Title: Sykosa
Author: Justin Ordoñez
My rating: 3.5 Stars
Book Description:
Sykosa (that's "sy"-as-in-"my"
ko-sa) is a sixteen-year-old girl trying to reclaim her
identity after an act of violence shatters her life and the
life of her friends. This process is complicated by her best
friend, Niko, a hyper-ambitious, type-A personality who has
started to war with other girls for social supremacy of their
school, a prestigious preparatory academy in the Pacific
Northwest of the United States. To compensate, Sykosa has
decided to fall in love with her new boyfriend, Tom, who was
involved in the act of violence. Propelled by survivor guilt,
an anxiety disorder, and her hunger for Tom and his charms,
Sykosa attends a weekend-long, unchaperoned party at Niko's
posh vacation cottage, where she will finally confront Niko on
their friendship, her indecision about her friends and their
involvement in the act of violence, and she will make the
biggest decision of her life — whether or not she wants to
lose her virginity to Tom. (end)
My Review:
Sykosa is a novel about a teenager named Sykosa, her best friend Niko, her lust/love interest Tom and their journey through a chaotic life in the Academy. This coming-of-age story is not for the faint of heart, or anyone under the age of sixteen (sexual content). It will pierce your heart and make you remember the down sides of high school, but also the adventurous fun sides as well. The novel read like another popular novel, Prep by Curis Sittenfield, because it told the tale of young students growing up and discovering love, friendship, sex, and much more at a young age.
The hardest, and arguably the best, part about this Sykosa was trying to truly relate with what Sykosa and Tom went through. Justin told the tale of the teens as if it were a true story/non-fiction instead of a fiction story. It was an incredible read and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, watching them grow, and seeing how they truly aged.
I'm giving Sykosa 3.5 stars because it was a great read. For being a young-adult/adult fiction novel, the content was definitely mature. I enjoyed the characters, the story, the tone, and the moral(s) throughout the novel - the story came to life like very few novels of this genre do.
The hardest, and arguably the best, part about this Sykosa was trying to truly relate with what Sykosa and Tom went through. Justin told the tale of the teens as if it were a true story/non-fiction instead of a fiction story. It was an incredible read and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, watching them grow, and seeing how they truly aged.
I'm giving Sykosa 3.5 stars because it was a great read. For being a young-adult/adult fiction novel, the content was definitely mature. I enjoyed the characters, the story, the tone, and the moral(s) throughout the novel - the story came to life like very few novels of this genre do.
About the author:
Justin Ordoñez was born in Spain,
raised in the mid-west, and currently lives in Seattle. He's
nearly thirty years old, almost graduated from the University
of Washington, and prefers to wait until TV shows come out on
DVD so he can watch them in one-shot while playing iPad games.
For fifteen years, he has written as a freelance writer,
occasionally doing pieces as interesting as an editorial, but
frequently helping to craft professional documents or
assisting in the writing of recommendation letters for people
who have great praise for friends or colleagues and struggle
to phrase it. Sykosa is his debut novel.
4 comments:
Hilary, thanks for taking the time to read and review Justin's book.
You're welcome Nicole. :) It was fun!
Yes, thank you for taking the time to read the book. Seems like you really got hooked by it. Hope you read Part II when I finish it!
I would like to read part II when it is released, Justin! :D
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