Sweet Venom Book Review

October 9, 2013October 10, 2013Leave a comment

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, more about but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they’re triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

My Review:

You may have noticed that I’ve had a *slight* Greek mythology thing lately. I’m not really sure, but I think maybe it has to do with the fact that The House of Hades just released yesterday (expect a review tomorrow, as long as I finish it as quickly as I think I’m going to), and I just have always loved Greek myths.

But moving on, the fact that I’ve been reading a lot of YA that is focusing on Greek mythology means I’m more aware of it, and more likely to be critical of it. That being said, I was thoroughly impressed with the first book in Tera Lynn Child’s trilogy.

Like I said, the stories been retold and rewritten a million times. When the myths written as long ago as they were, of course this is going to happen. So its incredibly hard for you to rewrite something that has already most likely been rewritten. I’ve read Josephine Angelini’s trilogy, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s series, and both Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus series. I’ve seen my fair share of YA Greek myths. So that’s why I really think that Tera did a great job with this.

We don’t see much of Medusa used in these books, as anything other than a villain, like in The Lightning Thief. Tera herself said at an event a few weeks ago in Vegas that it was hard research for her, because there isn’t much on her. By taking the myth of Medusa, twisting it so she was actually framed, and that her descendants have a destiny. I like the idea of twisting a myth and surprising the reader. That is definitely what was accomplished in this novel. The gods AREN’T good, they neglect and they run rampant on the world, and are so arrogant and emotional, and everything they do effects the human race. I love the idea that Athena was jealous of Medusa, and that things sort of boiled down from there because it seems VERY likely that this would happen. Goddess pride.

I’m not going to lie, I like the idea of the triplets thing, long lost, coming together to work together, to fight together and to protect each other. I had this…obsession when I was younger with twins, born from the height of Mary-Kate and Ashley’s careers, and the reboot of The Parent Trap. I was convinced that I had a twin somewhere, and that my parents had hid her away, and I was constantly begging them to tell me where she was. I was a weird child. But the idea of twins, and triplets, in a book seriously make me interested right off the bat. And sure the fact that Gretchen, Greer and Grace are so obviously different and come from vastly different backgrounds doesn’t bother me, even though its so obvious. I think its going to work well, as the story continues and they have to work together to fight the mythical creatures that keep seeping in our world.

Plus, San Francisco as the setting? Such a win. San Francisco is a bursting place anyway, so full of culture and people and places and its just 100% awesome. Its a perfect setting for all of this to be taking place. I can’t wait to pick up the next book.

It was awesome being able to meet Tera at her signing in Vegas a couple weeks ago! I’m so glad I picked up her book and read it!

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Exclusive Interview with the Ultimate Fangirl, Sasha Alsberg!

October 9, 2013October 7, 20132 Comments

If you’re part of the Mortal Instruments fandom at all, generic and are on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook…well, I’m sure you’ve heard of Sasha Alsberg.

Sasha is the brains behind @TheShadowhunters on Instagram, an admin of Better in Black, and part of the blog Fandom News. She is also very well known for being Lily Collins doppelgänger.

I’m not kidding. The girl looks SO much like Lily Collins, it took me awhile to learn to distinguish the two. Because of her uncanny resemblance to Lily, and her humor and charm in her Instagram videos, Sasha has grown to 28,000 followers on Instagram, and counting. But I’ve been curious, and I know you guys probably have to, to know the story behind the girl on Instagram. So I emailed Sasha, and we set up an interview, and now, everyone, sit back and learn more about this awesome fangirl!

Sara: Most people know you as Lily Collin’s doppelganger or as the admin of TheShadowhunters, but we don’t really know you. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Sasha: My name is Sasha Alsberg (as most of you know), and I live in the beautiful city of Chicago (Divergent). I go to an all girls high school, which I’ll be graduating out of soon, and I hope to go to college somewhere on the west coast. I have five sisters, and I’m the baby of the bunch! I’ve been in love with books for as long as I can remember, and it wasn’t until about two years ago that I decided to take my love for books online!

Sara: How did you get into the Shadowhunter Chronicles? When did you discover them and how did they become so important to you?

Sasha: It’s a funny story actually. A year and a half ago, my friend told me to read the TMI books but I was in a dystopian phase at the time, so it wasn’t until the summer, when I went to Europe for a month, that I actually read City of Bones. Right then, I knew these books were something special. I read the whole series in one week and I decided once I got home, I had to make a TMI Instagram account. That’s where it all started, and @TheShadowhunters was made!

Sara: What is your favorite book in the Shadowhunter Chronicles, and who is your favorite character?

Sasha: The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass, and Clary Fray :)

Sara: How did you discover you looked like Lily Collins? What was it like meeting her, and the rest of the cast members?

Sasha: I didn’t really think much of it until one day, I posted a photo of myself on my account and my followers told me.

It was surreal, I still cannot believe I met her. The whole experience was amazing. When Lily and Jamie spotted me in the crowd during the Q&A, I was stunned! I was especially surprsied when Lily wanted to take a photo of me and her on her cell phone! Jamie was just shocked; there’s a YouTube video of his reaction when he saw me; its quite funny.

When I met them again in Chicago, Lily told me how she sent the photo of me and her to her mother, and even her mother said we look alike!

I was still in shock when Lily said, “its crazy how we look alike!”

Sara: How does it feel to know that people recognize you from your instagram, your blog and from being Lily’s doppelganger? What is the coolest thing to happen because of that?

Sasha: Its such a compliment because Lily is gorgeous and so self confident. It really makes me smile when I get compared to somebody like that.

Lots of cool things have happened because of it. I do cosplay as Clary Fray, and it has really opened doors for me. For example. I’m traveling to Kansas City this weekend for a TMI cosplay photo shoot, portraying Clary Fray because I look like Lily. It’s just all very exciting!

The photo shoot took place this past weekend, and the photos were done by Carmen Desiree Seda. You can see photos from it on Carmen’s photography facebook page, on her instagram account, and on Sasha’s instagram account and blog.

Sara: What are some other authors and books that you enjoy to read?

Sasha: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Hunger games by Suzanne Collins, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Sara: What are your goals for the future? I know that totally sounds like a college admissions essay exam haha but what are your goals, do you want to travel, what are your career aspirations?

Sasha: My goal would probably be getting into a west coast college, going to conventions and studying social media or book publishing (marketing). I would also love to keep blogging about books and fandoms. I would love to travel to London again to meet my followers who live there, and just see friends. That would be amazing.

Sara: What are some things on your ‘fangirl bucket list’? Who are some authors or celebrities you’d like to meet, or places you’d like to go?

Sasha: My fangirl bucket list was largely accomplished this summer but I would love to meet Cassandra Clare! I’ve never met her sadly. I was supposed to but she got sick and couldn’t make it. I would also LOVE to go to Comic Con this summer, which I’m planning to do.

Sara: What are some quirky facts about you that most people don’t know?

Sasha: I’m not exactly sure, but I am a very stubborn and dedicated person. If I set my mind to something, I won’t let anything stop me.

Sara: Who is your fictional crush?

Sasha: Jace Wayland, Daemon Black, Jem Carstairs, Will Herondale, Augustus Waters…the list is endless!

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Thanks everyone for tuning in to this AWESOME interview with a super cool fangirl. Don’t forget to check her out on Instagram, on Better in Black, on her YouTube channel and on Fandom News!

All pictures in this post are property of Sasha Alsberg or Carmen Desiree Seda. Please do not reuse or reprint for any reason.

LA Teen Book Fest Interview with Francesca Lia Block!

October 8, 2013October 6, 2013Leave a comment

This weekend, nurse at the Los Angeles Central Branch Library, teen librarian and soon to be published author, Mary McCoy is hosting a ton of fantastic YA authors for the Los Angeles Teen Book Fest, which I wrote about yesterday. You can find out more information about the event here.

One of the authors that will be attending the event is Francesca Lia Block, a veteran author of more than a dozen books. She writes mostly in the YA genre, and writings reimaginings of fairy tales, and infuses fairy tales into her novels.

Her most recent novel, Love in the Time of Global Warming, tells the story of Pen, and her journey across post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, searching for her family, and a trusty copy of Homer’s The Odyssey in her back pocket to guide her.

Check out this awesome interview I was able to do with her . I can’t wait to meet her on Saturday!

Sara: Which book was easier to write: your first ever book, or the second one?

Francesca: The first one! WEETZIE BAT pretty much wrote itself. WITCH BABY was a challenge and I had a lot of help from my editor at the time, Charlotte Zolotow. I had also written THE HANGED MAN before WITCH BABY but it wasn’t published until afterwards. That flowed pretty easily and is one of my favorites so I guess technically my second book was easier than my third.

Sara: You’ve written so many books, how do you keep yourself writing fresh and where do you get your inspiration from?

Francesca: I look to my daily life and the lives of my friends. Human existence is full of love and pain so there is never really a shortage of inspiration if you stay open to it.

Sara: Was being an author something you always wanted to do or did you have other career aspirations?

Francesca: I always wanted to be a writer. At first, it was poetry. I also wanted to be a fashion designer or a modern dancer and am interested in psychotherapy, anthropology and art history.

Sara: What advice do you give to aspiring writers? What’s the best advice YOU’VE been given?

Francesca: Read. Write. Find a mentor. Never give up. Dig deep. Express your truth from your heart and because you have to do so.

Once I called my dad from my dorm room at UC Berkeley. I was crying because my writing teacher didn’t like something I’d written. My dad practically shouted at me, “You’re a writer!” This stuck with me always. I think if you are compelled to write, you are a writer. You just need the tools to do so. What my dad said wasn’t advice but I try to remind my students (at UCLA Extension, Antioch University Los Angeles and in my private class-francescaliablock@sbcglobal.net) that if you feel that complusion to write you must honor it.

Sara: What are some of your favorite things to do outside of writing?

Francesca: Yoga, movies, reading, running, walking, listening to music, taking photographs, looking at fashion, eating at vegan restaurants.

Sara: What are some of your favorite books or authors to read?

Francesca: Anais Nin, Emily Dickinson, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, JD Salinger, Harper Lee, Colette, among many others.

Sara: What made you want to spin fairy tales, and use fairy tale feels, into your novels?

Francesca: I have always loved dark fairy tales and myths. They inspire me and make me feel less alone in the world because the truths they tell are still so relevant. I like to mix these ancient tales with things that re happening in my own life.

Sara: What has been one of the best parts of being an author?

Francesca: Meeting my readers!

Sara: Who is your fictional crush?

Francesca: Atticus [Finch] from To Kill a Mockingbird

* * * *

I hope you all enjoyed this interview with Francesca Lia Block, and are able to catch her at the Los Angeles Teen Book Fest this coming weekend! Check her out at the Classically Inspired panel with other awesome authors like Josephine Angelini, Gretchen McNeil and Cornelia Funke!

See you all there and Happy Reading!

Tuesday Top Ten – Favorite Percy Jackson Characters

October 8, 20133 Comments

Happy The House of Hades Release Day! I am so happy! I can’t wait to go diving into this novel! I’ve been waiting SO anxiously for this book to release ever since I finished The Mark of Athena last year. Such a cliffhanger.

Now, to celebrate the awesome release of this book, I have decided to have a Percy Jackson themed Tuesday Top Ten today.

Continue reading →

Tuesday Top Ten-Favorite Percy Jackson Characters

October 8, 2013October 7, 20133 Comments

Now, dosage to celebrate the awesome release of this book, information pills I have decided to have a Percy Jackson themed Tuesday Top Ten today.

I honestly thought this was going to be an easy Top Ten and I was soon proven to be completely wrong. But all ten are awesome, stuff and all the characters not on the list are STILL awesome.

10. Sally Jackson

Sally Jackson is a seriously awesome character in the novel. I think most middle grade/young adult heroes or heroines tend NOT to have parents. Its that orphan status that gives them the innocence and the drive to do the things they need to do. It also gives them the ability to do all these crazy things. There’s no authority there to watch them, really. But Percy is different: he has a mother, and a super loving and caring and sacrificing mother, and I think its awesome. Sally LOVES Percy, and does everything she can to make sure Percy is happy and safe. She marries gross and cruel Gabe in order to keep Percy safe for so many years. That right there is intense dedication. I also think its cool how, even though she loves and cares for him so much, she realizes who he is and what he needs to do, and knows that he can take care of himself. Plus there’s all the blue food. Any mom who goes out of her way to make all this food blue, because a jerk said something mean, is awesome!

9. Apollo

Okay, so this isn’t at all what I picture Apollo to look like BUT I couldn’t find good fanart of him, so this is what we’re stuck with. I freakin LOVE Apollo. I love when he shows up with his convertible, bringing the sun with him every day. I think he’s like a ridiculous frat boy, or that boy in school that drives you crazy because he’s clowning around all the time. Or he even reminds me of my brothers, when they’re driving me insane. I like that he is joking around a lot. His ridiculous poetry, and his bursting into songs randomly. Please tell me that this made other people crack up too? Its like, this guy is a GOD. The SUN god. He brings the SUN everyday. Plus he annoys the heck out of Artemis and is always making moves on her Huntresses and its just all fun. I love that Rick will yank you from heartbreak to humor, and I love the humorous moments with Apollo. They never fail to make me smile.

8. Rachel Elizabeth Dare

You know why I like Rachel Elizabeth Dare? Okay, one is that her middle name is Elizabeth and that’s my middle name, which automatically equals cool factor. But I think I really like her because she’s so brave, and she’s so strong and she’s just a regular human (at first). You know, most people would meet Percy Jackson, and the situations he’s in, and FREAK out but she takes it in stride, helps him out, and then just continues to be there. I admit, I was a little frustrated when she was hitting on Percy, because I’ve been a Percabeth shipper from the beginning, but I love her as a character, and as a best friend for Percy Jackson. When she steps up to be the Oracle, and she continues to be a part of the world, I’m super stoked. I think she’s one of the best and strongest characters, because she’s a human. Its been confirmed that she’ll make an appearance in The House of Hades, which I am SO excited for!

7. Grover Underwood

Aw, who doesn’t love good ‘ol Grover. I like Grover because he isn’t the obvious hero. He’s bumbling, and he’s klutzy and he gets nervous and starts chewing on soda cans and paper, and he doesn’t always believe that he can do it. He is determined to find Pan, and to follow Pan’s mandate, and there are times when he can’t believe it, and its hard for him, but no matter what happens, he pushes on. He’s a great friend to Percy and Annabeth too. Both Percy and Annabeth are super brave and kind of crazy and reckless and Grover just kind of sucks it up and follows them. But on their journeys, he always has importance and he always kind of surprises everyone and prevails. He’s a strong character, and he’s intelligent and he’s Percy’s protector and he’s determined to do that. And he’s just so adorable too. Apparently he’ll have a slight appearance in HoH too, so yay!

6. Leo Valdez

Leo! You know why I love Leo. Okay, well there is a lot of reasons why I like Leo. One, I like that he’s kind of the loner in this group of couples, and I swear, I don’t mean that in a mean way. I know its hard for him, and that’s why I like him. I can understand that. I can understand being lonely and being the third wheel again and again and again, and not feeling like he’s important enough. But I think there’s a lot to Leo and I hope he can find someone. I think he’s extremely intelligent and the abilities he has with his hands, to build things, and to fix things is awesome. Its not as obvious as Percy controlling water, or Jason being able to fly. Its like a talent that is just reinforced by his parentage, from his dad, Hephaestus. I think its one of the best talents amongst the demigods that we get to know, because its not like he magically fixes things. He still has to tinker and figure it out, and he’s good at it. I also think he has a great heart, and its going to be great to see what happens next for Leo, and to see how his story evolves. And come on, Rick, let’s give him a girlfriend, okay? Haha.

5. Piper Mclean

Piper! Yes, I do like Piper, and I like her more than Hazel, which you will notice because Hazel isn’t on the list. (Though I do love Hazel, don’t get me wrong). I like Piper because her god parentage, and her powers, are so opposite of what she would want. She is the daughter of Aphrodite and can transform herself into perfection, and can charm speak anyone. And all of this is VERY begrudging to her at first. She does NOT like this at all. And I think that’s what endears me to her. I think if I found out that Aphrodite was my mother, and my power was beauty and persuasion, I’d be like, “how did I end up with the short end of the stick?” It just doesn’t seem like a great power, and because she hasn’t ever really displayed an obsession with her appearance before, she is just less than thrilled. I do love that she uses her persuasion to just get things like cars and such. That cracks me up. But I love that she learns to use this to her advantage. She doesn’t take advantage of people, but she uses it to gain the upper hand, to control situations and she’s good at it. So I love Piper. I love Piper because she has to build her confidence, unlike most of her siblings who just seem born with that confidence.

4. Tyson

I LOVE Tyson, and honestly that’s helped along that Douglas Smith, who portrays him in Sea of Monsters, is just plain adorable. But I really do like Tyson, and I think that comes from what he teaches everyone and thats the idea of acceptance, tolerance and even friendship. Percy is totally fine with Tyson for a long time, until Poseidon claims him as a son, and its very annoying and frustrating to Percy. Then you have Annabeth and her fear and hatred of Tyson, and all Cyclops. Eventually his personality and loyalty and dedication wins everyone over, and its a learning experience for both Percy and Annabeth. Plus I think you’re apt to think Tyson is useless because he’s a Cyclops and he doesn’t talk very well, but he proves again and again how worthy he is to be claimed as a son of Poseidon.

3. Zoe Nightshade

Zoe! I miss Zoe. Zoe was one of my favorite characters probably because I tell myself all the time that I would not be a demigod, but instead I’d like to be a Huntress of Artemis’s and I would love to be the leader. I think Zoe is amazing, strong, brave, but still learning after all this time. Plus her grudging hatred of men, and her slow build in trust of Percy is just fun to watch. It goes back to that idea that people can change, and they can learn new things from each other. But more than that, she’s brave and so loyal to Artemis and she fights hard, so hard to get her back, and will do anything to get back. I like that she’s stubborn too, and that she is stuck in her old fashioned ways and says things like “thou” and “thee”. One of my favorite parts in all of the books is when they’re at the Hoover Dam, and keep saying things like “dam water fountain” and “dam tshirt” and Grover, Thalia and Percy are cracking up, and Zoe is so confused. I love that they mention it again in The Mark of Athena.

2. Percy Jackson

PERCY! I adore Percy, and yes, that is in part because Logan Lerman plays him, and he’s adorable and he was SO super sweet when I met him a few months ago. But Percy is the hero of the whole series, and one of the heroes in Heroes of Olympus series, and he’s a great character. Its his humor from page one of The Lightning Thief that really captures you into the entire series. No matter what is going on, he’s making you laugh. His sarcasm and humor keeps me addicted from page one to the very last page. And sure, his fatal flaw is his loyalty to his friends, but I love it. I love how loyal he is. He risks everything all the time for his friends and for his family, and even for people he barely likes such as Clarisse. I like that he fights so hard, and risks so much, and he does it all with such sarcasm and humor, and that he’s willing to push buttons. And I love his dedication to Grover and Annabeth, especially Annabeth. He really believes in her, and trusts her, and she’s the only person who scares him, which is how it should be ;)

1. Annabeth Chase

Annabeth is the best character in the entire novel because she’s so STRONG and FUNNY and WITTY and just plain awesome. I love that her strength is her cleverness and her ability to strategize. I love that she keeps up with the boys all the time, and its not like she’s a girl, she’s an equal with everyone else. She’s stubborn and hopeful and she is so determined. I always thought it was kind of funny that Annabeth is blonde, and that sort of “dumb blonde” connotation but she’s incredibly smart. I also like her hat, even though its a Yankees hat, and just…no haha. But she’s prideful and stubborn and can be judgmental but she always eventually realizes her judgements and her pride, and she does the right thing. Plus, she’s really nerdy with her obsession with architecture. And her relationship with Percy, the way she’s so in love with him, but she doesn’t let it control her, and she’s totally in control, and Percy can be SUPER scared of her, is just great. Percabeth for life.

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Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Top Ten! I hope all of you have your copies of The House of Hades. I have to go enjoy mine now!

Happy Reading!

The Extra by Kathryn Lasky Book Review

October 6, 2013October 7, 20131 Comment

The Extra by Kathryn Lasky

Thank you Candlewick Press for sending an advanced copy of this book to be read and honestly reviewed by What A Nerd Girl Says. This in no way shaped my opinion in this review!

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Is the chance to serve as an extra for Hitler’s favorite filmmaker a chance at life — or a detour on the path to inevitable extermination?

One ordinary afternoon, sales fifeen-year-old Lilo and her family are suddenly picked up by Hitler’s police and imprisoned as part of the “Gypsy plague.” Just when it seems certain that they will be headed to a labor camp, Lilo is chosen by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to work as a film extra. Life on the film set is a bizarre alternate reality. The surroundings are glamorous, but Lilo and the other extras are barely fed, closely guarded, and kept in a locked barn when not on the movie set. And the beautiful, charming Riefenstahl is always present, answering the slightest provocation with malice, flaunting the power to assign prisoners to life or death. Lilo takes matters into her own hands, effecting an escape and running for her life. In this chilling but ultimately uplifting novel, Kathryn Lasky imagines the lives of the Gypsies who worked as extras for the real Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, giving readers a story of survival unlike any other

My Review:

Look, there are a ton of books out there, and there will continue to be books out there about the travesties of World War 2, because this is an insanely important part of history, of our history. If anyone ever questions the need to write another book about it, then that’s the answer. But this book really caught my eye because it went beyond, capturing a piece of the WWII history that I was not as familiar with.

When you read a WWII book, you always read about the persecution of the Jews, because, of course, they got the brunt of it, definitely. But I feel like people often times forget that Gypsies, homosexuals, people with physical or mental disabilities were also heavily persecuted. This is where Kathryn Lasky picks up.

I was on my journey for advanced copies of novels when I came across this book. I thought the title was interesting and so was the cover. But what really caught my eye was the tagline, “A girl’s fate is in the hand’s of Hitler’s favorite filmmaker.” After researching the book a little, and finding that the story was based in historical fact, I immediately shot an email off to Candlewick. I was really excited when I got it in the mail yesterday, and after realizing that it releases in a few days, I realized I had to read it fast, to review for you guys.

I think that Kathryn really dives into a part of history that we don’t get to see very often. The main character, Lilo, is Gypsy, and the book immediately starts off with she and her parents being taken away, and the journey goes from there. It is at one camp where famous actress, and now director, Leni Riefanstahl, comes to find Gypsy extras for her movie, based on a Spanish folk opera. Lilo is chosen, along with her mother, and her friend, Django. At first the deal doesn’t seem too bad, because while they’re still corralled around like cattle, they’re fed better, clothed a bit better, and they’re working on a movie. But it doesn’t really take long for Lilo to figure out that there’s so much more to Leni that previously thought and that’s where the drama comes from.

They think for a moment that they could be safer, but in reality, they’re tiptoeing around even more. Leni is a volatile, furious person who can be extremely cruel. When one of the extras, Lilo’s friend Unku, is realized to be so extremely pretty, Leni orders for her hair to be chopped, and personally shaves a bald spot on the back of her head. And I think that’s something that Kathryn really tackles in this book. She shows that there are dangers in every part of this life, and during this war. Lilo is in as much danger with Leni as she would be with a hardened Nazi soldier.

I do think that Lilo could have used a bit more personality; a lot of the story is told through her mind and she seems so…accepting of so much. She obviously gets upset but you don’t see a lot of real rage or fear or any of that. The book has a great story, a compelling one that we don’t get to see much when talking about World War II literature, especially in YA, but its surprisingly lacking of emotion. I only wish I could have seen more of Lilo’s emotions during this time.

But like I said, the story is an absolutely compelling one. Its a story that I had never heard before, and it showed a different side of history during that time. You know that the Gypsies were part of Hitler’s reign of terror, but you don’t focus on them as much, because of that main focus on the perscution of the Jews. Seeing a part of the Gypsy history, and how they were treated, and used, its horrifying, but its addicting at every turn. To know that something like this happened, where a group of people who were hated, but still used. Its just an interesting story.

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars