Skip to main content

Extreme Makeover


Extreme Makeover is, yes, another YA sci-fi by Henry Melton.

This one came out back in 2008 and features Deena Brooke, an overweight senior high school student with a painfully overprotective single mother. Without any real friends (it's kind of hard when her Mom wants her to focus primarily on homework and is leery about new kids), Deena is rather lonely, but faces her situation with frank reality and a smart, if underachieving, head on her shoulders.

But when during a school run a sudden, violent storm breaks out and one of the huge redwood trees in her small California town of Crescent City falls on her - she survives. It's probably the most remarkable thing to ever happen to nearly invisible Deena, since everybody is shocked (and relieved) that she is relatively fine after the event.

Of course Deena knows how much pain she is (silently) in, but she's fine enough in her estimation. Yet when she wakes up - she has healed surprisingly fast. And out of nowhere she has a hankering for exercise, a fever that doesn't make her sick, and an urge to return to the scene of the accident - something she doesn't understand, since she has no idea why she wishes to do such a thing. Nor why she is suddenly addicted to rubbing pennies against her skin.

Could it possibly be... aliens? Could she possible be part of a grander plan? And how come handsome fellow senior Luther Jennings is interested in her (at least scientifically, even if she'd like to imagine more) now that has these strange new "quirks"?

Okay you addicted, obsessive readers, have you picked up a Henry Melton book yet? 'Cause if you haven't you really need to check him out, ya hear? I'd suggest, perhaps, Pixie Dust, Golden Girl, or Follow that Mouse as your first foray into his world of sci-fi (click on the titles to read my reviews), but once you enter it - well, ya start to love it more and more.

Extreme Makeover brings us yet another example of Henry Melton's ability to make teens seems realistic and approachable, now giving us Deena who is overweight, which is an issue a lot of us gals deal with. And he doesn't sugarcoat it, nor make Deena completely disaffected by it (now suffocated by insecurity). Plus, the issue of her overbearing, paranoid mother is quite a, well, issue. Lol.

The point is, it doesn't take long at all to like her - and once, er, something begins to control her - it's creepy. Luther has secrets that are slowly revealed that make him intriguing as well, especially since a lot of what he is hiding come in to play heavily later on in the novel.

I did, early on in Extreme Makeover, feel there was a bit of a lack in pacing and real hook, but I was prepared to be patient. Meanwhile, I certainly was not bored! I was just... waiting. But as more and more changes begin to happen to poor Deena, the stronger the sci-fi vibe. And the changes are not only puzzling and mysterious, they are also truly scary and kind of fascinating.

Extreme Makeover is an interesting story that grows more compelling as the pages turn. Melton's talent for mixing grounded characters with out-of-this-world plots takes an extra step this time around and includes a criminal element. The finished product is full of twists, surprises, and shocks galore, in which tables are turned and questions are answered. Though at times I felt it was convoluted and muddled, it had its romantic side and, despite not being perhaps my favorite Henry Melton book, Extreme Makeover is a good, solid YA sci-fi.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

First Step: Admit You Have a Problem

Hi fellow Bibliophiles! I have been rather neglectful to this blog... instead continuing to stay buried in a book as I have during the holidays. I'm hopeful that most of you have been doing this too and can easily accept my apology. Have I been reading? Um, yeah! (Translation: duh.) Just haven't been able to pull myself away long enough to actually WRITE about what I'm reading. Lol. But that's me, a bibliophile, an addict, an addict who's fallen off the wagon and fully embraced her love of reading - especially with all this free time to do so!!! I've also been watching awesome holiday movies, eating yummy, but bad-for-me, food and hanging out with the people I love best! You too? I hope! ;) Anyway, I will return with a new book review next week, most likely on Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for your patience and keep reading!!!

Promotion Celebration for Maximum Ride!!!

Do you love the series Maximum Ride ? How about James Patterson? Are you a huge fan of action-packed books? Well, I’m thrilled to bring to you an opportunity to stock up on some awesome reading!!! ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS! MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE. Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series. On sale in paperback 09/01/09! Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction? Now for the rules : The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 200

Author Q & A - Jan Eldredge Stops By!

Next Wednesday y'all will be getting my oh-so-humble opinion of Evangeline of the Bayou , the Summer 2018 Kids' Indie Next List selection! (That means it was picked via booksellers at independent bookstores countrywide.) Until then, I have a Q&A with the Louisiana born and raised author herself: Jan Eldredge! (Don't forget to come back next week for my review!!) A Conversation with JAN ELDRIDGE Author of Evangeline of the Bayou 1) The glossary in the back of the book is so helpful! Where did you learn about all these creatures? Which creature from the book is your favorite? I have a small, but growing, collection of books about mythical creatures around the world. If I couldn’t find what I was looking for there, I researched library books, online websites, and the occasional documentary. Something that really surprised me as I started learning more about mythical monsters was the number of different cultures that share very similar