Kim: Empty by Suzanne Weyn

Title: Empty
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Format: Hardback
Pages: 182
Release Date: October 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Personal Copy


Taking place in futuristic America, Empty follows a group of teens as they struggle with a depletion of our most relied-upon resource: oil.

The Middle East no longer controls the oil industry, OPEC is a thing of the past, and Argentina is on the brink of inducing WWIII as a result of hiking the price of their own oil. However, many believe that Argentina is just bluffing, causing people to begin panicking and speculating what they would do if the world truly was out of oil. Then, when all seems as if it were to fall apart at any moment, a superhurricane forms and takes out much of the eastern American coastline (eery to read in the midst of Sandy...). The teens (separate at times) maneuver their way through a devastated society and try to make sense of this "new world" they must not take care of.

A fascinating book in some parts, this title really just leaves me wanting more. The characters are stereotypical and the teens' dialogue is preachy and uncharacteristic. At one part, a girl is telling her friends all about the Greenhouse Effect and alternative fuels, justifying her wealth of knowledge by saying that she read some literature on the topics. The high-level vocabulary and phrasing, however, do not flow well and appear reference-like.

One thing I did really enjoy about the book was the inclusion of faux news articles. It was an interesting way to bring in other perspectives. After narrating about a boy delivering food to neighbors, Weyn puts in an "article" about how people were curious to know who this mystery donor was. I loved the inter-contextual aspect.

Overall, this was an okay read. I would not read it again, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. For readers interested in the future of fossil fuels or the environment, this would be a nice, quick read. If you are not interested in such things, you may just want to skip it. 

Kim: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 512
Release Date: February 19, 2008
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Personal Copy


I am not exactly sure where to even start with City of Bones. I consider myself a pretty avid reader (thus, I began a blog about my reading ventures); however, it took me forever it seems to get through City of Bones. I initially began my journey with Clary, Jace, and the others back in October. I know... seriously? Seriously.

Clare fabricates a beautiful, deadly, and romantically dangerous world in this first book of The Mortal Instruments series. Readers follow Clary, our main protagonist, through a wild ride as she discovers secrets about her family and about herself. Set in a world where vampires, werewolves, and demons coexist, Clary finds herself intertwined with the darkest creatures of this world. Coincidentally, or not, Clary first discovers the Shadow World in a nightclub as she witnesses a "murder". Through an engaging opening scene, Clare introduces readers to Jace, Alec, and Isabelle - Shadowhunters, killers of demons, protectors of humans mundanes, upholders of The Accords (an outdated treaty amongst monsters that forbids the killing of and unveiling to humans). Throughout the book, we tag along with Clary and the Shadowhunters as they search frantically for Clary's mother who has been kidnapped by the dangerous and resurrected Valentine, a Shadowhunter feared by all.

Because Clare's Shadow World is so complete and complex, I believe the vocabulary is really what hung me up. I literally had to sit down and write out a mini-glossary for the first half of the book so I could keep track of all of the creatures and locations. People, for example, are called "mundanes" - for obvious reasons - and there is an influx of new cities and historical landmarks to be known. By the end, I had the hang of it, but I definitely struggled through much of the first half of the book to remember and keep people straight. This problem, however, speaks volumes of Clare's ability to create a place so whole and thought out. I really did become mesmerized by the littlest details she would put into her descriptions of times and places.

Other than its complexity, I was also turned off by Clary's "woe-is-me"-ish actions. For a heroine, Clary spends much of the novel appearing helpless or dependent on the supporting characters' actions. She has trouble making up her mind or drawing her own conclusions - especially when it comes to boys... I can only anticipate that her character becomes more confident and strong as the series progresses.

All in all, I would totally recommend this book to my fantasy-inclined friends. I read this book with a group of girls in my English class, and they definitely enjoyed it, too. I think out of curiosity, I will continue on in the series and see what is in store for our Shadowy friends.