Tricks.

Watch me sell my body to strangers so that I lose all my self-worth.

Five teenagers, five different lives, five heart-breaking stories. Each of them has gone through his/her own personal hell and through it all, they've learned the basic art of survival. They each earn cash through some form of prostitution. Eden, Whitney, Cody, Ginger, and Seth discover how bad their lives can really become.

I know I'm probably in the minority when I say that I didn't like this book. Yes, it's a good lesson for all those teenagers that think they have it rough, but I found most of the situations to be extremely cliche. Maybe it's just because I have heard all these stories before, told other ways, in other books.

Over-religious family bans their daughter from seeing her "one true love."
Homophobic father kicks out his gay son.
Girl lives in sister's shadow and gets depressed about it, so she decides to run away with her boyfriend.
Mother who isn't much of a mother ends up with a rebellious lesbian daughter.
Boy loses his father and gets addicted to gambling.

It's all common story topics, but crammed into one novel that's supposed to be suitable for Young Adults. When I think "Young Adult" I think teenagers between the ages of 13 to 17. No 13-15 year-old should read this, it's far too graphic. Perhaps if they were extremely mature for their ages, they might be able to handle it, but otherwise I'd advise them to stay far, far away.

Hopkins is one of my favorite authors, don't get me wrong, but this book just didn't do it for me. I found all the characters too difficult to relate to, therefore it seemed so fake to me. Some of the stories branched out in interesting ways and I did enjoy having a few of them over-lap towards the end, but I just expected more.

Confession: I skipped almost every poem that began a character's new perspective because they were so dull to me.
Revelation: Maybe I'm too old for Young Adult books? It feels like the ones I've been reading lately have fallen short of my expectations. Either I'm maturing (God forbid) or my expectations are too dang high.

2 out of 5 stars.

Hopkins, you are disappoint.

Seriously...

This is the shittiest rap I've ever heard in my life but I can't stop listening to it. What the fuck is wrong with me?

The Queen's Fool

Hannah Green just wants to wear pants, Goddammit.

Oh, Ms. Gregory, I have finally fallen in love with one of your characters. Though Katherine of Aragon has a special place in my heart, Hannah Green stole the entire organ and ran for her gender-confused life. 

Henry VII's reign is finally over, he's dead and worm food. His heir? His only son Edward, who dies of an unfortunate sickness. Haha, Henry. Haha. Before his death, two of his trusted allies locate Hannah Green by chance in her father's bookstore. Disguised as a boy, Hannah has a secret talent that allows her to see into the future, among other things. Hannah and her father are immigrants from Spain, fleeing from the Inquisition to protect their Jewish heritage. Robert Dudley believes that Hannah has holy visions and informs Edward of her talents. She becomes a fool, A HOLY FOOL, to amuse the king. Next in line for the throne is the daughter of Henry and Katherine (yay!), Mary. Mary inherits Hannah as a fool and they form a bond between them. 

But this bond is threatened by Mary's half sister, Elizabeth. Hannah finds herself caught between the two in a vicious catfight for the throne. Throw in some forbidden love for Robert Dudely, a betrothed that's constantly disappointed, and a woman who just wants to wear pants, dammit. What does that get you? An awesome book.

Hannah Green has some balls. Though I can't reveal all the twists and turns that take place, she does make me insanely happy. Why? Because she stands up to the men. Sure, it takes her a while to grow into her own. But when she does, she's amazing. She's strong, independent, and stubborn.

I left some lack-luster reviews for the previous books. My frustration with the time period was too great. I hated the lack of intelligence in the former queens. They lacked real personality, and ended up being the same vain, selfish person in a different body. While Hannah is not perfect in every way, she challenges male authority and even challenges the queen on a few occasions. 

I'm hopin' and prayin' that the last two books give me something to rave about.