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When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer

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Soledad Reyes’s entire life is dance — she lives it, breathes it, and eats it. She attends an arts academy for high school in Miami and devotes everything to her talent.

But when Jonathan Crandall, another arts academy student, proposes Soledad try out for the role of Carmen in his bugle corps’s summer traveling tour, her life will change for ever. And not just because she’s taking her dancing elsewhere: she’s also falling head over heels in love.

When the Stars Go Blue can probably be best described by the word sultry. While reading this, I could not help but draw the comparisons between the steamy romance that builds between Soledad and Jonathan to the ones that develop in Simone Elkeles’s Perfect Chemistry series. They’re quick, swoon-worthy, and hot! It’s little wonder why Ferrer has earned a RITA award in the past. Their attraction to one another is immediate and passionate, and I love how intricately entwined it is with their pursuits of their skills — hers in dance and his in bugle corps.

But oh, the fall. We know going into the story this is a relationship which won’t last, and we know that because this book’s storyline is based upon the famous play Carmen. Although I was told to read up on that before diving into the book, I chose to go in without knowledge and see if the story worked. It does — but I would recommend doing a little background reading on Carmen just to see how the parallels work, whether before or immediately after reading this title.

Ferrer’s prose is among some of the most fluid and dynamic I’ve read in a long time. I book talked this title to 9th graders a few weeks back, and rather than giving them a long synopsis of the story, I simply read the first two pages. The language not only sets the stage but it also gives a strong depiction of who Soledad is: a driven, hard-working dancer who pushes herself to her limit.

The tension in the novel is palpable. It’s not only in the relationship between Soledad and Jonathan but also in their hard work on the ground at their corps performances. The devotion to their work can only translate into their relationship, and it’s this intensity and tension that ultimately changes the entire course of Soledad’s life.

Because of the forceful pulse throughout the story, this was a quicker paced novel, but the language forced me to slow down. At times, especially near the end of the book, I found the story itself limped behind the writing. Fortunately, the language makes up for these weaker plot points and let me overlook some weaknesses in the plot. This is a rare novel that will appeal to those who like their books to read quickly and those who want to savor each word.

One thing that didn’t quite work for me as a reader in this one was the use of a journal as a plot device for us to get insight into Soledad’s mindset. It didn’t come through consistently enough for me. I wish it had been pushed a little bit more or not included at all. I was set up to believe it would play a bigger role from the beginning when in actuality, it plays a more minute role until the very end.

When the Stars Go Blue is a novel I devoured and one in which I rode a roller coaster of feelings about both of our main characters (and the big third character who appears later on). I loved them and hated them in equal parts. It’ll appeal to fans of romances, though be forewarned that there is plenty of sexual tension so it’s better for your older teen readers. Pass this one off to those seeking a solid story about pursuing one’s creative talents, especially to dancers or musicians. There’s also little doubt on the appeal of this book to fans of theater.

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

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Cara and Zoe were best friends in their youth, but since sixteen-year-old Cara moved away, they’ve drifted. Now, Cara’s lonely in her new school and is harassed by a group of mean girls in her school. What’s worse is living next door to one of these girls who hosts parties nearly every weekend. It makes Cara’s life miserable.

But when an incident in the school cafeteria brings Cara close to her big crush Ethan and Zoe mysteriously appears at her house, begging for shelter, things change. Suddenly, there’s a dead girl, a missing girl, and perhaps a little more possibility for Cara to snag Ethan all for herself.

Choker is a fast-paced novel that can be devoured in one sitting — which is saying a lot, since I don’t usually read things cover to cover. This one, though, I completely ate up.

At the beginning of this novel, I didn’t buy Cara’s assessment of the girls in her school: she seemed convinced they were mean to her, but I had absolutely no evidence of this. The girls made fun of her but it didn’t seem to me anything beyond typical (it’s high school, after all). This really bothered me, and it made me question my belief in Cara as a narrator almost straight away.

As the plot unraveled further, I saw that my assessment was solid here. I saw what was happening in this book from the first pages, even though I didn’t want to acknowledge it immediately. That is to say, this book is really predictable. Almost too predictable. I knew what was coming well before it came. The end didn’t surprise me in the least and in fact, I was pretty let down that it didn’t take a twist I didn’t expect. Unfortunately, I think that teen readers will see this ending coming from a mile away, as well.

When I finished the book, I couldn’t quite put words to what bothered me the most. I don’t think the predictability is what did it for me. I think that this is the kind of book that, had it been written down for a younger teen or tween audience, would be so much stronger. I think readers in that range haven’t quite read enough to predict the outcome and would find what happens to be really compelling and exciting. I don’t think there’s enough stuff with this sort of edge to it for that readership. However, because this book DOES have a lot of really tough stuff in it — sex and drinking — this isn’t an appropriate title to hand to those younger readers.

At times, I found the writing to be a little bit clunky, as well. I think it may have gotten tied up in the plotting here. There’s an overuse of verbs and descriptors that aren’t necessary, and I wish those words would have been used to build up the plot arc a bit more. Some of the repetitive images that come up didn’t seem to serve a greater purpose; they were there to slow me down and make me question my instincts about where the story was going. That tactic didn’t work for me as a reader, though I think it could work for a younger set.

That said, I think that Woods’s debut is one worth reading, despite the faults. It’s an easy one to read because of the pacing and because you will be wondering whether you’ve figured the game out or not. Fans of mysteries will probably like this (though they will know what’s coming) but you might want to try this book out on your fans of contemporary, edgy titles. It’ll give them a taste of a different genre. I think, too, if you know your middle grade/early high school readers — especially those in the 8th and 9th grade set — and you know that the heavy stuff won’t be problematic, you may want to try this one out with them.

In My Mailbox (22)

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Welcome to In My Mailbox, a weekly feature hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren to highlight the books purchased, received for review, or picked up at the library in the last week.

It’s been a rough week – extremely busy with little pay off. Fortunately, there were some good books picked up during the week and a spot of awesome news that came through Friday night. I’ll share that at the end.

For review:

Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brenden Halpin: This one looks like a lighthearted comedy. I read the pair’s Notes from the Blender and loved it, so I’m excited for this one.

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf: I got my first ever pitch via Twitter for this one, and it is completely up my alley. Secrets, sisters, and an Iowa setting.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano: This one came in a cool black box. It was packed in pink confetti and came with a small tube of pink candy. Since it’s my third copy of this dystopian, I guess that means I really should bump it up my to-read list since it’s one that’ll be getting a lot of buzz when it drops in March. The other copies I plan on passing off to my teens at work after their first book club meeting (more on that in a second!).

From the library:

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King: I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while, and now that it got a Printz honor, I am trying to bump it up my list.

XVI by Julia Karr: This debut title is a dystopian got high praises from some folks I know and trust, and it also happens to be the book my teen book club chose as their first title. Looks like excellent discussion material. And since I’ve been asked kindly by more than one person, I will share how the discussion goes when we finish — we’re lucky enough to also get a chance to chat with the author during our book club meeting. I’m all about the interaction and cannot wait to see the looks on my teens’ faces.

Other:
I had a program to go to on Friday as a kickoff to planning Summer Reading at the library, and on the way, one of my colleagues had two graphic novels to pass to someone more interested. I was glad to take those off her hands. Then, I was also a door prize winner at the event, which meant I got to pick up another prize book from a small pile.

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang: Family, video games, and a bit of magical realism in this graphic novel.

Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not) by Jason Shiga: Shiga wrote Meanwhile which got a lot of praise recently. This one looks really, really up my alley after my Julia Wertz binge, even though the stories are quite different. This one’s about romance and New York City and the illustrations looks excellent.

How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen: This tween/early teen novel is about a guy who likes to bowl. Supposed to be quite funny and has a little romance in it.

So on to the good news from this week:

This week, I finally heard word that a proposal Sarah and I put together for this summer’s American Library Association annual conference was accepted! We’ll be running a table talk all about (drum roll!) contemporary young adult literature and why it’s such an important collection area, despite being overlooked again and again on so many “best of” lists. We’re focusing on a number of different topics, including the ways today’s debut and new authors match up with standard authors, crucial themes emerging in the literature, names you need to know, websites to keep track of, and more. To say we’re thrilled would be an understatement. There is nothing more exciting than sharing something I’m passionate about and firing other people up about them, too. So if you’ll be in New Orleans this summer for the conference, stop by our session! Even if you can’t make it there, we’re hoping we can post something on our blogs to share ideas with all our readers.

Beautiful by Amy Reed

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When Cassie begins 7th grade in a new school, she doesn’t want to be ordinary. Doesn’t want to be part of the masses of kids who are all the same, boring and typical and average. And she’s lucky when Alex notices her, introduces her to a group of guys who think she’s the most beautiful thing they’ve seen. Little 7th grade Cassie’s made it cool with a group of 9th graders and knows her year will be much more than boring.

Thing is, these kids aren’t really the popular kids or the cool kids. They’re the kids who are into doing bad things. Into drugs and alcohol and abusing any and all substances they can get their hands on. Into lots of sex. Into lots of parties.

Cassie gets caught up in this world until she loses the one thing she’s learned to care about the most.

Beautiful is the ultimate readalike to Ellen Hopkins — it is edgy, dark, and immediately gripping. This fast-paced read dives deep into the personal crisis of a girl coming into her own and making a series of poor choices that, in the end, we don’t know the ultimate repercussions of. It’s a satisfying ending, to say the least, for those who are comfortable with a book that doesn’t answer as many questions as it brings up.

I wavered back and forth on the believability of Cassie as a 7th grader, as many of the situations she finds herself in felt much older, much more late high school than middle school, but when I finished the book, I thought she was exactly the age she needed to be. Getting involved in this older group exposed her to things she’d otherwise not experience until high school, and since the kids she was with were 9th graders, their own desires to feel and act older had an impact on Cassie, too.

Let me put it more bluntly: Cassie gets into drugs, and it’s not pretty. She’s not the beautiful girl she’s been told she is. She’s ugly. Day long drug-induced hazes and black outs are what makes one pretty. As a reader, you’re right there with her, wanting to tell her to stop it and get a grip but at the same time, you want to see her figure it out for herself. She’s so young and naive. And the thing is, she’s also SMART. She’s in advanced classes and does exceedingly well without an ounce of effort (though it’s likely the adderall helps out a bit). Cassie is used and abused by those she hangs out with.

There’s a scene in a discussion Cassie has with Sarah, a girl with whom she becomes quite close, that I think sort of defines the entirety of Cassie — she asks Sarah if having sex is supposed to be boring. If she’s supposed to get something out of it or if it’s meant to just be something girls do and deal with. Cassie’s on the verge of something here. She knows and doesn’t know how wrong what she’s doing and feeling are but she can’t put those pieces together right. She’s a tough sort of character to hold in your head and one who you will want to dissect and discuss — do we ever know who she really is? For me, this conflict of character worked really well.

One contentious point in the book comes through the portrayal of the parents. We get very little face time with mom and dad in this book, other than knowing that they’re married and still around. Dad and mom both seem to have an idea of what’s going on with Cassie, though neither acts upon it. Although it seems a little unrealistic, what made this work for me was remembering this book is told from Cassie’s perspective; her skewed perception and her drug-influenced thinking would make her parents to be as they are. I think both her parents were much more concerned and made concerted effort to help, but she couldn’t see it. She was elsewhere.

Although I like the ending, the unknowing of what happens to Cassie, I was really sad that the end comes at not the expense of herself but at the expense of another character. A character I wanted to know more about but know I couldn’t learn more about because Cassie wouldn’t let me. Obviously, this character meant a lot more to Cassie than we’re ever led to believe, but it would be impossible to know more than we do or else the ending wouldn’t serve as something meaningful to her.

My favorite part of the entire book, though, was the writing. Reed writes in an incredible stream of conscious style and the way the words are tied together really give us the flesh of who Cassie is. I’m right there in her mind and I can’t get out of it. It reminded me a lot of Blake Nelson’s Girl and this is a connection I really appreciate.

Even though our main character in this book is a 7th grader, this is a book with appeal to older readers. I would be brave enough to say, too, if you know your reader and think that a middle schooler could handle the challenges here, you could sell this to them, too. But I emphasize: know your reader because this is not an easy story to read or understand, and I don’t mean that only in the sense of the drugs and sex that are involved. Fans of Ellen Hopkins (whose blurb on the paperback was enough to sell one of my teens on it), Gail Giles, Courtney Summers, and other unflinching contemporary fiction with real voice and pulse will eat this up. To say I’m eager for Reed’s summer release, Clean, after reading Beautiful would be an understatement.

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

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In Enchanted Ivy, Lily is visiting her dream college, Princeton, with her mother and grandfather for her grandfather’s 50th class reunion.  Her grandfather, being deliberately cryptic, takes her to a super-secret meeting on campus where she’s told she’s been selected to take the Legacy Test.  Her task is to find the Ivy Key.  She’s given no other hints or direction – it’s simply “Find the Ivy Key.”  If she passes, she’s guaranteed acceptance into Princeton.  If she fails, she’s not guaranteed acceptance, but she’ll still get her fair shot with all the other applicants.
It seems like a win-win scenario: she won’t really lose anything by trying, and if she passes the test, the stress of applying and waiting for the acceptance letter will be off her shoulders for good.  Of course, as soon as Lily undertakes the test, she discovers that nothing is as it seems – the gargoyles start talking to her, she’s being followed around by a boy with orange hair who says he wants to help (but does he?), and then she’s attacked by a creature that can’t possibly exist.  Suddenly, the test has turned dangerous and the stakes have risen.

I loved the idea of a Da Vinci Code-type scavenger hunt on a college campus, and the idea of talking gargoyles was different enough to intrigue me.  Talking gargoyles have of course been done before, but at least they’re not fairies or vampires or something else that I’m completely burned out on.  I was interested to see what Durst would do with them.
Unfortunately, the scavenger hunt only lasted about a third of the book (maybe even less), and the plot devolved from that point.  On her quest to find the Ivy Key, Lily discovers that Princeton is the gateway to a magical realm, another Princeton populated by a bevy of magical creatures including dragons and various were-animals.  The rest of the book involves Lily’s interactions with the orange-haired boy and the graduates who assigned her the test, her explorations of the magical Princeton and its denizens, and several (and I mean several) revelations about her own family (including her mentally unstable mother).
It could have been interesting, but it’s mostly just messy.  The plot points are thrown at the reader rapidly without much fleshing out.  There’s certainly something to be said for a fast-moving plot (I’m a huge fan when it’s done well), but it still needs to be written convincingly.  Durst didn’t make me believe in her story, and as a result I couldn’t get lost in it.  There’s too much going on.  There’s also a fairly pedestrian love triangle that is so underdeveloped I wish it weren’t there at all.  (This love triangle does bring us some monumentally cheesy lines about soul mates and the like – perhaps my younger self would not have rolled her eyes as I did a few weeks ago when I read the book.)
I think the story would have been so much stronger if Durst had weeded out a few of the stray plot points and concentrated her efforts on fleshing out the central ideas.  The story would have been simpler and there would have been a lot fewer “oh my gosh!” moments, but the characters and setting would also have been given more time to shine.  Sometimes simplifying a book’s plot can make it a more complex read in terms of character or theme.
My other main complaint is that the other Princeton wasn’t developed enough for my liking.  I’m a hardcore fantasy lover and read it almost exclusively as a teenager – I demand a lot from my magical worlds.  Other readers may not be so demanding and may actually appreciate a lot less world-building in their fantasy novels (those weirdos…I kid, I kid).  It didn’t help that one of Lily’s first sights when she’s in the magical Princeton is of dragons flying over a playing field.  From then on, other Princeton looked like Hogwarts to me.
Enchanted Ivy had a lot that appealed to me as a student.  I would have grabbed this title my junior year of high school when I was feeling the pressure about getting into the good colleges (and I wasn’t even applying to places like Princeton).  There aren’t enough books that talk about the college experience, and while Lily isn’t really a college student yet, at least she’s on a college campus, so we’re halfway there.
I can appreciate what Durst was trying to do with Enchanted Ivy, but it didn’t really pull itself together in the end.  I’d recommend the book to teens who are looking for a different sort of fantasy – not your usual paranormal or fairy tale re-telling, but also not something that requires a huge investment in world-building on the scale of a lot of epic fantasies out there today.  It’s a light read and doesn’t take long to get through, but it could have been much better.