The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London, #2)

"You are not weird in the head," he said, more firmly. "You went through something horrible, and you survived, and you've done amazingly well. You're strong. Stop making jokes about it. There is nothing wrong with you." 
I wasn't expecting this little outburst, or the anger that edged his voice.
"Sorry," I said. 
"Don't be sorry. Just don't do it. It's important. Because of what we do, it's important to always remember that there is nothing wrong with you."

[Click here to read my review of book 1: The Name of the Star]

After reading the first book in this series and falling in love with it's creepy and intriguing storyline, I was excited to see what book 2 had in store. Still, I waited (It's fairly rare that I read an entire series in one go. I usually read other books in between those books in the series.) and only got around to reading it a few days ago.

After the conclusion of the Ripper case, Rory is removed from Wexford by her parents and is staying in Bristol with them while she recovers. Her body is nearly healed, but she's a mess otherwise. Her teachers have been sending her work that she ignores and her therapist keeps prodding at things Rory would rather she left alone. She's separated from her friends, the only people who understand her ability to see ghosts and can possibly help her deal with her newfound "ability".

Then Rory's therapist suddenly suggests she goes back to Wexford and Rory jumps at the chance. However, things just aren't the same. She doesn't quite know how to deal with what's happened to her and she's sick of lying to everyone but Callum, Stephen, and Boo. She's fairly certain she's going to fail her classes, yet can't seem to bring herself to catch up where she left off after the attack. As if that weren't enough to keep her occupied, murders with seemingly ghostly origins start popping up and Rory can't help wondering if something that happened the night the Ripper attacked her has something to do with it.

Rory is a very relatable character with a sense of humor that endears you to her almost immediately. Even after all the chaos of the first book and the considerable amount of trauma she's been through, that doesn't change. Maureen Johnson has created in her one of those characters that makes every situation that much more interesting and I really love that about her.

As for the story itself, I've heard a few complaints that it suffers from that second-book-slump, but I'm not so sure I agree. Admittedly, there isn't as much mystery, but there is just as much plot as the first installment in the series. Johnson is clearly using this book as a launchpad for the major excitement in the next book, but this one still has its fair share of nail biting, cheering, and crying.

I think the next book is going to be absolutely stunning and I can't wait to see where Maureen takes the story from here. If the first two books are any indication, the next one will be a knockout.

Rating: ★★★★★

We were sitting right on top of the graveyard of the world's most infamous mental institution, which is arguably many hundreds of times worse than being on top of the old haunted burial grounds that things are always being built on in America. Loads of mad ghosts . . . who might be disturbed by, say, a major explosion that might have, quite possibly, opened up some kind of crack that they could pass through? And they might, for instance, kill people with hammers . . .
Now I had a reason to call Stephen.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Piper and Edmond and Isaac and I used to watch this lunatic fringe milling around every day around sunset and then Edmond and I would slip away up to the tiny bedroom at the top of the house or the big storage closet under the eaves or the lambing barn or one of about a thousand places we'd found where we could try and try and try to get enough of each other but it was like some witch's curse where the more we tried to stop being hungry the more starving we got.

It was the first time in as long as I could remember that hunger wasn't a punishment or a crime or a weapon or a mode of self-destruction.

It was simply a way of being in love.

I picked up “How I Live Now” while I was Christmas shopping late last year. It's a pretty well known fact that I can't leave a bookstore without at least one book for myself, so I already knew shopping books for Christmas presents was going to end up with me buying some for myself. Thankfully, I was in charge of stocking stuffers this year, so I could get away with convincing myself I needed it.

I spotted this lovely volume in the Young Adult section at my local (at the time) Half Price Bookstore. I'd been trying to find this novel for a while anyway, but had only ever managed to locate movie cover copies, so you can imagine how I snatched this one up.

In “How I Live Now” we meet Daisy, a fifteen year-old who has been sent to live in England with her cousins after her father marries a particularly foul stepmother. Though she has never met her cousins until now, she immediately fall in step with them and all their endearing oddities.

When her Aunt Penn goes of to give a talk on the impending war many believe England and much of the world are about to face, the children can't help but view it as a blessing. The five of them now have the huge house to do with as they will. Even when war does break out, it certainly doesn't seem real. And with Daisy falling madly in love with Edmond, well, how can she be expected to think of anything else? That is, until the military shows up at their doorstep and Daisy is separated from nearly everyone she has grown to love.

Edmond and Daisy promised each other they would find the other. Now it's up to Daisy to make sure she and her youngest cousin, Piper, make it back to their home before they become casualties of a war they never imagined could touch them.

Forbidden love, World War III, and coming of age all in one story? You can count me in.

Written from the perspective of Daisy as she tells the story long after it has happened, I fell in love with “How I Live Now” almost immediately. The writing style, which is almost like reading the protagonist's journal, fits the material like a glove. There are no word for word quotes, only Daisy's record of what she remembers them saying and, for some reason, that works phenomenally.

This book is about war and survival, falling in love and the breaking of hearts. It captures the helplessness a young person would feel in the midst of a battle they don't know how to fight or win, and it captures the triumph of good and heartlessness of evil one must come face to face with in those circumstances.

I fell in love with Daisy and the way she tells her story. I'm sure you will too.

Rating: ★★★★★

There never were seven more silent human beings in the back of a truck, we were too stunned even to cry or speak. When we reached Reston Bridge our driver, who I knew was a close friend of the Major's, got out of the truck and stood there for a minute trying to get up the courage to go inside and tell Mrs. M what happened, but first he turned to us and said in a voice that sounded broken and full of rage, In case anyone needed reminding This is a War.

And the way he said those words made me feel like I was falling.

Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

"Don't be ridiculous," snaps Iris. "You don't want to be caged in the shell of some stupid marriage, Clara, but don't be caged by your own limited experience, either."

I picked up this lovely volume in the Amsterdam Waterstones. I had begged my parents to let me visit that particular bookstore and was thrilled when we had the chance to drop by on our last day in the beautiful city. While I was exploring the fabulous four-story shop, I happened upon an entire shelf dedicated to literature based in the Netherlands, so of course I had to select one. When I spotted Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and noticed that the author was the very same who wrote Wicked (which I have seen the play of, but have yet to read), I had to snatch it up.

Iris knows she is ugly. She doesn't need reminders, though everyone is more than willing to give them anyway. She's clever though, and her sisters needs her. That's what keeps her going. That's what consoles her when she watches others praise Clara, her step-sister, at every turn for her stunning beauty. For Clara, her own beauty is merely a gilded cage and she likes it almost as little as she likes those she comes in contact with. She has convinced herself that she is a changeling and therefore despises nearly everyone. After all, she's really only loved her father and step-sisters, whether she knows how to show it or not.

When a Prince comes to Haarlem to find a wife, Iris is told by her mother that she must do what she can to be his choice. Iris is confused by this advice, knowing that her mother must be losing her wits and her sight if she thinks a prince would choose her over any other number of choices. Beyond that, her heart belongs to another, though he too is blinded by the light of Clara's good looks. However, Iris begins to understand that this prince's arrival might just be the escape Clara has been looking for, that is, if Clara can be convinced to attend the ball at all.

I'm a huge fan of fairytale retellings in general, especially ones done well. So I knew I would like this. After all, how could the person who wrote Wicked possibly mess up a retelling of Cinderella? Let me tell you: I was right.

Iris is a smart and savvy heroine with a desire to take care of her family, specifically her older and developmentally delayed sister. She has seen the hardships that have befallen her small family and, after coming to England after the brutal murder of their father, does everything in her power to make sure they don't have to face that sort of terror again, though it makes her fearful and convinces her that danger lurks in every corner.

I particularly enjoy the way that Gregory Maguire makes his characters real people. By this, I mean that they make real choices, real mistakes. Their motives for any single action aren't always pinned down or for the reasons they want them to be. There is a little bad mixed into every character and no one makes all the right decisions.

The story itself was a very interesting and gritty take on the Cinderella fairytale. He did a fabulous job on this book and anyone who is even remotely interested after hearing the summary really ought to get their hands on it. It's absolutely worth your while.

Rating: ★★★★☆


But I suspect, some days, that beauty helps protect the spirit of mankind, swaddle it and succor it, so that we might survive. Beauty is no end in itself, but if it makes our lives less miserable so taht we might be more kind--well, then, let's have beauty, painted on our porcelain, hanging on our walls, ringing through our stories.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson (Little Blue Envelope, #2)

I think something is art when it is created with intention -- serious intention. Even crazy intention. And I think something is beautiful if it reveals something about what it means to be alive.

When Maureen Johnson wrote 13 Little Blue Envelopes, this book's predecessor, she hadn't intended to make a sequel. It was going to stand alone the way it was. But the outcry of the fans and Johonson's own creative imagination birthed something else: The Last Little Blue Envelope, its sequel.

The Last Little Blue Envelope starts off at the beginning of Ginny's winter break. She's busy worrying about her future, missing Keith, and reminiscing about her summer when she gets an email from a man named Oliver, who has managed to fine the last letter and all its contents.

Ginny soon finds herself back in Europe and things are as crazy as ever. The last letter has a new mission and another surprise at its end. As she seeks closure for herself in this last adventure, she finds herself battling heartbreak, discovering new loves, and generally dealing outside of her comfort zone. It's going to take a great deal of work to keep her from losing her head this time around. She'll have to work even harder if she wants to keep her heart too.

The conclusion to Ginny's tale was everything I had hoped it would be. I liked the first book, but without the sequel it lacked luster and, most especially, closure. The sequel was a great call for Johnson, because it tied up all the loose ends and everything fell neatly into place the way it should by the time it wrapped up. The first just can't quite stand on its own. The addition of a sequel made it a thousand times better.

Once again Johnson's witty humor emerges from the story with each page turned. She's quite a quirky person and has definitely found her voice when it comes to writing. She does a wonderful job at it. It is her, through and through. I couldn't get enough of this story or Johson's cleverness at molding the written word to be exactly what she demands of it.

I would definitely suggest this to anyone who has read the first and simply needs that closure. Even if you weren't sure how you felt about the first book, this one wraps it all up in a neat little package and commands that you enjoy it. So go ahead, go pick it up.

Rating: ★★★★☆

"People always say they can't do things, that they're impossible. They just haven't been creative enough. This pool is a triumph of imagination. That's how you win at life, Gin. You have to imagine your way through. Never say something can't be done. There's always a solution, even if it's weird."

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (Little Blue Envelope, #1)

"I liked you because you were mad. And you're pretty. And pretty sane for a mad person."

Maureen Johnson was another author I decided to check out because of John Green. (The other was Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss.) Funnily enough, it isn't the first book I've picked up by her, but it is the first I've finished. That's not to say that she isn't a great author, but the other book, The Name of the Star, was a little too spooky for my taste. I will probably get around to finishing it eventually for the sake of having a review of it up here.

Anyway, because of John Green's recommendation and because she will be at LeakyCon this year, I wanted to give another of her books a go and I'm incredibly glad I did.

13 Little Blue Envelopes is about a girl named Ginny. After her beloved aunt dies, Ginny gets a package from her deceased aunt containing thirteen letters with directions to complete the task on one before proceeding to the next. These directions spur Ginny into the adventure of a lifetime. Her travels take her all over Europe, introduce her to some wonderfully crazy characters, and teach her to experience life to it's fullest.

This book was quite good. The plot had me hooked from the start and nothing about this story is predictable. This fact in and of itself has you feeling like all of this is really happening, like you're really on this adventure with Ginny. It's a wonderful testament to her writing ability and how relatable she makes her characters. It was definitely one worth reading.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

[Click here to see my review of the sequel: The Last Little Blue Envelope]

Sometimes, Gin, life leaves you without directions, without guideposts or signs. When this happens, you just have to pick a direction and run like hell.