My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros

Pages: 195
Intended Audience: Tweens and up
Genre: Real life
Notes for Parents: There is nothing that should be objectionable to parents.

The Back Cover

If life was like a song, Nina Simmons’ song would be “You Can’t Always Eat What You Want.” (Peanut allergies, ugh). But that’s okay, because as her best friend Brianna always said, “We’re All in This Together.”
Until the first day of seventh grade, when Brianna dumps her to be BFFs with the popular new girl. Left all alone, Nina is forced to socialize with “her own kind” – banished to the peanut-free table with the other allergy outcasts. As a joke, she tells her new pals they should form their own rock band called the EpiPens. (Get it?) Apparently, allergy sufferers don’t understand sarcasm, because the next thing Nina knows, she’s the lead drummer.
Now Nina has to decide: adopt a picture-perfect pop personality to fit in with Bri and her new FBB or embrace her inner rocker and the spotlight. Well…call me a rock star, maybe.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The cover description is a bit misleading. After her best friend dumps her, Nina makes friends with the people at the allergy table and they form a band to participate in the school’s talent show. This is the story of how Nina deals with the difficulty of losing a long-time friend, and how the experience changes her.

What’s good?

This is a quick and easy read with good characters, and a simple plot that tackles issues that should be relevant to most tweens. Nina is a sympathetic and relatable character. She’s insecure, makes assumptions, and minimizes her abilities like so many of us do. Nina’s mom dotes and worries about her daughter because Nina has serious food allergies; she even makes a living out of creating cookbooks for families with similar issues. The grief that surrounds the loss of a friendship is portrayed with sincerity, as is the awkwardness of making new friends, and the anxiety of a budding romance. The hard work involved in forming a band and making a song sound good is also well documented.
Best Part: Nina and her mom’s relationship.

What isn’t good?

There wasn’t a whole lot of rock going on. Nina and her new friends forming a band is only a small sub-plot and might disappoint anyone looking for a music focus. Being a “quick and easy read” also means there’s not a whole lot of depth to the characters, or to the straight forward plot that offers no surprises.
Worst part: Nothing stood out as being particularly bad.

Recommendation þþþoo

This was a sweet story. There’s not a lot of depth, but characterization is strong, the issues are important, and the story is entertaining. Recommended.

Pyros, Andrea. My Year of Epic Rock. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2014.

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason

Pages: 350
Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens
Genre: Steampunk / Murder Mystery
Notes for Parents: There are some scenes with violence

The Inside Cover

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak. And when two young society girls disappear--one dead, one missing--there's no one more qualified to investigate. Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve a murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The pressure on and the stakes are high--if Stoker and Holmes don't figure out why London's finest sixteen-year-old women are in danger, they'll become the next victims.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series.

What’s good?

The intricate world of an alternate London, 1889, where electricity is banned (too dangerous), and everything is powered by steam, is the backdrop for this entertaining supernatural murder mystery. Visually sophisticated and with challenging vocabulary, this even-paced adventure includes a secret society of upper class ladies, cryptic Egyptian artifacts, and a couple of mysterious young men. There’s an enjoyable dynamic between the two main characters. Mina is scholarly and practical, but socially awkward, while Evaline is strong and socially graceful, but rarely has a plan. They each prefer to work alone, but must learn to work together as each of their strengths are necessary to solve the mystery.
Best Part: All the nifty gadgets.

What isn’t good?

Occasionally scenes gets a bit wordy, especially Mina’s because she tends to ramble on about things. The complicated gadgets aren’t always explained, but are cool nonetheless. I grew tired of hearing about the size and shape of Mina’s nose, and the overuse of the phrase, “blooming fish.” The end was not wholly satisfying, though I imagine it’s meant to lead into the next book. I suppose the story of the Ankh will continue into the next book.
Worst part: I’m confused: On page 242, Mina guesses the poison is cyanide (based on the almond smell), and Grayling says, "Yes, I suspect it was arsenic." Arsenic and cyanide are two different things. Did I misread that?

Recommendation þþþþo

Although the pace wasn’t quick, and the characters didn’t have a whole lot of depth, the story was nevertheless highly entertaining. The steampunk world was intriguing and the mystery of the dead society girls was compelling. There were some fun characters, including Mina, Evaline, Inspector Grayling, and Dylan the time traveler who I want to know more about. I look forward to the next book (though I hope it’s a new mystery and not just a continuation of this one). Definitely recommended.

Gleason, Colleen. The Clockwork Scarab. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2013.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Pages: 323
Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens
Genre: Supernatural
Notes for Parents: There are a few violent and graphic scenes.

The Inside Cover

On her 12^th birthday, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. Three bumpy years later, after a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, she’s exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Then when a mysterious predator begins attacking students, and Sophie’s only friend is the number-one suspect, a horrifying plot begins to surface. Soon, Sophie is preparing for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a trilogy.

What’s good?
A wonderfully witty and wholly likeable main character is the star of a very entertaining story about a witch who gets sent to reform school. Sophie is a hilarious, well-meaning but undisciplined magic prodigy. Her roommate, Jenna, is a pink-obsessed vampire whose lesbian status is just a fact, not a theme – I loved that! While the other characters – the mean girls, the hottie, the handsome groundskeeper – start off as stereotypes, they develop throughout the story into distinct and strong characters. The plot is well-paced and organized with murder and attacks, the mystery of Sophie’s dad, the family secret, the ghost, the coven, the threat of witch hunters and demons, and even a little romance.
Best Part: Sophie is delightful! I especially like when she tries to stop a charging werewolf by saying, “Bad dog!”

What isn’t good?

While the simplicity of the plot makes it very easy to read, the unfortunate side effect is that it can be predictable. There were definitely some things I didn’t see coming, but overall, I wasn’t surprised to be right about the motivation of several of the characters.
Worst part: I hate the use of the word “fugly.”
 
Recommendation þþþþo
This book was fun. The author doesn’t overdue any of the elements (the mystery, the supernatural, the romance) and keeps everything on an even keel. Characterization is very well done, the plot is simple but has plenty of twists and turns, and despite some dark parts, the overall feel of the book remains light and entertaining. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. Definitely recommended!

Hawkins, Rachel. Hex Hall. New York: Hyperion, 2011.

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Pages: 333
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Mythology / Thriller
Notes for Parents: Fairly graphic scenes of gore and violence, coarse language, some under-aged drinking.

The Back Cover

Old gods never die, or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.
Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.
These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.
Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with others of the ancient Olympians who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these antigods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.
Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.
The Goddess War is about to begin.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The cover description is unnecessarily long! This is the first book in the Goddess War series.

What’s good?

The gods are dying…and it’s kind of interesting to watch. The story is twisted and, at times, dark, but still manages to maintain a fairly light, contemporary feel through most of it. The tension builds slowly until desperation is the name of the game. A critical battle at the end sets the stage for the bigger war. The characters are good, especially Athena, a once invincible warrior goddess, who refuses to go quietly, and the weakening Hermes who is wasting away but never loses his sense of humour. The premise, while not entirely original, is nonetheless engaging.
Best Part: The battle at the end!

What isn’t good?

Despite several strong female characters, there’s an air of misogyny that’s a little hard to ignore. A slow pace and some awkward, unnecessarily crass dialogue bog down the story at times. The different genres represented in the story – horror, adventure, romance, mythology – don’t always meld smoothly. The excellent tone set at the beginning waned quickly and didn’t pick up again until the end.
Worst part: Some of the dialogue between the gods was…stupid.

Recommendation þþþoo

For fans of Greek mythology, this is a pretty good bet. For everyone else, going into the story with a little knowledge of the Trojan War wouldn’t hurt (but isn’t wholly necessary). I enjoyed the book, but I’m not sure the feel of it was really to my liking. I’m sure this will be a big hit for many. Recommended.

Blake, Kendare. Antigoddess. New York: Tor Teen, 2013.

Six Feet Over It by Jennifer Longo

Pages: 334
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Real life
Notes for Parents: Mature themes

The Inside Cover

Leigh sells graves for the family-owned cemetery because her father is too lazy to look farther than the dinner table for employees. Working the literal graveyard shift, she meets two kinds of customers:
Pre-Need: They know what’s up. They bought their graves long ago, before they needed them.
At Need: They are in shock, mourning a loved one’s unexpected death. Leigh avoids sponging their agony by focusing on things like guessing the headstone choice (mostly granite).
Sarcastic and smart, Leigh should be able to stand up to her family—and quit. But her world’s been turned upside down by the sudden loss of her best friend and the appearance of Dario, the slightly-too-old-for-her grave digger. When she’s so surrounded by death, how can Leigh move and get a life.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s first novel.

What’s good?

This is the story of a girl just trying to keep it together. Despite her angst and sadness, Leigh is an engaging and likeable main character. The quirky supporting characters are well-developed with personality traits that range from sympathetic to annoying to neglectful, but always retain authenticity. I liked the mystery of the grave, the interesting graveyard facts, and the eccentric family from Rivendell Nurseries.
Best Part: The tagline: “Home is where the bodies are buried.”

What isn’t good?

For the most part, the story is sad and slow moving. While Elanor is a beacon of hope, she’s pushed out of most of the story. Choppy writing will annoy some readers, but I thought it worked okay. I was disappointed that several things were left unanswered in the end.
Worst part: Elanor’s rant on page 196 is out of character (and I’m not a fan of fighting meanness with meanness).

Recommendation þþþoo

This book won’t appeal to everyone. While there’s a lot of stuff going on, not a lot actually happens. Also, the dark humor can be a bit of an acquired taste. The story is cynical, but smart. Recommended.

Longo, Jennifer. Six Feet Over It. New York: Random House, 2014. (Hardcover)