Book Review: Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

*I received an Advanced Copy due to pre-publication.*

Kindle Edition

Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Leah

Nora and Kettle on GoodReads

This post is going to be different.  And it's going to contain a lot of emotional experiences I've been through and a really personal look into my life.  If you're not willing to be confronted with those facts, or you at all feel uncomfortable with that idea, please don't hesitate to go read a more upbeat, less emotional review.

Because the truth of it is, this book handled very hard issues in a way that was so realistic that it just about destroyed me.

Summary:

Nora Deere was raised to be the classical upper class girl.  Her father is a respected Civil Rights Attorney.  Her mother a beautiful and wealthy lady.  And a little sister who, despite her deafness, is all wildness and enthusiasm for whatever little things life throws her way.

It is all a lie.

Her father is a monster.  And somehow she has to find the strength to be the shield for her sister when her mother's life slips away.  But when things reach their breaking point, there's nothing left but the hysteria.

Kettle is a King.  Co-founder of a band of kids known to be "Lost" who are really just unwanted, forgotten, or left to the streets.  Between him and his brother, Kin, they created the Kings of the subway, and they keep the kids alive as much as possible.  They don't steal and they don't cause problems, and they are free.  Working hard to maintain that freedom, Kettle still has his own personal demons to overcome.

When Kettle chooses to sleep in the alley beneath Nora's window, it will pull the tethers of their lives ever closer until they're faced with challenges and hopes they never knew could exist.

Review:

I've heard that smell is the stronger sense.  The one that can coax memories from a hazy brain.  For me, it's sounds.  Sounds wrap around my throat and strangle me.  Sounds warn like a foghorn in the night.

~ Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor ~

I know this feeling.  All too well.  The terror that chokes you every time he enters the room.  The tension straightening your back and tightening every muscle in your body, because you know that for whatever order he gives, you'll have to react fast.  The absolute awareness of your surroundings even during something so innocent as a night of watching TV.  Every sound is catalogued and identified.  From the creaks in the floor with every heavy step he takes, to the groaning of his chair as he gets settled.  The snap of his fingers as he demands a refill, ordering about whichever kid is closest.  His voice as he speaks above us to the only person he considers on his level, my mom.  The rest of us keeping our eyes trained on the television, except for those few furtive glances we make excuses for in order to gauge his mood.

I know this terror.  I lived with it for nearly fifteen years.  The hatred, I know better.  And my father wasn't nearly as bad as Nora's.

You see, I was hit, but never beaten.  And it was always as a result of what he'd decided was an actual transgression.  My dad didn't just decide that he needed to take out his anger on someone.  He didn't just decide that his children were walking punching bags, best suited for expelling his rage.  And he definitely never hated any one of us.

Many people tell me that my dad was a great man.  Most days, I just shrug it off because it's not worth it to puncture that perfect image they have left of the man.  But I knew the asshole and I knew his anger issues and I knew his flaws better than any other being.  I knew what it was to have no room left in my soul to fear anything else, because I lived in a constant state of terror of him.  And before I was above the age of six, I knew what it was to hate.

I know Nora's terror.  And despite the fact that our circumstances are nowhere near similar, that emotion is still as raw and real for me as it is for her.

I also know her confusion.  Why can't she just let him go?  Why does she make everything about him?  How could she let him have so much control over her life, even when he's not around?  How was it fair to see the good in him and know it exists, but have every interaction with him confirm why she hates him?

I've also never gotten any of these answers.  Maybe it has something to do with the damage inflicted.  When you're exposed to something like that for so long, it's scarring upon scarring upon scarring.  Until your body feels more like it's made of scar tissue than muscle.  Well, that's what happens to our minds.  We fixate on why they can't be better.  Why they can't control their anger and rage.  And why we had to be the targets.  Why did we have to suffer for it?

People like to say that every girl has daddy issues.  Well, in my case, it's true.  And those are issues that will remain unresolved because, at fifteen, my darkest wish was finally answered: he died.

I thought I hated him before…  Leaving my mother like that, at a time when things were finally turning for the better ... nothing could make me hate him more.

As I said in the beginning of this review, this was very emotional for me as I read through Nora's narrative.  I also often describe it as "destroying me."  And it was at that point that I quoted above that I almost burst into tears at work, because it so accurately described how I'd lived my entire childhood.

This, my friends, is the mark of a truly skillful author.  One who evokes the emotions necessary to the situation.  If you're lucky to have never experienced anything like this firsthand, you will once you read this.  And if you have … consider this review your trigger warning.

I've read several of Ms. Taylor's books before, and always knew that I had to be emotionally prepared before going in.  This … I needed to prepare better for this.  I've read other books that feature some abuse in several forms.  Never have I read anything that brings back that many memories.

Despite what this sounds like, this is actually a very positive review.  When a writer has that power to evoke so many emotions and memories from me, I have to give them every praise the situation demands.  Heart-wrenching as this was to read, I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to read Nora and Kettle.

And, to be honest, Kettle hasn't had it easy either.  In fact, he's been in Nora's situation--but with a lot less money--and he's been in a Japanese American internment camp.  And while I also connected with Kettle, and actually liked him better as a narrator, it was my emotional solidarity with Nora that really hit me.

But Kettle is such a great character to get to know.  His realism stands as a stark contrast to Nora's daydreaming.  Though his memories have a tendency to swallow him whole, he uses them as a reminder of what he's been through, and how much things have grown better for him.  Truthfully, without Kettle's mindset, I don't know how much of Nora I could have taken.  Because as much as I identified with her situation, I could still see that she sounded nowhere near an eighteen year old girl.  Especially when it came to her spacing out in a daydream instead of being focused on the very critical present.

All in all, this is the story of two broken people who are trying to learn how to stitch themselves back together while looking after the ones they care about.  And maybe learning to let someone else in long enough to help with the healing.

Book Review: The Awakener by Amanda Strong

The Awakener by Amanda Strong

Clean Teen Publishing © 2014

Kindle Edition

Paranormal Romance

Reviewed by Leah

The Awakener on Amazon

*Reviewer's Note: This review going to go in reverse order, at some points.  This won't be like my usual reviews.*

Summary:

When Eden returns to the town of her childhood, she's looking forward to very few things.  One of those things, however, is seeing Micah again.  However, when she spots him on her first day of school, she can't bring herself to face him.  That is, until her body acts of its own accord and she throws her arms around him in a moment of utter embarrassment.  Neither of them realized just how much one hug could mean to the future of everything.

With the reality of angels, demons, and destruction revealed to him, Micah fully accepts his responsibilities as the Seer--called by the Captain to save the world from a fiery purge.  Meanwhile, Eden cluelessly traverses High School, awakening the gifts of others as she goes.  Which is more than a source of ire for the demons sent to destroy her.  With her guardian angel on duty, however, she has the luxury of feeling safe … for the most part.

With the demons growing bolder and crossing the barriers between the worlds, Micah needs all of those Eden has awakened, and the Awakener herself.  In ways they both know go beyond their duty.  To rebuild the City of Enoch, no price is too high.  And self-sacrifice is not off the table.

Initial Thoughts:

I avoid angels and demons books like the plague.  Why?  Because I love angels--grew up watching Christopher Walken in The Prophecy--so I'm a little obstinate when faced with such creatures.  And, let's face it, when you're passionate about anything, you're always wary about books that portray them.

Well, I wasn't too disappointed with the portrayal of angels in this book.  Probably because the author had done some research on the hierarchies and integrated the angels in a way that was acceptable.

Now if only the rest of the book had been as agreeable.

Plot & Setting:

The setting here wasn't too detailed, but it was believable.  It was easy to imagine and it wasn't bogged down with a lot of details, which I appreciated.

As far as the plot, this isn't anything you have to use brain power on.  It's very simplistic, unfolds at a decent pace, and sticks to the main conflict for the most part.  (There are some HS drama type of moments, but they're used more often than not to showcase the changes someone has made due to being Awakened, so I can't fault it for that.)  There is a fairly early reveal about the stakes, the main players, and the mission which Micah is responsible for completing.  For the reader, it makes it very easy to follow along and know everything.

To discuss the actual mission: the world is going to be burnt to cinders this time, instead of drowned.  Fair enough.  Can't say we haven't earned that form of retribution.  Only, we need a few cities to survive this during this round of purging.  A fact Micah is significantly aware of, and working to prevent.

As a plot, it's compelling.  The premise of the story is intriguing and I was expecting a lot of tension.  On that count, it failed.  While the story is filled with Micah/Eden tensions, it fails to deliver on Micah/Eden vs. demons tension.  Despite this constantly circulating in Micah's head, it fails to deliver the compulsion the reader needs to want to keep going with him.  In fact, the only character that does push the significance of these events onto the reader is a secondary character, Trent.

To give it in the simplest terms: it was a lackluster production.

Writing Style:

Simple.  It's really all I can say.  The faith of the author is apparent, which I completely understand.  Despite the stance many people take on angels, this one feels pretty much authentic with angelic history within Christianity, while giving off its own modern vibes.  This, of course, means that this book is very clean.  Not "never have to dust it on your shelf" clean, but no use of swear words were permitted in the making of this novel.  The writing also follows a no-mystery-here type of style, which means this book would be most suitable for young teenagers around the ages thirteen or fourteen.  I'm not sure older, more mature individuals would have the patience that this book requires.  (I know I didn't.)

Characters:

Oi vey.  Actually, for the most part, I liked everyone.  Or, liked some, others were barely on the page long enough to form an opinion about, and others were downright unbearable.  So let's go in order, shall we?  Let's just say, from most liked to most hated.  This ought to be fun…  (Warning: Possible Rant on the Horizon!)

Trent was the most likable.  He had a very direct personality without any side-stepping going on.  What Trent thought about, you knew.  Whether it be his definition of a hot guardian angel or just what he thinks of his cousin's visions.  I liked Trent the most because he was as close as we got to a teenage boy.  His focus was on all of the things he liked, and he couldn't care about anything else.  Which, when you got past the fact that he was one horny little bugger (though this book only mentions kissing and not what he would get into given the right amount of time), he was actually very intelligent as far as history and languages.  And none could ever doubt the loyalty this boy has to his cousin.  Ever.

Micah's determination was the most defining factor of his characterization.  And it was admirable.  As soon as he discovers his role, his mind is locked in on his mission.  He knows what he has to do, and what he has to give up in order to do it.  The fact that he is so willing to give up his own desires in order to get the job done is what makes him a believable and respectable character.  Though his pining over Eden did grate the nerves quite a bit…

Damon is also an incredibly loyal person and I enjoyed when his character was brought to the fore.  Like a cross between Micah and Trent, he has this fierceness in him that is very endearing.  Much like Micah, he's determined to see through his part of the mission, and protect everyone as well as he possibly can.  I actually really liked Damon, but he didn't get enough page time to get to know him, which was a crying shame.

Willow was an interesting character in the fact that she started off as this bitchy, petty, stereotypical Mean Girl … and performed a complete one-eighty.  When she was Awakened, Willow became the greatest female character in the book.  She was confident, intelligent, empathic, instinctive, kind, and generous.  Which was refreshing as far as this book was concerned.  And it's really her bold, energetic personality that gives the group some life.

Now we're going to get to know some less fleshed-out characters as we get into the mere mediocre cast…

Caitlyn was quiet, but powerful.  Her gift is the most unassuming, just like she is.  Quiet, but with a voice that speaks of wisdom and sincerity.  Too bad she got only a few pages to nail down her personality, but she would be worth getting to know.

In my opinion, Andrew existed merely for the drama he could cause.  The romantic element was his main purpose, hands down.  That he was there as a buffer between Eden and Micah is what created the central conflict.  (Note: I labeled this as a Paranormal Romance for a reason.  The romance was the conflict.)  Which, of course, in fulfilling his role, Andrew had to be perfect.  And that's all we got.  Was this hot, nice guy who has a penchant for healing people who happens to love Eden.  That's it.  Nothing else.  He pretty much was just a stand-in to make kissy faces and awkward times with Eden.

And now we unveil my hit list (or cut list, because it would have helped the book in the end just as much as if I murdered these characters.  Warning: Rant Mode Engaged.)

Jessie was irritating as all hell.  This is a girl who's never even heard of the Bechdel test, let alone could pass it.  Her only thoughts all pertained to the male anatomy.  And heaven forbid she talk about something other than a boy.  And while she served as a decent female friend who was supportive, she failed in doing anything worthwhile.  At all.  Honestly, her character could have been cut from the start and no one would have noticed or cared.

Then there's Eden.  Yes, if I could, I would cut Eden out of the entire story.  Because she contributes nothing at all.  I mean that.  As the Awakener, all she does is hug people.  The rest of the time she serves as nothing more than a romantic stand-in.  It's like it was required for Micah to be in love with someone, and Eden got the role.  All she does is serve as a Damsel In Distress the entire book.  She can't save herself and she makes stupid decisions that threaten her safety and the safety of others.  Not to mention she is a shallow, judgmental bitch.  Oh, and I have quotes for this…

At only 15% we get this little thought process concerning Damon from Eden's outlook:

'She knew he belonged to the skater crowd and assumed he did drugs because of the dark bags under his eyes.'

I'm not even kidding.  This is a literal quote from the book.  I … I don't even know how to handle that amount of utter stupidity.  Does she even know what drugs do to a human body?  Or the type of effects a being would suffer due to certain types of drugs.  Clearly not.  Oh, and bags under the eyes?  That could be a sign of sleeping an average of four hours and reading an average of 8 a day.  I would know, since that's how I spent all of my HS years.  You, Eden, are a judgmental bitch.

Of course, that's not the end of her degrading thoughts about Damon.  Of all the people in this whole book, he's the one she consistently looks down upon and I just want to slap her because he is clearly more intelligent than she is and far more useful.  Eden = liability.  Damon = superhero.  But here's another quote for you to enjoy from the mind of a moron:

'But I doubt he's ever had a girlfriend as gorgeous as she is.'

Backstory: she's discussing how Damon finds Willow a little intimidating.  She thinks the reason he's wary around her is because Willow is hot.  Yes, Eden is that dumb.

Not that she would know it, but looks are not everything.  Even to guys.  (I have enough brothers to know this one is a fact.)  Rather, perhaps Damon is intimidated by Willow because, I don't know … she's intimidating.  Damon is a quiet, loner kind of individual as we've seen him.  So someone as bold, energetic, and confident as Willow is outside of his comfort zone.  And when she doesn't respect personal boundaries, it can be unnerving.  So, really, I doubt her looks had anything to do with this.  Her personality had all those bases covered and Damon has every right to be a little suspicious of her.  She's creepy.

If only my issues with eden ended with her being a standard Mary-Sue.  Really, I've read enough of them to just brush it off.  And I even had some hope for her after she realized she can't walk alone at night in case demons are out to get her.  There are a lot of YA females (can't even call them heroines) that don't have that much common sense.  Yet again, there are degrees of common sense that Eden just does not possess.

For one, not realizing that Gabriel, her guardian angel, was the Gabriel.  As in: the Archangel.  You know … a Holy.

You know, even Bella Swan sought an internet connection when Jacob Black dropped the vampire bomb.  Six months of literally talking aloud to her guardian angel and fearing demons, and does this girl once touch a laptop?  Yes, actually.  But only to email Micah about the demon encounter and her date with Andrew.  This girl was such a waste of pages.  Hands down.

Of course, my biggest issue with Eden is her insecurity.

Note to authors: Insecurity is NOT endearing.  It's not even relatable.

I've been to public school.  I've encountered several different levels of insecure teenagers.  Never in my life have I met someone so utterly self-conscious that s/he is reduced to the point of pathetic.  In YA fiction, however, they abound with so much frequency I could puke.  Eden, of course, falls right in line with her trope siblings--if she isn't crowned their idiot queen.

Now, I understand why authors try to do this whole insecure teenager bit.  Because a lot of teenagers actually are scared, frightened, shy creatures with anxiety issues.  Too many, in fact.  But with role models like these, how can we expect them to be any better?  Any stronger, mentally?

I don't want to read about weak children.  Male or female.  I want to read about strong, smart, endearing young men and women.  People teenagers can look up to and emulate.

Let me tell you a little story here: when I was in MS and HS, I read nothing but fantasy.  I raised myself on fantasy.  On wild adventures full of magic, dragons, wizards, brothers, warriors, and love.  I grew up reading about adults.  Not children.  The only books even considered "YA" that I read in those years were Harry Potter and Eragon.  (And I've never finished that last series because it was clearly juvenile.)

You know what I learned from those fantasy books?  I learned about honor; about keeping your word and the value of making and keeping promises.  (Now, I don't make promises; for the simply reason that I don't know if I can keep them.)  I learned not to lie; if only because the truth can be far more entertaining.  From those books, I grew my pride and my self-confidence.  My friends are chosen with care, because I abide by the old adage 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me'.  I'm not a fool, and I won't be played for one.  In a fantasy novel, that shit gets you killed.

Why am I telling you this?  Because I raised myself with books.  I didn't learn a damn bit of that from any real person in my life.  Not my parents, grandparents, family friends, or relatives.  I raised myself on books.

Now, what kind of person would I have been if I didn't read about people who have the confidence and courage to pursue their goals and ambitions?  What if I had chosen to read YA and had only Mary-Sues who lacked self-confidence, strong opinions, and strength of mind to do what needs to be done for themselves?  I am relieved to say: I don't know.

What I am not relieved to say is: what other people out there are raising themselves to the standards of these types of females in YA books?

So here ends my PSA for Authors: Stop Making Insecure Female Leads

Girls don't actually relate to them, and they could be setting a far worse example than you can imagine.

Overall Opinion:

The premise was spectacular: a girl awakening abilities in others so they can save the world from a fiery purge.  The execution was a flop.  Instead of revolving around the mission, this book got caught in the murky romance and all of the drama it entailed.  Though some of the characters were great, the female lead absolutely ruined this book.  When one of your narrators is that bad, there is no saving a story like this.

Personally, I don't recommend this to anyone.  But that's for you to judge.  I'm done.