Smith Reads

Countdown by Deborah Wiles

Feb 24, 2015

Countdown is a new type of novel-- a Documentary novel-- that includes newspaper clippings, photos, documentary screenshots, along side the story of Franny, an 11-year-old girl trying to live her "normal" life amidst threats of nuclear war. The story takes place in October of 1962 and details the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Franny's life is full of those things that should occupy a normal pre-teen: boys, friends, frienemies, annoying little brothers, beautiful older sisters, etc. Her life is constantly interrupted by the duck-and-cover drill (Just be like Bert!) and the threat of instant annihilation (how can you duck-and-cover OUTSIDE?).Some may find the constant insertion of documentary materials distracting, but I believe they really serve to put the reader in the mindframe of someone from the 1960s. There are plenty of difference between then and now, and the reader needs to be constantly reminded that it isn't 2015 in Franny's world, and she can't just call 9-1-1 from her cell phone if needed. There are times with the constant thread of duck-and-cover can become overwhelming, but that just goes to show how much it was on the minds of everyone for thirteen days in 1962. How would you live your life day-to-day if you were constantly afraid of being blown to dust every second?

Overall, I think Wiles did an amazing job of transporting the reader back to a time period where fear was the #1 M.O., and I'm sure many can relate today with all the fear-mongering that goes on in the media, or perhaps the constant safety threats that play out at school and/or at home. Wiles reminds us of a time in our history where Preparedness was necessary, but how far have we really come from 50 years ago when we through WWIII was so eminent?

Smith's Rating:

The Mortal Instruments Series

Jan 18, 2015

City of Bones

So, I'm probably a little late to the party, seeing as how this book was published in 2007, and there was a (supposedly horribly) movie made in 2013, and it seems the bandwagon has moved on to other titles since then. However, these books gained popularity during my Dark Times-- the years where I couldn't stand to read books because I was consumed with essay-reading. Having missed the initial bandwagon doesn't make these books any less appealing, so I thought I'd try them out to see what all the fuss was about. Admittedly, I was hesitant to read yet another popular book that had become so sensationalized to be made into a film, but after friends and online research told me to forget the movie even existed, I decided to get over myself and read the book. Well, now I'm hooked.

The world of the Mortal Instruments is not so unlike our own, which is an interesting trend in YA book series as of late. Everything is close enough to us that we are captivated by the thought of something dark and seedy happening unknown all around us. We are pulled in with our unlikely heroine into the dark world of the Shadowhunters, the demons they kill, and their unsteady truce with half-humans, the Downworlders. But that's enough about politics. The adventure and mystery is pretty intriguing and enough to keep the pages turning.

This is not the most glowing review, however. I found the writing to be cheesy at times, with jarring issues that pulled me out of the narrative. "Speeded-up film" to describe something fast-paced, for example (couldn't use time-lapse or some other cinematography term?). Some of the descriptions left me still wondering what exactly was going on. It was like the Cassandra Clare could see it perfectly in her own mind, yet lacked the clarity of language to truly convey what she saw in her head. The ending left me very unsatisfied, but I guess that's to be expected from a series that wants you to go out and read the next book, which is exactly what I intend to do. Even if the first one wasn't perfect, there are enough redeemable qualities to get me invested in the characters and to see them in their continuing adventures.

Smith's Rating:

City of Ashes

The second book in the Mortal Instruments series was just as action-packed as the first. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Now that Clary has recovered her mom, I thought for sure it would be all hunky-dory, but it turns out that this coma is harder to shake than we'd expect. But, this turns out to be a minor plot-point in comparison to all the other pieces going on in this book. There's a new take on vampires (seeing as how everyone needs their own variety, thank you Twilight). There're more Down-worlders and their intricate societies. And there's awkward love-triangle-but-it's-my-brother feels in this story. But, since this is the second book of a series, revealing too much about the story here will just give away WAY too much of the first book. You'll have to just read it to figure out more!

I found it to be a page-turner, and not as cringe-worthy as the first book. There weren't as many jarring phrases that took me out of the world of Clary and her strange, new family. Clary was still a little whiny at times, and the introduction of the "Inquisitor" character reminded me just too much of "Dolores Umbridge" from Harry Potter-- someone so frustrating and unlikable that you want to reach into the book and smack them around a bit for being so dim-witted and thick. However, Ms. Clare definitely knows how to keep you turning 'dem pages, and you'll be finished with this book before you know it. But, don't despair! There are several more books to go!

Smith's Rating:

City of Glass

The third installment of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series is, I feel, stronger than the 2nd one. Clary continues her trend of disobeying everything everyone says to her, and she ends up just outside the Shadowhunters' capital city of Idris despite everyone's insistence that she would be in too much danger. Jace is rightly convinced that the Council would abuse Clary's gifts of producing new runes were they to find out about her. But, she still has to save her mother, so shouldn't she be able to do whatever she feels necessary to wake her up?

In this book, we are given so much more history about the society and the inner-workings on the Shadowhunter society. Clary finds out a great deal about her family, especially about Valentine and his Circle. She gets to visit the site of her family home, and learns why her mother is in a coma. Valentine comes back with a bigger and badder scheme that has Shadowhunters and Downworlders working together.

On top of the much-needed history, Clare's writing is much more polished, as if she now has experience getting books published. The cringy details from the first installment are gone, and I was left with a complete experience from beginning to end where I didn't feel pulled out of the book. Clare still knows how to keep the pages turning, and I was done reading this series entry almost as soon as I began.

Smith's Rating:

City of Fallen Angels

This is the first book of the second trilogy, as named by author Cassandra Clare. In this installment, Luke and Jocelyn prepare for their upcoming nuptials, and Jace begins to avoid Clary like the plague. Most of the book follows Simon's adjustment to vampire life, and the unsettling feeling he gets from not belonging anywhere. Since Valentine's exit from the bad-guy scene leaves us antagonist-less, you're probably wondering who could be around still to threaten the otherwise "peaceful" life Clary is training for-- you know, the normal Shadowhunter existence of fighting demons and squabbling with Downworlders. Clare has selected her villain from another snippet of Christian mythos which she continues to build up on top of her previous books.

It is, overall, not my favorite. Not only is Clary's gift pretty much ignored in this book, it seems our lady warrior has actually gone back a few books to the cowering, helpless young girl we found in the beginning. Although Clary is training to fight demons, she has less courage when put in the situations. Where is that girl who, in City of Bones, fought against Abbadon and held her own beside three trained Shadowhunters? It seems Jace's training has been more of a detraction! There's also the annoyance that, in this book, is Bane and Alec. The two are absent for most of the book as they are jet-setting around the world, but their return shows Alec to be spoiled, petty, jealous, among other bad qualities. They fight for the entire 2nd half of the book because Alec can't believe Bane has been with other people, some of them including women. He feels betrayed and disgusted. Alec is supposed to be the oldest of the Lightwoods, yet he is acting like a child. Even when he explains his side of things, he's still, in my mind, petty and immature. Bane, if you want to dump Alec after all that, I wouldn't blame you.

I guess I still care enough about the series to continue reading, and Clare's style of writing has improved markedly from her first novel, but I'm sincerely hoping she has made better choices in regards to her characters' continued growth. Let's go forward, not back.

Smith's Rating:

City of Lost Souls

That's it. The love affair is over. I may be a hopeless fangirl, but when Clary and Jace are not together, it's just not worth it to me. It might be saying something that this book is tiny compared to the one before and after it. It's almost like Clare's heart wasn't in it either! Based on the cover, you'd think it be all about Clary and Jace, but it really isn't. I felt lied to. And, to make matters worse, some of the other "ships" are sinking all over this book. It should be the City of Broken Hearts. Sometimes, I can hand it to writers that get me to care about the characters and what happens to them, but when I close the book thinking the author has done a DISSERVICE to her characters because she wants people to buy her next book, then I don't know if I can continue reading the story. If you haven't guessed by now, I am a completely character-driven reader, and I really need to care about characters, but also know that the AUTHOR cares about those characters too.

***MAJOR FREAKIN SPOILERS AHEAD!***Clary spends almost the ENTIRE book looking for Jace, who was "kidnapped" at the end of the last book by Clary's brother, Sebastian aka Jonathan aka whatever-you-call-yourself-next. Clare brings in more blood magic to explain the connection between Sebastian and Jace, but, hello, did we forget he has a blood connection to CLARY?!? This plot hole/development almost proves that demon magic is stronger than angel magic, so what hope do they have of winning over Sebastian anyway? Once again, Clary's talents are a back-seat to everything else, and she is a weak, dejected little girl who can't save her boyfriend from her brother. There are a few times where she's like, "oh hey, I can make runes. That's right." and does something useful with it, but not nearly enough to really make her special for having this power. She is the only one in THOUSANDS of years who has been able to make new runes, but that is apparently unimportant to everyone around her who is just freaking out ONCE AGAIN that demons have the upper hand ONCE AGAIN in the struggle to ONCE AGAIN rid the Earth of creatures who shouldn't be here. BORED NOW! KThxBye.

Smith's Rating:

City of Heavenly Fire

Not sure this is ever going to happen. Read 50ish pages in, can't bring myself to read more. Maybe someday when I'm suffering from Insomnia...

Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Raul Colón

Oct 7, 2014

This wonderful tribute is beautifully illustrated by Raúl Colón, an award-winning children's book illustrator. Colón's watercolor portraits of Hispanic-Americans bring to life some of the most inspiring achievers of arts, politics, scientists, and others. Herrera pays tribute to many greats, like César Chávez, Desi Arnez, Sonia Sotomayor, among others, by weaving inspirational quotes within fitting biographical narratives. Herrera also pulls out some lesser-known-yet-still-influential heroes, such as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Luis W. Alvarez, Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos, and Louisiana's early governor Bernardo de Gálvez. The last tribute is a very recent hero, and is probably the most touching testimony of the book. Herrera composed a beautiful poem for Victoria Leigh Soto, the teacher from Newton, Connecticut that risked her life to save her students in a terrifying school shooting.

The book's intended audience is 8-12 year olds, so the biographies don't inundate readers with dates, facts, and histories. Instead, it reads much more like a story rather than a history textbook. This is a great book for people who want to celebrate influential people, but it's also great for learning a thing or two about important individuals that don't normally show up in standard history textbooks.

Cover of Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes

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