Mini Reviews: Lying Out Loud, Under a Painted Sky, and Lois Lane: Fallout

It's that time. That time I DESPERATELY TRY to get back on track by throwing a bunch at reviews in your face, BITE-SIZED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.



Lying Out Loud by Kody Kiplinger
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Release date: April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic
Length: 309 pages
Source: ARC from ALAMW15

FAVE KEPLINGER BOOK. Fave ship. Perfect and feelsy (except for the ending which is way too abrupt I WANTED MORE). It's a sort of Darcy/Lizzy meets Cyrano de Bergerac ship/book, where we have this boy (Ryder, obnoxious snobby hipster) who's in love with this girl (Amy, who is precious and Wesley Rush's little sister) who has a best friend (our heroine, Sonny,  who is HILARIOUS and snarky and great big liar liar pants on fire). One night, while chatting online, Sonny pretends to be Amy and talks to Ryder for hours. And then, of course, she starts to have feelings for Ryder...even though she's lying to both of them. About a lot of things.

I LOVE SONNY. Great big flawed ball of lying hurt, full of sass, with an absolutely wretched home life and a fierce devotion to her best friend. This book is full of friendship feels and SHIPPY GOODNESS. I read it in one day and just couldn't get enough. <333



Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
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Release date: March 17th, 2015
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin)
Length: 384 pages
Source: ARC was a gift/purchased finished copy

I really enjoyed that! After talking it over with some people, I realize there are a few narrative flaws in this two-girls-disguised-as-boys Oregon Trail story, and objectively, I would have tweaked those things, but I really grew attached to the two main characters. Samantha "Sammy" Young is a recently orphaned Chinese-American girl who--whoops--commits murder and has to go on the run from the law. She flees onto the Oregon Trail with a runaway slave named Annamae, and both of them disguise themselves as boys to avoid detection. Then there are COWBOYS, CUTE COWBOYS, and stampedes, and Oregon Trail shenanigans, and FRIENDSHIP, and ships, and found family, all of which are things that very much float my boat. I found the ragtag motley true of Sammy, "Andy", and the three cowboys really adorable. Their bonding gave me feels.

it was a bit strange reading this book right after the nominally similar Walk on Earth a Stranger, which had a more chilling sense of danger and death and whatnot, but I still very much enjoyed this book. It's diverse, moving, and the writing is heartbreakingly beautiful in places.



Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond
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Release date: May 1st, 2015
Publisher: Switch Press
Length: 368 pages
Source: Purchased

That was pretty fun! Lois herself is the best part of this. She's very Veronica Mars, with a nose for truth, sass for days, and confidence up the wazoo. The actual mystery was a little strange (I like that it's clearly comic book-esque, though, even if I'm not a huge fan of the way that the gaming technology/alternate world stuffs was uses) and the promise of an awesome Superman/Lois ship was great. (SUPERSHIP). It's clearly the opening volume in a larger story--rather like Vol. 1 of a new comic book--and I very much wish I had the second one. BUT, that clearly means I'll  be eading the second. I got feels! And there was sass. Oh, was there sass. I will always read for sass.