. I was pleased to see how well this was done considering there are five children. Bowditch does an amazing job making each authentic and unique.

To balance the “coldness” of the children, who have never been able to “be” children, the author provides a balancing character, Miss Brett, their teacher. She  quickly understands that as brilliant as her students are in understanding science, math, and engineering, they lack that aspect of their personality that makes kids….kids.

She helps them discover this side of themselves by reading them stories such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and insisting they take a recess and play.

Through alternating chapters, we learn about each child. This helps the reader see how much they have changed by the end of the book. The author manages these shifting perspectives in a way that does not lose the reader, even a younger one.

The initial problem the children face is being taken away from their parents and never told why. They have no idea where they are but feel they are in danger.

But while planning their escape to rescue them, they face a greater challenge: how to interact and work together.  Through a common enemy and goal, they learn how and this is the most powerful aspect of the book:  the attempt to solve the mystery of their parents disappearance, and the solving of the mystery of how to make and maintain friendships.

I really liked this book and look forward to future installments to the Young Inventors Guild. This is a perfect summer read for those grades 5 and up. (Not to mention a great summer read for adults too.)

My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
Fantasy, 336 pages
Riverhead Books an imprint of Penguin Group USA
ISBN: 978-1594487583

FTC Disclosure: Library Book

Oh a whim, I downloaded this from the library for my eReader. I’d heard great things about the book, and I wasn’t disappointed. I only wish I’d know it’s the first book in a planned trilogy. It would have made the ending a bit easier to take. And I would’ve waited to read it.

Let me explain. Most series end each book as a cliffhanger. I get that. But the ending to this one had me looking it up on the Internet to see if maybe the digital edition I got was somehow missing pages.

Talk about being dropped into the deep end of the pool and told to tread until the lifeguard comes back. Thing is, you have no idea when your rescuer is ever going to show up.

I’m still debating whether or not the way the book ended is something I’m comfortable with. Can an ending be too open-ended? However, it does succeed in ensuring anyone hooked by this story will be pre-ordering the next on in the trilogy.

The story’s premise is an interesting one, but not new. The author does an excellent job of making it unique and creating characters that are endearing. They are not drawn as deep as they could be, but since this is the first book of three, there is ample time to give them more depth. Especially in Daniel’s brother who is the antagonist. Since book one was establishing the love story, I’m hoping the second gives us more meat to the conflict our love birds are facing.

One thing that I needed to get used to, and may not be an issue with others, is that when Daniel is recounting his past lives, he does it in the first person. He is the one with “the memory”, so it has to be from his point of view.

This changes when brought back to the present day. The narration is handled through the third person as this allows the author to show what Daniel is going through as well as Lucy/Sophia. Understandable, and done smoothly.

This is a book I recommend but with an advisory. If you are someone like me, and not fond of being left desperate to continue the story but can’t because the trilogy has not been completed, then I would wait.

Wuthering Heights

 FTC Disclosure: Mine, all mine. Pfffft.

 This isn’t going to be in the usual format as I basically have been reviewing this book in weekly increments.

I liked the book. But I’m happy to move on.

Gothic romances of this time period can be a challenge to read, and this one is no exception to the rule.

However, I remain impressed by Brontë’s skill with characterization, even if the characters she created I never grew to like. I have to give her credit for creating such strong negative feelings, that I actually tried to delve into the characters psyche and motivations to try and understand why they were the way they were, and if any could be redeemed.

If they weren’t developed so well, I just wouldn’t have given a crap and quite likely quit the book. Only a powerful plot would keep me going, and as good as this one is, it just isn’t good enough. So it was her characters and all their foibles that kept me reading.

The main gripe I have is the ending. Not so much what it is, but how it is reached and handled. Unsure if this is because of the genre, how novels worked at the time, just me, but it seemed hurried and incongruous with the rest of the novel.

Recommending this book is difficult. I would definitely do so to those looking to read a gothic romance or who like a character driven novel. Bear in mind also, this book was published in 1847, and its language clearly reflects this.