Mini Reviews: Lies Beneath and Pieces of Us

Title: Pieces of Us
Author: Margie Gelbwasser
Publisher: Flux
Publish Date: March 8, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher/Netgalley

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives.

Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.

Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser is a novel that does not hesitate, whatsoever, to teeter on the precipice of uncomfortable, dark and utterly destructive. Think about characters with both emotional and physical trauma that overrides any sort of humanity that might shine through their shells. That's what this novel shows. Through it all, we see an overtly abusive relationship unhinge each character in the large cast of characters. Alex, overbearing and hard, played the perfect villain, while Katie, played the complete victim.

I'll admit, this novel features a lot of violence, and the language, actions and emotions were extremely disturbing. I like dark books, but the audience to which this novel caters didn't feel right to me. I couldn't reconcile with the fact that this brutal book was made for teens. It's definitely a well-written novel, but I think it's important to remember that this is about abuse, and it's very hard to stomach. Take caution and be prepared for depth and trauma throughout - it's not an easy read. I give it a 3 out of 5 for execution, and I recommend it to fans of upper YA and adults. It is a good contemporary and issue-driven book.

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Title: Lies Beneath

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

Publisher: Delacorte BYR

Publish Date: June 12, 2012

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Pages: 303

Source: Publisher/Netgalley

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake.

Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

I haven't read too many takes on paranormal novels involving mermaids/mermen, and we all know I love water, so Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown sounded like the perfect fit for me. With hints of romance, a great premise and a dynamic cast of characters, it seemed as though it had all the elements I sought. I enjoyed Calder as a character. I thought that he, singularly, was a strong male character, but I did, unfortunately, feel that when we added Lily, the love interest to the mix, he grew weaker and more simple, or one-sided.

Furthermore, Lies Beneath involved the trifecta of cliches, for me; insta-love, a weak female MC and the overbearing romantic tendencies. Now, don't get me wrong, stories can involve these and still work for me, but when the story doesn't manage to move past the cliches in its path, it loses me. It wasn't a bad book, but it was not the right novel for me at all. I give it a 2.5 out of 5, and I recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy paranormal romance.