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The Prestige, but with teenagers and in the Pacific Northwest

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson

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My entire frustration with this book is how nonsensical characters’ decisions are. The plot itself is an engaging one, for all that it mimics the beats of The Prestige (side note: basically the entire cast of that movie ended up being superheros or were already). There’s also a lovely, liberal dose of diversity of both race and sexual identity, and while the former has some period appropriate side eye the latter is barely looked at twice. But! A warm and fuzzy 1901 where Black and […]

“One night. I just want one night of sleep”…”Is it that too much to to ask? One night where I don’t have to babysit or dig up a corpse?…”

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

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Part of my Simon and Schuster publisher online finds included The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson. A mouthful of a title that almost hides the plot of this young adult novel. The Past is a messy, quirky, simple and a modern teen novel. Even the unlikable characters can be likable. This is mostly since you can sympathize with what is going on, even if you have never been a reanimated, dead, best ex-friend. (Images are three of the […]

“The apocalypse began at Starbucks. Where else did you expect the end of the world to start?”

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson

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#CBR11bingo – #cannonballersays Elena Mendoza is a totally normal high school student. She has a best friend named Fadil, an ex named Javi, a job at the local Starbucks, and a crush on the mysterious and beautiful Freddie. Oh, and also, Elena was born without her mother ever having had sex, leading to the EXTREMELY clever nickname “Mary” at school. And she hears voices from inanimate objects that tell her what to do all the time. One day, while Elena is busy at Starbucks, the […]

“Now we have the opportunity to start over and try to do better this time around.”

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Hutchinson, Shaun David

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Elena Mendoza is called “Mary” at school, because she was the product of a virgin birth and her classmates are cruel idiots. Other than that factoid, her life is fairly routine: a shitty first boyfriend, an unrequited crush on her beautiful classmate Freddie, a deadbeat stepdad and overworked mom, and now a typical teen job at the local Starbucks. Oh wait, except that Elena has also been hearing voices most of her life – voices from random otherwise inanimate logos, toys, and statues. And today, […]

What was I really expecting, with a title like that…

fml by Shaun David Hutchinson

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I had said after reading Punkzilla that I was getting too old for a certain type of YA novel — the ones full of partying and drinking and teens disobeying their parents. I don’t mind these in service of a good story, but they rarely are. Alas, I had already purchased fml, so I read the damn thing anyway and…yep. Punks kids all over my lawn. “People aren’t meant to be perfect. We’re all imperfect people looking for perfect moments to share with other imperfect people.” So, fml […]

“Depression isn’t a war you win. It’s a battle you fight every day. You never stop, never get to rest.”

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

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This was a sad, strange novel that I enjoyed immensely. “We may not get to choose how we die, but we can chose how we live. The universe may forget us, but it doesn’t matter. Because we are the ants, and we’ll keep marching on.” Henry Denton’s boyfriend committed suicide last year — an act that Henry blames himself for, contributing to his own depression and anger. He pushed away his other best friend after it happened. Henry’s mother gave up her dream after his father left. […]



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