If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch review

THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND ... 

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen-year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey's younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and the girls are found by their father, a stranger, and taken to re-enter the "normal" life of school, clothes and boys. 

Now, Carey must come to terms with the truth of why their mother spirited them away ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won't let her go ... a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn't spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

From Goodreads

Carey has made as much peace as is possible with her "home" in One Hundred Acre Wood. She and her little sister Jenessa (Ness) have a (run down) camper, (some) canned food, a shotgun for self-defense and hunting, and most importantly each other. That's why she feels completely distraught when a man and woman show up at their campsite to take them away. With their mother MIA for several weeks now, on one of her worst meth benders in a while no doubt, Carey doesn't understand how the people knew where to find the girls and (more importantly) how they know the truth about the girls' mother.

Whisked away into the land of plenty by Carey's biological father, the girls find themselves overwhelmed by all the differences between their idea of normal and society's idea of normal. With a world of indoor toilets, light switches, and unfamiliar words, Carey and Ness begin to unravel the truth about their existence in the woods. The hardest part is sharing that truth with those who hold the power to destroy all that Carey loves in this world. Stuck between two worlds, Carey must help Ness find her voice and in doing so, find her own.

Wow. This is without a doubt one of the most triumphant and moving YA books I have read. While outwardly it seems to be such a simple premise, the contents of this book gripped me tight and made me see the truth of the story. It's not just about family, love, and hardship. It's about truth, beauty, and above all hope.

With the story being told from Carey's point of view, we get an encompassing tale. If the story were told any other way, I don't know that it would have had as much power. Carey is the key to the story since she is the only one to experience all the central events. She is the bridge that takes us from the woods, to town, and then into the past to explore the truth of the situations she is facing.

The incredible thing about the writing in this book is the detail. Emily Murdoch did a marvelous job conveying the girls' experience of such simple things that we take for granted every day. Light switches, hot water, opening a vehicle trunk, even bedazzled jeans were so foreign to these girls that the author had to convince you that they were experiencing it for the first time, but without boring you. She did an incredible job because I continually felt like I was in their shoes and never once found myself bored.

The author also took tremendous care with the subjects she broached in this book. Being a kidnapped child of a bipolar, drug-addicted parent is beyond my comprehension, but the more disturbing things that Carey and Ness had to experience were handled with the delicacy of a rare flower. Most of the gritty events the girls' endured are told through specific verb-age and euphemisms that get the gist across to the audience. While there is one scene (towards the end) where she spares few details, it's still presented in a manner I think most young adults who've ever seen an episode of Law and Order: SVU can handle.

In short, don't pass this one up. I know it's not even coming out until late March, but it'll be well worth the wait. You'll love the characters and you'll have the pleasure of reading one of the most poignant books of 2013.

Provided by Around the World Tours

Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1) by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett and Rosie March are hunters. They eat, sleep, and breath hunting. We're not talking about rabbits & ducks; these girls hunt Fenris, wolves. These monsters take on men's forms to lure in young girls who they devour. After a horrific Fenris attack that left Scarlett horribly scarred with an eye patch & their grandmother dead, the girls began training with the Pa Reynolds, their neighborhood woodsmen. Growing up with Pa Reynolds's son Silas, the girls do their duty to protect their homeland.

When another wolf ambles by looking for the Potential, all three teen's senses are on alert. They decide to move to the city in search of better luck tracking the Potential & taking down the wolf population in the process. But Rosie isn't really in to it all. Silas, who has just returned from a year long hiatus in San Francisco, can see it in her eyes and encourages her to explore other activities. Rosie discovers that not only does she enjoy these other activities, but she actually has an aptitude for something besides throwing daggers. Scarlett is determined to put a stop to the turning of the Potential. Silas is torn between his heart's desire & his duty.

One thing is for sure, none of these three will ever be the same & the Fenris don't stand a chance against them united.

This was an interesting twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. This time though, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't necessarily need the woodsman to save her. These girls are tough and determined. They are presented as two parts of the same heart which is very understandable given their traumatic experience as children. Put together they really would make a dynamic person, but as two individuals they can't possibly remain together forever. Silas really is just there to throw hormones into the mix. I feel like he didn't really add much to the story other than being a catalyst for Rosie & acting as eye candy.

The Fenris were an interesting group. They really were wolf-possessed men with no souls instead of a traditional werewolf. That was an unexpected element as it made the Little Red Riding Hood background make more sense. I really liked the mythology behind the Potential and how the wolves sought him & found it quite enchanting.

Jackson Pearce is really onto something with this kind of storyline and I look forward to her future works as they seem to be heading down the fables & fairy tales path.

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis was provided by Around the World Tours and is set to be released April 27, 2010 by Balzer + Bray.

Joy has grown up listening to other people's desires and not in the conventional manner. Joy can Hear what others desire. It's a kind of telepathy that has been passed down through the female generations of her family. Both Joy and her older sister Jessica ("Icka") have this ability but neither of them use it the same way. Joy likes to do just what her name suggests, she Hears people's desires and finds joy in giving them what they want. Icka can't seem to Hear anything but the worst from people, which is why she is an outcast in society. She can't seem to make or keep friends because of her Hearing issue.

Icka received her nickname due to her foul attitude. And this foul attitude has gotten on Joy's last nerve. After years of ruined birthdays, the family has decided that this year is going to be different and disaster-free. Of course Icka manages to get some jabs in that morning, causing ruffled feathers among Joy's friends. This is the straw that breaks Joy's back. She tracks her sister down and blows up at her, making sure that Icka understands that she never wants to see, hear, or Hear her sister again.

So when Icka doesn't come home that evening, Joy is content to be placated by her mother's explanation that Icka has gone to visit a local college. But by the next morning, following random clues, Joy realizes that Icka's not okay. And that she might just get her wish never to see Icka again. Now, with her newly-discovered, juvenile deliquent confidant, Joy must rush to find Icka before her sister does something to permanently silence the Whispers.

I must say that this was a spectacular book! I really enjoyed this form of telepathic communication as it was different than many of the others that I've read about in these types of books. It's not exactly reading the mind because it specifically focuses in on just desires. I'm also a really big fan of genealogical gifts, especially when it's one that the character has had to grow in to and deal with. I find giving characters phenomenal power that they've never even heard of tends to be hard to pull off convincingly.

I really liked these characters, even the mean ones, because they just seemed so familiar. I have actually met people like them and could believe their interactions. Most of the time, for me, I can at least identify most of the characters, but I have trouble believing their interactions. Some writers only get some of the interactions right (mostly the familial ones) but have trouble with different personalities. I found that most of the main personality types that exist were represented in this book and interacted accordingly. Such a joy not to go, "A shy person would never do that!"

The story was quite well done, although for someone who just wants to make other's happy, Joy is awfully trusting. I mean she runs off with a guy she barely knows (and by barely I mean she noticed him like 3 days before) to save her sister. Although the explanation behind why they trust each other so intensely so quickly is very interesting, but to get that scoop you'll have to read the book. A delightful pleasure, filled with things that actually make you think about relationships and personal dynamics, Whisper is a winner!

Waiting on Wednesday: Whisper

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's selection is Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis and is set to be released April 27th 2010 by Balzer + Bray.

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable.

Still, when Joy hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

From Goodreads

So, yeah. This sounds very mysterious. I get the whispers and that both the sisters have the gift, but I really want to know what would cause Joy to "desert[ing] her friends, steal[ing] a car and run[ning] away with a boy she barely knows." That just sounds far out there. I can't imagine something (other than murdering someone or committing a MAJOR crime) that would cause me to do all that. That being said, this synopsis has peaked my interest in "hearing voices." Hope it's going to be a good one.

So what are you waiting on?

The Sky is Everyehwere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere is a great novel by debut author Jandy Nelson. It will be available in stores March 9, 2010.

Lennie Walker feels abandoned. Not just because her mother disappeared when she was a year old, but as the quirky, clarinet-playing, little sister to her queen-of-the-stage sister Bailey, Lennie has never really had to stand out on her own. She could hide in her sister's shadow and never have to worry about being noticed. That is, until the day that Bailey dies. Lennie's whole world is turned upside down by this one event.

Left behind to ponder how she will go on, Lennie isn't alone. Bailey's boyfriend Toby can't seem to stay away from their family as they're the only ones he can commiserate with. Unfortunately for Lennie, the line dividing her and Bailey into two individuals becomes blurred when Toby can't seem to stay away from her. This does not bode well for anyone, especially the new flame in town who is head-over-heels for Lennie.

And not to be outdone, there is even more drama at home with Lennie's Grandmother and Uncle Big who want to help her move through this tough time. They keep trying to get her to pack up Bailey's things and talk to them about what she's feeling, when all Lennie wants to do is keep Bailey's memory alive as long as she can; even if it means shutting out the world. The thing is, you can only run from the truth for so long before you're winded and it catches up to you.

Absolutely beautiful. That's what comes to mind when I think of this book. I wanted to read it slowly so that I could savor it, but it was so page-turning that I couldn't stop myself. Lennie is about as real as it gets. I swear she could have walked right off the page and danced in my living room. She is vivacious and funny, poignant and thoughtful, and above all conflicted. This story is about love, loss, recovery, and learning. Life is not easy and it most certainly isn't fair and that is never more obvious than when you're a teenager.

I found myself laughing out loud at the hilarious parts (a massive arborist uncle who tries to revive deceased bugs under replica Egyptian pyramids?) and sobbing at the most difficult scenes. My heart actually broke with the characters and I rejoiced when they triumphed. The writing was wonderful with a colorful vocabulary and the style is one that I am very fond of: there is poetry (written by the main character) scattered throughout the book and throughout the setting. This very natural habit to document emotions makes Lennie even more present in my mind.

Truly, I believe that Jandy Nelson has joined the likes of many great authors of contemporary YA fiction: Sarah Dessen, Francesca Lia Block, and Laurie Halse Anderson come to mind. This is book is imaginative, powerful, genuine, and unforgettable. I don't think I know anyone who couldn't empathize and understand this book, so go ahead and read it.