ShakespeareZombie

ShakespeareZombie

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Meant to Be by Julie Halpern

"Fuck fate. Screw destiny. I'm team free will..."

Meant to Be offers an interesting future. A worldwide event known as the Naming resulted in every adult having a name suddenly appear on their chest. Now, the Names appear at some point after everyone turns 18. The Names, also known as Meant to Be's, or MTB's, belong to your soul mate. The Naming brings up lots of questions. Where did the Names come from? What if they leave as suddenly as they came? Most importantly of all, what about free will?

Agatha, better known as Aggie, is incredibly cynical about the Names, which she refers to as MTs (Empties). This is largely because her father ran off to be with his Empty, leaving Aggie and her mother alone. Thankfully, Uncle Jim moves in and helps with money and housework. He's a delightful man who writes romance novels under the name Savannah Merlot, none of which involve MTBs. Aggie's best friend Lish, however, is all about MTB's. She paid a lot of money to have her name scanned to find her MTB, Travis. He is coming to stay with her family for the summer, and she sees their relationship as leading to marriage, children, etc.

When the name Hendrix Cutter appears on Aggie's chest, she has every intention of ignoring it. Her goals are to hook up with her hot co-worker, Luke, at Haunted Hollow, the Halloween-themed amusement park where she works, and to visit Australia after graduation so she can pursue a job at their famous amusement parks. Everything seems to be going according to her plans, not destiny. She hooks up with Luke, and they start a semi-casual relationship. Still, Aggie finds that she can't stop thinking about one Hendrix Cutter. Who, as it turns out, lives in Australia...

This was a pretty fun story. Aggie was delightfully snarky. If I had to complain, I might say that there's a little too much focus on her large breasts. Also, there are a couple of fairly detailed sex scenes. So, proceed with caution on that front. In spite of those small quibbles, I really loved Meant to Be and its imaginative what-if scenario.

I received my copy of Meant to Be from Edelweiss, courtesy of Feiwel & Friends. It's available October 24th.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis


"Every book warns us at the beginning: All Rights Reserved. But I don't believe it. Every right will not be reserved. Our rights will not be reserved. We will be free..."

I used to love dystopian novels, but at some point over the last couple of years, I have grown tired of the genre. The bleak, futuristic visions of what could be inspired eyerolls instead of a desire to read the story. All Rights Reserved has an interesting premise, so I figured that I could give it a shot and see if dystopian novels have any future with me*.

The story is set in a future where new ideas are prohibited. Lawyers control the world, and everything is held under strict trademark and copyright laws. This includes all words and almost every gesture. People are free to use them until they turn fifteen. After that, they are fitted with a cuff that charges them accordingly. If for some reason their cuff fails, mandatory contact lenses shock their eyes if they try to speak.

Speth (It's a highly discounted name) is just about to turn fifteen and give her speech, a tradition for those coming of age. Right before the speech, her sort-of boyfriend Beeker kills himself by jumping off a bridge into traffic. In a moment fueled by grief, Speth decides that she will never say another word. Instead of a speech, she zips her lips, a gesture that is meant to belittle those in serious debt.

Now, Speth is known as the Silent Girl. That split second decision sparks a movement. Other young people follow her, and they start to be known as the Silents. Of course, there are consequences to revolution, even accidental revolution. Speth's sister, Saretha, is sued by a famous actress that she resembles. Because of the lawsuit, she can no longer leave the house for her job. The family is in debt because of an illegally downloaded song from a distant aunt. Their parents were taken into collection to pollinate crops with an eyedropper because almost all of the bees died. Speth could put an end to her family's troubles- her parents could come home, their debt would be erased, and Saretha could get her job back- if she would just give her speech. But she's gone too far to give up, and she realizes that it's about something bigger than her and her family.

All Rights Reserved ended up being a pretty good dystopian story. Like the best of its genre, it's all the scarier because it seems like it could happen some day soon. It made me think about having to communicate without speaking or making gestures. The idea seems mind-boggling. What is really interesting is how most heroines fight by actually fighting, giving speeches, doing things, but Speth starts a revolution by saying nothing. Young people follow her, and she is painted as their leader, but she never asked for it. She literally can't ask for it. (Part of me is amused at what the book might have looked like if it was narrated by a different character or outside narrator. "Speth says nothing. Speth still says nothing. Speth looks at me and says nothing...still.") This is the first book of a series, and while I like it, I'm still unsure whether I want to continue the series. Time will tell.

I received my copy of All Rights Reserved from Edelweiss, courtesy of Harlequin Teen. It's available for purchase now.

*I'm incredibly proud of this pun. So proud.