Review: Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Micah is a compulsive liar, we know that from the start. We do not know why she lies, or when. We do not know what mysterious disease her family has and hides. And most importantly, we do not know what happens to her boyfriend Zach who has gone missing and is later found to be murdered (on page 5, not a spoiler). This novel is a psychological thriller and a journey to find the truth, something Micah has had trouble with before.

It's really hard to write a synopsis of the story without giving anything big away, so I am going to leave it at that. I will also do my best to keep this review free of spoilers from here on out. I think the biggest thing about this book is the fact that Micah is a very unreliable narrator. Everything she tells us must be questioned, from the smallest of things to the existence of some of the characters. You will suspect her and you will feel betrayed by her and you will wonder if she's crazy. The thing is, though, that Micah is such a beautifully written character that we want to believe her, despite how many times she lies to us. We will go along with what she says and get wrapped up in the story only to fall for one of her tricks--and she will trick you. At the end of the novel you're left wondering what was real and what she lied about, or if any of it was real at all. Another brilliant thing that Larbalestier does is set up the novel in 3 different sections, each of these with smaller parts broken into Before, After, School History, Family History, and History of Me. In this way it feels as if Micah is organizing the facts--or rather, her thoughts depending in which interpretation you end up taking. It's a different way to read but it works so well for this novel. While reading I found myself finding some aspects a little too much (I can't even say, it's the biggest spoiler), but then I realized that this could be a lie as well. Whatever this book was, it was compelling and it made me think. On a few occasions since finishing Liar last week I've caught myself thinking about different things and honestly, I'm not sure what I believe about this story, except that it was an interesting read and I enjoyed it. Larbalestier has woven quite the novel that will keep you guessing from start to finish.

Liar in the Publishing Industry

For my 5NerdsomeWriters post for video week, I decided to talk about Justine Larbalestier's new book Liar, and the recent controversy surrounding its cover. Enjoy.

5 YA Crushes

I have more than 5, but that is not how the meme works. Jordyn over at Ten Cent Notes posted a list of the 5 guys in YA that she does and does not like the most and challenged the rest of us to do the same, so here are mine. If I wanted to make this really, really easy I could just pick one guy from every Maureen Johnson book & be done with it (and still have books left over) but I won't do that.

Just to name a few...
1. Spencer from Suite Scarlett
He. Is. AMAZING. He is sweet, smart, funny, and he can do a prat fall. And ride a unicycle! This is the boy for me. I was in love from his very first line, I swear.

2. Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter series
He's old, yeah, but whatevs, I don't care, I love this dude. Really smart, totally caring, and solves all your problems with chocolate.

3. Tom from Magic or Madnes
He's just fantastic. And he can sew. Although I have to admit, I fangirl him less & less as the series goes on. Probably because I don't like who he ends up with. (I like HER, I just don't like him with her)

4. Gavin from Shrinking Violet
I've always had a thing for guitarists, you know.

5. Hunter from So Yesterday
So he can be a bit of a wimp, but I'm willing to help him become braver. Still, he's smart as heck and nerdy, but also sweet. Good guy.


Guys I find very over-rated.
1. Edward Cullen. He's a creep, a stalker, & a pedophile. And a tonne of other things like those.
2. Harry Potter. I cannot stand him towards the end of the series. Honestly, where's the appeal?
3. Sirius Black. Even more-so than Harry. So many people are in love with him and I just don't get it! (double for Snape)
4. Victor from Runaways (totally counts). He is a robot, okay, got it...what else ya got?
5. Speaking of Marvel characters, why Wolverine?!! I never understood this. EVAH.