Title: Torn Away
Author: Jennifer Brown (Twitter)
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR
Publish Date: May 6, 2014
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 288
Source: Publisher

Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.

It doesn't happen often, but there are rare times when an author is able to consistently captivate you with his or her works, simply because each one captures the essence of humanity within their pages. Jennifer Brown is one of these authors for me, and Torn Away is the type of novel that will trap you in its clutches, begging for you to understand the true emotions we all feel when we strip aside all the pretenses. Whereas some novels offer us a villain, and some might even make us search within ourselves to find out if we're actually the villain in the tale, mother nature is our villain here, binding us in with a powerful, raging and unstoppable force.

Most of you who have been reading my blog for a long time now know that I have a love affair with Ms. Brown's books. Hate List shattered me into a million little pieces before artfully crafting me back together again. Torn Away, however, might just have edged right up there alongside my favourite with its raw, angry power. Jersey is the perfect protagonist for this type of story. She's an innocent girl with whom we can empathize in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, if only because her grief, anger and loneliness is so very visceral. I felt, more often than not, that I was in her shoes, and her pain was shared with each turn of the page.

While yes, this is a story about a powerful and heartbreaking natural disaster, it's also a coming of age story in which Jersey must learn to come to terms with the overwhelming sadness and loss with which she was dealt. There's a beauty to her pain as Ms. Brown articulates every instance, every emotion and every scene with careful accuracy, painting them with broad strokes of pure emotion. Standing in Jersey's shoes through the tornado and then the aftermath of being shuttled to her father's family, I felt a hollow, aching emptiness that was nearly all-consuming. Her path and her future seemed so very bleak and littered with pain, which made the novel almost oppressive at times - but in a powerful manner. 

More than anything else, Torn Away is a novel that embraces the length process of healing in the wake of terrible loss. Ms. Brown has an innate ability to capture the true grieving process, asking readers to experience what her characters experience all the while. There's a delicate and haunting reality in each and every word of this novel, and it's the type of prose that will break you and heal you through the story, as well. I must say that though Jersey takes center stage in the novel, the secondary characters rang authentic and true, as well. Each one, however fleeting their appearance was, played a significant role in the healing process and served to raise the stakes of the novel.

All in all, though I've loved all of Ms. Brown's novels, Torn Away earns a special place up there with Hate List for me due to is awe-inspiring power. It's the type of novel that I'll recommend to readers time and again when looking for a real, gut-wrenching story. I give it a 5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy hard-hitting contemporary fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

When I think back to how I thought things were when I first started blogging, I must say I was quite naive. I didn't really get how many genres, subgenres and possibilities there were in the world of books. It's safe to say that I read within my comfort zone most of the time, and I didn't often look for new things. Book blogging changed all that though, and some books...well, some books changed my perception of entire genres. We like to call those "gateway books."

Gateway Books to Dystopian:

Gateway Books to Science Fiction:

Gateway Books to Contemporary:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature from The Broke and the Bookish.

This awesome survey was created by the lovely Jasmine at Flip that Page, and after reading Jasprit's over at The Reader's Den, I felt like it was the perfect way to round up my favourite (and least favourite) books. For those of you that know me, you also know that I love Harry Potter, so I figure this is a win-win.

If you want to play along, too, it's simple enough! Take the spells from Harry Potter and answer the prompts about books you've read...Today's part one of the survey involves books I, personally, would like to cast some serious spells on. So, without further ado, here we go.

Stupefy

Puts victims in an unconscious state

A book with a chapter you couldn't seem to get over: Allegiant by Veronica Roth. There's a part of me that loved and appreciated how it ended, but there's another part of me that's just mad.

Confundo

Causes befuddlement and forgetfulness

A book that generally confused you: Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst. There was a lot going on in this book, but so very little of it actually made much sense to me.

Crucio

Inflicts unbearable pain

A book that was a pain to read: Fault Line by Christa Desir. This book was so very ehhhhhh to me. So much of it just made me feel gross and awkward.

Episkey

Heals relatively minor injuries

A feel-good book that you enjoyed: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was certainly enjoyable.

Expelliarmus

Temporarily disarms the opponent

A book with a swoon-worthy character: Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars. He was flawed and broken but oh-so beautiful.

Impedimenta

Impedes an object's progress

A book that kept you up all night reading: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis. THIS is how you do dystopian properly. I'm completely serious.

Silencio

Immediate silencing

A book that left you speechless after reading it: Hate List by Jennifer Brown. It's rare that I read a book so very profound that I actually struggle to review it, but this was one of those.

Legilimens

Allows you to delve into someone's mind

A book with well-developed characters: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd. This book was so well-developed, and the characters are phenomenal. All of them.

Levicorpus

A spell that turns you upside down

A book that changed your mind about a character from its prequel: We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han. I was always torn between Jeremiah and Conrad, and Conrad took the cake for me like he's never done so before.

Obliviate

Used to hide memories

A book with a story that you can't remember: Vixen by Jillian Larkin. Despite the fact that I was so excited to read this book, I can't for the life of me tell you what sets it apart from the rest.

Reducto

Breaks through solid objects

A book that convinced you to reconsider a genre: Pawn by Aimee Carter. I've honestly had my fill of dystopian in the past two years, but this book really stands out from the crowd this year.

Rictumsempra

The tickling spell

A book that made you laugh: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. I swear this series never failed to make me smile and giggle and laugh uncontrollably.

Tarantellegra

Makes you dance uncontrollably

A series finale that made you giddy: The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead. I never thought I'd get on this journey with everyone else, but I did, and I loved it.

Bombarda Maxima

Causes an explosion that breaks through obstacles

A book that made you explode with the feels: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. This is a dark, emotional, powerful and highly underrated read. It's incredible.

Finite Incantatem

Nullifies other spells

A book you thought you'd dislike but ended up loving: Find Me by Romily Bernard. Honestly, I didn't see this being anything I'd really enjoy, but it was, and I did. It's fantastic.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books I Would Love to See as Films or Shows
(where they wouldn't be butchered - in a perfect world)

1. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab - I swear this will forever remain one of my all-time favourite and surprise hit books. It's eerie, it's gorgeous, and it would be breathtaking on screen.

2. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis - This one actually makes other dystopians quiver because it doesn't fall for the "bleak world, hot boy" mold. It's raw, real and powerful - all of which would be incredible as a film.

3. The Raft by S.A. Bodeen - I don't know how I can better explain my love for this book than to see I would probably die of sheer happiness if it became a movie. Think - Castaway - but for the younger lot...and a whole lot more eloquent.

4. Find Me by Romily Bernard - This one seems to have slipped under the radar for a lot of readers, but holy hell...it's creepy, and thrilling, and powerful, and real. I haven't read a such a good YA thriller in a long while. It would make a great show!

5. The Diviners by Libba Bray - Nothing is better than the 20's onscreen. I dare you to argue with me on that. Seriously, with a mystery, that time period and a whole lot of awesome, how in the world could it miss as a film?

6. Reality Boy by A.S. King - I recently finished this one, and I was thinking of how very harrowing it would be as a film - very gritty and emotional... just the way I love my films.

7. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler - I didn't expect this one to have much depth, but it surpassed all my expectations. It's emotional, and it will make you weep out loud in a cinema.

8. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Yeah, I maintain that this is one of the best paranormal, eerie and unbelievable books ever. That cliffhanger on screen? Yeah. Score.

9. Hate List by Jennifer Brown - This book is so striking and profound that I'm surprised it's not yet a movie. I've never been so emotionally invested in a character and town. Epic.

10. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle - It's a Noah's Ark re-telling with a sci-fi twist. How would that NOT be perfect as a movie? 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books That I Think Should Be Required Reading

1. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn - Every teen should be knowledgable about the dangers of abusive relationships. It's powerful, heartbreaking and real.

2. Hate List by Jennifer Brown - This is a dark, moving and powerful book about the damage that one boy causes when he goes on a shooting rampage in school - the aftermath, as well as what led to it.

3. By the Time You Read this, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters - Suicide is all-too common among teens, as is bullying. It's so important to bring it to the forefront.

4. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield - There is hope for those stuck in the abusive cycle of self-harm. It might not feel like it though, and that's why a book like this is so relevant and powerful.

5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - Eating disorders plague much of the younger generation with the ever-growing desire to be thin and perfect. This makes it real and super powerful.

6. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington - This is a book about perseverance, struggle and the desire to find a better life. Regardless of which culture we live in, this book resonates.

7. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess - Abusive relationships are not always between relationship partners. Often, the threats are from parents - it's important to understand that fear and pain.

8. Dark Song by Gail Giles - Again, this book discusses the damaging nature of abusive relationships, and it really portrays how manipulated one can be.

9. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler - Despite the syrupy cover, there is tremendous depth to this one - love, loss, losing one's identity to a disease...it's powerful stuff.

10. When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney - Sad, honest, powerful, raw and incredibly well-written, this one transcends the YA bounds and really, really resonates loss and moving on.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Authors That Deserve More Recognition

1. Chris Howard, author of Rootless - He's a remarkable writer that writes with a purpose, though we never, ever feel as though he's preaching or talking down to us as readers.

2. Romily Bernard, author of Find Me - Her debut novel surprised me in the best possible way, full of dark twists and turns, all the while asking the reader to become invested in a fantastic mystery.

3. Kirsty Eagar, author of Raw Blue - She has this innate ability to bottle human emotion and turn it into something magical, even for the most reluctant of contemporary readers.

4. Jennifer Brown, author of Hate List - She captures the essence of human nature and crafts stories around it that are poignant, powerful and, most of all, real.

5. Mary E. Pearson, author of The Adoration of Jenna Fox - In a time when sci-fi didn't seem to have a true audience, she made it popular by merging it with an unbelievable, heart-wrenching tale.

6. Savita Kalhan, author of The Long Weekend - This little-known author wrote one of the most powerful books I've read on this blog that far surpasses the YA genre.

7. Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch - With a fluid, melodic and poetic voice, she spun a tale that was equal parts magic, mystery, sweet romance and thriller.

8. Joanna Philbin, author of The Daughters Series - In a time where I swore off contemps, her sweet, lighthearted books about a trio of friends broke the mold with her fun and engaging writing voice. 

9. T.M. Goeglein, author of Cold Fury - True crime has often lacked an audience in YA, but this lesser-known author wrote a hard-hitting, powerful and thrilling tale that transcends the genre.

10. Darby Karchut, author of Griffin Rising - Even when I swore of paranormal for being completely formulaic, I could resist this sweet story full of heart and soul (and engaging writing).

Title: Hate List
Author: Jennifer Brown (Twitter)
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR
Publish Date: October 5, 2010
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 432
Source: Personal Copy

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Life as Val knew it ended in an explosion of gunfire...gunfire unleashed by her boyfriend, Nick. The two spent their high school lives together as self-professed outcasts, enduring bullying and relentless teasing and, together, developed a "hate list" which named those who plagued their daily lives. Val meant it. She hated these people. She didn't know that Nick hated these people enough to kill them all. Now, Val and the rest of Garvin High are still trying to come to terms with the heinous crime that rocked their town, their school and their lives. But first, Val needs to come to terms with her own part in it and heal, so that she can actually move forward.

For those of you who regularly follow my blog, you know that I'm a huge fan of issue-based contemporary novels. I believe that, when done well, these books have an enormous impact and the ability to make you think, feel and, in some cases, change. Hate List is the epitome of why I love issue books. Dark and brooding, it bores into the very roots of evil, bringing them to the surface and displaying our own darkest urges for all to see. Jennifer Brown has written a novel which encourages readers to feel and to embrace our own emotions so that, along with the characters of this book, we can heal. Raw, challenging and incredibly thought-provoking, Hate List is a book that I'm certain will stay with me for a very long time.

I've previously read Bitter End by Ms. Brown, so I knew that I was going to get quality storytelling with Hate List, but I can honestly say that I didn't know just how much I was going to feel for these characters. From the start, Val keeps us at arm's length. She's angry, she's hurt and she's extremely confused, and the beauty of the novel is that we, as readers, feel and live those exact same emotions as the story starts to unravel and we understand the events of that day. I though that Val would be a more challenging character to access because of the walls she'd put up, but I was pleased to find that, little by little, she starts to expose the vulnerable core that she's hidden for so long. As she does so, we get the chance to see this pain and this inability to come to terms with what Nick has done. Nick, in large part, I felt was almost an afterthought until the very end. We see his actions and we recognize just how irreparably he's damaged this school, this town and definitely his girlfriend. However, we don't really get to see him until the very end. I was quite certain this was a weakness until the final scene, in which I understood the true purpose of Nick's role in Hate List. The secondary characters are phenomenal in this book. Jessica, the epitome of the popular girl, transforms immeasurably through this novel and, in doing so, we watch as her interactions with Val transform, as well. I felt such distress for Ginny through the novel, and I felt such incredible anger towards Val's father, seeing his anger as rooted in selfishness, though I began to realize that it was actually masking his own discontent and confusion. Hate List ripped my heart out numerous times, but finally let all its emotion bleed onto the last few pages as we watch this town, this school and this girl do their very best to rise from the ashes.

I can't say enough good things about Hate List. If you want a book that will make you truly feel something, this is the book for you. Prepare...you'll need a box of tissues. I give this book a 5 out of 5, without question, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA and upper YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction and issue books.

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What do you think about darker books on the YA market?

Most of you know that I'm a huge fan of issue books. I think there's a brilliant, understated skill to darker novels that have the ability to bare the very essence of brute human nature. I, personally, think these books are incredibly important for the younger generations because it encourages dialogue and discussions. It brings otherwise forbidden issues out into the open and creates a discourse. 

However, there are definitely those people that feel that darker issue books have no place on the YA market. Some people believe these books should be catered towards a mature audience, as younger readers might be damaged or scarred by reading these books. I don't discount that darker issue books are challenging to read. In fact, I believe the should be hard to read. If they weren't the subject matter wouldn't have such a hard-hitting impact upon reading audiences. 

Some of my favourite books are those that are the most painful to read. They make me think. They challenge me to explore some of the most painful and degrading human emotions and conditions. Most of all though, they make me feel. I also believe that if these books are done well, they are vital to the YA market because they challenge readers to step outside their comfort zones, empathize for others and, in some cases, come to terms with issues of their own. The most successful darker YA books on the market today for me include, but certainly aren't limited to:

What do you think about darker books in the YA market? Do you think they're important? Do you have a list of darker issue books that have done more for you than others? I think these books are important, but I'd love to hear what others thinks, as well!