Blazed - Jason Myers
- Ali Mark
- Jan 11, 2016
- 4 min read
Published in 2014.
Pages: 517.
Number of books by author: 13 novels.
Genre: Young Adult.
When Jaime's mom takes a huge turn and all of a sudden, Jaime's ghost-father will now enter his life, take him halfway across the US, and be forced to live with one another for eight days. But when Jaime meets Dominique and Kristen, will he decide to stay in San Francisco and abandon his mom?
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Depression/Mental Illness
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Family Life
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.89. I think it was more deserving of a 5.00.
It's known that I think highly of Jason Myers' books. But this one topped it. This was a 5.1/5. Myers topped himself in this book, and not for the simple fact that LFK gets a one-line shout out. This book is Jason (or what I picture him to be, anyways) in 500 pages, give or take a few. I've had numerous emotions when reading his books; this was the first to give me goosebumps. If you've read his other books, you'll understand. (If you haven't read anything, you need to start with exit here.) The growth Myers shows in this book, not only in his characters - which I'll get back to momentarily, but as an author. Things I've found frustrating or this or that in past books, I didn't feel that. This feels as close to exit here. as any other book he's written - and it may just top it (I'll definitely have to re-read exit here. to really make such a statement). Next time I recommend a JM book, it will definitely be Blazed that comes to mind first, as opposed to exit here.
Now, let's go back to the growth in the characters. In past books, I felt that there was an absence of growth in multiple characters in the book. But I really felt as though multiple characters here grew throughout - maybe not as drastically as we see the changes in both Jaime and Justin (although, not in present day necessarily), the growth is so critical to how you view and relate to these characters. And while a lot of them
grow in the same way, that's normal - I grow in the same way a lot of other have grown because we are drawn to our own kind (even if that 'kind' is a past version of ourselves). The need to save one another in this story seems less dramatic than you would envision it to be. The need to save one another is this simple kind of natural instinct to draw yourself to someone who needs a little push, a little tough love, a little more this and a little less that.
The voice of a 14-year old kid who had to grow up too quickly is very apparent. It doesn't feel dramatic, it doesn't feel too adult, either. It just felt "right." Go into the foster care system - find a 14-year old kid who had to take care of a parent. That's this. That's the exact feeling that was presented in this entire novel. From the adulthood-beginnings, to the childlike breakdowns of not being able to be a child. It was (goosebumps come over me yet again) done so well.
Back to previous books Myers' has written, this was the most unique (see last paragraph for a potential plot spoiler and further explanation) book he's written. I reference exit here. as the most relatable book that's been done by Myers - maybe because it was his first so it was the most raw, probably the most exhausted as far as editing and options and story lines go - but this was a breath of fresh air. I struggled through the last JM I read because it was identical in plot line to everything else (as was in this in it's base plot), but the last 25 pages really jacked me up in Run The Game. But this book was so unique, and it felt like I was reading an entirely new story, rather than a continuum. The actions, the thought processes, the characters felt new and revived.
And as always, one of my favorite things about Myers' books is the repeat-characters. We saw appearances from James Morgan and Lamborghini Dreams. This isn't so much important as it is reassuring, clever, and fresh. Not many books, unrelated to one another, have appearances of characters from other books, and that's one thing I just love about his writing style. And because it's my favorite, I'm glad it was in this one despite how different this felt.
The only complaint I can have is that in the past books, we've also seen the same plot line. Boy likes sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. Boy finds girl; fucks girl; fucks things up with girl. Boy grows up or shuts up. It's always the same, but this was the first book since exit here. that felt like the plot line was more expansive, which is why this really didn't bother me enough to degrade this book's promise and exploration of a fantastic story line.
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