Review: Eleven Hours

Title:  Eleven Hours
Author:  Pamela Erens
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Lore arrives at the hospital alone—no husband, no partner, no friends. Her birth plan is explicit: she wants no fetal monitor, no IV, no epidural. Franckline, a nurse in the maternity ward—herself on the verge of showing—is patient with the young woman. She knows what it’s like to worry that something might go wrong, and she understands the distress when it does. She knows as well as anyone the severe challenge of childbirth, what it does to the mind and the body.

 Eleven Hours is the story of two soon-to-be mothers who, in the midst of a difficult labor, are forced to reckon with their pasts and re-create their futures. Lore must disentangle herself from a love triangle; Franckline must move beyond past traumas to accept the life that’s waiting for her. Pamela Erens moves seamlessly between their begrudging partnership and the memories evoked by so intense an experience: for Lore, of the father of her child and her former best friend; for Franckline, of the family in Haiti from which she’s exiled. At turns urgent and lyrical, Erens’s novel is a visceral portrait of childbirth, and a vivid rendering of the way we approach motherhood—with fear and joy, anguish and awe.

Review:

So, let's skip to the end first: GRAPHIC.  Like the level of those old videos you watched in health class.  Ugh *shudders*.

Things I liked most:

• Frankline's backstory
• The scene in the hallway when Lore sees the painting
• Lore's baby's name: Soleil

Thins I liked least:

• Whole book was one chapter
• Very little dialogue
• Those stupid pages that aren't even, but scalloped
• The graphic birth scene

Overall I would recommend because of the character depth.  I think the point of this book is not to explore birth and children and motherhood, but to explore all of those little moments and decisions that get us to places we never expected to be.  So as a character study it was fantastic.  As a moving work of fiction, not so much.

And honestly? I like the idle thought Lore had about her and Julia (old girlfriend baby daddy cheated on Lore with) being together would be better than her and Asa (the baby daddy).

Review: Written in the Stars

Title:  Written in the Stars
Author:  Aisha Saeed
Rating:  4/5

Summary:

This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?

Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. 

When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.

Review:

I think it's obvious by now that I love cultural based books, especially when they revolve around family.  This one, while not one of my favorites, was rather well written and the family dynamic was fantastic, as well as the center of the plot.

Naila (and I cannot seem to settle on a pronunciation of her name in my head), is a bright young Pakistani-American teenager who has her whole life in front of her, until her parents take it away in the worst way you can imagine.

In the summary it says that Naila's parents found her a husband in Pakistan, that is an incredibly watered-down version of the events of the second half of the book.  Naila is thrown away like a dog who couldn't behave.  

Arranged marriages are not uncommon in this world, but this one is described in a detail that shocks people like me, someone who has never seen it first hand.  Many times they work out, but just as many times they do not, and this is a devastating example of when family pushes too far.

Review: If I Was Your Girl

Title:  If I Was Your Girl
Author:  Meredith Russo
Rating:  5/5

Summary:

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like any other girl, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret. There’s a reason why she transferred schools for her senior year, and why she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.

And then she meets Grant Everett. Grant is unlike anyone she’s ever met—open, honest, kind—and Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself…including her past. But she’s terrified that once she tells Grant the truth, he won't be able to see past it.

Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that she used to be Andrew.

Review:

I waited two weeks for this to come to me from my library after I saw the day it was released.  I read it in two days I think.  No, it wasn't the most in depth work of transgender young adult fiction I've ever read, but there was a depth that made it enjoyable.

Amanda is your average girl, described physically as someone many of us females wanted to be when we were growing up.  Her secret, is that she wasn't born in the body she craved and she went to drastic measures when she couldn't take being Andrew anymore.

Out of all the characters in this book, aside from Amanda, my favorites are the three girls that embrace her immediately in her new school and prove to be true friends even if they don't completely understand.

I give huge kudos to the author who admitted to being a transgender woman herself and undertaking a writing project like this.  It was an amazing read and I highly recommend.

Also, the woman on the cover is transgender and I think she is beautiful.

Review: The Girl Who Fell

Title: The Girl Who Fell
Author: S. M. Parker
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

His obsession. Her fall.

Zephyr Doyle is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and attending her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and…

Terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.


If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

Review:

A book about relationship abuse and control.  I had my reservations at first, but after the first two chapters they were completely gone.  I saw a lot of reviews on Goodreads saying people didn't like it because it wasn't realistic; I imagine they meant because Zephyr is a smart young girl and just because her father left doesn't mean she should have fell into the trap that Alec set.  However, take it from a smart girl who almost fell, it can happen.

This is a subject that girls, and guys, need to be a lot more aware about.  A significant other is not the end all-be all.  Never give up your dreams.

I recommend to all! (Over the age of 16).

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough or In a While

Meme by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In a While

1. Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson - I literally never talk about this book, and a lot of people don't know it exists.  However, this was the book that made me actually enjoy reading it!  One Mother's Day some 13 or so years ago (I was in seventh grade) I read this entire book in a day and I haven't been able to stop reading ever since.

2. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - This book is heartbreaking, actually far beyond heartbreaking.  This poor child and everything he went though, and is still going through as an adult survivor of horrific abuse is just amazing.  I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with a weak stomach or under the age of thirteen.

3. I'll Be Seeing You by Lurlene McDaniel - This book is probably my favorite by this author, and I've read the majority of her books (she's written about 80 I think).  These books are always equally romantic, sweet, and heartbreaking in turn.

4. The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks - I love Nicholas Sparks books, he's one of my favorite authors.  This is my favorite book by him and I hope it never gets made into a movie!  Especially because they would never be able to do the son justice and he is a crux of the book.

5. Burning Bones by Christopher Golden - The best book of the best mystery series I've ever read.  Unfortunately these books are extremely rare, so I've only read three of the series.  One day I hope to read them all!

6. Godchild Vol. 1 by Kaori Yuki - My favorite manga series!  It's a murder mystery series.  My favorite mini-mystery in these books is the Alice in Wonderland murders.

7. Bent by Sean Michael - Guilty pleasure, end of story.  This is book one of many.

8. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall - I'm not sure I can ever properly explain why I love this book.  There's not even a summary on the back of the book when I bought it.  You just need to dive right in.

9. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix - Best horror book I've every read!  And yes, I'm counting this above Stephen King books.  It's just so unique.

10. Santa's Angels by Janet Kaderli - I know none of us wants to think about winter and snow since it's finally spring, but this is my favorite Christmas book.  It's just the right amount of sweet.

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Hosted by Breaking The Spine

This week I'm waiting on:

Title:  One with You

Author:  Sylvia Day

Series:  Crossfire #5

Expected Publish Date:  April 5, 2016

Summary:

Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I've ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.

Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.

We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws ... and all the beauty I couldn't see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.

But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free ... or break us apart.

Heartbreakingly and seductively poignant, One with You is the breathlessly awaited finale to the Crossfire® saga, the searing love story that has captivated millions of readers worldwide.


What book are you anxiously waiting for to be released?

Blind Date With A Book

Blind Date!

I've seen the concept of a blind date with a book across the internet for a while now, but until now none of the libraries in my local system did it, until now!

A blind date with a book is when the library wraps up books and gives you either a brief description or a picture of some sort on the front to give you an indication of the themes of the book.  You check them out and try not to look at the titles on your receipt until you get home and can unwrap them.  It's  like a Christmas present to yourself that doesn't cost you anything.  

In my trek to my local library today I found a table of them!  Here are the two I selected, wrapped and then unwrapped when I got home:

 

The clues for this book was a mystery guy emoji, and elephant, and two chemistry vials.  The deciding factor for me was the elephant!  Turns out it was a book I've been meaning to read:

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

 

The clues for my second pic were two emojis, a sick face and a winky face.  The deciding factor for me was actually the random space picture on the newspaper they chose to wrap it in.  This book I've never heard of and turned out to be:

The End of Eve by Ariel Gore

So I shall read both of these books (along with the nine other I borrowed today) and let you guys know the results of my blind dates!

Has anyone else ever done a blind date with a book?

Top Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren't My Typical Genre

Presented by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren't My Typical Genre

1. The Martian by Andy Weir

I don't really do science fiction, pretty much ever.  If I delve into that side of literature I go towards fantasy, but this book was amazing.

2. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

I actually read this as a brand new book, that I requested through the library because it had been on the bestsellers lists (or at least the author had).  I don't typically read mainstream, new releases, but this was kind of hilarious.

3. Breakwater Bay by Shelley Nobel

Just a basic family drama/romance, not normally exciting for me.

4. Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said by Dan Caddy

This was straight up hilarious, and nonfiction is not my favorite genre by far.

5. If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski

Again, nonfiction, but it's from To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), so I had to because I love them, and I loved this.

6. Raising My Rainbow by Lori Duron

Blah memoirs usually, especially whiny ones about how someone is different and life is hard, but I found this rather inspiring.

7. American Sniper by Chris Kyle

Again, memoir, but war.  I love war movies, not typically books.  This was the best book I read in 2015 hands down.

8. Entwined With You by Sylvia Day

I normally find myself embarrassed by reading books that are known to be about sex and not much more, but this series has actual plot and Sylvia Day can actually write, so I make the exception for her.

9. Who Was Alfred Hitchcock? by Pamela D. Pollak

Need I say memoir again?  I'm starting to think I read these more than I think, but this was childrens level.  If you have a child and they don't like nonfiction, introduce them to this series of books, they'll love it.

10. The Terrorist's Son by Zak Ebrahim

Memoir!  Mostly I loved it because it was related to a Ted Talk, and if you don't know what Ted Talks are, then google it.  Now.  Seriously.

Review: Fangirl

Title:  Fangirl
Author:  Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow Fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it.  She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon SNow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading.  Rereading.  Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go.  She doesn't want to.

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates.  Cath is on her own, completely outside her comfort zone.  She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand?  Is she ready to start living her own life?  Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?


Review:

I don't believe the summary of this book does it justice at all, but that summary and the title are what initially drew me into Cather's world.  I am a long-time reader and writer of fan fiction (for the better part of the last 10 years).  The fact that this underworld was brought into the world of a published book made me far to excited to pass this book up.

When I did finally get my hands on the book (ebook...), I couldn't put it down for very long.  Cath draws in every introvert (like me!) and gathers us together to let us she how she evolves.  She goes from a scared girl who is set adrift by her twin and is ensconced in the world of Simon Snow, to a young adult who is trying to make the best out of her life.

It's also a bit of a plus in my opinion that Simon Snow was obviously Harry Potter (with Baz being Draco Malfoy in my opinion).  This is one of the biggest fandoms I read and I was just so happy with this.

I wish more people knew about fan fiction, but at the same time I like how it belongs to only us, the fans who want to see where the story could have gone if the author had went there.  There is some truly astonishing pieces out there, and I hope some day their author's are like Cath and they go on to publish worlds of their own.

I can't recommend this to everyone, because unless you love the fan fiction world [and are a bit of an introvert], you won't get the same value out of this book.

P.S. - Rumor has it that "Carry On, Simon" is going to be written as a full book.  Who else is majorly excited about that?!

Rating:

Review: Stronger Than You Know

Title:  Stronger Than You Know
Author:  Jolene Perry
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

After police intervention, fifteen-year-old Joy has finally escaped the trailer where she once lived with her mother and survived years of confinement and abuse.  Now living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in a comfortable house, she's sure she'll never belong.

Wracked by panic attacks, afraid to talk to anyone at her new school, Joy's got a whole list of reasons why she's crazy.  With immense courage, Joy finds friends and grows closer to her new family.

But just when hope is taking hold, she learns she must testify in her mother's trial.  Can she face her old life without losing her way in a new one?  Will she ever truly belong in a world that seems too normal to be real?

Review:

I have a thing for books dealing with mental health issues.  It's a personal thing, but it makes a book all that much better when the author gets the feelings right.  Joy deals with anxiety and panic, things that are hard to describe without making the character relatively useless.  The author did a fantastic job though.

Joy breaks out of her shell relatively quickly (and it is a pretty short book), but it doesn't seem rushed.  The fact that the chapters are names clever things that Joy is dealing with just adds to the book's charm.

There were a few times I wanted to put the book down because I was so afraid something lousy was going to happen to Joy just when she was finally getting better, but this book won't let you.  I think I read it in two days, which is a record for me in the last couple years.

I'm also glad it wrapped up where it did, Joy isn't fixed, but she's on her way.

Plus, just look at the cover with the paint strokes, awesome.

Rating:

Review: Me Since You

Title: Me Since You
Author: Laura Wiess
Rating: 5+/5
Release Date: February 18, 2014

Summary:

Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice?
Before and After. That’s how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old; a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived.
If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger's shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother, and herself; from the endless replay of heartache and grief.
Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

Review:

It took me an inordinate amount of time to read this book.  And considering both the author and the subject matter, that has to be some kind of crime.  I got this book as an ARC and was immediately intrigued because I've read "Such a Pretty Girl" by Laura Wiess and she's an amazing, heart-wrenching, author.

I've thankfully never experienced the world of suicide first hand, but I can count the number of times it's been a close call. The emotions in this book are raw and uncensored.  The author isn't writing this book for us to read, she's writing it to tell Rowan's story, to help her heal.

A few times I had to put the book down before I started crying in a public place (and it takes a lot in a book to make me cry), and maybe that's why it took me so long to finish.  I had to continuously stop and breathe and wait until I was better mentally to go back to it.  I've read a lot of powerful books that take a lot out of you, but this one was different.  It was certainly emotional, and it took energy out of me, but it put something back too: hope.  Hope for healing and for human life.

I don't know I can possibly gush more about this book, but I hope Laura Wiess never stops writing, especially books like this.

I recommend this to everyone I possibly can.  (And it comes out to the public tomorrow so go and get it!!)

Rating:

Review: The Program

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Series: The Program [1]
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Review:

Okay, I have A LOT to say about this book.  First, it's taken me about two months to actually read it because I just couldn't get into it.  Even when I finally got to working through it I almost put it down or chucked across the room several times.

The concept of a suicide epidemic, a ban on anti-depressants, and forcible commitment to essentially an asylum where they wipe you clean, terrifies me!  Mostly because I have been in the psychiatric system most of my life (not committed at any point, no).  But it scared me with the medication thing.  Nonetheless I continued to read.

The book is split into three sections that are basically: before the program, during the program, and after the program.  All from Sloane's POV.

On characters:

Sloane - Strong, mind of her own, won't take it all laying down, love it.  After the program... I don't like her as much.

James - Total mixed feelings.  I like the bad boy/sweet guy image that seems to mesh, but again after the program, don't like him.  Actually kind of hate him after that.

Realm - Hated him when we found out the secret, but then didn't hate him, then hated him again, and by the epilogue I was so confused I have no idea how I feel about him...

Miller - Liked him

Lacey - Liked her too

Sloane's parents:  HATE HER MOTHER, but at the same time understand.  I like her father though, and I have a feeling we won't see much of them after this first book, which kinda sucks.

------

So like I said at the start, I liked and hated this book all at the same time, so that makes me give it a middle of the road rating.  I'll probably keep reading the series when the next one comes out, but I don't know, it pissed me off (especially the epilogue)!  Speaking of which, how the heck do you put an epilogue onto the first book of a series?  It felt more like a sneak peak.

No idea who to recommend this too...

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 6 + Review: Rage: A Love Story

Day 6:

Describe how you shop for books.

I shop via my library and Goodreads.com, meaning that's where I look to find books I want to read.  If I'm looking to purchase a book I look at Barnes & Noble online first (because I have a membership with them), and then at amazon.  I'll look in both places before buying to see which is cheapest and if either is running a special on the ebook version.

You guys getting sick of reading all these challenge responses yet?  I'll throw a review into this post too!

Title: Rage: A Love Story
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.

Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?

In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.

Review:

I read this book a long time ago, but it sticks in my head as a good read.  I loved both the characters, and loved them together (pretty much as equally as I hated them together).  The title is very fitting, because while this is a "love story", it's not traditional in the sense that the characters don't have an easy ride and don't seem to be well suited for one another.

I loved Johanna, she reminded me a lot of myself, and I even liked her with Reeve, but I didn't like their relationship because it was unhealthy and all that.  I love how the author shows how imperfect love can be though.

Once I picked up this book I think I had it done in something like a day and a half (or a few hours, I can't remember).  It really sucks you in and doesn't relinquish its claw-like hold until you've reached some sort of conclusion at the end.

As almost always, I highly recommend it.

Review: The Chance

Title: The Chance
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

In The Chance, New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delves deeply into a theme that resonates with us all: It’s never too late for those willing to take a chance.

Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other, and sealed them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them. But now, as that date arrives, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom living in a tired apartment trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches television to catch a glimpse of her old friend —Nolan, now an NBA star, whose terrible personal tragedies fueled his faith and athletic drive in equal measure. But Nolan also suffers from a transcendent loneliness that nothing has ever eased.

Review:

I have a general hate for religious books/movies/spouting people.  BUT Karen Kingsbury is my exception to this.  She is such an amazing writer, and yes, God is on every other page.  She has this amazing way of intermingling her faith in her characters, and putting all the characters into such a position that you're not so much itching to know how the story ends, but to know what the characters have grown and learned.

Character love:

Ellie - I see her as the "sane/normal" one, I suppose because I see a lot of myself in her.  She has a hard life, but she does the best she can, and through the whole story she questions her faith every step of the way, but she never gives up on the life she's built.

Nolan - PERFECT MAN!  Yes, he's way religious, but in such a sexy way.  Is that possible?  To be religious in a sexy way?  I say yes.  He is the all american good boy who has grounded family values and life goals he actually fulfills.

Caroline - Don't have a huge opinion on her, even though she was one of the biggest catalysts of the whole book.  I believe she made a huge mistake, but I love how she never gave up on Ellie and her part in the ending.

Alan - HATED HIM until the last couple chapters.  If you read, you'll see why.

Kinzie - Best little ball of sunshine in the entire book.

A must read for everyone of any faith who wants a story with values, morals, and something that isn't written just for the sake of getting to the end and finding out the resolution to all of life's problems.

I think I'm going to post an author profile on Karen Kingsbury next, so keep a look out for that.

Review: Below

Title:  Below
Author:  Meg McKinlay
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Secrets have a way of floating to the surface. . . . Mystery, compelling characters, and an abandoned town beneath a lake make for a must-read adventure.

On the day Cassie was born, they drowned her town. The mayor flipped a lever and everyone cheered as Old Lower Grange was submerged beneath five thousand swimming pools’ worth of water. Now, twelve years later, Cassie feels drawn to the manmade lake and the mysteries it hides — and she’s not the only one. Her classmate Liam, who wears oversized swim trunks to cover the scars on his legs, joins Cassie in her daily swims across the off-limits side of the lake. As the summer heats up, the water drops lower and lower, offering them glimpses of the ghostly town and uncovering secrets one prominent town figure seems anxious to keep submerged. But like a swimmer who ventures too far from shore, Cassie realizes she can’t turn back. Can she bring their suspicions to light before it’s too late — and does she dare?

Review:

This really wasn't that bad for a slightly futuristic juvenile book.  It took a while to really understand what was happening though.  I'm not sure if that was the author's intention, to not give us any straight answers about how/why they sunk the old town/city.  I also didn't realize the setting was in Australia until at least halfway in.  That certainly changed the picture in my head (considering I was picturing some mid-west small town in the U.S.).

But despite the confusion in my picturing of the situation, I liked the concept, and I liked the characters.  It took a good 200 pages to hit the climax of the story, but that seems to be getting more normal these days, we don't get the cool down after the climax in books, we get the climax right before the end and that's it.

Being inside Cassie's head for the entire story was probably perfect.  She thinks so differently than the rest of her town (except perhaps Liam), and she also isn't afraid to question everything and do something about it, which makes the story infinitely more interesting.

Overall, 3 out of 5 stars, because the setting wasn't well developed and I thought that was essential to the story, but the rest of it was good.

Recommended to those willing to question their existence a bit (and children over the age of 8 or 10 I think).