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Spoils
When Leni's family hit the lottery, life got . . . well, strange. Leni's parents built a mansion fit for royalty; they enrolled their daughter in the fanciest, most expensive private school in Florida; and they even bought Leni a dolphin for her 12th birthday (she made them take it back). But all of that extravagant living has caught up with them and the lottery money is about to run out—except for the large trust fund Leni will inherit on her 18th birthday, now only a week away. Leni is prepared to give her parents the money until her sister, Natasha, confesses a shocking secret—one that threatens to destroy their entire family. Leni has been ordered to fix it, but how?
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2013
2 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Tammar Stein
14 books28 followersTammar Stein is the award-winning author of the YA novel, Light Years, a Virginia Reader's Choice book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2006. Her second novel, High Dive, was nominated for an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2009. Kindred, her third novel and the first in a series, was nominated for Teen Choice Best Book Award and received a starred review on Publishers Weekly. Spoils, a companion to Kindred, will be released on December, 2013. Debts, free e-novella will be released in the Fall, 2013.
She recently moved to Virginia where she lives with her family and bilingual dog.
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March 27, 2024gonna dnf it for now...
idek, i just can't find the motivation to continue reading it tbh and im afraid it might lead me into a book slump. maybe i'll pick this up again later?
idek, i just can't find the motivation to continue reading it tbh and im afraid it might lead me into a book slump. maybe i'll pick this up again later?
July 8, 2013
Richie's Picks: SPOILS by Tammar Stein, Knopf, December 2013, 272p., ISBN: 978-0-375-87062-0
"Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
Money, it's a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team."
-- Pink Floyd, "Money"
"People dream about winning the lottery and how it'll change their lives. The fact that the change will be for the better is taken for granted. Since when did copious, ridiculous, Monopoly-amounts of money not fix everything? No more fretting at that tight race between the checking-account balance and the bills in the mail. No more envious longing for someone else's cool crap. Being rich is like being famous without the stalking paparizzi. It means you're important and powerful. Of course there's a better life. Of course you're a happier person. Duh."
What would you do if you won millions of dollars?
When we meet Leni Kohn, there is just over a week to go until she turns eighteen. That's when her million-dollar trust fund will become available to her.
Leni's parents won the lottery back when she was eleven. They opted for an after-tax lump-sum payment of $22 million. All of that money -- except for Leni's trust of $1 million -- has since come and gone. Her parents have lived large, buying a huge house (which is now a mess and on the verge of foreclosure), RVs and boats, condos and failed businesses. Stuff that's stacked in the garage. Lent millions to buddies who had no intention of paying it back. Horrifyingly, we learn at the opening of the story that her parents illegally bought her a dolphin for her twelfth birthday and surprised her with it swimming around their saltwater pool. (Leni, who has long had dreams of becoming a marine biologist, insisted on the dolphin's immediate relocation to a more suitable habitat.)
Leni could use her million to attend Stanford as a first step toward her dream of earning a PhD in marine biology. But Lani's parents clearly expect that once her money becomes available next week, she will turn it over to them to spend as they choose.
Leni is the youngest of three siblings. Her brother Eddie, now in his late twenties, quickly blew his share partying. Her sister Natasha, who is twenty-four with a tea shop, now tells Leni that the lottery win was actually fixed, that she, Natasha, sold her soul in exchange for that having taken place seven years earlier, and that Leni needs to rid herself and the family of that last million because it is evil money.
SPOILS puts Leni in the position of having to make a life- and family-altering decision.
"I stand up too, and we're the same height. Our fists are clenched by our sides and both of us have chins forward in a pugnacious tilt.
"'I am going to say it, because you need to hear it. How did we get here? You and Dad got us here! I gesture at the bills but in my anger, I misjudge and knock them all over, They scatter and flutter like birds set free. We both stare at the mess. Bills and statements are everywhere, on the floor, on the counter, on the chairs.
"'Oh, crap,' I say sadly."
Into the mix, with the clock ticking down toward her birthday and her need to make a decision, comes a charismatic young man and a guardian angel.
I have a sense of what I would do with the proceeds from winning the lottery. One can't help but ponder it while reading Leni's story. In fact, I found myself discussing it at length last night with a friend, being that that I was dying to talk with someone about this intriguing tale. It was really interesting to compare perspectives.
So, what would you do?
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
"Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
Money, it's a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team."
-- Pink Floyd, "Money"
"People dream about winning the lottery and how it'll change their lives. The fact that the change will be for the better is taken for granted. Since when did copious, ridiculous, Monopoly-amounts of money not fix everything? No more fretting at that tight race between the checking-account balance and the bills in the mail. No more envious longing for someone else's cool crap. Being rich is like being famous without the stalking paparizzi. It means you're important and powerful. Of course there's a better life. Of course you're a happier person. Duh."
What would you do if you won millions of dollars?
When we meet Leni Kohn, there is just over a week to go until she turns eighteen. That's when her million-dollar trust fund will become available to her.
Leni's parents won the lottery back when she was eleven. They opted for an after-tax lump-sum payment of $22 million. All of that money -- except for Leni's trust of $1 million -- has since come and gone. Her parents have lived large, buying a huge house (which is now a mess and on the verge of foreclosure), RVs and boats, condos and failed businesses. Stuff that's stacked in the garage. Lent millions to buddies who had no intention of paying it back. Horrifyingly, we learn at the opening of the story that her parents illegally bought her a dolphin for her twelfth birthday and surprised her with it swimming around their saltwater pool. (Leni, who has long had dreams of becoming a marine biologist, insisted on the dolphin's immediate relocation to a more suitable habitat.)
Leni could use her million to attend Stanford as a first step toward her dream of earning a PhD in marine biology. But Lani's parents clearly expect that once her money becomes available next week, she will turn it over to them to spend as they choose.
Leni is the youngest of three siblings. Her brother Eddie, now in his late twenties, quickly blew his share partying. Her sister Natasha, who is twenty-four with a tea shop, now tells Leni that the lottery win was actually fixed, that she, Natasha, sold her soul in exchange for that having taken place seven years earlier, and that Leni needs to rid herself and the family of that last million because it is evil money.
SPOILS puts Leni in the position of having to make a life- and family-altering decision.
"I stand up too, and we're the same height. Our fists are clenched by our sides and both of us have chins forward in a pugnacious tilt.
"'I am going to say it, because you need to hear it. How did we get here? You and Dad got us here! I gesture at the bills but in my anger, I misjudge and knock them all over, They scatter and flutter like birds set free. We both stare at the mess. Bills and statements are everywhere, on the floor, on the counter, on the chairs.
"'Oh, crap,' I say sadly."
Into the mix, with the clock ticking down toward her birthday and her need to make a decision, comes a charismatic young man and a guardian angel.
I have a sense of what I would do with the proceeds from winning the lottery. One can't help but ponder it while reading Leni's story. In fact, I found myself discussing it at length last night with a friend, being that that I was dying to talk with someone about this intriguing tale. It was really interesting to compare perspectives.
So, what would you do?
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
December 15, 2016
OMG, this is the perfect book. A lottery win gone wrong. A deal with the devil. All set in my beloved St. Petersburg Florida, and written with a totally deft hand and great insight. You will NOT want to put it down.
September 16, 2018
Gave up at 53%. Insipid, weirdly religious, and dull.
May 16, 2014
What would you do if you won $70 million dollars in the lottery? For Leni’s family in Florida, it meant lots of spending on both selfish pursuits and worthy causes. Which is why it’s nearly all gone only seven years later. Most of what remains is in a trust fund for Leni for her to claim on her 18th birthday a week away.
Thinking about what she’ll do with her money she reviews where the rest went: her older brother Eddie spent his on travel and extravagance and now rarely leaves the basement of the mega-mansion their parents built. Her sister Natasha bought a tea shop that struggles to stay afloat even though business appears to be doing well. And her parents? They bought lots of stuff and gave some away to friends and relatives who really needed it. Now they are counting on Leni to turn over her trust fund to them so they can continue leading this lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to for just a little longer.
Leni is resigned to giving up the money, even if it means revising her dreams of college. But when she finds out that Natasha may have made a deal with the devil to win the prize and an angel appears telling her to make it right, she begins to have doubts about what to do. She takes a hard look at what having money has done to her family and struggles to find a solution that may put her family back together.
Even without the devil/angel element, Spoils by Tammar Stein fascinates with its look at how lots and lots of money can change people. Believing they have no reason to earn money ever again, they often make decisions that don’t fit with the values they have lived with in the past. They don’t know how to judge who likes them for their money and who likes them for the people they are.
I recommend Spoils for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 15 and up. It can spark interesting discussions on how book club members speculate they would deal with a sudden windfall. It could touch on the presence of real forces of good and evil in the world working to influence people’s minds and hearts. Another big issue to discuss includes figuring out what’s important to you in life and determining how to pursue it.
The author gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thinking about what she’ll do with her money she reviews where the rest went: her older brother Eddie spent his on travel and extravagance and now rarely leaves the basement of the mega-mansion their parents built. Her sister Natasha bought a tea shop that struggles to stay afloat even though business appears to be doing well. And her parents? They bought lots of stuff and gave some away to friends and relatives who really needed it. Now they are counting on Leni to turn over her trust fund to them so they can continue leading this lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to for just a little longer.
Leni is resigned to giving up the money, even if it means revising her dreams of college. But when she finds out that Natasha may have made a deal with the devil to win the prize and an angel appears telling her to make it right, she begins to have doubts about what to do. She takes a hard look at what having money has done to her family and struggles to find a solution that may put her family back together.
Even without the devil/angel element, Spoils by Tammar Stein fascinates with its look at how lots and lots of money can change people. Believing they have no reason to earn money ever again, they often make decisions that don’t fit with the values they have lived with in the past. They don’t know how to judge who likes them for their money and who likes them for the people they are.
I recommend Spoils for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 15 and up. It can spark interesting discussions on how book club members speculate they would deal with a sudden windfall. It could touch on the presence of real forces of good and evil in the world working to influence people’s minds and hearts. Another big issue to discuss includes figuring out what’s important to you in life and determining how to pursue it.
The author gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 25, 2015
I found this to be strangely written, with italicized bits that focused on outsiders to the primary story, among them a devil and an angel, as well as a homeless man, and a couple whose child has cancer. In fact, I don't even really understand the main character Leni's conviction and rationale for the use of the million dollar trust to which she will have access upon turning 18. Her parents won the lottery some seven years prior and put aside that amount of money for each of their three kids before they essentially lost of the rest of the $22 million lump sum payment.
Her sister Natasha opened a tea shop in their Gulf Coast Florida town, and her brother Eddie traveled the world living large but now resides in his parents' crumbling mansion's basement. There's never much clarity of exactly why Natasha is sure she made some bargain with the devil for the family to win the lottery or what favor she had to do in return, but she, as well as some strange messages from the archangel Michael, is adamant that Leni must do the right thing with her money, to get rid of its taint on their family.
Oddly, most of Leni's concern centers around a boy she barely knew from her science magnet school who has some scrapes with the law for hacking and then got kicked out of Tech--who knows what tech university, as the author never specifies much. I just found this one icky. Kind of cool premise to follow a girl whose parents won the lottery and will herself come into money at the tender age of 18, but it just didn't do a thing for me.
Her sister Natasha opened a tea shop in their Gulf Coast Florida town, and her brother Eddie traveled the world living large but now resides in his parents' crumbling mansion's basement. There's never much clarity of exactly why Natasha is sure she made some bargain with the devil for the family to win the lottery or what favor she had to do in return, but she, as well as some strange messages from the archangel Michael, is adamant that Leni must do the right thing with her money, to get rid of its taint on their family.
Oddly, most of Leni's concern centers around a boy she barely knew from her science magnet school who has some scrapes with the law for hacking and then got kicked out of Tech--who knows what tech university, as the author never specifies much. I just found this one icky. Kind of cool premise to follow a girl whose parents won the lottery and will herself come into money at the tender age of 18, but it just didn't do a thing for me.
March 19, 2013
For the first time in my writing career, I stayed put long enough to write about a place while I lived in it. Florida is a such a weird, wonderful, sometimes frightening place that it became my second protagonist. Cement eating termites, ever-present alligators, and spiders large enough to have a social security number, it was all too rich not to delight in.
Spoils is about family and loyalties, taking a chance on people, and the power of a million dollars to change the world.
Spoils is about family and loyalties, taking a chance on people, and the power of a million dollars to change the world.
February 12, 2014
This is an engrossing cautionary tale: be careful what you wish for, as you may get it, and then some. Both adult and young-adult readers will be drawn to the characters, conflict, and wonderful descriptions of Florida. I don't dare say more, as it might spoil the ending of Spoils!
December 27, 2013
I rarely give book one star. Too many loose threads in the story line. Lots of potential, but overall very disappointing.
May 18, 2020
I don't know whether I'm keeping this one or not so hold onto your butts.
All in all? Stupid. Pointless. I believe someone used the term 'insipid'. Thank you for that nostalgic reference. It fits well with the theme.
The main character is the daughter of a family who 'won' the lotto jackpot. Except they didn't ACTUALLY win? Somehow their other daughter made a deal with the devil and he made it happen? Oh. The money's cursed. The angel Michael's involved. And there are a lot of italicized references of other characters we never meet, don't get to know, and don't have any point in the story. It makes you believe they all add up to something, but it just comes around the devil has more dealings than we thought.
Kinda like how the other part of the plot never came around. There's blood on the money? And it's cursed and it's not theirs? What the hell was that? Nothing really explained. A lot of copouts, shit that could've been caught with a few more rewrites but who has the time for that, am I right?
The romance is a flimsy thing that a wet dog caught onto and shook the fuck out of before burying it in the devil's backyard. Her sister spent her money on a tea shop that goes capoot and is set on fire at the end so the family really does lose everything.
Kind of hard to write a happy ending with a dysfunctional family who's relied on their 'spoils' for 7 years and are just supposed to go back to square one. You know what would've been a more interesting story? THAT. Have the book be about the family winning, losing the fortune, and turning into a bunch of money-grubbing losers who still have no friends and lost what little dignity they had to begin with. Have them go crazy. Foam at the mouth crazy. Do anything for a dime crazy. Money does funny things to people, and we hear stories all the tie about lottery winners and millionaire artists who regret getting caught up in that. We don't need a deal with the devil. We don't need a half assed guardian angel giving us misguided directions like we're supposed to know what to do in the first place when, FYI, the Bible is sure to make VERY CLEAR angels deliver these messages with the mystery attached.
How the fuck is she supposed to know who to spend it on? She could've been approached the homeless man, her sister, or the devil himself and wouldn't have known. Gavin has no relation to her in the first place, so why she's so insistent to help him makes no sense. He is what he is. A hacker who got caught, sent to juvie, and later on screwed. WHAT THE FUCK does that have to do with lottery winnings? He didn't kill anyone so how is it BLOOD money? Or was the family with the dying kid supposed to win it? They made a deal, too, though. For 1 million dollars on medical bills. The backstory on useless, needless characters was 10 times more interesting than the main plot which is the only reason I didn't skip the italicized portions. I know I said 300 pages is too much and we should go back down to 200 page books, but for 200 something pages this has more filler than the selection.
All in all? Stupid. Pointless. I believe someone used the term 'insipid'. Thank you for that nostalgic reference. It fits well with the theme.
The main character is the daughter of a family who 'won' the lotto jackpot. Except they didn't ACTUALLY win? Somehow their other daughter made a deal with the devil and he made it happen? Oh. The money's cursed. The angel Michael's involved. And there are a lot of italicized references of other characters we never meet, don't get to know, and don't have any point in the story. It makes you believe they all add up to something, but it just comes around the devil has more dealings than we thought.
Kinda like how the other part of the plot never came around. There's blood on the money? And it's cursed and it's not theirs? What the hell was that? Nothing really explained. A lot of copouts, shit that could've been caught with a few more rewrites but who has the time for that, am I right?
The romance is a flimsy thing that a wet dog caught onto and shook the fuck out of before burying it in the devil's backyard. Her sister spent her money on a tea shop that goes capoot and is set on fire at the end so the family really does lose everything.
Kind of hard to write a happy ending with a dysfunctional family who's relied on their 'spoils' for 7 years and are just supposed to go back to square one. You know what would've been a more interesting story? THAT. Have the book be about the family winning, losing the fortune, and turning into a bunch of money-grubbing losers who still have no friends and lost what little dignity they had to begin with. Have them go crazy. Foam at the mouth crazy. Do anything for a dime crazy. Money does funny things to people, and we hear stories all the tie about lottery winners and millionaire artists who regret getting caught up in that. We don't need a deal with the devil. We don't need a half assed guardian angel giving us misguided directions like we're supposed to know what to do in the first place when, FYI, the Bible is sure to make VERY CLEAR angels deliver these messages with the mystery attached.
How the fuck is she supposed to know who to spend it on? She could've been approached the homeless man, her sister, or the devil himself and wouldn't have known. Gavin has no relation to her in the first place, so why she's so insistent to help him makes no sense. He is what he is. A hacker who got caught, sent to juvie, and later on screwed. WHAT THE FUCK does that have to do with lottery winnings? He didn't kill anyone so how is it BLOOD money? Or was the family with the dying kid supposed to win it? They made a deal, too, though. For 1 million dollars on medical bills. The backstory on useless, needless characters was 10 times more interesting than the main plot which is the only reason I didn't skip the italicized portions. I know I said 300 pages is too much and we should go back down to 200 page books, but for 200 something pages this has more filler than the selection.
December 7, 2013
Money is truly the root of all evil in this somewhat imbalanced teen drama. Seven years ago, Leni Kohn’s family won the lottery--$22 million after taxes. Today, a week before Leni’s eighteenth birthday, the family is pretty much broke. Careless investments, wasteful spending, and too many generous “loans” have reduced their fortune to near-nothing. The family has one hope left: when Leni turns eighteen, her trust fund kicks in and she finally gets access to the million put aside just for her. Everyone assumes that she’ll give it all to her parents, so the family doesn’t drown in debt. Even Leni assumes she’ll do what’s right for her family, no matter how much she dreams of using to pay for college or help the environment.
Then her older sister Natasha tells Leni that she made a deal with the devil for them to win the lottery, and the money is cursed, and Leni should get rid of it all. Leni’s about ready to laugh it all off as one of her sister’s odder quirks, until she starts getting visits from the archangel Michael, telling her to “fix it.”
Now Leni is caught in a vaguely-defined struggle between good and evil, trying to find the right path. She suspects it has something to do with Gavin, a brilliant young man with a checkered past, who’s come back into her life at an unexpected time. But how can she fix something when she doesn’t even know what she’s fixing? How can she justify depriving her parents of the money they need? With the days until her birthday ticking down, can she find a solution?
I wanted to like this book a lot. Part of it stems from a fascinating premise, one grounded in reality. After all, how many times do we read about lottery winners who go broke or come to a bad end? How often do we see stories about the accidental millionaires who can’t handle their newfound wealth? Stein’s portrayal of the Kohns as a family ruined by success is painful, riveting, and poignant. The parents who build a needlessly luxurious mansion and throw extravagant parties and throw their money at poor investments and risky ventures. The older brother who blows his money on parties and traveling, until he ends up back at home, dreaming of better days. The older sister who can’t let go of her ex-boyfriend, who sinks her money into a tea shop. And Leni, the sensible, idealistic one, whose money has remained in trust all these years until she comes of age. It’s a powerful look at people who simply weren’t prepared for their fortune, and how it undermines their sense of self and corrupts their priorities.
So to put the story at the crucial point where Leni must decide what to do with her money? There’s the seed of a compelling, provocative tale. Her moral dilemma and internal struggle is really something to study. While money isn’t inherently bad, it’s clear that it’s an easily-misused resource. No wonder she’s conflicted about giving it to her parents, knowing it’s just a stopgap measure when they need to find a new way of handling things. And this is the story I wanted to read, in which Leni find a way to break the cycle and rescue her family from the pit of despair and debt.
So when I realized that this book also had a paranormal element, I honestly wondered if it was necessary. Did the book actually need this subplot regarding a vaguely-described deal with the devil, and ambiguous communications from an archangel? Is it any stronger for having the supernatural quality in the background? I don’t think so. In fact, it’s a little distracting, even a little insulting, to be able to ascribe outside influences to such purely human elements. Money doesn’t need to be cursed in order to lead to bad results, simple foolishness and greed can accomplish the same thing.
I know, I’ve never exactly been one to shy away from the paranormal elements in what I like. Urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres, after all. But sometimes, that element of the fantastic does more harm than good, and Spoils is a good example of a story that would have been perfect as a mainstream book. It has everything already in place: a family in crisis, a conflicted protagonist, a suitably compelling romantic interest, and a complex moral dilemma that speaks to its audience. Given the economy of the past few years, money is never far from anyone’s mind. Almost everyone plays the “what if we won the lottery” game and this is a starkly compelling cautionary tale.
As it stands, it’s really quite a muddle. Is the money truly cursed? If so, is it only cursed when the Kohns use it for their own benefit? Or will all those people they loaned/gifted/donated it to suffer equally miserable fates somewhere down the line? Otherwise, why couldn’t Leni have kept a little for herself, to handle necessities as opposed to frivolities, or would paying for school be selfish somehow? There’s too much left unexplained and unspecified where her mission is concerned, and I’m still not sure how the chain of logic led her to assume that she had to help redeem Gavin’s life. More of the hand-wavy paranormal bits, I guess.
In the end, Spoils is a fantastic book undermined by a few too many extraneous elements, which is really a shame.
(Originally posted at Schrodinger's Bookshelf)
Then her older sister Natasha tells Leni that she made a deal with the devil for them to win the lottery, and the money is cursed, and Leni should get rid of it all. Leni’s about ready to laugh it all off as one of her sister’s odder quirks, until she starts getting visits from the archangel Michael, telling her to “fix it.”
Now Leni is caught in a vaguely-defined struggle between good and evil, trying to find the right path. She suspects it has something to do with Gavin, a brilliant young man with a checkered past, who’s come back into her life at an unexpected time. But how can she fix something when she doesn’t even know what she’s fixing? How can she justify depriving her parents of the money they need? With the days until her birthday ticking down, can she find a solution?
I wanted to like this book a lot. Part of it stems from a fascinating premise, one grounded in reality. After all, how many times do we read about lottery winners who go broke or come to a bad end? How often do we see stories about the accidental millionaires who can’t handle their newfound wealth? Stein’s portrayal of the Kohns as a family ruined by success is painful, riveting, and poignant. The parents who build a needlessly luxurious mansion and throw extravagant parties and throw their money at poor investments and risky ventures. The older brother who blows his money on parties and traveling, until he ends up back at home, dreaming of better days. The older sister who can’t let go of her ex-boyfriend, who sinks her money into a tea shop. And Leni, the sensible, idealistic one, whose money has remained in trust all these years until she comes of age. It’s a powerful look at people who simply weren’t prepared for their fortune, and how it undermines their sense of self and corrupts their priorities.
So to put the story at the crucial point where Leni must decide what to do with her money? There’s the seed of a compelling, provocative tale. Her moral dilemma and internal struggle is really something to study. While money isn’t inherently bad, it’s clear that it’s an easily-misused resource. No wonder she’s conflicted about giving it to her parents, knowing it’s just a stopgap measure when they need to find a new way of handling things. And this is the story I wanted to read, in which Leni find a way to break the cycle and rescue her family from the pit of despair and debt.
So when I realized that this book also had a paranormal element, I honestly wondered if it was necessary. Did the book actually need this subplot regarding a vaguely-described deal with the devil, and ambiguous communications from an archangel? Is it any stronger for having the supernatural quality in the background? I don’t think so. In fact, it’s a little distracting, even a little insulting, to be able to ascribe outside influences to such purely human elements. Money doesn’t need to be cursed in order to lead to bad results, simple foolishness and greed can accomplish the same thing.
I know, I’ve never exactly been one to shy away from the paranormal elements in what I like. Urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres, after all. But sometimes, that element of the fantastic does more harm than good, and Spoils is a good example of a story that would have been perfect as a mainstream book. It has everything already in place: a family in crisis, a conflicted protagonist, a suitably compelling romantic interest, and a complex moral dilemma that speaks to its audience. Given the economy of the past few years, money is never far from anyone’s mind. Almost everyone plays the “what if we won the lottery” game and this is a starkly compelling cautionary tale.
As it stands, it’s really quite a muddle. Is the money truly cursed? If so, is it only cursed when the Kohns use it for their own benefit? Or will all those people they loaned/gifted/donated it to suffer equally miserable fates somewhere down the line? Otherwise, why couldn’t Leni have kept a little for herself, to handle necessities as opposed to frivolities, or would paying for school be selfish somehow? There’s too much left unexplained and unspecified where her mission is concerned, and I’m still not sure how the chain of logic led her to assume that she had to help redeem Gavin’s life. More of the hand-wavy paranormal bits, I guess.
In the end, Spoils is a fantastic book undermined by a few too many extraneous elements, which is really a shame.
(Originally posted at Schrodinger's Bookshelf)
July 24, 2023
Good read, but felt like there was a few loose ends.
April 12, 2014
Seventeen-year-old “Leni” (Lenore) feels the crushing weight of her family’s poor financial decisions that multiplied seven years ago when her parents brought home $22 million for one winning lottery ticket. Now all that money is gone and all that remains is a run-down beach-front mansion and the $1 million set aside for Leni for when she turns 18. Her older brother and sister already blew through their million; at least her sister Natasha still has the tea shop she purchased but her 27 year-old brother Eddie dropped out of college and remains holed up his bedroom eating junk food and playing video games. Leni knows that her parents expect her thinks they will waste this money too.
Then a week before her 18th birthday, two mysterious things happen on the same day. Natasha tells Leni that the money the family received was cursed because she made a deal with the devil and tells Leni to get rid of it, but will not reveal the horrible thing she did in exchange for that lucky lottery ticket. Then, Leni experiences a horrific, violent encounter with the angel Michael who screams inside her head, “Fix it!’ To end the brutal migraine pain, Leni promises that she will. Now, Leni has only a week to figure out how she can fix her family’s money curse without them hating her forever while avoiding another terrifying visit from the angry angel.
Teens who like realistic fiction will enjoy this fast-paced novel that tugs at your heart-strings while presenting a losing lottery winner story in an original way. While I was surprised when the plot twisted into the angel/devil storyline, the author had enough other interesting characters and events to keep me riveted until the end.
For grades 7 and up.
Then a week before her 18th birthday, two mysterious things happen on the same day. Natasha tells Leni that the money the family received was cursed because she made a deal with the devil and tells Leni to get rid of it, but will not reveal the horrible thing she did in exchange for that lucky lottery ticket. Then, Leni experiences a horrific, violent encounter with the angel Michael who screams inside her head, “Fix it!’ To end the brutal migraine pain, Leni promises that she will. Now, Leni has only a week to figure out how she can fix her family’s money curse without them hating her forever while avoiding another terrifying visit from the angry angel.
Teens who like realistic fiction will enjoy this fast-paced novel that tugs at your heart-strings while presenting a losing lottery winner story in an original way. While I was surprised when the plot twisted into the angel/devil storyline, the author had enough other interesting characters and events to keep me riveted until the end.
For grades 7 and up.
November 3, 2016
a girl with a sister and brother. her sister made a deal with the devil, their father won the lotto. the parents blew thru all their money. the son did the same. the older sister bought a tea shop that was successful. the younger daughter was still in high school, when she turned 18 she would get her million in trust. her parents expected her to give them the money as they were in debit and had none left
but her sister was so upset, she had made a deal with the devil and he made her do something she wouldnt tell what
the younger sister was told by a angel to get rid of the money by doing something good for someone else
the sisters tea shop burned down, they arrested her for arson tho she didnt do it she thought she deserved prison for what ever it was she did for the devil
she ran into a boy she knew from hs and gave the money to a prof who thought the boy had removed a page from a book and got thrown out of school. he was going to make energy from algae and the boy helped him
it was a good book
but her sister was so upset, she had made a deal with the devil and he made her do something she wouldnt tell what
the younger sister was told by a angel to get rid of the money by doing something good for someone else
the sisters tea shop burned down, they arrested her for arson tho she didnt do it she thought she deserved prison for what ever it was she did for the devil
she ran into a boy she knew from hs and gave the money to a prof who thought the boy had removed a page from a book and got thrown out of school. he was going to make energy from algae and the boy helped him
it was a good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2014
Peach Award (4 stars)
It's possible the best part of this novel is the descriptions. Which is not to say I didn't like the story, because I really did, but Stein creates a mental painting of Florida so detailed you can almost reach out and touch it. I loved the "what if" framing of this novel. What if you won the lottery? What if you suddenly had more money that you ever imagined? What if you threw it all away, or knew someone who did? What if you found out the money was never supposed to be yours in the first place?
Stein combines the realism of the economy and the all-too-frequently poor spending habits of modern Americans with a touch of the spirit world. Money can buy a lot, but it can't always buy you out of trouble, and Leni will have to deal with both devils and angels to set her world right. I enjoyed the lack of resolution for several of the characters, but suspect some will find it frustrating rather than intriguing.
It's possible the best part of this novel is the descriptions. Which is not to say I didn't like the story, because I really did, but Stein creates a mental painting of Florida so detailed you can almost reach out and touch it. I loved the "what if" framing of this novel. What if you won the lottery? What if you suddenly had more money that you ever imagined? What if you threw it all away, or knew someone who did? What if you found out the money was never supposed to be yours in the first place?
Stein combines the realism of the economy and the all-too-frequently poor spending habits of modern Americans with a touch of the spirit world. Money can buy a lot, but it can't always buy you out of trouble, and Leni will have to deal with both devils and angels to set her world right. I enjoyed the lack of resolution for several of the characters, but suspect some will find it frustrating rather than intriguing.
February 2, 2016
When the book begins, Leni is a week away from her 18th birthday and the right to spend her million dollar trust fund as she chooses. Her father won the lottery seven years before and she is the only family member left with money from the big event. Leni’s parents spent their lottery winnings on a lavish lifestyle that has left them broke and living in a mansion, cringing at calls from creditors. Leni is emotionally torn. She feels she has a responsibility to her parents to help them financially but she would rather donate her money to a worthy cause. Leni’s dilemma is a fascinating read. An added bonus is the strong sense of place and detail in Stein's writing. The reader sees, smells, and breathes Florida. This book could be used in a writing seminar as an excellent example of how to describe setting with sensory detail.
January 5, 2014
Expectations were high for Stein's companion book to Kindred. In a world where good and evil bring their A game with Angels and the Devil, Spoils picks up where Debts (a great novela) leaves off. The story started in Kindred comes full circle here. Stein masterfully blends the supernatural with superb story telling, characters who will be your friends, and beautiful prose.
Most importantly, once you start reading Spoils, you won't stop until you finish. Once you do finish, you'll be left asking yourself some surprising questions, like, "do I really want to win the lottery?"
Most importantly, once you start reading Spoils, you won't stop until you finish. Once you do finish, you'll be left asking yourself some surprising questions, like, "do I really want to win the lottery?"
January 19, 2016
Family wins huge lottery and manages to to spend it all except for a million kept in trust for the youngest child. She will have control of it when she turns 18- a few weeks away.
Leni, is clear-headed, loves nature, and despises the tacky, wasteful way her parents spent all of their money. The other characters have flaws and strength, a mix of good intensions and bad behavior. Everyone expects Leni to hand over her trust to her parents, who have considerable debt but she's not sure what the best way to use the money is.
Good look at windfalls of $ and what happens to a family who has one.
Leni, is clear-headed, loves nature, and despises the tacky, wasteful way her parents spent all of their money. The other characters have flaws and strength, a mix of good intensions and bad behavior. Everyone expects Leni to hand over her trust to her parents, who have considerable debt but she's not sure what the best way to use the money is.
Good look at windfalls of $ and what happens to a family who has one.
December 24, 2013
This is actually a very fun story to read and I like the many unique elements.... A captivating voice for the protagonist / narrator, an intriguing plot and theme, and a believable supernatural element as well... The kind that many of us seek out .... That inner voice from the world beyond... I'd like to read more from this author. I also loved the portrayal of this lovable yet fallible Jewish family. kudos.
November 2, 2013
In a week, Leni will have access to her million dollar trust fund. Her parents have squandered the millions from a lottery win and want her to turn her money over to them. But the archangel Michael visits Lenis and tells her to use it to "fix it." But what is she supposed to fix? A real page turner with just the right amount of romance.
June 18, 2014
I never read Stein's other book, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I liked the message choices. It was really nice to see a novel with a Jewish protagonist, where the Judaism is actually a part of their lives. Usually it only gets mentioned because of Hannukah or something,s so I likes seeing the Jewish themes throughout the story.
November 18, 2016
Like others have said, I really liked this book's premise, but I don't think it was executed very well. The resolution to the problem was pretty boring and just wasn't satisfying for me. There are religious themes in the book but they weren't very preachy or pushy IMO. Still a pretty good summer or rainy day read.
February 9, 2014
Tammar Stein offers a fascinating exploration of how people can be swayed by the powerful allure of money and its ability to enact an abundance of good, as well as immeasurable harm. - Read the rest of my review at http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/spoils
January 4, 2014
I really REALLY enjoyed this book. It's a fantastic concept that really makes you think - what would you do with a million dollars? How would it enhance or ruin your life or the lives of those around you?
Plus it was really well written & a very engaging story. I was really happy with the ending.
Plus it was really well written & a very engaging story. I was really happy with the ending.
January 10, 2014
First book of 2014!
The premise was really intriguing, and I liked the main character but I am fairly disappointed with the ending. I can't really talk about it too much without giving everything away, sadly, but I just felt she was a little less self-sacrificing.
The premise was really intriguing, and I liked the main character but I am fairly disappointed with the ending. I can't really talk about it too much without giving everything away, sadly, but I just felt she was a little less self-sacrificing.
January 17, 2015
3 stars
not sure if this is reality fiction or religious fiction. very disappointed. I was hoping for more so reality fiction and even though I am very spiritual, I found this a read that is not relatable.
not sure if this is reality fiction or religious fiction. very disappointed. I was hoping for more so reality fiction and even though I am very spiritual, I found this a read that is not relatable.
January 2, 2016
I really liked the premise, but totally didn't expect the surnatural part. There's nothing wrong with the story but it's not what I expected (I hoped for the story of winning the lottery then learning how to live without, for instance).
December 4, 2015
Interesting premise, but ended up... too spiritual for my taste. Also had many moments of college-freshman-taking-creative-writing-for-the-first-time prose. Like, no one really uses the word "epitome" unironically anymore.
May 15, 2014
Lots of religious themes, which was okay even though I'm agnostic. Still, was boring most of the way through. If you like this kind of thing, it could be a great summer read.
2.5 stars.
2.5 stars.
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