Book Review: Since You Asked... by Maurene Goo

Young adult, multicultural, "clean read" chick lit

Since You Asked... by Maurene Goo

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Pages: 272 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Holly is a fifteen-year-old Korean-American whose three best friends are a geeky boy who is Chinese-American, a beautiful, rich girl who is Persian-American, and a Euro-American girl whose parents are hippie types. They attend a public high school in San Diego, and Holly writes a snappy column in her school newspaper about surviving life as a sophomore.

This humorous, chick-lit, multicultural, young-adult novel alternates between Holly's school life and her home life in a large, extended Korean family. Holly has a quite assertive temperament, and she is constantly butting heads with her mother, who is even more forceful and stubborn than Holly. Like most teenagers, Holly is striving to discover her own unique personality and life goals, something that the American culture of individualism strongly encourages. Unfortunately, her mother, as a first-generation immigrant from a country with a more communal approach to life, feels that Holly's desire to be independent is a slap in the face of the values of respect and obedience that her mother prizes.

I had an opportunity some years ago to form friendships with young women who had recently immigrated to the US from Korea and others whose mothers were first-generation Korean immigrants. Based on that experience, from my perspective, the portrayal of Korean-American family life in this novel seems accurately and sympathetically done. I also see some fascinating resemblances in Holly's parents to my own German-American grandparents, who were the offspring of immigrants and who taught values to their children similar to those of Holly's family, loyalty and strong interconnection between the members of their large, extended family of 12 children and over 50 grandchildren. Like Holly's family, we frequently got together to socialize, and my aunts and uncles were a constant support network to each other. As the saying goes, we are a nation of immigrants, and a story like this is a vivid and fascinating reminder to all of us of our own first-generation-American roots.

I found Holly's relationships outside her family to be of great interest as well. Her snarky observations of high school life in general are humorously entertaining, and I really enjoyed her close connections with her three best friends.

This book is G-rated enough for preteens in that it avoids foul language, sexual situations, drinking and drugs. However, I would not therefore assume it is a "middle-grade" novel, as I've noticed some YA reviewers tend to do for any teen novel that is not "gritty" in its subject matter. This is definitely YA fiction, with a story line that is interesting enough that readers of all ages will enjoy it.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4

Subcharacters: 4

Family Dramedy Plot: 4

School Reporter Plot: 4

Writing: 4

Overall: 4

Comic: Page 102

Page 102 of Marie August's webcomic, The Fox and The Firebird, has been posted.

If you liked the page, please support the comic by voting for The Fox and The Firebird on topwebcomics.com.

Book Review: Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn

An exciting, action-packed, YA, SF Thriller

Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: October 3, 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 328
Source: Digital Copy from Author
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Human beings have evolved into a telepathic race, and Kira stands out as abnormal because she cannot transmit or hear thoughts. Her best friend, kind and handsome Raf, wants very much to be more than a friend, but Kira cares too much for him to allow him to drag himself down by connecting himself to a social outcast like her. Then one day he attempts to kiss her, and her overwhelming desire to avoid his kiss, in order to prevent heartbreak for both of them, translates into the intense, mental command, "Stop!" Kira is horrified when Raf doesn't simply pull back from his attempted kiss, he topples over, knocked out cold. Soon after, Kira learns from Simon, a boy even more handsome than Raf who is one of the most popular people in school, that she, like Simon, has a very rare, mental talent that the larger population knows nothing about. She is a "mindjacker," someone who can control the thoughts and behavior of "readers," ordinary mindreading people. Simon makes Kira an offer that is difficult to refuse--training in the use of her frighteningly powerful ability.

I read this book in the Kindle version. The book is well designed, well-edited, and visually a pleasure to read. The book itself is extremely well written. Though there is a romantic subplot, the primary plot is a science-fiction thriller, thus teen boys should enjoy this book as much as teen girls, and adults will find this a fascinating read, too. The story never lags, and yet there is strong attention to developing the personality, backstory and emotional needs of the very sympathetic heroine.

I have a pet theory as to the core, most significant element of a good action plot: the protagonist is what I call a Positive Warrior. He/she is ethical and can be counted on to defend the weak and back up anyone who is a fellow Warrior who needs support. Any protagonist like this is instantly sympathetic and compelling. Kira is very much this type of heroine, and as such she fits into the best of this tradition in action stories. Fans of adult, paranormal action/thriller stories with this type of protagonist, such as Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson books, the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, and The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, may well find this series a worthwhile read.

I was contacted by the author directly for a review as a top reviewer on Amazon. I don't accept many such requests because my time is fairly limited. But this story's premise intrigued me so much, I agreed to read it. I'm glad I did. I asked the author what her plans are for this book, since this seems ripe to be a series. She told me the following books and short-stories are part of the series in this recommended reading order:

Mind Games (Mindjack Origins), a short prequel to Open Minds in Raf's POV
Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy)
Closed Hearts (Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy)
The Handler (Mindjack Origins), a short story from the POV of the character Julian from Closed Hearts
The Scribe (Mindjack Origins), a short story from the POV of the character Sasha from Closed Hearts
Free Souls (Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy), a projected December, 2012 release

I am looking forward to reading all the books and stories in this wonderful series.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Fantasy World-Building: 5

Writing: 5

Action-Adventure Plot: 5

Romantic Subplot: 4

Overall: 5