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Review of Scythe by Neal Shusterman

March 12, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Thou Shalt Kill ~ Commandment 1 of the Scythe Ten Commandments

I am completely new to Neil Shusterman; this was the first novel of his that I’ve read and I am hooked! I loved this book and the world that Mr. Shusterman has created.

The blurb is as follows:

Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

The Setting

This novel takes place in a utopian society in future at a time where hunger, disease, crime and even death no longer exist. Once people begin to age, they can opt to go through a procedure called “turning the corner” in which they can once again inhabit the body of a 21-year-old (or older, if they so choose).

People who do end up getting killed from accidents are only considered “dead-ish” and immediately after their demise, helicopters show up to whisk the dead-ish individual to a revival center where they are restored to their former selves, usually within three days or so. Thus, people in this new, improved society are more or less immortal (the only exception of fire – if you die by fire, you’re dead for good).

Additionally, each person has “nanites” in their system which control pain and speed up the healing process.

Enter the Scythes

But humans still reproduce, meaning that there needs to be some sort of population control — and that control falls under the jurisdiction of a legal authority called the “Scythdom”, which is made up of individual Scythes.

Scythes are the only individuals in society that are allowed to take a human life. Each Scythe is charged with going out and killing a certain number of people every year (about 240 or so, if I remember correctly). When a Scythe kills someone, it’s referred to as “gleaning”, and that person can no longer be revived. They are dead for good.

Now the thing about Scythes is that they must be of the highest moral discipline and possess qualities of empathy, humaneness, and compassion. As such, a Scythe must choose their individual victims with careful consideration allowing no bias, bigotry or malice to enter into their choice of victims (this is one of the Scythe’s “10 Commandments”). The author provided plenty of detail of the day to day activities in a Scythe’s life, which I found fascinating, as well as the training regiment of the apprentice Scythes.

Speaking of apprentices, it is only through deep study and training by the apprentice and intense scrutiny by the Scythdom that a person is ordained as a Scythe. Oh — and one of the first rules of becoming a scythe is that the person must not want to become a Scythe. I think this would be a good rule for politicians as well. But I digress.

The “Not So Good” Scythe’s

Of course, the ideal is not always the reality and somehow, a few “bad apples” manage to squeeze through the Scythdom cracks — and this is where things get really interesting (we’re introduced to some of these not-so-moral Scythes pretty early on in the book). These bad apples are Scythes who take pleasure in killing and even toy with their victims before gleaning them.

They may not have started out so heartless and cruel, but as scythes are given the ultimate power of life and death, it’s not surprising that there would be those who would be corrupted by that much power. Power does have a tendency to corrupt, as we have all seen over and over in our history books.

Scythes are, after all, placed above civilization and are even referred to as “Your Honor” by anyone who crosses their path. It’s not surprising that some would abuse this power much like many organizations or governments become corrupt with too much power.

I loved the villain in this story — he was definitely someone that you “loved to hate”. The author did an excellent job of provoking feelings of anger, disgust, and heartache in the reader through the villain’s actions – a testament to the author’s ability to portray vivid and realistic characters.

The Scythe’s Apprentices

In this novel, the story revolves around two main characters, Citra and Rowan who are chosen by a particularly well-respected Scythe, the Honorable Scythe Faraday, to be his apprentices. What follows is the adventures these two go through, as they train to be effective killers, compete with each other and struggle with romantic feelings that emerged as they got to know each other (romantic involvement with anyone is strictly forbidden for Scythes). Now I will say that is is NOT a romance novel. Though romance may perhaps place a small part in some of the decisions of the characters, this is not what drove the plot of the story.

I really liked Citra and Rowan and enjoyed getting to know them as the story progressed. As the plot moved forward, we learn that these two are quite complex and multi-layer characters, especially when faced with impossible choices. What I really liked about them is that they were strong both as individuals and as a team.

Citra and Rowan, along with their Scythe teachers, attend these Scythe quarterly conclaves, where we enter deeply into the realm of Scythe politics, which I found incredibly interesting and eye-opening, especially once we learned about rampant corruption in the Scythdom.

The Thunderhead – Good or Evil?

It’s worth mentioning that there are no longer any governments in this society – all jurisdiction falls under what is called The Thunderhead (evolved from the Internet’s “Cloud”). The Thunderhead is the ultimate jurisdiction and knows everything about everyone, and intervenes when necessary. It’s like the Internet at some point evolved into a sentient being (which is kind of how I understood it). As a society, nobody fears the Thunderhead; on the contrary, it is revered, almost like a god. The Thunderhead protects and provides for everyone.

The only exception to the Thunderhead intervening in the lives of others is when it comes to Scythe business. It was agreed upon long ago that the Thunderhead would have no jurisdiction when it came to Scythes —- and it completely and always stays out of Scythe business — which may not always be a good thing as we’ve seen with the power-corrupted Scythes.

Thus, the “Scythedom” is a self-governing entity whose success and efficacy relies upon the moral compass of the individuals who belong to it. When certain individuals gain too much power, then the entire entity is in danger, which is what we get in this book.

The Scythe’s Journals

One of the requirements of being of a Scythe is keeping a journal, and each chapter in the book opens with a short excerpt from the journals of one of the Scythes in the story, such as Scythe Faraday and Scythe Curie (the Grande Damme of Death). These snippets provide not only additional insight into Scythe politics but also gave essential information about the current society in which the story takes place.

I especially enjoyed the comparisons of the current society to the “Mortal Age” before technological advances enabled people to potentially live forever.

Twists and Turns

Just when I had pretty much figured out the premise of the book and had a general idea where the story was going to take me, the author threw a major wrench in the works, that I did not see coming at all.

At this point, the entire plot of the story changes as it veers off into directions I couldn’t have anticipated. I loved the twists, turns and surprises that the author threw in, adding even more layers to this already fascinating story. And just when you think you got a handle on what was going on, the author throws in another twist.

The Verdict

This was a compelling story with excellent world-building that kept me guessing until the book’s end. The character development in this book was also amazing as each character, even the secondary ones, were quite multifaceted and complicated.

This is the kind of novel that will get you thinking, especially as it pertains to moral ambiguity — those “gray areas” of right and wrong, and what the decisions we make say about the kind of person we are. It also demonstrated nicely how our environment can affect the kind of person we become. This was illustrated in the differences of the morality of the Scythes, depending on who trained them.

As it turns out, this book is part of a duology but you’d never know it. I felt that the story is nicely wrapped up at the conclusion of the book, and it felt finished and complete to me. In my humble opinion, this is the perfect example of how books in a series should be (I loathe cliffhangers, but that’s another discussion for another time).

All in all, I loved this story and can’t wait to read the next book (Thunderhead) in this series. I also look forward to reading more of Mr. Shusterman’s work. Recommended!!

You can check out Scythe here at Amazon or at The Book Depository

Review of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

March 11, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I know I’m a little late to the program with this one as I’ve been hearing people gush about this book for quite a while already — and rightly so! I just finished it and what an amazing story! Though The Hate U Give is marketed as a Young Adult book, I feel that this inspiring book that should be on everyone’s TBR list — regardless of age, gender or race.

The blurb is as follows:

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

The Setting

The story revolves around and is told from the point of view of Star Carter, a 16 year old black girl who is trying to live in two different worlds: one being Garden Heights, the all black crime-ridden neighborhood where she lives and grew up in — and the other being Williamson Prep, the predominately white upper middle-class high school to which her parents send her and her two brothers.

While at school, she carefully measures her behavior, limits her slang and generally portrays an easy-going attitude as she tries to fit in with her rich white schoolmates. She even has a white boyfriend, Chris, whose existence she’s not yet told her father about because she’s worried he’ll judge her for dating a boy who isn’t black.

Though it can be challenging at times, Staar is always careful to keep her two worlds separate.

Her Family

Staar has a great relationship with her family and it’s evident that she loves them. Her mother works at the hospital and is an excellent role model of a strong, no-nonsense woman. Her father, a former gang member, is now a respected member of the community having left his gang life behind and now works hard to provide for his children and be a positive role model for them. He owns the neighborhood grocery store at which Staar helps out from time to time.

But things aren’t easy for Staar and her family. She lives in a neighborhood where drive-by shootings, drug lords, gang leaders, and turf wars are a part of everyday life.

The Incident

But one night her world is shattered when she and her childhood best friend Khalil are pulled over by a policeman for a routine traffic stop. The officer pulls Khalil out of the car and, even though Khalil was unarmed and made no threatening moves toward the officer, the policeman shoots him in the back three times, killing him.

So Staar ends up being the only witness to what actually happened — and her life and the life of those around her entirely change as a result. Though traumatized and enraged, Staar is faced with a choice: stay silent or accept who she truly is in order to obtain justice for Khalil.

Now I will say that the scene of Khalil’s murder is horrifying and gut-wrenching, and regretfully, not uncommon, as many of us have seen on the news far too often in recent times. Still, that didn’t make it this part of the book any easier — or less heartbreaking — to read.

The young man’s funeral was equally heart-hurting, as we saw firsthand how destroyed his family and friends were. Instead of reading a byline in a newspaper or hearing a brief clip on the television, we are fully immersed in the situation in this story and are placed in the shoes of those who are directly involved. In this way, the story was so raw and so real that at times, I forgot that I was reading fiction.

The author did an excellent job of bringing this story to life, allowing us to empathize with everyone involved. We read about the challenging issues facing the black community in the news, but this novel brought them to life for the reader, allowing us to see the lives behind the new bylines. In this way, we can’t help but realize that things are often a lot more complicated and multilayered than portrayed by the media.

The Aftermath

Still grieving Khalil’s death, Staar is put in an extremely tough position given that she’s the only witness to the incident. Though it may seem clear to an outsider of what the best course of action is for her to take, things are not always as easy and clear-cut as they may seem — and it’s uncertain how we would react or not react if we found ourselves in a similar situation.

Following the aftermath of the shooting, I felt the author did an excellent job of portraying the fear, confusion, rage, and mistrust that Staar experiences as she processes her friend’s brutal murder and through it all, tries to find herself and her voice in the middle of the fallout. But not only that, we see firsthand how such a violent, tragic and senseless loss can shake a community to its core.

The Police

Though the officer clearly was at fault here, I felt that the author didn’t demonize the police or place all of the blame on them. Yes, there are definitely some bad police officers out there, but there are also good ones.

In fact, Staar’s uncle was a police officer who, on more than one occasion, let her know that not all of the officers at his precinct are trigger-happy racists and that many of his fellow officers vehemently disagreed with the action of their corrupt colleague and those like him.

My Verdict

The Hate U Give is phenomenal. This is the brutally honest kind of book that will stay with you for a long time after having read it and perhaps may cause you to look at life differently after having read it. At the very least, it may cause us to question that which we’ve come to accept as “normal”. This was a gripping story that not only packed an emotional punch but was also an excellent fictional treatment of real-life racial issues facing America today.

Though Ms. Thomas openly treats the issue of police brutality, she also demonstrates in a very real way the day to day violence plaguing inner-city neighborhoods. This is a timely book whose importance cannot be overstated.

Though the book deals with heavy issues and is not always comfortable to read, there are plenty of light and fun parts as well — especially the often amusing scenes in which Staar interacts with her friends and family. While the book will make you cry, it will, in places, make you laugh with joy as well.

Throughout the book, the author weaves in themes of police brutality, racial profiling, hard choices, injustice, white privilege how young black men get pressured into dealing drugs, the challenges of living in gang-ridden neighborhoods, the everyday violence and danger that people living inner-city neighborhoods face — and does it with expert storytelling.

This is an honest and compelling book that I hope will be around and in people’s minds for many years to come. Definitely a 5-star read for me. Recommended!!!

You can check the The Hate U Give HERE

Review of the Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer

March 10, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

The Oddling Prince book cover The Oddling Prince, an enchanting fantasy novel which takes place in the kingdom of Calidon, revolves around two brothers: Prince Aric and Prince Albaric — one human, one fey. The kicker is that Prince Aric had no idea that his Prince Albaric even existed and certainly wasn’t aware that he had a fey brother living in Elfland.

The Strange Ring

One day, King Baradic, the King of Calidon is out riding along with his son Prince Aric when out of nowhere a ring appears on the King’s finger. The ring glows bright, and no matter how hard he and others try, the King is unable to remove it from his finger.

Subsequently, the king falls ill, and it appears a though the ring is killing him. His health continues to deteriorate to the point where he lay dying, and it is evident to everyone that he has perhaps only hours left to live.

The Appearance of the Fey

All of a sudden, a beautify young fey man appears and is able to successfully remove the ring from the king’s hand, thus saving his life. The young fey claims that he has given up his immortality to come to Calidon to save the king and because of this, can no longer return to his home, Elfland.

The handsome fey then goes on to explain that his name is Albaric and that King Baradic is actually his father. He then recounts a wild story about how the king ended up entrapped in Elfland and subsequently fathered a child, Albaric. The king, having no recollection of anything Albaric says, believes the story to be false and outrageous, and denies any ties to Albaric. Even though Albaric renounces any interest in the throne claiming that he only wants to be reunited with his father, the king rejects him outright, and his contempt for him is evident (in spite of the fact that Albaric saved his life).

Brotherly Love

Meanwhile, Prince Aric immediately feels an unbelievably strong connection to the fey and knows deep down in his heart that the fey speaks the truth — they are indeed brothers. As the days progress, the bond and brotherly love between Aric and Albaric grow stronger, while the king’s hatred of Albaric increases as well, to the point where Aric fears that his father may even slay his fey brother. It doesn’t help that the people of Calidon fear the strange fey boy, making him feel unwelcome and out of place.

As the King continues to push Albaric away and attempts to keep the two brothers apart, Aric, who feels his brother’s anguish, vows to stay by his brother’s side and help him to find his place in the world.

What follows are numerous adventures involving bandits, magical horses, treachery, kingdom takeovers, heroism, mad rulers and the appearance of long-lost relatives, leading to a fast-moving story with plenty of surprises.

The Characters

This story had a wide cast of interesting, intertwined characters, which really added to the intrigue and helped bring the book to life. Both Aric and Albaric’s characters were warm and caring, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the good of the other was endearing and touching.

I felt that the bond between them and their pure love for each other really helped to propel the story forward. Albaric’s riveting history and personal journey, along with and Aric’s courage and deep love for his brother, drew me in and made this a satisfying read.

Queen Evalin, Aric’s mother, is also a wonderful character. Her love for her family is unwavering, even when many people might have turned away from them. What I found especially endearing was her acceptance and love for Albaric, even though she was as surprised by his existence as everyone else.

The author does a great job getting into the heads and hearts of her main characters, and the secondary characters are also well-drawn. They are meticulously developed, vivid and well-fleshed out, and though most all of them go through some real turmoil in the story, each of them comes out, in the end, better people for it.

My Verdict

The Oddling Prince is a unique story with beautiful, stylistic lyrical prose that was a joy to read from beginning to end. The book is very well-written in an old-fantasy style of writing and accurately conveys how fear can build or destroy, and how it can turn kind-hearted people into villains. But it’s also about the power of the love of family and how that love can heal us, no matter how far into the darkness we’ve descended.

The story itself is touching, frightening, and compelling in all the right places with an interesting and suspenseful storyline. Though there certainly are a good number of actions scenes in this book, it’s not really a warrior battling evil type of story. You won’t find a lot of warring and violence here that you typically see in many fantasy novels. Rather, The Oddling Prince is about more about emotional journeys rather than physical ones.

Full of suspense and emotion, The Oddling Prince is a book sure to hold you captive until the last page. I loved absolutely everything about this book, and while I didn’t want it to end, I felt the conclusion was perfect — the kind that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end.

The book I read was an Advanced Reader Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review so it’s not available as of this writing. It is scheduled for release on May 25, 2018 from Tachyon Publications. So if you enjoy fantasy with a touch of fey thrown it, this might be the perfect book to add to your TBR list. Recommended!

Review of They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

March 2, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

If you had one day to live, what would you do? This story is an honest and unafraid portrayal of two teens who had to make that decision — and all I can say is wow! They Both Die At The End is one of the most amazing books I’ve read this year — maybe ever. I knew from the title that this book was going to hurt my heart — and it did. As I listened to the audiobook, at one point, I found myself standing in the middle of the kitchen with tears streaming down my face. But the ride was so worth it.

The blurb is as follows:

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

The Setting

Image, if you will, a world in the not-so-distant future in which everyone knows the day they are going to die. A public service called “Death-Cast” is charged with telephoning anyone — between the hours of midnight and 3:00 — who is going to die within the next 24 hours. No details are given except that each person is encouraged to live out their last day the best they can.

Such is the setting for “They Both Die At The End.” Shortly after midnight, two teens, Mateo and Rufus, each receive the dreaded Death-Cast phone call telling them that within the next 24 hours, they are going to die. What follows is how they decide to live their last day on earth.

The Last Friend App

There is an app available called “The Last Friend App” in which Deckers (the name given to those who’ve received their Death-Cast call) can find each other and if they so choose, opt to spend their last day together. Though both Mateo and Rufus have loved ones, outside circumstances intervene to keep them apart, so instead they reach out to each other via the app. Once they meet in person, they make the decision to spend their last hours with each other and help each other to face their fears and say goodbye.

Their Lives

As the two get to know each other, we learn more about their past and what brought them to this particular point in their lives. Rufus is a tough street-kid whose entire family drowned. Mateo lost his mother early in life, and his father is currently in the hospital in a coma. It’s also worth mentioning that Mateo appears to be afraid of the world, perhaps suffering from social anxiety and does his best not to leave the safety of his apartment.

What I loved most about these two characters is how they bring out the best in each other and support each other when situations or emotions become challenging.

The One Day

Though each other, they discover parts of themselves they thought they’d lost and this realization encourages them even more to live their last day to the fullest. The story isn’t simply a day in the life of two Deckers; rather, it is a progression as each boy learns to truly savor life perhaps for the first time ever – and in the process, they come together in the most beautiful way.

In the one day that they found each other, they experience joy, sadness, loss, a couple of terrifying near-death situations and love; and in so doing, these two boys experience a profound connection to the world around them and each other.

The Other Stories

There are several minor characters that connect (or nearly connect) with Mateo and Rufus during their day together, outlining nicely how we’re connected to others and how they, in turn, are connected to us. Silvera does an excellent job of weaving these intertwining stories together and demonstrating the importance and significance of even the minor events and interactions in our lives.

Verdict

Yes, this book is heartbreaking and you’ll most likely tear up (if not ugly cry) in several places throughout the book. They Both Die At The End is a haunting book and will stay with you for awhile. It’s been over a week since I’ve read it and I’ve thought about it every day since then. I think that this is one of those life-changing stories that after reading it, can make you view the world differently. In this way, it’s a hopeful book that makes you want to get out there and drink as much as you can from the cup of life while you still can.

Regardless of the title, this isn’t the story of how two boys die, but about how they live once they find each other; so in this way, it’s not about dying but rather about living. It’s a gentle reminder that no matter what we do, we’re all going to “die at the end” so why not make the most of the life we are experiencing now?

I thought the premise of this story was brilliant. The creative and original character-driven plot kept me interested each step along with way and I couldn’t help but hope that somehow, Rufus and Mateo would escape their fate and NOT both die at the end of their 24-hour adventure (but you’ll have to read it to find out).

This bittersweet story is so beautifully written that I’m still amazed by the effect that it had on me. I laughed in places; I cried in others. And the endearing, honest characters of Rufus and Mateo pulled me in and held me fast until the very end. I could relate to both of them in several different ways, sometimes uncomfortably so. Through Rufus and Mateo, we receive lessons about courage, growth, friendship and daring to take chances. You can’t help but fall in love with both of them. I know I did.

After this novel, Adam Silver is definitely on my “insta-buy” list (I also loved his book “History Is All You Left Me”, another emotional rollercoaster ride) as this book is a definite 5-star read for me. So I thank you, Adam Silvera, for this beautiful heartfelt story. Recommended!!

You can check out “They Both Die At The End” HERE

Review of Battledoors: The Golden Slate by Brian Wilkinson

March 1, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I’m always a sucker for a story that takes place in or is tied to a bookstore which is exactly where Battledoors: The Golden Slate starts out.

The Blurb for the book is as follows:

Life constantly seems to be wavering between really good and really bad for Owen, a lonely sixteen-year-old still reeling from the unexpected death of his mother and a fresh move to Toronto. After ducking into an old bookstore to escape high school bullies, Owen discovers that he can travel to a parallel, twisted version of the city with a magical tablet called a Battledoor, where he encounters new allies, bizarre creatures, and the ultimate antagonist who will stop at nothing to procure the magical Golden Slate for himself.

Forced to work together with friends and enemies in order to return home, Owen is faced with a series of choices that will prompt him to find courage he never knew he had, explore the possibility of romance, and try to find a way to let go of his painful past and move on. But is Owen ready to finally take control, and become the protagonist of his own story?

The Protagonist and The Bully

The tale revolves around Owen, a high school student living in Toronto who is being bullied by an abrasive sociopath named James Vanier and his mute pal Lucas (though referred to as mute, I don’t think he really was as he did speak a time or two during the story). Up until this point, the bullying consisted of verbal abuse and some beatings. This morning, however, things seemed to take a darker turn as James pursued Owen with the clear intention of stabbing him. From James’s thoughts, it becomes clear to the reader that there is indeed a dark side to this young man – the word “broken” comes to mind.

Introducing: The Battledoor

Pursued by James and Lucas, Owen along with two high school friends Emily and Bea dash into an old bookstore hoping to lose them. While in the bookstore, Owen is attracted to an item called a Battledoor, which is a tablet-like device which the bookstore owner describes as a book where the reader chooses his or her own adventure by making a series of decisions. The owner of the bookstore gives the tablet to Owen and to Emily and Bea, he gives corresponding hornbooks.

James and Lucas discover their hiding place and burst into the bookstore. James attacks the store owner and amiss the confusion, Owen activates the device. Once he does so, a temporary door appears in the bookstore through which Owen, Emily, Bea, James and Lucas all go. They find themselves outdoors in an alley, and it only takes them a moment to realize that they are no longer in Toronto but in some sort of alternate universe . . .and thus the adventure begins.

The Doors

Through every world, there are a series of doors that lead to an unknown destination but one thing we can be certain of: there will always be a battle of some kind to be fought (hence the name “Battledoor”). Owen is typically given two choices such as “Fairies” or “Furies”. As we quickly learn, the most innocuous sounding choice is not always the best one.

The Story

The story had kind of a Jumanji feeling to it, where the characters are playing a game with real-life consequences — or perhaps “Ready Player One” in which the characters enter into a video game. Regardless, Battledoor: The Golden Slate is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride of an adventure story, and I loved the idea of not knowing what lies around the next corner. There are plently of surprises along the way. We also met some very zany characters and unique creatures along the way, including. . .

The Villian

In the Battledoor world, Owen is known as “The Protagonist”, which makes sense, giving that he is the hero of the store in which he and his friends are trapped. But as there is a protagonist in every story, there also needs to be an antagonist. Though we may have initially suspected that James would end up being the villain in this story, he is not (although I’m guessing he still could go either way). There is, however, a perfectly terrifying and sinister villain who goes by the name of Vellum whose main goal is to — you guessed it — kill the protagonist.

My Only Niggle

Perhaps the only drawback to Battledoor: The Golden Slate is that it’s not a complete story. That is to say, the book ends with an unsatisfying cliffhanger, which is something I personally dislike. But there are a lot of books out there with series cliffhangers that generate 5-star reviews so apparently many people aren’t bothered by them. So as you enter into this story, know that you’ll need to purchase the next book in the series in order to find out what happens next.

But I will say that those who do buy this book will most likely rush out to get the next one to find out the outcome of this exciting adventure.

The Verdict

This was a fast-paced fun book with a rollicking adventure that draws the reader right in. I found the characters to be well-developed and enjoyed learning more about them as the story progressed. The journey of our five heroes (and company) never gets dull, because we get taken from scene to scene pretty quickly.

I also enjoyed the world building and thought the author did an excellent job of portraying the many alternate universes our heroes encounter. Overall I found this to be an amazing read that was incredibly fun and entertaining, with a gripping story and vivid setting. The book is set to be released on April 3rd, 2018 so this may be one you’ll want to add to your TBR list. Recommended!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase Battledoors: The Golden Slate here at Amazon

Review of Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

February 28, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

What a beautiful emotional ride this story was! I went into this book totally blind — I had no idea what it was about (it was a monthly read for one of my Goodreads groups so I thought I’d be brave and pick it up without so much as even reading the blurb). I was delightfully surprised by this special book and ended up loving it.

The blurb is as follows:

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.

But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.

It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

Introducing Tanner

As the blurb suggests, the story revolves around Tanner, an 18-year-old half-Jewish bisexual high school student who moved to Provo, Utah with his parents. He is openly out to his parents who are entirely comfortable with Tanner’s sexuality.

However, given as they live in a town where the majority of people are Mormons, they’ve asked Tanner to be especially careful of whom he comes out to. It’s also worth mentioning that his mother, due to heartbreaking issues with the church, is a lapsed Mormon herself.

Where It All Begins

Tanner, who, at the urging of his best friend Autumn, signs up for “The Seminar”, a popular and highly coveted course in which the students write an entire novel in four months under the supervision of a teacher and teaching assistant.

The TA for the course is none other than Sebastian Brother, a gifted author who, after taking the class himself the year prior, is now in the process of publishing his own novel. He is also a Mormon, the Bishop’s son and strikingly good-looking.

Enter Sebastian

From the moment Sebastian walks in the course, Tanner feels a connection with Sebastian — a buzz of electricity between them. Tanner can’t deny his attraction for Sebastian and in spite of his better judgment, finds himself falling for a boy whom he sees as the most untouchable person in Provo. But Tanner is more than a bit surprised when he learns that his feelings for Sebastian are reciprocated.

Knowing the LDS stance on homosexuality, Tanner’s parents are fearful that he is going to end up getting hurt, and they try to convince him that pursuing the Bishop’s son cannot lead to a happy ending. Though Tanner is well aware of the probable outcome of his feelings for Sebastian and he knows that he’d be better off not pursuing the man, his heart isn’t so easily convinced. This leads to an emotional, heartfelt and realistic journey of a young man who discovers he is attracted to Mormon boy faithful to his church — but falls for him regardless.

The Church

Being the Bishop’s son, it’s no surprise that Sebastian is heavily involved with his church. As such, he is in the process of preparing to leave on his two-year mission. But Sebastian is also trying to come to terms with his sexuality, specifically his attraction to males (something he’s more or less denied up to this point).

His emerging feelings for Tanner balanced against his obligations to the church, his parents and his community create even more turmoil and conflict for Sebastian. So while this is partly the story of Tanner falling in love with a member of the Mormon church, it is also very much the story of one courageous man’s search to find himself even if it means losing everything else he has ever known.

What really worked for me in this story is the respectful portrayal (at least as I saw it) of the Mormon church. Many stories that portray LGBTQ characters’ struggle with religion tend to demonize the church and all of its members in the process. I found it refreshing this book depicted the LDS church members as friendly, loving, helpful and positive, with a significant focus on service to others and service to the community. In this way, the author does an excellent job of balancing the positives of the church with the divisive ways that religion can, in certain situations, come between family members.

The Verdict

I absolutely loved this character-driven story. The characters of Sebastian and Tanner were realistic and believable, as were the secondary characters and by the end of the book, I felt as though I really knew these people. Each character is richly mapped out so you can understand where each one is coming from and why they react the way they do. Though the actions of both Tanner and Sebastian angered me from time to time, I understood the reasons for those actions. It this way, the characters were easy to relate to.

The story was well-paced and beautifully written with vivid descriptions of settings, making me feel as though I were actually there. But this isn’t just a love story between two boys. Rather, Autoboyography is a tender, emotional LGBTQ-positive coming-of-age novel dealing with issues of identity, church, choice, rejection, acceptance, and family.

This is a relevant book that deals with issues that many LGBTQ teens are facing today and gave a realistic portrayal of what many teens go through while trying to figure themselves out and find their place in the world. In this way, I feel that this is an important book — and a must-read for any teenager who has ever felt different or lonely, no matter what their age now.

Autoboyography is moving story that I connected with on many levels, and although it was heartbreaking at times, I found it to be a beautiful, emotional read with an encouraging ending that felt complete and satisfying to me. Recommended!

You can check out Autoboyography HERE