Review of The Elite by Kiera Cass

HarperCollins Children's
Books

The Elite
by Kiera Cass
3 Scribbles
To be released 4/23/2013
Spoiler alert!

Six girls remain in the competition for Prince Maxon, and America is one of the favorites. Yet, America is still struggling with her feelings for her first love, Apsen, and she isn’t sure she has what it takes to be princess, and eventually queen. Meanwhile, rebel attacks increase and it becomes apparent that the palace is full of secrets. The clock ticks as the The Selection draws closer to an end. Will America resolve her feelings before it’s too late…and will she be Maxon’s choice?
The best part about the second book is the inclusion of tidbits from Illéa’s past. Details about the kingdom start to leak via America’s relationship with Maxon, and the entire caste system is explained. It seems the current King prefers to keep his people in the dark; America discovers that the history put down on paper is far different from the oral history that has been passed down through Illéa’s people over generations. Suddenly, the dystopian elements that seemed to be “tossed in” in book one, make a bit more sense.  America’s character is more fully developed. The reader may be disgusted by the hypocrisy of America’s continued relationship with Apsen while she experiences extreme jealousy over Maxon, yet this imperfection is what pulls the reader headlong into the story. . Aspen is America’s “one constant.” He represents America’s link to the past, and her inability to move forward. Prince Maxon, however, clearly has a hold on her heart, but that hold brings with it America’s encroaching adulthood—adulthood she is not ready to embrace. Maxon too is more fully developed. The reader finds a reason for his behind-the-radar changes to the kingdom, and begins to understand a new and unexpected dynamic in the royal family. Still, the dystopian elements take a backseat to the romantic elements of the story, and because of this, readers who love reality TV and romantic novels will more likely enjoy this series than those who love dystopian works like Divergent and The Hunger Games. And…if you were hoping to discover the winner of the competition, hope some more. It seems the winner will not be revealed until book three. Sigh. I guess I’m still in!

Review of Forge (Seeds of America) by Laurie Halse Anderson

Antheneum Books for
Young Readers

Forge (Seeds of America)
by Laurie Halse Anderson
4 Stars

A soldier’s life is grim, and it was even more so during the Revolutionary War. Often supplies were scarce, conditions were harsh, and death and disease were no strangers. Those who volunteered for this life at least had the pride in knowing that they were among the few and brave who stepped up to fight for their right to exist as a free country.  But what if their service was not by choice? How much worse might the suffering be?

Curzon is one such soldier—originally pressed into service by his owner in exchange for freedom—who now faces a second enlistment through no fault of his own. Those who have read the first book in the Seeds of America series, Chains, may remember the Patriot slave-boy Curzon, friend of the main character, Isabel. This installment is told in Curzon’s point of view, and brings new insights into this historical period and into Curzon’s strong character. And where has Isabel gone? Will Curzon ever see her again?

The setting of Valley Forge plays a huge part in this story. Through Curzon’s resilient eyes, the reader sees the brutal, freezing conditions that soldiers lived in during the course of one winter. Deprived of clothing, food, and even shelter, many soldiers died of the cold, starvation or disease, while officers lived in nearby housing with warm clothing and plenty of food.  It’s amazing the soldiers had enough discipline and respect not to mutiny! And yet, through Curzon, the reader begins to wonder which is worse, to live every day with starvation and pain yet live free, or to have plenty of food, warm clothing and safe conditions in exchange for being treated as a possession?  The irony of enslaved soldiers fighting for freedom is dumbfounding. The first portion of the novel does not have a great deal of action, yet reading about the lives of the individual soldiers, learning about their personalities, and seeing how they change is very satisfying and entertaining. Additionally, the historical documents and letters peppered throughout the story add depth and relevance to each character’s tale.  The second half of the novel is also quite satisfying as Curzon schemes against his former master and seeks a means of escape. Most fulfilling is the ironic ending that will make readers either applaud or chuckle—either way, its’ an ending that will satisfy and entertain. This story is so good, readers reluctant to read historical fiction won’t flinch they’ll be so sucked into the narrative. I’m excited to read book three in the series, which is rumored to be entitled Ashes, and which is scheduled come out in Februray of 2013.

Review of Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

Antheneum Books for
Young Readers

Copper Sun
By Sharon Draper
5 Stars

Imagine your whole world and everyone you love disappearing in an instant. You are beaten and dragged away in chains. How would you feel? What would you do? This is Amari’s fate when her village in Africa is visited by strange-looking men the color of “goat’s milk.” At first, the villagers are excited to host a welcome celebration. But their joy is cut short when the celebration turns into a savage and deadly attack. Amari suddenly finds herself shackled and driven on a march to the sea where she is branded and taken aboard a ship, never to see her homeland again. She is now a slave, and her future holds nothing but misery, anguish and grief, unless she can escape.

Perhaps too many Americans think of slavery as a thing of the past, and not the Holocaust that it was—the genocide and enslavement of a people. But through Amari, a character who is far from flat or cliché, the reader can relate to the suffering and loss of the slaves who built America with their blood and tears. Amari is so real, so gentle, and so innocent, that it is hard not to instantly become invested in her fate.  But it isn’t just Amari who makes the story interesting. Each character in the story contributes a perspective to this woeful tale that is different but historically significant. For instance, white characters are not a stereotype. They each represent the perspective of a community that made slavery happen. Even the “kind” whites like Sailor Ben, who occasionally takes mercy on Amari, or indentured servant Polly, who could care less for negroes but comes to sympathize with Amari, or Doctor Hoskins, who like so many whites opposes slavery but remains a bystander and does nothing to prevent the abuse, all share guilt for the deaths of many thousands of slaves. Villians like slave-owners Percival and Clay Derby who are on the front lines of purchasing slaves bring the cruelty of the institution to life even when they aren’t being directly cruel.  Each of these characters, and their historical counterparts, allowed their prejudice and self-preservation to stand in the way of humanity. Even African characters, like the Ashanti who betray Amari’s village, bear guilt for slavery—no angle is left unexamined. Draper truly reveals the complicated social ramifications of the slave trade in a way that other novels do not.

The novel is very well researched. Readers will be shocked to know that slaves in the field rarely lasted more than five years before they died and were replaced, or that the knowledge of slaves often far exceeded the expertise of the master. Perhaps most disturbing is the number of slave women who were raped by masters and other whites with power over them. Yet, despite its gritty detail and shocking truths, the story is as easy to understand, exceedingly interesting, and accessible for readers who struggle.