Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Cameron is a teenage boy that has a twin sister named Jenna and parents that are well educated and they seem to all co-exist in a big world of denial. Jenna being the perfect child that's popular and well rounded, Cameron being the slacker son that smokes pot and hangs out in the bathroom instead of going to class. Cameron suspects his dad is having an affair with his personal assistant and that his mom is contently oblivious, choosing to immerse herself in other areas of her life. That's his life in a nutshell, until...
One day Cameron starts having strange symptoms that range from pain and delerium to all out hallucinations. After visiting several doctors a specialist finally diagnoses him with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, aka Mad Cow disease in human form, and better yet... there is no cure. Cameron is hospitalized and thus begins the journey that is known as 'Going Bovine'. Between the hypoconriac dwarf friend, fire giant attacks and an indestructible garden gnome you are left to remember that this is a boy laying on his death bed in a hospital in horrible pain living a crazy life inside his crazy mind. We follow Cameron's mind as he believes he's on a journey to find Dr. X to save the galaxy, close the wormhole, oh yeah... and get the cure for Mad Cow disease that only Dr. X has.

In Going Bovine I found a thoroughly entertaining story that at times made me sad, remembering that Cameron is actually going to die, and other times made me soak in the creativity that Libba Bray has put out there. I initially got this book because I loved the Gemma Doyle trilogy. I had read all of the warnings that this was way different from 'Gemma' but I like different and I have a good sense of humor (a must if you are going to read this book). I found myself chuckling out loud at some parts and loved the wit that she injects into the lead character.

I'm not sure what this book is categorized as (YA or Adult fiction) but I wouldn't really recommend it for the YA age group. A lot of language, drug and alcohol use amongst the teens and a couple of sexual situations with no use of protection (which is noted in the book as being a completely stupid thing... but he's dying anyway so he doesn't care... not to mention the fact that it's all actually a hallucination).

This is a very different book and so unique from anything I have ever read. I really enjoyed it and tried to explain it to my husband while in the middle of reading it only to get a blank stare back, so I know it's not for everyone. Gemma and Bovine can in no way be compared and if you read them unknowingly you would have no clue it was even the same author. Read it on its own merits and know that it is as original and creative as the Gemma series while vastly different in topic and character.

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

This is the concluding book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy. In The Sweet Far Thing we follow Gemma and her two dear friends Felicity and Anne as they continue on their journeys through the Realms and into the winterland. Kartik has vanished leaving Gemma to wonder what has happened to him and if he is still safe. The construction continues at Spence Academy in the rebuilding of the wing that burned years ago leaving the founder, Mrs. Eugenia Spence, dead. Gemma must discern who among her acquaintances can truly be trusted as there is a huge web of lies being woven all around her. She doesn't know if she can even trust her own thoughts anymore. With the help of her friends and those she comes to rely upon she must defeat the evil within the winterlands that mean to unleash the magic and open the realms leaving no barrier between the mortal world and themselves. Can she make the choices necessary and what will the cost be?

I have listened to the entire Gemma Doyle trilogy on unabridged audiobook and am writing this review on both the audiobook and the novel itself. First on the audio and the narrator. I absolutely loved the story as told by the story teller, as she truly was a storyteller and added such emotion and zest to the story. She did a great job of varying her voice for each character to the point that I didn't even need the written side notes of "Felicity said" or "Anne exclaimed" because I could recognize the voice without it. Much more entertaining and easy to listen to than other audiobooks I have had and I highly recommend it. I enjoy audiobooks while I'm cleaning or driving but still love my real books in my hand when I have the time to sit and enjoy them (with 4 kids that seems a rarity now).

As far as The Sweet Far Thing the novel, I loved it just as much as the first two which is something that doesn't happen very often! It had the adventure and the action and the romance with a great build up to the climax and an ending that left me longing for the characters to still be with me but yet so very happy that things were wrapped up with such finality. No loose threads here. I got to 'watch' as Gemma has finally grown into the woman that can stand on her own confidently with no regrets and know that she has a place in this world all on her own.

The lands that are painted for us in this novel are vivid and full of life. I can picture each area of the realms and the creatures that inhabit these places. Libba Bray's trilogy is definitely going to be at the top of my list of YA series to recommend. It was so tastefully written from start to finish. Only at the end of the 3rd book as things come to a climax was there anything that might be questionable for a girl to read depending on what you find questionable but in the case that you are reading this review because you have a daughter that wants to read the series..... Here is a little elaboration only for the purpose of informing those that would want to be informed, skip this part if you are an adult looking for yourself and don't need the heads up.

****************SPOILER ALERT******************

There are a couple of instances (3 I think) between Gemma and Kartik that get a little heated with heavy kissing and he grabs her breasts while they are both fully clothed.
We find out toward the end of book 3 that Felicity and Pippa are gay and in love with eachother (shocker for me) and Felicity ends up moving to Paris where she has heard there are "others like her" so that she may fall in love again.
The language picks up a little more in the end too with at least one use of B***h and A** among a few other things.
And... of course the entire series is written about magic and death and other worlds. Gemma does not believe in God as Christianity sees Him, she doesn't exactly know what she believes but there is a lot of talk of 'gods'.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Imagine Earth has been taken over little by little by alien beings that implant themselves into our human bodies and take over our lives as if they are us. They do it slowly so nobody will notice, then by the time we do notice they are already everywhere and drawing attention to yourself as a human will only make them take you down as well. They are peaceful beings that are trying to salvage the planet that they find so beautiful. They mean no harm to humans, only to fix what we have taken for granted and destroyed. These aliens are tiny silvery beings that implant themselves into the spine of human bodies and after they are inside it leaves a silver ring that shines in the eyes of anyone that has been changed. This is how the remaining humans can tell who is human or not.

Melanie Stryder has been captured during the rebellion and has been implanted with the soul named Wanderer. Upon waking up Wanderer can hear Melanie talking to her, but Mel is not supposed to be there still. This is where the struggle begins. Melanie is protecting the ones she loves and that is very hard when the enemy is literally inside your head, she must protect her every thought. We follow Melanie and Wanderer as they set out to follow clues in Mel's mind that will lead them to her brother and Jared, the man she loves. Wanderer has grown sympathetic to the humans and their plight, but the Seeker that is assigned to Wanderer to find information on the remaining humans will not let up and is determined to figure out what is being hidden in Melanie's mind.

I will start by saying that the first part of the book is hard to follow the first time you read it. It is science fiction and is giving you a background to work with and you understand it SO much more if you read the book a second time which I highly recommend (loved it even more the second time!). Once you get through understanding the invasion and takeover part and you get into the story and struggle between Wanderer and Melanie it rolls much more smoothly.

The complicated love triangles that are tearing at the characters really drew me in and definitely made me pick sides. The people, relationships and surroundings were all so believably written that you forget this is an alien story. There is so much that goes on in this novel that is quite long but after getting through those first few chapters I was completely sucked in. I never found myself wanting to quit or willing myself to continue on just to find out the end. I enjoyed this book so much and really hope that Stephenie continues on and makes companion books.

I really liked the Twilight saga, but this is so far beyond that. This book is so well written and truly showcases Stephenie Meyer's writing much more so than Twilight did. This story is so different from anything I have read before and I highly recommend it to all of my "reader" friends.