Jason Cavallaro's Best and Worst of September

I'm leaving for vacation, so no time for small talk!

Ok, maybe a little...So I'm trying something new to speed up this writing process. I'd rather be reading than writing this, and you would probably rather read a book than reviews, so...for the books I really didn't like (Grades of "D" or "F"), I will just list them at the end, with no explanations.

Ready? Let's go.

BEST OF THE MONTH

The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks

I guess I need to read everything Keven has ever written, because he has blown me away, AGAIN. His book, The Bunker Diary, is easily one of the greatest young adult books I've ever read. Both The Bunker Diary and The Road of the Dead didn't feel like YA novels. Sure, the protagonists are teenagers, but the violence is abundant and shocking in this one.

WORST OF THE MONTH

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez (story and art)

This one looks sort of juvenile, with a vaguely juvenile plot to go with it. Some of it is funny, in a deranged way, but those moments are few and far between. Also, the speech balloons have very small font with very little spacing in between. Not a fun read at all.

The rest:

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames. Great premise, too long. Grade: C

Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis. Great survival story. Grade: B

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman. Really liked this nostalgic/Satanic Panic themed story. Grade: B

Canary by Snyder/Panosian. Eisner nominated, but Snyder has better stuff than this. Grade: C

Pixu by Ba/Cloonan/Lolos/Moon. Claustrophobic and dark. Runs out of energy though. Grade: C

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay. I'm in the minority on this one, but I just couldn't get into it. Grade: C

Home Sick Pilots by Watters/Wjinngaard. The art outshines the story. Grade: C

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics. She's done it again. Excellent dark YA. Grade: B

Children of the Woods by Ciano/Hixson. Folk horror. There is better stuff out there. Grade: C

The Burning by Laura Bates. My second favorite book of the month. Witch-themed YA. Get it. Grade: A

Dualed by Elsie Chapman. Decent science fiction, but I feel like I've read it before. Grade: C

Ashes by Ilsa J Bick. Spawned some sequels. Be Not Far From Me is a better survival story if you ask me. Grade: C

DID NOT LIKE THESE:

Hide by Tracy Clark
Metamorphosis by Ross Jeffery
The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters
The Wrong Train by Jeremy de Quidt
Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Thanks for reading! Send complaints to:

Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn