It is hard to recommend, or review, a series without it being complete. However, it seems like the Fallen series by Lauren Kate should be one to watch. The first book sets up a twilight-esque love triangle but then shatters all of your expectations based on that model. Far from a damsel-in-distress, Luce is independent and is not afraid to stand up to the boy (or Supernatural angel)who is in love with her (Daniel) and what she is told is fate.
Luce attends (for reason's the reader comes to learn later) a reform school in Savannah, GA. It has a creepy old-South Gothic vibe to it, so you know something is going to go wrong, but you never know who the villain is until the very end. Every character is multidimensional including the adults (a rarity). This means that when a character dies, no matter who they are, the reader feels for them. There are four books planned so far for the series. Two are out thus far. The first one takes place in a school in Savannah.
The second one expands the world and gives the reader into the world of angels (aside from witches, angels are the coolest growing trend in pop-culture--far more interesting than vampires; that trend really needs to end soon). The third book is a prequel into the past lives of Luce and Daniel which is a really good thing because Daniel is not an entirely reliable source. Luce is exploring her past on her own; she is going to figure out what is going on in her own terms. The fourth book ends the saga, but there has been a lot of secrecy about what this book will entail. It is a great testament to this book that I have no idea where it is going or what Lauren Kate’s plan is for the series.
If you liked this: The Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr, Wither by Lauren Destefano, and Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Looking for Alaska (and a gateway in YA)
When I first read Looking for Alaska by John Green, I was in class full of students who wanted to become teachers in order to teach and read classical literature. This was the only kind of literature that they deemed as worthy. They were not drawn at all to the YA genre, and thought most of it was ridiculous and dismissible. When we read Looking for Alaska, all of that changed.
There was something about this book that drew in even the literary snobs in the class. This book combines the best parts of YA literature while bringing in the conventions of classical literature. For instance, the metaphor of the labyrinth of suffering was something that was more akin to a great classical novel. It also has characters that are more modern and more relatable to a teen audience. It was interesting that Alaska was a well drawn out character, without it being written from her perspective. A typical story in which a guy pines after a girl leaves the girl on a pedestal. Though it starts out that way, the story pulls in to peel back more and more layers of the complex character. Though it is presented as a boy likes girl typical drama, the book also manages to address fairly complex and serious issues about class and power hierarchies and the place for young people within the system.
Looking for Alaska pulls young audiences in with the romance, but teaches them so much more about life and growing up. Even the side characters are multi-dimensional and add elements to the story about race, socio-economics and gender.
If you liked this: I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, How to Say Goodbye in Robot and Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Sandiford
There was something about this book that drew in even the literary snobs in the class. This book combines the best parts of YA literature while bringing in the conventions of classical literature. For instance, the metaphor of the labyrinth of suffering was something that was more akin to a great classical novel. It also has characters that are more modern and more relatable to a teen audience. It was interesting that Alaska was a well drawn out character, without it being written from her perspective. A typical story in which a guy pines after a girl leaves the girl on a pedestal. Though it starts out that way, the story pulls in to peel back more and more layers of the complex character. Though it is presented as a boy likes girl typical drama, the book also manages to address fairly complex and serious issues about class and power hierarchies and the place for young people within the system.
Looking for Alaska pulls young audiences in with the romance, but teaches them so much more about life and growing up. Even the side characters are multi-dimensional and add elements to the story about race, socio-economics and gender.
If you liked this: I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, How to Say Goodbye in Robot and Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Sandiford
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