[Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley]

"Graffiti Moon"
Author: Cath Crowley
Series: None
Pages: 260
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Aussie YA
Date Published: February 14th, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format Read: Hardback from the library

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Summary:

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Graffiti Moon,

Thanks! Thanks for being a book full of wonder and street art and feisty characters. God knows that those are some of my favorite components to a book, and man, did you deliver in all the right ways. You gave me a story about growing up that was filled with delightful, gritty and whimsical truths that every teen faces. Plus, you made me wish that I had a plane ticket to Australia already in my hands, just so I can hike around and look at street art and think about this book more in it's raw setting.

-The White Unicorn

It may come as a surprise to you, but I'm a huge fan of street art, so when I heard that Graffiti Moon was all about street artists and was also written by an Aussie, I knew that I had to read it. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. In fact I can't wait to get my hands on Crowley's other work, just so I can dive back into her wonderful writing style. This book is the things that dreams are made of. It's whimsical and real at the same time and what's more perfect than that?

Crowley has managed to give us a book that takes place over one evening, and that's all she needs. Sure, as a reader I selfishly wanted this book to go on longer, but I'm glad that it ended where it did as well. There is an urgency in the story that would fade if we had more than one night to get to know the characters in this book, and to me, that would be a shame.

I adored Lucy and Ed. Their beginnings are hilarious and it's great to see them try to get over the fact that Lucy broke Ed's nose on their first date. It's a bridge that they need to cross and the journey getting there is so much fun. Crowley also gives us characters with interesting hobbies. Of course, Ed is a artist, but it's the added fact that Lucy is a glassblower that really adds some cool story elements. It puts both of the characters on the same playing field and gives us great insight into art that I've never paid much attention to before. These two are delightfully snarky and sensitive at the same time and I liked how they came from interesting family backgrounds and had both gone through some tough stuff in the past. Ed and Lucy are probably one of the most even romantic pairings that I've seen in YA lit in awhile.

I also want to give a shout out to Lucy's parents, because I thought that their unconventional, yet still loving relationship was a great touch to the novel. Crowley really outdid herself with these two parental figures and I felt like they were really honest and interesting. Ed's mom also played a part in the story and I was glad to see that parents were a part of the framework of this novel.

Where mystery and art are a huge part of this book, there are other elements incorporated as well. Crowley shows us a seeder side of Melbourne than we're used to, but I liked it. It made the story honest and real, where the art fed it a little magical realism. 

All in all, I have to say that highly suggest this book. It doesn't matter if you love art or not. This book is about so much more than that and I think it should immediately go on everyone's "to read" list!

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler]

"The Dark Between"
Author: Sonia Gensler
Series: ?
Pages: 352
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery
Date Published: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Knopf
Format Read: Hardback from the library

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Summary:

A supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

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My Thoughts:

I'll start out by saying that this book wasn't as scary as I had hoped.  Yes, it definitely had it's moments of eerie, spookiness, which I enjoyed, but it never made my skin crawl.  It was more of a mystery novel with horror elements than a horror novel with a mystery around the edges and once I got my head wrapped around that fact, I had a great time diving into this book!

I struggled a little bit with the 3 points of view in the beginning.  Somehow the voices didn't seem all that different to begin with, even though one of the characters is clearly male.  But as Gensler grew the story, she also grew each character--separately.  Kate, Asher and Elsie all became their own persons as the book continued.  And even though their friendship was the strongest part of the novel, seeing them all grow as individuals was great.  Somehow Gensler pulled off working on the characters as individuals, which in the end made them stronger as a group.  It was when the secrets started to melt away and the truth started to come out that these three really started to respect each other.  I loved Gensler for taking this approach.  You don't see this kind of friendship storytelling happen often, but she did it right.

All three characters have huge chips on their shoulders, but it played out well here.  Giving all three a clear reason for coming together to solve the mystery of the deaths happening around them.  Kate is poor, and her father was a man with money, but when he dies she ends up pretending to be a ghost.  Asher had to leave his home in the States when he and his father have a falling out.  And Elsie has the biggest secret of all, the one that makes her keep herself slightly drugged at all times.  I really enjoyed Kate, she was tough and the youngest of the three.  Though I did find her lack of emotion odd at times.  Asher was dashing and a hopeless romantic, but also had a ton of brains.  I couldn't help but enjoy him.  And Elsie, at first I wanted to write her off, but by the end of the book, even I was a fan.

There are even some romances in the air.  Some of it gets a little messy, but I enjoyed seeing all three of them come to terms with the feelings caused by being shoved together in a house and left to occupy themselves.  Things aren't always what they seem either and you just might end up cheering along a combo that you didn't see coming!  Seriously, the way things ended gave me all the feels for all the characters. 

This is one of those books that you can't say too much about.  Gensler lays the mystery of everything out really well.  She presents deaths, suspects and clues in a muddled fashion that really works, even though it left me wanting more.  You know who didn't do it, but you also aren't sure who did.  When it all wraps up Gensler gives us an ending that is as satisfying and it is unsatisfying.  She leaves you happy to see how things wrapped up, but she leaves you craving more about these three and the rest of their lives.

Rating:

        3 Unicorns = I liked it a lot but it had it's issues!

Now, head over to Read My Breath Away to check in with Jess and the Pretty Dark Nothing blog tour!