Somehow, Crash came out a while back without me knowing… I’ve had Lisa McMann on my radar since I read her Wake trilogy a few years ago, which is excellent. So, I was surprised when I received an Advance Reader’s Copy of Bang, which is her upcoming sequel to Crash, because I didn’t even realize Crash existed.I know, this is a problem only in the book nerd world to which I belong.
Anyway, I couldn’t dive into the ARC of Bang without reading Crash first, so I got my hands on a copy of it yesterday. And I read it last night. Couldn’t sleep until I had it finished. It was really, really good.
And then, of course, I devoured Bang as soon as I woke up this morning, and it’s good. Just as good as Crash, if not better.
I have two favorite things about Lisa McMann’s writing. One, her characters are so well-written that they feel like real people. I take a break from reading to do something else that needs to be done, and it’s like I’m shocked when I put the book down and the character isn’t really there. It’s unnerving in the very best way. Two, she does paranormal in a way that makes it kind of normal. Like, it’s not some weird witches and vampires crap. It’s normal people, with normal lives, in normal settings… but something happens to them that is paranormal. This is also unnerving in the very best way – it makes you feel like it could happen to you any moment. It’s great.
I highly recommend Crash, as well as her Wake trilogy, for high school and up. There’s some language and sexually-charged intense moments, but nothing over the top, really. I wish the language were tamer. Bang, which I also highly recommend, will be out in October 2013. I’m hoping to feature it on She Reads closer to its release date. For now, though, enjoy the titles that are already out!
Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists 