yoteach's reviews
387 reviews
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Cursing
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
3.0
Encouraged by this book's selection as Amazon's thriller of 2016, I decided to give it my full attention. The first few chapters are superb; the plane crash and the protagonists survival journey is gloriously written. I felt as though I was watching a movie. However, as the book wore on the tension decreased. It wasn't moving at the same pace I originally thought it would be. In many respects, this isn't a thriller. This is more like an incident happened, and this is how the next few weeks go. Several chapters are spent in existential/philosophical rants, which at times seemed over my head (think those weird dream sequences in The Revenant). The ending was satisfying but not the payoff I was going for. I like his style and will be looking for more Hawley books in the future.
The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir
3.0
Blurb: Esther Ann Hicks--Essie--is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage--and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media--through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell--Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?
Review: "The Book of Essie" is a fresh tale of teen angst set against the backdrop of her religious family. The author, Weir, gets many things right: her characterization is strong, alternating chapters between three people's perspectives, and her diction and tone are smart and appropriate, though it is told from a teen's perspective I would hesitate to catalog this as YAL and more adult contemporary. The story's narrators each drop bombs at various points in the novel keeping the novel from growing to a snail's pace. Yet, at times, the book seemed to drag; but that might be a "me" thing as I tend to read a majority of suspense/thriller books. "The Book of Essie" doesn't preach a certain kind of message, either, which was nice. Usually, books that speak about an individual rebelling from a Christian family tend to be harsh on Christianity or religions as a whole. This was not the case, and never felt attacked because of my own Christian faith. Hypocrites exist in every realm and "The Book of Essie" is simply pointing out the wrongs of her own upbringing, hoping to bring to light the injustice she feels. The final pages are incredible and especially timely for 2018. Give this one a read. 3 out of 5.
Review: "The Book of Essie" is a fresh tale of teen angst set against the backdrop of her religious family. The author, Weir, gets many things right: her characterization is strong, alternating chapters between three people's perspectives, and her diction and tone are smart and appropriate, though it is told from a teen's perspective I would hesitate to catalog this as YAL and more adult contemporary. The story's narrators each drop bombs at various points in the novel keeping the novel from growing to a snail's pace. Yet, at times, the book seemed to drag; but that might be a "me" thing as I tend to read a majority of suspense/thriller books. "The Book of Essie" doesn't preach a certain kind of message, either, which was nice. Usually, books that speak about an individual rebelling from a Christian family tend to be harsh on Christianity or religions as a whole. This was not the case, and never felt attacked because of my own Christian faith. Hypocrites exist in every realm and "The Book of Essie" is simply pointing out the wrongs of her own upbringing, hoping to bring to light the injustice she feels. The final pages are incredible and especially timely for 2018. Give this one a read. 3 out of 5.
The Weight of This World by David Joy
3.0
Though I did read them out of order, I have now finished David Joy's collection of novels. Each one has a specific voice and, I have come to learn, it is what makes me love his stories. What I find most interesting is that, though each novel takes place in some backwoods Carolina region, often containing drunk, drugged out characters, and terrible father figures--each story is its own unique tale. There are some commonalities, sure, but David Joy has now ingraitated himself as one of my favorite authors and someone I will continue to fully read out for the remainder of his writing days.
As for the story...the plot is slow at points and tense in others. That is not to say it is boring, far from that. Moreso Joy is a master of feeling the tempo of a book. There were some questions I had regarding character behavior--namely why Thad's route ended the way it did, and why the epilogue existed at all. However, the realism of defeated dreams that have been a constant in American lit since Of Mice and Men ring true in this story as well. A well written story with enough dark grit to go around.
As for the story...the plot is slow at points and tense in others. That is not to say it is boring, far from that. Moreso Joy is a master of feeling the tempo of a book. There were some questions I had regarding character behavior--namely why Thad's route ended the way it did, and why the epilogue existed at all. However, the realism of defeated dreams that have been a constant in American lit since Of Mice and Men ring true in this story as well. A well written story with enough dark grit to go around.
Just One Bite by Jack Heath
4.0
Hoo-wee, Jack Heath does it again. His first book in the Timothy Blake series, Hangman, was one of my top three books from 2018. This year's entry was just as good adding to the intrigue of Blake's world as a cannabalistic consultant to the FBI.