It’s Not You, It’s Me

For the first time in my adult life the phrase, “It’s not you, it’s me” is finally true.  Sure, I said it to the creepy body builder guy who liked to read me children’s books after sex and stroke my hair (I was shocked after the first time, I knew I had to get out after the second time. He did introduce to me to Harry Potter…that’s the only nice thing I have to say about that guy… he wore Jesus sandals and always was trying get me somewhere fairly uncomfortable):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7_NEinAjI

Yes, I also said it to someone who had a bizarre relationship with his sister (tried to get me to dress like her?), and it was said to me once with enough gusto to realize that it was indeed, ME who was the problem.  But when I say it about this book, I’m telling the truth. In another time when I wasn’t sick, my 5 year old wasn’t barking like a seal (bronchitis), my 3 year old wasn’t  resisting potty training and also sleeping in my bed (plot twist: my bed gets peed in and not hers!! Wooo!) and my 7 year old wasn’t saying charming things like, “I puked in the toilet and I got most of it in there”  then yes…I would’ve probably focused more on the action of this book and  I wouldn’t had to have to put it down every five seconds. I think it’s due to all of these things that I couldn’t fully immerse myself into the book. I loved, loved, LOVED the first book and the characters that I am still looking forward to reading book 3; however, I just might have to hold off until my tribe moves out (or I guess until we all stop being sick if I’m not going to be super dramatic about everything).

Without getting too spoilery because let’s get real here, you need to read book 1 STAT.  What are you waiting for?

We pick up in Los Angeles where our main character Ruby has become a trained operative for the Children’s League.  Using her very manipulative and formidable talents, she leads dangerous missions for the group–including interrogation, memory manipulation and even erasure.  What she can’t erase from herself is the longing to know what has happened to her love–Liam and very good friend, Chubs.   Sent on a mission to find a lost flash drive that could contain a cure for the kids known as Psis, she might also have a chance to find Liam again.  But if she does, what would it matter? Would he even remember her?

Lots of stuff happens (that’s VERY description and helpful, isn’t it? I aim to please!), and it’s a tight and tense drama.  I truly enjoyed that while this is considered YA lit, the love that Ruby has for Liam and vice versa seems to be drawn from something real–meaning that it grew from experiences, hardships and spending time together. Her love of her team of kids from the League, grows over time and doesn’t miraculously gel.  The losses the different groups experience seem organic and a part of the story rather than there for shock value or even emotional manipulation.  So I caught your attention with the first paragraph that you hardly realize that I barely talked about the book at all, right?  I AM MASTERFUL!  Oh wait, I gave myself away.

Go read it, it’s good. I think.