Tagged: love
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of BookHound.)
Vince Luca is just like any other high-school guy…with one exception. His father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.
While Vince’s family connections can be handy—like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade—they put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? And when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent—the one who wants to put Vince’s father away for good.
Are you tired of angst-ridden, miserable YA books that revolve around magical creatures? Well, Son of the Mob is certainly the novel for you!
In his first novel aimed at teens, Gordon Korman stays true to his over-the-top, laugh-out-loud sense of humour. Vince Luca is the son of a mob boss and that puts a serious crimp in his dating life, especially when his date finds the unconscious body of Jimmy Rat (one of his father’s customers) in the trunk of Vince’s car.
The first chapter of this amazing novel certainly sets the tone well. Gordon Korman’s signature humour is present throughout the novel, yet he balances it perfectly in the climax when all seems lost for Vince. Readers will certainly enjoy the plot twists and turns as well as the three dimensional characters who are sometimes not all that they seem.
Son of the Mob tackles some heavy moral issues involved in organized crime as well as the issues of love and loyalty. Vince doesn’t like how his father makes his money, yet he knows that if the cops found out, his father would go to jail and his family would lose everything. He struggles with this moral dilemma throughout the novel, but finally comes to terms with it in the end.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of Julie Kagawa’s website.)
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she never could have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
Meghan Chase, the main character, is a geek at school who just wants to fit in. But on her sixteenth birthday, strange things start happening. Her brother becomes switched with a changeling and her best friend reveals that she is a half-faery, the daughter of the King Oberon. Meghan goes on a quest to a secret world consisting of the Summer Court and the Winter Court in order to get her little brother back. It is this quest that will bring her both pain and happiness.
Now, The Iron King is pretty much your typical YA novel: young female protagonist, a slightly dysfunctional family, a love triangle and a super hot but icy guy the protagonist loves. But what is different about this novel is that Julie Kagawa’s protagonist has substance and real motivation. Meghan is a geek at school with a crush on the captain of the football team, something many readers are able to relate to. She wants nothing more than to fit in, but every time she tries, things go badly.
Some may complain that The Iron King is basically a bunch of old YA tropes mixed together in a soup pot. This is certainly true, but these elements mashed together work well or they wouldn’t be used in so much YA fiction. Julie Kagawa’s novel not only has an interesting (but admittedly clichéd) plot, but is well-written and emotionally resonating. I found myself actually caring about the characters because Meghan, Ethan, Ash and Puck are all well-developed archetypes. So if you’re looking for an excellent, slightly clichéd Young Adult novel, The Iron King is certainly the book for you.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Amazon Barnes and Noble