The Gate Thief

Card, Orson Scott. The Gate Thief. Tor Books, 2013.

Danny North is still in high school, yet he holds in his heart and mind all the stolen outselves of thirteen centuries of gatemages. The Families still want to kill him if they can't control him…and they can't control him. He is far too powerful.

And on Westil, Wad is now nearly powerless—he lost everything to Danny in their struggle. Even if he can survive the revenge of his enemies, he still must somehow make peace with the Gatemage Daniel North.

For when Danny took that power from Loki, he also took the responsibility for the Great Gates. And when he comes face-to-face with the mages who call themselves Bel and Ishtoreth, he will come to understand just why Loki closed the gates all those centuries ago.

OSC is at his best in this series.  I like it almost as much as the books in the Ender saga.

Eleanor & Park

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. St. Martin's Press, 2013.

Park is a half-white, half-Korean boy in 1986 Nebraska.  Eleanor has just been allowed back into her home after her alcoholic stepfather kicked her out for a year.  She is trying to survive school, take care of her family, and keep her stepfather's filthy hands off of her.  One day she ends up sitting next to Park on the bus on the way to school.  The rest of the book follows Eleanor and Park as they get to know each other and begin to fall in love.

I hated the first chapter of this book. 4 pages, 14 cuss words, and someone is called a retard. I find extreme use of foul language to be quite off-putting. I almost put it down right then. But it got better. I actually ended up enjoying this story, to the point where I came home from work and opened the book, reading right through dinner and into the evening. It's not a happy book, but it is good, and while I didn't want the book to end as it did, the ending is satisfying. For anyone who grew up in an abusive home, however, this book might be triggering, so please take care when you read.

Love Drugged

Klise, James. Love Drugged. Flux, 2010.

Jamie knows he's gay, so when his pretend-girlfriend's father tells him about a drug he's developing to "cure" gayness, Jamie steals some pills. Eventually he is blackmailed into taking the pills as part of an unofficial study on their effectiveness. By the end of the story, Jamie is out to his family, out to his school, and off the pills. As a side plot, Jamie's best friend has been on Ritalin and chooses to go off of it without telling anyone, with disastrous consequences.

The premise of this story - a closeted gay kid who wants to be normal and straight - is totally believable. A pill to cure him? Not so much. And I'm glad it's not a reality, just like I'm glad that for many LGBTQIA teens, things are getting better

Out of the Easy

Sepetys, Ruta. Out of the Easy. Philomel Books, 2013.

Josie is the daughter of a prostitute in 1950s New Orleans and wants to distance herself from her mother's reputation, go to college, and start a life of her own. But how will she get into the New England school of her choice with no money and no prospects?

I enjoyed this story, and was glad that it had a happy ending, and it was also a fairly quick read. I also like the idea of a character who sees what she wants and goes for it, regardless of how impossible it may seem.

However, I will leave you with one caveat: rape and abuse survivors will likely find parts of this book triggering, as I did. Josie spends time around a few unsavory characters and at one point is in a very sticky situation, so proceed with caution. The book itself is fast-paced and thrilling and the story was quite enjoyable to read.

Assimilation Squared

Tipton, Scott. Star Trek, The Next Generation / Doctor Who Assimilation 2, Volume 1. IDW Publishing, 2012.

Finally, a comic book I can really be interested in! It's got Doctor Who, Amy & Rory, and Cybermen, and also Star Trek, Captain Picard, and the Borg! What more can anyone ask for?  I really enjoyed both volumes of this work; I read both in one sitting on the same night. Will someone please turn these into a movie?