Book reviews: Feed & Slide

Jul 29, 2013 17:36

I read a couple of "YA" novels recently. At this point, I think "YA" mostly means that "shorter and a little less violent and/or sexual". But only a little.

Feed, by M.T. Anderson, read like a modern-day John Brunner -- including the "and now it really all goes to hell" ending. An uncomfortable read in the best way. Recommended.

Slide, by Jill Hathaway, was much more gory. The protagonist and narrator, high-school student Vee, appears to have narcolepsy -- except that when she passes out, she "slides" into other people's heads, helplessly along for the ride until she wakes up. Over the course of the book she learns to use her abilities more purposefully in order to get to the bottom of the grisly death of one of her younger sister's friends. Oh, and has her first romance, of course, with the cute new guy. Frankly, I'm getting pretty tired of every YA novel with a female protagonist featuring the "first romance" storyline. The role that character played could have been equally filled by a developing friendship. It would have been refreshing, to say the least, to have a romance-free book with female lead. Ah well -- still a decent read.

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