Most Ambivalent Read of 2012: The Scorpio Races

As the year races to its end, it's time for me to look back on things that have been good, bad, and indifferent. My choices for this post, about a book I was horribly ambivalent over, were between the highly acclaimed The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, and the graphic novel edition of Fahrenheit 451 by the late great Ray Bradbury.  Throughout the former, I could not find myself going "wow" as so many others did.  With the latter, it wasn't until I started typing up a review that I realized how much I was "meh" over it.

I think I'll save the post about the graphic novel for another day this week, and go for the more controversial one.  It fits the bill better, plus it may be good for my blog's traffic and comments.

Statistics
Checkouts:
Typical reader: Teen girls, fans of Ms. Stiefvater's novels
Source: Scholastic

Synopsis: Every fall, a Gaelic island is infested with mythical sea horses unlike any others.  Brave men try to ride and race them in November, in the Scorpio Races, for great wealth or a horrible death.  In an attempt to save the remnants of her already-shattered family, a girl named Puck enters the races as the first female to ever do so.  She draws the interest of a returning champion, a young man named Sean.

My Goodreads rating: Unrated, for I am truly ambivalent.

What did I like about this book?  The mythos the author created was great.  The capaill uisce, the malevolent sea horses, are so unique.  Yes, they are based on Celtic water horses such as the kelpies, but spiced up a bit.  Kelpies and their kin also don't show up often in teen literature, so this is a nice departure from the typical paranormal fare of cuddly werewolves, sparkly vampires, and zombies lurching everywhere.

I've also got a soft spot for horse racing.  I'm a military brat, and one of my father's assignments put us in Kentucky for a few years.  I took a shine to Churchill Downs in Louisville, and to this day still enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby every May.  The plot of the book was intriguing.

Now, if only the race featured more prominently in the book.  The race itself occurs in the last 10% of the book.  While there's something to be said about "the journey, not the destination," there's also a need for decent pacing.

My biggest "ho hum" issue with the book is the people.  I was so utterly ambivalent about Puck, and could rather care less about Sean.  Did I care who won the race?  Not really.  And Puck rubbed me the wrong way sometimes.  For instance, take this thought of hers.  "No one notices what the third sister, Annie, looks like, because she's blind."  I've got a note in my progress on Goodreads that says I actually went "Huh?" regarding that line.  Maybe it's just a bit of culture shock; while I've worked with an amazing blind woman, Puck probably has a bit of that old Celtic mindset that a physical deformity is a sign of a mental/spiritual deformity, and therefore the blind woman is beneath her.  But still.


If you've read it, what did you think of the book?  Did you like it?  Many people seemed to.  Or is this review something that makes you say, "Whew, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way"?

Most Ambivalent Read of 2011: Unwind

It's time to start winding down the reviews for 2011.  I'll get at least one, hopefully two, more fresh reviews up before the ball drops on Times Square, but I'm also going to share highlights from the year.

First up, my most ambivalent read of 2011: Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Statistics
Checkouts: Not owned
Typical reader: Fans of dystopian fiction
Source: Checked out from local public library

Synopsis (from Goodreads): The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

My Goodreads rating: Unrated, because I have no idea what to give it.


In the future, the Second Civil War is fought between pro-life and pro-choice. The result is a compromise: The Bill of Life, which protects life from conception to age 13, and from age 18 on. Between 13 and adulthood, parents and guardians can choose to retroactively "abort" or "unwind" their child - but the teen stays alive through a sophisticated form of organ donation. Unwound teens live on in recipients' bodies.

Oh, and if a mother can't wait that long, she can "stork" the child on someone's doorstep. If she's caught in the act, she has to keep it; if the homeowners find the baby, they have to keep it.

The plot focuses on two Unwinds, Connor and Risa, and their unwilling Tithe (parents decided for religious reasons at birth to unwind their child for the greater good) companion, Lev, as they struggle to stay alive in a society that wants 99.44% of their bodies. It's a good plot, with excellent pacing and some outstanding twists. I honestly did not expect the ending.

This book does get recognition for being one of the most disturbing novels I've read. You do get to find out what happens when an Unwind occurs - though it's all the more powerful because of what's left to your imagination. I was nauseous afterward and had to put the book down for a while.

On a meta-reading level, this is one that will make you THINK. Is it pro-life or pro-choice? Is it in favor of organ donations or against? What choices would you make in this society - and would you rather die or be unwound?

That said, I did not like several aspects of the book. The present-tense writing style grated on me. I found the main characters to be somewhat flat and couldn't relate to them; you get more of a feel for the Admiral's personality, background, what makes him tick than you do for the other characters. Connor and Risa are too intent on survival and immediate problems to introduce themselves to the reader very much. The third-person limited narration may be at fault there, and that sort of point-of-view may really irk some, especially since it changes focus with every chapter.

Five stars for being thought-provoking with some incredible twists. Two stars at most for style, characters, and the plot holes regarding the Bill of Life.  This is what makes it my Most Ambivalent Read of 2011.  I'm not going to pick up the next two books in the trilogy when they come out.  This was good for the shock value; what's left for the sequels?