September Reivews 2013

Rose Under Fire
Grade: A

While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?- Goodreads

From the author of Code Name Verity, comes a second WWII story. Based on historical research and little known facts about female pilots serving their country, Rose Under Fire is sure to leave you reaching for the Kleenex. You don't need to have read Code Name Verity, but we suggest you get to that one eventually too. Both books are easily two of the best YA Historical Fiction novels to have ever been written!

    Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
                Grade: B+

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. -Goodreads

We kept wavering between an A- and a B+ on this one. Lots of atmosphere (some are referring to it as a Gothic-Horror-Romance), but sometimes it didn't seem to fit with the direction of the story. We love the creepy, possessed kids looking for the devil in the graveyard and the scary train tunnel. But there were times when it also felt like scenes had been scrounged from other books. Since this is only book one, perhaps it will come together a bit more in book two. Not a total waste of time and certainly different from most of the devil-comes-to-town books out there.

   The Clockwork Scarab
                Grade: A-

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate. -Goodreads

The concept of this mash-up alone deserves a good grade. There are only two things that we weren't really happy about: character distinction and time travel. The book is written in alternating chapters between Mina and Evaline. One is supposed to be very observant and logical (similar to the current BBC Sherlock TV show) while the other is more emotional and reactive. We had a difficult time always keeping the two characters separate and several chapters overlap with each other so that each character's perspective of the situation can be shown. In other words, be sure to identify which character is providing the chapter before you begin. We also didn't love the time travel victim that blunders into the story. Its the beginning of a series and sure to attract fans of mash-ups and steampunk.


   Not A Drop To Drink
               Grade: B+

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all. -Goodreads

A typical post-apocalyptic survival story (except there are no zombies or aliens). The water supply in the US has been compromised, resulting in a devastating loss of life to cholera. Pockets of survivors have two choices: move into the walled cities where water is rationed to the highest bidder, or fortify themselves next to a natural water source, fighting off roaming packs of wild animals and raiders.
We were hoping for something more original in this genre, but aside from the lack of paranormal monsters, it was just more of the same. That doesn't mean that it is poorly written or lacking in action, just not much to set it apart from the others.