Kevin Lau

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 7/30: A Book You Don't Think You'll Like

As much flak as I give YA, I can't deny that it is simultaneously the worst and best genre in all of literature. Unlike with adult or, surprisingly, children's novels, Young Adult is a lot of GO GO GO! Thin plots! Flat characterization! Lost potential but it doesn't matter because it's just soooo relatable to the youth!

Young Adult fiction is the genre that tries really hard to get people who think reading is dumb (Yay! Pressures of fitting in!) to pick up a book and go from cover to cover. If the plot slows down at any point for the characters to reflect and develop, a sub-literate teenager will most likely drop it unless it becomes a phenomenon with a film.

This is why I'm always hesitant to read YA. The popular 2% are rather bland and 95% are trying to mimic what works for others. Thankfully, Mariah Fredericks falls into the narrow 3% that are legitimately good.

Mean Girls meets [random witch story] isn't an apt description here. Sure, you've got your typical high school setting with the bitch squad bullying the protagonist and pushing them to take measures into her own hands. Sure, you've got some spells casted too. Ultimately, though, Mariah Fredericks writes a very moving story about why you shouldn't beat yourself up and how some things, even the death of someone you know, are out of control and aren't always your fault.

By literature standards, the plot is rather thin but could easily be adapted to film. The pacing and overall structure is perfect and every beat matters. The characterization is strong for the main cast, with the protagonist and antagonist servicing as two sides of the same coin, but minor characters are only mentioned when they're needed (like pulling them from a void). Season of the Witch doesn't necessarily paint an atmosphere, but its strong narrative really gets you inside the main character's head.

I really thought this was going to be trash. Outside of the fact the writing could be richer and perhaps a different editor should have been hired (some typos and lack of proper italicization), this book really outdid itself. This may not be the creepy horror story the marketing team suggests, but it's a good novel nonetheless.

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 12/30: A Nonfiction Book

I only realized through reading this that most people who know Dessa's music might have discovered her from the Hamilton Mixtape for her performance of the song Congratulations (which was a song cut from the original play). I, on the other hand, discovered her on a Spring Sampler album with her cover of Balance by The Mountain Goats. I really dug her voice and how it correlated with the choice of instrumental (way different from the original Mountain Goats song but still held true to its core. One of my favorite covers), so I looked into her discography and absolutely loved her 2018 album Chime.

Not only did I adhere to her voice and excellent rapping skills, but to her lyrics as well. Dessa mentions in her memoir that she seems to be born to perform burn songs, and she may be onto something. In her music, the poignant vocabulary carries its own weight and provides a strong momentum,, never missing a beat. The writing in this book shares a similar effect.

My Own Devices is a candid collection of essays where Dessa writes about her road to music and addiction to love. She's a Philosophy major turned rapper that has a unique interest in science. She recounts her father's big project, her road trips from touring with DoomTree, her on-again-off-again ex for over a decade, and questions the validity of certain ideas and behaviors. Dessa writes with a lot of experience and knowledge under her belt and the placement of the essays really works in her favor, creating a rollercoaster of emotions that make you laugh from her witty remarks or ponder your own behavior from her sharp insight, and this is a rollercoaster you want to ride.

In short, Dessa was robbed for not even being nominated for Best Memoir/Autobiography of 2018.

This middle-grade series finally has a conclusion and, though I'm giving this 4 stars, it's a very satisfying one. The prose doesn't always feel up to snuff sometimes, partly for narrative purposes as this entry is “being written” by a character lacking writing experience and an understanding of emotions, and occasionally creates a passive reading experience where my eyes kind of gloss over a couple pages until the next event happens.

Still, it's a conclusion that was worth the wait and gave me that funny feeling you get when a story is finally over.

DNF at 81%

Commits a cardinal sin of not starting its story until the midpoint. Even then, I didn't find any of the ideas it was engaging with interesting and everything I felt was interesting was either glossed over or left incomplete.

It's a meandering story with good, generic prose, each chapter giving a ton of unnecessary set-up then presenting half a scene. Strange, unmotivated presentation of timeline all for a simple premise that will lead to a predictable conclusion.

I modern take on Greek underworld stories, BUT I like to think of it as Infinity Train meets Greek Mythology (because, as some of my friends know, I absolutely adore that show).

Picked this up from the library based on a friend's review and instantly ordered a copy of my own upon finishing. Only four issues, Submerged follows Elysia Puente as she searches for her missing brother through an old subway tunnel during a flash flood. Magical realism rears its ugly head as Elysia is forced to confront her past and inner demons if she hopes to make it back to the surface.

It's full of emotional pains and growth, highs and lows, with an ending that brought a tear to my eye. Best of all, it's only $14.99 for the volume and I can't wait to read it again!

My friend's (Caleb's) review: https://youtu.be/kkNeC0xnRmc

A solid novel that keeps its story short, sweet, and touching. Though I think the translation needs a redo (lots of common phrases butchered by the wrong synonyms and an inconsistent voice), the idea, themes, and emotions still make it through to create a satisfying reading experience.

Don't judge me. I only read this because it was the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Novel of 2014. However, I have to disagree.

Meet the Sinclairs: A perfect family. No one is poor. No one is starving. No one is a criminal. When seventeen-year-old Cadance Sinclair returns to the family summer island of Beechwood after her accident that caused amnesia, she notices things have changed since she was last there two years ago. At least, from what she could remember and what her mother told her. Cadence tries to have a fun summer, with her cousins: eccentric Johny and soft Mirren. She wants to get back together with a long ago love, Gat. However, Cadence knows that information is being kept from her about what happened on the summer she can barely remember.
Something big.
So big,
in fact,
it might just
blow your mind.I'm not in the target audience, but I'll try to make my review as unbiased as possible. However, I really enjoyed the main plot (the part of the story where Cadence is trying to solve her mystery). It was the only part of the book that kept me hooked and led me to finishing it. The writing is also great for the most part. The narration is beautiful in most areas, but the dialogue feels flat nearly all the time. The dialogue in John Green's The Fault in our Stars is more realistic than the dialogue in here, but it is still readable.Then there's the 40% of the book I couldn't care less about: the romance. Now, don't get me wrong, I try to keep an open mind with everything I read and watch. In fact, I find romances I actually enjoy (The Fault in our Stars and Looking for Alaska for example). Although, the romance in this book is so sappy and cliche, it was worth multiple eye-rolls and audible groans. Thankfully, it was only 40% of the book.“It's Gat. My Gat. But is he still my Gat?”Though well-written, the focus of We Were Liars is unbalanced. I wanted more of the main plot than anything else, which was absolutely great with an amazing twist I didn't see coming, but that 40% really bogged down my enjoyment. Twist of the year? Maybe. Best young adult book of the year? No. If you want another one close to the same synopsis, I highly recommend The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno instead.If you did not like the style of how the synopsis ended, you may not like the book.

Collected in single issues and bought the volume too because I love it that much! Radiant Black is my favorite new comic that I've read this year and, now on issue #7, the series just gets better and better.

For my full thoughts, check out this episode of Committed Critics!

Though many may find it disturbingly vivid in the first half, the emotional journey this novels takes you through is astounding and truly jaw-dropping in certain segments. It's not a comfort read what with all the sequences of abuse and racism, holding nothing back, but it ends in such a satisfying way.

I'm at a loss for words on this novel. This review (which is the top Goodreads review as of writing this) praises it far better than I ever could.