Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas was a relatively quick read for me due to its poetic structure and evocative story. This was actually the first book I’ve read in such a writing form,  that being said it did have it’s drawbacks but first I want to talk about the many positives of Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. A brief synopsis (via amazon.com):

“Anke’s father is abusive to her brother and sister but not to her. Because, to him, she is like furniture— not even worthy of the worst kind of attention. Then Anke makes the school volleyball team. She loves feeling her muscles after workouts, an ache that reminds her she is real. Even more, Anke loves the confidence that she gets from the sport. And as she learns to call for the ball on the court, she finds a voice she never knew she had. For the first time, Anke is making herself seen and heard, working toward the day she will be able to speak up loud enough to rescue everyone at home— including herself.”

I feel like through the author’s choice of writing style for her character we really get to know Anke in a deeply personal way. The fact that this girl is at the start of her teens and having to deal with the traumas of her family is both thought provoking and very realistic. Anke is always aware even when she goes unnoticed and she knows of the dangers of her abusive father as to what he does to her mother, brother, and sister. She watches everyone daily and struggles with wanting to not only be free of her family but to also be a normal teenager enjoying life.

At the start of the book Anke talks of joining a sports team and the wanting of acceptance within the group. In a word-frenzy of “I’ve made it! I’ve made it! I’ve made the team!” we see a side of Anke that isn’t masked. We see Anke as a typical girl, ordinary, in her pursuits of achieving but than flash-forward a few pages and we see a darker side: one where Anke is only 5 years old. Her mother hides gum in the kitchen because her father does not like chewing gum. She sneaks down for a piece to chew before he awakes but is greeted later by her father wanting to smell her breath, catching her in the lie.

Because of Anke, her mother gets threatened, chairs are thrown, and she is verbally (as well as most likely physically) abused by her father, all in front of a 5 year old child’s eyes. It really puts into perspective that though young, kids see everything and they do not forget. Through all of the challenges Anke has to face you find yourself really wanting more for her, to survive and stay strong within the turmoil. She struggles to find her voice and self-worth, something that I think a lot of us have trouble with in this world regardless of the circumstances we are dealt. With Anke we get to see the starting of knowing who you are and who you truly can become.

A few things I didn’t like about Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas would have to be the writing style. Since it was written in free verse a lot of the characters we met through the story were left to the wayside. Also, at times it was confusing because I never really knew what day it was or where we were and due to that there was a lack of character as well as plot development. I would say this book is definitely one of those that you’ll have to read a good few times to really take in everything.

Coming into Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas I didn’t really expect too much of this book but was pleasantly surprised. It’s a different type of book in its genre. I would still recommend this book to those that love to read about “realistic trauma”. Thalia Chaltas does a wonderful job in really getting into the head of a teenager stuck in an awful situation. I felt like I was reading Anke’s diary almost the vulnerability and intimate words really hit home. All in all Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas is a beautiful read.

“I am always there.
But they don't care if I am
because I am furniture.

I don't get hit
I don't get fondled
I don't get love
because I am furniture

Suits me fine.” 

- Anke

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Anyone who compares Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, to Twilight clearly hasn’t read all that is Beautiful Creatures. Yes, there are similarities as most supernatural genres have but that goes without saying. For one, the writing is fantastic, the characters likeable, plot twists not so predictable, and all in all I’d say Beautiful Creatures captures that magical spark of the supernatural genre without being overly clichéd. First off, a synopsis:

“Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.”

Basically, Beautiful Creatures revolves around our main protagonist (you guessed it) Ethan Wate and the ever-so mysterious Lena Duchannes. This is the first book I’ve read that delves into the teenage-romance-paranormal from a guy’s perspective rather than a girl’s. Something I thought would be un-relatable and brash but ended up being quite compassionate and insightful.

Ethan’s outlook on life at 16 is utterly spot on for any teenager bitten by the wanderlust bug and his urge to get out of the godforsaken, small town of Gatlin has that same honest yearning that anyone could relate too. Beautiful Creatures is the first installment to the series that consists of 4 books altogether.

One draw back to this being the first of the series was the pacing. At first reading I found the day-to-day ramblings of Ethan too trite and mundane. This caused me to lose interest within the span of the first 10 chapters but luckily that’s when it really picked up story-wise! Introducing new characters and our second lead protagonist Lena whom was seriously nothing but a mystery.

Also, the accompanying characters though interesting were not quite fleshed out at first, characters such as Emily – the cheerleading goody-good girl seemed just as shallow as the ones you meet in real life with little depth until further reading but if you tough it out you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the quick wit and gothic backdrop of this supernatural tale. I was thoroughly gripping the pages of this book and devouring chapters towards the end.

I do love the joint writing styles of both authors. It gave each chapter a new feel that was refreshing. Some would debate that Beautiful Creatures isn’t anything special in its genre but I say otherwise. I feel like Beautiful Creatures is a breath of fresh air. It not only focuses more so on character development and relationships but also does so in a way where you’re rooting for the characters and actually wanting to see them succeed in their endeavors.

I should also note that if you were looking for fast-paced action you wouldn’t find it here. The action within Beautiful Creatures though there for the most part wouldn’t be enough to keep an action-junky happy but I have a feeling that this will change in the upcoming installment: Beautiful Darkness! To conclude I’d give Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, three and a half stars and I cannot wait to see how the first book transcends into movie form, which is out in theaters now.

The Hunt by Adrew Fukuda

Ok, so I just finished The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda and by the massive amount of spamming on my face book you guys already know that I was frustrated but also elated to read this book. I’m going to give a really brief synopsis of the book via the front and back covers that says: It’s either hunt or be hunted. There’s no escape and one mistake mean’s a swift brutal death. Right there, that sounds like a winner for me.

To go further into-depth: Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him, and he doesn’t have an unquenchable thirst for blood. Gene is human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret it’s the only way to stay alive. When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible and a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now, that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever, but is it worth the cost of humanity?

Anyway, that basically sums this book up to a T and what drew me into Andrew Fukuda’s world of Humans versus Vampires was how original of an idea it was. Granted, there are similarities between other books such as Battle Royale or The Hunger Games with the idea of “the hunt” and the romance between Gene and another character which sort of mashes up a mixture of Twilight and Interview with the vampire.

What make’s The Hunt a standout in the genre of supernatural young adult books is his storytelling and how relatable his main character is. Literally, while reading The Hunt I too became frustrated when Gene would become frustrated and the act of having to hide who you really are was not only relatable but also very believable in the sense that a lot of people feel that way in general in regards to themselves.

So, those main characteristics really drew me into the story of The Hunt. Granted, there were also a few things I didn’t like about the book. The first being no one had names aside from the humans and there were not many humans in the book. A lot of the vampires that he would talk about had adjectives attached to who they were like one character was called Crimson lips due to obvious physical features and another was called Frilly dress because she wore frilly dresses.

So, that alone was kind of confusing to me because I like putting legit names with the characters and sometimes I found myself going back a few chapters just to figure out which Vampire he was talking about. That aside though isn’t too much of a gripe but it was something I didn’t like about the book. Another aspect I did not like was how meticulous Andrew Fukuda was in describing every single detail about humans as well as vampires. I think it was necessary to an extent to let the reader know about the world, the people, what’s going on but after about 200 pages in it just became very tedious which caused a lot of my frustrations.

I could just be nitpicking but when I read a book I like to stay engaged and not want to throw it against a wall or have to ‘take a break’ in order to just absorb all the information I was reading.

Anyway, back to what makes this book completely readable! Storytelling was awesome, though tedious at times Andrew Fukuda is pretty fantastic at keeping a reader on the edge of their seat come chapters end. I’d find myself in some places especially before “the actual hunt” began just devouring chapters and wanting to know more about what was going to happen like if Gene was going to be found out or at any given moment eaten by the vampires. It was suspenseful.

The love story that developed between Gene and another character (I’m not going to name her because there is A LOT you’ll find out about her if you read the book) was all right. I liked how it was more platonic in a sense that their survival meant more to them than being with each other which made their connection more realistic. I mean if I were Gene living in a world full of vampires and faking it the last thing on my mind would be falling in love. There were a few tender moments between them throughout The Hunt that will make you want them to be together. I’m not a big teamer but if Gene and unnamed girl had a team I’d be rooting for them. Plus, again, their love for each other was very realistic, if not, admirable.

Probably one of my favorite parts of The Hunt was the ending, it leaves you questioning everything and everyone and basically wanting the next book to come out ASAP. Sadly, Andrew Fukuda’s next in this trilogy will not be available until early next year. So, I will be biding my time like all other readers of fiction with the fandom that is The Hunt.

All in all, I do recommend this book. Those that love vampire novels will love this book as well as those that like dystopian novels. I also think those who aren’t particularly into the Supernatural genre should think about giving this book a try. Aside, from the vampire aspect the author stays pretty realistic in the general idea of hiding your true self, surviving in an almost communistic world, and dealing with the loss of humanity. So, all of that coupled with awesome writing makes The Hunt a true winner in its genre.

I was lucky enough to get this book at the library before a waiting list started for it but you can also pick it up at your local bookstore. All right, now that I’m sounding like an ad for this book I am going to end my review here.