Review: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy.

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?

Goodreads | Author | Purchase

Source: ARC provided by Scholastic Press at BEA

Review:I’ve been wanting to read something by Maggie Stiefvater for a long time. I almost started the The Wolves of Mercy Falls (Shiver trilogy) series  so many times but then everyone keeps giving me conflicting thoughts. The consensus is to read Shiver (book #1) and stop. But I’m not good at stopping – I need to know what happens so I’ve just avoided it all together.

Then I saw Sinner at BEA – a stand alone companion novel based on the Shiver trilogy. I’ve also heard a lot of great things about Cole and Isabel so I took a chance and grabbed a copy.

So now I get it. All the waxing poetic about Maggie’s writing. To be honest, she had me at the letter she wrote to readers before the story ever started.

“As I wrote the hot-cold relationship of two people who took turns being the sinner and the sin, I puzzled out how a place like L.A. could both destroy a person and build them into something impossible and new.”

The writing is so…so…I don’t know – the words reach in and grab you and force your full attention to their meaning. I would be reading a sentence and just stop, like it slapped me in the face. I could feel the words. Not a great description, I know, but that’s the only way I can describe how I felt reading this. 

“Here was the thing: I was in love with Cole.
Or had been. Or was going to be. I couldn’t tell the difference.” pg. 21

Cole and Isabel were such fascinating characters. They’re really f*cked up. Aggressive yet scared – they love with everything they have yet consistently throw up walls. L.A. was the perfect backdrop to their story. The choice to veer into the darkness or into the light that the city offers is a constant struggle, especially for Cole.

Now this book is advertised as a stand alone and it is. Sinners is self contained with a solid conclusion – yet – I really felt like I missed a substantial part of Cole and Isabel’s past. I got a vague sense of what happened but not much in the way of a recap. Also, Isabel was much less developed here than Cole. It’s a testament to Stiefvater’s writing that I loved this book as much as I did with virtually no background. It also makes me think I should reassess my stance on not reading the Shiver Trilogy.

Review: One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

A heartfelt, laugh-out-loud-funny story of romance, family, and self-discovery.

Alek Khederian should have guessed something was wrong when his parents took him to a restaurant. Everyone knows that Armenians never eat out. Between bouts of interrogating the waitress and criticizing the menu, Alek’s parents announce that he’ll be attending summer school in order to bring up his grades. Alek is sure this experience will be the perfect hellish end to his hellish freshman year of high school. He never could’ve predicted that he’d meet someone like Ethan.

Ethan is everything Alek wishes he were: confident, free-spirited, and irreverent. He can’t believe a guy this cool wants to be his friend. And before long, it seems like Ethan wants to be more than friends. Alek has never thought about having a boyfriend—he’s barely ever had a girlfriend—but maybe it’s time to think again.

Goodreads | Author | Purchase

Source: ARC provided by Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an honest review

Review:
One Man Guy was such a refreshingly sweet and hopeful coming of age story. I absolutely adored how Barakiva showed the Khederian family pride in their Armenian culture and how that conflicts with a 14 year old boy trying to fit in at high school. Bringing stuffed grape leaves to lunch isn't always the kind of friendship ice breaker you're looking for. This was probably my favorite part of this book, even more so than the romance, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Alek’s parents are proud, and insistent that Alek get a good education and follow the old traditions of their country. They’re also prejudice, overbearing and sometimes embarrassing. Like when they lecture a waitress about the temperature and toxins of bottled water or how to make Armenian food the “right way” but I think that’s how it is with all families when you’re growing up and Alek’s parents are concerned, present in their children’s lives and very loving. 

Alek’s best friend Becky thinks she likes him more than as a friend and makes a move, which he doesn’t reciprocate. Alek instead finds himself attracted to the enigmatic Ethan. Alk’s realization that he’s gay comes very easy to him and he just accepts it. I’m conflicted about this. I’m sure things don’t go as easily for most people coming out in the LGBQT community – but why not show a positive example as well? I don’t know. Has anyone else read this and have an opinion?

As for Ethan as the love interest…it just didn’t work for me. Alek is 14 years old and just starting to explore his sexuality. He hasn’t even kissed much. Ethan is much more experienced in life and love. Alek is such a sweet, innocent type of character and I can see his being drawn to Ethan who is a skateboarder, cuts class, takes Alek for day trips exploring NYC. He was almost a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Guy) type character. Wild, experienced, HOT and free with a bit of an edge. I sensed there were darker depths to Ethan and his background but this wasn’t that kind of book and it wasn’t his story so it felt out of place to me. He sometimes influenced Alek in ways that weren't good for him but to be fair, Alek helped change Ethan for the better in a lot of ways.

Overall a really sweet story with a protagonist you can really root for. A little younger on the YA spectrum than I usually read but I liked the lighter approach. I enjoyed it more for the family interactions and Alek’s straightforward, stand by your beliefs, approach to life than the romance. I would have liked to know more about Ethan or have that relationship developed more for that aspect to have work for me.

I’m looking forward to see what Michael Barakiva writes next. He has a very unique writing voice.