Flashback Friday: Avalon High

To newcomer Ellie, Avalon High seems like a typical American high school, complete with jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, and even the obligatory senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy. But it doesn't take Ellie long to suspect that something weird is going on beneath the glossy surface of this tranquil hall of learning. As she pieces together the meaning of this unfolding drama, she begins to recognize some haunting Arthurian echoes, causing her to worry that she has become just a pawn in mythic history.   Quoted from Goodreads

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Do not judge this book by the horrible Disney movie of the same name. Seriously.  I read the book, then someone told me there was a made for TV movie based on it, so of course I checked it out.  Poor decision.  First, it changed just about everything from the book.  Second, it was painfully cheesy. Third, the ending made no sense. Granted, it was a made for TV movie, so that should have tipped me off right there, but stupid me, I still watched it.  Now it's up there with Ella Enchanted as the worst book adaptions of all  time.

Now on to the real review.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've been a big Meg Cabot fan (well as big as you can be without having read her Princess Diaries series) for a while, and this book follows pretty much what you come to expect from her.  Strong heroine, cute romance, difficulties caused by some paranormal aspect. You know the drill.

First and foremost, I loved Ellie as a main character.  She's not as snarky or funny as some of Meg Cabot's other MCs, but she's completely relatable.  She's the kind of girl you want to be friends with.  I loved her confidence in herself and her refusal to be shoved into the roll everyone else wanted her to play.  

I  enjoyed the interpretation of the King Arthur myth.  I love Arthurian interpretations, and this was a simple, fun one.   Even if you don't know anything about Kind Arthur (besides his name) this would be an interesting adaption. If you do know something about the legend, this book is even better.  

I enjoyed the portrayal of teenagers. We aren't inundated with cliches and stereotypes.  The popular girls aren't all mean, the jocks aren't all dumb muscle, etc.  And it's not just because they're reincarnated legends from the past. You may hate Lancelot and Guenevere's roll in what happened, but they're sympathetic here.  As for  Arthur, well A. William or Will, he's an excellent modern King Arthur.  He's the sort of person you can see becoming someone great in the future, helping the world the way helped his high school.  Plus he's cute. And confident.  Always a plus.

All in all, if you're looking for a light, fun read, you should check this out.  It's a stand alone, so not a huge commitment.  Plus it's just fun. I love the whole Lady of Shallot thing going on, and that there were a lot of adults involved in their kids lives.  Really, it's a solid 4 stars for me.  Maybe because I have a soft spot for the legend, but mostly because the book was just fun.  

Book Review: The Rules

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”
But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules . . . Quoted from Goodreads

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I enjoyed this so much more than I expected! Don't get me wrong, I liked Stacey Kade's Ghost and the Goth series.  They were light, cute, and had fun characters. Still, this could have gone wrong.  Some authors really only have one great series in them, and then they fizzle and die.  This one absolutely lives up to it's predecessors.

I read a lot of mixed reviews on this, which ended up helping a lot, so I'm going to kind of give you a heads up so you won't go into this blind. This isn't one of those on-the-run adventures that have become so popular this year.  Most of this takes place in high school, which I was fine with.  It's more about her hiding in plain sight, learning to standing up to the class bully, and falling in love.  Besides the constant threat of being discovered, all real involvement with GHX (the company who created her) doesn't really get involved in the plot until the last quarter of the book.

Now you  know what to expect, this really is a fun book.  I like Ariana.  She's cute, albeit very into not being noticed.  Plus, she's half alien.  And not all the new, modern ideas we have about aliens, but the stereotypical alien (black eyes, grey skin, move things with their minds, hear our thoughts sort of thing) from the '50s, which was sort of refreshing.  She gave the old stereotype just enough of a twist (human combined with alien DNA) that it didn't need to be new or groundbreaking.  

The book is told in alternating chapters between Ariana and Zane's POV.  Zane is an interesting lead.  I liked seeing Ariana from a completely human POV.  You get to observe her quirks without her internal analysis as to whether what she is doning will blend into the background and come across as completely human.  He also has his own issues to deal with, but on a completely human level, that adds another layer of anxiety to the story.  Plus, he looks like Clark Kent---I mean, how can a girl resist?

All in all, I ended up really enjoying this book, probably a 4 star masterpiece.  Yes, if you're looking for one long chase, explore the Roswell conspiracy, car chases, and men in black, this is not the book for you.  If you'd like a coming of age, hidden in plain sight, high school drama, this is right up your alley.