Blood Red Road by Moira Young

I love a good apocalypse book, don't you? Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer scared me more than any Stephen King book, and ever since then I've been semi-addicted to the genre. Blood Red Road seemed like the most promising of this year's releases, and I wasn't disappointed.

It centers around Saba's quest to get her twin brother back from the horsemen that mysteriously stole him from their wasteland home.

I got this book on both audiobook and in print form, so I listened to half and read the other half. I always think listening to someone's interpretation of a character gives you a different imprint than in your own mind, but the narrator for this one had a fantastic voice. When I read the book myself, her accent stuck. There's a very blatant dialogue in this one, and it feeds into the story well. They flow in a very, very gorgeous way.

I can't say what I liked so much about Blood Red Road. The elements of this book were kind of standard, but Saba was such a tough, unlikable character it was hard not to love her. She's very open about the fact that she blames her younger sister for their mother's death, but she feels guilty about it. I wanted to smack her for it sometimes, but that's what made her real. She felt guilty for her thoughts, and she eventually grows out of them, but the truth isn't always pretty and being inside Saba's mind was truth. It's not often that the thoughts inside a main character's head are ugly, but I don't think there's a single human whose thoughts are always saintlike. That'd be pretty damn boring. But the fact that it was so acknowledged in Blood Red Road surprised me: she wasn't a perfect character, and it wasn't a big deal.

And Saba couldn't be a better character to take us through this world. She's, over everything, a survivor. This didn't feel like some badass desert romp. There aren't sunglasses and sarcastic, courageous remarks over explosions. It's about staying alive and living.

What I think was so vastly interesting was the fact that we, as readers, are dead. This takes place long after we're gone. We're described as The Wreckers, and we left the Earth as a pretty brutal place to live in, one filled with scrap metal and cities buried under sand. Reading as a dead girl makes for a pretty interesting and chilling book experience.

There were some predictable parts, sure, but everything about this book wouldn't let me leave it alone. It wasn't a read I could casually pick up in my spare time and flip through. It was one I felt like I had to continue to read just to survive the sand. A good apocalyptic book makes you feel like your own world is at an end, too, and the only way to save it is to finish the book. Except, of course, there's a sequel. ;)

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If you want to win a copy of this book, as well as the three other books I reviewed in August, just comment and let me know what you thought of this book or review. (I generally only talk about books I enjoy, as I want to support them.) I'll always post a discussion question, but you can talk about whatever you want.

You can also leave comments on my other reviews in August to enter: The Near Witch, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Between Shades of Gray.

If you already a own a copy of one of these books, or aren't interested in one of the genres, we can get a replacement book for you. So don't not enter because of that.

Check back to enter weekly for new books and to find out if you win! (Winner will be posted early September.)

Discussion question: Apocalyptic novels have grown into a very big, very diverse genre. Why do you think the end of the world appeals to us so much?

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

I almost didn't write about this one, because I don't know how to do it justice. It's kind of one of those books that's untouchable, in a sense. Like a cult movie you don't want to talk about, because talking about it just makes it lose something. (for me, it's Never Let Me Go, but since that's not overly popular, ie, Donnie Darko) It's one of those books where, if it's brought up, you just nod your head and smile and maybe do one of those phrases that make you feel like a fangirl in front of their favorite band. (OHMYGAWDSOGOOD.) Not because Between Shades of Gray is mind-bending or squee-worthy. It's not. It's just one of those books that has such an effect on your heart, that your brain can't ever begin to forget it.

So I decided to write about it.

It's not an enjoyable book, but it's one that keeps your eyes on the words, like a car crash you can't tear your sight from. It's tough, and it's heart-wrenching, but while it's filled with the worst of humanity, it's also filled with the best of humanity and also the little shades in between.

Lina and her family are uprooted from their home and sent to work camps under the order of Stalin. Many people die in the pages of this book, physically and mentally. They become slaves. They lose everything. But they have a kind of solidarity that makes your heart warm, even as cold as the pages are.

It's a very, very hard book to read, but it's art. Ruta Sepetys is an absolutely brilliant writer. Her words bite and scratch, but they leave you with a kind of fullness. Despite the horrible things that happen in these pages, as they did in life, there was something in them that has more spirit than can be described.

It's a fantastic, fantastic book.

*Ruta Sepetys' father was a Lithuanian refuge, and she went to Lithuania herself to interview survivors of camps like Lina's. The characters in Between Shades of Gray are fictional, but what happened to them isn't. Sepetys has a lot of my respect for taking as much time and as many tears as I'm sure it took to make this book.

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If you want to win a copy of this book, as well as the three other books I review in August, just comment and let me know what you thought of this book or review. (I generally only talk about books I enjoy, as I want to support them.)

You can also leave comments on my other reviews in August to enter: The Near Witch and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

If you already a own a copy of one of these books, or aren't interested in one of them, we can get a replacement book for you. So don't not enter because of that.

Check back to enter again next week when I talk about a new book, and in September to find out who wins (or leave a way for me to contact you!)

Discussion question: Books that make me cry always have a more lasting effect on me. Is this true for you? Or have you never cried while reading (you heartless people, you?) Tell me some books that have made your eyes leak, and how they rank on your favorites list.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I'm kind of late on this one. I'd been told about five billion times how good this book was, but I never picked it up until recently.

And...Charlie. I think it's pretty safe to say he's my favorite literary character of all-time, or at least one of them. And I think it's because he's so...normal. You're able to get inside his head so completely, and what you find is something so believable it's almost bizarre. He's one of those people that changes your life. What's in his head are things we've all kind of thought, but he's so honest about it, it's almost abnormal. There's no filter between his thoughts and his written words, or even his spoken ones, and for that reason you're able to completely fully know Charlie. It's like he's a friend, now.

There's a scene where Charlie hears an amazing song and the air is perfect and it's one of those moments when the lights all hit the right things and make everything look beautiful, and he says: "I feel infinite." I get that. He makes themed mixtapes filled with his favorite songs, and they mean so so much to him (especially Asleep by The Smiths, which is one of my all-time favorite songs and which Charlie talks about all the time.) He shares one of the playlists he makes, and I instantly listened to it in full as soon as I finished the book. It's one of those novels you can immerse yourself in and come away from feeling changed.

This book is told as a letter, to someone who is never officially addressed. It feels, though, like he's writing the letter to you. It feels like somehow he's already been in your life - that person in the corner who smiled that one time. But he's now telling you his life story, and it makes you wonder about those people. The wallflowers. (Of which I was definitely one of, which is why it's so easy to relate to him.)

But Charlie is one-of-a-kind, as easy as it is to relate to him. And that's what makes The Perks of Being a Wallflower so fantastically great. I was so endearingly connected to this little book.

If you haven't already - please, please read it and meet Charlie.

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WIN FREE BOOKS!

At the end of the month, one commenter will win all four of the books I review, weekly, in the month of August. Or, if you've read/own any of them, you can choose your own book to replace it! ARCs will be pre-ordered. To enter, all you have to do is comment on a review - any review done throughout August. I'll always leave a discussion question or two, but you can say whatever you want as long as it's not one or two words. So check back every week - you can enter as many times as you comment, as long as your comments are filled with discussion. Check back in September to see if you win, or leave a way to contact you in the comments.

*Charlie continuously talks about Asleep by The Smiths and how much it meant to him. Is there a song that means that much to you?

*Charlie is a character that completely lives out of the pages. What are some other characters that have gone past that basic reader-character connection for you?

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

I've always loved Grimm's fairy tales. The creepy stories that are passed around fires like marshmallows, turning them into legends. There's a feeling that at least a tiny part of every fairy tale is true, that it originated and was spun from something inexplicable. And that's what makes them so well-told and timeless.

The Near Witch is one very well-written fairy tale.

I have never had a nightmare revolving around a book I've read before. Until this one. I had dreams about swampy, creepy moors and forests filled with bones. This is one of those books that paints a creepy, horrific setting and then just kind of drops you off there to explore yourself. You walk right alongside the main character, Lexi, as she figures out the legends and tales that surround her town.

There's always been the story of The Near Witch in Lexi's town of Near. "If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company." When a stranger shows up in Near, children start going missing and all fingers (and guns) are pointing toward him. But Lexi thinks there might be more to the legend than just words.

There is one word I keep coming back to when I'm forming my thoughts on this book: mysterious. It's a very, very mysterious book, and what makes that mystery so great is Victoria Schwab's writing. Her imagery is absolutely gorgeous.

While I couldn't get a strong grasp on the main characters - I didn't relate to them much personally - the scenes that Schwab painted with her typed ink were so artful that I became really engrossed in the book. It played out in my mind very much like a Tim Burton movie, which is probably why it lead me into dreams about it.

This book is, honestly, like a painting. Like if you flipped open a fairy tale book, and saw the creepy illustrations alongside it. It reverts your mind back to that childhood nostalgia, and I think it makes the book even creepier because of it.

This one is definitely going to find its fans among those who like words. Gorgeously written.

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WIN BOOKS! BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!

*I'm trying something new with my book discussions by opening up some questions to answer in the comments. I'll be hanging out there and replying, because I really want to get more of a discussion started about these books. One question will be for people who have read the book, and the other will be for those who haven't. But no spoilers for those who've read it, please! And you can WIN FREE BOOKS by commenting!

If you've read The Near Witch, what did you think of the townspeople? They all react differently to the stranger, and I'm curious to hear what you think about their reactions and whether they were warranted.

If you haven't read The Near Witch, when you do, you'll be hit in the face with a lot of beautiful imagery. What are some books you've read with fantastic imagery and how much did that effect the story?

Hope to see you guys in the comments! Oh, and at the end of the month, one commenter will win all four of the books I review in the month of August. (Or, if you've read/own any of them, you can choose your own book to replace it! ARCs will be pre-ordered.) So check back every Wednesday - you can enter as many times as you comment, as long as your comments are filled with discussion. Check back in September to see if you win, or leave a way to contact you in the comments.