Book Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Please Ignore Vera Dietz
by A.S. King

To say my friend died is one thing.

To say my friend screwed me over and then died five months later is another.

— Vera Dietz (from the prologue)

Vera's best friend Charlie is dead, and Vera has to live forever with the fact that she hated him at the end, that he rejected her and hurt her after a life-long friendship. While Vera tries to come to terms with his death and the events preceding it, she delivers pizzas, fights with her dad, makes out with an older guy at the town landmark pagoda, and secretly takes up drinking. She also has to deal with the thousand Charlies who visit her, trying to get her to clear his name. But Vera isn't ready yet, and isn't sure that she wants to.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a smart, intense book written in an authentic teen voice. Most of the book is narrated by Vera, but there are occasional interjections from Charlie, Vera's dad, and even the pagoda. Scenes in the present alternate with Vera's memories of past times with Charlie, memories that all have relevance to what happened in the end. Part of the pleasure of this book is the mystery; the truth is revealed gradually as the layers of exactly what happened are rolled back.

The truth that is revealed is horrible, and sad, and deep. This is a story of a lost soul, and maybe if the people around him had done things differently, it might have made a difference. And yet, as layer after layer is revealed, one also begins to see that the truth is complicated, and that knowing the right thing to do isn't always easy. In the end, this is a book that made me cry.

Recommended age range: teen

Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy/Science Fiction: Teen category.

FTC required disclosure: Book reviewed from library copy. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: The Curse of the Wendigo

The Curse of the Wendigo
The Monstrumologist, Book 2
by Rick Yancey

This sequel to last year's The Monstrumologist, finds Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, the Monstrumologist of the title, in the interesting position of arguing against the existence of a monster. When Warthrop receives word that his former mentor intends to propose adding the Wendigo, a mythical American monster that resembles a vampire in some ways, to the canon of Monstrumology at the next conference, Warthrop prepares a speech in opposition to the inclusion of such superstitious nonsense. When Warthrop's old friend John Chanler disappears on a quest for the Wendigo, Warthrop and his young assistant, narrator Will Henry, begin a dangerous journey through the Canadian wilderness in search of Chanler, even though Warthrop believes that search to be hopeless.

I've never been a fan of horror, but I love this series in spite of my squeamishness. I probably would never have picked up the first book, especially with it's original hideous cover, except for three things: it was nominated for the Cybils in 2009, I'm a fan of Rick Yancey (here, here, and here) and my teenage son, who also doesn't like horror, gave it his highest recommendation.

The series is wonderfully written, in a style reminiscent of classic horror, yet with a modern sensibility that will appeal to today's teens. There are some, er, pretty graphic scenes, so this isn't a series for younger children or sensitive readers.

For most of the book, The Curse of the Wendigo is slightly less of a bloodbath than the original Monstrumologist book, and moves a little more slowly, relying on suspense more than outright horror. However, there are still enough detailed descriptions of bodies with entrails hanging out and eyes removed to satisfy the most jaded horror reader.

But really, The Curse of the Wendigo is very much a character driven book. And what characters! I adore Will Henry. On the surface he is obsequious and timid, yet underneath he has a depth of resolve and courage, which is revealed to a much greater degree in this book. We also see Dr. Warthrop in new light here, as some of his past, and some unexpected aspects of his personality, are revealed. Through their hardships, his relationship with Will Henry develops, and while he is still the same arrogant and impatient doctor, by the end some change has crept in. There are some new characters introduced, including Lilly, a delightfully obnoxious 13-year-old girl who makes it her mission to torment Will, and who is certainly destined to be the first female Monstrumologist.

The Curse of the Wendigo was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy/Science Fiction: Teen category.

FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.