For a creative writer possession of the "truth" is less important than emotional sincerity. -George Orwell

• ISBN-13: 9780307451880
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
• Publication date: 7/17/2012
• Pages: 336
• Sales rank: 401,440
• Product dimensions: 5.30 x 7.86 (h) x 0.73 (d)

Summary: Nellie is in charge of taking care of her younger brother Henry for the summer. The adults are just too busy. Her mother is working as much as she can at the salon, and when she is home, she is always complaining about the lack of money that they have. Her father owns the family hardware store, but really spends all of his time working on a history of the city. In order to help with finances, the apartment in the basement is rented out to a young erotic dancer. This sets Nellie off on an adventure that has several ups and downs. To begin with, Nellie is fascinated with this dancer. She loves to eaves drop on her by listening in through the walls. Dolly, the dancer, then becomes a little more part of the family as she talks to Nellie’s older sister and mother. In the meantime, Max has started working with Nellie’s grandfather. Max is another fascination for Nellie. She likes talking to him. He seems to be the only adult that treats her as more than just a little kid. The problem is, she can tell that Max is interested in Dolly, but several men seem to be interested in her. She’s also seen Mr. Cooper, a local businessman, hanging around Dolly. She’s overheard conversations with Dolly on the phone with a man she seems to be dating. It’s all rather unclear. Then, something horrible happens! There is a murder and Nellie may be the only one that knows what really happened. This spirals Nellie into a moral dilemma. She tells one person the truth to what she believes it to be, but is told that she may be wrong. Nellie has to deal with the trial and attempting to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Who knows if she may be ruining one persons life to save someone who could be guilty.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The murder doesn’t happen until about half way through the book, but I could have done without that and the aftermath. I loved just following Nellie around as she lived her daily life through the summer. Her interactions with all that are around her and her astute observations are fun to be a part of. I love the lazy summer stories that just allow you to delve into the characters. Once the murder happens, things spiral around that and her attempts to hold things in or tell them out. I didn’t enjoy the last half of the novel as much as the first. I felt like I lost some of my connection with Nellie. It is realistic for a little girl to be obsessed with one particular topic. It is also frustrating when people don’t seem to believe her when she shares information. Towards the end of the novel, I felt bad that we have lost the innocent and observant child from the beginning; however, I appreciated Nellie’s character arc and found overall the book to be a great read.

• ISBN-13: 9781402271250
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
• Publication date: 9/1/2012
• Pages: 384
• Sales rank: 464,054
• Age range: 13 years
• Lexile: 0670L (what’s this?)
• Series: Embrace

Summary: Violet is turning 17 and her entire world is about to change. The man (definitely a man, 5 years or so older than she is), that she is in love with, Lincoln, is about to accidentally notify her of a HUGE secret. Violet is part angel. Not only is she part angel, but she will be hunted down by angels that have decided to defect to the same plane of existence as humans. These angels have come to this plane in order to have more influence on free will. The part angels, known as Grigori, are around purely to keep these angels in check. Violet’s powers are unlocking now that she has reached her birthday, but she has to make a choice if she wants to become a Grigori or not. The catch is that even if she chooses not to become Grigori these angels will hunt her down and kill her. Doesn’t sound much like free will to me! In the midst of this, Violet is pissed off at Lincoln because she says he lied to her by not telling her about the whole Grigori thing before she accidentally overhears it. Because she is all pissy with Lincoln, she ends up cuddling up close with Phoenix, an angel who dances with her on her birthday. Her entire attitude begins to change while she is with Phoenix, but he is definitely a big help to her learning her powers and how to control things. He eventually helps her transformation and mend some of the relationship with those around her.

My thoughts: Alright, I’m starting out saying that I didn’t really like the book. I can not stand Violet. It has been awhile since I have disliked a character as if they were a real person. Usually when I dislike a character it is because of something that the author has done, Violet was well written because I disliked her as a person. This must be a triumph for the author. She has written a character that is so believable that I have had this reaction. Violet is so whiny and annoying that I wanted her to not come out ahead in the end. I was literally rooting for the angels to rip her apart.
With that all said, I don’t think that the author did a great job with the love triangle. I felt like she was trying for the same type of angle as in the Hunger Games or Twilight where you clearly have fans for each of the boys, but it didn’t work. Lincoln is too weak a character and the interactions between him and Violet are not that awe-inspiring. She tells us that there is passion in the kiss, but I just didn’t feel it. Phoenix is hot and heavy, but not necessarily a likeable character. It’s clear that he has too much influence on the scenes in which they are together in and he comes across as creepy. Phoenix is my favorite character. I would rather read a book about him, but as a love interest it just doesn’t work for me. Plus, the sex scene between the two of them is fairly mature. It was a little stunning to me compared to a lot of the YA books that are available.
Finally, the plot is predictable. I shouldn’t have to expand much on that, but the book emphasizes free will so much that I wish I would have been able to see other options for the characters. I wanted to be able to visualize other options that were viable. What viable options are there for Violet if she does not choose to become a Grigori? She other becomes one and gets full access to her powers or she doesn’t and doesn’t get full access to her powers. Regardless, she is going to be hunted down by angels. Where is the choice? Blah! That is so aggravating. After that “choice” is made (forcefully, of course), the big battle occurs with the already known villains. I bet you can guess what happens next.