Blog Tour: Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian (Review & Guest Post)

I've been itching to read Sex & Violence since it first came to my attention, so I am thrilled to be part of its blog tour today! A huge thank you to Heather @ The Flyleaf Review for putting together this tour (and inviting me to be part of it!) and to Wendy @ The Midnight Garden for designing the tour banner and button! You ladies rock!

Title: Sex & Violence

Author: Carrie Mesrobian 

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Amazon / B&N / GoodReads

I am, largely, speechless when it comes to Sex & Violence. Obviously, its title is an eye-catcher, not to mention its cover, but the majority of my inability to articulate coherent phrases stems from the fact that I - still - find it difficult to decipher my feelings for this novel. While I firmly believe that Mesrobian's debut is brilliant, touching upon "taboo" subjects with a prose that is both gripping and poignant, I cannot claim to have wholly loved it, heart and soul.

Sex & Violence is told from the perspective of Evan Carter, a typical teenage boy whose sole preoccupation lies with the opposite gender. Ever since his mother died, Evan and his father have moved from city to city, which has given Evan the perpetual status of the New Guy. Fortunately for him, he has learned to cope with his lifestyle, making the most of it by narrowing his sights on the girls most likely to put out, having sex with them, and moving on before the relationship can progress any further. Needless to say, Evan isn't a very nice person, so perhaps it isn't much of a surprise when karma finally gets back at him - big time. While "dating" Collette, the ex-girlfriend of his roommate, Evan is beaten brutally and left, hurting, in a shower. In order to help his son heal and cope with the trauma he has faced, Evan's father moves him to a quiet cabin in Pearl Lake, a small town with an aura of friendliness. Evan, however, doesn't simply have to move on from his past - he needs to find a way to prevent it from occurring again.

Immediately, what jumps out at me about Sex & Violence is its honest, brutal prose. Mesrobian doesn't hesitate to shove all the darkest corners of Evan's thought into the limelight, portraying him a manner that is both unflinching, but often disconcerting - in the best way possible. I've discovered, surprisingly, that I rather enjoy having a narrator whose flaws are outlined from the very beginning. It creates a different reading experience altogether; one a little more intimate as, obviously, we're meant to be rooting for this guy, although we know all the horrible acts he's committed.

Nevertheless, while many may shirk away from a character like Evan, I couldn't help but embrace him, particularly because his growth throughout the novel is impeccably paced. While Evan starts out suffering severe PTSD, unable to step into a shower for months on end, his slow change is subtle. Moreover, for someone like Evan who has made sexual activity - and just sexual activity, without dating or emotions - a lifeline, it takes more than just one brutal beating to knock him into normalcy. Mesrobian understands this and although Evan suffers tremendously within the opening chapters of this novel, his anguish doesn't end; rather, it continues and manifests itself in different ways as Evan battles his past and tries to move on, desperately, into a future he is unable to even imagine.

Yet, my hands-down favorite aspect of this novel was its portrayal of women. Now, this may seem incredibly ironic as the protagonist of our story is a young man who sleeps with a multitude of teens, without any regard for them whatsoever, but the underlying themes of this novel truly come to light with Mesrobian's characterization. Although the novel could - easily - give rise to slut-shaming, it avoids this completely. Even Evan, the ultimate man-whore, contemplates the double standards of society as a girl seeking sex is a slut while a guy seeking sex is just "sowing his oats", as the expression goes. Thus, Evan really doesn't judge. What Mesrobian manages to covey, so perfectly, is the idea that no matter what kind of girl you are - the kind who has sex, the kind who waits for sex, or even the kind who does everything but sex - there's nothing to be ashamed of. Evan forms friendships with girls who fall into all these categories, and ones in-between too, but he discovers, at the end of the day, that their sex lives have no bearing on their personality, their ambition, their drive, or their futures. For me, the fact that this theme is so subtle - is so accepted - is far more effective than an in-your-face message. Ultimately, all these teens, no matter what they've chosen to do with their bodies, are seen as empowered without one specific "path" proven to be better - morally or psychologically.

Although Sex & Violence has so much going for it, I must admit that the narration could drag at times, losing my interest for a few pages every-so-often. Additionally, I feel as if Mesrobian took quite a lot on her plate. Issues such as sex and violence are difficult enough to discuss in an effective manner - particularly violence which is romanticized by the media though portrayed in a realistic manner in this novel - but into this mix, Mesrobian throws in a complicated father-son relationship, exacerbated by an uncle who is mysteriously absent from their lives. While I enjoyed - very much - the dynamics of the relationship between Evan and his father, the lack of closure was a little bothersome. Moreover, Uncle Soren makes a shot-gun appearance at the end of this novel, conveniently tying up a minor plot thread, but throwing off the balance of the story arc. Likewise, the excuses given for Evan's behavior during the last pages of this novel - the mysterious story of the Cupcake Lady of Tacoma finally revealed! - felt forced and lacked any true impact for me, as a reader. While Mesrobian attempts to build an honest image of Evan's life, her last-minute justifications for his behavior regarding sex didn't add to the story in the least. On the contrary, I felt as if the journey Evan underwent as a rather normal teenage boy with a severe misunderstanding of sex and respect was a much better angle to stick with, from beginning to end.

While the ending chapters of this story may have diminished my love for the story as a whole, just a little bit, there is no denying that Sex & Violence is the type of bold and gritty reads I've craved - for awhile, now - to appear in YA. Mesrobian's novel is what many more books need to be and I sincerely hope that, if not sparking a revolution of far more honest and realistic YA, Mesrobian at least returns to the genre in her sophomore novel to touch upon more "taboo" subjects that other authors are too afraid to approach, even with a ten-foot pole. Needless to say, Sex & Violence is an incredible debut and I can only wait - eagerly - for more.

Mental Illness and Therapy: Depiction vs. Reality
By: Carrie Mesrobian

When I was writing my debut novel Sex & Violence, I was not kind to Evan Carter, my main character. In the first chapter, Evan is the victim of a brutal assault where he almost dies.

Evan’s father is no great shakes when it comes to psychological sensitivity, for reasons that become clear later, but even he can see that after the assault, his son is dealing with some post-traumatic stress. So, Evan is delivered, a bit against his will, to talk therapy with a woman named Dr. Penny.

Now, a lot of people have dealt with PTSD, mood disorders or other mental illness. A lot of people have gone to talk therapy, too. But it seems like these people are not sharing about any of this in a realistic way, as I continually see unrealistic and clichéd depictions of mental illness and therapeutic practice in books, television and movies.

Hence, I’ve made the following lists for writers interested in including mental illness and therapy in their stories:

AVOID:

• Conflating mental illness with violent behavior
• Assuming medication for mental illness always fails or always works
• Putting therapy patients on their backs on sofas or having them attend therapy interminably for years and years i.e. Woody Allen
• Creating a therapist or counselor who is heroic and ‘saves’ the patient through dramatic breakthrough scenes, e.g. screaming, sobbing on the carpet, healing embraces, etc.
• Sending your upset character into the old ‘shame shower’ of stress or crying – it’s a boring cliché
• Featuring labyrinthine schemes left behind by depressed people who die by suicide which explain the ‘real reason’ for their untimely deaths to those close to them
• Writing therapists who are personally involved with a patient’s daily life (unless you intend to write a therapist who is irresponsible, unethical and probably ineffectual as well)
• Suggesting that there is a triumphant arc when it comes to ‘defeating’ mental illnesses; these are issues that people must deal with their entire lives and are not generally bested like playground bullies in one dramatic scene
• Putting mentally ill characters in psychiatric wards where they merely gawk at the other floridly mentally ill people as a kind of exotic field trip (Unless you’re Ned Vizzini.)
• Creating characters who have no personality but for their mental illness
• Writing therapy scenes that depict the patient just talking about their past hurts
• Making sweeping conclusions that suggest that only the crazy people in our society are the sane ones, or that insanity is some kind of blessing or creative gift (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest already did this, and besides, it’s insulting to people who suffer in a real way, every day, with such illnesses)

KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING:

• Most therapists have a finite number of sessions in which to meet goals with patients
• Suicide is a choice someone makes, not something that others make them do. Suicidality generally has three distinct risk factors; insinuating that others are ‘responsible’ for the suicide deaths of people is irresponsible, incorrect and missing the point
• Most people’s insurance plans don’t fully cover addiction recovery, mental health treatment or therapy         
• All therapists are not skilled at what they do; in fact, joint therapy is one of the most difficult types of therapeutic practices to be skilled at
• Many people who go to therapy go unwillingly, therefore gains may be small or nonexistent
• There are different physiological, emotional and behavioral components to each specific disorder; while there can be dual diagnoses, there is no General Crazy. Study up on the illness or disorder you want to depict.
• Teenagers with mental illness may get well-meaning help, but many do not comply with recommendations from parents, counselors or doctors (big shock there, huh?)
• Many mental illnesses require medication and medical treatment as well talk or group therapy
• Much of therapy is about educating patients on living with their illness, offering them strategies for dealing with stress and interpersonal conflicts
• Mental illness is not generally eradicated by the patient unearthing some horrible trauma from their childhood. Such realizations are helpful, no doubt, but much of mental illness must address imbalanced brain/body chemistry and behavior changes.
• Addiction and mental illness often occur together, as people self-medicate to deal with emotional issues
• People still don’t want to talk about mental illness. Characters with these illnesses will surely contend with shame/stigma about this

I’ve worked as a teacher in both public and private schools; my writing has appeared in the StarTribune, Brain, Child magazine, Calyx, and other web and print publications. I teach teenagers about writing at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. However, the best job I ever had was when I worked in a thrift store pawing through donations of cast-off junk. Loved that job so much. My debut YA novel is Sex & Violence, published by Carolrhoda LAB. I have another book coming out next October (2014), again with Carolrhoda LAB. I live with Adrian, my husband, Matilda, my daughter, and Pablo, my dog/publicity manager.

Visit Carrie: Website / Blog / Twitter / Tumblr / GoodReads

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour for Carrie Mesrobian's debut, Sex & Violence! 

Sex & Violence Blog Tour Schedule

 Monday  11/4 

 The Midnight Garden

Tuesday  11/5 

Ivy Book Bindings

 Wednesday 11/6  

A Reader of Fictions

 Thursday  11/7 

Jen Ryland/ YA Romantics

 Friday  11/8 

Into the Hall of Books

Mini-Reviews: Hawksong, Nine Coaches Waiting, and Crossing Stones

If you're seeing this post, it means I have fallen on hard times. Over the past summer, there was a time when I had a wealthy backlog of reviews (oh, how I miss those days!), which meant that I crusaded around GoodReads, writing brief, short sentence "reviews" conveying my thoughts on a handful of novels I was too lazy to review in their entirety. I've gone back through those "mini-reviews" and compiled a small list of the better ones to entertain you, dear readers, with until I can get around to writing and posting a proper review. Either way, I hope you enjoy. :)

Title: Hawksong (The Kiesha'ra, #1)*
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Rating: 4 Stars

Hawksong is possibly one of the most under-rated fantasy novels I've come across. In fact, this book simply seems to fall under everyone's radar - much to their own loss, I must say. Atwater-Rhodes is a brilliant writer, creating a world rich in lore, myth, and tradition. Danica, the queen of her hawk people, and Zane, the king of the cobras, are shapeshifters who marry to end the centuries-old feud between their people. Both Danica and Zane are tired of war, but their marriage will prove more difficult than either can imagine. Both the hawks and cobras share different traditions and as Zane and Danica grow to fall in love with one another, they also learn to assimilate their cultures and their people. Atwater-Rhodes writes world-building as a mere extension of her story, not as an overwhelming portion of info-dumping. With subtle legends and traditions, she manages to create and encompass the depth of these two races. Although I felt as if Hawksong ended a little too early, with both Danica and Zane falling in love slightly faster than I wished, I cannot deny that this is solid fantasy, full of the characters and type of complex world I love. Atwater-Rhodes, my friends, is not to be missed.

*I did read the sequel to this novel, Snakecharm, but wasn't impressed. I would still highly recommend this book, though, as it can be read as a stand-alone and it definitely worth a read for fantasy lovers.

Title: Nine Coaches Waiting 

Author: Mary Stewart

Rating: 4 Stars

What do I possibly say about Nine Coaches Waiting that hasn’t already been said before? Mary Stewart is a legend; her books are classics when it comes to the genre of gothic mystery. Although Nine Coaches Waiting suffers from a slow start, it is a breath-taking novel, beautifully written with a strong-willed and courageous governess at its center. Stewart, much like Daphne DuMaurier, is an expert at building suspense and causing our minds to flit between one suspect and the next. Nine Coaches Waiting is a thrill from start to finish and I finished this in a record three hours flat, unable to let go of the book until I knew for sure who the guilty party was. And, admittedly, it is a little obvious from the start, but there are many layers of doubt that Steward builds and, all the more, with a romance at the center, this book lacks nothing. If you’re a fan of Jane Eyre or simply gothic mysteries in general, then you cannot go wrong with Nine Coaches Waiting. Very highly recommended.

Title: Crossing Stones

Author: Helen Frost

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I've been on a bit of a verse novel binge lately, not to mention one of WWI (especially since I finished all three seasons of Downton Abbey in a record three and a half days!). Thus, it's almost not a surprise that I enjoyed this; it's merely a surprise that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Frost writes beautifully, choosing three separate styles to bring us the story of Muriel, a headstrong girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind; Ollie, her older brother who enlists for war despite being underage; and Emma, the sweet girl next door. With this short novel composed of poems, Frost is able to relate the horrors of war, the struggles of women, and the tension of those who remain home in such a way that it is bearable to us as readers. Not only is Frost's tale historically accurate, but it is also unexpectedly heartfelt.

Muriel, a young Alice Paul if you will, was my favorite narrator in the novel. I loved her outrageous opinions, her inability to accept the reality of her time, and her courage in standing up for her beliefs. Muriel is easily the most flawed of our three narrators which makes her, for me, the most realistic. Ollie provides us with the sole male perspective in this novel, one filled with the harsh realities of war and the peer pressure that men face to enlist. Emma, on the other hand, is possibly the dullest character. Although her poems had substantial depth, she herself is a relatively simplistic character, representing the average American women who was comfortable with her role in the house. With this novel, what Frost excels at is building the era both with war and politics. Granted, the characters aren't as fully fleshed as they could be, but as a piece of historic fiction this is one of the better - and more creative - ones.

ARC Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Title: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)

Author: Katie McGarry

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: November 26th, 2013

It's no secret that Katie McGarry has constantly transcended my expectations of contemporary romance since her debut last year. While Pushing the Limits is still my favorite of her works, I've found that she manages to take very worn story lines and breath life into them, pulling in character depth and emotion in unexpected areas. Although I didn't connect with Crash Into You nearly as much as I did Pushing the Limits or Dare You To, I cannot deny that it is yet another solid installment that fans of McGarry's novels will thoroughly enjoy. 

Crash Into You is the much-awaited and longed-for love story concerning Isaiah. I speak for most readers, I think, when we expected Isaiah and Beth to receive their own happily-ever-after in the last novel. McGarry, however, truly emphasized just how unhealthy a relationship between these two broken foster children would be and though our hearts broke for Isaiah's broken heart, we knew it was the right decision. Thus, one of the defining elements to Isaiah is his isolation. While he has Noah - his brother by loyalty, if not by blood - he has lost one of his best friends and with his mother fresh out of prison and back in his life, he is lost, confused, and doesn't know where to turn. It's clear with him, even more than with Noah or Beth, just how miserable the foster care system is, but it exposes the gray matter too, not just the black-and-white truth we - and Isaiah - would like to believe.

Isaiah, desperate for money to keep the apartment he and Noah rent together so that Isaiah doesn't have to return to his foster parents, decides to enter the dark world of betting and street racing. We've known about Isaiah's love for cars since Pushing the Limits, so to see him embrace his passion whole-heartedly and do what he loves is invigorating. It is here, though, that he meets Rachel - rich, beautiful, and besotted with cars. Isaiah, rushing to save Rachel from the cruel lords of the street racing world, assumes a large debt in her name and the two are drawn together, both by their mutual attraction and their desire to pay off their debt. I felt as if this plot line was rather extraneous and unnecessary, mostly because there was so much else going on in this book, but it did provide solid - and unique - grounds to build this relationship off of. 

When it comes to Rachel, though, I really love how McGarry introduces a trope subversion of sorts. You see, Rachel is given nearly all the "typical" teenage girl issues. Not only is she classically a virgin (hasn't even kissed a guy), but she is protected by four older brothers. Moreover, it's up to her to sacrifice her happiness and keep their family happy by playing the role of her mother's replacement daughter for the elder sister, Colleen, who died from leukemia before Rachel was even born. What this means is that Rachel's love of cars is kept hushed-up, as is her stage-fright and Rachel must constantly overcome these hurdles to live life on her own terms. McGarry truly empowers Rachel, though, enabling her to find the strength within her to fight for her own happiness without sacrifice; to accept that she doesn't fit into the boxes her family wants her to. What I really love about this theme is the fact that it takes a seemingly weak characters and exposes the fact that she is capable of making her own decisions and fending for herself - if only others will let her. For me, it is Rachel's journey, far more than Isaiah's, that made this book so strong. I did enjoy the fact that Isaiah went through levels of self-discovery, acknowledging qualities about himself that he hadn't previously realized existed, but it lacked the punch that Rachel's far more emotional arc did.

Isaiah, by comparison, is rather disappointing as his narration pummels into a sea of mushy-gushiness that is so uncharacteristic of the guy we've come to know. I feel as if the actual love story within these pages lacked substance. Not only did it progress to "love" quickly (how I hate the use of that word so freely!), but much of the corny dialogue felt forced. And, like its predecessor, this novel takes on a little too much. I wanted certain plot threads to be further explored (Isaiah's relationship with his mother, for instance), but they just weren't. Moreover, while I think McGarry does an excellent job of initiating Rachel into Isaiah's world - befriending his friends, learning his lingo, etc. - the opposite isn't true and I am still left wondering just how this relationship may play out over time. Nevertheless, despite these flaws Crash Into You is an addictive read, one you won't want to put down. McGarry's writing remains one of her greatest strengths as her stories are so very all-consuming and quick. Needless to say, I cannot wait for her next novel - and am so glad she isn't leaving this world behind. I am not through with these characters...not yet.

Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Title: The Distance Between Us

Author: Kasie West

Rating: 2 Stars

I've been itching to try a Kasie West novel ever since her debut - and successive sophomore novel - took the blogging world by surprise. I have a wide variety of friends in the blogosphere, all with different tastes, but if there's one thing they agreed upon, it was that this book was good.

Um, not so much for me.

I really enjoyed West's prose, so I have a feeling I'll be back for more, and this novel just flew by so quickly and was practically impossible to let go of, but ultimately I wasn't charmed. It tackles on a little too much, a little too poorly, and although I struggled with aspects of the story, the parts I really loved were more-or-less pushed under the carpet and dealt with in a very shot-gun conclusion that wrapped things up a little too neatly for my tastes. Ultimately, however, my main issue is that this story is oozing with potential - potential that is, sadly, never acted upon.

The Distance Between Us tackles a rather generic love story - rich boy meets poor girl - but it has a lot of promising elements too. For one, Caymen (the poor girl in question) owns a doll shop with her single-mother who she maintains a strong relationship with. For another, the reason Caymen and Xander (the rich boy and heir of an expensive hotel business) are drawn together is not because of "chemistry", but because they are both struggling to find their place in the world. While Caymen is initially wary of Xander's extended hand of friendship, primarily because her father is a wealthy lawyer who abandoned her mother and never attempted to contact her, the premises of their relationship seemed promising.

Well, talk about a wake-up call.

For me, the most disappointing aspect of this novel was the fact that Caymen and Xander's attempts to help each other find their perfect career was merely a plot device to draw them together. I've found that the age of seventeen is on the cusp of Young Adult and New Adult; it tempts authors to push that boundary and tackle the more complicated questions of a looming future, but also draws them back to safety of a well-worn love story. And, sadly, West took the easy route out. Although I appreciated the fact that Xander used his wealth to expose Caymen to options she wouldn't have considered with her poor background, the opposite did not hold true and Xander's introduction into a life of "poorly" occupations was lacking in depth. Moreover, by the end of the novel this entire plot thread was thrown out of the window in favor of - you guessed it - needless drama and a convenient conclusion.

Even past the immediate plot of this story, the characters failed to truly jump out at me. While Caymen constantly describes her relationship with her mother as being strong and supportive, it isn't ever shown throughout the narration. Additionally, while Caymen and Xander push out of their stereotypes of "poor" and "rich", their friends remain black-and-white, eating at gas stations or making lewd comments. Furthermore, I cannot claim to have been enamored by Caymen - or her narration, for that matter. Although I appreciated her sarcastic tone, the constant comparisons between her lifestyle and that of Xander's grew tiresome and the issue as a whole is, as I've mentioned previously, handled a little too neatly. Moreover, Xander lacks any real personality beyond being kind. I often have trouble connected with nice romantic leads, merely because nice does not constitute the entirety of a person. Okay, Xander is nice and caring...what else? What makes him tick? What skeletons are in his closet? Give me something!

And, on the subject of romance, West throws in another love interest in this novel - one who is at the same economic level as Caymen - and though he is far more interesting and shares many more passions than Xander does, his character is purposefully left under-developed so as to keep the spotlight on Caymen and Xander. It's such an unnecessary plot device that does nothing for the romance or for the message of this novel in terms of stereotypes. In fact, all it succeeded in doing was grate on me. West not only has a huge fan base, but she has devoted readers who have extolled this novel far more than it deserves, in my opinion, and I simply did not expect these sorts of plot tropes from such a well-known story.

I am sure that The Distance Between Us will continue to win over fans, but much like My Life Next Door, this is one contemporary that just has not worked for me. While I can at least claim that the latter had many solid scenes and used its characters (and their economic statuses) to its advantage, this novel ends the novel very quickly, failing to go back and address many of the self-discovery issues that Caymen and Xander face and solving the monetary problems between them a little too easily as well. I would still recommend this book for fans of contemporary romance and I will, definitely, be reading West's next romance (I am a sucker for best-friend romances!), but I need my story lines to be a tad bit more realistic and contain a much needed dose of substance. We'll see if West moves in that direction...or not.

Mini-Reviews: After the Kiss & The Outside

Title: After the Kiss (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #1)

Author: Lauren Layne

Rating: 4 Stars

For those of you who know me well, you'll know that I am often hard-pressed to pick up a romance novel. I've been craving Layne's work, though, ever since Rachel @ The Reader's Den reviewed her upcoming New Adult novel - out by the end of this month, thankfully! (I actually reviewed this already - you can read my review for it HERE.) When I saw that Layne already had an adult romance novel out, one that Rachel enjoyed as well, I knew I had to check it out. If it isn't already obvious, Rachel is my go-to romance reviewer. I'm a fish out of water in this genre, but I trust her completely and - whew! - did this book deliver or what? ;)

After the Kiss sounds remarkably similar to "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," but the two manage to remain unique in their own spheres. Julie and Mitchell, the romantic leads of this novel, are so much more than they appear and their rocky road to love - full of unexpected surprises - was infused with both depth and swoon. While - granted - the misunderstanding in this novel can be seen from the synopsis itself, this book is more about a guilty pleasure read; the product of a rainy day, aching feet, and a Kindle nearby. It's funny, heart-felt, amusing, and oh-so-entertaining. As long as I love the characters in a romance, chances are, the book has already sold me. If you're looking for a new romance author -  one who certainly delivers in the character development department (not to mention handsome hunk!) - then look no farther than Lauren Layne!

Title: The Outside (The Hallowed Ones, #2) 

Author: Laura Bickle

Rating: 4 Stars

I've struggled a lot with this review, mainly because so much that I want to say about this novel is a spoiler. And yet, let me reassure fans of The Hallowed Ones first: The Outside is a remarkable follow-up to the creepy, vampire-infested Amish story we were given last year. Although Bickle has strayed away from the Amish community that was once her setting, the values of these people are still very much alive and present throughout the novel in the form of Katie, our protagonist. Moreover, where I could scarcely see a solution to the problems presented within this series, Bickle creatively wraps up this duology perfectly, presenting solid solutions and leaving no threads un-explored.

For me, The Outside got off to a bit of a slow start, struggling to really find its voice in Katie's narration until nearly a quarter of the way through. Once it hit its stride, though, it was impossible to put down. While the bulk of Katie's growth remaining in The Hallowed Ones, she continues to adapt to her environment - while retaining her values - in this installment. In particular, her romance with Alex is intensely developed; slow, but true. The Hallowed Ones touched upon their connection, but The Outside really solidifies what they have into something real. Additionally, I love that there is both an influx of new characters and a return to old characters in this installment. Bickle goes back to fix the issues caused by Katie's hasty departure, as well as explore the lore and world she has created with her vampiric disease. Although she doesn't bring up nearly as many intriguing topics to mull over as she did in The Hallowed Ones, creating a divide between the spiritual and science, she does manage to make readers truly think and reflect with this installment as well. Bickle isn't afraid of exploring the boundaries of her Amish protagonist, which I love, so all-in-all, this novel wound up being just as strong - if not even more memorable - than its predecessor.