Because, boringly, I knew what was going to happen (cue this, up the stakes now, enter stage left second mysterious hunky male etc.)
I'm wondering if this is a case of too many cooks spoiling the stew. I.e.: Are YA manuscripts increasingly being massaged by a team of players into becoming "commercially viable", following the template of the break-through novel of their respective genres - be it Twilight or Hunger Games or some other It book - to the point that YA is losing its reputation as a category peppered with unique voices? And resting solely on its new reputation as book to blockbuster money-makers?
I hope not. Because I still love YA.
The exception to this sad state of affairs were two gems I read recently - one dystopia/science fiction and the second, contemporary:
1. Once I got past the interestingly-weird first few pages, after a few tries, I tore through this series like I was not a full-time working mom with report cards to write:
Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy:(And I know there is a movie coming out of this one but it took a while, there was some opportunity for us readers and critics to savor the excellence of these books, before it did the book to blockbuster thing.)
From Goodreads: Positive. Negative. It's how you look at it. . . .
Someone shoves a photo negative into Rowan's hands. She is distracted but, frankly, she has larger problems to worry about. Her brother is dead. Her father has left. Her mother won't get out of bed. She has to take care of her younger sister. And keep it all together . . .But Rowan is curious about the mysterious boy and the negative. Who is he? Why did he give it to her? The mystery only deepens when the photo is developed and the inconceivable appears. Everything is about to change for Rowan. . . . Finally, something positive is in her life. Award-winning author Jenny Valentine delivers a powerful and life-affirming story of grief, friendship, and healing that will resonate long after the last page.
Still, even though these YAs are keeping my faith in the category, right now I'm reading Adult again.
This.
by G. Willow Wilson.
Oh. My. Gosh. Is there really a movie coming out for the Chaos Walking books? YES. And I love those books to death, so I'm glad to see they're getting even more recognition.
And that adult book sounds intriguing. I mean, The Butterfly Mosque? Based on the title alone, I'm going to pick it up.