books roundup

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle 

The Hallowed Ones is a pretty unique book, in the sense that it tries to connect vampires and Amish customs and traditions. I'm quite unfamiliar with the latter but it was an interesting take on this combination.

In a few short sentences, The Hallowed Ones is about a vampire epidemic that breaks out and wipes out a huge population of the world. The book deals with a young Amish girl, Katie, who saves an "Outsider" and faces the repercussions of her actions.

It was a decent book, but that's about it. I was quite confused by the portrayal of the vampires: were they unthinking, unfeeling monsters or creatures who were able to talk and communicate? I was left feeling a little incomplete.

The story pacing was a little slow, especially at the beginning. It seemed to take a long time for the action to build up. I also think that the fact that these people were stuck to one piece of land seemed to work against the favour of the story. It got rather boring. The characters- especially the villains- seemed rather one-dimensional. 

What I did like was the protagonist's journey into taking her own future into her hands, and her conflict between the religion she'd grown up with as well as gradual acceptance of others' beliefs. 

All in all, a decent book but nothing much to write home about.

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson 

I'm really glad I gave If I Lie a chance. It's easy enough to figure out what the main character (Sophie or Quinn, whatever you prefer) is protecting right from the blurb but that shouldn't stop anyone from going ahead and reading it. It's deliciously angsty and heartbreaking and it reduced me to tiny tears in some places. You really feel for the characters- all of them. I've been quite disappointed with YA in general simply due to the lack of depth and layers of characters but If I Lie proved to be a nice change. A book usually wins me over if a) feel something for the characters or b) I generate tears during the reading process. This book succeeded on both counts. 

Be warned though: If I Lie is seriously full of angst. If sad stories aren't your thing, I'd recommend proceeding with caution.






Severed by Scott Snyder 

I haven't read too many comics/graphic novels but this one worked for me. Suitably creepy and weird. The ending was A+.










Wasteland by Francesca Lia Block

I adore Francesca Lia Block's writing but don't really think much of the strength of her stories. Wasteland was a pleasant exception. Romantic and magical with just the right amount of surrealism. This is probably my favourite book by FLB.