Book Review: She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

This was a great find for me because probably about ten years ago I became obsessed with coincidence after reading a bunch of books about coincidence by coincidence.

Those books were:

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done by Sandra Newman
The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

So this was a A LOT of fun for me for that reason, but I also loved the puzzles, the quirky details, the history lessons and the sheer absurdity of the plotline.

Laureth (named after a shampoo ingredient) answers her father's fan mail (he's an author!) and get a message from someone who has found one of his writing notebooks in New York. But her father is not supposed to be in New York so Laureth worries something is wrong. She worries so much in fact that she kidnaps her younger brother and takes a flight from England to NYC to search for him. 

Laureth is blind, so she needs her brother to help her find her way. Sedgwick does an amazing job of putting us in Laureth's shoes, imagining what it might be like to be visually impaired. Even though Laureth is reckless, she wins points for her endearing relationship with her brother and her drive to never give up.

In addition to the mini-lectures on coincidence, Sedgwick also explores how first impressions can be deceiving to great effect. 

SHE IS NOT INVISIBLE is available now in the UK and comes out in the US next Tuesday. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: Review copy from the publisher via Netgalley

Book Review + Series Giveaway: Promised by Caragh O'Brien

PROMISED is the last book in the trilogy that started with BIRTHMARKED (read my review) and continued with PRIZED (read my review).  Though PRIZED is still my favorite of the series (how often can you say that about a middle book in a trilogy? Not often.), PROMISED is a worthy conclusion to Midwife Gaia Stone's story.

PROMISED is definitely the most grown-up of the books - many of the challenges Gaia faces (leading her people, raising a baby, deciding if she wants to get married, making reproductive choices that will affect her future) are more adult than YA in nature.  There is a ton of political maneuvering with the villains of the Enclave and some good action as Gaia meets resistance when she tries to integrate the people of Sylum into the Enclave society for the good of all.

At the heart of the book for me was the relationship between Gaia and (Spoiler) and the way they compliment and challenge each other - and that's why PROMISED gets the Zombie Chicken Merit Badge for romance.

Want a chance to win the whole series? I have one set of the trilogy for one lucky winner (2 paperbacks + 1 ARC) curtesy of Macmillan. To enter, fill out this form by August 24, 2012 at 11:59 pm CST. Open internationally.

PROMISED comes out on October 2, 2012. Find out more about the series at the author's website.

See index of all dystopian reviews at Presenting Lenore
FTC disclosure: ARC provided by publisher

Apocalypsies Love! Auracle by Gina Rosati

Apocalypsies Love is all about me telling you what I loved about a 2012 debut book written by one of the amazing Apocalypsies. I also chat with the author to gain insight into their very favorite parts of their creation.

Today I'm featuring AURACLE, a paranormal/contemporary where the main character, Anna, can project herself astrally but gets stranded when a dead girl takes over her body.

I was super excited to read this because I remember reading a few novels featuring astral projection in Jr High and loving them.  The concept of AURACLE gives me shivers - because that is the big fear - that if you leave your body, someone else will snatch it right up and you won't be able to get it back. And Rosati delivers the creepy goods. We see the good parts of astral projection (Anna can go some amazing places - like inside volcanos), but then we quickly see the huge consequence. An accident victim takes over Anna's body and blames Anna's friend Seth for her murder. 

Anna only really has one person on her side: Rei, her best friend who could be something more. Rei knows about Anna's ability and he knows something's not right.  It was sweet seeing the two of them trying find ways to communicate with Anna body-less. And you definitely root for them as they try to get Anna's body back to prevent Seth from going to prison. 

You want to read this, trust me.

And now, let's chat with Gina!

What is your favorite scene in the book?

My favorite scene in Auracle would have to be when Rei and Seth get back from their run (pages 23-26). That's the moment when Anna realizes that the skinny little kid she grew up next door to is no longer skinny, little or a kid ;)

What is your favorite line in the book?

There used to be more of a fantasy element to Auracle, and all the fairies, gnomes and talking trees were cluttering up the paranormal element of astral projection. When my editor suggested I cut the fantasy element out, I had this one line I loved so much, I agonized over how I could keep it. The line is, "And that's not a weeping willow," I inform. "It's a peeping willow."

Ha! Love it! What setting was most fun to write? 

I had to seriously restrain myself not to go overboard with setting description in Auracle. Because Anna can astrally project and has access to the entire universe, I spent weeks researching supernovas, planets, asteroids, and dozens of cool places here on Earth. In the end, much of the description and many of her astral trips were trimmed because it all slowed down the action. The setting that's the most fun to work with is Byers Falls - here in New Hampshire where I live, we have a few waterfalls that inspired the fictitious Byers Falls that you'll read about in Auracle. If you ever get a chance to go sit near a waterfall, do it ... they can evoke a whole range of emotion, from tranquil to romantic to terrifying. And stay away from the edge!

Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?

I love Callie!! We don't see any of Callie's backstory in Auracle, but she's grown up with four older brothers who have taught her to say what she means without apologizing for her opinions. Her family owns an upscale Mediterranean restaurant, and in addition to her brothers and her parents, she lives with two grandmothers who bring a lot of culture (and philosophy) to her life. If anyone can teach Seth to trust women, it's Callie.

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?

It's all been good! I even loved the bloody, slashing parts of editing because it made the story that much stronger. My favorite part will be seeing the hardcover of Auracle available at my local libraries!

Thanks Gina!

PS - You can win my copy of AURACLE + swag + tons of other books (including my book LEVEL 2) and swag by entering this mega Apocalypsies Summer Starter Pack contest.

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AURACLE will be released in hardcover on August 7. Find out more about it at the author's website.


FTC disclosure: The author sent me an ARC for review. 

Book Review and Giveaway: Prized by Caragh O'Brien

NOTE: This is book 2 in the Birthmarked series, so there are light spoilers for book 1. (read my review of BIRTHMARKED)

After escaping the Enclave with her baby sister, Gaia is rescued from the Wasteland and taken to the settlement of Sylum, a matriarchal dystopia where a kiss is considered attempted rape and men outnumber women 10 to 1.  Here, Gaia is confronted with new mysteries – why are hardly any girl babies being born? And why can’t people ever leave Sylum alive?

BIRTHMARKED, with its genetics mystery, introduced a very different type of dystopian society than what we usually see.  And even though I thought the big reveal was ultimately kind of disappointing for all the build-up, BIRTHMARKED was a solid read.

I enjoyed PRIZED even more, especially because I was prepared for the mystery to be less sinister here than where my mind naturally went.  O’Brien shows us what a society might become where the number of males far exceeds the number of females, but where females are firmly in control.  Marriage is sacred, abortion is a crime, and every month there are games to determine which man gets to pick a woman to spend a month with him in a winner’s cabin.

What I especially liked here was the exploration of how living in such a society affected Gaia.  Trained as a midwife, Gaia is able to play an essential role for the women, but she quickly butts heads with the leader when she refuses to snitch on someone for breaking a law.  Also, Gaia is at a loss when confronted with her sudden popularity among men and becomes entangled in a love quadrangle.  Because men and women don’t touch here, the barest brush of a knuckle can send hearts racing, so Gaia has to look beyond chemistry to really figure out who she wants to be with.

There are no simple answers here, no clear villains, no 100% clear choice for Gaia to make – and that’s part of what makes it all so fascinating.

Zombie Chickens say: Compelling, unique and discussable – highly recommended.

Series order:

BIRTHMARKED – available in hardcover

PRIZED – coming November 8, 2011

BOOK 3 – Coming Fall 2012

Find out more about the series at the author’s website.

Song for the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist: Fresh Blood by The Eels. Sample lyric: “In a moment of clarity, summon an act of charity. You gotta pull me out of this mud. Sweet baby, I need fresh blood.”

Prize pack up for grabs! One lucky winner will get the BIRTHMARKED hardcover and the PRIZED ARC. To enter, fill out this form by August 27, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST. Prize & shipping provided by publisher and therefore US and Canada only.

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Book Review: Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

Gaia Stone is a midwife outside the walled Enclave, and she and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three babies per month to its rulers. When Gaia’s mother and father are taken away to be questioned about their written baby records and subsequently thrown in prison, Gaia begins to question her loyalty to her brutal oppressor. Soon, she too is captured and forced to solve her parents’ mysterious baby code.

From the very first chapter, the fascinating world building, foreboding atmosphere and characters hooked me and had me wondering what the heck was going on (in a good way!). BIRTHMARKED is set far in the future, north of “unlake” Superior, and the Enclave seems to be the only settlement in a region dominated by a scorched, post-apocalyptic landscape. Those who live outside the wall depend on the Enclave for their livelihood and in return, the Enclave takes their healthiest children and brings them up inside. Both Gaia’s older brothers were taken, but she was not, due to a burn on her face she suffered before her first birthday.

While I was very entertained by the narrative – really there’s never a dull moment – I have to admit that I found the ultimate explanation of the Enclave’s “sinister” deeds to be rather tame. No doubt the man in charge is ruthless (and tends towards overreaction), but I never got the feeling that his iron fist was all that solid, and I kept wondering why the populace didn’t just kick his butt to the curb already. I also didn’t get what was sooooo special about the baby code that Gaia’s parents felt the need to protect it with their lives, unless as some sort of symbolic gesture of rebellion. Also? Sgt. Grey’s “dark secret” was so lifted from a soap opera I had to chuckle, although I guess it did fit very well with the particular strain of paranoia the culture was rife with.

BIRTHMARKED is due March 30th in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

My Rating - 3 Zombie Chickens: Well Worth Reading

See Index of All Dystopian Reviews on Presenting Lenore