ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer Book Review
Publication Date: October 1st 2012 by Scholastic Press
Rating: – Acceptable |

Book Summary: The compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos–and herself–from a violent coup.

The Congo is a dangerous place, even for people who are trying to do good.

When one girl has to follow her mother to her sanctuary for bonobos, she’s not thrilled to be there. It’s her mother’s passion, and she’d rather have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.

Eliot Schrefer asks readers what safety means, how one sacrifices to help others, and what it means to be human in this new compelling adventure.

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer Book Review Overview:

• The protagonist, Sophie, is an inspiring character
• Sophie’s bond with Otto is definitely the highlight of this book
• Touching and educational, but not the best book I’ve read this year.

I first heard about ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer at BEA. I wanted to get my hands on it, but the fates just didn’t work out and I let it slip through my fingers. Months later, I hear that it had been nominated as a finalist for the National Book Award. We made our bets at work and discussed the likelihood of each book winning. I had my hopes up for ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer. While it did not end up winning after all (that prize went to Goblin Secrets, by the way), I can see why ENDANGERED by Eliot Screfer had been nominated. It’s a heart-warming book that brings to light the political and environmental issues in a different part of the world.

Sophie, the protagonist of ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer, is such an inspiring character. There were many times that I forgot that she is only fourteen years old because of her maturity and ability to stay collected during such a stressful time. I love that she was able to persevere despite the hardships in the jungle of Congo. She doesn’t have the best survival skills, but she learns to adapt to her new environment. Her love for Otto is so heart-warming. Eliot Schrefer creates such a beautiful bond between Sophie and Otto.

ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer is quite educational without being too didactic. Besides teaching us about bonobos, Schrefer ties in different aspects about the Democratic Republic of Congo from the political climate of the country to diseases that affect that country’s citizens. Readers will definitely get a glimpse of what it is like at a different part of the world. Schrefer did his research well.

Unfortunately, ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer was not mind-blowingly, tear-jerking awesome. It was a great read that captivated me from beginning to end, but I was hoping for just a little something extra in the writing to forever cement the book in my memory. ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer definitely deserved the nomination, but now that I’ve read it, I don’t know that if it deserved the win. (Not saying that I think Goblin Secrets deserved it either, but that’s a different post…)

Other Book Reviews:
Bookshelves of Doom
Mean Old Library Teacher
Readingjunky’s Reading Roost

About the Author Eliot Schrefer is a resident of New York City and an honors graduate of Harvard College. A contributor to The Huffington Post and a reviewer for USAToday, Eliot has been profiled in Newsweek, New York Magazine, the New York Post, WWD, and NPR’s “Leonard Lopate Show.” His first novel, Glamorous Disasters, became an international bestseller. He has since been writing for young adults. His books have been translated into Russian, Polish, Romanian, and German.

Find the Author Website | Twitter | GoodReads

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Permalink Book Review, Three Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Eliot Schrefer, Book: Endangered, Borrow It, Genre: Contemporary, Heartwarmer, Publisher: Scholastic Press | 1030 words

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater Book Review
Series: The Raven Cycle, #1
Publication Date: September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Book Review Overview:

• Unlike any other mythology-based YA book out there
• Fascinating three-dimensional characters; I can’t pick a favorite one
• Promising start of a new series

Let’s face it: mythology-based young adult novels have flooded the market. Some are obviously not well done as the others. THE RAVEN BOYS blew my expectations to a whole new level. The combination of the supernatural, paranormal, and mythology based on Glendower, a Welsh ruler, worked effortlessly in another unique and fascinating novel by Maggie Stiefvater.

What made THE RAVEN BOYS so successful in its execution is Maggie Stiefvater’s ability to craft such-three dimensional characters. The raven boys, Blue, Blue’s mother, and the psychics living at 300 Fox Way had so much depth to them. Maggie Stiefvater is able to craft such intricate backstories for each character so that you feel as if you know them personally. It is hard to pick just one character that I loved because I just felt like I got to know all of them at a personal level, but there is still definitely a lot more that I can learn about the characters in the subsequent novels.

Stiefvater does continue to write in alternating third-person perspectives like her previous novels, but the focus leans most towards Blue and Gansey. Blue Sargent, our main protagonist, has lived with her mother in a house full of psychics since the day she was born. Though her mother and her aunts were all born with the gift, Blue does not have the gift of sight. She is only able to amplify the energy of others, but no one knows why. Since she was little, Blue had been told that if she kissed her true love, he would die. This was the hook that initially propelled me to read THE RAVEN BOYS. Blue is fated to meet her true love, but she doesn’t know who he is and exactly under what circumstances will lead to his death. I found it fascinating to see her struggle between living her life the way she wants to and living her life controlled by her fate.

Like any other Stiefvater novel, there is a hint of romance in THE RAVEN BOYS. THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater is not centered around an epic love story like her previous Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but more about this epic quest to find Glendower and to learn how these people are all interconnected through fate. I sense an epic love triangle in the future books, but surprisingly, I’m not quite bothered by it. I think it will be interesting to see how Maggie Stiefvater pulls it off. It will definitely be a question of fate: who is truly Blue’s soul mate? While off to a good start, I can’t wait to see how Stiefvater will continue to develop the relationships between the characters in the future books.

It amazes me that Maggie Stiefvater is able to pull off a novel with a combination of ghosts, psychics, Welsh mythology, and I guess a little bit of witchcraft. It works. Honestly, I was most fascinated with the psychics at 300 Fox Way and I loved the scenes in which we got to see the women use their powers. The tarot card readings were my favorite part, and like the characters, I loved to compare the predictions to what actually happened in the novel. I think what Maggie Stiefater had set out to do was quite ambitious, but she manages to pull it off successfully in THE RAVEN BOYS.

After 400-something pages, it is a bit disappointing that THE RAVEN BOYS is only the first of a series. Lots of questions were left unanswered and the search for Glendower has only just begun. However, I was left with a sense of satisfaction after finishing the book and I honestly cannot wait to read more. THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater does not end on an epic cliffhanger – thankfully – but it does end with a surprising statement that will only entice your desire for the next book.

I may be just a tiny bit biased, but at the end of  the day, Maggie Stiefvater still continues to be one of the most brilliant writers in the young adult genre today. Stiefvater has a magical way with words and THE RAVEN BOYS is a promising start of a new series.

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Maggie Stiefvater, Book: The Raven Boys, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Mythology, Genre: Paranormal, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Poetic Prose, Publisher: Scholastic Press, Series: The Raven Cycle | 1482 words

THE SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: October 18th 2011 by Scholastic Press
Rating: |

Summary: It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Review Overview:

• Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is breath-taking. It continues to impress me.
• The concept of the capaill uisce was fascinating
• The plot was a little slow for my tastes; there was definitely a lot of character-building.

Like any other book that I know I’m going to read, I pretty much dove into THE SCORPIO RACES blind. I did not read any reviews. I merely skimmed the back of the ARC – which ended up telling me nothing about the book, a little to my dismay. And I refused to read any summaries that would tell me what the book is about. I knew the book was going to be about horses. The cover pretty much gives it away. But not just any horses: capaill uisce - magical killer water horses. Huh.

The concept behind this book is actually pretty cool. At first, I was really confused because I’d never heard of this mythical / legendary creature before. But after a few chapters, it was so easy to get hooked onto the idea of capaill uisce. They are such beautiful creatures and you can count on Stiefvater to describe them to you with precision. It actually made a lot of sense to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book because it gave me insight as to how Stiefvater came around to writing about magical killer water horses and background on the different variations of the myth. I wouldn’t recommend reading the Author’s Note before reading the book. I think it’s best to discover the magic of capaill uisce yourself first.

The prose is fantastic. Stiefvater writes so beautifully and THE SCORPIO RACES is no exception. Sometimes I forget just how much I love the way Stiefvater crafts a sentence, but I’m immediately reminded of that fact from the very first page of starting one of her books.

There is a bit of romance in THE SCORPIO RACES and I am stunned by the way Stiefvater just pulls it off effortlessly. There is a slow build up so it is definitely realistic. The novel isn’t about an epic love story like the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but there are just some scenes that made me positively giddy. The romance is sweet and touching. Stiefvater is able to portray realistic young love without being overly sappy.

THE SCORPIO RACES is just about on the threshold on being a 4-star review. I really wanted to give this book a 4-star rating just for the sake of beautiful writing, but I felt like the plot was a bit lacking. It’s true that I did read it in more or less a day, but I also felt like I could easily have stopped reading and walked away. There is not as much mystery to this novel. Essentially, the plot can be summed up in a sentence: girl and boy (in this case Puck and Sean) want to compete in the Scorpio Races, a race involving magical killer water horses. The book itself is more character driven than plot driven. The novel unfolds as the races get closer, and the characters grow and go through self-discovery.

THE SCOPRIO RACES is good, but the pacing is just a little bit slow for me. I needed a little bit something more fast-paced. This book is perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater. If you’re in love with her writing, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Furthermore, I would recommend this to lovers of horses, mythology and lore, and fantasy.

Why I’m Biased: Maggie Stiefvater is also one of my favorite authors. Therefore, I rate her on a much harsher scale since I always have high expectations for authors whose work I love.

Other Reviews:
Gone with the Words
Nice Girls Read Books

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Permalink Book Review, Three Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Maggie Stiefvater, Book: The Scorpio Races, Borrow It, Genre: Fantasy, Poetic Prose, Publisher: Scholastic Press | 1199 words