Tag: revenge

REVIEW: Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz

REVIEW: Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The Nowhere Man is back.

As Evan works to rebuild his home and sanctuary, the Nowhere Man phone rings. The man on the other end is devastated – at the absolute end of himself. His daughter has been kidnapped by his enemy. And while he is powerful in so many ways, he feels powerless to fix this. But Aragón Urrea is not a good or virtuous man. Evan isn’t sure he is someone he even wants to help – and Aragón isn’t sure he is worthy of the assistance either.

 

Review

Wow, this was good. I have come to enjoy these books, even though they are darker and more violent than I prefer in my reading material. But I am completely attached to these characters. I have to know what is happening with them. And this book really delivers when it comes to the core group. (Joey, who is my absolute favorite character, has some stellar moments in this book.)

The Nowhere Man case/mission here is fascinating in that Evan is determining early on if he can bring himself to help the sort of person he usually fights against. There’s a lot of great material here on the rival groups Evan must infiltrate.

Swirling throughout the whole book – the mission and Evan’s personal life – are questions about family and connection. I loved this piece of the book. It was a great counter to the violence and tactical passages that don’t always click for me as a reader.

While the end of this one is not as huge of a cliffhanger as the last one, there are plenty of open-ended threads – and a direct threat – that will have me reaching for the next book when it releases.

Fans of this series will not be disappointed. New readers will probably be fine starting here and following the mission. The personal pieces, though – my favorite parts – will be harder to really dig into without the benefit of the earlier books. (Language, violence and gore, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: War and Speech by Don Zolidis

REVIEW: War and Speech by Don Zolidis

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

In most high schools, the kids at the top of the social food chain are the jocks – the football or basketball players, the cheerleaders. Not at Eaganville. At Eaganville, it’s the Speech and Debate team.

The varsity Speech stars can do no wrong. They will verbally eviscerate another student in class, and the teachers are silent. Teachers offer breaks on class assignments. The teacher’s lounge is like their clubhouse for lunch. They are in the spotlight of the school culture, bright and shiny. They are also catty and cruel. Their coach is esteemed by administration, parents, and colleagues. He’s a winner. And he makes sure the team wins, too. Even if that means he is catty, and cruel as well.

And Sydney is determined to join the team.

Not because she wants to be one of them. Sure, she’s loved to argue her whole life. She’s clever and witty with a sharp sense of humor and plenty of snark. But she wants to join the Eaganville Speech team for the joy of taking them down once and for all, from the inside.

Review

Wow! This was great!! The writing is SO sharp – quick, and snappy. You can hear the rhythm of the debates in the early attacks on Sydney and her friends. It was like reading an Aaron Sorkin West Wing walk-and-talk. I was hooked by the writing. I have to find out what else this author has written.

On top of that, this is SO funny!! I was screenshotting sections and texting them to my husband in another part of the house because they begged to be shared. Between Sydney’s job and the pop culture references, I was in love with this story.

A revenge story – for me – has to be compelling. I need to feel the anger rise up in me, the righteous indignation. I need to feel the fictional vengeance is necessary or justified. (Moxie is a great example of this.) Because otherwise, the revenge acts are just as wrong, just as mean. And when it comes to the coach, that happened. He needed to be dealt with here, and pursuing the proper channels went no where. And his part of the ending was satisfying.

The students’ behavior wasn’t as strong for me. Yes, they were snide and condescending. Yes, some of them were cruel to Sydney’s friends to varying degrees. But those stories happened mostly before Sydney was even there. She didn’t witness them or live through them. Since she is the only point of view character, there was an emotional distance to those stories. It made complete sense for her to be hurt for her new friends, to recognize the wrong-ness of how they were treated. But the emotional punch wasn’t there for me as I considered what drove Sydney to revenge.

There’s is so, so much to love with this book. Yes, I wanted a stronger motive for Sydney to take down the team, but everything else here was absolute perfection for me as a reader. If you enjoy sharp, witty stories with amazing writing, be sure to check this one out! (Language, underage drinking, sexual references, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Humiliations of Pipi McGee by Beth Vrabel

REVIEW: The Humiliations of Pipi McGee by Beth Vrabel

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Running Press Kids in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Pipi’s humiliations are legendary. And no one at her middle school is going to let her forget them. From her kindergarten self-portrait (as a strip of bacon with boobs) shown on the first day of 8th grade to her reputation for picking her nose (an unfortunate school picture fiasco) and starting a vomiting epidemic on the school bus, Pipi can’t catch a break. If anyone touches her, they treat their hand as if they have the plague, trying to pass the “Pipi touch” to other students. But Pipi is convinced THIS will be the year everything changes. This will be the year of revenge and redemption!

Pipi has a plan to reinvent herself, undo all of her humiliations, and to strike back at those who hurt her the most when she was vulnerable. Her single-minded focus on changing her life before high school ends up causing more trouble than it fixes. In fact, her quest for reinvention could cost her the parts of her current life she actually enjoys.

Review

There are some truly delightful moments in this story. But there are also plenty of painful ones for Pipi. This is the second “revenge” story line I’ve read recently, and both were a bit painful to read. This isn’t the good-will-triumph-over-evil sort of revenge where you identify with the oppressed and cheer for them to rise up. It tends to look more like good-kid-temporarily-becomes-a-jerk-to-get-back-at-the-jerks.  And as the reader, you have to sit back and watch it all fall apart while you hope Pipi will learn from everything and find some redemption in the end.

Pipi’s family really helps offset the more awkward and painful parts of the book. They are spectacular! My favorite scene is a birthday party in the middle of the book – it’s an absolute treat. There’s also a couple brief appearances of characters from the author’s 2018 book The Reckless Club (which I ADORED). The tie in was terrific.

I am loving the publishing trend of producing books for older middle grade readers – the 10 to 14-year-olds, the middle schoolers who are ready for more complicated and intricate stories but still young enough to steer away from some YA themes. This is a perfect example of a story for that audience – complicated friendships and relationships, lessons to be learned, and identity to develop. Be sure to check out Pipi McGee! (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥