Review of Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

          Kuehn, Stephanie.  Charm and Strange.  Electric    Monkey/Egmont, 2013.

My review of Charm and Strange is going to take a different format from the reviews I usually write.  It is not very often that I come across a book that I really do not know how to review.  What makes this review even harder is that I cannot say much about the plot without giving up spoilers.

This debut novel is written through a series of events—“Matter” in the present and “Anti-Matter” in the past---through the eyes of Winston Drew Winters, aka Win and Drew.  In the present, sixteen-year-old Win is a boarding school student in a remote part of New England.  He won’t let anyone get close to him for fear of what he might do to others.

In the past, Drew is a young boy who excels at tennis and looks up to his older brother, Keith.  He fears his overbearing, drunken father and often has unexplained blackouts.  Drew has terrible motion sickness and bouts of uncontrollable, violent anger.

The summer Drew, Keith, and Siobhan, their younger sister, visit their cousins and grandparents leads to a family tragedy and more mental problems for Drew.  It is also the reason he ends up at boarding school fighting demons in his mind and fearing what will eventually become of him.

Charm and Strange seems to start out as a paranormal novel but ends up as something totally different.  The beginning of the novel is confusing and the plot wanders, but the plot threads finally weave themselves together to make sense.  Some readers may not wait long enough to see this through and will miss the satisfying conclusion.

The plot is character-driven, and the author does a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters.  Even the minor characters are extremely complex.  Additionally, the subject matter has obviously been well researched and brilliantly integrated into the story.

Charm and Strange is a psychological thrill that deals with a sensitive subject.  It is for mature readers.  I highly recommend it for upper high school students and public library libraries and give it five out of five fleur de lis!

Review of Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Oliver, Lauren.  Requiem.  HarperTeen, 2013.

Lena is trying to get on with her life.  As part of the resistance, she is helping fight the regulators and Delirium Free America.  Alex has nothing to say to her; he has lived through his own personal hell and just wants to forget.  Julian is trying to adjust from his life as part of the DFA to that of a resistor. 

Meanwhile, Hana is preparing for her wedding to Fred Hargrove, who has followed in his father’s footsteps as mayor of Portland.  Fred is “hardcore” when it comes to resistors, the uncured, and their sympathizers.  He will do whatever it takes, including mass murder, to bring the resistance to its knees and kill it.  Hana has resigned herself to a loveless, cruel life with Fred until she discovers that Fred is hiding secrets, some about his first wife, Cassie O’Donnell.  Hana is determined to find out what happened to her.

Told in first person from both Lena’s and Hana’s viewpoints, Requiem culminates the Delirium trilogy in a riveting conclusion.  Readers will find out what happens to Lena, Hana, Alex, and Julian, as well as Lena’s relatives who were taking care of her before she vanished into the Wilds.  Lena’s absent mother also makes an appearance as mother and daughter try to mend their broken past.  One last meeting occurs between Lena and Hana, once best friends, now separated by their opposing views on what society and their lives should bring to them.

Both Hana and Lena are strong female characters, each showing sides of their personalities contrary to what their beliefs should convey.  Lena must choose between the two men in her life—Alex, her first love, and Julian, her current one, and decide what path her life will eventually take.  Hana must make the hard choice to help Lena or turn her over to her vengeful fiancé, Fred.

Requiem  is a fabulous ending to a series that is great from book one to book three!  The series builds and builds until its conclusion and never let me down.  It will make its debut on March 5, 2013.  I highly recommend it to upper middle school, high school, and public libraries!

Reviewer’s Note:  The book reviewed was a digital edition received from Edelweiss Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review.