Review: Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pub Date: October 14th 2014
Pages: 320

Short Sweet Synopsis: Glory is graduating from high school, but unlike her classmates, she has no plans for her future. While hanging out with Ellie, her best friend, they decide to drink a petrified bat (no joke) and they both develop the power to see a persons past, present, and future just by looking them.

I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes, but A.S. King makes this crazy plot work! Yes, Glory's psychic ability that shows a future less than ideal is a bit of a stretch, but Glory faces plenty of real life issues.  Some of her problems are complex, like worrying that she might have the same flaw that lead to her mother's suicide, Glory also faces more mundane teen problems, such as questioning her friendship with Ellie. As the friends have gotten older, Glory feels like Ellie is too self-absorbed and that their interests no longer align.

If you think these are the only struggles Glory faces, you are mistaken. She is trying to piece her remaining family back together, because things have just been in a weird limbo since her mother's death. If that wasn't enough, Glory is creating the History of the Future to figure out how to avoid the terrible future her new ability has unveiled.

I like that Glory is a quirky character. She isn't super popular and doesn't have a lot of friends, but she isn't a social outcast. She follows her own lead and enjoys viewing the world through her camera's lens than through other's perspectives. This may sound lonely, but Glory is a bit of an introvert and likes to take her time deciphering the world around her.

Maybe this all sounds a bit complicated and bizarre, but that is what makes the book so exciting! It is unlike anything I have read before and I fully appreciate A.S. King's willingness to take risks on writing a completely out there story. If you are looking for a book unlike anything you've read before then Glory O'Brien's History of the Future is a book for you. I would recommend it to fans of Going Bovine by Libba Bray and Every Day by David Levithan.

Review of "Reality Boy" by A.S. King

Reality Boy by A.S. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Pub. Date: October 22, 2013
Pages: 368

Short Sweet Synopsis: As a child, Gerald was on a reality TV show where he was named "The Crapper" for pooping all over the place.  Gerald is now a teen with anger issues just trying to survive a life where everyone knows your family issues, or at least they think they do.

"Reality Boy" by A.S. King is an amazing book.  I hate to admit this, but I am a sucker for reality tv.  I like watching shows about people in situations very different than my own.  Many of them I find inspiring or just plain intriguing.  While I know a lot of it is staged and altered, I can get sucked into the stories so easily.  "Reality Boy" describes how damaging these shows can be, especially to children who find themselves being taped 24/7.  I don't watch reality shows that feature children, but this book is definitely going to be in the back of my mind while watching them in the future.

Gerald is a great character with a heartbreaking childhood.  There is much more going on in his life than just being upset about his childhood "stardom" as "The Crapper".  Parts of the book were difficult to read, not just because of what Gerald had to go through, but more so because of the lack of support from his family.

"Reality Boy" is gritty realistic fiction.  I've only read one other book by A.S. King, "Dust of 1000 Dogs", and I HATED it.  I honestly didn't think I would ever pic up a book by her, but after hearing rave reviews of her other books, I finally decided to give her another shot.  I'm so glad I did!  I now see why everyone raves about King and I look forward to reading other books by her.  "Reality Boy" makes it on the list of my favorite books released in 2013, and will be one of my favorite books read in 2014.

Part of the reason I loved "Reality Boy" so much was because it was just the right book for me to read at the time.  Some of the characters reminded me of loved ones, and not all in a good way.

Disappointed in "The Dust of 100 Dogs"

“Dust of 100 Dogs”
A.S. King

3

After being murdered and cursed in a former life to live one hundred dog lives, Emer has finally made back into a human body. Emer was one of the most feared pirates in the Caribbean, now she is living an average teenage life as Saffron Adams. The only difference is that she still has the violent urges, obsession with treasure, and a vivid memory of a past life. Her only goal in life is to ditch her loving family and find the treasure she buried one hundred lifetimes ago. The story is told in three parts: Emer’s past story, Saffron’s story, and Emer’s brief insights into dogs. This book is about pirates, so there is violence, sex, and strong language in the book. None of this bothered me, but it is something that I feel people should be aware of when picking up this title.

Overall I thought the book was good. I really enjoyed Emer’s story and found it interesting to see how she was involved in Saffron’s life. I thought the parts where Emer described the lessons that can be learned from her experiences as a dog were a little tedious. I understand why they were in the book (she did live as a dog 100 times), but for me it really broke up the two other stories. I really found Emer’s character to be interesting, but Saffron didn’t seem to be flushed out until the end of the book. I loved how the book ended; I just wish I had been as satisfied with the rest of the book as I was with the end. I think this book is most suited for people who love both pirates and dogs. It was very unique and entertaining, but not a very satisfying read. This book could have been a little too hyped up for me. Pirates + stellar reviews= a let down.