BEA 2016 Recap: Day One

BookExpo America 2016 Day One: May 11

I have literally been pushing this (as well as the next three) post aside, mostly because I didn't have the time (and feeling) to go through all of the photos I took in Chicago and rave over BEA. Before I get started, I have to say that BEA this year was amazing—so much better than last year in New York City. Chicago is my new favourite place to visit, and this year attracted different audiences, people from the west whose blogs I have heard about in the past, and I was able to meet them in person. Chicago introduced visitors from all over the place, and it wasn't as crowded as the Javits was last year. I had so much fun!

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Let's begin! I arrived in Chicago, the city of the winds (which I kind of understood later—I'll let you know!) on the Tuesday, so on the 10th, the day before BEA began. I used the same kind of schedule with the amount of days my family and I would spend in the city as last year, including a day of total tourism. (YAY!) The drive from Toronto took about eight hours, which was really boring (sorry, Ontario and Michigan!) but once we reached Illinois, ALL OF THE EXCITEMENT WAS IN ME. The year passed by so fast from the last time I was in a huge convention centre filled with book lovers, and it was my dream come true to see Chicago!

Reaching Chicago at its Skyway bridge!

The weather was seriously gloomy for a huge portion of our trip, though. I'll get to Saturday, which was when I visited the University of Chicago (I want to go there. Period), and which turned out to be the coldest day ever, but I must say, Chicago gets a lot of fog. Afterwards, we checked into our hotel and did a little shopping, which was highly recommended by a friend of mine who frequently visits Chicago.

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Day one! I woke up pretty early, I think around 7:00, which kind of is the same time that I wake up to go to school each morning. I still wanted to get to McCormick Place (the convention centre!) early even though the convention actually began at 1:00 that day. 2.5 days of amazingness! I had a fulling breakfast and THEN I WAS SET WITH MY PAPERS, MAP, AND SPREADSHEET! Here is a peek at my spreadsheet for that day (those highlighted in yellow are books I actually got there!):

Chicago does have traffic, guys. I mean, it's just like any other city, and I must say that it does move, better than Toronto or NEW YORK CITY for sure. I didn't mind, because Tuesday was only a half day of activities. I just couldn't stop staring at the Chicago skyline. It's beautiful!

Here is a paragraph dedicated to Chicago's architecture. For quite some time, I had this minor dream of becoming an architect. Designing buildings sounds so cool, but that kind of faded away because I have no artistic ability whatsoever. Chicago has such gorgeous buildings that I just cannot function. The city is so clean, so pretty, and has nicer architecture than NYC, which is definitely hard to beat. Agh.

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I got to the convention centre and went to grab my badges. The staff at BEA are so helpful and I didn't have any issues finding something or getting my badge or anything.

We all kind of sat around the entrance for two or so hours. When 1:00 came around, thankfully, thanks to publishers and their Twitter accounts, I was able to discover galley drops and cool things that would be happening for the next three days. I had my eyes set on Replica by Lauren Oliver, because I originally heard that she would be signing the book right when the time came. The "doors" or "gates" opened, people went chaotic (as usual) towards the inside, and when I got to the "line" at the HarperCollins booth, IT WAS HUGE. And then we were told that a galley drop would occur later in the day, so I was a little relieved. 

I was able to get most of the books I wanted! BEA was full of galley drops and signings this year, I would say an equal amount, which was great. I got to know all of the booths the first day so I would be ready the next days, and the publishers were great with handing out schedules for their signings and whatnot. 

I met many new people and authors on day one, surprisingly! NICHOLAS SPARKS, GUYS. His line actually wasn't too bad and I got the chance to fangirl (over his attractiveness) over how I love the movies of his books! Who else? Jennifer Close, author of The Hopefuls, Kate Beasley, author of Gertie's Leap to Greatness, and Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Here I Am (which is HUGE) for a few.

Amazing things that shocked me the first day (in a good way)? The amount of people, which was less than last year, the gorgeousness of McCormick Place (including its signs and banners), how the Starbucks was so close to the exhibit hall, and the fact that the luggage check-in WAS RIGHT BESIDE. The people who worked there were so sweet and nice to this crazy fangirl over here.

STARBUCKS. Thank you for your ingredients to make me happy and to give
me a Mango Black Tea Lemonade everyday to keep me boosted.

DISNEY! PEOPLE! YES!

Even though this was day one, and it was only for four and a half hours, I was dead afterwards. My back was killing me! BEA COMES WITH TONS OF PHYSICAL PAIN, EVEN THOUGH YOU COULD CHECK YOUR LUGGAGE IN FOR $4. I went nuts. And a tip? Don't bring many bags with you from home, 'cause they give so many out. I have a collection of tote bags in my room, like a hoarder. I don't want to give them away!

Ready for the haul?

BEHOLD. I love each and every one of these pretties.

This is my day one haul, which is only YA and Adult in this photo. How many books? 71. We were crazy! Here is my middle grade haul (for my sister and myself):

23!

Don't make me pick the ones I want to read the most, PLEASE.

We headed to an amazing Polish-American restaurant for dinner, called Staropolska, and here is a photo of it inside (very Viking-like):

The food is so good there! (We spent a lot of dinners there afterwards because we all loved it). 

BEA, thank you for an amazing day one. I had a blast, and I didn't even think about the fact that it wouldn't last too long!

I apologize for the late post. Anywho, stay tuned for a day two, day three and overall post coming this week! Michelle's posts will be next!

How was your BEA, if you went? How was day one? What did you like about it?

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah // The Memoir Everyone Should Read

A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah
Publication: February 13, 2007, by Sarah Crichton Books
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Pages: 229
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.
What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived.
In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.
This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.

My Thoughts:

Wow. It's rare for me to get hit by a book so much and feel so bad that I just want to hop on a plane to the country and help everyone out. But that's only because there are not many books out there like A Long Way Gone, not many books out there about child soldiers or children in Africa who are being affected by poverty, dehydration, violence and abuse constantly. We are so hidden from the rest of the world in our big suburban communities, in our huge cities with blazing lights, billboards that show the newest music, restaurants with the most exotic foods, and most of all, we are hidden from people like Ishmael Beah, and there are probably hundreds of thousands of Ishmael Beahs in countries like Sierra Leone. It just hurts me so bad, and this book really did hurt me. A Long Way Gone seems so fictional because it is so difficult for us readers to put ourselves in the shoes of our protagonist, Ishmael, who writes about his personal demons and battles as a child, being taken by foreign people, thrown into a truck with an AK-47 and being taught to kill, taking drugs and losing his family. There is so much that this book contains that is unimaginable, although Ishmael gives us the chance to believe that this is reality, for many young children and people who are constantly struggling, without the rest of the world knowing.

We are always told that we could make a difference. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to visit these poor African countries. I don't know if I'll ever make it to the United Nations and speak for them (most likely, not). But because of all that Beah had done and conquered in his life in Sierra Leone, I'm going to state a very cheesy point here: our dreams could most definitely come true. This memoir, this novel, from all of the books that I have ever read, has given me the chance to have hope. Because when we look at all that Ishmael had to deal with and how he ended up where he is now, speaking for the United Nations in the best city in the world, New York City, writing a book and becoming famous for his courage, we can only have hope that all who are suffering will eventually not suffer anymore. 

It's hard to retell Ishmael's story as a summary, because it all occurred, it is all true. I am not summarizing a story, but his life. Life in Ishmael's small village was normal when he was ten years old, until his village got attacked and he and his brother were on the run for it. They didn't know where, but they were on the run. Eventually, they get separated and Ishmael meets a new group of friends, and they all undergo struggles for food and clean water. Ishmael's story expresses all of the troubles that children and people in Africa undergo all in a year or so, or perhaps, a little more than that. 

There were moments where I felt that I was being forced to read this book, and others where I just enjoyed it so much that I couldn't stop. I had to read this book for school, and I was supposed to compare it to other works I read in that semester, like Life of Pi. Both differ, this being a solemnly true story, while Yann Martel's being fiction, but they compare at the same time. I enjoyed this because my emotions kept exploding all over the place. I was happy when Ishmael was safe, being helped by the United Nations Peacekeepers, but then remembering that Ishmael lost his whole family in a few days. 

I just have a warning for you readers: this is a really harsh read. You see, I never have issues with gore or blood, so I was okay with the vivid imagery. It certainly wasn't pleasing, but that didn't leave me enjoying the book less. Many reviewers did not enjoy the book for the fact that the goriness was very harsh. So, I would advise to keep caution, but honestly people? This is non-fiction. The book wouldn't be the same without this realness. We readers would not be able to feel what Ishmael had gone through, you know?

A Long Way Gone literally took me a long way away to Sierra Leone, and this book seriously is energetic, heart-breaking, raw and full of feelings that many books have difficulty providing readers with. Ishmael Beah is the kind of person who will inspire you and make you so interested with the culture that he is writing about in the novel. After reading, I had to do a presentation on Sierra Leone, and I immediately felt so comfortable with its facts and information that this book felt like home. I just wish it had that extra push in the beginning—I had no knowledge of where Beah was going to take us.

What are some books/memoirs that are similar to Beah's? Have you heard of Ishmael Beah and his story before?

Rising Strong by Brené Brown // My Anticipation Was Really Worth It

Rising Strong, by Brené Brown
Publication: August 25, 2015, by Spiegel and Grau
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. The author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection tells us what it takes to get back up, and how owning our stories of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak gives us the power to write a daring new ending. Struggle, Brené Brown writes, can be our greatest call to courage, and rising strong our clearest path to deeper meaning, wisdom, and hope.

My Thoughts:

I normally never have the chance to pick up non-fiction books like this that focus on psychology or actual real concepts like bravery, but thanks to BookExpo America in 2015, I had the chance to read this highly anticipated read of mine. Ever since I entered high school, I have been really interested in psychology and the way that the human mind works and how we intake emotions and let them out. Brené Brown's new book was a real buzz book at BEA last year, with a huge media showcase where the stairs at the Javis Center were even covered with the cover of this book. The cover is pretty bland, a few colours in an ombré kind of showcase, but I didn't read this for some kind of signs of Young Adult fiction. This is a real book, the realest out of the real. This book is about leaping for chances, having courage, and showing that everyone undergoes anxiety from time to time, even adults who seem to show that they have succeeded in life, just like Brené has. She is such an intelligent writer and person, and seriously, Rising Strong was fabulous.

Each one of Brené's books, as she mentioned in this one, focuses on a different concept of the human mind. There is one about daring, one about imperfection (which I should take a look at, since I am a perfectionist) and this one rolls into strength, especially emotional and mental strength. Some authors prove their "points" or "theses" by simple research, which I adore, but sometimes it takes such a turn where it is strict info-dumping. Brené uses real-life situations that she or some people she knows have undergone. I love that. It proves that everyone has moments of rising strong and a fall. 

"We've all fallen, and we have the skinned knees and bruised hearts to prove it. But scars are easier to talk about than they are to show, with all the remembered feelings laid bare. And rarely do we see wounds that are in the process of healing. I'm not sure if it's because we feel too much shame to let anyone see a process as intimate as overcoming hurt, or if it's because even when we muster the courage to share our still-incomplete healing, people reflexively look away" (xxiv).

Rising Strong is just such a new read for me and I have fallen in love with the genre of psychology and self-help. Not because I need the help or anything (okay, sometimes) but I love the heart-to-heart analysis of the situations that we have to go through in life. Brené talks about her kids, husband, family and how they affect the way she lives today. I could see why her books are highly praised. I read this book at school in English class, but not for the class itself. I read it because my teacher had us bring in a silent reading novel and I chose this, knowing that (a) it'll make me look smart (haha) and (b) it's the perfect way for me to enjoy it, at an educational environment. My friends were kind of shocked that I was reading it because it's normally not my cup of tea; I tend to stay within the YA genre. I loved it from the start.

You won't understand everything about the physics of vulnerability, but it makes a lot of sense when you put it into perspective, or into Brené's perspective. This is a book that'll make you want to take notes and go back to them one day. It's just that smart. I am really looking forward to reading Brown's other works and perhaps seeing the acclaimed TED talk she gave on this subject.

"I love maps not because they dictate the route or tell me when or how to travel, but simply because they mark the waypoints I will eventually visit. Knowing that these places exist and that they are well traveled, even if they are unexplored by me, is powerful" (39).

Rising Strong expresses the physics of vulnerability and how each of us have it inside of us. We have to rise strong, and this book seriously taught us how to do it. This is definitely recommended to those who just want to sit with a book and really, really enjoy it.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some other good self-help books, or books about psychology? Have you seen Brené's TED talk or read any of her books?

Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn // The Book That Every Girl Needs

Firsts, by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Publication: January 5, 2016, by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: ½

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.
Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.
When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

My Thoughts:

Holy footballs. Yes, my friends, this book is weird. Yes, it comes with a twist and is debatable for some people. Yes, I told my friends about it and they were a little scarred by the concept. Yes, you need to read it. Yes, I adored it. Laurie Elizabeth Flynn had me hooked into reading this book from the moment when I spotted the cover for the first time on Goodreads, ages ago. This is a book that touches upon all of the concepts and themes that many Young Adult fiction authors are afraid of touching upon on today, in our prejudicial, judgmental society: feminism, sex, first love and absolute rawness. I would be lying if I said that Firsts wasn't amazing, that it didn't give me everything I wanted in a book like this, that I didn't feel some instant connection to our heroine, Mercedes, and her weirdness. Her confidence. Her development. This, by foremost, is the best contemporary debut I have ever seen. Okay, that's a little exaggerated, but that's how my mood is.

I read this two months ago. Two months ago, I was the same person. So please do not think that my opinion has changed. It didn't. Firsts is just such a compelling, real story that is like a guide for feminism and for girls, that we have the power and capability to do whatever we want, that we shouldn't be used as objects or as different people. Equality, people. I haven't ever been such a strong feminist or have been interested in learning about women's rights, but after Flynn's impressive story, I feel like I need to read a book or two... or fifty about it. We have a real story. That's the thing that I loved about this book the most. You see, the synopsis makes this sound completely absurd and not right, but depending on your opinion of things or situations like this, you could be in love with this like I was.

Spongebob knows exactly what I mean.

Firsts contains a heroine, Mercedes, who is basically letting virgin boys test their "skills" (I am blushing typing that out because it sounds so weird) on or with her. It's messed up, yeah (it's cheating, yeah) but it gives her this confidence that she could help out, somehow. Her mother doesn't have a care in the world of what Mercedes does, and unlike her perfect-Catholic best friend, Angela, who is in a long-term relationship and is very happy, she still undergoes this confusion with the relationships that she wants to stay, specifically that with this HOT guy named Zach. At the same time, Mercedes is super-smart and is hoping to get into MIT. Basically, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn throws this interesting plot into a high school setting where we readers feel this crazy tension that her secret will be exploded into the hallways and she will be called everything that a girl will never want to be called.

I love how the synopsis (thanks, St. Martin's Griffin!) calls this book an one-of-a-kind read about growing up. These kinds of things affect every teenager everyday. Yeah, I would never in a million years do the things that Mercedes does (except for applying to MIT and making out with Zach!), but we see this stereotypical image of teenage girls all over the place, on social media and beyond. Why not take a stand? I mean, everyone has this different image of themselves. Many use their physical beauty as a way to boost their confidence, others intelligence, others physical abilities such as sports. For Mercedes, it was sex. And what a funny thing, her nickname is Mercy.

So girls, this is your anthem. You will be instantly addicted to this story, I know I was, and I can't stop thinking about it until this day. There are steamy scenes that make your heart turn inside out from time to time, and then we see a side of Mercy that begs for that cute romance that many teenage girls aspire to have. I find that authors these days like to speed things up for their characters, making impossible things happen to them during high school, where I am unable to relate to any of it all because I know that I will never do those things, but this book contains those different themes and such that I, myself, could relate to. Flynn touches upon everything: sex, school itself, drama, slut-shaming, friendship, actual love, forgiveness... perhaps everything that we could possibly think of. All of these themes affect us in one way or another, and I just love how they were blended in; I couldn't stop reading.

Now, I am going to dedicate this paragraph to Zach. AGH AGH AGH AGH AGH AGH AGH GBOGEIUBGEIGFJIIRYQUHRW OMGGG! I wish I could upload a video of myself fangirling here. No, I would never do that, haha. But.. I loved the relationship that he and Mercy had and my heart can't stop squirming and I cannot stop freaking out. I wish there was a novella from his perspective because it seemed that he liked Mercy from the start of the book and AHHHHHHHHH! *calms down* I apologize. Anyhow.

The only thing that I could pick at in this novel is the beginning portion where I wasn't so sure what would occur with Mercy's character, but that quickly subsided. Let's just blur that whole sentence out so we could pretend that there wasn't a thing wrong with this book. Speaking of wrong, MY FRIEND REALLY UPSET ME WHEN SHE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS DUMB. If you think that this book sounds/is dumb, get out. *laughs and pats you on the back*







Firsts is easily a favourite for me, and I need to buy my own special copy and surround her with my golden books. I read this thanks to my library, but it's time for me to get my own personal guide. Girls of all ages (no, I'm kidding, of a certain age) GET THIS BOOK. Read it and love it and kiss it and hug it because I'm telling you, there is no other book like this in the entire universe. I am so ecstatic to read Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's next books in the near future!

What is the best girl-power book you have read recently? Does Firsts sound interesting to you?

Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige // Such a Mesmerizing Third Book

Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die #3), by Danielle Paige
Publication: March 15, 2016, by HarperCollins
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 270
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Once upon a time, there was a girl from Kansas named Dorothy.
You might know her as the Girl Who Rode the Cyclone. She ended up in Oz, where she became friends with the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. But the temptation of magic was too much for her. She let it change her. Her friends became twisted versions of their former selves.
The magical land of Oz is now a dark and menacing place.
My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because I got swept away on one too. I also landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches clued me in to my true calling:
Assassin.
The only way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz—and Kansas—is to kill her. And I’m the only one who can do it.
But I failed. Others died for my mistakes. Because of me, the portal between the worlds has been opened and Kansas and Oz are both in danger. And if I don’t find a way to close it?
Dorothy will make sure I never get to go home again.

My Thoughts:

I WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS, MY FELLOW LIONS, SCARECROWS AND TIN MEN/WOMEN. I was SO fortunate to meet Danielle Paige (SQUEAL!) at BookExpo America this year, where she was signing her upcoming gorgeous novel, Stealing Snow. Of course, I fangirled, and I remember our conversation clearly: I kept telling her how much I admire her and how I adore her Dorothy Must Die series. And then I also said how I love this series much more than the original Wizard of Oz film. She was shocked, but of course in a good way, because duh, that was a compliment. I JUST ADORE THIS SERIES, OKAY? I actually rewatched the original film a few months ago and I found that I was bored out of my mind, and not because I read something similar with Danielle's writing. I just find that the retellings and twists (like this) are better than the real thing. Yellow Brick War was just as powerful and intriguing as the other books in this series and I just cannot stop recommending this series out to everyone I know. Trust me: most of my friends have actually read this series after hearing my endless recommendations. Although I expected a little more from this third novel, I was completely satisfied.

I am also satisfied, in this case, that the series is not over. At the end of this one, we readers are left with a cliff-hanger that we just cannot stop thinking about. As usual, Danielle Paige writes an action-packed fantasy novel with beautiful characters that we know from the original literary classic or film, and I just cannot stop fangirling over this new fandom that I feel that I have joined after reading the first novel in this electrifying series.

Yellow Brick War, my dear friends, is all about Amy getting pissed off and trying to kill Dorothy, once again. This time, she succeeds. FINALLY. YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW ECSTATIC I WAS TO DISCOVER THAT THE B**CH WAS FINALLY DEAD. Years ago, when I was a kid, who would have thought that Dorothy would be evil and one of the worst characters to be included in YA literature? And by worst characters, I mean antagonists. Honestly, I love Amy's character development throughout the whole series, but in this third book, it is where it really shines. We see her confidence, and her ability to know what to do in scary situations. I know that I would never know what to do in her case, living in this world that she always thought was a fantasy, being torn apart by love and witches. This is the real thing.

As many other reviewers have mentioned in their own reviews, there wasn't really a war in this one. To be honest, I hardly pay attention to titles these days. Yeah, I look at them when I decide to read a book or not, but to me, the synopsis is what counts, and is what really has me deciding whether I should purchase/borrow a book. And of course, the cover definitely counts, too. There is a war in this third instalment, but it is minor. I don't want some huge war where I couldn't care less. To me, I rather see Amy destroy Oz on her own, without some kind of major war where everyone heads onto different sides and try to rip the other people's heads off.

You will go crazy because you won't be able to wait for the fourth instalment. I know I can't. And watch me forget about everything that occurred in this book and well, I will be disappointed. Danielle Paige's only issue here is reminding readers of what occurred in the past books. This is what happens: I have to wait a year for the sequel to the previous book, and I read books afterwards. I AM NOT GOING TO SPEND A YEAR THINKING ABOUT DOROTHY AND AMY GUMM. I would go mad. And then the next book comes, and I forget everything. *cries* Thank goodness for the reviewers who actually summarize everything. I do not know how you do that, my friends.

The ships are real here, too. Amy cannot just stop creating ROMANCE TROUBLE AND MY HEART KEEPS EXPLODING. I am seriously curious to see how Stealing Snow will cause craziness with my heart when I read it soon. This book seriously just has it all, I must say.

Danielle Paige has done it for the third time. She is such a brilliant writer and I wish that I read this one prior to BEA so I could have asked her for a minor spoiler of the next book. BUT, ALL IN ALL, THIS WAS SPLENDID. If you just read my review with that ONE BIG SPOILER, and you haven't picked up any books of this series yet, then I would sprint right now. What are you still doing here? Buy all of the books, all of the novellas, or else, I will really start a yellow brick war with someone. 

Do you like Danielle Paige's writing/Do you want to read a book by Danielle Paige? Do you enjoy fantasy novels with a big war in them?

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye // Is This What They Call a Good Retelling?

Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye
Publication: March 22, 2016, by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Genre: Adult Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement. Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess.
Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito, and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past?

A satirical romance about identity, guilt, goodness, and the nature of lies, by a writer who Matthew Pearl calls “superstar-caliber” and whose previous works Gillian Flynn declared “spectacular,” Jane Steele is a brilliant and deeply absorbing book inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre.

My Thoughts:

I actually have not read Jane Eyre before. My friends, that is my scary confession. In elementary school, I remember that my library did have a copy of it, and I also do recall reading the first chapter again and again, not understanding a word that Charlotte Brontë was trying to say. Jane Steele was supposed to be a book that was going to intrigue me, intrigue me to read the actual literary classic that stunned the world and everyone reads constantly. I recommend this to readers who loved Jane Eyre, and are seeking a retelling that has never been done before. From what I could recall, this kind of retelling has never been written before. YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH ME. JANE EYRE AS A SERIAL KILLER? That's super kick-butt.

I wanted to read this because it sounded absurd. Lyndsay Faye seemed to have put a twist on the whole story. A Sikh butler? Sikh Wars? I kind of am getting a feel of Star Wars, if you ask me. But then I started reading, and I became very confused. And weirded out. And unsatisfied. And bored out of my mind. This book was so confusing and boring that my eyeballs were about to fall out of their sockets because they couldn't stand to look at the words on the pages. I was so confused. Perhaps this book was written with a similar plot to the original, and it makes sense if you understand that, but I spent the first half of the book wondering who the main character was. Yes, I get that Jane Steele is our main character, but I was also trying to comprehend who she was and how she contributed to her story.

"Reader, I murdered him" is the cool catchphrase that they used for marketing this book, and I still don't get why. LIKE YEAH, SHE'S A SERIAL KILLER. I kind of was distracted with that. Anyhow. THIS IS GORY AND THERE'S A LOT OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE AND ABUSE THAT YOUR INSIDES SHAKE. That was satisfying for me (not that I'm creepy or anything). Listen, I read adult novels for the fact that I am seeking something that YA doesn't have. Jane Steele did have those details that YA authors don't usually touch upon, especially looking at the mentality of the characters. But this book was too weird for me.

But, another great thing was that it contained a lot of comic relief and was so sarcastic that I didn't know if I should believe the author or not. That's a good sign... I guess.

You see, I finished this a while ago, in May (it's July as I'm writing this, by the way). I didn't have the guts to write the review because I didn't know what to say. This was really boring for me and I haven't read a book this bad since. 

"I did not want to remember very much of my life—but when I thought of Highgate House, its shape shifted in my memory that day, its stark lines tangling with ivy and sentiment and something disturbingly like fanatical ownership" (148).

Lyndsay Faye is seriously a fabulous writer. I could see why other famous adult fiction authors like Gillian Flynn are praising her. Her details are very complex and intriguing, but something happens with her characters or plot that just stirs me away. I did not like Jane's character; it seemed that she was very bland and too obsessed with one thing at a time. Who said that people can be well-rounded when looking at her?

Jane Steele seriously was not my cup of tea. I wouldn't really recommend it to others who have similar tastes in books as I do, but there are a lot of positive reviews out there so in this case, I am the black sheep. If you enjoy a steampunk genre mixed in with a retelling of a classic story that has never been written before, sure. I rather read the actual classic than this. *frowns*

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you!*

What are some other interesting retellings of Jane Eyre? Do you enjoy retellings of classic novels?