Review: Peeps

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Sleuth RazorBill
Pub. Date: August 25th, 2005
Pages: 320
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis
One year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying in New York City than in attending his biology classes. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal's life.

Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he's infected the girlfriends he's had since Morgan—and all have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. And it's Cal's job to hunt them down before they can create even more of their kind. . . .

Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfeld's new novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.

Review
I would like to begin my review by saying, "I love you Scott Westerfeld! Woooot!" *clears throat* Now, I will apologize for my unprofessional outburst and fan-girly-ness and continue on with the actual review. Ready? OK! Peeps is one of the best science fiction books I've read. It was both engrossing and gross, humorous and horrifying, real and surreal; in other words, Scott Westerfeld did not disappoint.

I'm not really used to reading books from a male perspective but I found myself loving Cal and his personality. I feel that he was the perfect character to tell this story; he was funny, in a sarcastic kind of way, witty, and very believable. As for Lace, she was smart and interesting, but I had just one teensy weensy problem with her. She said the word 'dude' a tad bit too often. Other than that, I really liked her and the other characters were just as cool.

Peeps is definitely more of a plot-driven book. I found it to be very fast-paced; it contained action, adventure, and even the slightest touch of romance. This is one of the few books out there that has sucked me in from page one. Everything was revealed in appropriate timing, keeping me guessing right up until the end. Something I found to be a very original aspect to this book was how all the even numbered chapters were short, informative but entertaining sections about various parasites. Now you may think, "Ew, gross." or "How dull." I will admit that, yes, they could be gross, but I found myself strangely intrigued by them. Another thing I loved about Peeps was the unique, and more scientific, take on vampirism that Westerfeld provided.

The writing wasn't really anything fancy or complicated yet I still enjoyed it. Everything was well described, leaving me feeling like I was actually there. The reasoning behind the peeps and the way he depicts them almost had me believing that they could actually be out there. And who knows, maybe they are. *makes spooky noises and wiggles fingers*

The ending left me wanting so, so much more. I can honestly say this was not a book I had easily figured out, so I was not really expecting the ending; honestly though, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. In general, I thought the ending was great. It was left open and as I'm sure most of you know, there is a companion novel, The Last Days, that follows this one, but with different characters. I am really going to miss Cal, Lace and Cornelius, Cal's kitteh. Yes that's right, I'm going to miss the cat.

All in all, Peeps was a highly original, unforgettable, and exciting read that I absolutely adored. I think this is a story that could easily be enjoyed by both guys and girls, teen and adults; I highly recommend Peeps to those fans of sci-fi, apocalypse, Westerfeld's other great works, or anyone just looking for a new take on vampires. I'm so proud to own this book and am really looking forward to The Last Days and re-reading Peeps.

Grade
Characters: A-
Writing: B+
Plot: A
Ending: B
Enjoyment/Likability: A
Recommendable: B+
Cover: B+

Overall: A-

Author Interview and Book Birthday: Lauren Oliver

Hello everyone! In honor of her debut YA novel, Before I Fall, releasing today, I would like to treat you all to an interview with the awesometastic Lauren Oliver. And the crowd goes wild. *cheers*

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The Book Pixie: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lauren Oliver: Well I'm 5'9", with brown-black hair, and I like champagne and long walks on the beach...No, for real, let's see. Um...I grew up in a small suburb outside of New York very similar to the town depicted in Before I Fall. In high school I was kind of artsy, I guess; I was into art and dance and theatre, and I wore thick black wedge boots and, like, tight pleather pants and believed it was a fashion statement. I was a very good student (I have always been a nerd at heart) but also had kind of a bad attitude (I have always had an ambivalent relationship to authority).
I went to college at The University of Chicago, and graduate school at NYU, where I studied writing.
Those are the basic broad-stroke stats of my life. Other thing about me: I drink tons of coffee (ten cups a day), adore ketchup (I eat it on toast), and my spirit animal is either a newt or a greyhound (I have big eyes spaced pretty far apart, and I like to curl up when I sleep). My first tattoo was a pi symbol (told you I was a nerd!) but I now have nine others, which my mother hates.
I love to run and work out and be outside, but I also love to read in my house with a blanket over my legs. I believe in being nice, but not in being mistreated, and I am a very loyal friend. Sometimes, I still like to dance on tables, and I get all my music from the iTunes Top Ten. It's actually kind of embarrassing.

TBP: Give us a brief summary of your book.

LO: Samantha Kingston, the main character, seemingly has the world at her fingertips: she is pretty, popular, and she is dating one of the hottest guys in school. In other words, she has everything she could ever want. Friday, February 12th, should be just another day in her charmed life.
But instead it turns out to be her final day.
In the very first chapter (the prologue, actually), Samantha is in a fatal car accident. The catch is that Sam continues to wake up and relive the day of her death over and over, and the book follows her attempts both to figure out why she is caught in a continual time loop, and try to save her own life. On a deeper level, it is about a girl who is given the chance to re-evaluate her choices, actions, and desires in the context of her death. In that way it's kind of like a YA modern version of It's a Wonderful Life.

TBP: What is it you love most about writing?

LO: Wow. That's a tough question. I think what I love most about writing is the way that it enables you to be constantly in touch with a story and an experience and characters apart from whatever it is you are experiencing in real life; writing gives you the chance to kind of fold your life in two, to double it, so you can exist on two different planes simultaneously: the real and the fictional. I know that's a weird answer, but writing really is a form of escape for me. I write when I'm unhappy, or lonely, or feeling disconnected, and I get immersed in some other world in which I'm totally connected and distracted from any real-world problems. I also write when I'm happy, of course, but I do think that at base I see writing as escapism.

TBP: If you weren't an author, what is another career you believe you'd enjoy?

LO: A reality TV star sound pretty good...JUST KIDDING! I think I would enjoy acting though, or being a star on Broadway (presuming I had any talent, which I don't, particularly, although I did love to act and sing in high school, and college). But honestly, if I weren't a writer I think I'd like to be a cookbook author and a restaurant owner. I know that's a little bit of a cheat because I would still be writing, but what can I say? It's in my blood. And I love messing around in the kitchen and experimenting and feeding people. I also like to eat. A lot.
Actually, my ideal job would probably to be a restaurant critic. (But that involves writing too...like I said, I just can't stop!)

TBP: What inspired the idea for Before I Fall?

LO: I think a lot of different things inspired the book, actually. First of all, I've always thought about what my perfect day would be: a day i could relive over and over and still be perfectly happy. When I was younger it used to be a kind of game of mine, when I couldn't fall asleep, to try and imagine a moment or event or day of perfect happiness in as much detail as possible. Obviously this is an issue Sam addresses in the book, as she relives her last day over and over.
Additionally, right as I was starting to think about the book I was put in touch with a guy I'd "known," essentially, my whole life; we'd gone to elementary, middle, and high school together. I put "known" in quotation marks because what occurred to me once I started talking to him in my adult life was how little the impressions I'd always had of him -- impressions formed, I suppose from years of reported gossip, or half-truthful stories, or vague prejudices, or whatever it is the mechanism is by which we feel we know people in high school without actually speaking to them -- had been completely and one hundred percent wrong. He was literally the opposite of the person I had always thought him to be. (And he's now one of my closest friends.)
This got me thinking about a girl who would have a chance to cycle deeper and deeper into the minutiae of her everyday experiences, and thus begin to see them in a different manner.

TBP: How long did it take you to write Before I Fall?

LO: Writing the proposal--essentially, the first fifty pages, plus an outline--took about three months. The remainder of the book took about another five months to write.

TBP: What song would you say best fits Before I Fall?

LO: When I was writing the book, I listened to a song by Evanescence called "Bring Me To Life" a lot. It really only reflects the central section of the book, when Sam is feeling desperate and unhappy, and kind of railing against the time-loop that seems to have ensnared her by acting out.
But there is a line in the song, a kind of plea, that I do think encapsulates Sam's emotional state through most of the book: "Wake me up inside." At the start of the book, Sam is really a girl who is disconnected from her own wants and needs, but because she seems to have everything in an external way (looks; popularity; a boyfriend), she doesn't realize how numb she is inside, and how badly she needs to be awakened.
(Awesome choice! I can totally see how that song fits. I absolutely love it and it is the 12th most played song on my iTunes out of 1572.)

TBP: You are stranded on a deserted island and can only take books by one author. Which author would you choose?

LO: Dumas, but only because over 400 books have been attributed to him and it would give me a lot of material!
(And by the way, what kind of a sick, sick person would strand me on a deserted island without at least giving me access to a library?! Or a kindle at the very least?? Terrible to contemplate.)

TBP: Your house has just caught fire? What do you grab first?

LO: My computer! Or my external hard drive. And then probably a wooden box filled with all of the notes and letters and cards I have received from family, friends, and boyfriends since I was about seventeen. Actually, I keep the wooden box and all of my old notebooks in another wooden box--a sort of milk crate thing given to me by my friend Forest in college--so I would probably just grab the whole milk crate.
Now I'm thinking I should just put my hard drive in there, as well, for easy access in case of emergency!

TBP: Anything else you'd like to add before you go?

LO: Nope--just a big old thank you! Interviews make me feel special. :D

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That, my friends, was the embodiment of awesomeness that is Lauren Oliver! I hope you all enjoyed the interview and will show your love by commenting. And on another closely related note...

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY LAUREN AND BEFORE I FALL!!!

Buy It NOW

Noteworthy Passages: The Heart is Not a Size

The Heart is Not a Size (ARC) by Beth Kephart
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: March 30th, 2010
Pages: 256
Age Level: 12+

Disclaimer: Please note that this is an ARC and passages and quotes below are subject to change in the final copy.

Synopsis
Georgia knows what it means to keep secrets. She knows how to ignore things. She knows that some things are better left unsaid.... Or are they? When Georgia and her best friend, Riley, travel along with nine other suburban Pennsylvania kids to Anapra, a squatters village in the heat-flattened border city of Juarez, Mexico, secrets seem to percolate and threaten both a friendship and a life. Certainties unravel. Reality changes. And Georgia is left to figure out who she is outside the world she's always known.

Beth Kephart paints a world filled with emotion, longing, and the hot Mexican sun.

Noteworthy Passages

Georgia; pg.87
I was going to say that every time I read about our destination, there were fuzzy collisions of optimism and despair, opportunity and danger, welcome and barbed fences. The ghosts of murdered women. The faces of children left behind. The chance to help. The possibility of being helpless.

Georgia; pg. 130
You can't help people who won't help themselves.
You can't chase vanishing acts.

Georgia; pg. 137
Riley didn't so much as rustle her sheets. I couldn't tell if she was sleeping, couldn't know what she was thinking, couldn't confront her, because this is a fact: Silence defeats like nothing else does. There is no fighting it.

Georgia; pg. 231
And that night, as the sun went low on the hills beyond, I remembered Mack, down in the basement in that Main Line space, talking about seeds; and I thought of how responsibility is not just a weight but also those things that you're given the privileged chance to see. To snap into your camera for later, when your home, when time is still the future.

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I hope you all enjoyed my Noteworthy Passages picks for The Heart is Not a Size. Please feel free to comment with your favorite one. :D

My Review








PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.

A Match Made in High School (ARC) Giveaway

Hi everyone! Since I thought A Match Made in High School was such a great book, I've decided to pass on my ARC along with some awesome swag to one lucky winner. If the fact that you'd be getting it for free isn't enough to convince you then you can find a link to my review below.

Here is the synopsis:
When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

Useful Links:
Book website
My Review of A Match Made in High School
My Noteworthy Passages of A Match Made in High SchoolAuthor Interview with Kristin Walker

Contest Details:
~There will be 1 winner receiving my ARC copy of A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker and the above pictured swag.
~You MUST be a follower to enter this giveaway.
~This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States or PR mailing address only. Sorry folks but I'm broke. (International readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.)
~Contest will end March 15th at 11:59PM EST. Winners will be announced the following day and will have 48 hours to respond to email.
~Comments, though appreciated, do not count as entries. YOU MUST FILL OUT THE FORM.