Hunger

Book Details:
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 180
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2010
Why I read it: netgalley review copy
Grade: C-

The plot:
Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

My review:
This book felt pretty depressing all the way through. I guess, given the subject matter, that's not surprising. It's just that reading so much about the mind of an anorexic girl isn't my favorite thing. Probably not anyone's favorite thing, but that's beside the point. The whole book just made me feel sick and uneasy.

The reasons behind things were also pretty unclear. It was never really clear why Lisa was chosen as famine, what she was supposed to do, what her requirements were, etc. Could be because the book was only 180 pages, which makes it hard to pack in a lot of detail. Especially when the focus is on graphic details of a girl who won't eat, and everything going on with her body (including details about a bout of constipation). I was also subjected to a very, very detailed scene of Lisa bulimic friend in the bathroom. I'll leave any more of that to your imagination, which I wish the author would have done.

I understand the author suffered from these diseases at one point in her life, and maybe her goal was to help girls who are also suffering. Maybe it will inspire them to get help. I don't know, because I'm not one of those girls, and have never been close. So it's really hard for me to say if the author accomplished what she was going for or not. I almost feel like I'm not the target audience for this one.

There were a few scenes that I thought were pretty cool, and I felt I could have liked the story if it were focused on those things instead of eating disorders. I can't really fault the book for not being what I would have liked. I just realize it wasn't the book for me.

The Secret of Ka

Title: The Secret of Ka
Author: Christopher Pike
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 416
Why I read it: Netgalley review copy
Grade: B-
Publication Date: September 13, 2010

Synopsis:
One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a hot boy she's starting to love but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the formidable monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet—the ancient Carpet of Ka—and leave her stranded.

Discovering the Carpet of Ka has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she loves. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

My review:
So, I spent a good portion of my teenage years reading Christopher Pike. Probably, at the time, he was my favorite author. I haven't gone back to read any of the same books to see how they stood the test of time. I suspect the writing quality is about the same now as it was then. Easy, entertaining reading that will appeal to teens.

The story here was different than most of the other YA fantasy that's on the market right now. There wasn't a love triangle in sight, thank goodness. The problem was that I found the romance completely unbelievable, and almost annoying at times. It was possibly because I found Amesh to be an entirely unlikable character, with almost no redeeming qualities. He is selfish, rude, jealous . . . and that's before he is badly influenced by a djinn. I just can't understand how or why Sara falls in love with him, except that she thinks he's attractive, which is so annoyingly shallow I just can't get behind a romance like that.

Sara was an interesting character--definitely not my favorite, and not one that I would want to be friends with in real life, but she's a fairly strong female character, which is nice because that can be so rare in YA these days. This wasn't the best written story, but it was entertaining enough that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, and the end, which I assume was the set-up for another book, was pretty intense and enough to make me pick up the next one. It was a bit too abrupt and cliff-hangery for me, but that's the norm--it's rare to find a standalone novel anymore.

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy. Just don't go in with your expectations too high. Now I want to go back and re-read some of my old teen book loves by Pike, and see how they compare.