The Young Heroine

Carolyn and I have talked before about the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott. We both were blah on book 1 (David and whiny girl), LOVED book 2 (Anne and Mal) and disagreed vehemently on book 3 (Jimmy and Lena) with Carolyn loving it and I hated it.

Book four, Deep, released and Carolyn told me she didn't like it. It's the story of Ben and Liz and I was hopeful for it. Instead I DNF'd it. I found the hero too wishy-washy and annoying and the heroine was a child emotionally.

I don't read NA for a reason and that's because I'm not interested in 20 year olds as heroines. If you've lived for awhile then you know that the best thing about being is your 20s is uh... youth. But the average 20 year old is just beginning their journey and they're learning how to stand on their own two feet and it just doesn't interest me. I like more seasoned heroines. I like people who have been through the wringer and have bruises, or scars.

In Deep, Liz is pregnant from a one night stand with rock star Ben. The condom broke. So Liz decides to quit school and travel with the band and be taken care of because morning sickness is kicking her ass.

Fucking crybaby.

I had to stop reading and then started Silver Bastard by Joanna Wylde. (Funny happenstance, Kylie Scott is acknowledged in Wylde's book and as critique-beta reader. )

Silver Bastard is the story of Puck and Becca and Becca is 21, Puck is 26 (I think). Becca is a kick-ass heroine. She's been through more in her life because of a fucked-up, meth head mother and a sick fuck step-father who raped her repeatedly and then pimped her out as a teenager.

Becca has issues but that doesn't make her a wuss. She's going to school, working, creating a network of friends and family,. Liz in Deep had no real issues except that she let other people take care of her, Becca was self-parenting at a young age and deals with her issues. And she has some big ones.

Loved Becca. Loved her story. Was a little meh about Puck as a hero because he just wasn't that interesting as man-meat, hero bait but damned if I didn't love the book.

Seriously have to pimp Silver Bastard but have to give Kylie Scott a pass. Except for Mal, she's struck out with me every time.