Review - JUST LISTEN

Just Listen - Sarah Dessen
Genre: YA Contemp Fiction
# of pages: 371 (pb)
Publisher: Viking, Penguin
I'm glad I read The Truth About Forever first! While I enjoyed that book immensely, it provided a smoother transition from lighter read to a heavier and more thematic. Again, although I liked TTAF a lot, Just Listen kept my attention and focus better, and I think it's because it was such a heavier book. I really could not put it down, and I read upwards of 150 pages at a time - which, on a school night, is pretty good for me!
This is just my 2nd Dessen book, but I'm already noticing patterns. THESE ARE LOVABLE, PERFECTLY FINE PATTERNS! Patterns are not bad! I actually liked comparing the characters from here with the ones in the other book and seeing how similar they were to each other. Why change your formula if you've got a good one? I actually think the consistency and familiarity is what makes Dessen so popular.
The only teeny weeny issue with using the same formula/patterns is that they get a little predictable. And so there were parts of this book that I saw coming from a mile away.
Also, you can expect characters to act a certain way, and so when they do, it's not always spontaneous or as "emotional" as the scene may need.
One of Sarah's many strengths is in her use of narrative voice. I liked Macy's voice in TTAF, and I like Annabel's voice too. Annabel seemed very realistic and her issues (an abject fear of confrontation and an inability to voice her thoughts and feelings) were understandable and genuine.
**However**, it was about page 350/371 before she actually started changing.
It got aggravating that the main character didn't really start undergoing a change until the book was almost over. It made Just Listen seem somewhat repetitive, because the same issues would happen over and over and no resolution would occur...until the very end. Also, the "moral universe" that these characters live in is incredibly amusing and kind of laughable. For example, 'good' teens can go to parties, drink alcohol, hook up, and do god knows what, *as long as they are home before CURFEW!* Oh, Lord kids, please don't break curfew! We can't have that!
Also, does anybody else (who's read the book) think that Sophie is just the biggest, stupidest b--- in YA fiction? It's funny what constitutes a 'slut' in her world, because apparently, 'hooking up' is perfectly acceptable in all situations except with someone else's boyfriend. Oh, glad we got that cleared up! (Sarcasm--I really have to stop doing that) But that's just something I noticed - it has nothing to do with the rating. That being said, there's one other thing about Just Listen that just seemed "off," and that's the subject matter. For a book that deals heavily with sexual assault, I thought this story was a very mediocre execution. It's one thing to go into denial, but Annabel just really didn't act like a victim...she was too detached, and I agree with the reviewers who argued that what you hear happened to Annabel isn't exactly what happened to her. I don't know, it just seemed like an extremely sensitive and mature topic that was handled a little too casually. Speak did a much better job, in my opinion. So I took off a point for that.
BUT... rape/sexual assault issue aside, I really liked the idea of learning to grow in confidence and finding one's voice. I liked Annabel's character transition, even if it was a little too slow, and I can't conclude this review without mentioning how much I love Owen! His taste in music is borderline ridiculous, and he kinda threw hissy fits when Annabel didn't echo his musical sentiments, but I absolutely loved his devotion and loyalty to her. What an excellent character! And I thought the way he interacted with his hyperactive little sister, Mallory, was so sweet! That was a nice touch that the author added :) Annabel's sisters, Kirsten and Whitney, were interesting, but I didn't really care about them as much as other reviewers. They were just kind of 'meh' for me. Overall, Just Listen was an excellent, quick read that I would definitely recommend to others!

Final Grade:Same grade as The Truth About Forever...check this one out if you haven't already!

Review - JESSICA'S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
# of pages: 351 (pb)
Publisher: Graphia
Age Recommendation: 14+

**This is one of my summer reads that I apparently never reviewed. I'm trying to transfer all my Goodreads reviews over here, so here's this one**

I started this book in April and finally got around to finishing it in July. That rarely happens. But I just got to the point where I had to have a break from this sucker (no pun intended). Has that ever happened to you guys?
Well, the beginning was really good, the middle part was rubbish, and the ending was alright. Sorry for sounding crass - usually I try and sound more objective and mature when I write reviews, but this book just took all the emotion out of me. It's one of those up-and-down books: there were things that were really cool about it. For example:

Jessica as a character: I love well-rounded characters who undergo a transformation throughout the story - keeps them from being stagnate and boring. I like how she learned to be assertive and take charge of her life. Bravo.

I liked the vampire lore here: yes, even the biting. I mean, they're vampires, they bite! That's what they do. I thought the author, Beth Fantaskey, really brought a lot of creative material to the table, and I also enjoyed her writing style. She gave just enough information without being overdone, but every scene was described with care and precision. That's a very hard balance to maintain and I thought she did a good job. Except for the letters. Lucius' frequent letter-format correspondence to his uncle was meant to be funny and amusing, I know, but it just seemed incredibly... hmm, not a good idea to use the word I would normally use...it seemed incredibly lame.
And here's where I got turned off:
Lucius went from being intriguing to incredibly frustrating and then finally to annoying. I guess I just hate characters like Lucius, because I was not impressed by his actions one bit, and so I kind of wondered what exactly it was that Jessica saw in him. He was too bad, with practically no redeeming qualities. So as a reader, I'm supposed to like and connect to Lucius because he wants to keep Jessica safe, so he accomplishes this by screwing around with someone else? Hmmm. And that's my biggest beef with the story: the author had a great premise, but she blew it for me with the stupid Faith subplot. Completely unnecessary - there are so many other ways to have Lucius accomplish the overall goal of what he's trying to do. Wayward characters can just go die in a hole for all I care. Geesh! And so it seemed like Jessica all of the sudden decided she was in love with Lucius because...why? He's messing around with someone else...and she's...jealous? Maybe? I don't know, it was too weird. I don't really understand what she saw in him. I guess I like my boys unspoiled. :P

Anyway, it ended nicely, though, but I really sped through this one, just to be finished with it. A great concept that, in my opinion, was poorly executed. I don't know if I'd recommend this book to anyone - I know it's popular, and I'm sure other readers will enjoy it. I guess when it comes to vampires, I'm just more of an Edward Cullen type of girl. Albeit the sparkles.

In My Mailbox [25]

Been pretty quiet this week, but I did get something in my mailbox!

Received for Review
Haven - Kristi Cook from Simon & Schuster

Reading Stats

Finished...
Just Listen (Sarah Dessen)
^^writing review now!

Still Reading
Beautiful Creatures (Garcia/Stohl)

About to Start
Tyger, Tyger (Kersten Hamilton)

New Affiliate!

I'm very excited to announce that Imagination in Focus is now affiliated with the amazing blog
I Swim for Oceans, run by the fabulous Melissa!


If you haven't already, be sure to check out her site!

This is *MY* Reality!

In which I try to explain what the beezus I'm doing...
What is Your "Reality"?
I'm continually intrigued by how many reviews and comments I see where someone has said, "This book is so real/realistic" or something along those lines. It's especially interesting to me when the book in question is a fantasy or dystopian, because as a snarky smartypants, I always wonder, "Really? A fallen angel sat next to you in chemistry?"/ "Really? You have to fight other teenagers to death on national TV?", etc. (that's my attempt at sarcasm - I'll stop now).
Earlier this summer I posted a reflection/tirade/diatribe (depending on how you saw it) in which I questioned the true *reality* that YA authors (and the media) are presenting to teenagers. I still think that the "reality" that is portrayed in fiction is mostly cliched and not applicable to the TRUE majority of teenagers, but that's not what this post is about. I thought about my high school experience, and the experiences of teenagers I know and interact with now, and I thought about which books REALLY offered realistic portrayals of teen life.
These books (parts of them, mostly) reminded me of what my life was like, and/or remind me of what life's like for the teens I know. *These* books revealed my reality and they either offered windows of reflection into my own experiences, or they featured a scenario that diverted from the humdrum "normal" actions so frequently seen in other stories:

The Hourglass Door (Lisa Mangum)
As of yet, this book right here is the single most realistic YA novel I've ever read, in terms of portraying teens how they actually are. Abby and her friends are social but not wild, good students but not overachievers, and unsure of where their futures will take them. Author Lisa Mangum portrays a fun high school social scene, without some of the more divisive issues.
And I love Leo's Dungeon, because it reminded me of the places my friends and I used to hang out, all fun and legit places where teens could have fun and be safe (only Leo's Dungeon is far cooler!). I also liked the portrayal of Abby and Dante's relationship. It's always a good idea in YA to go for the 'friends first' factor. That's certainly realistic to me, because I don't know many girls (myself included) who would seriously get all hot and bothered over a slapworthy jerk. But I know plenty (myself included) who would fall for the mysterious, brooding but ultimately kindhearted guy :P

Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) & Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer)
A girl falling in love with a vampire is not realistic. It's pure fiction, pure fun (or not, depending on what you think of the book). But Bella's teen life is actually pretty similar to a lot of kids I knew/know. She's got her circle of friends (Eric, Mike, Angela, Jessica...I didn't say they were *good* friends), she's pretty good student, later she has a job... Besides Edward becoming the center of her universe, Bella's life as a teenager seemed like something I could relate to. She wasn't a club-hopper or a partier, she actually kept to herself and just went about her life. If you take Edward (and what you think of him) out of the mix, I think Bella's a pretty good indicator of how a majority of HS kids live. They're not into all that "crazy" stuff that's so popularized and cliched, they just do their thing and go about their business. And I liked that portrayal.
And I'm probably committing blogger hari-kari here, but there were some things about Breaking Dawn that seemed relatively reasonable, considering the overall story. If Boy loves Girl, and readers have had to read over and over about how much they *Luuuuurrrvve* each other, why wouldn't they get married? What were Bella and Edward going to do, take a break in college and see other people? REALLY? Here's the real-life connection: while I don't know any teen brides/grooms, I *do* know a lot of people who get married the summer they graduate, or during their junior or sophomore year of college. That's not considered strange where I come from. If you know you're in love with someone (fo'real!) why *wouldn't* you just go ahead and get married? I liked that Stephenie didn't beat around the bush and actually did have them get together in a permanent way. That seemed realistic (as realistic as fictional characters in a PNR can get).

Enna Burning (Shannon Hale)
This is part of a high fantasy installment, so it's not all that realistic to begin with, but there is one thing in particular that really impressed me when I was reading. There's a scene were Enna and Finn pitch a tent and camp out together for the night. And. Nothing. Happens. Period.
In a genre where it seems like every boy-girl interaction is hyper-sexualized, I thought it was very refreshing to have characters demonstrate that boys and girls can, in fact, be in close proximity without their inner rabbits taking over. That one scene (and their relationship in general) really had an impact on me :)

The Percy Jackson series as a whole (Rick Riordan)
Long live the lovable know-it-all! Three cheers for Annabeth!
This is just my opinion here, but I think that Annabeth Chase (not Hermione Granger) is the epitome of the rockin' awesome 'smart chick.' Hermione...she's just downright annoying sometimes! I love this series for so many reasons, but the portrayal of Annabeth is one of the story's many strengths. Riordan is a guy, and he has sons, not daughters (even though he was a teacher for over 10 years) and yet he manages to perfectly capture the personality of a teen girl. In a genre where being a 'smart, strong' girl means upstaging, overpowering, and practically emasculating the love interest, Annabeth shows that girls can be smart, strong, and also feminine, too. I could relate to her so well. And I've said this before, but Percy is truly one of the most realistic-sounding narrators in MG/YA fiction. He's hilarious, heartfelt, and never, ever over-the-top (or inappropriate). In a literary world where it seems like readers have two character options - either a childish-sounding and unsympathetic character or an "enlightened" but incredibly raunchy character - Percy was both original and endearing!

The Dark Divine (Bree Despain)
So I have not fallen in love with a werewolf/boy-who-changes-into-wolf or anything like that, but so much of this book rings true for me. The characters portrayed in this book could have been my friends, and Grace's high school could have been my own. It was a picture devoid of the stereotypes one usually encounters with high-school age protagonists. Despite their faults, Grace and Jude were portrayed as responsible, head-on-their-shoulders kids, and so were their friends (except Daniel at first, but...that's kind of the point!). It's nice to get that other perspective in YA lit, because, well, they can't all be Camerons and Kayes :P I also want to mention that many many people in this country are religious, and Despain's portrayal of a religious family speaks to a very large demographic in our culture that is frequently ignored. That will always be a welcome thing to me, to send the message (however small) to religious teens that they are being represented and acknowledged, too.

Nevermore (Kelly Creagh) - I really like this book because it does a *fantastic* job of using cliches but also completely avoiding them. Popular cheerleader girl and loner goth dude...one can almost hear the war-cry of the cliche: RAAAAAW-YOU'VE HEARD ME BEFORE I'M THE SAME OLD STORY-RAAAAAAAWWRRRR!" *But* here's where the story is refreshing: Isobel's got a brain. And not only that, she seems to actually develop a taste/appreciation for English, if she didn't have one before. Our valedictorian was a cheerleader, and most of the girls on the squad were in NHS. Therefore 'stupid, bitchy cheerleader' is a stereotype that just rings extra-false to me. And for the goth, loner dude (and literature extraordinaire) Varen didn't seem so desperate/lonely/starved for attention as is usually portrayed, and he wasn't portrayed as the 'know-it-all with all the answers' either. You know what? I'm just going to stop talking about this book. It's so well-written. Just go read it (if you haven't already).

Beautiful Creatures (Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl)
I'm not finished with this book yet, but so far I really like the portrayal of Ethan Wate. His voice sounds a little "sophisticated" for a teenage guy, but his character, on the whole, seems very realistic to me, and I'm confused as to why he's frequently slammed in reviews. Not every teenage boy is, well...gross or shallow, or a pig, etc. Actually, I knew a lot of guys (and still do) that are big readers and are very cultured. They still say "uhhh" and "ummm" and "duuuuude" and tell fart jokes, which are guyisms, but to me Ethan is a very refreshing but realistic character. What also is real about Ethan is that he knows he is different from the other guys and he's in a sense putting on an act for his friends. That's something that I know my cousins and friends can relate to. There's this image of how a guy should be, and when that image is even slightly altered, people seem to freak. But Ethan as a cultured, quiet, dare-I-say-"nerdy" boy?
I like it, I love it, and I want some more of it!

The Harry Potter series as a whole (JK Rowling)
And here's my reality: parents who aren't idiots and grownups who aren't useless. And guess what? That's Harry and company's reality, too! I always love it when books feature parents who aren't clueless and teachers/mentor figures that actually assist the MCs. It's not realistic for teens to have all the answers, and it makes for bad fiction, actually. And who is a better mentor than Dumbledore? Besides Gandalf and maybe Chiron...nobody! Sure, there are the Snapes and the Quirrells and so forth, I'd say that every bad adult character balances with a good one. I loved how adults played such a heavy role in this series, particularly in the battles of the final books. I was really fortunate to have more good teachers than bad ones, and so it just rings true for me to read about characters who work with adult mentor figures. It just makes the 'kid' characters seem all the more well-rounded.

WoW: HAVEN

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I don't usually do this meme, but I wanted to spotlight a particularly interesting-sounding new book...
HAVEN - Kristi Cook
One month into her junior year, sixteen-year-old Violet McKenna transfers to the Winterhaven School in New York’s Hudson Valley, inexplicably drawn to the boarding school with high hopes. Leaving Atlanta behind, she’s looking forward to a fresh start--a new school, and new classmates who will not know her deepest, darkest secret, the one she’s tried to hide all her life: strange, foreboding visions of the future. But Winterhaven has secrets of its own, secrets that run far deeper than Violet’s. Everyone there--every student, every teacher--has psychic abilities, 'gifts and talents,' they like to call them. Once the initial shock of discovery wears off, Violet realizes that the school is a safe haven for people like her. Soon, Violet has a new circle of friends, a new life, and maybe even a boyfriend--Aidan Gray, perhaps the smartest, hottest guy at Winterhaven. Only there’s more to Aidan than meets the eye--much, much more. And once she learns the horrible truth, there’s no turning back from her destiny. Their destiny. Together, Violet and Aidan must face a common enemy--if only they can do so without destroying each other first.

Haven is scheduled for a February 2011 release from SIMON & SCHUSTER.
What do you think?! Is this in your TBR?

Winner Announced! & Upcoming Contest

Thanks to all of the entries you guys!!
Without further ado, the winner of an ARC of The Witches Kitchen by Allen Williams is...





Melissa - I Swim for Oceans
(just send me an email so I can get your address!)
Thanks again to everyone who entered!

I'm also really close to having my 500 Followers Giveaway! Really excited about it, and it's only about 50 followers away!! Spread the word :)