Review: The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

MODERATE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Plot

New York girl Charlotte Feldman is 16 years old.  And she has just died.  After being pushed under a subway train, she wakes up in the Hotel Attessa – in limbo between life and death – and is greeted by fellow dead teens Nancy and Lorna.  The Dead Girls Detective Agency follows Charlotte as she tries to solve her own murder with her two new friends and as well as encountering many obstacles on the way: what’s going to happen to her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, David? And what’s the deal with the other Attessa residents, moody Tess and mysterious, but cute, Edison?

Good points

In short, it’s evident that the author has an excellent imagination. I loved the concept that she created; imagine The Lovely Bones meets typical teen fiction (with cheerleaders and all!)  Plus, Suzy Cox provides the reader with numerous, delicious, little, fictional treats such as giving the ghosts a variety of powers which the characters (and the readers!) have a lot of fun with throughout the novel.

Despite the topic, it was actually quite a light-hearted book with just the right amount of misery emanating from Charlotte, considering that she is murdered at the beginning of the story.  Cox also strikes up an enjoyable chatty tone between Charlotte and the reader, complete with amusing teen initialisms like ‘BS’, ‘WTF’ and ‘OMG’.  Plus, Cox doesn’t forget to balance out the novel with a bit of required teen angst.  In general, the characters are quite positive throughout so when they do express their troubles it’s all the more effective.

And finally, there’s a great twist in the last couple of pages; something that always makes a satisfying ending.

Bad points

Okay, so I know I’m not particularly patient with protagonists and I know I should let Charlotte off a bit (what with being dead and all), but I must say, she was quite annoying.  On occasion, she’s actually quite mean to Nancy and Lorna even though they are always trying to help her.  She also has really inconsistent behaviour; one minute she’s sad when there’s a lack of progress with her murder investigation and the next minute she’s telling everyone to stop bothering her about it!

Another disappointment was the murderer.  Although their motives and back-story were interesting, it wasn’t anyone that Charlotte knew personally so the majority of the Detective Agency’s investigation throughout the novel was irrelevant.

Lastly, when I picked up this book I was really excited as I love YA and I love crime drama.  However, I felt that there wasn’t enough investigation in it at all for a murder mystery.  Overall, the book was more about Charlotte coming to terms with being a ghost and, to put it bluntly, excessively trying out all of her new super-cool ghost powers. ***

Summary

To conclude, this was a fabulous novel with an interesting concept and with just the right amount of teen-ness.  Its only downfalls were the inconsistencies of the protagonist’s behaviour and the lack of investigative vigour. Therefore...

Rating = 4 stars.

Additional points

*** I came to the conclusion that The Dead Girls Detective Agency must be the first novel of a series as it felt like this was only an introduction into the world of the Hotel Attessa.  And I was right.  The second one was out in January 2014!  *Cue Amazon browsing.*

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Mid-week update

 So, this week has been very busy and very book-related:

   1.    I finished a young adult fiction novel called The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox (review will be posted  in due course),

   2.    I finished a tiny 132 page non-fiction fiction book called Linguisitics, A Very Short Introduction by P. H. Matthews (review will be posted in due course),

   3.    I started a new YA novel called The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell (Carrie Bradshaw’s life before Sex and The City),

And.....

   4.    I got a new book case!  Harrah!  My last book case (see above) was starting to overflow with books to the point that I was losing precious floor and shelf space.  However, after a long afternoon of moving things, sorting through old books and lots of hoovering, I now have handsome, towering book case that puts my last one to shame (it reaches the ceiling!).  Plus, I now have plenty more room for even more books (ahem) in the future.

Review: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

The title is fairly self-explanatory: this small but fascinating novel provides the reader with a detailed account of one day in the life of a Gulag prisoner during the rule of Joseph Stalin.  This novel is short and sweet (only 143 pages in my copy) and gives an excellent first-hand account of what it was like to live in a Gulag – Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was a ‘zek’ (prisoner), himself, and lived in a Gulag during the Second World War until Stalin’s death in 1953.  From working on a building site in freezing temperatures to scrubbing the floors of the guards’ office it is hard to believe that Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, the protagonist, describes this day as a good day.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the straightforward nature of how the plot was delivered.   Despite the fact that the characters are evidently living in truly miserable conditions Shukhov makes barely one complaint throughout the novel.  He is optimistic, always thinking about the future and not about the present.  His prison sentence is ten years and, although he knows that is likely that he could be made to stay for longer, he is surprisingly positive.  In the Gulag, it becomes clear that it’s all about the survival of the fittest and through Shukhov the reader truly learns to appreciate the basic importance of things like a simple crust of bread, a sturdy pair of shoes and doing favours for the more privileged zeks in order to get another meal.

I hardly have any criticisms about this book.  I would say that if you want to learn more about the politics of this period than this isn’t the book for you as it’s simply based around the Gulag and the prisoners there.  Furthermore, it’s quite difficult to read in places as there are lots of names to remember and the language it quite sophisticated.  It’s also not incredibly gripping but then I would also argue that this isn’t that important as its sole purpose is to illustrate the conditions of the Gulag (which is certainly does!)

Rating = 4 stars.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was a terrific read and it gets lots of brownie points for not being what I expected at all (in a good way).  I think it’s just one of those essential reads.  It gives a flavour of history without being too political (for those who aren’t history lovers like me!)  I would definitely recommend it.


Read this book? Please post your thoughts below!

New book haul - Steven Pinker

One of the most exciting things about books is getting new ones.  So I was VERY excited when I discovered the parcel, outside my door, containing these beauties this week.

Okay, so they may not seem beautiful on the face of it.  I always buy second-hand books which is why they look a little tattered (I’m talking particularly about you The Language Instinct).

Nevertheless, the beauty, in my opinion lies inside.  Firstly, I think that it’s a lot more fun buying books that someone else has used (and abused!)  Secondly, never judge a book by (the condition of) its cover!

I bought these three because of the author.  I’m a bit of a sucker for books about linguistics and I’ve heard that Steven Pinker has some interesting theories and opinions about language so I thought I’d pick these three up for a bit of leisurely reading.  And they look super!  For example, the blurb of The Stuff of Thought states that the book addresses questions about why children’s names fall in and out of use, why we hardly ever say what we mean and how various choices of metaphors can start a war.

I admit, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea but, personally, this sounds like reading bliss.

Indeed, it’s unlikely that I’ll read this until the summer hols because I'm so busy. But, hey, at least it’s something to look forward to!


Read any of these books? Please comment and let me know what you thought of them!

Review: All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

Plot

‘All-American Girl’ is about fifteen year-old Samantha; a middle child, who lives in Washington D.C, with her geeky younger sister, Rebecca, and ‘it’ girl and cheerleader, older sister, Lucy. Samantha is satisfied with being the absolute opposite of her sister: she has dyed her entire wardrobe black, she’s quite happy to ‘flunk’ her German class and plans to rebel against her drawing teacher, Susan Boone.

However, on the day that she skips her second drawing session with Susan her life changes when she jumps on a man who points and shoots a gun at the U.S President and his motorcade. Samantha is then thrown into a world of fame and publicity, since she now seen as a national hero.  She encounters many obstacles: dining at the White House, working with the President but, most of all, she must decide where her personal feelings lie – with her sister’s boyfriend, Jack, who she thought was the love her life, or the President’s son, David, with whom she strikes up a strong friendship.

Good points

There’s no doubt about it, this is a typical teenage novel and, in my opinion, teenage novels are fun. Meg Cabot established an enjoyable chatty relationship between Samantha and the reader which wasn’t too intense like numerous YA novels are. The book was also quite comical and there were many funny lines – which is to be expected from Meg Cabot since she is the author of The Princess Diaries.

Bad points

However,… uh oh. Love triangle alert. This is a deal breaker for me. I’m afraid I was completely put off by the concept after reading The Twilight Saga.

Secondly, I understand that the whole point when writing protagonists is to let them grow into better people throughout the novel, however, I found Samantha very annoying. She was considerably selfish, had no sense of logic and was quite rude. She was also very shallow. In my opinion, it can be forgiven that she loves her sister’s boyfriend (feelings can’t be helped) but it’s when she made comparisons with herself and her sister about who would be the better girlfriend is when it crossed the line for me.

Summary

Rating = 3 stars.

Overall, I liked the novel. It had a cute storyline with a few unexpected twists and the topics were enjoyably light-hearted. However, I have to say, I’m not a fan of love triangles and, to be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Samantha either. These were the only reasons for why I gave it only three stars.

Additional points

Apparently, there is a sequel and I’m still debating whether or not to read it…

I also might add that the plotline is evidently quite similar to the Princess Diaries: normal teenage girl becomes suddenly world-famous and falls in love. But don’t be put off! It was still an entertaining novel.

Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Plot

 

The young adult fiction novel, Looking For Alaska by John Green, begins with the decision of a teenage boy, Miles, who is fascinated with the last words of famous people. His decision is to move away from home to Culver Creek (a boarding school where his father also attended) to seek the “Great Perhaps.” At Culver Creek he meets his roommate Chip (known as ‘The Colonel’), Alaska, The Colonel’s eccentric but troubled friend who lives down the hall, and also Takumi and Lara who have all been attending Culver Creek prior to Miles’ arrival (although the period of time is not specified). Here Miles, or ‘Pudge’ as he is labelled by his peers, is introduced into a life of smoking, drinking, studying and carrying out pranks but also finally learns about the value of making friends and falling in love.

Good points

Oh Miles; I have never read a young adult novel from a male’s point of view (or if I have I don’t recall) and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it. I have read numerous novels with a female protagonist who, for the majority of the book, moans and sulks about her misfortunes within the plotline. That’s why I appreciated Looking For Alaska so much. The fact that Miles is neither the typical ‘hot stuff,’ tanned hunk nor the emotionally unavailable, mysterious type (as boys are far too often depicted in teen novels) was very refreshing. He is far more relatable, expresses his emotions moderately and demonstrates that boys do actually have feelings! Furthermore, although the three main characters are two boys and a girl, there is no painful love triangle within their relationships. Miles, The Colonel, and Alaska also destroy teen novel stereotypes through, in a way, being quite ‘cool’ but also very intelligent and open-minded which makes the plot far more rounded and 3-dimensional. The story is also quite philosophical and caused me to ask myself questions throughout. Plus, although this doesn’t usually appeal to me, there was no distracting factor to the plotline – i.e. no vampires, angels, werewolves etc. The sole focus was on the characters but not in a way in which the reader is too immersed into the potentially annoying intricacies of each of their feelings.

Bad points

Throughout the first half of the novel, instead of chapters, there is a countdown. It begins with ‘One Hundred and Thirty Six Days Before’ and then counts down to the ‘Last Day’ in the middle of the novel. For me, this was exciting, to begin with, as I was desperate to know what John Green was counting down towards. However, as I got to know the characters more, it started to become quite clear what was going to happen, and when it did, I was a little disappointed. Nevertheless, even though the novel wasn’t as engaging in the second half (the aftermath), it was still interesting to see how Miles and his friends dealt with the issue at hand.

Summary

This was my first John Green book and I can now certainly see what all the fuss was about! I was thoroughly impressed, considering that this was his first novel. It was an enjoyable book with fascinating characters and a refreshing perspective on young adulthood.

Rating: 4 stars.