Book Review: Candor by Pam Bachorz

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

Part of 1 ARC Tours

First, I think it's important to point out that the synopsis makes Oscar seem extremely selfish. Well, he is selfish, but only to an extent. He's helping people to escape a place that's devoid of any creativity or conflict, and receiving some sort of payment seems like a fair trade. He's also dealing with a father who spends more time dealing with the community than he does with his own son, and missing the other half of his family. When a girl named Nia moves to town, he is immediately attracted to her. This attraction leads Oscar to try and save her from the brainwashing messages, and even to think of escaping himself.

The story was a really interesting one. The town seems perfect to the outside observers. So perfect, in fact, that people are willing to pay millions to get a small plot of land far from the center of town. But inside the borders, Candor is a sinister place . One of the main reasons why people go to Candor is because of their "troubled" teens. I guess these parents don't really mind that the personality gets sucked out of their kids...or that they suddenly are all doing well in school, and participating in all the same activities (of course, the adults don't realize they're getting brainwashed, too).

The book was fairly short, and a quick read. The only thing I would have liked to learn more about was the messages. We know the why of them after learning more about Oscar's sad family history, but I want to know how.

I had just finished reading this book when I saw an interesting commercial. It was for a program created by some behavioral psychologist (although who really knows) and it promised to get rid of "all the problems your teen has". Um, what? The commercial just screamed "Candor", and I cringed a bit at the saccharine smiles of the hired actors posing as happy families. Maybe it was because I'd just finished the book, but this commercial was disturbing.

Candor
By Pam Bachorz
Published by EgmontUSA
256 Pages
Rating: B+

In My Mailbox (October 11)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

Candor by Pam Bachorz (Part of 1 ARC Tours)

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.


Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

Patient Name: Leigh Nolan Age: 18 years Presenting Concerns: Leigh Nolan has just started her first year at Stiles College. She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot cards than Rorschach blots), despite reporting that she thinks, "Psychology is a load of crap." Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own...not so much. Patient has a tendency to overanalyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved. Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night? Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship? And why does his roommate Nathan dislike her so much? More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream? Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who's badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and mentoring a middle-school-aged girl who thinks Patient is, in a word, nave. Preliminary treatment will include Introduction to Psychology, but may require more if she's going to answer these questions and make it through her freshman year. Diagnosis: Psych Major Syndrome

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Book II in the Darkest Powers trilogy takes us deeper into a world where the supernatural intrudes on the everyday with riveting effect. If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a group of people who call themselves The Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I’m a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us gain our freedom back before The Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

What did you get this week?