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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
IQ "'How do know if it's love? How do you know if it's anything at all?'
'All you have to know is whether you're willing to find out.' Clara took Gloria's hand. 'Or whether you're ready to give up on it'", pg. 283
The few reviews I scanned before reading VIXEN compared it to the LUXE series, which I enjoyed but I think one big difference is that VIXEN actually attempted to tackle a substantive issue. It is a fun and slightly sexy read, 1920s Chicago through the eyes of rich young women with a dash of alcohol and crime thrown in but also takes a look at race relations. And that is especially interesting given the setting of Chicago, I love that the author took us into Bronzeville and seemed to really know her subject and I would review this book on my blog because of its strong secondary characters such as Jerome. I want to continue the series in the hopes of learning more about Vera. It did get a bit bogged down with the classic she-needs-to-marry-him-for-his-money (which I understand is realistic but as a historical fiction plotline I'm growing tired of how it's portrayed) and Lorraine was a disappointing character because there are so many opportunities to develop her into a fascinating main character as opposed to a whiny and randomly vengeful character. I hope she grows in the next book. I also liked that the 'danger' aspect didn't just seem to be randomly thrown in as a way to bring characters together. Rather it actually adds to the plot and brings in some new characters and plot twists, the book keeps you on your toes.
Based on what I know of the 1920s from this book and others I would say this book is reflective of the time and I like that it goes beyond the surface of rich young white women and struggling flappers.
But one big question, why does the cover model look like a dead doll? It's creepy and implies this book has a horror-quality to it which thankfully it does not have.
'All you have to know is whether you're willing to find out.' Clara took Gloria's hand. 'Or whether you're ready to give up on it'", pg. 283
The few reviews I scanned before reading VIXEN compared it to the LUXE series, which I enjoyed but I think one big difference is that VIXEN actually attempted to tackle a substantive issue. It is a fun and slightly sexy read, 1920s Chicago through the eyes of rich young women with a dash of alcohol and crime thrown in but also takes a look at race relations. And that is especially interesting given the setting of Chicago, I love that the author took us into Bronzeville and seemed to really know her subject and I would review this book on my blog because of its strong secondary characters such as Jerome. I want to continue the series in the hopes of learning more about Vera. It did get a bit bogged down with the classic she-needs-to-marry-him-for-his-money (which I understand is realistic but as a historical fiction plotline I'm growing tired of how it's portrayed) and Lorraine was a disappointing character because there are so many opportunities to develop her into a fascinating main character as opposed to a whiny and randomly vengeful character. I hope she grows in the next book. I also liked that the 'danger' aspect didn't just seem to be randomly thrown in as a way to bring characters together. Rather it actually adds to the plot and brings in some new characters and plot twists, the book keeps you on your toes.
Based on what I know of the 1920s from this book and others I would say this book is reflective of the time and I like that it goes beyond the surface of rich young white women and struggling flappers.
But one big question, why does the cover model look like a dead doll? It's creepy and implies this book has a horror-quality to it which thankfully it does not have.
I am so happy that I found this at a good price and decided to pick it up! I was not expecting it to be as good as it turned out to be. I am also thrilled that I also picked up the second book in the serious and can not wait to dive in to it.
3.5 - 4 stars.
Let's just start out with-- hello, my name is Jamie and I am obsessed with the 1920's and flappers and I will read anything related to said obsessions. Seriously. I once was a flapper for Halloween. I just love the flapper fashion, the literature that arose from the 1920's, the jazz, the transition into the modern culture, the progress in woman's suffrage movement, the mobsters, the speakeasys..it is all just so exciting to me! I just love reading and watching movies set during this time. Anyways, once I saw this book I just KNEW I had to pick it up.
Vixen has it all -- romance, glitz and glamour, catty girls, mobsters, secrets, and suspense, -- and is set in one of those most interesting and alluring time periods in America. It also did deal with more substantial issues like friendship, loyalty, the suppression of women, racial and societal expectations, etc. In some ways this reminded me of Gossip Girl set in the 1920's with the high society, secrets, backstabbing and shocking public revelations. And I totally was picturing the episode of Gossip Girl where Chuck opened the speakeasy and they were all in flapper-like costumes. Larkin nailed it. At some points I felt like if I closed my eyes, I'd be transported into some dark speakeasy, filled with smoke and booze, dancing with glamorous flappers and gangsters with pin-striped suits. I could hear that jazz music playing and feel the excitement of being rebellious and sexy in my fringed dress, headband and bobbed hair cut.
There were some interesting characters in this book. Clara was my favorite -- she was smart, despite some obvious bad choices in her past, and I thought she was interesting and was the shining star for me. I did appreciate some of the dimensions we started to see in Gloria and I started to really appreciate her. At some times I felt like Gloria and Lorraine were a bit cliched and predictable but the storyline and the setting made up for what they were sometimes lacking for me. The storyline was well crafted and I kept wanting to find out what happened.
My one gripe with this book is that I felt like the author went a little bit overboard with the lingo of the time period and she didn't need to because she really had me convinced of the time period with how she built their world. All these phrases and slang were dropped into the story and it felt like a like a kid who learned a set of vocabulary words and tried to keep impressing people with packing them into sentences. It just didn't flow all the time and seemed awkward. The overuse of all the lingo was distracting and it was really unfortunate because she already set such an authentic scene for the reader.
I will note that this might be inappropriate for some younger readers -- lots of booze, smoking and it's pretty sexy. I thought it was tasteful but definitely a little more mature than some YA lit geared for younger readers.
My Final Thought: Vixen is a sexy and intriguing debut that captures the excitement of an era and an underground lifestyle that is full of glamour, grit and danger. It is edgy and provocative without being trashy. It is a promising primer, for older teens (and YA lovers of all ages), into a period of time that should be explored more in YA historical fiction. I cannot WAIT for the second book to come out as the ending was quite exciting and ends with quite the bang..literally. In the meantime, I'll be trying Bright Young Things which is also set in the 20's and seems to be about flappers.
Let's just start out with-- hello, my name is Jamie and I am obsessed with the 1920's and flappers and I will read anything related to said obsessions. Seriously. I once was a flapper for Halloween. I just love the flapper fashion, the literature that arose from the 1920's, the jazz, the transition into the modern culture, the progress in woman's suffrage movement, the mobsters, the speakeasys..it is all just so exciting to me! I just love reading and watching movies set during this time. Anyways, once I saw this book I just KNEW I had to pick it up.
Vixen has it all -- romance, glitz and glamour, catty girls, mobsters, secrets, and suspense, -- and is set in one of those most interesting and alluring time periods in America. It also did deal with more substantial issues like friendship, loyalty, the suppression of women, racial and societal expectations, etc. In some ways this reminded me of Gossip Girl set in the 1920's with the high society, secrets, backstabbing and shocking public revelations. And I totally was picturing the episode of Gossip Girl where Chuck opened the speakeasy and they were all in flapper-like costumes. Larkin nailed it. At some points I felt like if I closed my eyes, I'd be transported into some dark speakeasy, filled with smoke and booze, dancing with glamorous flappers and gangsters with pin-striped suits. I could hear that jazz music playing and feel the excitement of being rebellious and sexy in my fringed dress, headband and bobbed hair cut.
There were some interesting characters in this book. Clara was my favorite -- she was smart, despite some obvious bad choices in her past, and I thought she was interesting and was the shining star for me. I did appreciate some of the dimensions we started to see in Gloria and I started to really appreciate her. At some times I felt like Gloria and Lorraine were a bit cliched and predictable but the storyline and the setting made up for what they were sometimes lacking for me. The storyline was well crafted and I kept wanting to find out what happened.
My one gripe with this book is that I felt like the author went a little bit overboard with the lingo of the time period and she didn't need to because she really had me convinced of the time period with how she built their world. All these phrases and slang were dropped into the story and it felt like a like a kid who learned a set of vocabulary words and tried to keep impressing people with packing them into sentences. It just didn't flow all the time and seemed awkward. The overuse of all the lingo was distracting and it was really unfortunate because she already set such an authentic scene for the reader.
I will note that this might be inappropriate for some younger readers -- lots of booze, smoking and it's pretty sexy. I thought it was tasteful but definitely a little more mature than some YA lit geared for younger readers.
My Final Thought: Vixen is a sexy and intriguing debut that captures the excitement of an era and an underground lifestyle that is full of glamour, grit and danger. It is edgy and provocative without being trashy. It is a promising primer, for older teens (and YA lovers of all ages), into a period of time that should be explored more in YA historical fiction. I cannot WAIT for the second book to come out as the ending was quite exciting and ends with quite the bang..literally. In the meantime, I'll be trying Bright Young Things which is also set in the 20's and seems to be about flappers.
Enjoyably fluffy for a lazy afternoon's reading, but nothing amazing. I did care enough about where the story was going to want to get the second book, though.
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect very much from this book. For the first hundred some pages, I only liked one character and besides that, I hated the entire thing. Well, I was wrong. Yes, I do LOVE Clara, she has been my absolute favorite character from the start, but by the end I also liked Gloria and, yes, even Lorraine had grown on me. (Trust me, I was surprised myself.) Really, if you don't like the first hundred or so pages, just keep reading and give it a chance. By page 300, I was so into this book. The characters change and become more dramatic, the plot quickens, and suddenly you find that it's two hours later and you've finished this entire book. And now you need to buy book number two.
Wow. This book was great! I think this is the first time that I read a book where I liked all of the heroines. They all had their charm about them. My favorite was Gloria and I think I've found my new literary OTP. Gloria/Jerome for 2011. But the end of the book left me hankering for the next installment. I want to know what happened with Gloria and Jerome. I want to know if Lorraine continues in her downward spiral and I want to know what happens with Clara and Marcus. I'm eagerly awaiting for the next installment!
Originally posted - http://quixoticmagpie.blogspot.com/2011/07/vixen-review.html
Not too shabby, as young adult books go. We read this for book club, and it sparked some interesting conversation.
I had the hardest time remembering that the characters were only in high school. I didn't disapprove of their behavior, especially for the time, I just kept picturing them in my mind as in their twenties. So when one of them would say that they had school the next day, it would throw me off- and to be honest, those moments seemed kind of throw away to me, like Larkin just threw them in randomly to remind us that these were high schoolers, and that this was a young adult book.
The characters were not all that particularly likable- I thought Gloria to be insipid and bland, and even her rebellion seemed perfectly cliched. Her romance with Jerome I think is just starting to be played out- will she be able to handle the prejudices that are directed at her? Is she strong enough? I am not so sure she is.
Clara also fell way too easily into the role of a perfect influence and paragon of purity - her year of rebellion quashed in an ultimatum delivered by her aunt, Gloria's mom. The character Lorraine was my favorite- I called her a hot mess, and she really was. But this made her so much more interesting than the others. She had depth that I felt the others lacked, even Clara, despite Clara's sordid past. I really felt sorry for her too, being so in love with Marcus, and Gloria and Marcus knowing and silently mocking her. Too cruel. She really just wanted someone to care about her - she didn't seem to be first in anyone's life, not even her parents.
Although I was not totally in love with this book, I am a fan of this era, and I am curious to know what happens in the sequel, with Lorraine and Sebastian. Ranked with my recent YA reads, I would put this below Libba Bray and the Hunger Games, but above Magnolia League and Twilight.
Not too shabby, as young adult books go. We read this for book club, and it sparked some interesting conversation.
I had the hardest time remembering that the characters were only in high school. I didn't disapprove of their behavior, especially for the time, I just kept picturing them in my mind as in their twenties. So when one of them would say that they had school the next day, it would throw me off- and to be honest, those moments seemed kind of throw away to me, like Larkin just threw them in randomly to remind us that these were high schoolers, and that this was a young adult book.
The characters were not all that particularly likable- I thought Gloria to be insipid and bland, and even her rebellion seemed perfectly cliched. Her romance with Jerome I think is just starting to be played out- will she be able to handle the prejudices that are directed at her? Is she strong enough? I am not so sure she is.
Clara also fell way too easily into the role of a perfect influence and paragon of purity - her year of rebellion quashed in an ultimatum delivered by her aunt, Gloria's mom. The character Lorraine was my favorite- I called her a hot mess, and she really was. But this made her so much more interesting than the others. She had depth that I felt the others lacked, even Clara, despite Clara's sordid past. I really felt sorry for her too, being so in love with Marcus, and Gloria and Marcus knowing and silently mocking her. Too cruel. She really just wanted someone to care about her - she didn't seem to be first in anyone's life, not even her parents.
Although I was not totally in love with this book, I am a fan of this era, and I am curious to know what happens in the sequel, with Lorraine and Sebastian. Ranked with my recent YA reads, I would put this below Libba Bray and the Hunger Games, but above Magnolia League and Twilight.
3.75 Stars. Really enjoyed this one although Gloria and Lorraine annoyed me at times.