[Review] Sketchy and Snitch by Olivia Samms (Bea Catcher Chronicles)

Double Feature Review

Sketchy (#1 Bea Catcher Chronicles) &
Snitch (#2 Bea Catcher Chronicles)

 

Buy on Amazon or the Book Depository

Title: Sketchy

Series: Bea Catcher Chronicles

Author: Olivia Samms (Twitter, Facebook, Website) 

Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing/ Skyscape

Genre: Young Adult- Paranormal Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Release Date: April 30, 2013

Source: Public Library – review policy here.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The first book in a series about 17 year old Bea Washington, an edgy, charismatic outsider and recovering addict, who discovers that with her new-found sobriety, she has a disturbing new "skill" an ability to see and draw people's thoughts. Alarmingly, these visions are only getting stronger and increasing in frequency. As another girl in school is raped and left for dead, Bea must come to terms with her talent, learn to face her own truth, and try to help identify and stop the killer before he strikes again.

Yay a mystery/paranormal novel with a bi-racial lead! Bea is a strong protagonist even if she's misguided by her emotions from time-to-time. The things I did like included the overall plot, the concept of the drawing/vision power, diversity in characters, and the pacing. Finished it in one sitting and really enjoyed the whole "whodunnit" for the serial murderer/rapist. My first guess was wrong! 

Overall, I had a lot of emotions while reading this book and mostly feelings of frustration. I really felt like Sketchy could be a four star or even five start book but there were things that kept distracting me from the storyline.  

The writing style: I feel like some of the language is dated or not in with the age group being depicted. For example, the use of the phrase "the john" by Bea when referring to the restroom. This may be a regional thing and I need to get over it, not sure. 

Depiction of LGBT and gender issues: Yay, we have a gay male supporting character! However I was quickly disappointed to see that Bea would often make remarks about Chris's ability to be feminine because he's gay leading almost into suggesting he's transgender. For example, calling him Christina instead of Chris. There are also several mentions of activities which should be either feminism or masculine furthering stereotypes about what is appropriate per gender.

Rape culture and working with rape victims: I won't go too much into this for spoiler purposes but there are opportunities here to use fiction as an educational tool about positively interacting with rape victims that is just missed. In fact Bea's behavior with the rape victim is What not to do 101.

Bea's paranormal power: Okay, so Bea can see visions while drawing and making eye contact with a subject. How she obtained this power we do not know and she doesn't really care. In almost every paranormal novel the reader receives some sort of background on the power, the rules of the power , how it came to be, and sometimes even a mentor on how to harness said power. We get a weak suggestion of how she developed the power, a side effect of using it, and some general rules however there's no one else with this power to coach her along, harness it or learn more. I can see Bea being an X-Men style detective but sadly we're left in the dark. There's also a few times when Bea is seeing visions but you can't tell if she's actually drawing while seeing them or if now she can have them when she's not sketching.

3 Stars- I enjoyed it and the series has lots of potential for growth.
Recommended for people who enjoy mysteries or thrillers.

Buy on Amazon or the Book Depository

Title: Snitch

Series: Bea Catcher Chronicles

Author: Olivia Samms (Twitter, Facebook, Website) 

Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing/ Skyscape

Genre: Young Adult- Paranormal Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Release Date: April 1, 2014

Source: eARC provided by the publisher – review policy here.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

As the days count down to her eighteenth birthday, Bea feels trapped. Trapped by her dark past, by her parents’ expectations, even by her own dreams for the future. The road ahead is unclear, blurred with secrets and lies.

The only constant, sure thing in her life is Sergeant Dan Daniels. He’s faced with a gang-related murder case and asks Bea to use her “skill” to see and then draw the truth out of the suspect...literally. But when she does, it leaves her with more unanswered questions. And then another teen is shot—clinging for his life. 

Time is running out. Can Bea find the killer before someone else gets hurt?

Once again Bea is at it and is now being ask by Sgt. Daniels to consult on cases. I was so excited to go into this story because of the cool mystery story line that took place in the first book. Sadly, this all fell a part very quickly. I was so heartbroken that we lost the whole "whodunnit" aspect and pacing that was present in book one. I just didn't get into this case as much and I was trying to guess at who the culprit may be with little interest. Additionally, all the issues in book one just compounded into book two making them that more undesirable. 

The writing style/language and LGBT/gender references are still off. There is a point where Chris tries to contradict the gay stereotype of being a girl's "male-girlfriend", but unfortunately Bea and other characters continue on with stereotypical attitudes and language regarding gender and the LGBT community.

"Yeah, I know. You got the LGBT goin' on..." What does this mean? 

"Third time I've been outed today. Damn." Is this a joke?

Working in higher education I find that a lot of students 1) do not know what the acronym LGBT stands for, much less use it in their everyday vernacular. This phrase also indicates that there's a way or look which is used to identify the ENTIRE LGBT community. 2) They don't understand what it means to "out" someone. It is possible to "out" someone unknowingly or without the individual's consent. This is a very sensitive subject and I feel like the author used this as a tongue and cheek remark while Bea went undercover for the case. 

The pacing from book one to two slowed down dramatically and include a couple of additional story lines that weren't necessary to solving the case or building the paranormal aspect. I would've rather used the word count towards building a better case to solve, flushing out leads and clues, introducing more suspects, more sketching paranormal power building, a healthy romance, and all that jazz.

2 Stars- This book was not for me. However, I would recommend it for those who
enjoyed book one and/or those who are looking for a modern Nancy Drew. 

[Ramblings] Best of YA on Twitter #1

Ramblings are random posts that amuse me and hopefully amuse you! 

Best of YA on Twitter

So yesterday this happened in Twitterverse and totally made my day, enjoy!

As a writer and reader of kissing scenes, I'd like to lodge a petition to make the phrase "he/ she deepened the kiss" an endangered species.
— Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater) March 26, 2014

@ddpjclaf @mstiefvater I'm clearly reading the wrong books because I have not come across many battling tongues and I wish I would!
— gayle forman (@gayleforman) March 26, 2014

@gayleforman @mstiefvater pick up some classic romance (or fan fiction!) and you shall be buried in tongue battles. ;)
— A (@ddpjclaf) March 26, 2014

@ddpjclaf @mstiefvater One, two, three, four, let's have a tongue war. Now that's romantic.
— gayle forman (@gayleforman) March 26, 2014

@gayleforman @ddpjclaf This is happening at our next event, Gayle. Don't make empty promises on Twitter.
— Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater) March 26, 2014

@mstiefvater @ddpjclaf Consider it a gauntlet thrown down (your throat).
— gayle forman (@gayleforman) March 26, 2014

@gayleforman @ddpjclaf I'll deepen that gauntlet.
— Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater) March 26, 2014

What YA authors do you follow on Twitter or elsewhere? 

[Waiting on Wednesday] The Warrior (Dante Walker #3) by Victoria Scott

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This Week's Pick: 

Pre-Order on Amazon or The Book Depository

Title: The Warrior
Series: The Collector Trilogy
Author: Victoria Scott (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Young Adult- Paranormal/Fantasy, Romance

Summary via Goodreads: 

War between heaven and hell is coming, but Dante Walker makes it look damn good.

Dante’s girlfriend, Charlie, is fated to save the world. And Aspen, the girl who feels like a sister, is an ordained soldier. In order to help both fulfill their destiny and win the war, Dante must complete liberator training at the Hive, rescue Aspen from hell, and uncover a message hidden on an ancient scroll.

Dante is built for battle, but even he can’t handle the nightmares where spiders crawl from Aspen’s eyes, or the look on Charlie’s face that foretells of devastation. To make matters worse, the enemy seizes every opportunity to break inside the Hive and cripple the liberators. But the day of reckoning is fast approaching, and to stand victorious, Dante will have to embrace something inside himself he never has before—faith.

Excerpt via Victoria Scott's website: 

If war is coming, I make it look damn good.

I am sharp eyes for hunting, broad shoulders for fighting, strong hands for gripping a weapon. I am built for this. I will protect Charlie, and I will rescue Aspen from hell. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my girls, and I plan to do it all. Blood will spill, and I will spill it without a second thought.

I am a machine.

“Dante?”

Spinning around, I find Charlie standing against the bathroom doorframe. Here is the girl who will save us all. The girl whose charity will usher in Trelvator—a hundred years of peace on earth.  Blond hair spills over her shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face. Her skin is porcelain and her smile is bottled sunshine and her body is sick in a good way. She is perfect.
She’s perfect because I made her that way, because I talked her into signing a contract in which she traded her soul for beauty. Even though I’ve fought to change the person I am, the person who did that to her, I’m still a demon at heart. Big Guy may be lord of the heavens, and I may have gold dargon wrapped around my ankle marking me as a liberator, but inside, deep down, a monster growls.

Charlie wraps her arms around my waist and her fingers clutch my back. My armor falls away in an instant, and I’m no longer what I was a moment before. Now I’m sharp eyes for watching her, and broad shoulders for easing her worries, and strong hands for holding her tight.

She is mine.

And I am hers.

I'm waiting...

The synopsis reads like a movie trailer plus books #1 and #2. Always sad to see a series end but so excited to see how it ends!

[Top Ten Tuesday] Bookish Bucket List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Bookish Bucket List

Hmm... I never thought about my bucket list in bookish terms but that's okay because I'm totally ready to geek out... here we go!!!

1) Complete Rory Gilmore's Reading List

2) Build magnificent bookshelves

3) Create a book based travel tour

I LOVE to travel not just in my living room but physically too. I also have a knack
for travel planning so I'd love to take my favorite books and plan out an around-the-world
 trip with stops based on book references. 

4) Become a professional book reviewer

I went to journalism school and I never went down the reporting path. I'd like to do something journalistic and I think I would be awesome at getting paid to READ and WRITE. 

5) Make paper and hand bind a book

Don't laugh... I'm a Girl Scout. Like a real one. I even taught at camp a wonderful little section on paper making. I'd like to do that again, plus bind my own books. 

See, told you! That's me in the jersey teaching paper making. 

6) Go to a book blogger conference.
I'm planning to attend BEA and the blogger conference at BEA this May!!  The introvert in me is already prepping and I imagine it going something like this...

7) Interview someone famous related to something bookish

8) Become a managing editor

9) Write a screenplay based on a book... even if its just for fun.

10) Create bookish themed art.

What is on your bookish bucket list?

[Review] This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready

Buy on Amazon or the Book Depository

Title: This Side of Salvation

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready (Twitter, Facebook, Website) 

Publisher: Simon Pulse/ Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult- Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Release Date: April 1, 2014

Source: advance copy from the publisher – review policy here.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties in to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Ahem... *Steps on soap box*

This book does contain religious elements, however it is not about whether you believe or not. It is so much more, so don't get hung up on the scripture. 

*Steps off the box*

This book is about loss, the grieving process and, ultimately, moving on. It's about being a survivor and how we all survive differently. David and each of his family members handles their tragedy differently to find comfort, meaning and to move on. Unfortunately, Dad has the hardest time doing this and with Mom joins a group as they prepare for The Rush. This group is separate from either of the two churches they attend and is covered in the media as an extremist group or cult. Immediately, Mara, the now oldest child, rejects The Rush, however David goes along with the idea in hopes of salvation for his family. Told in present and past tense through David's narration the reader begins to piece together how the eldest brother died, the progression of grief and healing, and hints of moving on from each family member. Smith-Ready writes this in such a way that there's no judgement, right or wrong, in how you find your salvation as long as you maintain hope. 

"You ought to run the hardest
when you feel the worst" 

- Joe DiMaggio

Ironically, the parts I loved the most about this book were about baseball. Yes, baseball. David is an above average pitcher and this becomes his anchor. The synopsis may have you believe it's a girl and she's an important anchor too. What girl to a 16-year-old boy isn't? But, it's baseball that's there before his brother's death, through his transition into home schooling, through his parent's transition into The Rush group, and is even there as all other material possessions begin to fade away and uncertainty sets in. There's always baseball. While David's faith kept him strong I believe it is his love for baseball that kept him sane. It is the one thing that went untouched by home, it is his spiritual place. 

David is supported by his sister Mara, his best friend Kane (who's gay) and his girlfriend Bailey (a Darwinist-hippie-vegan) as they search for Mom and Dad. I really, really like David's character and watching him grow, own his faults (and even those that aren't his), and become confident in his head and body. It's endearing and refreshing to have a protagonist who is balanced enough to be surrounded by diversity, hold onto his own beliefs and keep moving forward. 

Overall I found the story unique in an overcrowded field of dystopian-contemporary-romances, it was intellectually stimulating, and kept the pages turning. 

3.5 Stars - Good standalone read. Recommended for those who enjoy
 a good mystery or conspiracy theory.