The Sugar Queen
A quick word of caution. This book does contain some language and sexual content. I felt I should add that little disclaimer for those of you who are bothered by that. It started to bother me, but I am more sensitive than some people. It was a cute story. It felt real despite it's little fantastical elements. I think on the whole that it will appeal to many women. I enjoyed witnessing the development in these characters, specifically that of Josey. She's one of those characters who you're drawn to because you'll find a little bit of yourself in her. As she learns and grows and finally becomes more of the person she wants to be instead of punishing herself, I think it gives us hope that we can overcome our trials. We don't have to hold ourselves back. We can have faith in ourselves. We all make mistakes, but we can move past those and become better.
City of Ember
I didn't realize this was the first in a series of books. However, I was pleased with this one and will pick up the rest of the series at some point. It stands well on it's own. Some might disagree with me judged on how it ends, but I'm one of those people where if you give me enough you don't have to give me the entire picture. I can figure it out on my own. I can handle an ending like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. The short story "The Lady or the Tiger" on the other hand drives me a little nuts. I feel like The City of Ember has an ending like The Village. We don't have to see the guy get better to know that he does. Of course, you could write a sequel where he dies... That changes everything. Anyway, I enjoyed it. It wasn't a difficult read. The two main characters are strong and believable. Plus, I just like the whole dystopian novel thing. I like seeing the world of Ember through these two children's eyes. Ember and the way of life there is so easily understood because of how convincing it is portrayed. I understood how it worked. I could imagine myself there. Well done.
