All The Truth That's In Me - Julie Berry

Synopsis: Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

I think I’ve begged everyone I know to read this book so I can talk about it with someone. It has the kind of ending that I just need to say something about, but obviously I can’t just go around talking about endings because I need to. This is just the kind of book you have to talk about. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to talk, to savor the things you take for granted, and to exercise the write to use your voice. All The Truth That’s In Me just completely affected me.

First of all – the cover is totally misleading. I went in fully expecting a contemporary story, but this is definitely a historical book. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when or where this story was set, but Judith is a part of a Puritanical society, which provides the perfect tension in her narrative. When the book opens, all we know is that Judith and her best friend disappeared years ago and then her friend shows up dead and Judith comes back with part of her tongue cut out. It really takes most of the book to discover what really happened in those two years, because Judith is so closed up she won’t even let us in until the truth seems to be drawn out of her.

It’s really the narrative that makes this book so incredible. It’s written as though Judith is telling her story to the boy she loves. She is able to only give away small pieces at the time, because even in her head, she’s protecting Lucas from certain things and keeping pieces for herself. This might be the most skilled and beautiful second person narrative I’ve ever read, because it doesn’t feel like second person – it feels like the reader is treated as a confidant. Even just the way she reveals pieces of her story is just perfect. It’s as if the more she gives up pieces of her reality, the more real and in the world she becomes.

Judith addresses her story to Lucas and I think it’s so wonderful how their stories wind around one another, in both ways we can easily see and ways that have to be revealed. They are really entwined and I love that. He’s the boy she grew up playing with and the boy she fell in love with before she disappeared. And there’s a sharp pain hearing her talk like she’ll always love him even if she can’t ever have him. This girl has been living a hard life, but there’s something so devastating about the fact that she just can’t be with the one person she loves more than anyone else.

As a heroine, Judith is pretty incredible. She grows so much in these pages. And really her big accomplishment is gaining her own power back. She manages to rebuild relationships and begin to communicate again, which is all great – but it’s the way she begins to see herself as worthy and strong that’s really the wonder in her character. And she’s written in this brilliant way that almost forces you into her shoes and therefore leaves you with the urgency of using your own voice or doing something as simple as letting someone know what you need because we have that power and we don’t always use it.

I can’t speak highly enough about this book. It’s something special and totally refreshing. I was highlighting passages left and right because the words are just so beautiful. I just want the world to read this book (I even gave away a signed copy to a friend so she’d read it). I just have the feeling Judith and her story will stay with me for a long time. This is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.    

Out of the Easy - Ruta Sepetys

Synopis: It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. (From Goodreads)

I picked up this book because - hello - 1950's New Orleans. It wasn't quite what I was expecting though. I think I was imagining something along the lines of The Diviners for some reason. I was at least hoping for a little voodoo, and I was definitely picturing something much more lively. Even though it wasn't anything like I expected, it was still wonderful. Out of the Easy is heartbreaking, shocking, inspiring and sweet all at once. Josie is the kind of character you want to help and be friends with.

I was kind of shocked by the candid and raw portrayal of a brothel in a YA novel. I mean, I was shocked in a good way. I loved the honesty. I loved the way Ruta Sepetys took the seedy side of New Orleans and still told a beautiful story. There's so much love and support that ooze from the characters, even though their situations aren't ideal.

This is a character driven novel - and all of the characters are so fascinating. There's the madam with a heart of gold - or actually there's an entire house of prostitutes with hearts of gold (or mostly of gold...). Even though Josie's mother is pretty much a terrible human being who forces Josie to grow up way too fast, she has an incredible support system. And the madam is a great substitute mother to her. She works at a bookstore for an ailing author and his son. They are also a sort of family to her. It's so beautiful to see the way we form families outside of our own - or in Josie's case how she doesn't have a family bonded by blood, but she has this huge extended family that she belongs to because of circumstance. Also, Jesse, the boy who I kept picturing as Shia LeBeouf in Indiana Jones, was pretty dreamy. A greaser with a heart of gold. Every single character in this book has an edge and a lot of secrets, most even have something to be ashamed of - but deep down they're complex and beautiful people.

Really, it's about making the best of your circumstances. Josie isn't given the easiest hand, but she manages to make something out of her situation. I relate to her need to get out of town, to go do something, to be someone. And she really struggles to get to a point where she can claim her own life - which ironically only comes when she lets other people help her.

I really enjoyed spending time with these characters. And can more people write about New Orleans? And the 50's? Please? I want more from this time period. I feel like it's a decade that gets overlooked and there's a lot of fascinating stuff happening around this time. But one of the really great things about this book is that even though it's tethered to a time and a place, it still feels timeless.

The Madman's Daughter - Megan Shepherd

Synopsis: In the darkest places, even love is deadly.
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect. (From Goodreads)

I loved every second of this incredible story. For reasons unknown, the second I had it in my hands I knew it was a drop-everything-and-read kind of book. I just found myself immediately swept up into this Victorian gothic horror story that was simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. I was fascinated, enthralled, and more than once my pulse sped up. I closed this book feeling like I had just lived through Juliet's experience, her world, her fears, the characters in her life had all danced in front of me. Not only did it paint an amazing picture, but it triggered my imagination and gave me room for my own visions of what it looked like when the story unfolded.

Everything I love about gothic and Victorian literature was executed so perfectly in this novel. Juliet travels a long way from living in poverty and cleaning hospitals in London to a remote island to find her long-lost father. Each point in the story, each secret unveiled, raises the stakes and it becomes much more than a book than can easily fall into any category. It really stands out to me as unique.

Juliet is the perfect gothic heroine. She's torn between her sense of propriety and staying true to her strong, willful-self. She's been put through the ringer - her family has faced scandal, she's lived in poverty as an orphan, and then she braves a sketchy ship to live on a remote island. Yet she manages to maintain grace and the fierce fire within her. She's also struggling to identify who she is outside of society's view of her and whether or not she's like her father. The way she rationalizes all the ways she is like him, yet is completely horrified by him at the same time is so fascinating. This also sets up an interesting relationship with Montgomery, who believes he has no choice but to follow in Juliet's father's footsteps. I love their relationship, but if any couple is built on moral shades of gray - this one is.

The characters are brilliant, but the way in which this world is sculpted is absolutely breathtaking. It's dark and you can almost see it playing out in front of you in tones of sepia and black. It has that vintage feel to it, yet it's so vivid. Even the island with the jungle, created so outside of society is still governed by it's rules in a way that makes it impossible to forget just where and when this is taking place. The animals turned human are so well detailed, the screams they make when they're operated on are so loud, and the way they are humanized by Montgomery is so tender they just become a vital piece of this world.

The Madman's Daughter is an exceptional debut by Megan Shepherd. It's everything a novel should be, incuding something I feel like I haven't read before, even despite the fact that it's inspired by another book. I'm so grateful this is the first in a series, because I'm not willing to let go yet.

Venom - Fiona Paul

Synopsis: Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.
When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco? Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself. 

I had a pretty epically awful trip to Italy in 2006, and ever since it's kind of hard to think about Italy and not be a little sour. Don't get me wrong, the country is beautiful, the history fascinating, and everything about it is pretty amazing. I just have some bad memories and feelings associated with it. However, since I revisited it a couple years ago when I went to Rome with a couple friends, I've been slowly forgiving Italy. Now, after reading Venom, I'm so much closer to falling in love with the country. I couldn't help but relive some of my fonder memories while hanging out with Cass in Venice. Even memories that made me a little bitter at the time - like my little brother ditching me to give roses to random girls - filled me with happy nostalgia.

This book is a trip to Venice. Even better, it's a trip to historical Venice. I absolutely love that you get to see both sides, as well. You get the gritty, dangerous side with the masks, the frivolity, and the loose morals. But you also get the pious side where social protocol and religion govern the household. Fiona Paul is incredibly skilled at bringing such a beautiful place to life. The gondolas, the streets, the people, the graveyards - everything was described so wonderfully.

Then there's the mystery of missing bodies, girls being murdered, and an abandoned place with dead bodies. So chilling. I'm very selective about the mystery books that i read because they have a tendency to be disappointing to me. I picked this one up for the historical fiction aspect, more than the mystery. Yet, I'm so impressed with the way it was handled. It isn't your typical -figure out why this is happening and find the person responsible mystery. It's more complex than that and there really isn't one answer. Somehow, by the end the web seems more tangled, which is generally what happens when you start asking questions and getting answers.

Even better, this book made me actually sit back and think for a few minutes. Cass has to make a decision between who she loves and who is "right" for her, but like the mystery in this story the answer isn't obvious. It had me thinking about who I would choose in that situation. A lot of books, a lot of stories, are about falling in love with the wrong person. Or the wrong person in the eyes of society. In dystopian fiction or historical fiction, the heroine is often given a choice. Choose the right boy - the one that won't rip your family apart, devastate your country, upset your social balance even though you don't have feelings? Or choose the wrong boy - the one who you can only be with after you give everything else up, but you know you can't live without him? Who do you choose? The right boy or the wrong boy?

This book is beautifully written and definitely intriguing. I wanted to applaud at the ending (if you've read it you're probably perplexed by this reaction, but to me she makes the right decision) and I believe the second book, Belladonna, will live up to the first. I'm very interested to see where Cass goes from here. And I'd really like to know what your answer is to my above question, who would you choose? Let me know!

Gilt - Katherine Longshore

 Synopsis: When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head. (From Goodreads)

I freaking love the Tudor court. It's just so screwed up. You can't turn corners without stumbling into secrets, or blackmail, or accidentally tripping and getting your head chopped off. It also has this really great dichotomy of purity and pleasure going on. You have to be pure on the face of things, but everyone is just so slutty. Entertainment also has a high value, and you know if you're bored - then you're being punished. With all the secrets, lies, transgressions, and plots, it's impossible to be innocent. Just so awesome.

And Katherine Longshore takes all the things that make the Tudor court great and depicts it perfectly through a girl who struggles to remain innocent and good. Kitty is almost frustrating, because she generally refuses to give into pure pressure. Which, okay, is generally a good thing, but ultimately it puts her in a pretty impossible situation. Loyalty seems hard to come by, and Kitty is nothing but completely loyal. She's just loyal to the wrong person - Catherine Howard.

Seriously, I hate Catherine. I just want to lock her in a closet and stick some duct tape (what's the 16th century version of duct tape?) over her mouth. She drives me up a freaking wall. But it's in an I-love-to-hate-her kind of way. Because at the same time, she's sort of the embodiment of the Tudor court itself. She's take what you want, do what you please, worry about consequences later, and don't care about who you drag down with you. Mostly, I think I hate Catherine because I liked Kitty so much.

But onto the sluttiness. Okay, they aren't really slutty, but they do talk about sexy times a lot. And while Kitty is as innocent as you can get at court, she still sees her fair share of action. There's William, who is so swoony - I'm thinking whats-his-face from Shakespeare in Love kind of swoony. Just look at the paperback cover. That about sums it up. Yup. Their relationship was incredibly frustrating, though, because Kitty chose Catherine over and over. Yet it makes complete sense that it's nearly impossible for love to thrive in this world.

Whether you like historical fantasies or not, I think this book is definitely worth reading. Katherine Longshore casts a masterful web of secrets and deceit and it's impossible not to get tangled up in it.  

The Diviners - Libba Bray

Synopsis: Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first. (From Goodreads)

Libba Bray is a storytelling master. She's genius. She's so awesome that I will read her ginormous book and love every single second of it. Because she doesn't seem to be satisfied with just telling a story - she goes beyond and puts you into the lives of the people involved in that story. Even better, this book acts more like a portal directly into 1920's New York where you can put your face to the glass and really feel like you're seeing it all play out first hand.

Evie is such a fun character. Shes kind of crazy, but she just doesn't let other people stop her from doing what she wants to do. As a person who colors within the lines and follows rules, I kind of admire this. Even as a rebellious teen, she's still not like any character I've read before. Evie commands most pages in this book, but a few other characters get some pretty decent face time as well. There's Memphis, the healer, and Theta, the beautiful dancer with a mysterious past. I loved these subplots that added such great dimension and depth.

This book is all fun and games until people start dying in terrifying ways. I actually had nightmares while I was reading this book. I'd fall asleep reading (because it was late, not because the book is a sedative) and then wake up completely terrified. But this book is so worth the nightmares. The villain will make your skin crawl. The settings will make your heart pound and your breath a little quicker.

Libba Bray has long been one of my favorite authors. Her acknowledgements are even incredible written works. I'll forever read anything that she writes and every time I read her books, she again earns her place in my favorites list. She's incredible, and this book is such a powerhouse and exemplary piece of fiction. I'm blown away and completely enamoured.

Frozen - Mary Casanova

Synopsis: Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie Rose doesn’t know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother—and the conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her silence is both a prison and a sanctuary.
One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded, scandalous photographs—pictures, she realizes, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life’s great mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel—did she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?Sadie Rose’s search for her personal truth is laid against a swirling historical drama—a time of prohibition and women winning the right to vote, political corruption, and a fevered fight over the area’s wilderness between a charismatic, unyielding, powerful industrialist and a quiet man battling to save the wide, wild forests and waters of northernmost Minnesota. Frozen is a suspenseful, moving testimonial to the haves and the have-nots, to the power of family and memory, and to the extraordinary strength of a young woman who has lost her voice in nearly every way—but is utterly determined to find it again. (From Goodreads)

I grew up reading Mary Casanova's books. So I was excited when I heard she was coming out with her first young adult novel. This is the Mary Casanova I remember, so it felt a little bit like nostalgia, but it also felt like she was doing something different here. But mostly, this book is going to be different from what you've read before, if only because of the time and location.

1920's Minnesota? Yes, please! I'm fairly familiar with Minnesota history, but I've never considered what was going on around here in the 20's. And I love everything about the 20's. So when someone put those two things together, I was so thrilled. The political state is touched on, but it's more fascinating to see the way the state is in transition during this time. Sadie Rose is also the perfect character to highlight the social changes occurring during this time.

Sadie comes from a bit of a seedy background. All she knows is that her mother was a prostitute. Sadie Rose was found in a snowbank the night her mother died, and the senator and his wife took her in. She finds some pictures of her mother and then sets out to become her own, self-sufficient woman, while finding out the truth about her mother. She unearths some political scandals, exposes the darker side of Northern Minnesota, and in doing so she discovers her own power.

The only thing that had me worried was Sadie's inability to speak. She hasn't spoken since she was found in the snow, but early in the book she finds her voice. I was skeptical about how she would learn to speak again, but that turned out to be a powerful part of the book. She didn't just figure out how to communicate again, but she managed to come to a place where she could speak her opinions and demand to be treated with respect. Women's rights are a subtle, but strong, part of Sadie Rose's story and that her empowerment through her voice is what makes this story still extremely relevant today.

Ladies - you have a voice - if you feel you are mistreated or overlooked, use it! Don't take that power for granted.

So yeah, I'm thrilled with Mary Casanova's new book. If you haven't read any of Casanova's work - I highly recommend her, and Frozen is a great place to start!

The Vespertine - Saundra Mitchell

Synopsis: It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

Why don't more people write about this? I think one of the most compelling things about the Victorian time period is this fascination with those who claim they could access the spirit world. I actually found a lot of parallels in this book with Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, where you don't know if she's acting, if she's psychotic, or psychic. Except here you do know - but there's a similarity in the portrayal of the audience. People used to pay to see psychics and fortune tellers - they would put on a good show and the audience would leave feeling like they just saw something extraordinary. I'm so glad that this social aspect has finally been drawn into young adult literature. 

Amelia has powers that fit well into this spirituality craze, but they're actually real. I think they get mistaken for this theatricality that would draw people in. One of the things I wish had been explained or explored more was where these powers come from - I wanted to know more. I also wish there'd been more of a line drawn between the fakes with parlor tricks and this real talent she had. 

This book felt like a great representation of the time period - it was a little like reading something someone from the time period might have written. It also contains great echoes of Victorian literature (which I absolutely adore) - you have both country and city representations and the community plays a very important role. I also enjoyed the fact that this was a middle-class representation - allowing a more extensive view of different classes - and allowing more freedom for some misbehavior, which naturally makes it much more fun. I also loved that the madwoman in the attic was drawn upon in a certain aspect. 

I did love The Vespertine, but I wanted more. I wanted more explanation, more detail. I wanted more time with the boy, more time with her friends. I wanted to explore her talents a bit more. I am very excited about the companion novel, Springsweet, which is due for release on April 17, 2012. The Springsweet follows Amelia's cousin, Zora, from Baltimore to Oklahoma. I'm excited about this for two reasons - 1) I can't wait to see Saundra Mitchell's portrayal of late 19th century Oklahoma and 2) I loved Zora much more than Amelia - she was the one who instigated any misbehavior - and I can't wait to know more about her and where her story is headed. 

Anyways - I definitely recommend The Vespertine if you like historical fiction, Victorian classics, or even if you just like fantasy - it's definitely worth it!