The Symptoms of My Insanity (Mindy Raf)

***

         Hypochondriac Izzy spends a good part of her day obsessively worrying whether she has some rare disease or another.  It doesn't help that her mom actually does have a rare disease, one that could possibly kill her.  Although Izzy's mom is in remission now, Izzy isn't quite ready to return to the world of normal.  It doesn't help that her best friend is acting like a completely different person, or that she can't tell whether her crush likes her or not.  When things start to get really horrible, Izzy can't categorize the crazy anymore.

         I know that bad things happen to good people.  Still, I almost think too many bad things happened to Izzy, to the point where it started to feel unrealistic.  Her family was always giving her a hard time, her friend didn't seem to care about what she was going through, and she was played by a guy who pretended to be her friend and knew that her mom had cancer.  The only reason that I could let it slide was that this book was also really funny.  Izzy's hilarious commentary prevented the book from being thoroughly depressing.  If you generally don't like sad books, this might be a good one for you, because it's got plenty of humor and ends on a positive note.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: July 10, 2013

The Madman's Daughter (Megan Shepherd)

***

         Juliet Moreau used to be a member of high society London, until rumors of her father's gruesome experiments came to light.  Dr. Moreau disappeared, his wife died, and an orphaned Juliet was left to fend for herself.  Years later, she runs into Montgomery, her father's assistant, and discovers that Dr. Moreau is still alive and working on a remote island.  Despite the dangers, Juliet accompanies Montgomery across the world to be reunited with her father (and to determine whether the rumors were true).  On the island, Juliet realizes that the rumors are not only true, but may have more to do with her own identity than she would like to believe.

         This book has an interesting, macabre concept: a so-called doctor who has developed a method of turning animals into grotesque, human-like creatures.  The protagonist, Juliet, is unexpectedly daring for a Victorian-era teenager.  She's not at all interested in gender limitations, and pursues science with great interest.  The threat of danger doesn't stop her from doing what she wants.  However, the book fell a little flat of its full potential.  Although the idea was interesting, the actual plot line was pretty darn predictable.  I already knew what the twistiest twist was going to be relatively early in the story.  Shepherd's foreshadowing was a little too obvious.  Another thing that bugged me was the love triangle between Juliet, Montgomery, and Edward, a castaway they picked up on their way to the island.  Sometimes a love triangle is good, sometimes it just makes the protagonist seem confused and a tiny bit shallow.  It was definitely the latter in this case.  That being said, people who are looking for a mix of romance, science, and psychopaths might want to pick up this book.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: July 8, 2013

Nantucket Blue (Leila Howland)

***

         This summer was supposed to be Cricket Thompson's best summer ever: the summer she would go to Nantucket with her best friend Jules Clayton and finally get the guy she's been crushing on all year.  When an unexpected tragedy occurs, though, Cricket is suddenly no longer welcome anywhere near the Claytons.  Instead of canceling her plans, she gets a job cleaning a Nantucket B&B.  There, she makes new friends, lands an internship, and falls for someone she never would have expected.  If she can figure out what she wants, this could be Cricket's best summer, after all.

         Summer is substance-optional, at least when it comes to books.  So I picked up this one thinking that there wouldn't be much to it.  I mean, girl falls in love with off-limits boy at beach?  Gee, I haven't heard that one before.  But there was a little more to the story.  At the start of the book, Cricket seems like a privileged and slightly spoiled "popular girl".  Over the course of the summer, she deals with family issues and a friend crisis.  She meets new friends and realizes that her old identity wasn't really her identity at all.  Nantucket Blue exceeded my expectations in that respect.  Maybe it seems completely shallow, but if you're looking for a light read with a bit more to it, Nantucket Blue is a good pick.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: June 29, 2013

Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell)

****

         Eleanor is not normal, something Park notices the second she climbs onto the school bus with her crazy hair, eccentric clothes, and less-than-perfect body.  But when his classmates refuse to give her a seat, Park does the unthinkable and tells her to sit next to him.  And, to his horror, she does.
         As the weeks go by, Park's interest in Eleanor grows.  She reads the comics that he brings on the bus.  He brings her a stack to take home every night.  She comes to his house and is fascinated by his music.  He starts to make mix tapes just for her.  She eats dinner with his family every night to avoid her own.  Soon, Eleanor and Park want to spend all of their time together.  They want to make this work.  Maybe, though, first love isn't meant to work, especially when the cards are stacked against them.  Maybe they will have to choose between what they want, and what they need to do.

         This was a really really good book.  Yeah, I know that's kind of a lame way to say what I'm trying to say . . . but it's also true.  Eleanor & Park is sad, happy, depressing, exciting, upsetting, and uplifting.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster.  There was some pretty heavy emphasis on first love, etc, but the book also dealt with bullying and various family problems.  It was balanced, at least as far as YA romance goes.  As usual, it's been a while since I've read this book, so I can't remember most of the specific pros and cons.  The fact that I only remember positive things is probably a good sign!  My main criticism of this book is that it makes a lot of references to 80s culture (I mean, a lot) which made me feel very un-hipster.  Which I guess is accurate.  Anyway, if you want a great YA romance, Eleanor & Park was practically made for you - go read it!

Rating: 4/5
Completed: June 27, 2013

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)

*****

         After fifteen years of peace in the Wizarding World, the war against Voldemort is back on.  The Ministry is doing its best to protect everyone, but it can only do so much against a powerful, terrifying enemy who works in stealth.  Harry Potter is coming to terms with the prophecy he heard last summer, a prophecy that brings him to the center of this war.  Now that Harry knows what he should have known years before, Dumbledore has offered to help him.  Dumbledore, the only person Voldemort ever feared, knows more about Tom Riddle's life than anyone else.  He promises to take Harry on his journey through the past, looking for the key to defeat Voldemort.
         At Hogwarts, meanwhile, strange things are happening.  Students are being poisoned, cursed, and attacked.  Nobody knows how, but Harry has a theory.  He suspects that Draco Malfoy has been made a Death Eater (something that nobody else believes) and he's determined to catch Draco in the act.  Throughout the year, Harry takes advice from the notes of a former Hogwarts student, the self-proclaimed Half-Blood Prince, who might be more trouble than he's worth.  Harry and Dumbledore dig deeper into Riddle's murky past, until they finally hit the moment when all of the pieces come together.
It is then that Harry finally understands the magnitude of what must be done to stop Voldemort once and for all.

         I think by now we've established that I am a Harry Potter fan, but I've got to say that book six is not my favorite.  True, there are some seriously exciting parts: Quidditch and romance and poison and adventures with Dumbledore.  Maybe it comes down to the fact that, goody two-shoes that I am, I hate having to sit around while characters make stupid decisions in books.  Most characters do - trust me, I know.  But here we have Harry, and he's taking advice from a book again.  I mean, what happened the last time you listened to a book, Harry?  TOM RIDDLE POPPED OUT!  Throughout book six, I get this horrible sense of impending doom, even when I know exactly what is going to happen.  That being said, this book also contains some of my favorite parts of the series (Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Harry's and Ron's relationships, and Harry's final trip with Dumbledore, to name a few).  And those things must outweigh the bad, because I still find it in me to give The Half-Blood Prince five stars ...

Rating: 5/5
Completed: June 25, 2013

Two Harry Potter reviews in a row!  And this one was particularly rambling.  Sorry, people - new content coming up soon.

BookWatch: Allegiant (Veronica Roth)

         Most people familiar with the world of YA books are probably also familiar with the dystopian future trend that's been big for the past few years.  One of the most exciting dystopian series, in my opinion, comes from Chicago writer Veronica Roth ...
         That's right - the Divergent trilogy.
         It is now officially freak-out time, because the third and final book in the series, Allegiant, comes out on October 22 (nine days from today).

         I, for one, can't wait to find out what happens to Tris et al, even if I was a bit annoyed with her in Insurgent.  Hopefully I'll have some time to skim through the books and remind myself of the finer plot points.  And, more importantly, fingers crossed that I don't have too much homework the week the book is released!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)

 *****

         Harry Potter has never enjoyed summer with the Dursleys less.  Haunted by the death of Cedric Diggory and anxious for signs of the return of Lord Voldemort, Harry wants to hear news of the Wizarding world.  When he finally does, it is nothing like he had expected.  The Ministry of Magic denies that Voldemort has returned; wizards everywhere think Harry is an attention-seeking liar; and Dumbledore has revived the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society and the only force fighting against Voldemort.  At Order of the Phoenix headquarters, everybody is determined to keep Harry in the dark.  Harry is trying to get through the usual Hogwarts drama on top of everything else: evil teachers, future-altering exams, gossip, rule breaking, and budding romance.  All the while, he knows something much worse is brewing outside the walls of Hogwarts.  And something about the strange dreams Harry has been having makes him wonder how soon it will be before he becomes a part of it.

         Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of my favorite books in the series (and also one of my favorite books ever).  My sister divides Harry Potter into three categories: Baby Harry, Angsty Harry, and Adult Harry.  Order of the Phoenix is most definitely considered Angsty Harry (hint: try to count the number of all-caps explosions Harry has in this book).  I know that some Potter fans think Angsty Harry is really annoying, but I kind of like it.  And after all Harry has been through, and all the pressure he feels, isn't it normal for him to get emotional?
         By the time Harry gets to his fifth year, he has seen how twisted and evil some people can be.  For him, it's more than just a glimpse into the "real world".  I would argue that it's in Harry's fifth year that he figures out what he cares about and believes in.  The realizations he comes to after all the angst prepare him to take on the challenges Dumbledore will throw at him the following year.
         Apart from all the seriousness, though, this book is really exciting.  You can't help but feel giddy as Harry and the D.A. defy Umbridge and learn defensive magic behind her back.  You have to laugh out loud at Fred and George's various attempts to cause mayhem in the school, while the teachers turn a blind eye and even encourage it.  You feel your stomach flip-flop when Harry decides that he has to take matters into his own hands to figure out what's going on.  I would even go so far as to say it's epic.

Rating: 5/5
Completed: June 19, 2013

Starting this summer, my sister and I started reading Harry Potter aloud to our younger sister.  It's been really fun to look back at all of my favorite parts of the story and live vicariously through her experience.  For those of you who have read the series, which is your favorite book?  Favorite character?  Favorite scene?  Post in the comments!