Review: Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

Survive the Night
by Danielle Vega

ISBN-13: 9-781595-147240
Publication: July 7, 2015 from Razorbill
Source: publisher
Rating: 3 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I liked it

We’re all gonna die down here…

Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy – no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.

In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse…

…until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.

Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.

They’re being hunted.

Trapped underground with someone – or something – out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here…”

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega is not my usual type of read, but I enjoyed it and finished it in one evening. Thankfully I was relaxing in bright, warm sunshine or else I think I might have gotten a little scared because I’m a chicken when it comes to anything horror related.

So Casey. Our main character. Talk about an unreliable narrator! Casey has just gotten out of rehab for drug addiction. She’s attending a sleepover at a, shall we say, former friends house when our other main characters show up – Shana, Julie and Aya. Right away the adult in me wanted to shake Casey and tell her to go back to Madison’s house, talk about soccer, boys and school and leave Shana way, way behind! Julie and Aya are tamer versions of Shana. High and drunk, yes, but they don’t seem as death-defying reckless as the girl you know is the reason Casey was in rehab. So anyway, the girls head to NYC, hook up with Casey’s ex Sam and his bandmate Woody and head out to find an underground rave called Survive the Night. Let the surviving begin!

I highly enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. Danielle Vega does a wonderful job of portraying dark, dank, tense, and scary. The longer Casey is at survive the night, the more suspensful and unsure it gets. At the beginning, when Julie disappears, you aren’t sure what to think. You discover that Casey is high, and it could all be a hallucination. It still could be! Yes, things go bad, fast. But is it really the something Casey believes it was? Aya’s repetition of “We’re all going to die” lends a chilling fear to the desperate race through the underground tunnels. My only disbeliefs for this book? Besides the something, of course, but monsters are cool – is that their way out was blocked so quickly considering all the ravers are escorted out of the tunnels while Casey and friends watch and are not that far away, that none of them yelled through the grate to have themselves be found, and that their cellphones had no reception but lasted as long as they did as flashlights. I know by 4 in the morning without any charging my phone would have been looooooong dead. Also, the romance. Or what there was of it. Last thing I would think of when running for my life is if my ex-bf wanted to get back with me.

That said, the characterization, backstory, foreshadowing and uncertain ending all keep Survive the Night being a strong, nail-biting rush of a novel. Casey and Shana are the ultimate unhealthy relationship. From the beginning you want Casey to smarten up and as more and more of their past is revealed you can only shake your head and pray that any children you have in the future avoid getting tangled up with someone like Shana. And Casey knows it’s unhealthy, but drugs and that rush of adventure can change you. I will definitely be checking out Danielle Vega’s other book The Merciless and recommend Survive the Night to anyone looking for a little creepy in their life.

ARC received from Penguin Canada in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
by April Genevieve Tucholke

ISBN-13: 9-780803-738898
Publication: August 2013 from Dial
Source: bought (audiobook)
Rating: 4 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I really liked it

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery…who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Ever since reading the synopsis for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke I had wanted to get my hands on it. I finally decided to purchase it – and went with audiobook. I am so glad I did! I’m becoming a bigger and bigger fan of audiobook and this one certainly helped! I listened to Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea fully in my car while commuting back and forth to two jobs, and finished it quickly. Thank goodness, too, because this book is full of moments that hook you and drag you in.

Violet and her brother Luke are living alone in their big, old gothic-like mansion when our story opens. Though their parents are off traveling, Violet (our narrator) does not often concern herself with them. Instead, it is her late grandmother Freddie she thinks of, and her warnings about the Devil. It seems like good luck that when Violet and Luke are in need of money, River West sees Violet’s aid for a border and comes to apply. Since this is a YA book, billed as gothic-romance/horror, you know right away that River West is going to be bad news. Or very good bad news, if you get my meaning. And really, it’s a bit of both. Along with River comes a whole host of problems for Violet, Luke and Violet’s best friend Sunshine (who I found rather over-the-top). Some of these problems are River’s fault – others, are not.

Along with the horror aspect of the novel, which is done exceedingly well, full of deaths and visions and mind-control, is a small mystery involving Violet’s grandmother and family. It’s melded very well with the horror of the book, and surprisingly lends quiet moments to the story. I am a big fan of April Genevieve Tucholke’s writing – the plot unfolds both quickly and quietly at the same time. Small moments give way to bigger ones, and new revelations lead up to crazy ones in the end. I wasn’t always the biggest fan of Violet, or Luke or Sunshine or River but then again…I don’t think we’re supposed to be? They all had their moments in which I went “really??” and “so stupid” and “of course!” but they also all had moments of “awww” and “oh geez!” and yes. What I’m saying is that the characters are refreshingly flawed. I didn’t even mind the insta-love, since it’s kind of explained!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was both what I was expecting, and no where near what I was expecting. I was looking for gothic romance/horror and I was given gothic romance/horror. I was also given flawed, human, relatable (surprisingly) characters that changed and matured, or were broken and carefully pieced back together. River’s story and grandmother Freddie’s mystery mesh and blend beautifully together. This is definitely a book outside my usual fare, but one I thouroughly enjoyed experiencing. I’m excited for the sequel, and will definitely be purchasing it on audiobook. I hope it’s the same narrator!

“Waiting On” Wednesday: Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

“Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Between the Spark and the Burn
by April Genevieve Tucholke
Publication date: August 14, 2014 from Dial

Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world.
But then, the Devil once told me that it’s easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry.
The problem with River West Redding was that he’d done both to me.

The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet’s life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River’s other brother, are left to worry — until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn’t long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own…

Review: Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Stuck
by Oliver Jeffers

ISBN-13: 9-780399-257377
Publication: November 2011 from Philomel
Source: bought
Rating: 5 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I loved it!

When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he’s determined to get it out. But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But strangely enough, it too gets stuck. And the only logical course of action…is to throw his other shoe. Only now it’s stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes.

And that’s only the beginning.

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers is an absolute joy to read. I came across it while browsing my local indie children’s book store Woozles, and immediately fell in love. Stuck was my first foray into Oliver Jeffers’ work, but it was not my last!

In the beginning, Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree. So of course, he throws his shoe at it to try and knock it down. But his shoe gets stuck! I can completely connect with Floyd in the fact that my brother and I roofed or treed any number of shoes (or tennis balls!) trying to knock loose other items we had thrown up on said roof or tree. Unlike us, though, when Floyd’s shoe gets stuck he doesn’t go looking for mom or dad – he keeps trying. Unfortunately, nothing seems to work. And those fireman and the mailman will certainly be missed. The whale probably wants to head back to the ocean, and his neighbour’s house takes up a lot of tree space.

Primary and grade one students love Stuck and are quick to shout out predictions when Floyd brings out a ladder, and later a saw. Hilarity ensues when he does not use either item as intended! The illustrations are wonderfully done and compliment the handwritten-style narrative (complete with crossed out misspellings and different sizes for emphasis). I definitely highly recommend picking up Stuck for any house or classroom, and check out The Incredible Book Eating Boy while you’re at it! Oliver Jeffers does not disappoint.

Review: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers

The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (illustrations)

ISBN-13: 9-780399-255373
Publication: June 2013 from Philomel
Source: BEA 2013
Rating: 5 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I loved it!

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!

Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown. Blue needs a break from coloring all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other.

What is Duncan to do?

I absolutely adore The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers. Duncan opens up his box of crayons and sees letters saying that they have all quit! All the basic colours are represented, from red to blue to green and purple, including white, peach and beige with black and grey interspersed with pink, yellow and orange.

Yellow and Orange are feuding over who is the real colour of the sun, while Purple just wants Duncan to start colouring inside the lines. Peach can’t leave the crayon box, Blue is shrinking, Red feels overworked and Beige wants more work! Each crayon has a neat little letter telling Duncan exactly why they have quit and asking him to please fix the problem. Oliver Jeffers’ illustrations match the story perfectly, showcasing drawings close to what a child’s might look like, and providing handwritten letters rather than traditional typed text (in the colour of each crayon, too!).

I’ve read The Day the Crayons Quit to grades primary to four and the students always love it. It promotes great discussion about creative choices in both drawings and colour choosing, how Duncan can help his crayons and Peach always gets the most uproarious laughter – especially from the primary grade! (Mind you, I then find peach crayon wrappings all over the floor and their desks. Read the book – you’ll see why!) This book will definitely be a staple in any of my classrooms, and I highly recommend it to any teacher, parent or anyone just looking for a cute and funny picture book.