Chaos & Confetti

It’s a brand new year, and that means another year of setting my goal of reading at least 52 new books.  I tend to surpass that number, but 52 always feels like a solid goal without adding unnecessary stress.  Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, right?

Last year, I ended up with 53 new books.  It was definitely a lower total for me, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.  Hopefully this year, I can get back to my normal stats of reading anywhere from 60-70ish new books.     

As always, books will be rated on a 1 – 5 star scale with 1 being bad, 2 being meh, 3 being good, 4 being great, and 5 being absolutely excellent.  If you enjoy what you see you may also follow us on Goodreads.

The comics I have read will also be included at the end of this post.  Those will just be listed and not officially reviewed since I don’t count those towards my reading goals for the year.  However, if you ever want to hear about any specific comic in particular or want my thoughts, don’t be afraid to ask.  I enjoy discussing everything I read. 

Let’s Go!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman – 3.5/5 Stars

After a terrible civil war between the rights of life and choice, new laws now protect children from conception to the age of thirteen.  Then from the ages of 13-18, parents may choose to “unwind” their children. When unwound, a person technically lives on, just in a new form.  Their body is completely disassembled and their parts find new use in others.  Despite their very different lives, Connor the bad boy, Risa the unwanted ward of the state, and Lev the tithe born to be unwound are all scheduled for their unwinding.  When their paths cross, they soon find their lives have a lot more in store for them than expected.

This is an exciting, sci-fi teen read with an interesting premise (as long as you don’t spend too much time thinking about the finer details or how some of these laws would have actually passed).  Shusterman creates an intriguing world that isn’t too different from ours, but the small details sprinkled throughout the story are fascinating.  For example, a world with an abundance of “donated” body parts would have a very different medical system than ours, and what happens when someone has a baby they don’t want/can’t care for?

The plot has good forward movement and builds nicely, with some nice twists and surprises throughout.  The more grounded elements of the story tend to work best, with a few aspects of potential side effects of unwinding/donations feeling a bit iffy.  Overall though, the book is easy and enjoyable as a teen action/sci-fi entry.

All three of the main characters are likable, with Connor taking the largest role of lead, especially by the end.  Lev probably has the most engaging story arc, so I would have preferred more time with him, and Risa begins to fade more to the background by the end of the novel.  As the first book in a series, I can only hope that some of the other characters get a bit more focus in later books.

Unwind is recommended for teen readers who want less-dense, but still engaging science fiction that explores some moral issues without getting too caught in the details.  This is a fun read. 

100 Animals That Can F*cking End You by Mamadou Ndiaye – 2.5/5 Stars

Ndiaye presents a countdown of 100 dangerous animals in a humorous collection of facts and trivia.  These animal entries and accompanied by photos and illustrations, and interspersed with other fun facts and other lists, like one highlighting things that could kill you in the ocean.

100 Animals That Can F*cking End You is a coffee table style book that readers can feel comfortable opening up to any page.  The material probably works best in smaller spurts instead of trying to read in longer sittings or from cover to cover.  The eye catching book works as a great conversation starter.

Ndiaye presents his observations in a uniquely entertaining and humorous way.  His writing voice makes use of quite a few fun turns of phrases and descriptors, especially in conveying the idea of being killed off.  Unfortunately, by the end of the book, some of his phrases do become a bit repetitive.  This may be another reason why the book works best as something to flip through instead of reading completely.

 100 Animals That Can F*cking End You is perfect for those who want quick animal trivia and pictures, hoping to learn a little in a way that focuses more on fun rather than being thoroughly educational.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult – 5/5 Stars

Chris Harte and Emily Gold have literally known each other their whole lives.  From best friends to significant others, they’ve always completed one another.  Even their parents are best friends, having lived next door to each other for nearly two decades.  It’s a perfect life with a clear future of uncomplicated joy ahead.  Then, a late night call breaks the peace.  Families are notified of tragedy.  Emily is dead.  Gunshot wound to the head.  Chris is the only eye witness, claiming a failed suicide pact.  The police are suspicious, and murder charges are pressed.  The families become divided as the legal battles begin.  What is the truth about the night of Emily’s death, and what consequences will it have moving forward?

The Pact is a roller coaster ride with heart and pathos.  Picoult creates two families full of fleshed out characters, each dealing with the build up and aftermath of a tragedy.  The characters each feel distinct and relatable as they process through their grief and emotions.  No matter who the reader relates to most throughout the novel, they will understand and care for all characters.  As a parent, this novel brought forth a lot of emotions for me and reflections on my own current and future relationship with my child.  The world is hard to navigate as a child, but it’s also hard as a parent watching your child build a world outside and unknown to you.

This novel works as a family drama, a legal showcase, a love story, and more.  Picoult move expertly through the different character and plot presentations, pulling the reader along as she slowly reveals what they long to know. 

Parts of The Pact are difficult and heartbreak to get through, but the story is well worth it.  

I Think We’ve Been Here Before by Suzy Krause – 4/5 Stars

The world gets the news that a cosmic blast will be ending all life in a few months.  Now, everyone must decide what that means to them and how to respond.  For one family, their new reality spans the spectrum from denial to acceptance, from living in the past to imagining the future, and from pulling closer to pushing away.  A daughter will struggle to find her way back home from overseas as the world enters a time of unpredictability.  A couple will wonder how much the end of the world really matters when a terminal illness is already cutting time short.  The end of the entire world is a big deal, but the consequences are very personal.

I Think We’ve Been Here Before does an excellent job of focusing on the human response to a potential global disaster.  While there are plenty of hints at the larger scale picture, especially as the novel progresses, it’s the up close look at one family’s experiences that make this novel fantastic.  Everyone approaches the coming event with their own beliefs and backgrounds, causing varied perspectives, but they all feel real and relatable.  People will be people no matter what the circumstances, and the novel does a great job of capturing that.  There are still hopes, dreams, and love while also being fears, regrets, and pain.  Readers will feel for the characters’ journeys and uncertainty as they also wonder what may be coming when all is said and done.

Without giving away any spoilers, this novel has an interesting take on the grander picture and some hints along the way that some will catch immediately, and others may need pointed out later.  The small details come together in a way that will have readers pondering beyond the final page.

I Think We’ve Been Here Before is a great peering into humanity during uncertain times.  It’s strongly recommended for those who like literary fiction, character pieces, and some sci-fi.    

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown – 3/5 Stars

Taking place a decade after the original Red Rising trilogy, Iron Gold explores the fallout of Darrow’s great uprising.  Instead of a society of peace and unity, there is endless war and hardship.  Color divisions still exist, distrust sows the universe, and power plays and politics still decide the fates of many.  Darrow and many familiar faces will return as they attempt again to save the universe without losing themselves, and many new characters will also step up into their own journeys which may end up far outweighing fates.

Full disclosure: I read the original Red Rising trilogy more than half a decade ago, and I really enjoyed it.  However, despite getting Iron Gold right when it came out, it sat in my to-read pile for years. I picked it up a few times, but had trouble making headway.  For some reason, I just couldn’t reinvest in the universe again.  Then, as more time passed and my memories of the finer details of the original trilogy started to fade, entry into the next installment only became harder.  

After years of collecting dust, I finally decided to give the novel one more go.  This time, I actually finished it, but was the book worth it?

Yes and no.  Brown crafts a great story that probably follows the more realistic approach that massive upheaval and change brings chaos.  However, this story’s darker and grimmer feel turned me off a bit.  I want my heroes to have happier endings or to see the fruits of their labors.  Instead, everyone is still struggling, bad things are happening, and heroes can’t just be happy with their families. Does conflict and trouble make for a more interesting story?  Probably, but why can’t we have a little more lightness?

Iron Gold does a great job of continuing the Red Rising series, adding plenty of intrigue and big plot moments.  It also introduces several new characters, who have interesting journeys and character arcs.

What I found from this novel was a lot of cool ideas and moments, and yet still found myself struggling to engage in between. Parts, especially the start, felt a bit slow, but other pieces reminded me of why I enjoyed this universe so much.  

With Iron Gold, I see a good book that just didn’t do it for me for some reason.  If you liked the original Red Rising trilogy, you should give this book a try too, because it really does bring a lot of good with it.

Comics Read This Month:

• Amazing Spider-Man vol. 7 – Armed and Dangerous by Zeb Wells
• Amazing Spider-Man vol. 8 –  Spider-Man’s First Hunt by Zeb Wells
• Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant vol. 1 by Iman Vellani
• Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant vol. 2 by Iman Vellani
• She-Hulk vol 4. – Jen-Sational by Rainbow Rowell
• Spider-Boy vol. 1 – The Web-less Wonder by Dan Slott
• Spider- Boy vol. 2 – Fun and Games by Dan Slott
• The Spectacular Spider-Men vol. 1 – Arachnobatics by Greg Weisman