YA Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 

Author: J.K. Rowling (Goodreads/Twitter/Website)

Rating:  

Number of Pages: 341 pages

Publication Date: June 2 1999

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Series or Stand-Alone: Harry Potter Series #2

Book Disclosure: Purchased from Powerbooks

Summary: 

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.And strike it does. 

For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl's bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny. But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone - or something - starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself?

Opening Line: 

Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive.

Review: 

After ten years, I finally caved and started reading the Harry Potter series. I wasn't really into reading the YA genre before when HP became a big hit but I've decided to pick up the book after seeing a few clips of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on HBO.

I've read the first book in the series and totally got hooked. Before picking up the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I've read from some fan forums and have been told by some of my HP friends that the second book had been their least favorite in the series. So I had reservations when I started it and was even expecting that I'll just skim through it to finish.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets chronicles the second year of Harry Potter at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The book opens with Harry at the Dursleys house on Privet Drive being warned by the servant Dobby not to go back to Hogwarts. Though he had good intentions, Dobby's attempts to warn Harry had resulted in our protagonists getting into trouble because of it.

Rowling made a wonderful protagonist in Harry Potter. As a reader, you can definitely relate and cheer for him whether he is at Privet Drive trying to escape the wrath of his Uncle Vernon or at Hogwarts trying to learn magic and solving the mysteries there.

YA Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Title: Just Listen
Author: Sarah Dessen (Goodreads/ Twitter/ Website)
Rating:
Number of Pages: 317 pages
Publication Date: April 2006
Publisher:   Viking Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Book Disclosure: Purchased from Powerbooks


Summary:

Last year, Annabel Greene was "the girl who has everything"--at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf 's Department Store. This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Opening Line: 

I taped the commercial back in April, before anything had happened, and promptly forgot about it. A few weeks ago, it had started running, and suddenly, I was everywhere.

Review:

Just Listen is the first book by YA novelist Sarah Dessen that I’ve read, and will definitely not be the last.

Just Listen tells the story of Annabel Greeene, a 17-year old girl who has everything. At least, that’s what she portrays in her modeling shoots. But Annabel’s life was far from perfect. On the summer before her senior year, Annabel’s friendship with Sophie ended bitterly and her sister Whitney’s eating disorder had started weighing down her family. Now feeling ostracized and isolated, Annabel retreats into silent acceptance. Until she meets Owen Armstrong and with his guidance, Annabel learned to listen and gains the courage to speak honestly for herself.

I never thought I would read this book, let alone find myself immersed into the story. I love reading Young Adult books but mostly YA-Fantasy like Harry Potter but after finishing Just Listen, I’ve realized it’s more than just a story of a teenage girl going through the typical high school drama. Just Listen tells the story of each and every one of us - our family, our friendship, betrayal and forgiveness, and most of all our own self.

Just Listen is a unique YA novel in such a way that Dessen had written a powerful and inspiring story with themes that can resonate to all of us. Albeit the high school setting, I found myself not only looking back at my days in school but also realizing how parallel it was to the same issues I’m going on with my life. I found the book really very inspiring and it thought me lessons that can make me become a better person.

Its uniqueness also stems from the way Sarah Dessen had written her characters. They were all well-rounded and real, like I can see a part of myself or someone I know in each and every character in the story. Although a lot of readers seem to admire Owen Armstrong, I found myself drawn to Annabel Greene’s. She’s a terrific character and I adored her self-awareness and empathized with her self-consciousness.

The story was not only inspirational but it also addressed a lot of issues like eating disorders, the not so fabulous life of being a model, high school bullying and most importantly family relationships. There were a lot of themes in this book but I give kudos to Dessen because it never felt stuffed and each was given equal attention in the story. Just Listen was told with the right amount of realism and pacing.

I feel like no amount of words can give enough justice to how powerful and inspiring the book Just Listen can be. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book that they can enjoy, with characters they can relate to and a story that can inspire and touch their hearts in a way they could never imagine.

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YA Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins (Goodreads/Website)
Rating:
Number of Pages: 418 pages
Publication Date: September 2008
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Young-Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Series or Stand-Alone: The Hunger Games Trilogy Book #1
Book Disclosure Purchased from National Bookstore


Summary:

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used to be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

Opening Line: 

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.

Review:

To say that this book was excellent would be an understatement. The Hunger Games was gripping, in-depth and a pulse-pounding page turner.

In the novel The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins had creatively taken the concept of reality television show and added a unique spin to it by portraying it as a gruesome and nightmarish event that threatens the entire population.

Set in a dystopian post apocalyptic era on the country of Panem (believed to be the ruins of North America), twelve districts are treated as slaves producing commodities and serving the ruling city, the cruel and dominant Capitol.

Annually, the Capitol stages The Hunger Games which is a grim reminder to the twelve districts that they are totally at the mercy of the ruling city and the event also reinforces the Capitol’s dominance on the whole country of Panem. Each year, the Capitol draws out a name of a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts and they are forced to compete in a battle royal to the death where only one will be left standing. The Hunger Games span over a week and is broadcast on national television.

The story unfolds with Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year-old girl living in District Twelve who, after the death of her father in a mine explosion, had taken it upon herself to look after her mother and her little sister Prim. Her little sister meant the world to Katniss so when Prim was chosen in the lottery to be a part of The Hunger Games, Katniss bravely stepped up to volunteer as the representative of District Twelve for her sister’s sake.

I loved The Hunger Games for a number of reasons. Since I started reading the book, author Suzanne Collins had grabbed me from the first page and it sucked me in and didn’t let go ever since .Although the book was a plot-driven novel, one of the primary reasons why I loved this book was the central character of the protagonist Katniss Everdeen. In the beginning she may come to the reader as someone who was only strong, brave, responsible but cold and aloof. But then as you read through you discover the real Katniss, the girl who was intelligent, capable, compassionate and kind-hearted. I loved how Suzanne Collins had used the first person narrative because the readers were given a wonderful insight on what goes through Katniss’ mind and her reactions. Her thoughts and feelings were so vivid and palpable that it paved way for her development as a multi-layered character. As the story goes on you discover that deep inside she has her own inner struggles to fight with, and then at times she can also be vulnerable. As a reader, I can’t help but sympathize for the past that keeps haunting her. The way Katniss’s doubted her ability to survive, and second guessed herself and who to trust made her so human and I think that it was one of the key factors which made me connect and relate with her.

Suzanne Collins had also showcased a wonderful ensemble of secondary characters that were just as interesting and well-rounded as Katniss. I loved Peeta Meelark because he was such a different character. He’s so honest and I admire him because he doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not and he was even man enough to admit that Katniss was stronger than him. I loved the fact that he was so unselfish and that even with death as a consequence, he was even willing to sacrifice his life in order for Katniss to stay alive.

Most importantly, I think that the most remarkable thing about this book was that that the story was simply very well-written. The story was so original and unique that it makes the story so unpredictable and exciting. The Hunger Games had the right blend of action, drama, love and suspense. The ending was clever and unexpected and made me want to know what will happen next.

Suzanne Collins is a superb writer for taking the simple concept of reality television and making it into this wonderful world that is The Hunger Games. She had also utilized every aspect of reality TV (sponsors, interviews, make-up) which added much to the development of the plot. She cleverly mirrored our society’s reaction to reality TV show by describing how the people of Panem have different mind-set with regards to The Hunger Games. How she described the different attitudes of the representatives towards The Hunger Games was a clear picture of that. And although the theme used was a dark one, the book turned out to be a powerful moving story. It was a very human book in a sense that although the book dealt with depression, hunger, poverty, The Hunger Games was also a story of honor, of survival, of love, of compassion and friendship. This gave what might have been a dark and gory story its human touch.

The Hunger Games is simply a wonderful book and has become one of my favorites. For anyone who hasn’t read it, I highly recommend this book. It’s really worth every single penny that you’ll pay for it.

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YA Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman (Goodreads/Twitter/Website)
Number of Pages: 320 pages
Rating:
Publication Date: September 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK)
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Mystery
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Book Disclosure: Purchased from Bibliarch

Summary:

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. 


Opening Line:

There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.


Review:

Neil Gaiman is a new find for me. I’ve never read anything by this author before but his name kept popping up of my friend’s favorite list so I decided to give his works a try and know what the buzz is all about. I should be ashamed to admit this but I picked up The Graveyard Book purely because of the magnificent cover by Chris Riddell. I was instantly drawn because the illustrations were wonderfully done. But soon, I discovered that there’s more to this book that meet the eyes.

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's classic The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book tells the story and adventures of an orphaned boy, Nobody Owens, raised in a graveyard inhabited by ghosts, ghouls and every other creepy creature you could think of. But Gaiman deviates from the concept by cleverly turning Kipling's classic story into a beautifully-written, dark-witty fantasy.

I applaud Gaiman for his brilliant imagination. His imagery and the world he had created in The Graveyard Book were for me, worthy of praise. I marveled at his skill for making the imagery seemed larger than life and for making the readers feel that they were also a part of this strange and yet wonderful place that he had created.

Although the opening scene and the setting might be enough to give some readers the creeps, Gaiman was careful not to focus too much on the dark side of death and even skillfully turned Bod's encounters with the graveyard members as a source of humor. From the comical names to the date of death and reason for their demise, each and every one of those mentioned in the story would surely bring laughter to the readers.

I also give kudos to Gaiman for creating such a wonderful cast. Nobody Owens, is an endearing child, while at the same time, not a weak character. He's brave, sweet and compassionate. With every chapter and adventure that Bod went through, as a reader I saw how Gaiman had used that in order for Bod to grow as a person. Even if Bod grew up in a graveyard, Gaiman was able to make him a believable and well-rounded character, and someone that people could relate to.

The supporting casts are also something to look forward to when you read this book. There’s an abundance of interesting characters and some of my favorites were the witty witch Liz, the fussy Mr. Pennyworth, and the substitute guardian Miss Lupescu. There's also the mysterious Silas who was both a mentor and a father figure to Bod while he was in the graveyard. Each and every one of them had made a huge impact not only in the life of Bod but in the story itself as well. Although they were not humans, you will be able to relate them to the people you encounter in your everyday life.

There’s so much more about this book that I haven’t mentioned but The Graveyard Book is, in a word, a masterpiece. This book is a bittersweet coming of age tale, a classic that is a deserving winner of the Newberry Medal. Fans of Gaiman and those who haven’t read his works would surely be delighted with this wonderful book.

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YA Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Author: Ally Carter (Goodreads/ Twitter/ Website)
Pages: 284 pages
Rating:
Publication Date: April 25th 2006
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre:  Young-Adult, Adventure
Series or Stand-Alone: Gallagher Girls #1
Book Disclosure: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

Opening Line:
 
I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel invisible sometimes, like they just disappear.

Review: 

After a long hiatus from reading, I’ve decided to come and choose I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter as my first read. I wasn’t expecting much from the book considering I haven’t read any Young-Adult book for two years.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You is a chronicle of Cammie Morgan’s life at the Gallagher Academy. Cammie is not your average teenage girl. She goes to Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a school for spies, she can speak fourteen different languages and is capable of killing a man using just about any object you can think of. While she may not be your average teenager, Ally Carter’s writing made it easy for me as a reader to relate to Cammie. Yes, she’s a spy but she’s also going through the same things I went through as a teen: first love, being “invisible” and breakouts.

Ally Carter’s writing reminded me so much of one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. As writers, both women have the ability to put humor into their stories without trying so hard and sounding slapstick. I had laughed many times while reading the book especially Cammie’s comments on her teachers at spy school and her feelings towards Josh Abrams.

I would have given the book a solid four stars but I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I know there’s a second book in the series but I felt that Ally Carter rushed her ending without really tying the loose ends in her story. As I reader, I believed that the ending could have been handled better. Overall, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You is an enjoyable book. I recommend this to readers who are looking for a light and fun read.

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