Review: Under My Skin by Judith Graves
Title: Under My Skin
Author: Graves, Judith
Length: 303 pages
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher / Year: Leap Books / 2010
Source: From my aunt for Christmas
Rating: 3/5
Why I Read It: I met the author at the Books of Wonder Class of 2K10 event during BEA 2010, but at that time her book was not yet out. When I saw it in the Slave Lake Book Auction I bid on it but my aunt saw my bid and out-bid me and then gave me the book for Christmas 
Date Read: 26/12/11
North American urban fantasy / paranormal books are really losing their appeal to me, I have to admit. I know that in Europe and the UK the trends are different, but I’ve not read many books from there so am unsure how they stack up. As purely enjoyment, this book and all of the others are great. But the more I think as I read them, the more frustrated I often get. That being said, this was one of the better ones.
So let me start with the positives. Graves has set the book in a fictional town in Northern Alberta, Canada, which is really great. There aren’t a ton of paranormal books with a Canadian setting it seems, as even the few I’ve read by Canadian authors seem to be set in the US anyway. It was fun reading about something like this set a little bit closer to home (if only in the sense that my mother is from Alberta).
The main character, Eryn, is half human and half Wolven. Wolven are natural shape-shifters as opposed to werewolves who are created. After her parents disappeared she was sent to this remote community to lie low while her parents are found. Instead, it seems that Redgrave is full of paranormal activity and Eryn is thrown into the middle of it.
The story was well-paced with lots of action and movement, and definitely provided much entertainment while reading. This is the type of book that you can easily get lost in as you simply sink in and follow the action. Unfortunately, for me it almost requires that. We have the typical love triangle between two very different bad boys and Eryn. We have the whole ‘super-great-kick-ass-heroine who just can’t even hardly remember her name when a hot boy is around because CLEARLY he makes her lose all bearing and stop thinking’ issue. Where a girl can’t function around a hot guy so no matter how kick-ass she is it doesn’t matter.
What bothers me most, and I keep talking about it with young adult paranormal, is the rape culture. We also have, in this book, the usual old she wants to avoid but psychological mind-tricks make her want him so bad (i.e. her mind isn’t under her control, basically we could term this mind-rape). A guy is literally forcing himself into her thoughts, making her want him, and etc. We are shown that this is problematic but not because it is an invasion of privacy and self and the loss of control and consent, but because it means that her mind is dark and so it allows it. It becomes her fault that he can get into her mind. Oh right. Of course. Back to the standard victim-blaming we are all so good at.
Lastly, we see the excepto-girl issue where Eryn and Brit are great and kick-ass but the other girls are just girly and annoying. Because of this fact they are shown to be susceptible to vampire charm and thus again, back to the victim blaming tactic discussed above. Their minds aren’t pure because they are too selfish and vain, and so it is their fault that they fall prey. While we see potential by the end for this stereotype to change, that potential may not come through.
So in all, entertaining and if you can ignore the problematic aspects, you’ll likely enjoy this. I say this knowing that I am really usually one of the only ones complaining about these issues, so most people would probably enjoy it (and oh, how it hurts to admit that). (Though again, this book is much better than many of the other popular ones I’ve read recently.) I should warn you though that this is (of course) the first book in a series as well. And yet… I really want to know what happens next. THIS is the issue with these books. They somehow draw you in completely and totally despite the glaring problems. So the problems get pushed to the back of your brain and you ignore them, but you still absorb their message.
I don’t think you are wrong in the least to have these reactions to a book that houses these elements, and though I have not read a lot of books in this genre, I can imagine that I would probably feel the same about the “mind-rape” and the issues of gender weakness and morality being a large plot contrivance to get the girls into the clutches of the monsters (if that makes any sense). I don’t know if I would read this one, but I have to be honest and say that at your mention of love triangle, I became a lot less interested in this one. It seems like that is standard formula for these books!
It is just so frustrating zibilee, glad others understand. Best thing about blogging is being able to vent I think sometimes
You list so many of the reasons I’ve come to loathe YA–the love triangle, everyone else sucking except the main girl, victim blaming, and etc….
Why is this what we are feeding to young people? Why did this become the norm? How do we change it?
I DON’T KNOW BUT I WANT TO KNOW AMANDA! lol. I mean I don’t know how it got so common and I wish I knew how to change it… continual complaining maybe?
As wolfshowl said, much of what you’ve pointed out here is the same stuff I struggle with in paranormal YA. I have to admit the continuance of these themes, tropes, and motifs saddens me as paranormal YA is also one of my favorite genres – a real love-hate relationship.
Why is it so common? I just don’t understand Trisha. Definitely a love-hate relationship for many of us it seems.
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one bothered by some of the glaring issues present in books like these. They have the suspense factor that makes you want to keep reading even though some really annoying things happen. Having been in not so healthy relationships like those described in many of these books, I know why they are written about so frequently. It can be so easy to fall prey to a strong charismatic male especially when you don’t necessarily have yourself all figured out. I think that these issues when they are exposed and discussed can be a valuable learning tool for young girls. But the problem is that many of these books don’t do that. They just write about these situations as if they are normal — almost desirable. And to me, that is what is truly disturbing.
I love blogging because it shows us that others have found the same issues in books Jennifer! I’m totally with you on the issues. I think that the fact that it is so often portrayed in these books makes girls think that it is OK to get into those dangerous relationships, ya know? Instead of a learning tool it’s shown as a perfectly OK thing and that if anything goes wrong then CLEARLY it is her fault. I think for those of us who have been there it is glaring, to others somehow it isn’t? I don’t get how it isn’t glaring to everyone though…
I totally agree. It is way unhealthy. I don’t read much YA or paranormal, but I have definitely come across these issues before. By the way, have you ever read BEFORE I FALL? It was one of the few YA titles I read this year, and I thought it was wonderful.
I haven’t read it yet Sarah. That good? Perhaps I might have to re-add it to my list