I was a teenage book geek

Review: Torn by Cat Clarke

2011-10-04T17:05:00.001+01:00

Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares…

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down.

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love. (Summary from Goodreads.com).

Drawing on scenarios more usually encountered in teen horror movies, Torn is the gripping story of schoolgirl politics getting way out of hand. Cat Clarke's follow up to bestselling debut novel Entangled takes a fresh look at what happens when a group of teenagers are given a taste of freedom on a school wilderness trip... with truly disastrous consequences. Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, Torn is essentially a book about growing up - think coming-of-age story, but terrifying. It's about that moment when you realise that crying to your parents or hiding behind the sofa won't fix things - that sometimes life can spiral out of control and there's no way back to the safety of before.

Narrator Alice King is the type of character that readers will instantly empathise with. At school, she's neither queen bee nor outcast, instead occupying the no-man's land between the two extremes. Like many of us, she's accutely aware of the injustice perpetuated by the in crowd, but not quite brave - or powerful - enough to befriend those deemed Untouchable. Her own acceptance is far too tenuous to take such a risk. With insight and dark humour in equal measure, Torn really digs down into the truth about the high school social order, going beyond the simple mean-girls-vs-losers dynamic we often see perpetuated in popular culture and holding the mirror up to a reality that's far more complex.

Cat Clarke is an edgy writer, and that's her strength. She doesn't write tidy stories where enemies are safely dispatched and a happy ending is guaranteed for all. She writes in shades of grey, and the result is honest and raw narratives where things get messy and hearts get broken - sometimes readers' hearts. Even the love story that unfolds alongside Torn's central mystery is conflicted, brimming over with bittersweetness of the most poignant variety. Like Entangled, Torn sees its teenage protagonist forced to confront uncomfortable truths about herself, and in both cases that makes for fascinating reading. But where Torn surpasses Entangled is in the way it takes us on our own journey of self-discovery - the way Alice's story feels as though it's only one wrong decision away from being our own. Seriously scary stuff.

Torn is one hell of a book. It's stomach-churningly tense, twisty in the cleverest way and completely impossible to put down. I read it straight through in one go, on the edge of my seat, only pausing every now and then to remind myself to breathe. If you like your YA fiction dangerous and authentic, Torn is a must-read.

Out: December 2011, UK

Review: Celebriteens In The Spotlight by Joanna Philbin

2011-07-13T15:11:00.001+01:00

In America, the Celebriteens books are published under the series name The Daughters - alluding to the fact that although its teenage lead characters aren't famous in their own right, they're growing up in the shadow of parents who are. The author herself is the daughter of US talk show host Regis Philbin, and while this is definitely no autobiography I suspect it may well be personal experience and observation which lend the first instalment in the series its genuine, heartfelt quality. The series has been rebranded for the UK as Celebriteens, and it lives up to its glamorous new name one hundred percent.

Book one sees unconventional-looking Lizzie Summers dealing with a fairy common teenage problem - she doesn't measure up to those perfect-looking models in the magazines - but with the uncommon added pressure of daily life with a mother who actually is one of those models. Lizzie's self-confidence takes a bashing every time she's forced to accompany her mum to another A-list party, and her supermodel mother doesn't seem to have any idea what it's like for her. Add in some trouble with schoolwork and a crush on the cutest boy in school, and along with her best friends Hudson and Carina, Lizzie's just a regular teenage girl... but when she messes up, the whole world knows about it.

A cover quote from Cecily von Ziegesar states that Gossip Girl herself would love this book, and while there are some major similarities between the two series - the New York setting, the red carpet events, the super rich lead characters - there are some major differences too. Lizzie, Carina and Hudson are a couple of years younger than Blair and Serena, and the story reflects that. This is a book about the importance of friendship, staying true to yourself and the bittersweetness of first love.

Despite the glitz and glamour of Lizzie's lifestyle, tween readers will relate to her because underneath it all, her problems are universal. I'd recommend this one to readers in the eleven to fourteen age group who would like the inside scoop on what it's really like to be the daughter of a rich and famous parent.

Out: now.

A Year Without Autumn blog tour: my review and an exclusive extract

2011-04-14T08:00:00.128+01:00

Jenni and Autumn are lifelong best friends. Practically joined at the hip, they're so inseperable that their families even rent timeshare holiday homes at the same resort each year.

But this particular summer, things don't go according to plan. When Jenni hops in the elevator as usual to visit Autumn's apartment, she finds herself slipping forward in time. A whole year forward.

Suddenly, everything's different. Her clothes are too small. There's a new addition to her family. And her friendship with Autumn might never be the same again...

Where most timeslip stories see a character travelling back into the past, in A Year Without Autumn Liz Kessler takes the unusual step of sending her main character a year forward in time. Unexpectedly, Jenni finds herself an entire year ahead of where she's meant to be in her life. While some of what's changed is for the better, for the most part she's lost in her own life - and it's fascinating reading.

At the heart of A Year Without Autumn is a tragedy that threatens to destroy a friendship, as Jenni gradually pieces together the truth about what happened during the year she missed. Where time travel stories can sometimes get a little bit mindbendy, this one is so heartfelt and so wistful that despite the strangeness of the situation it's easy to relate to the girl who finds herself in it. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself looking at those everyday choices you make in a new light: how might one tiny decision change your future forever? With some total tear-jerker moments and an ending that'll really make you think, Jenni's story is an irresistible page-turner that's impossible to put down.

A Year Without Autumn is a perfect summer tale; a magical story of friendship and family and growing up. It's the kind of book that you'll race through, enthralled by the events unfolding on the pages before you - and then think about for days afterward. Intriguing and enchanting and real all at the same time, it's a book about saying yes to adventure. Adorable and thoughtful, this one's a must-read.

Out: April 7th 2011, UK

Today, I'm thrilled to present an exclusive extract from A Year Without Autumn - the entire first chapter, no less. Enjoy!

Chapter One

     ‘Stop the car!’
     ‘What?’ Dad swivels round in his seat. The car jerks into a swerve.
     ‘Good grief, Tom!’ Mum squeals, gripping her armrest as she pulls a wad of tissues out of her bag.
     ‘Stop the car!’ I repeat. It’s going to be too late in a minute. I grab the tissues from Mum and shove them over Craig’s mouth.
     Dad pulls over just in time and Craig lurches out of his seat, runs to the gravelly path by the side of the road and doubles over.
     The car stinks of sick for the rest of the journey.
     I sniff pointedly. ‘Mmm, get a load of that fresh country air.’
     Craig pinches me. ‘I didn’t even do it in the car, Jenni,’ he mumbles under his breath as I open my window and stick my head out.
     Welcome to the Green family holiday. Green by name, green by nature, if my little brother’s face is anything to go by. Mum’s isn’t much better, either. But then she is eight months pregnant so she’s got an excuse for feeling a bit delicate – especially when Dad’s behind the wheel. Honestly, I could predict this journey with my eyes closed. It’s the same every year. An hour of Dad driving too fast round the bendy ‘A’ roads, during which Mum will ask him to slow down at least ten times and Craig will puke at least once, followed by three hours of crawling up the motorway with ten trillion other families who have suddenly realised there’s only one more week of the summer holidays left.
     Then we’ll arrive at our timeshare apartment which will look exactly the same as it does every year, and exactly the same as all the other apartments at Riverside Village: big open plan living room and kitchen, both beige and cream, both spotlessly clean and tidy. No dirty stains on the brown leather sofa. No finger marks on the telly. Microwave, sandwich maker, washing up rack, fruit bowl – everything labelled and ticked off in the Guest File, and sitting neatly in its place. In the place it’s been when we’ve come into the apartment on the last Saturday of August every year, ever since I can remember.
     But we like it like that. That’s the thing about my family. We like order; we like to be in the right place at the right time. We don’t like surprises or change very much. I guess that’s why we have a timeshare apartment; so we know exactly what to expect. Same thing, every year. I could even tell you which leaves will have started to turn red. It’s always the same ones. Every year.
     ‘Perfect,’ Dad says with a satisfied nod as he pulls into the drive. ‘Fourteen hundred hours.’ Which is two o’ clock for normal people. The exact time we’re allowed into the apartment.
     ‘Bang on time,’ Mum says with a smile. ‘Well done, darling.’
     That’s what they like to be, my mum and dad. Bang on time.

***

     There’s a strange comfort as we unpack the car and settle in. It’s a bit like when winter comes and you dig out those big fluffy jumpers that you haven’t thought about all year but you suddenly remember you love, and you’re glad you’ve got the chance to wear them again.
     There’s a huge telly in the middle of the room that swivels all the way round, so you can watch it from anywhere. And there’s a bed that folds out from the wall, which you’d never notice unless you knew it was there; it’s like something you’d get in a James Bond film. Not that we ever use it – but just knowing it’s there feels a bit exotic and mysterious. And there’s always a tray of sweets on the table to welcome you. I let Craig dive for the sweets while I take my bags to the room we share, so I can get the best bed by the window.
     I hate sharing with Craig. For one thing, he snores and grunts all night, and I have to creep around in the dark when I come to bed so I don’t wake him up. And then he babbles about all sorts of nonsense in the morning, telling me about his dreams of monsters made from jelly. And for another─
     ‘Budge up, sis.’
     Right on cue, the little monster barges in, plonks his rucksack on the other bed and starts pulling out its contents.
     Approximately thirty seconds later, his bed and half the floor space are completely buried under a pile of clothes, a small mountain of Lego pieces, five packets of sweets, three pairs of dirty trainers, and about fifty model cars, buses and tractors.
     ‘Done!’ he says, shoving his rucksack under the bed and folding his arms.
     ‘Done?’ I say. ‘Done what?’
     ‘Unpacked,’ he says simply. He grabs a handful of Lego bricks and heads for the door.
     Once he’s gone, I stare at the bombsite he’s left behind and take a deep breath.
     Like I said, I hate sharing with Craig.
     I guess I’m quite mature for my age. Everyone says so. ‘Twelve going on twenty,’ my dad says. I’m the oldest in my year at school, and the oldest child in the family. Sometimes it gets a bit annoying always having to be the older, sensible one – but I suppose that’s just how I am.
     There’s a ‘thump thump thump’ along the corridor and Craig appears in the room again. He grabs another handful of Lego bricks, then rifles through various jeans pockets till he finds a bag of sweets left behind goodness knows how many eons ago. He peels a lemon bonbon from the bag and hands it to me. While I’m looking at it and wondering exactly where it’s been, he unwraps a chewy lollipop for himself.
     ‘What goes “Ha ha bonk”?’ he reads from the wrapper.
     ‘I don’t know,’ I say.
     ‘A man laughing his head off.’
     There’s a pause as he lets the joke digest. A second later, he falls forward on his bed and guffaws in his inimitable half choke/half hyena giggle that I can’t help smiling at, despite my irritation.
     That’s the thing with Craig. He’s the only person who really winds me up, the only one who can make me want to scream with frustration, but then sometimes he can make me laugh so much I cry. The only other person who can do that is Autumn. She’s the funniest person in the world, and the brightest and smartest and all-round fabulousest! And she’s my best friend!

***

Dad pokes his head round the door. ‘Fancy a wander, Jenni bear?’
     ‘Yeah, why not?’ I reply, wincing slightly at the pet name he’s had for me since I was about three. I haven’t got the heart to ask him not to use it; he’d be all hurt, and that would be even worse than being called baby names.
     I put the last of my clothes into a drawer and shove my rucksack into the wardrobe. On the way downstairs, I pull my hair into a pony tail with a scrunchy. It’s driving me mad at the moment. It falls all over my face in loopy ringlets if I don’t tie it back.
     ‘Depriving us of your lovely curly locks again?’ Dad says with a wink as I join him and Mum in the living room. If they had their way, I’d let it grow down to my knees, but I’m determined to get it cut, once I can persuade them it’s not the end of the world. They’re scared it’ll be the start of a slippery slope. I’ve tried to explain that a change of hairstyle doesn’t automatically lead to two-inch thick make-up, multiple piercings and a tattooed neck, but they’re not convinced yet. So I just smile, and discreetly pull my scrunchy a little bit tighter.
     Craig is sprawled out on the living room floor, making an incredibly complex-looking robot out of Lego. Mum’s propped up on the sofa with a magazine and a cup of tea.
     ‘Take it easy,’ Dad says, reaching over to kiss her forehead and pat her eight-months-pregnant tummy.
     He ruffles Craig’s hair on his way across the room. ‘See you later, kid,’ he says. Craig doesn’t look up. He’s concentrating too hard on the robot, his tongue poking tightly out of the side of his mouth.
     Dad takes my hand while we walk along the gravelly path. I stop myself from pulling away and reminding him that I’m not five years old. Instead, I let him hold it for a minute, and then pretend I have to scratch my neck so I can let go.
     We walk past the second block of the complex. Together with ours, it’s the modern part of Riverside Village. These two buildings were only added on about ten years ago. The other two buildings have been here for nearly a hundred years. One of them, the reception block, is ahead of us, an elongated cottage with a thatched roof and bushy green ivy all over the walls. Autumn’s block is almost opposite reception, and is the grandest of the lot. Autumn’s family have one of the posh apartments on the first floor. They were updated at the same time as our block was added, and they all have huge bedrooms, massive terraces and Jacuzzis in all three bedrooms!
     We’re just walking between the two buildings when the sound of a loud horn behind us nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I spin round to see a red Porsche roaring towards us.
     ‘Autumn!’ I run over to meet them as they pull up in the car park.
     Autumn waves madly from the tiny back seat where she and her little brother Mikey are both scrunched up with their knees practically behind their ears, suitcases on their laps and most of the window space taken up with bags.
     Autumn’s dad is an artist, and her mum is the manager at the gallery where he sells his work. He bought the car as a present for himself when they sold one of his paintings for a whopping amount. He wouldn’t tell us how much it went for, but Mrs Leonard said it could have bought them a new kitchen. So that was what he bought as her present when they sold the next painting!
     Autumn’s parents are totally fab. It’s always crazy round at their house. There are always loads of people coming round to visit and they’re always throwing dinner parties and having mad conversations where everyone talks at once, and no one ever tells Autumn or Mikey it’s time for bed, and she gets to do things like bake bread and paint murals on the walls. We even helped her dad make cocktails once, for a party they were throwing. That was so cool. Bright red and green drinks, and we served them to all their artist friends in glasses that we frosted with pink sugar.
     Their house always smells of incense that they’ve brought back from some exotic holiday or other. I feel like I’m on holiday myself when I’m round there. It’s so different from our house. Nothing changes from one day to the next at home, and nothing’s ever a mess. Although I kind of like that, too. At least you know where you are.
     I guess Autumn’s folks must like having at least one week of the year where life is a bit more ordered. I can’t think of any other reason why they’d come to Riverside Village – except to see us of course! Although I don’t understand that one either! Sometimes I wonder why Autumn would want me as her best friend. I’m nowhere near as interesting as she is. Whenever I tell her that, she just laughs and says I’m being stupid and we’re best friends forever. And even though I still don’t get why she chose me, I know it’s true. She’d never lie to me.
     Mrs Leonard peels herself out of the car and smiles at me. ‘Hello Jenni love,’ she says. ‘How’s Mum?’ She comes over and kisses me on both cheeks.
     ‘She’s fine,’ I say, blushing at the exotic greeting. ‘She’s back at the apartment with Craig.’
     ‘Putting her feet up for once,’ Dad adds.
     Autumn’s mum and my mum are best friends too. They met at about the same time as us. While Autumn and I were splatting paint at each other and sharing books way back in Year One, our mums were swapping recipes and gossiping about our teachers outside in the playground. Dad and Mr Leonard have become friends as well.
     Autumn and Mikey tumble out of the car. Mikey doesn’t look up from the electronic game he’s more or less attached to. Autumn runs straight round the car to me, red hair flying.
     ‘Jenni!’ she yells, and we fling our arms round each other and jump up and down on the spot.
     Mr Leonard gets out of the car and gently closes the door behind him. ‘Watch the car, girls,’ he says, warding us away from his pride and joy. He reaches out to shake Dad’s hand and nods across at us. ‘Wouldn’t think this pair only saw each other yesterday, would you?’ he says with a smile.
     ‘Yesterday?’ Dad replies in mock horror. ‘But that’s a whole DAY ago. That’s practically a lifetime!’
     ‘Ha ha, very funny,’ Autumn retorts. ‘For your information, there’s a million things Jenni and I need to share since yesterday. Aren’t there, Jenni?’
     I giggle and grin at Autumn. ‘At least a million,’ I say. ‘Maybe even a million and a half.’
     ‘Right, well they’ll all have to wait, because I need a hand with these,’ Mr Leonard says as he pulls the last of their cases out of the car.
     I stare at the pile of matching designer cases next to the Porsche.
     ‘How on earth did you get it all in?’ I ask.
     Autumn beams at me. ‘It’s the Tardis – didn’t you know?’ she says, her eyes glinting with mischievous delight. She spins round and waves her arms around her, making creepy time-machine noises.
     Mikey looks up for the first time. ‘The Tardis?’ he says. ‘Where?’
     Mrs Leonard strokes his cheek. ‘Your sister’s joking, sweetheart,’ she says. ‘It’s not a Tardis at all. It’s a Porsche. Otherwise known as a middle-aged man’s mid-life crisis.’
     Mikey screws his nose up and looks at his mum. ‘What’s that?’ he says. Autumn smiles affectionately at her brother. ‘Just boring grown-up stuff; nothing for us to worry about, kid,’ she says, ruffling his hair.
     Mikey shrugs off the ruffle and goes back to his game.
     ‘Kid brothers,’ she says with a dramatic sigh. ‘Don’t you just love them?’
      She’s joking, but I know she means it, really. Mikey brings out Autumn’s love and protectiveness like no one else can. I guess he’s to her what Craig is to me. We love them to death – but we wouldn’t tell them in a million years!
     Mikey’s eight. Two years older than Craig, so they’re not best friends or anything, but they hang out a bit when we’re here, which makes Craig feel very grown up. Although ‘hanging out’ might be a slight exaggeration. It’s generally a case of Mikey sitting around playing on his latest game and Craig being given the privilege of watching. Still, it works for them.
     ‘Right, come on,’ Dad says, reaching for my hand and pulling me away. ‘Let’s leave them to it. I’m sure the million and a half things can last till later. See you guys at Reception for the welcome meeting?’
     The welcome meeting is when the Riverside Village people tell us what activities are going to be on during the week. There’s a little cinema inside the reception block where they show a different film every night, and there are always loads of things going on each day, trips out and stuff. Everything from bird watching trips to hot air balloon rides.
     ‘Absolutely!’ Autumn’s parents say in unison.
     Autumn jumps to attention and salutes. ‘Aye, aye, cap’n, see you there,’ she says and blows me a kiss in the air as she runs off to help her parents with the bags.
     I can’t help wondering what crazy activity Autumn will rope me into at this year’s welcome meeting. She always tries to drag me off on some zany trip – and I usually end up going. I can’t imagine saying no to Autumn over anything. I think it’s got something to do with the gleam in her eyes, and the laughter on her face. You always know that if she suggests something, it’ll probably be half mad, half bad but 100% better than anything else – as long as you do it with her. She could make bricklaying seem exciting! Don’t ask me how; she just could.
     If it wasn’t for Autumn, I’d avoid any of the adventure trips. I prefer to visit museums with my mum. I know that sounds boring, but I don’t think it is. Museums open my mind and make my imagination run away with itself. All those old objects and strange artefacts make me think about all the people who existed and used them before me, and wonder what their lives were like.
     And Dad usually drags us out on at least two mammoth walks while we’re here. Walking is Dad’s big thing. That and writing. He’s – well, he’d say he’s a writer but that’s just because he’s been going to this creative writing class and the teacher told them they all have to call themselves writers. She says that’s the first step. Personally, I’d have thought the first step would be putting pen to paper, but that’s just my opinion.
      He’s really a maths teacher. Deputy head of maths at the same school that I go to! How embarrassing is that? Actually, Year Seven wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t in his set, and as long as I never get him as my form tutor, I don’t mind too much. Mum’s a counsellor at the university in the next town. She doesn’t talk much about her work because she has to virtually sign the official secrets act every time someone speaks to her.

***

Dad and I walk along beside the river. A great big swan and two fluffy brown cygnets are paddling in the water, swept along sideways by the rush of the current. It’s gushing past quicker than we could run.
     ‘River’s full,’ Dad says swinging my arm as we walk.
     ‘It’s in a hurry,’ I say.
     Dad stands back from me and stares for a second. ‘That’s good,’ he says. ‘I like it.’ Then he gets out his notebook and scribbles down what I said. You have to be careful around Dad. When he’s in one of his ‘creative’ moods, pretty much anything you say could get jotted down and saved up for the day he writes his bestselling novel.
     I say novel. What it really is, if we’re honest, is a notebook that he’s had for years, stuffed with scraps of paper and torn cigarette packet lids and napkins where he’s scribbled tiny half ideas and the odd line of poetry.
     He says that’s the mark of a real novelist, the fact that he carries this notebook around. I’ve tried telling him the mark of a real novelist is a real novel, but he just closes his eyes and smiles to himself in that way that means he knows the real truths about life and I’ll understand when I’m older.
     I write a bit too, but only in my diary. I’ve never shown it to anyone. I’d die before doing that, although I sometimes read bits out to Autumn. She always points out hidden meanings in what I’ve written, picking up on every little thing to tell me something about myself that I hadn’t noticed when I wrote it. She makes me sound much more interesting than I really am!
     Autumn doesn’t keep a diary. She wouldn’t have the patience. Everything she does has to involve moving about, preferably outside, even when it’s raining. She can’t bear to sit still. She goes rock climbing with her dad and goes to a weird dance class that a friend of her mum’s runs. She’s tried to get me to go to it with her but I can’t dance. I’ve tried it but I just freeze up. I turn so stiff I feel as though I’m wearing a suit of armour.
     You might be wondering what exactly we have in common. I do too, sometimes. But it’s as if we’re two different halves of one whole or something. I can talk to her about absolutely anything, and she’s the same with me. We never get bored of each other’s lives. We have to share everything – every last detail.

***

Dad and I stand watching the water foam and fight as it rushes to get under the bridge. A couple of lads in trainers and shorts climb on to the wall and we watch them prepare to jump into the swirling water.
     ‘I tell you,’ Dad says, shaking his head as the first boy splashes loudly into the water, ‘if either of you kids ever thinks about doing that─’
     ‘Don’t worry, Dad,’ I laugh. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it!’ We have the same conversation every year. How he even thinks I might consider it, I don’t know.
     ‘GERONIMO!’ Another splash as the next boy pounds into the river.
     I shudder as we move on, down to the weir. One year, we’d had a really hot summer and the weir had completely dried up. You could see a wall running across the river, only a tiny layer of water covering it up. Autumn skipped across it and dared me to do the same.
     I tried to say no, but like I said, Autumn doesn’t really do ‘no’. In the end, she held my hand and practically dragged me across. I clutched her hand so tightly she had red marks from my nails in her palm for a week.
     It felt amazing once we got to the other side, so I was glad she’d insisted – as I usually am. I’d never do something like that of my own accord though. Never in a million years. It’s not that I’m a complete wimp; just, well, it’s dangerous! It might look safe, but you never know what’s underneath or how slippy it is, or if the river will suddenly change and you’ll get washed away and knocked unconscious on the rocks below. Too risky by half, and the Green family doesn’t do risky. We like things to be ordered, safe, predictable. That’s why we come here. It’s always predictable here.
     At least it always has been – up to now.

© Liz Kessler 2011

Many thanks to Orion for providing a review copy and the above extract.

A Year Without Autumn blog tour

2011-04-12T22:18:00.000+01:00

April 7th saw the UK publication of Liz Kessler's timeslip story A Year Without Autumn. I'll be hosting a stop on the tour later this week, but in the meantime I wanted to share the full tour schedule so y'all can catch up on the tour stops so far.

Review: Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

2011-04-04T15:15:00.001+01:00

In 2010, Pretty Bad Things was a surprise hit with me. At the time I was reading mainly paranormal or dystopian fiction, but Brit author C.J. Skuse's Hansel and Gretel inspired debut - in which 21st century twins Paisley and Beau embark on an attention-seeking Las Vegas crime spree - just about blew my mind.

Skuse's follow up novel, Rockholic, is equally original. It's the story of UK teenager Jody, who accidentally kidnaps her idol (yes, you read that right) when a backstage meeting at a rock concert gets way out of hand. With the help of her musical-theatre-loving best friend Mackenzie, Jody now has a pet rock star to deal with... and this one bites.

Lighter in tone than Pretty Bad Things, Rockoholic nonetheless has that same irresistibly rambunctious spirit. It's larger than life, and a whole lot of fun. Jaw-droppingly off the wall in places, I lost count of the times I laughed out loud while reading it. If something's going to go wrong for Jody, it's going to go completely, disastrously wrong - with hilarious results.

At the same time, there's a truly poignant side to Rockoholic. Jody may be a great comic lead, but she's also grieving the death of her beloved - and equally rock obsessed - grandfather. This is more than a fun read - it's a coming-of-age tale that anyone who has ever had a celebrity crush (i.e. everyone, right?) will relate to. It's also a totally sweet and surprising romance. I'd recommend this one to readers looking for something altogether different.

Out: March 7th 2011, UK

A big thanks to Chicken House for providing a review copy of this book.

Firelight blog tour: interview with author Sophie Jordan

2011-03-11T09:00:00.001Z

Today, I'm proud to be hosting a stop on the Firelight blog tour. Having recently read and adored this fresh and captivating tale of a girl with the unique ability to shapeshift between human and dragonlike form (review to follow!), I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask author Sophie Jordan some questions about her draki creations.

I love the way that Firelight reimagines the dragon myth into a diverse shapeshifting species with many possible talents and abilities. What was the inspiration behind this?

This is one of those things that I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I came up with the idea. The concept of the draki came to me from pondering the nature of evolution and how one creature (like dragons) might have adapted in order to survive over the millennia. I asked myself how dragons would have evolved in order to survive. Simple: they become most like the thing that hunts them ... humans. From that point, the idea of the draki was born. I knew my protagonist would be a draki, but I wanted her unique even among her kind. That’s when the idea hit me that Jacinda would be the last fire-breathing draki. And from there I started coming up with ideas for other draki talents.

In Firelight we learn that draki are a dying breed. Why is this?

Well, they’ve perfected the art of evolving and adapting to survive. They’re not even dragons any more but a new species ... a species that is losing its dragon-like ways. It’s an unfortunate consequence – in evolving/adapting to survive, they’re becoming less dragon and more human.

The dynamic between Jacinda and her twin sister Tamra is really fascinating. What made you decide not to give Tamra a draki ability of her own?

Really, it was to create more conflict. If Tamra had been a “functioning” draki like Jacinda both their lives would have been easier. Too easy. ;) I doubt the mother would have been as determined to take them away at the start of the book. I wanted that friction between the girls ... and it creates a lot of push and pull amid all three of them: Jacinda, Tamra, and Mom.

I'm already looking forward to the sequel to Firelight. Are there any new types of draki introduced in the second instalment?

Oh, yes! I had fun introducing a visiocrypter draki in the form of Miram, Cassian’s sister. And she’s a naughty one, so that’s always fun – especially with her particular talent. Visiocrypters can make themselves invisible. Imagine a girl with an evil bent who can make herself invisible? Mayhem will ensue.

I also highlight a few other types ... including a hypnos draki – this is the ability to mesmerize. Essentially a hypnos draki can brainwash people. Coming up with various draki talents is definitely one of my favourite parts of writing this series.

If you had the power to transform into a draki, what kind would you be?

Hmm, I think a water draki would be cool. How fun to stay under water indefinitely! But then I’m partial to fire-breathing, of course! It’s a draki talent I’ve come to understand the most in writing three books from the POV of Jacinda.

Thank you Sophie for stopping by and for sharing those fascinating insights with us. Visiocrpyter? Awesome. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's even more excited to read the sequel, Vanish, now!

Review: The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

2011-02-20T13:45:00.001Z

Last year, I found myself enchanted by Eve Edwards' YA historical romance, The Other Countess. Having never been a particular fan of historical fiction, this sweeping Tudor-era story of starcrossed young lovers opened my eyes to the appeal of a genre I'd been neglecting for years. And from the moment I closed the book, I was eagerly anticipating the sequel.

The second Lacey romance sees a shift in focus from disgraced alchemist's daughter Ellie and teenage Earl Will, to their former friend Lady Jane, who secretly risked her own future to ensure their happiness. While hers is another richly drawn Elizabethan love story, the novel as a whole has a wider scope than the first book in the series. In The Other Countess, it's Will Lacey's need to marry for money that threatens to thwart his affections for impoverished Ellie. Though money is once again an issue in this second instalment - this time for teenage Marchioness Jane and younger Lacey brother James - The Queen's Lady also delves a little deeper into the prejudices of the time as in a subplot African servant Diego falls for English dressmaker Milly. In addition, Eve Edwards takes us out of Elizabeth's court and into the sights and sounds of Tudor London itself - not to mention all the way to the 'new world' of America.

As in The Other Countess, Eve Edwards does a spectacular job of recreating an authentic Tudor setting, but again what really impresses is the way that her characters speak to the modern reader. We no longer live in a world where the eldest son is heir to the family estate and second sons like James have to make their own way, but we do live in a world where his experiences in an overseas war will resonate with the young adult audience. And while her female leads hail from a society that places certain constraints upon them, within those limitations they're all impressively independent, individual and blazing with integrity - and all worthy subjects for a ruler as formiddable as Queen Elizabeth, that's for sure.

The Queen's Lady is a welcome return to Eve Edwards' sumptuous Tudor world-building and swoon-worthy romance. The main pairings are every bit as compelling as Will and Ellie from the first book, and endearing illegitimate Lacey brother Kit's story is nicely set up for the sequel - which, having finished this one, I know I won't be able to resist. This is historical romance to lose yourself in.

Out: February 3rd 2011, UK

Many thanks to Razorbill UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Guest post: Sophia Bennett on inspiring fashion pictures

2011-02-16T10:00:00.001Z

Today, I'm thrilled to be hosting the final book tour stop for Sequins, Stars and Spotlights, the third book in Sophia Bennett's Threads trilogy. And I'm especially thrilled to present a special guest post from the author herself. Take it away, Sophia!

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Fashion pictures – la la la

When Lauren suggested themes for this, the final stop on the blog tour, I loved the sound of ‘My favourite fashion book covers’. So off I went to look them up. And then I got distracted. Lauren – I hope you don’t mind.

As soon as I got onto Google Images, I found myself looking at fashion illustrations more generally, and reminding myself of some of the people whose pictures have inspired me. Here are my top five. Any one of them could, I’m sure, have created a fabulous cover for Threads. (Oh, and by the way, I’ve also included Giles Deacon – who did. Thank you again, Giles. I’ll always love that hardback edition very much.)

1. First off is Erté. Russian. Slightly decadent. Flamboyant. Playful. I discovered him at school and I had this book of paper dolls from the 1920s. I ADORED it. I collected posters, calendars and books with his illustrations – whatever I could find. Crow would love him, and be very jealous that he designed for the ballet, which is her biggest dream.

2. Next up is Norman Parkinson. For me, he’s the photographer of the 1950s, when chic was at its chic-est. I love the way he frames his pictures. The car. The New York skyline. There’s always such a story going on and I want to be a part of it. (If you like this sort of thing, by the way, follow Digs Frocks and Books here: http://digsfrocksandbooks.blogspot.com/)

3. Cally Blackman’s illustration of a cocktail dress is also (yay, Lauren!) a book cover. I love the way she’s suggested the dress with splashes of paint. Fabulous. Wish I could draw like that. (Ooh just realised – a character in my new book’s called Cally. Coincidence?)

4. I discovered Corinne Day last year. She was the photographer who made Kate Moss famous in her teens. Corinne was often friends with her models and they loved working for her. She could do original shots (Kate controversially in her undies in Corinne’s flat) or others that were inspired by the greats and gave them a modern twist. She died last year of a brain tumour. Here, she’s summoning up the sheer amazingness of behind-the-scenes V&A. Nonie heaven.

5. The very amazing GeckoGrace is a teen blogger who wrote to me about Threads. I then discovered her website and her fabulous illustrations and writings. Here’s a recent drawing from her blog [http://geckograce.wordpress.com]. I love her photography too.

Also, I promised you that hardback edition of Threads, with an illustration done specially by Giles Deacon. It’s in the spirit of all my favourites. Lucky. Me.

I’d like to thank Lauren and all the bloggers who’ve hosted me on what’s been a (for me) wonderful tour. You’ve made the launch of Sequins very special for me. Thank you, everyone.

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Thank you, Sophia for sharing such a wonderful post with us!

Check out Sophia's website here for the inside scoop on the Threads trilogy.

Changes

2011-02-07T10:51:00.000Z

Due to commitments in other areas of my life, I've had to make the decision to cut down on the amount of time I spend blogging. As of February 2011, I will no longer be accepting books for review.

While I will definitely miss the excitement of reading and reviewing books pre-publication, gradually I Was A Teenage Book Geek will go back to what it started out as: a place for me to talk about the books I bought for myself. The only difference being that, having been part of the YA blogosphere for a year and a half, my reading horizons have expanded dramatically. Thanks to the publishers who have kindly provided me with review copies over the past year and the wonderful bloggers whose posts I follow, I've discovered some new favourite authors, my genre preferences have shifted, and my tastes have become more varied. I'm immensely grateful for all of that, but since I'll be posting far less frequently I really wouldn't feel right about continuing to accept review copies.

I do have a substantial review book mountain at the moment, and I'll be working my way through that as usual. Beyond that? Who knows. I want to promote British authors, and I also want to promote authors whose books reflect the level of diversity I like to see in YA fiction, and we all know I love the Aussies so they'll be in there somewhere. In other words, I don't know what this blog will become, but I'm real interested to find out.

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-01-31T16:45:00.001Z

Have you ever fallen in love with a book? You can't eat, you can't sleep, you can't bear to tear yourself away from it for a second. It makes your heart beat faster and you can't concentrate on anything else.

Delirium is one of those books. Hot on the heels of last year's debut Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver's second novel imagines a future world where love is considered a disease - and, at the age of eighteen, all citizens are administered the cure. Seventeen year old heroine Lena Haloway awaits the day she'll be cured with anticipation: she's seen how love can destroy a person, and she craves the stability and contentment of life without it. Then she meets Alex.

Capturing perfectly the exhilarating highs and crashing lows of first love, Delirium follows Lena's journey as she slowly begins to question everything she thought she knew about happiness, passion and fulfilment. In a world where Romeo and Juliet is taught in schools as a warning rather than an example of great romantic writing, Lena learns that perhaps heartbreak isn't the worse thing that a person can experience.

While Delirium is set in a dystopian future, even those who aren't especially enamoured with science fiction should feel at ease with its relatively low-tech world-building. Aside the mechanics of the cure itself, Lauren Oliver focuses on the way everyday life has changed as a result of it. And it's not just romantic love that's been eradicated: parents are no longer expected to love their children, and siblings drift apart once cured. Family life is about duty, not affection. Most heartbreaking of all, nobody who has successfully undergone the procedure feels the accute sadness of their world. They're cured of that too. The head rules the heart unchallenged, and that's considered preferable to the alternative.

Comparisons with a certain other recent love-themed YA dystopia are inevitable, but for me Delirium is perhaps more reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or George Orwell's 1984. Though the basic premise may seem pretty far-fetched at first glance, there are clear parallels to be drawn between Lena's world and our own - and that's what gives the story its immense impact.

As in Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver's storytelling speaks right to the heart. At times raw, Lena's voice is honest and authentic and sublime. Aside from the occasional awkward explanation of the way things work in her world, the narrative is utterly immersive. It's a book with a powerful message about love and freedom and what makes us human. If it doesn't make you cry a little... I don't believe you.

Delirium is a book to fall in love with. It'll get under your skin and find its way to your heart, if you let it. And you really should.

Out: February 3rd 2010, UK

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

2011-01-30T19:10:00.001Z

Donna Underwood hasn't been back to school since The Incident. She knows that in the eyes of her former classmates, she's a loser; a glove-wearing freak they'll never accept. Only her best friend Navin has stood by her, and even he doesn't know the truth about what's under those gloves. But when Navin's curiosity gets the better of him, he stumbles into the very territory that Donna has been so desperate to hide from him - and into the path of an unthinkable danger. With the help of a new ally, Donna finds herself braving the dark magic of the Faerie world to save her friend - no matter what the price.

Set in a real world of alchemy, fairies and vicious wood elves, The Iron Witch is the much-anticipated debut novel from Brit author Karen Mahoney. It's the story of a girl whose life is indelibly marked by magic, and who wears the scars of her past in the form of swirling iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms. It's also beautifully written. Karen Mahoney has a rare gift for metaphor; she doesn't so much set a scene as set it blooming in the reader's imagination. The faerie world is cast in shadow for much of the novel, but our glimpses of the creatures that inhabit it are truly chilling. Even a simple bus journey is described with a visual flair that's effortlessly lyrical, and the story as a whole glistens with magic and danger and foreboding.

While The Iron Witch didn't really get me hooked until around the halfway mark, once I found myself gripped I couldn't put it down. The opening chapters are relatively slow burning, and the action only really picks up once Donna discovers that her best friend Navin has been abducted. However, even before that point Karen Mahoney laces the story with just enough intrigue to keep those pages turning. Who wouldn't want to find out exactly what The Incident entailed, or get to know who the mysterious Xan really is?

Though protagonist Donna has two boys in her life, thankfully The Iron Witch is a love-triangle free zone. Drawn to the otherworldly Xan, she also has a deep and lasting bond with her friend Navin. Though I wouldn't be surprised to see Navin and Donna's relationship encountering romantic complications in the next instalment of the saga, it's refreshing to see a YA heroine acting out of loyalty and love for a platonic friend. Even the romance between Xan and Donna is kept pretty light and develops at a believable pace, which also makes a welcome change from the full-on declarations of undying love you tend to find in YA paranormal titles.

Overall, The Iron Witch is an enchanting debut novel. Karen Mahoney's Faerie lore is richly drawn, her cast of characters is believably diverse and there are some seriously eerie moments. I'd probably recommend this one first and foremost to readers in the eleven to fourteen age group, as home-schooled heroine Donna is seventeen but perhaps a little young for her age, and the story itself follows a fairly straightforward course. However, anyone who likes their paranormal world-building dark and complex should also check this one out.

Out: January 21st 2010, UK

A huge thanks to Random House UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Tyranny by Lesley Fairfield

2011-01-29T22:35:00.001Z

Tyranny is the story of a teenage girl's struggle with an eating disorder, told in graphic novel form. Heroine Anna is under the control of her own person demon; a force within that drives a self-imposed regime of starvation and purging. Tyranny, who keeps her thin. But at what cost? Over the course of the novel's approximately one hundred and twenty pages, she recalls how she got to this point... and takes her first tentative steps towards taking her life back.

Illustrated with simple black-and-white drawings, Lesley Fairfield makes minimal use of dialogue and narration in this honest and brave exploration of eating disorders. No words are wasted, and there's much to be learnt about the way that anorexia and bulimia take hold of a person. Anna goes from being a healthy girl to a starving and dangerously ill young woman - and in pictures, the distinction is unmistakeable. The demon Tyranny is depicted powerfully as an eerie, skeletal creature with bulging eyes. Both human and monstrous, it's made very clear that Tyranny is the true villain of the story.

While the unusual marriage of subject matter and format gives Tyranny a certain novelty value, it also reads very much like a memoir. The author bio confirms that Lesley Fairfield has battled both anorexia and bulimia for thirty years, and there's a clear sense that she's using her own experiences with the aim of raising awareness among teenage readers. The format lends itself well to the educational aspects of the story, and it's wonderful to see a novel about eating disorders that has the potential to reach reluctant readers.

In opting to tell this story in graphic novel form, Lesley Fairfield has had to make sacrifices in terms of character development and plot complexity to achieve the greatest possible impact for her central message of hope. Anna is undoubtedly a sympathetic heroine, but she represents the common experiences of those who have struggled with eating disorders - we never seem to learn enough about her to make this her story. Still, readers will cheer her on in her emotional battle against the demon Tyranny, and the story has the potential to inspire and help those affected by anorexia or bulimia themselves.

Tyranny gets to the heart of a painful subject with sensitivity. The clear and direct style makes it ideal for younger teens, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a responsible and frank introduction to the theme of eating disorders.

Out: February 7th 2011, UK

Thank you to Walker Books for providing a review copy of this book.

No Comment?

2011-01-27T21:15:00.002Z

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a blogger in possession of a shiny new post, must be in want of a comment.

Isn't it?

Sure, most of us blog because we like expressing ourselves. For me, it's all about writing reviews. I like distilling my thoughts about the books I've read and choosing exactly the right word to convey a thought or emotion.

But most of us don't blog in a vacuum. One of the best things about being a YA book blogger is the community. I'm talking about the debate, the exchange of ideas, and appreciation for each other's work that makes the YA blogosphere a buzzy place to be.

And yet, I consistently fail at commenting. I read way more blogs than I regularly comment on. And when I talk to other bloggers, they often say the same thing. If we're pushed for time, commenting is the first thing to go.

So, if you're someone who likes getting comments, you probably want to make it as easy as possible for readers to leave them. Which brings me to a quandry: the dreaded word verification.

Since I started blogging, I've wavered on this. First I had it. Then last year I got brave, and figured since so many people hate those pesky little captchas, I'd get rid of the thing. For a while it was fine, but then the spammers discovered a couple of my posts and I felt like I was constantly on patrol, trying to delete the stuff. So I switched the word verification on again, and it's back under control.

Personally, while I don't enjoy word verification, it won't put me off leaving a comment. I know that some people hate word verification with the burning intensity of a thousand suns. And I see their point. It's time consuming, especially when you get the word wrong and have to take a second (or third) shot at it. But if I've got something to say, I'll say it, even if it means squinting at the screen trying to work out if that's a capital I or a lower case l or a number 1 I'm meant to be typing into the box before the darn thing times out. However, if I'm honest, on blogs which have that two stage version where I write my comment and press enter and then the captcha comes up... it's not unheard of for me to click away without realising I have to verify. Duh.

Now, I'm not especially convinced that I got more comments when the word verification was switched off. I think I get the most comments when I review a book a lot of people are interested in, which stands to reason. I'm also pretty sure that the more comments I leave on other blogs, the more other bloggers leave me. Some people make a real effort to 'return' comments, and I appreciate that. Still, if there are people out there thinking of a response and then not leaving it because the word verification irritates, inconveniences or straight up enrages them... that's a pity.

I could turn word verification off, but change my settings so that I have to approve every comment before it's published. That would give me greater control over spam without putting potential commenters off. Super. But for discussion posts? Well, unless I'm going to be sat permanently in front of my laptop poised to approve any comments as they come in, it kind of defeats the object.

So tell me: what's your preference? Do you hate word verification? Do you personally approve all your comments? How's it working for you?

Review: Bedlam by Ally Kennen

2011-01-25T20:40:00.001Z

In Bedlam, award-winning British author Ally Kennen borrows the unsettling imagery of the horror genre to tell the story of a very real ugliness lurking beneath the surface of everyday life. From the snapping jaws of a rabid dog to the abandoned old asylum in the middle of the woods; Bedlam unfolds against the kind of nightmare backdrop that's more usually found in tales of the paranormal. In actual fact, it's a gritty and thought-provoking thriller about the way our society treats those who ask for help.

Our narrator is Lexi, a sixteen year old girl from the kind of family you wouldn't want to live next door to. Her dad runs a shady business that takes him away from home on a regular basis, her brother has an ASBO, and her biggest concern is usually her appearance. Until, that is, she's packed off to stay with her estranged mother for a few weeks. When her mum's beloved dog is abducted while in Lexi's care, she finds herself drawn into the seemingly quiet neighbourhood's shadowy secrets... and a mysterious but borderline feral older boy she's strangely attracted to. Gradually, Lexi is forced to look beyond surface impressions and to confront the truths that lie beneath them.

Drawn almost entirely in shades of grey, the characters in Bedlam range from the mildly odd to the downright twisted. They're vivid and complex and not always easy to like. Even Lexi can be grating, in that real-life way that most people are at times. Yet there are moving moments too, most notably in the development of the initially hostile relationship between Lexi and her mother. There's also a genuine warmth in the way that Lexi relates to Kos - even if she's also motivated by the fact she thinks he's a bit of a hottie. The baddies, on the other hand, are repulsively bad. Lexi, who was never afraid of monsters as a child, points out that real human monsters are the scariest kind - and Bedlam makes a very strong case for her being right.

Bedlam is a strange read; menacing but also shot through with glimmers of humour and hope. Tense and tightly plotted, it's the kind of story that doesn't quite click into place until you've finished it, put it down, and thought about it some more. Luckily, it's also the kind of story that's hard to stop thinking about. Pick it up if you're looking for something a little bit left-field that'll keep you gripped from start to finish.

Out: February 2nd 2009, UK

Thank you to Scholastic for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

2011-01-24T13:15:00.004Z

In Perfect Chemistry, we saw bad boy Alex Fuentes and good girl Brittany Ellis fall in love despite the fact they came from different worlds. In Simone Elkeles's follow-up novel Rules of Attraction, it's a similar story, as Alex's headstrong younger brother Carlos finds himself thrown together with straightlaced Kiara Westford. But while at first glance it might look like we've been here before, in fact Rules of Attraction illustrates that there's plenty of life in the 'opposites attract' theme yet.

Unusually for YA romance, Kiara Westford is a genuinely a bit of a dork. She's a departure from the brand of supposedly unpopular everygirl YA heroines who nonetheless find themselves attracting super hot boys in their droves. She dresses badly, she's introverted, and she's also a little bit of a prude. At the same time, she has guts and determination. She's recently overcome a stutter, she's athletic, and she loves a challenge. Carlos Fuentes, on the other hand, is sexist and obnoxious and knows exactly how good-looking he is. In other words, he's a walking ego. Not selling him to you? Well, he also has an endearing way of relating to Kiara's little brother, he's intent on protecting his family, and in Rules of Attraction he finds himself transformed by the real emotional connection he feels for a shy tomboy the old Carlos wouldn't have looked twice at. And FYI: watching his heart gradually melt is a beautiful thing.

Fans of Perfect Chemistry will be pleased to hear that the romance in Rules of Attraction is every bit as sizzling. Simone Elkeles understands that the best romantic pairings are a blend of love and lust, and there's plenty of both here. The scenes between Carlos and Kiara are electrically charged, and things get majorly heated between them. Since there are some quite risque moments I wouldn't recommend this one to younger teens - it's definitely one for the higher end of the YA audience. The dual narrative works spectacularly well, with Carlos's chapters utterly convincing as the voice of a macho teenage boy who has no intention of ending up as soft on a girl as his older brother is.

Since this is a romance, what we all hope for is a happy ending. While we're never really in any doubt that we'll get just that, Simone Elkeles places obstacles between Kiara and Carlos that even Romeo and Juliet would falter at. There's a very real sense of just how difficult gangs make it for their members to leave, and yet Carlos does seem to wriggle out of things a little too easily at times. As in Perfect Chemistry, expect an epilogue you'll either love or hate; this one is just as corny and more than a little unnecessary, but ultimately it doesn't detract from the intoxicating romance that precedes it. Rules of Attraction is compelling, it's steamy, and it's fun. Fans of YA romance will devour it.

Out: January 6th 2011, UK

A big thanks to S&S UK for providing a review copy.

Review: Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

2011-01-23T13:45:00.003Z

Narrated by broken seventeen-year-old Eddie Reeves, Fall For Anything is the story of a daughter's desperate search for answers to the mystery of her father's recent suicide.

Unflinchingly honest and achingly sparse, Eddie's first-person narrative sees her revealing far more to the reader than she does to the people she's closest to. Her mother is so utterly devastated she's barely functioning, and her best friend Milo has his own reasons for finding it hard to talk about what happened the night that photographer Seth Reeves jumped to his death. Only her father's former student, Culler Evans, seems willing and able to help her - but with a growing attraction between them, Eddie seems to be headed in a dangerous direction.

Eddie is a character in the midst of an emotional retreat, consumed by her loss and her need to know why. We don't really get to know her much beyond her grief, but at this point in her life grief is the biggest part of her. With her memories of her father altered by his final act, Eddie herself isn't the person she was before. She's a question; she's confusion; she's the absence of what she previously knew to be true, and she won't get herself back until she knows what made her dad take his own life. A cast of vividly drawn and multifaceted secondary characters heighten our connection with Eddie; from sensitive and loyal Milo to blood-boilingly tactless friend of the family Beth.

While Courtney Summers takes readers to some dark places here, the focus on Eddie's hunt for clues prevents the story from ever becoming sentimental or self-indulgent. This isn't really a weepy novel; it's a compelling mystery, and as a reader you'll want to know why almost as much as Eddie does. In fact, it's impossible to read Fall For Anything without trying to piece the clues together and decipher the intention behind them, even when Eddie can't. It's a book that explores how much we really know the people we love, and the tangled relationship between art and truth.

Courtney Summers is a striking voice in contemporary Young Adult fiction, full of honesty and insight. Fall For Anything leaves you with the feeling that you have read something brave and lasting and true; and that you've lived through these chapters as well as read them. A must read.

Out: December 21st 2010, US

A huge thanks to the lovely Nomes from Inkcrush for running the fantastic giveaway in which I won my copy of this book.

Review: Manifest by Artist Arthur

2011-01-21T14:10:00.001Z

After her parents' separation, Krystal Bentley left New York City to start a new life in her mother's hometown of Lincoln, Connecticut - minus her dad. Now she sits by herself at lunch everyday, she doesn't have any new friends to hang out with, and she despises her new stepfather. And she's dealing with a ghost named Ricky who seems to think she can help him - and won't leave her alone until she does. She has no intention of telling anyone else about her unwanted abilities, but then she meets Sasha and Jake, two fellow students with paranormal talents of their own.

Manifest is the first title in the Mystyx series, about a group of teens who share the same m-shaped birthmark - and the paranormal abilities that come with it. Told from the point of view of new girl in town Krystal, Manifest sees the trio helping a teenage boy who was shot dead the year before. Krystal is a city girl, and this really comes across in her first-person narration - there's a candid and witty directness to her turn of phrase and the pattern of her speech that's fairly unusual for heroines in this genre. While some may find her a little self-obsessed, Manifest sees her forced to confront the issues that have made her that way, and it's reasonable to suspect that the second instalment in the series will see her putting that behind her. As she tries to help Ricky move on, he's also trying to help her do the same.

There's something really refreshing about the multiculturalness of Manifest. In a school with its own peculiar class system, cliques are based on which Lincoln neighbourhood students come from - but Krystal's (relatively small) circle of friends is diverse in gender, ethnicity and economic background. The Mystyx form a bond which defies their school's tendency towards segregation while still holding onto their sense of identity as individuals, and that's got to be a good thing. At the same time, their respective abilities have their roots in Greek mythology, and subsequent instalments in the series will no doubt reveal more about that connection. The result is an intriguing blend of 21st century setting and mysterious ancient power.

As this is YA paranormal, heroine Krystal soon finds herself in the middle of the obligatory love triangle. However, Manifest lets us off pretty easy on this score, as the romance is really more of a subplot than the cover blurb might lead you to believe. On one hand we have Ricky, the cute and sensitive ghost boy who needs Krystal's help to resolve his unfinished business in this world. On the other is the somewhat full-on Franklin, a fellow student at Lincoln High who is very much alive. While Krystal is hesitant about Franklin, she's soon mulling over her attraction to Ricky. Those looking for a sweeping paranormal romance will be disappointed, as there's no melodramatic love story here. Krystal's supposed feelings for Ricky aren't especially evident in their interactions, so her occasional references to them read as the words of a girl trying to make sense of an unusual friendship rather than a girl falling in love. In contrast, her scenes with Franklin are less paranormal romance and more paranormal dating. Krystal's fifteen, she's got other things going on in her life, and you get the sense that boys aren't her biggest concern right now.

Manifest is an interesting start to the Mystyx series. The mystery behind Ricky's death is geuninely sinister and shocking, and though a few story threads are left open for the next book, there's enough closure in this instalment to satisfy those who don't want to commit to reading an entire series. If you're looking for a paranormal story minus the romantic melodramas, take a look at this one.

Out: July 27th 2010, US

Thanks to Becky The Bookette for kindly passing on her copy of Manifest.

Time Travel Tuesday: Caitlin (A Love Trilogy)

2011-01-18T22:45:00.001Z

Regular visitors to I Was A Teenage Book Geek may recall that, back in the day, I was obsessed with Sweet Valley High. My hero was Jessica Wakefield, a.k.a. Hurricaine Jessica, a.k.a. your average self-obsessed eighties cheerleader whose only saving grace was that she wasn't Elizabeth Wakefield. Never heard of her? Picture the anti-christ with pompoms and frosted lipgloss, and you're about there.

So when my BFF and first spotted boxed sets of Caitlin: A Love Trilogy in a local bookstore, we were psyched. Just from the cover blurb, we could tell that these books had everything we were looking for. Created by Francine Pascal? Check. Written by someone other than Francine Pascal? Check. Bitchy boy-magnet main character to idolize? And then some.

Of course, there was one thing standing in the way of my Love Trilogy dreams. Ironically, that one thing was the word 'love'. Because while my mother was gradually resigning herself to my SVH obsession, she still had her standards. And any book with the word 'love' in the title was, in her opinion, 'too old' for me and therefore a book she would not pay for. Luckily, in a rare display of generosity, my BFF bought me the box set for Christmas, and so I spent a merry two days over the festive season that year immersed in what I thought was the best trilogy EVER.

Here's the deal, as my pre-teen self saw it: fifteen year old Caitlin Ryan is beautiful and rich and always gets what she wants. She rocks. She's like Jessica Wakefield from Sweet Valley High, except that she doesn't have a goody-two-shoes identical twin cramping her style. And it's all sooooo romantic.

Here's the deal, as I see it now: fifteen year old Caitlin Ryan is beautiful and rich and always gets what she wants. Especially boys. In fact, she has the male population of her exclusive boarding school basically drooling over her. But is she happy? Uh, no. Because she's lonely. She's at boarding school because her parents are dead (kinda) and her wealthy grandmother doesn't want her around. And, according to the cover blurb, she's also haunted by a secret need... for love. A need that only handsome new student Jed Michaels can fulfil. And... ewww.

Frankly, I don't know how I ever read this book without wanting to barf. Even the cover blurb should have had alarm bells ringing, with all that darn neediness everywhere. Because while the cover promises a book about an unforgettable, headstrong heroine just like Jessica Wakefield, Loving is all about Caitlin discovering that what handsome eighties cowboy types like Jed really want... is a girl with no discernible personality. I think I speak for us all when I say: facepalm.

Admittedly, Caitlin does Something Bad in Loving. We know it's bad, because it warrants no less than six exclamation marks in three paragraphs of text. And admittedly, she lets her rival for Jed's affections take the blame for the Bad Thing, and that's a little bit naughty of her. Well, very naughty. And despite the fact that she feels so guilty she can hardly function, she doesn't own up, so the girl she blamed has a nervous breakdown.

But you know what's worse? The way Handsome Jed likes guilt-ridden, fragile Caitlin way more than he ever liked the confident, headstrong version, and the way Caitlin is so darn grateful to him for it. So while I'm pretty sure we're meant to judge BadCaitlin and think her personality overhaul is a Good Thing, I just can't be a part of that.

Verdict: Loving is a book of its time. The time was the eighties.

Review: Long Reach by Peter Cocks

2011-01-17T15:40:00.001Z

When his big brother Steve turns up dead on the muddy banks of the Thames, seventeen year old Eddie doesn't buy the theory that he killed himself. Steve was his hero, but only now does he realise there was a lot about his brother he didn't know. So when a friend of the family reveals that Steve was working as an undercover agent before he died, Eddie jumps at the chance to sign himself up for a piece of the action. He's issued with a new name, a new past, and the keys to a safe house where he'll be living from now on. His first assignment? To earn the trust of crime lord Tommy Kelly's beautiful daughter.

Protagonist Eddie is seventeen when Long Reach begins, but the world he finds himself drawn into is a dangerously adult one. If he blows his cover, he's dead. Literally. This is serious stuff, and author Peter Cocks certainly doesn't shy away from the harsh reality of the criminal underworld he's portraying. The language is way more colourful than you'd find in the majority of YA fiction, and the violence is occasionally so brutal I found myself flinching as I read. Nothing about Long Reach feels as though it's been cleaned up for its target audience, and that's exactly what makes it feel so authentic and convincing. It's what makes your heart start hammering like crazy every time Eddie puts himself at risk, because you truly believe that this isn't a world that will go easy on him just because he's a teenager. Far from it.

But while Eddie is doing a man's job, in some ways he's still a boy. And his first assignment sees him given the task of getting close to a girl who just happens to be a total catch - apart from her incredibly scary crime lord dad, that is. Before long, things are hotting up between them... and it's not so easy for Eddie to remember that he's meant to be pretending to date her. Even for the reader, the very real chemistry between Eddie and college girl Sophie soon starts to blur the boundaries between cover story and love story, giving this otherwise gritty thriller an added dimension of depth and emotion.

Tightly-plotted, edgy and smart, Long Reach starts out promising and only gets better from there. While I suspect that it will appeal chiefly to male readers, I'd actually recommend it to both male and females at the top end of the YA age range who enjoy fast-paced, filmic thrillers. I couldn't put it down.

Out: January 3rd 2011, UK

A major thanks to Walker Books for providing a review copy of Long Reach.

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Long Reach is the first novel in Walker Books' Undercover range, which they describe as the best of YA fiction. Walker are so excited about these particular titles that they're devoting a new blog entirely to Undercover - you can check it out here to see what else they've got coming up this year.

Review: Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

2011-01-16T20:40:00.001Z

Half Brother begins in 1973, in the Canadian state of Victoria, just as protagonist Ben Tomlin is turning thirteen. Having moved with his family to a new house in a new town, he's also facing the imminent arrival of a brand new family member. His scientist father is convinced that, given the right conditions, he can teach a chimpanzee to communicate. So the family adopt a baby chimp, planning to raise him as human and teach him American Sign Language along the way. And while Ben is reluctant at first, he soon finds himself bonding with his new baby brother. They name him Zan, and the effect he has upon their lives is a profound one.

Interestingly for such an off-the-wall premise, Half Brother reads almost like a memoir. The sense of place and time is authentic in an understated way, lending a certain nostalgia to Ben's coming-of-age story and giving a wider context to the entire Zan experiment. Teenager Ben finds himself faced with ethical and moral question about his father's methods at a time when public awareness about animal rights was nowhere near as widespread as it is now, and eventually is forced to re-evaluate his own relationship with the chimp he thinks of as a little brother. While all this might sound a little bit heavy, in fact Kenneth Oppel explores the issues at hand with a welcome lightness of touch.

The experiment at the centre of Half Brother may be all about human influence on a chimpanzee test subject, but the novel is also about Zan's effect on a human boy. Because just as Zan is beginning to learn to interact with his hosts, Ben's own development from boy to man is being subtly influenced by his bond with the chimp. Ben's story sees him determined to transform himself from nerdy onlooker to alpha male, but he actually has more to learn from Zan than he at first anticipates. Navigating the social pecking order, the uncertainty of first love and his changing relationship with his father, Ben gradually finds himself identifying more and more with his non-human brother. It's a slightly more mature story than I originally anticipated, as Ben struggles with all the same issues that other teenage boys do, but this is part of what makes it so powerful. It's a book that asks huge questions about the world, but more importantly it's a book that will make you feel.

Half Brother is a unique and poignant story about love, friendship, and growing up. The premise naturally makes for some light-hearted moments, and the blend of humour and pathos is perfectly balanced. Emotional and thoughtful, it's the kind of story that will make you laugh and cry while you're reading it, and then linger in your mind for days afterward. It's wonderfully different.

Out: January 6th 2011, UK

Thank you to David Fickling Books for providing a review copy of this book.

Blog tour: Rules of Attraction giveaway

2011-01-14T12:30:00.001Z

Today, I Was A Teenage Book Geek is hosting the fifth stop on the official UK blog tour for the fantastic Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles.

Thanks to those awesome folks at Simon and Schuster UK, I have 2 copies of Rules of Attraction to give away to 2 lucky winners.

Summary from publisher's website: Carlos Fuentes isn't happy about leaving Mexico to start the "new" life his older brother, Alex, has planned for him. Carlos liked his freedom; living life on the edge - just like Alex did.

Kiara Westford doesn't talk much; instead preferring to shut out the world. And when Carlos bounds into her life she struggles to understand him. Carlos is sure that Kiara thinks she's too good for him, which is just fine because he's not interested anyway, right? But when they finally open up to each other, the connection they feel shocks them both. Can they overcome their fears and realise that sometimes opposites really do attract?

To be in with a chance of winning a copy, simply fill out the form below. But please read my privacy policy and also make sure you are sticking to the rules first!
•Open to UK residents only.
•Entrants must be aged sixteen or over.
•One entry per person.
•Contest closes on January 28th 2011 and winners will be contacted by email. Winners will be announced here on the 30th January 2011.
•There will be 2 winners, chosen at random using an online randomizer.
•Prizes will be sent out by Simon and Schuster, so all entrants must give their consent for me to pass on their name and address if they win.
•Details provided will not be used for any other purpose, and I will delete all entry information once winners have been picked and the prizes sent out.

Update: This giveaway has now closed. The winners are Karen and Lyndsey, and they have now been notified. Congratulations guys!

Review: The Clearing by Heather Davis

2011-01-12T22:00:00.003Z

I adore time travel stories, so the premise of Heather Davies' second YA novel The Clearing is one that appealed to me from the moment I first heard about it. City girl Amy has packed herself off to her Aunt Mae's house in the countryside for a fresh start, free from the ex-boyfriend she finally found the courage to break away from.There she stumbles through the ever-present mist behind her aunt's farm to find a curiously old-fashioned boy in the clearing beyond: eighteen year old Henry, who is living with his family in the summer of 1944.

Since this is YA, Amy and Henry's meeting inevitably leads to romance. The narrative alternates between Amy's first-person point of view, and a third person point of view in Henry's chapters. It's an arrangement that works well, anchoring the story firmly in Amy's time but lending an authentic nineteen forties flavour to those chapters that take place on Henry's side of the mist. My lasting impression of The Clearing is a dreamy, otherworldly quality much like the sort of time travel stories I read as a child. The truth behind Henry's situation is actually more complex and original than it first appears, and it captured my imagination completely.

Amy herself is a likeable heroine. We learn early on that she's come to live with her aunt Mae following a nightmare relationship with an ex-boyfriend who treated her badly, and the story sensitively explores the way this affects Amy's relationships with her new classmates. There's a positive message at the heart of this one, and the contrast between abusive ex Matt and gallant Henry is both poignant and insightful. At the same time, certain aspects of Amy's relationships are a little bit adult for younger readers.

There's something a little bit magical about The Clearing. It weaves a gentle spell all of its own, I found myself charmed by the genuine warmth that Heather Davis has put into her characters and the love story they share. It's sweet and old-fashioned, and I'd recommend it to readers looking for a timeslip story with heart.

Out: 12th April 2010, US

Reviewed via NetGalley.

Blog Tour: Extract from The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

2011-01-09T09:00:00.002Z

Today, I Was A Teenage Book Geek is hosting the seventh stop on the official UK blog tour for Brenna Yovanoff's eerie debut novel The Replacement. I'm thrilled to present an exclusive extract that illustrates exactly why this one will get under your skin...

Behind me, there was the rough idle of a car and then a voice said, “Hey, Mackie.”

Tate had pulled up next to the curb in this absolute monstrosity of a Buick and was leaning across the front seat. Apparently, she’d decided she was done with school for the day. Or, more likely, done being a public spectacle. She put her hand on the edge of the passenger window.

“The rain isn’t going to stop. Do you want a ride somewhere?”

The car sat idling against the curb, its wipers flicking back and forth. Long primer-gray body, poisonous fenders. It made me think of a wicked metal shark. “That’s okay. Thanks, though.”

“Are you sure? It’s not a problem.”

I shook my head, watching the rain drip in a wavering curtain off the front bumper so I wouldn’t have to look at her.

Her face was softer and younger looking than normal. I stood under the dripping oak and debated complimenting the way she’d faced down Mrs. Brummel, just to have something to say—tell her I was impressed by the way she could be sad and stared at and still tell everyone to go straight to hell.

After a minute, she killed the engine and got out of the car. “Listen. I need to talk to you.”

When she came across the grass to me, she had this look on her face, like out in the parking lot, in the open, she wasn’t so sure of herself after all. Like maybe I scared her. Her mouth had a bruised look. Her eyes were blue underneath, like you get from not sleeping.

When she came up next to me, she turned so we were standing side by side, staring out at the parking lot. The point of her elbow was inches from my sleeve.

“Do you have a minute?”

I didn’t answer.

“Jesus, why don’t you ever say anything?” She turned and stared up at me with her teeth working on her bottom lip. It looked raw, like she’d been chewing it a lot. Even reeking like iron from the Buick, she still smelled crisp and kind of sweet. It made me think of flowering trees or something you want to put in your mouth. The kind of smell you shouldn’t notice about girls who are covered in tragedy and Detroit steel.

“You weren’t at the funeral yesterday,” she said.

Between us, the current seemed to hum louder. I nodded.

“Why? I mean, your dad seems like he’d be all about ‘pulling together as a community,’ and considering he pretty much organized the whole thing . . . And, I mean, Roswell was there.”

“Religion is my dad’s business,” I said, and my voice had a flat, mechanical sound that showed me for what I was— a bad liar reciting someone else’s lie. “Anyway, a funeral isn’t really an ideal social event. I mean, it’s not like I would attend one for fun or anything.”

Tate just watched me. Then she folded her arms tight across her chest, looking small and wet. Her hair was plastered against her forehead. “Whatever. It’s not like it matters.”

“You’re taking it really well.”

Tate took a deep breath and stared up at me. “It wasn’t her.”

For a second, I didn’t say anything. Neither of us did. But we didn’t look away from each other. I could see flecks of green and gold in her eyes and tiny spots so deep and cool they looked purple. I realized that I hadn’t really looked at her in years.

She closed her eyes and moved her lips before she spoke, like she was practicing the words. “It wasn’t my sister in that box, it was something else. I know my sister, and whatever died in that crib, it wasn’t her.”

© Brenna Yovanoff 2010

Tomorrow, the blog tour goes out with a bang over at the brilliant Wondrous Reads, so make sure to swing by there to check out the final stop.

You can check out my review of The Replacement right here.

A special thanks goes to Simon and Schuster UK for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.

Review: Crusade by Linda Press Wulf

2011-01-08T13:00:00.000Z

13th century France is an unusual setting for a YA novel, and in some ways readers would be correct in assuming that the characters in Linda Press Wulf's historical novel Crusade have very little in common with those of 21st century teenagers. From the age of nine, Georgette has worked as a housekeeper for the village priest; orphan boy Robert was raised in a monastery and educated by an esteemed Abbot. They don't go to school, they don't socialise, and they both have responsiblities way beyond those you'd expect of young people their age today. More than anything, it's their religion that shapes their lives and the way they interpret the world. But as their individual stories collide, Crusade approaches the issue of religious fanaticism and intolerance in a way that is hugely relevant to modern society.

The novel sees Georgette and Robert leaving all they've ever known to join the crusade of a boy who calls himself a prophet; a charismatic young leader whose rousing words inspire them, alongside thousands of other children, to embark on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Drawing upon various historical accounts of a Children's Crusade, Linda Press Wulf's original tale reveals its subtle parallels with the kind of indoctrination that still contributes to religious extremism today. It's the story of two characters navigating the strict teachings of the church and the prejudiced beliefs of their peers, and discovering what they themselves believe to be right and true.

Chiefly, Crusade is Georgette's journey. Part coming-of-age story, part adventure, it's packed with danger and conflict and inner turmoil for our heroine. Though Georgette's innocence is perhaps her most striking characteristic, she also possesses a deceptive inner strength and determination. At a time when most regular people were illiterate and scholars were always male, her natural desire to learn also sets her apart. There's a surprisingly passionate love story here too, as Georgette's journey is mirrored by that of Robert, a scarred outsider with a remarkable intellect who has much to learn about the heart. The narrative voice, while third person, is so intimate that it's easy to get inside both characters' heads and see events as they do.

At under two hundred and fifty pages, this is a fairly brief read but also a rare and poignant one. Whilst the ending perhaps attempts to pack a little too much into a few short chapters, this doesn't detract significantly from the from the overall experience. Rich in period detail and indredibly authentic in voice, it's a book that takes distant legends of a Children's Crusade and transforms them into something vital and powerful. Fans of historical fiction will no doubt be drawn to Crusade, but I'd also recommend it to anyone looking to immerse themselves in a beautifully drawn imagining of a world not often explored in YA fiction.

Out: January 3rd 2011, UK

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Hunted (The Medusa Project) by Sophie McKenzie

2011-01-06T10:00:00.002Z

I have a bad habit of picking up books part way through a series, with varying degrees of success. Hunted is the fourth book in a series about a group of teens with psychic powers who are recruited to join a top secret government-funded crime-fighting unit. It's also the first book in the series that I've read. Luckily, author Sophie McKenzie has a real gift for getting backstory across without slowing down her trademark edge-of-your-seat action.

Dylan, Ketty, Ed and Nico are the teenagers who make up The Medusa Project, each owing their special abilities to a scientist who discovered the genetic code that makes them what they are. For American born Dylan, that scientist was also the father she never had a chance to know. And when she begins to delve into the circumstances surrounding his death, all four find themselves drawn into her search for his killer. But the question is, will the killer find them first?

The fourth instalment in The Medusa Project is narrated by Dylan, a headstrong and prickly character who doesn't seem to fit in with the other three members of the crime-fighting crew. Her Medusa superpower is the ability to generate a protective shield around herself that can withstand pretty much anything, and in Hunted we see just how apt this really is. Because while Dylan may act like she doesn't need anyone, her tendency to put up barriers between herself and the rest of the team is another form of shield - and this book, coming from her point of view, gives the reader an insight into the real Dylan behind the devil-may-care bravado. Having not read any of the previous books in the series, I felt that Dylan was the most interesting of the main characters - but, being a big fan of other Sophie McKenzie novels, I wouldn't be surprised if the other three seem just as interesting when they're narrating their own instalment.

At around two hundred and fifty pages long, Hunted packs a whole lot of plot into its twenty-eight relatively short chapters. Part thriller, part mystery, there's never a dull moment. We're talking undercover break-and-enter attempts, daring escapes and even the occasional explosion - and all at a fabulously breathtaking pace. Still, there's time in between all that for the occasional hint of romance, which somehow manages to be cute without any slushiness whatsoever. There's also some surprisingly moving character development for Dylan. Though it reads younger than Blood Ties or Girl, Missing, the mystery behind the murder of Dylan's father is twisty enough to keep the YA crowd guessing right up until the end.

While it's easy to pick up and enjoy Hunted without having read the previous three books, I suspect that this series is really best read in chronological order. By itself, Hunted is gripping and enjoyable but not quite as satisfying as Sophie McKenzie's standalone novels, so Medusa Project newbies like me might want to check the earlier three instalments out first to get the full impact. However, if you've already read and enjoyed the first three books, this one is a thrill a minute.

Out: 6th January 2011, UK

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent

2011-01-05T13:05:00.006Z

Just when I was beginning to think that urban fantasy authors had to be running out of paranormal species to write about by now, along comes Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers. With four novels in the series already published in the USA, the first - My Soul To Take - finally hits UK shores this month, introducing us to the bizarrely gifted Kaylee Cavanaugh and the world of the bean sidhe. Or, to use their more familiar name, banshees.

Sixteen year old Kaylee has a secret. When she's near to someone who is about to die, she knows it - and she can barely contain the earsplitting scream that instinctively rises up in her throat. And once she starts screaming... she can't stop. The first time it happened, she was labelled crazy and prescribed drugs to eradicate her so-called panic attacks. But this time is different. In a crowded club, she spots a girl that has that darkness about her. By the next morning, the girl is dead. And only schoolmate Nash seems to be able to help her work out what exactly is going on.

Faster paced than your average YA paranormal, My Soul To Take is served up with an extra large helping of mystery. Kaylee's macabre gift makes it impossible for her ignore the similarities between the recent deaths of several local girls, and the swoonworthy Nash just so happens to have Reaper connections that might help them get the answers they're looking for. Because of course, there's romance here too. The spark between everygirl Kaylee and girl-magnet Nash tends towards the type of intense chemistry you'll find between the leads in adult paranormal romance novels, and while it's a familiar enough dynamic the context of bean sidhe lore breathes just enough new life into proceedings to keep things very interesting.

Since YA novels about banshees are few and far between, Rachel Vincent is exploring some new ground here in putting an urban spin on this eerie old legend. Where some paranormal novels seem to be struggling to reinvent the wheel, this one introduces us to a relatively unknown species with worldbuilding that's satisfyingly complex without ever seeming overworked. While the book never gets quite as dark as its subject matter might suggest it could, the intricacies of bean sidhe life are instead portrayed with a touch of welcome wry humour. And though the notion of an entire species whose females are inherently hysterical could make for some dubious gender stereotyping, in fact there's a lot more to Rachel Vincent's banshees than screaming. As a human teenager Kaylee is a fairly ordinary character, but her not-so-human characteristics cast her apparent tendency to freak out in a whole new light that makes for fascinating reading.

My Soul To Take is a promising first instalment in the Soul Screamers series. Rachel Vincent has taken some of the best loved elements of the YA paranormal genre and given them a quirky and unusual twist. The result? Compulsively readable.

Out: 1st January 2011, UK

Thanks to Mira Ink for providing a review copy of this book.

Entangled Blog Tour: Cat Clarke on her favourite teenage reads

2011-01-04T08:00:00.001Z

Today I'm thrilled to be hosting the ninth stop of the official Entangled book tour. As regular visitors to I Was A Teenage Book Geek may have surmised, Cat Clarke's debut novel is already a bit of a favourite of mine (review here). So of course, I jumped at the chance to ask Cat a few questions about her own favourite teenage reads...

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Welcome Cat! I read somewhere that the idea for Entangled came to you in the midst of an A Level English exam. Are there any particular books or authors from that time that have influenced you as a writer?

I was influenced by Christopher Pike when I was about 12 or 13, but I’m not sure whether any of the writers I read in my late teens have influenced my writing. I read a lot of Richard Laymon, Patricia Cornwell and Stephen King. I guess the thing all the books I read back then had in common was that they were proper page-turners. So perhaps they’ve influenced me in that way – I don’t write pages and pages of description, because that’s not what I like to read.

I would definitely say that Entangled is a total page turner. I couldn't put it down! Which YA character would you compare your teenage self to?

Katniss from The Hunger Games – except I was WAY tougher. Um... maybe Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle? Actually, I think my teenage self was far too dull to be a half-decent YA character. How depressing is that?!

Book blogging has only really taken off in the last few years. As a teen, where did you get your book recommendations from?

Man, I wish there had been book blogs when I was a teenager! I got book recommendations from my mum. And I randomly picked books from the library shelves – the random approach actually served me pretty well.

Some books are a rite of passage for teens. (example: mine was 'Are You There God, It's Me Margaret' by Judy Blume.) What was your rite of passage book?

I don’t think I had one. (I feel all left out now!) Although I did read Judy Blume... you couldn’t not read Judy Blume!

When I was in high school, teen fiction was all about the big US series books like Sweet Valley High, Point Horror and The Babysitter's Club. Have you ever had a series obsession?

Not when I was a teenager. I read a couple of Point Horror books, but I definitely preferred Christopher Pike. Ooh, I did go through a bit of a Gossip Girl phase about four years ago. I practically inhaled those books.

These days, a lot of people in their twenties and thirties are reading YA. Have you always been a big YA reader, or is it something you've left for a while and gone back to?

I’m ashamed to admit that I left the fold for a few years – but I still read things like Harry Potter and His Dark Materials. It’s only in the past six years or so that I’ve really become immersed in YA again. It’s good to be back.

If you could travel back in time and give 3 recently published YA books to your teenage self, which would you choose and why?

If I could travel back in time I’d do a lot more than give my teenage self some books! I think I’d go for...

Before I Fall – Lauren Oliver
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Some Girls Are – Courtney Summers

I’d hand them over to teenage Cat and say, ‘Read these ASAP. They will get under your skin and inspire you and make you want to write. Then maybe you could write a book now, instead of waiting years and years to get started. Oh, and get yourself some hair straighteners. And don’t wear those white jeans – ever.’
Thanks for having me on your blog, Lauren! Happy New Year to you.

Thanks for stopping by, Cat. And just for the record, I'm entirely with you on the white jeans thing.

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You can check out the full tour schedule in the banner there below, and I'd also highly recommend stopping by Cat Clarke's blog, website and twitter.

Review: 0.4 by Mike Lancaster

2011-01-02T20:53:00.000Z

Reminiscent of such genre classics as John Christopher's Empty World and John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos, Brit author Mike Lancaster's debut novel 0.4 is the kind of book you pick up with a feeling of mild intrigue and eventually put down hours later having completely forgotten to eat, sleep or possibly even blink for the entire duration.

0.4 comes to us from a future where humankind no longer reads. An editor's note tells us that what follows is the transcript of a series of cassette tapes recorded by a boy named Kyle Straker during the early part of the 21st century. There's a reason these tapes have been reproduced in book form, and that reason - the editor hopes - will become clear as we read. Kyle Straker had a story to tell, and it began on the day his entire community gathered for their village's annual talent show. One minute Kyle is volunteering to take part in a friend's amateur hypnotist act, and the next he's waking to find that things are... not as they were. Not at all. Along with three other volunteers, he emerges from hypnosis to find all the other villagers frozen as still as statues and all phone lines dead. The world is still - except for the four who were hypnotised. And they have no idea what has happened.

At once eerie and rivteing, 0.4 is the story of this mysterious and inexplicable event as seen through the eyes of teenager Kyle. As far beyond our comprehension as it is Kyle's, it's a situation that leaves reader and protagonist alike struggling to come up with a theory to explain what has happened and why. Seasoned fans of the genre will no doubt be able to come up with a hypothesis or two, but the beauty of 0.4 is that it offers a genuinely 'now' take on some familiar sci-fi territory. There's no way I'm going to risk spoiling this one's secrets, but what I will say is that when it comes, the big reveal is well worth waiting for.

Fast-paced and engrossing, 0.4 combines a heavily plot-driven story with substantial food for thought. While Kyle perhaps isn't the most memorable protagonist you'll encounter, he's exactly the kind of everyboy that this novel calls for. He's easy to identify with, and his instinctive urge to puzzle his way out of his plight will resonate with readers gripped by the unfolding mystery. The occasional footnote brings a lighter note to Kyle's narrative as the editor attempts to illuminate the intended audience's interpretation of the tapes - and, in doing so, gradually reveals to us just how much the world has changed since our time. And as a whole, this novel has a haunting power that might just leave you with an uncanny sense that your world might not be quite as it seems, either.

0.4 is pure sci-fi genius, created around a mindblowing central concept. It's fascinating and thought-provoking and, like all of the best sci-fi, curiously convincing. In fact, I can most definitely see future generations of readers citing 0.4 as the book that got them hooked on the genre. With a sequel already planned for 2012, Mike Lancaster's version of humankind's future is one I can hardly wait to revisit. Brilliant.

Out: 3rd January 2011, UK / March 8th 2011, US (as 'Human.4')

A huge thanks to Egmont for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

2010-12-30T14:35:00.002Z

If you're starting to find that paranormal romance leaves you with that feeling you've seen it all before, Immortal Beloved might just be the book you're looking for. The first chapter of Cate Tiernan's new trilogy takes place in the kind of urban fantasy world we're all accustomed to visiting by now, but the second sees troubled heroine Nastasya fleeing to far less familiar territory. At pushing four-hundred-and-fifty years old, immortal Nastasya still looks like a teenager. Having done her fair share of suffering in her early years, nowadays she's all about the partying. But when her best friend Incy commits an uncharacteristically callous magical attack on a random bystander, Nastasya finds herself questioning the existence she's chosen for the last century. Recalling a chance encounter with a stranger some decades past, she runs away to an immortals' retreat in rural Massachussets. But, she soon finds, she can't outrun her past.

Immortal Beloved is one of those rare examples of a book which far exceeds the rather tame level of expectation its premise creates. We're barely introduced to our heroine, and the first thing she does is run in the opposite direction from the only sign of any real excitement. Then? She hides out in the countryside for the entire duration. As a Cate Tiernan newbie, I think I can be forgiven for my initial misgivings when, a few chapters in, it dawned on me that I was reading a paranormal romance set on an organic farm. Happily, at that point, Nastasya's voice takes a turn for the snarky - and the narrative begins to offer up tiny morsels of her intriguing backstory. While anyone looking for an action-packed read will be disappointed, Immortal Beloved is actually the tale of a fascinating journey of self-discovery. Nastasya's inner conflict is every bit compelling enough to keep the pages turning, and what we eventually get is an intimate story that's surprisingly epic in scope.

Of course, what really drives this one is the strength of the palpable chemistry between Nastasya and her leading man. The man in question is Reyn, a fine example of the hostile-but-handsome variety of love interest. Though this may sound like we're back on well-trodden paranormal ground, Reyn is drawn in shades of grey that add layers of interest and complexity to his interactions with Nastasya. However, there's definitely a point in the story where Nastasya's attraction to Reyn becomes problematic in a way that might be offputting to some readers. In all likelihood, you'll not only wonder whether Nastasya can get past a particular obstacle, but also whether you actually want her to. What I would say is this: keep going. Much as you may fear that Immortal Beloved is on the verge of advocating some seriously messed up gender dynamics, it really isn't. Actually, it's headed in a way more subtle and complex direction that ties convincingly into the novel's greater message.

Unusually for the first book in a trilogy, Immortal Beloved wraps itself up almost as satisfyingly as a standalone novel. That's not to say that you'll escape the obligatory sequel cravings, because this first book sets up some incredibly tantalising storylines that'll make it hard to resist the promise of the second instalment. However, there's just enough closure to leave you feeling that you have actually read an entire novel, and not just part of a really long one.

While undoubtedly marking the beginning of an epic trilogy, Immortal Beloved also has a striking attention to detail that makes its world-building stand out from lesser books in the paranormal genre. Marketed in the UK as a crossover title, the tone and content reads fairly adult for a YA audience. It's somehow fresh and timeless - much like Nastasya herself, in fact. I'd recommend it foremost to fans of the paranormal genre, and also to anyone interested in exploring themes of immortality from a human perspective. If this is you, consider Immortal Beloved one to look out for.

Out: January 6th 2011, UK

Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for providing a review copy of this book.

Contest winner announcement

2010-12-30T08:57:00.002Z

As you may recall, before Christmas I held what I imaginatively (!) called my 'Somewhat Random' Contest. The randomly chosen winner is...

Clover

... who I contacted yesterday with the good news, and who seemed super excited about it. :D

Clover was number 67 out of 71 entries, and will be receiving a Harry Potter notebook and a book of her choice.

A big thank you to everyone who entered.

Kindle: the good, the bad, and the oh-so-pretty...

2010-12-29T14:30:00.036Z

Over the past few years, I've repeatedly toyed with the idea of putting an ereader on my wishlist. When Christmasses, birthdays and half-birthdays (yes, we celebrate those) rolled around, I contemplated the pros and cons of the various options and - until very recently - I just couldn't make up my mind. Back in November, I decided that I'd found the one. I'm not sure whether it was down to friends' testimonials, the enticing selection of available ebooks or some clever advertising, but suddenly... I desperately wanted a Kindle.

Frankly, when I realised that the latest generation of Kindles were black - sorry, 'graphite' - in colour, I have to admit that I was disappointed. Functionality aside, the white finish of the previous versions appealed to my girly sense of style in a way that the new models just don't. And I say this as someone who bought her first ipod because it was pink and shiny and pretty, not because she wanted to listen to music on it.

Santa, it seems, knows how superficial I can be and does not judge me for it. Right after I unwrapped my rather austere looking Kindle on Christmas morning, I also unwrapped a pretty hot pink leather cover to dress it up in. Cute, right? And it'll stop the Kindle itself getting all scratched up in the murky depths of my handbag, which is a major win.

Previously, I've tried to read the occasional ebook on my laptop and found it impossible. It doesn't feel natural to be reading a book onscreen, and the act of trying to read on such an alien, unbooklike format winds up distracting me from the words themselves. Having now read my first entire ebook, I'm happy to report that I haven't had any such problems with the Kindle. The Amazon site tells me that the screen uses fancy-schmancy 'E Ink Pearl Technology' for higher contrast, but what's made it work for me is that the words look... flat. It's like looking at words on a printed page, rather than a computer screen, and that's the difference. It's surprisingly difficult to get used to reading books without page numbers, but the Kindle does keep track of your progress through an ebook in the form of a percentage, which is a little disorientating but just as useful. The Kindle even gives you the ability to highlight passages, dogear pages and make notes on what you're reading, if you're so inclined. Which I am.

What I'm not so enamoured with is the ebook shopping experience. On Amazon UK, you can browse the Kindle bookstore by category - much like you would when shopping for print books. Except, unfortunately, it's not quite that easy. Because when browsing for regular books the 'Children's' navigation menu gives you the option to browse by age range, which is kind of essential when seeking out YA titles to catch your interest. The Kindle bookstore's 'Children's' menu, in contrast, only allows you to browse by genre - and the same goes for shopping on Amazon via your Kindle.

Now, at the risk of sounding like a whiner, I think this is pretty dumb. I mean, Amazon knows which Kindle ebooks are YA: on the website, the 'Children's' front page even shows brief selections for different age groups, including teen. Plus, it's possible to search the full Amazon site for Kindle books in the 'teen' age group using the advanced search function. So, the capability is there. It just isn't, for whatever reason, being used. What I'm finding is that if I want to shop for ebooks via my Kindle, it's easier to search for specific titles. Which is okay for me, as a book-obsessed blogger who has a wishlist of around 500 titles at any given time. But what about all those not-quite-so-obsessive readers who don't already know exactly what's out there? They'll miss out on books they might love. Boo!

That said, there's a surprisingly good selection of ebooks on Amazon UK and even some bargains to be had. While it's a shame that UK customers can't download ebooks directly from the US site, there are still a fair few American titles available, which means that I can pick up a copy of some of my US-only wishlist items way quicker than I could order and receive print copies. Instant > a three week wait, that's for sure.

Overall, there's no way that ebooks would ever completely replace real printed books for me. Let's face it, if I read an ebook I love, I'm going to need to purchase a printed copy for my shelf. I love books, and I love book covers, and an ebook just doesn't have the same charm. Then there's the fact that the review copies I'm offered are generally in printed form - although having a Kindle has tempted me to give NetGalley another try.

However, there's a lot to love the Kindle for. It reads so much better than I ever would've expected, and I love the fact that it's so light... no more hefting hardbacks around on my commute. The ability to take two weeks' worth of reading on vacation without exceeding my baggage allowance? Yes, please. Books to my Kindle in under one minute, whenever the whim strikes me? Okay, this could be dangerous...

Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

2010-12-28T22:15:00.000Z

In the small town of Gentry, Mackie Doyle is an outsider. For the last sixteen years, he's hidden the truth about who he is: a replacement, left in exchange for a human baby stolen from its crib... and its family. He is the thing that nobody talks about. Monsters like him would usually die within months and be buried in the child's place, but somehow Mackie has survived the iron and the consecrated ground of this world - so far.

Then Tate Stewart's little sister dies, and suddenly Mackie can't ignore the truth any more...

For me, the power of The Replacement stems largely from what debut author Brenna Yovanoff leaves unsaid. Set in the prosperous town of Gentry, it's the story of a community that lives alongside an unnamed supernatural menace they never publicly acknowledge. And just as the people of Gentry refuse to name the creatures who bring their terrible blend of misery and good fortune to the town, Yovanoff refuses to limit the power of her creations by defining them in concrete terms. We soon learn that these creatures steal human children and leave sickly changelings in their place, but unlike the majority of YA paranormal species we never truly know what else we can expect from them or what their limits are.

For all its ambiguity, The Replacement is one of the most genuinely unsettling YA reads I've ever encountered. Paranormal titles are often marketed as 'dark', but when it comes to YA 'dark' is a word that's perhaps thrown around a little too easily. Not in this case. In choosing to delve beneath the surface of his eerie hometown, Mackie brings himself face to face with the reality of his own kind. And as you might expect of creatures who steal human children away from their families and replace them with changelings, the reality is both grisly and unnerving. Those of a weak disposition be warned: this story takes the reader to some deeply unpleasant places. Those not of a weak disposition: prepare for an unforgettable read.

Alongside all this darkness, The Replacement is not without its uplifting moments. It's definitely not the kind of novel I'd describe primarily as a romance, but the relationship between Mackie and Tate is nonetheless a compelling one. Mackie is a boy who has had to hide the truth about who he is for sixteen years, and in Tate - who can no longer keep quiet about what she knows to be true - he finds a girl with the power to change his whole approach to life. As narrator, Mackie makes for a largely believable (if reluctant) hero, although I would have to say that I wasn't quite convinced that a boy who feels his outsider status so accutely would attract the attentions of a queen bee in the way that he does. Still, The Replacement is the kind of book that leaves you with plenty to think about, and the lessons Mackie learns on his journey provide some interesting insight into the way that our own society expresses its values. Most importantly, it's a book about the transformative power of love.

Malevolent and haunting, The Replacement blurs the boundary between paranormal romance and horror with fascinating results. While the plot unfolds at a relatively slow pace, it's the incredibly creepy atmosphere that keeps the pages turning here. It's a striking debut from Brenna Yovanoff, and one that I'd recommend to readers who like their paranormal YA with a little more going on.

Out: January 6th 2011, UK / September 21st 2010, US

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Blog tour - Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

2010-12-26T09:00:00.062Z

Today sees the start of an (appropriately) epic blog tour for an epic new series. Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf is the first in a new fantasy-horror series by Brit author Curtis Jobling, set for publication on the 6th January 2011.

The UK corner of the blogosphere is set to become extremely buzzy about this one throughout January. You can find full details of the blog tour over at Once Upon A Bookcase, where my blogger buddy Jo has posted the tour schedule in full. With an impressive twenty seven tour stops, the tour will feature a 'Were-Creation Competition Challenge', where a drawing started by Curtis Jobling himself - who is also known as an illustrator - will be sent among some of the bloggers involved to add to. The finished drawing will be up for grabs via a contest at one of the tour stops, so if that's piqued your interest, make sure to follow the tour along for more details.

Summary from publisher's website: 'YOU'RE THE LAST OF THE WEREWOLVES SON. DON'T FIGHT IT . . . CONQUER IT.'

When the air is clear, sixteen year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator.

When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him.

And when a vicious beast invades his home, his gums begin to tear, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms . . .

Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan's men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy.

Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him - and master the animal within?

And check out the trailer below:

Intrigued? You can find out more about Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf at Curtis Jobling's blog and the official website.

News: 2011 blog tours

2010-12-24T08:35:00.001Z

While I can't quite believe it's going to be 2011 in just over a week's time, my sources tell me that it really will be. I'm trusting them on this, and have signed up to take part in two blog tours during January 2011, which is not that far away. Wow.

The tours are for two Simon and Schuster UK titles that I've recently read and really enjoyed. First up is The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, which is basically everything I like in a paranormal YA - dark and unnerving and impossible to put down.

The second tour is for Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles. If you happen to follow my twitter account you may have noticed me tweeting excitedly about this one back in November, because I liked it even more than Perfect Chemistry.

Reviews for both titles will be appearing here soon. In the meantime, check out the tour schedules on the official (and gorgeous) tour banners below...

End of 2010 Survey

2010-12-21T22:00:00.001Z

I love one-off book memes, and this one from The Perpetual Page Turner has been popping up all over the place. I figured since I've been enjoying everyone else's answers so much I'd have a go at it myself. Oh, and I set myself the added challenge of trying not to repeat choices unless it really couldn't be helped.

1. Best book of 2010?
It's a triple tie. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, Trash by Andy Mulligan, and Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty. They're all really different, but I guess what they have in common is that each one has a truly perfect ending. They're also books that have stayed with me, and that I know I'll reread in the future.

2. Worst book of 2010?
Hmmm. This is hard, because if I'm not enjoying a book by the halfway mark I tend to put it down... so I have no idea whether those (and there were a few) would have turned out fabulous if I'd stuck at it. Pass!

3. Most disappointing book of 2010?
I guess Mockingjay. While I easily enjoyed it enough to finish it, (and in fact couldn't put it down) I was disappointed because I'd built it up to be this book of all books in my head, and, you know, that was my own fault for letting the hype get to me.

4. Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2010?
Shade by Jeri-Smith Ready. I was feeling a little paranormalled out until I read this one, and it turned out to be completely fresh and amazing. Loved it.

5. Book you recommended to people most in 2010?
Honestly, it's probably a book that doesn't publish till January 2011: Entangled by Cat Clarke. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy a few months ago, and I'm always telling people about that one. Me: 'Looking for Debut Author Challenge recs? Oooh, you should read Entangled. It's *so* good.' See?

6. Best series you discovered in 2010?
There were so many. But I already know for sure I'll be picking up the next instalments in Jenny Han's Summer series, The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series by Stephanie Burgis, and the Inside Out series from Maria V Snyder.

7. Favourite new authors you discovered in 2010?
New: Lauren Strasnick and Cat Clarke.
Not 'new' new but new-to-me: Jaclyn Moriarty, Tabitha Suzuma, Jackson Pearce, Lili Wilkinson.

8. Most hilarious read of 2010?
Swapped By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja. Hands down. I adore suspended reality type stories, and the humour in this one is of the laugh-out-loud variety. Which in my experience is pretty rare.

9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010?
Inside Out by Maria V Snyder or Pretty Bad Things by C.J. Skuse. Both total rollercoaster rides, in totally different ways.

10. Book you most anticipated in 2010?
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

11. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2010?
Pink by Lili Wilkinson. Because it's pink. And because the fact that it's pink means so much. But not what you might expect.

12. Most memorable character in 2010?
Billi SanGreal from Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda. Okay, so we've met Billi before in Devil's Kiss, but she's still awe-inspiringly fierce.

13. Most beautifully written book in 2010?
Probably Matched by Ally Condie or Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Both of them are written with an obvious love of language and of literature, and I adore that.

14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010?
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. I was actually a little nervous about reading this one. As it turned out, it was a challenging read but I was bowled over by it. (Incidentally, my review for Forbidden is the blog post that has had the most hits here at I Was A Teenage Book Geek this entire year. I like that.)

15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. What was I thinking? And now you mention it, why haven't I read the next book in the series yet? Oh, and So Much To Tell You by John Marsden, which is just remarkable.

Book blogging in 2010

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2010?
There are so many! And I'm not especially good at judging how long I've been following blogs, but... two favourites are The Mountains of Instead and Inkcrush.

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2010?
Probably my review of Pink by Lili Wilkinson. Which you can check out here if you haven't already. I got some comment love for that one, and I really enjoyed writing it.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
Book blogging: what's the point? It got some fantastically positive comments, and I learned a lot.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else's blog?
This is a hard question, because some bloggers really go above and beyond with their discussion of issues that should be of relevance to our whole community. Standouts: Steph Su's post on What Makes A Good Reviewer, April of Good Books and Good Wine on ARCs, Ari's open letter to Bloomsbury at Reading In Color, and Caroline at Portrait of a Woman's AIDS and HIV in Young Adult Literature Week.

5. Best event that you participated in?
Actually, there were quite a few: The Random House Blogger Brunch, the blogger sneak preview at Walker Books, a blogger meet-up with Lauren Kate (!), the London launch party for Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised By Wolves, Oxford University Press' Halloween event. It's been a crazy fun year.

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2010?
Getting to meet up with other UK bloggers. Readers are the BEST people.

7. Best bookish discovery?
The Contemps: a website started by a group of YA authors who write realistic fiction and who all have books being published over the course of a year. Because contemporary is the new dystopia, dontcha know.

Okay, so that was tougher than I expected. I'm sure there are some favourite novels that I've missed out, but that's a lesson to me to be more organised next year.

Thanks to the The Perpetual Page Turner for coming up with such a fun (and surprisingly difficult) survey.

Review: Tall Story by Candy Gourlay

2010-12-20T22:40:00.001Z

Tall Story is the tale of two siblings who share a parent but have grown up thousands of miles apart. Basketball-loving Andi was born and raised in London after her mother came to the UK as a nurse, whilst her brother Bernardo stayed at home in the Phillipines with his aunt and uncle, awaiting clearance from the Home Office to join them. Their story opens on the day that Bernardo finally lands in the UK, granted his visa and ready to be reunited with his mother, stepfather and Andi. But when he arrives, the family aren't quite prepared for the fact that he's changed since they last saw him. A lot. Now Bernardo is eight feet tall, and not remotely what Andi expected.

Whimsical and unusual, Tall Story blends magic realism with contemporary themes in a tale that's full of charm. Narrated by Andi and her (really) big brother Bernardo in alternating points of view, it's book that offers insight into the immigrant experience from two quite distinct perspectives. One on hand we have Andi, who is both English and half-Filipino, and whose knowledge of the Philippines is limited to one visit as a small child and the things her mother has told her. On the other we have Bernardo, who has waited for years for his family reunion but also finds it difficult to leave his life in the village of San Andres behind. To Bernardo, London is strange and intimidating and thrilling; and to Andi, Bernardo himself is pretty strange.

Aided by the dual perspective, Tall Story explores its themes with pathos and humour. Readers will come to empathise with Bernardo through the chapters he narrates, but they'll also appreciate the more comical way that he's sometimes portrayed from Andi's point of view. Similarly, Andi can come across in her chapters as a little bit of a brat, but Bernardo sees her through more forgiving eyes. The two narrative strands also reflect how different their lives have been until now, as Andi tells a tale of basketball dreams thwarted by her school team's boys-only rule, whereas Bernardo's story of magic and curses makes greater use of imagery and fairytale elements. Like Andi and Bernardo themselves, their stories seem worlds apart at first but might just be headed towards some common ground.

Tall Story is a smart and emotionally satisfying read with definite crossover appeal. It's a book with the power to make readers laugh, cry, and remember what's most important in life. While it's probably aimed at those in the ten to fourteen age group, I suspect that older readers will take just as much from it. Plus, a basketball playing heroine? There just aren't enough of those.

Out: 27th May 2010, UK

Thank you to Random House UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick

2010-12-19T13:25:00.002Z

Whilst on the surface the story of Her and Me and You appears relatively simple, Lauren Strasnick's second novel gradually reveals itself to be complex and layered and full of meaning. Calling to mind those IQ puzzles where the aim is to work out how many small triangles make up one large one, this ambiguous and fascinating tale explores the tangled nature of adult relationships from the point of view of its young adult narrator.

With her parents' nineteen-year marriage shattered by the revelation that her father has been having an affair, only child Alex has been forced to leave the familiarity of her old life and move to a new town with her mother. While she wants nothing more than for things to go back to how they were, she soon finds that relationships are never that easy. Drawn into the twisted world of new schoolmate Fred and his possessive twin sister Adina, Alex finds herself caught up in a triangle of her own.

Unusually short for a YA novel, Her and Me and You (just barely) unfolds in a series of brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it chapters. There's a certain brittle beauty to Lauren Strasnick's understated style, which is startling at first but surprisingly easy to settle into. There are no wasted words here: the characters' pithy, barbed dialogue is framed sparingly but tellingly by Alex's minimalist narration. From casual beginning to the enigmatic final pages, this is a book that packs an emotional punch far above its weight.

Part drama, part coming-of-age story, Her and Me and You sees its heroine coming to terms with the fact that the seemingly straightforward relationships of her childhood can't stay that way forever. Try as she might to hold onto the perfect three of her family unit or the perfect two of her relationship with lifelong best friend Evie, the post-childhood world just keeps on throwing these complex and painful triangles at her. While for the reader this means plenty of conflict and drama to keep those pages turning, it's also a thoughtful look at the love triangle as a motif - questioning our natural inclination to cast characters in this situation as victim or villain. Alex's journey is mirrored by that of the novel's main antagonist, love interest Fred's somewhat unstable twin sister Adina, whose own situation is just as heartbreaking in its own way.

Her and Me and You is a bittersweet and compulsively readable tale that sets Lauren Strasnick apart as one of the most striking voices in contemporary young adult fiction. It's elegant and raw and insightful all at the same time. Pick it up if you're looking for an edgy, intense read that you won't want to put down again.

Out: October 5th 2010, US

Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

2010-12-16T21:40:00.000Z

Beautiful Darkness picks up shortly after the events of the first book in the Caster Chronicles, with a still unclaimed Lena Duchannes grieving the loss of a beloved relative. As the title suggests, this instalment in the series takes us deeper into the shadowy caster realm that lies just beneath the surface of Gatlin, South Carolina. It also sees narrator Ethan and his tormented caster girlfriend torn apart by grief, doubt and the machinations of her formiddable family. Epic in its own right, Beautiful Darkness sees Ethan discovering just how closely his own destiny is entwined with the Duchannes-Ravenwood bloodline, and undertaking a seemingly impossible journey to the heart of the caster world.

Like the previous instalment, Beautiful Darkness is a fairly lengthy tome. It's not the kind of book you'll race through in an afternoon, and nor should you try to. While the first half is slower than molasses in terms of action, that's precisely how its enchantment works: gradually drawing the reader so deeply into Ethan and Lena's magical world that it feels as vivid and alive as the real one outside its pages. Those who persevere with Beautiful Darkness will find reward in its thrilling conclusion, as the characters brought so perfectly to life by Garcia and Stohl are forced to confront the fact that for all of them, life will never be the same again.

Where some readers may take issue with Beautiful Darkness is in the way that the plot doesn't always play by its own rules. As in Beautiful Creatures, part of what makes the caster world so dangerous is the unthinkable ultimatum faced by Lena Duchannes. We're enthralled because the choice she faces is a terrible one, and the book tells us there's no wriggling out of it. That's the danger at the heart of it. However, as in Beautiful Creatures, the plot doesn't quite deliver on this promise. What we get instead is an intriguing twist that changes the rules of the game - but for better or worse? While some may argue that in evading certain consequences the book loses a little of its dark power, others may relish the promise of even higher stakes next time around.

Beautiful Darkness is another brilliant instalment in the Caster Chronicles series. It's richly drawn and luxuriously detailed and definitely one for readers who like to completely immerse themselves in the world of a story. Spiked with a suprising amount of humour amidst the darkness, it's also filled with quirky and ambiguous characters that readers will take to their hearts. Beguiling.

Out: 28th October 2010, UK

A big thanks to Razorbill / Penguin for providing a review copy of this book.

Waiting On Wednesday: A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler

2010-12-15T18:55:00.001Z

This week I'm 'waiting on' A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler.

From publisher's website: If you could see into the future - would you look?

Jenni Green doesn't have a choice. On her way to visit her best friend, Autumn, Jenni suddenly finds she's been transported exactly one year forward in time.

Now she discovers that in the year that's gone by, tragedy has struck and her friendship with Autumn will never be the same again. But what caused the tragedy? How did Jenni skip a year? And can she find her way back to the past to try to change what lies ahead?

You know what I love? Time travel. It's one of my favourite things. In fact, it might just be edging ahead of my love of dystopia, when until very recently they were even stevens.

What I also love is the premise of A Year Without Autumn, the next book from Emily Windsnap author (and Brit) Liz Kessler. I'm always on the lookout for a good friendship story, and the fact that this one has time travelness thrown into the mix has me desperate to read it. If I could time travel forward a year, I'd pop into the nearest bookstore and buy a copy of this one already because I. can't. wait.

This one hits UK bookstores some time in April 2011. I want!

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011

2010-12-14T21:08:00.002Z

Confession time: I love a challenge.

A reading challenge, that is.

I also love Aussie YA. So while I recently swore to myself that I'd only take on one book challenge for 2011 - the British Books Challenge, hosted by my blogger buddy The Bookette - I was clearly never going to be able to say no to the Aussie YA Reading Challenge.

I'm not even sure what it is about Aussie YA I love so much. While most of the Aussie-scribed books I've read fall into the category of contemporary YA, it's not as though they share a tangible quality that I can confidently describe as 'Australian'. It's more an intangible feeling of affinity with the characters and story and setting. It's the curious sensation of identifying with a voice that feels familiar and yet exotic at the same time. It's the fact that the characters might eat Tim Tams at any time. Okay, not so much that last one. But the point is, whatever it may be, I like it. A lot.

So, when I heard that Nic from Irresistible Reads and Nomes from Inkcrush had put their heads together to create the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011, all my promises not to take on any more book challenges basically flew out the window. I mean, I would be reading these books anyway. Why not make it official? And besides, I might just find out exactly what exactly that elusive Aussieness is along the way.

For 'international' readers, like moi, the challenge is to read 6 books by Aussie authors during 2011. The first potential choices that spring to mind are:

The Dead of the Night - John Marsden
Take My Word For It - John Marsden
Looking for Alibrandi - Melina Marchetta
Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta
Girl Saves Boy - Steph Bowe
The Anatomy of Wings - Karen Foxlee
A Little Wanting Song - Cath Crowley
Fury - Shirley Marr
Finding Cassie Crazy - Jaclyn Moriarty
Six Impossible Things - Fiona Wood
Kirsty Eagar - Raw Blue

The ones in italics are books currently in my TBR pile. As you can see, finding six will not be a problem for me. Incidentally, the Australian reader category requires participants to read twelve books by Aussie authors during 2011. What I'd like to know is, if I make it to twelve can I consider myself an honorary Aussie?

You can find out more about this challenge here at Irresistible Reads. Who's in?

Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff

2010-12-13T20:30:00.007Z

When Clea Raymond spots a handsome stranger in her holiday snaps, she soon realises there's more to him than meets the eye. What she doesn't realise is that she's about to stumble upon a secret that's been at the edge of her exisence for years: a secret that might just hold the key to her father's disappearance.

On the trail of her missing father, Clea finally comes face to face with the mysterious stranger - and finds he's not such a stranger after all. His name is Sage, and he's quite literally the man of her dreams...

I think it's fair to say that Elixir is paranormal romance given the Hollywood treatment. In actress Hilary Duff's first novel we're treated to filmic storytelling, some memorable set pieces and the kind of corny romantic scenes that'll either make your eyes roll or your heart melt. It's a fairly quick and easy read, so it shouldn't alienate anyone who picks it up simply as a fan of Hilary Duff rather than books in general, and it has a gentle humour that's genuinely likeable. It's fast-moving and just intriguing enough to read in one sitting.

Main character Clea certainly isn't the usual brand of everygirl you often find in teenage paranormal romance. We first meet her partying at an exclusive Paris nightclub, following a jaunt round Europe with her best friend Rayna in tow. Her life until this point has been tabloid fodder, thanks to the public profile of her politician mother, and at the age of seventeen she already has a budding career as a photojournalist. While there are still elements of the everygirl about her - she's a little too nice, not to mention talented, pretty and modest - her jetsetting status means that her story plays out against a backdrop quite different from the usual paranormal settings. So, as well as Paris we get to visit Rio at carnival time and hang out at a shopping mall in Japan. It's a change of scenery that definitely brings freshness and fun to the otherwise-familiar ground of soulmates, love triangles and immortality.

Elixir is the first book in a planned series, and this is evident in the cliffhanger ending of this instalment. Or to put it another way: at the end of this one, I had no idea what had just happened. Seriously. I found myself checking the back of the book in case an extra chapter appeared to clear up all my questions, but to absolutely zero avail. And you know what? I would like the answers to these questions. Yes, enough to read the second book.

I was pleasantly surprised by Elixir. I'd recommend it chiefly to fans of Hilary Duff, of course, but it's also a good choice for readers who like a little glamour with their YA paranormal romance.

Out: October 12th 2010, US / October 16th 2010, UK

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Somewhat random contest

2010-12-11T23:25:00.003Z

Recently, I noticed that I'd reached a milestone here on the ol' blog. 600 followers, people! I think that's pretty amazing, and since I'm basically thrilled to bits about it I'd like to say thanks to all you followers, readers and commenters.

So: contest time. I have one Gryffindor notebook / journal from my recent visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to give away to one lucky entrant. Sweet, huh?

And, to celebrate the holiday season, I'll also buy the winner a present from The Book Depository: one book, up to the value of £10.

To enter, just fill in the form below. But first please read my privacy policy and check out the contest rules:

Contest is open wherever The Book Depository ships.
There will be one winner, who will scoop both prizes, chosen at random using an online randomizer.
Entrants must be aged 13 or over.
Entrants aged under 16 must have permission from their parent or guardian, and must provide an email address for their parent or guardian - not their own!
Multiple entries will be disqualified.
Followers (old or new) get 2 extra entries.
Contest closes at midnight GMT on the 23rd December 2010.
The winner will be chosen, announced and contacted by email by the 28th December 2010. If no response is received after 48 hours an alternative winner will be chosen.
Details provided will not be used for any other purpose, and I will delete all entry information once the winner has been picked and the prize sent out.

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Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

2010-12-09T22:15:00.001Z

I'll be honest with you: this is going to be less of a review and more of a love letter to a book. It's not my favoured approach, I'll admit, but as I see it there'll be plenty of objective reviews out there and on this occasion I can't be objective. This book is a love letter to readers. It's only fair that I write one back.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares opens in the Strand, New York: the bookstore of all bookstores. It's Christmastime, and a boy named Dash is perusing the shelves just because he can. It's there that he finds a red Moleskine notebook that first sends him on a bookish treasure hunt and then prompts him to enter into correspondence with its author, Lily. Soon Dash and Lily are exchanging messages in the Moleskine, sharing stories and compelling each other to seek the notebook out in hiding places around the city. And before long, they're wondering just what they mean, or might mean, to each other.

As in the much-loved Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is narrated by its leads in alternating points of view, with Rachel Cohn writing Lily's chapters and David Levithan writing Dash's. Less cool and a little more contemplative than Nick and Norah, Dash and Lily share that same sweet brand of hesitant chemistry that soon has the reader utterly convinced that these two would be great together. I have to confess I initially found the hopeful and insecure Lily easier to believe in than Dash, whose unfaltering literariness is probably as unlikely as it is magnificent, but eventually I realised that's kind of the point. There's an element of fiction to everyone, even in real life. This book knows it, and so does Dash.

While Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is both captivating and entertaining, most of all it's a book overflowing with ideas. It's a book that will make you think about language and meaning and the nature of love. At the heart of the story are these complex layered relationships between writers and readers: Dash and Lily, Cohn and Levithan, you and all of the above. All these writers endeavouring to communicate ideas and feelings with their words, and all these readers interpreting them, and it's like a celebration of the whole writing and reading process. And at the same time, it's a moving experience because the words are beautiful and clever and sometimes even fanciful. It's never hard work, because it's witty and full of whimsy, but it asks huge and important questions. What exactly do we love when we love someone? What do they love back? How do we know it's real?

I know not everyone will love this book. I know not everyone will find tears (embarrassingly) welling up in their eyes on the bus on the way to work because they find certain passages so darn perfect. I also know I sound like a complete fangirly dork, and I hope you'll overlook that and pick this one up anyway. Because Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is also a book about taking risks and looking for love even though you might not find it. And you might find it here.

Out: October 26th 2010, US

Waiting On Wednesday: The Thirteen Secrets by Michelle Harrison

2010-12-08T13:05:00.001Z

This week I'm 'waiting on' the third instalment in Michelle Harrison's brilliantly eerie fairy trilogy, The Thirteen Secrets.

Summary from Amazon.co.uk: Red is now living at Elvesden Manor under her real name, Rowan, and trying to put her past behind her. But staying on the straight and narrow isn't as easy as she had hoped...Hounded by fairy messengers who are trying to convince her to participate once more in the changeling trade, Rowan is haunted by dreams of the Hedgewitch's cottage and the chained-up Eldritch, who threatens revenge against her. Her past is about to catch up with her - can Tanya and Fabian prevent it consuming her altogether?

I adored the first two books in this series, The Thirteen Treasures and The Thirteen Curses, so this one has been on my radar for quite some time. Michelle Harrison's take on fairies is dark and dangerous and filled with enchantment, and her world-building rocks my world. But after seeing the awesome book trailer for the third book, I'm pretty much desperate to read it NOW!

Check out the creepy soundtrack! This one is due to hit UK bookstores on the 3rd February 2011. Roll on the spring.

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

British Books Challenge 2011

2010-12-05T12:30:00.000Z

Last year, I signed up for a few challenges and the truth is, it all got a bit out of control. While my guess is that I'll probably have completed them all by the end of 2010, I often completely fail at remembering to add my review links at the challenge host site. So this year, I'm trying not to over commit. I'm promising myself that I will only sign up for the British Books Challenge, which is being hosted by Becky a.k.a. The Bookette. Because let's face it, if I can't find time to fly the flag for British authors, I pretty much fail as a British blogger.

HOWEVER, this is by no means just a challenge for the Brits in our little community of blog. Becky has divided the challenge into two categories, Home Grown (for Brits like me) and International Friend, which is for anyone else who wants to support British authors and join in the fun. You can read old or new titles, from any genre, and even read outside of the YA category if you wish. And, Becky has mentioned that there will be awesome prize packs up for grabs in giveaways open exclusively challenge participants. Interested? You can find out more about the challenge here.

The Home Grown challenge is to read and review twelve books by British authors in 2011. I'm not sure yet of all twelve books I'll be reading, but I'm currently most excited about these upcoming titles:

Kiss, Date, Love, Hate - Luisa Plaja
Rockaholic - C.J. Skuse
A Year Without Autumn - Liz Kessler
Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle
0.4 - Mike Lancaster
The Iron Witch - Karen Mahoney
Shadows On The Moon - Zoe Marriott

2011? Bring. It. On.

Review: Let It Snow - Three Holiday Romances by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle

2010-12-04T08:00:00.131Z

I'm not generally a fan of short stories, but I am a big fan of the holiday season. I'm also a fan of Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle, the three authors behind Let It Snow, a collection of festive-themed romances. And while the three stories in Let It Snow are shorter than full-length novels, they're not short short. They're also linked by the fact that the majority of the action takes place in the same small town in the middle of a snowstorm, and by recurring characters, in-jokes and references, making Let It Snow a little more satisfying as a whole than other short story collections I've read.

First up is Maureen Johnson's story, The Jubilee Express, which comes to us courtesy of narrator Jubilee Dougal. Forced to miss her boyfriend's Christmas smorgasboard and catch a train to visit her grandparents for the holidays when her parents are arrested at a shopping riot, Jubilee finds herself stranded in snowy Gracetown in a carriage full of squealy cheerleaders. As you'd imagine from that last sentence, this is a quirky and sometimes over-the-top tale that borders on insanity. It's also hilarious, heartwarming, and über-Christmassy. I loved it, and could quite happily have read an entire novel narrated by wry and witty Jubilee.

The second story is John Green's A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, which sees narrator Tobin and his friends braving the blizzard in a race against time to reach Gracetown's Waffle House, where the squealy cheerleaders from the previous story are taking shelter for the night. It's a little bit zany and a lot funny, with a super romantic twist that more than redeems Tobin from his early cheerleader-chasing shallowness. If you like your humour with a side-order of slapstick, you'll probably like this one.

Lauren Myracle's story, The Patron Saint of Pigs, focuses on newly pink-haired Addie, a barista at Starbucks who is having some major relationship woes. She's recently broken up with her boyfriend of one year, who just so happens to have made walk on appearances in the previous two stories in the collection, and she's about to learn a major life lesson - with a little help from an old lady and a teacup piglet, that is. While this story feels a little more tame than the others, it's an adorable and heartwarming read which also references my all-time favourite Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life.

Let It Snow is the book equivalent of a gingerbread latte with whipped cream and sprinkles. It's delicious and Christmassy and probably best consumed when it's cold outside. Each story is pleasingly unique, and yet as a whole the collection stays true to the spirit of this holiday. If you're looking for something to get you in the Christmas spirit, this could well be it.

Out: September 11th 2008, US

How well read am I?

2010-12-03T08:00:00.001Z

I love one-off memes, so when I spotted this one over at my buddy The Bookette’s blog, I decided to give it a try myself.

Legend has it that the BBC have asserted that the following list will make you ‘well read’, but that the average person will only have read six – six! – of these novels. Sounds like a challenge, right?

The instructions are:

1) Copy this list
2) Bold the books you’ve read in their entirety. (As in, all the way through.)
3) Italicise those you’ve started but didn’t finish, or have only read an excerpt of.
4) Tag other book nerds.
5) Highlight any books from the list you own, but haven’t read.

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The King James Bible
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell
His Dark Materials – Phillip Pullman
Great Expectations– Charles Dickens
Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
Emma -Jane Austen
Persuasion – Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
Animal Farm – George Orwell
The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Dune – Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
On The Road – Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
Ulysses – James Joyce
The Inferno – Dante
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Germinal – Emile Zola
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession – AS Byatt
Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
Watership Down – Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Bam! I make that 41, which compares pretty favourably with the predicted six. However, I have to admit that I have a BA and MA in English Literature, and quite a few of those 41 are books I studied at Uni. The rest? Mostly children's classics. And I haven't read the last Harry Potter book yet, so I narrowly missed out on number 42.

Since I mostly read YA these days, I'd be interested to see how my score shaped up against a similar list for young adult titles. My guess is that I'd do better in terms of books I've read, but I'd have less italicised books.

So... has anyone else done this? Feel free to drop your link in the comments.

Review: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

2010-12-02T08:00:00.386Z

Jenny Downham's second novel, You Against Me, combines all the ingredients of a classic Romeo and Juliet love story with a contemporary edge. Set in the aftermath of one girl's claim that an older boy from the same town has assaulted her, it takes two characters who have every reason to hate each other and instead unites them in one of the most thought-provoking novels of the year.

I have to confess that when I first heard the premise behind You Against Me, I wondered how Jenny Downham would pull it off. Starcrossed lovers are always a popular subject in YA fiction, and I feared that combining teen romance with the story of an alleged date rape could prove to be a problematic fit. In fact, Downham brings the two threads of her story together in a juxtaposition that draws on themes of loyalty, trust and gender dynamics.

You Against Me picks up the day that Tom Parker returns home on bail, pending trial for the assault of Karyn McKenzie - which he denies. Told in a dual narrative structure, the perspective alternates between Tom's younger sister, Ellie, and Karyn's big brother Mikey. Both are living in a nightmare. Mikey feels compelled to seek revenge, but when he knocks at the door of the Parker home it's Ellie who answers. They've never met before, but gradually they develop a bond that causes them to question their own choices so far. Their sweet and fragile love story unfolds alongside all the heartbreak and confusion leading up to the court case that will determine Tom Parker's guilt or innocence in the eyes of the law. Like a negative image of what's happened between Tom and Karyn, the connection between Mikey and Ellie gradually begins to evolve into a physical relationship founded upon mutual respect.

Naturally, their families are an obstacle to this relationship, but they also face the challenge of reconciling their feelings for each other with their own loyalties. As readers, we don't have an easy angle on the truth about what happened between Karyn and Tom that night, and although our questions are answered sufficiently in the novel's closing pages we spend much of the narrative trying to weigh up the characters' different versions of the truth. We're compelled to confront the ways that our preconceptions about gender, social background and appearances inform our own interpretations of events, just as the characters themselves do. There are no easy answers here, and there can't be a neat and tidy ending for everybody, but somehow we're left feeling that the two lead characters make the right choices - and that is enough.

Among the many hundreds of YA titles published this year, You Against Me is one that stands out as a shining example of ground-breaking, powerful writing. It's sometimes hard to read, simply because it's told so honestly and without any sugar-coating of its painful and difficult subject matter. But it's also smart and sincere and compelling, and I sincerely recommend it. Not to be missed.

Out: 2nd December 2010, UK

Many thanks to Random House UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Positively by Courtney Sheinmel

2010-12-01T08:00:00.000Z

When my blogger buddy Caroline first told me that she was planning a special event to coincide with World Aids Day on December 1st, my thoughts immediately turned to a book I'd been meaning to read for ages: Positively by Courtney Sheinmel. Caroline is dedicating this week over at her (insightful and incredibly smart) blog Portrait of A Woman to the theme of HIV and AIDS in literature, and it's just the incentive I needed to bust Positively to the top of my to-be-read pile. Once you've read my review, please do head over to Portrait of A Woman to check out Caroline's posts here.

Positively is the story of thirteen year old Emmy, who has just lost her mother to AIDS. Emmy was diagnosed with HIV at the age of four, and has taken regular medication ever since to keep her well. Now, struggling with her grief and her own sense of isolation, she now resents having to live with her father (who doesn't have the virus) and his pregnant wife. Everything in her life seems so uncertain - what's the point of doing her homework or thinking about boys if she doesn't know if she'll even grow up? But then her father sends her to Camp Positive, a charity-run summer camp for girls who have HIV, and Emmy begins to see that she has plenty to live for.

Positively is the story of a thirteen year old girl grieving for her mother, and herself. While I can't deny that this bittersweet novel does have some terribly sad moments, it's written with a lightness of touch that somehow manages to convey the intensity of protagonist Emmy's feelings without relying on sentimentality. Obviously it's always going to be heartbreaking to read about a child in this situation, but Positively is also an uplifting novel. Amidst Emmy's tangle of emotions, glimmers of hope gradually appear - and it's these little breakthroughs that will leave you choked up. There are some scenes that will undoubtedly bring tears to readers' eyes, but they're used sparingly and have all the more impact as a result.

Emmy herself is the kind of character you just can't help but like. She's sparky and spirited, even when she's bottling her grief up and refusing to let anyone in. As a narrator, she's always completely frank in a way that she can't be with those around her, so that even when she's acting out we completely understand why. That said, she does strike me as a quite young thirteen year old, meaning that tweens will probably relate to her slightly more than the YA demographic will.

Of course, Positively is also an educational experience. There are occasional passages that seem rather heavily didactic, but in a way that wasn't as much as a problem for me as it would usually be. Courtney Sheinmel is a great storyteller, but it's also clear that she wants to promote understanding of HIV and AIDS and to set the record straight about certain popular misconceptions. The factual information worked into the novel adds to its authenticity, and I finished the book feeling a lot more well-informed about HIV. Still, this is one character's story, and Sheinmel does make a point of the fact that different people will have very different experiences of living with this disease.

There are no real surprises here: the story is gently paced, and the character development heads pretty much in the direction you'd guess at the outset. However, it's a worthwhile and enriching read. Positively is a novel to be inspired by. It's thoughtful and moving and sensitive, and while it does read young it also has a lot to teach us at any age.

Out: since September 15th 2009, US

Event report: Undercover at Walker Books

2010-11-29T22:15:00.000Z

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited to the London offices of Walker Books for a preview of their new Undercover campaign. This is probably the kind of book event I like best, because I get to hear about all the most exciting upcoming YA titles straight from the people publishing them. Also in attendance were Becky of The Bookette, Liz from My Favourite Books, Sarah from Sarah's Book Reviews and Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.

The first book introduced was Long Reach by Peter Cocks. This one's set for publication in early January 2011, and it's the first in a series of thrillers about seventeen year old Eddie Savage. We viewed the trailer, which has the feel of a well-made tv drama about it, and as a result I'm expecting this one to be gritty and edgy.

Next up was Flip by Martyn Bedford, a psychological thriller about a fourteen year old boy who wakes up in someone else's body. I love body swap stories, so my ears definitely perked up at this one. The Walker peeps were being extra careful not to give any plot twists away, which of course made me completely intrigued. Flip is Martyn Bedford's YA debut.

The next title was Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. While this one is already out in the UK in trade paperback format, it'll be published in regular paperback in March 2011. News to me was that the film rights to Clare's first series, Mortal Instruments, have already been optioned and that the first book has been cast. So, we could see City of Bones on the big screen as early as 2012. I loved that book, so I can't wait for that. Plus, everyone in the room who'd read Clockwork Angel already sounded really enthusiastic about it, including Becky from The Bookette - so I'm planning on checking that one out soon.

Then we heard about a new novel from Todd Strasser, called Blood On My Hands, set for UK publication in April 2011. I hadn't heard of this one before, but I love the premise. Another thriller, it's about a girl who stumbles upon the dead body of another girl, is found holding the murder weapon, and has to prove her innocence. This year I read Strasser's If I Grow Up and thought it was incredibly powerful, so Blood On My Hands is definitely going on my wishlist.

For me, the big surprise of the day was the news that Michelle Gayle has a YA novel on the way. While the name might not mean much to those outside the UK, Michelle Gayle has been both a successful actress and singer over here, so a collective murmur went around the room when her name was mentioned. The novel itself is about a girl who aspires to be a WAG, and it sounds like it's actually going to be a pretty empowering read. It sounds like Walker have some interesting plans for extra content with this one, too. Pride and Premiership is due for publication in May 2011.

Next, the news that 2011 also sees the UK publication of Girl Parts by John Cusick. This is a title that I WoWed a while back, before the US release, so I was especially happy to spot a copy in my goody bag. It sounds fun and clever, and I'm really glad to see it getting an official UK release.

Our next preview was of a new novel by award-winning author Mal Peet, entitled Life: An Exploded Diagram. This one is apparently semi-autobiographical, and was described as falling at the more literary end of YA. This one is set in England during one of the major crises of Cold War, and it sounds like a real coming-of-age story. Interesting stuff.

Finally, we had a special visit from author Zoë Marriott, who had been invited along to talk about her upcoming novel Shadows On The Moon. This was a real highlight, as I've had this book on my wishlist for a little while now and Zoë was both engaging and hilarious. Shadows On The Moon is set in a fantasy world based on feudal Japan, and it was fascinating to hear about the way that Zoë set about creating it. She even brought us all a miniature Japanese fan scented with cherry blossom, to evoke the world of the book while she talked about it. I'm expecting a strong female heroine and epic world-building. In other words, I'm already enamoured with this one.

All in all, there was definitely a buzz in the room about the Undercover titles, and I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing them. A big thanks goes to Walker Books and to Zoë Marriott for making this such a wonderful event.

Review: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

2010-11-28T13:40:00.009Z

At just 180 pages, The Long Weekend is a quick read that packs a major punch. Savita Kalhan's debut novel addresses a subject that's rarely broached in young adult fiction, illustrating that the scariest stories are always the ones that could actually happen. When eleven-year-old Sam and his friend Lloyd find themselves abducted by a stranger and held captive in an isolated house, they're brought face to face with one very real horror that exists in our world. Told sensitively and unflinchingly, The Long Weekend is a story that will have readers on the edge of their seats as the boys desperately try to escape their captor - and a fate too terrifying to contemplate. It's page-turning stuff all the way, and I couldn't put it down.

The abduction itself is cleverly done, as Sam and Lloyd each assume the man calling to them both from the flash car at the school gates is the other's dad. Kalhan makes a point of just how big a part the characters' preconceptions play in what happens, as while Sam and Lloyd come from different backgrounds they've both been raised in our consumerist society. Where a man calling from a run down old banger might have set alarm bells ringing, a shiny new limo has them instantly impressed and jumping straight in, barely believing their luck. But it's ultimately Sam's upbringing that's also equipped him with the qualities he needs to be the hero of this story, and this definitely gives readers food for thought about the way that they put themselves at risk in certain situations.

The back cover of The Long Weekend warns that the content isn't suitable for younger readers, and certainly this is a story that goes to some dark places. Sam and Lloyd's ordeal is truly horrifying, and while the most disturbing events of the weekend occur off the page, it does make for unsettling reading - no matter what age you are. However, as well as being a thriller The Long Weekend is a cautionary tale for our (materlistic, celebrity-obsessed) times, putting the reader in the shoes of two characters who let their guard down and forget everything they've been taught about stranger danger. Although it doesn't pull any punches, the main characters are young themselves and Kalhan's writing is accessible enough for readers of about the same age.

No matter what age you are, Savita Kalhan's debut novel is guaranteed to make your stomach churn and your heart pound. As gripping as it is menacing, it's the kind of book that pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let you go until the very last. The Long Weekend will give you chills.

Out: October 2nd 2008, UK

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of The Long Weekend for an honest review.

In which I visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

2010-11-24T18:45:00.001Z

As some of you may know, I've just got back from a trip to Orlando, Florida. Being a rollercoaster addict, the Orlando theme parks have always been my favourites, but this time round there was an added attraction: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Now, like many fans, I've long been aware of the Harry Potter series' theme park potential. I'd always thought that the logical location would be England or Scotland, so when I first heard that Universal were going to be devoting an area of one of their Orlando parks to a HP-themed attraction, I had mixed feelings. Still, as I heard more about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, my enthusiasm built. It sounded awesome. Obviously, I had to go there. Twice.

On my first visit, we arrived at around seven o'clock in the morning for a special early entrance to the Islands of Adventure theme park, where The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located. The one-time early entrance is offered by the tour company we booked our holiday with, and since we'd been promised the chance to explore Hogsmeade before the park was opened to general admission at nine o'clock, we braved the early start barely containing our excitement. (There was actual squeeing. And not just from me.)

Along with a small group of others, we ate breakfast at The Three Broomsticks (porridge, toast and pastries) with the silhouettes of owls visible high in the rafters above us. Then, we were let loose on Hogsmeade, Hogwarts castle and the various HP-themed attractions - all without any crowds at all. We spent a couple of hours exploring every detail and taking snapshots, and I have to say it was super fun. So much so that we went back the following week for a second visit and to pick up a few more souvenirs.

There are three rides in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the best of which has to be The Forbidden Journey. It's a blend of special effects, robotic arm technology and flight simulation, during which you find yourself face to face with Death Eaters, evading the Whomping Willow and even caught up in a Quidditch match. The lines for this ride weren't too long when I was there - I queued for about ten minutes on one occasion and twenty on another - but there's actually plenty to see while you're waiting. The queuing system itself winds its way through Hogwarts castle, past artifacts mentioned in the books and even the occasional very cleverly rendered sighting of the characters. The other two rides are revamped versions of rollercoasters that already existed in the park: The Flight of The Hippogriff, which is a fairly mild ride for all ages, and the awesome two-track coaster Dragon Challenge, which is really two rides in one. As a major rollercoaster fan, I obviously had to ride both tracks on the Dragon Challenge, and found the Hungarian Horntail track a little scarier than the Chinese Fireball.

As you'd expect, all that adventuring takes its toll on a fangirl, so we made sure to check out some of Harry's favourite snacks while we were there. First stop, Honeydukes. We found a variety of sweet treats on offer, including items like chocolate frogs and every flavour jellybeans that fans of the books will be familiar with, as well as cakes, cookies and traditional favourites like coconut ice and fudge.

I picked up a couple of chocolate frogs, which are packaged exactly like those you see in the movie - complete with collectable witch or wizard card. At around ten dollars each they're not cheap but they are tasty and about as authentic as a non-magic version could hope to be. One of my nieces bought some of the every flavour beans but after she allegedly ate a bacon-flavoured one I decided to give those a miss.

Of course, all that chocolate made us thirsty, so we sampled some butterbeer. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it's actually really good. It looks pretty much like real beer, complete with a delicious frothy foam on top, and tastes a lot like an ice cream soda. And I was especially psyched to get cute souvenir butterbeer mugs to take home with us.

Aside from rides and refreshments, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also has a huge range of HP-themed merchandise. Adjoining Honeydukes is Zonko's Joke Shop, and there's also Ollivander's, where selected visitors actually get to experience what it's like for a wand to choose them. Ollivander's is connected to The Owl Post, where you can purchase wands and stationary items, and Dervish and Banges, which has a range of goodies like remembralls and Hogwarts robes in house colours. There's even a store in Hogwarts castle selling everything from Quidditch caps to plush unicorns. I finally settled for a Ravenclaw scarf, Quidditch keyring and bound Hogwarts notebook, and my partner got a replica of Professor Lupin's wand which now has pride of place on my bookshelves.

I think the best thing about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is definitely the attention to detail. It all looks fabulously authentic, and it's staffed by enthusiastic people who seem to really throw themselves into their roles in recreating this magical universe. And hey, it's in Orlando, so there's less risk of the weather putting a dampner on things. While I probably wouldn't make the trip just to visit this attraction, there's tons of fun things to do in Orlando and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is definitely one of the absolute funnest.

Not Exactly In My Mailbox, or 'Why American bookstores make me happy and airline baggage allowances make me sad'

2010-11-22T21:10:00.002Z

The fact is, since I started blogging I don't shop for books in the way I used to.

I don't go into my local bookstore and spend an hour just browsing, picking up book after book and checking out the cover blurb. Why? Because, with the exception of Waterstones Piccadilly or the heavenly Foyles, for the most part I already know what I'll find. I go into UK stores having done my research online and knowing what I'm likely to buy that day.

American bookstores, on the other hand? Totally different story. I've just got back from a couple of weeks in Florida, the majority of which I seem to have spent scaring myself stupid on the world's most amazing rollercoasters. (Manta at Sea World, anyone? Just wow.) But I also got the chance to visit not one but FOUR bookstores. And yep, those two branches of Barnes and Noble, one cut-price books outlet and airport terminal Borders were just as thrilling.

Let me start with B&N. There's something serene and library-like about these stores, at least on a weekday morning. You can even relax at their Starbucks outlets in between perusing the shelves. For any non-UK readers out there, I should probably explain that our big chains tend to focus their YA displays on special offers (often piled-high three-for-two or buy-one-get-one-half-price deals on new or recently published paperbacks). While this is pretty fantastic on many levels, I found I really appreciated the difference in the way that the two B&N stores were merchandised. Displays featured recent releases in different genres within the YA category - mainly hardbacks, and all spaced out carefully on the shelves. Whereas in UK chains I often find myself grabbing interesting-looking titles in bulk, in B&N I found myself compelled to read the blurb of every single featured book and carefully mull over my choices. While in the UK I'd probably get two or three paperbacks for the price of that one US hardback, I have to admit that I kind of preferred the feeling of indulgence I got in making my B&N selections. And, I got a really cute bookbag for around £1 with my purchases. Win, right?

Secondly, I had the good fortune to stumble upon a fab little discount bookstore. YA paperbacks were going for $2.99 each here, or four for a bargainous $10. While the selection was slightly limited, what I loved about this shopping trip was the fact that it had a mixture of fairly recent releases and some older titles. There were about twenty books I quite wanted to get, but since I'd already bought a few hardbacks at B&N I settled on just two paperbacks here. Because: luggage weight restrictions. Boo.

Finally, I couldn't pass back through Orlando International airport on my way home without checking out their branch of Borders. Quite honestly, it has the best YA section of any airport bookstore I've been to. It was a bit of a flying visit (ha!) since we were in a hurry, but the range of books on offer here was really rather good.

So, without further ado, here's my loot (with links to Goodreads.com):

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June - Robin Benway

I've already started this one, and I'm loving it so far.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The first few pages of this one (yes, I read some of it in the store) sealed the deal here. And also made me even more determined to check out The Strand bookstore in New York.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Okay, so I appear to be on a Cohn and Levithan kick. I read this on a lazy day by the pool, and will be reviewing it soon.

The Scorch Trials - James Dashner

I've been desperate to read this sequel ever since I finished The Maze Runner, so I was really happy to see it.

The Anatomy of Wings - Karen Foxlee

This is the paperback version of a book that's been out a couple of years already, but I read just a few pages and I knew I'd adore it. Plus, I love Aussie YA. I really do.

Looking for Alibrandi - Melina Marchetta

I've been meaning to pick this one up for ages, so as a discount purchase it was basically essential. And y'know, Aussie YA again.

The Unidentified - Rae Mariz

I WoWed this dypstopian novel earlier this year, and I've heard great things about it.

Wherever Nina Lies - Lynn Weingarten

Honestly, I know very little about this one and I'm not even sure I'd heard of it before. But for me, that's part of the intrigue.

All in all, I think I was relatively restrained. In a way, without getting all philosophical on y'all, shopping for books in America reminded me how to be be restrained, despite the fact that given enough Galleons and unlimited baggage allowance for the flight home, I'd have (to channel Harry Potter here) taken the lot.

The real In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Waiting On Wednesday: So Shelly by Ty Roth

2010-11-10T07:00:00.004Z

This week, I'm waiting on So Shelley by Ty Roth.

Summary from Amazon.com: Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

Honestly, what's attracting me to this one has to be the fact that I have absolutely no idea what to expect from it. There's something elusive about that summary, and I love that it's not giving too much away.

I don't read much poetry these days, but I've always found the Romantic Poets intriguing. Since Ty Roth is invoking the names of three of the biggies in romantic poetry, I can't wait to find out where he's taking this idea.

So Shelly is due to hit US bookstores on February 8th 2011. I'm anticipating something out of the ordinary.

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

2010-11-05T12:00:00.002Z

Two years after the death of her little brother Truman, New Yorker Andi is lost in despair. Her family has shattered, and she can't begin to think about schoolwork or the future.

But when her dad insists that she accompany him on a trip to Paris, Andi stumbles upon an old diary that seems to call to her. Through its story of love and loss, revolution and bloodshed in 18th century Paris, Andi finds herself drawn further into this dangerous world than she could ever have imagined.

Reading Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution is a multi-sensory experience. It's all so vividly described that I finished the book feeling as though I'd visited the dank Parisian catacombs myself, and heard the emotion in the music of fictional composer Amade Malherbeau. Even our protagonist's over-medicated state of mind is reflected in these pages, leaving the reader occasionally as disorientated as teenage narrator Andi herself. This is a book that, if you let it, will seep into your consciousness and linger there for days afterward.

We meet main character Andi at her lowest ebb, in a spiral of self-destruction that stems from her grief and guilt over her younger brother's death. Relying on prescription drugs to get through each day, she's flunking her classes and can't seem to care about the fact that if she doesn't turn it around, she might not graduate from her exclusive New York private school. Initially, I was surprised that Donnelly had chosen to give her bereaved protagonist such a wealthy and privileged background, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear that this is no accident. Besides, Andi's grief is so palpable that it's impossible not to sympathise with the terrible sorrow that she feels.

Andi shares the narrative with Alexandrine, a theatrical player from 18th century Paris, whose diary she discovers concealed in a guitar case. Through diary entries we're taken back to the time of the French revolution, and the life of a girl employed as companion to the little prince Louis-Charles. While I didn't find Alexandrine's voice quite as striking as Andi's, and her sections are sometimes slow-moving, their two viewpoints are seamlessly woven together into one compelling tale that's impossible to put down. By turns terrifying and heartbreaking and uplifting, it's a story that draws upon the extremes of human experience: love and loss, self-sacrifice and brutality.

The great achievement of this story is that, through her present-day protagonist, Jennifer Donnelly makes the events of the French revolution utterly relevant to the 21st century YA reader. Even before Andi experiences her actual time slip, Alexandrine's two-hundred-year-old words hit home with a powerful sense of urgency and immediacy. The parallels between Andi's loss and Alexandrine's own torment certainly give us a deeper understanding of our protagonist's emotional journey, but they also remind us that the lessons of history should never be forgotten.

Revolution is staggeringly well-crafted. There's a sweet love story here too, and an ending so perfect that it'll fill even the most cynical reader's heart with hope. I recommend it wholeheartedly. It's beautiful and powerful and thought-provoking, and it might just make you look at the world in a new light.

Out: October 13th 2010, UK / October 12th 2010, US

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for providing a review copy.

Event report: in which UK bloggers meet Lauren Kate

2010-11-04T08:00:00.006Z

A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to get the chance to attend a rather excellent blogger event organised by the fabulous Random House UK.

Since Lauren Kate was here in Blighty on a Torment book tour, the publicity team at RH decided to treat us bloggers to a little gathering with the author herself. I know, right? Too. Cool.

I arrived at the venue, a pub aptly named The Angelic in Islington, London, a little late but strangely nervous. Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little starstruck to be sitting at the same table as the author of the hugely successful Fallen series. I mean, these books have made the bestseller lists!

Over the course of the next two hours, Lauren chatted with us about a myriad of bookish topics - everything from Kindles (want one!) to book tours (which sound a little surreal) to Twitter (compulsory). Soon, the conversation turned to Passion, the third book in the Fallen series. Since there are apparently rumours that the third book in the series is in fact a prequel to Fallen, Lauren clarified that Passion actually picks up where Torment left off. As far as I'm concerned, this is great news - because that cliffhanger at the end of Torment is one of my all-time favourites, and I'm pretty desperate to find out what happens next.

What had me especially thrilled was the news that the Fallen film rights have been optioned, and that we might be seeing a movie version as early as 2012. We all contemplated possible casting choices for a while, and then Lauren talked a little about Brenna Yovanoff's debut novel The Replacement, leaving me desperate to read it for myself.

I was also excited to hear further news of the UK publication of Lauren's The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, as RH's Lauren and Becky dropped hints about the UK cover. While I can't divulge exactly what they said, I will say that it sounds seriously awesome and I can't wait to see it.

Naturally, we'd all brought along our copies of Torment, Fallen and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove - which Lauren was kind enough to sign for us. All in all, this was the kind of day that made me even more thrilled than usual to be a UK blogger. Major thanks to Random House UK for arranging this special event, and of course to Lauren Kate for hanging out with us.

Waiting on Wednesday: Timeless by Alexandra Monir

2010-11-03T07:00:00.001Z

This week I'm waiting on...

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Summary from Goodreads.com: When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

I love time travel stories. Just love 'em. Most time travel novels I've read see a character stranded in a different time before finally returning home, so what I'm especially loving about this summary is the suggestion that the main character actually goes back and forth between the past and present.

Also, doesn't it sound romantic? And I love the fact that we're promised a boyfriend-saving-heroine rather than a damsel in distress.

Timeless is published in the US on January 11th 2011. Roll on the New Year!

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

2010-11-01T14:35:00.001Z

Initially, Entangled seems to be a story within a story. In the immediate present there's the mystery surrounding seventeen-year-old protagonist Grace's current predicament: confined to a white room by the strange but seemingly gentle Ethan, she has no idea what he wants from her or what he might be planning to do. Will she ever see the outside world again? With only pens and paper to occupy her, she guesses that he wants her to write. So she does the only thing she can; she writes down the story of the recent events that led to her suicide attempt - a story of love and loss and a pain so deep she can't bear to feel it. And as she writes, we realise that these two seemingly separate strands are actually part of the same story, itself drawing upon threads of other characters' lives too. Entangled isn't a tidily plotted tale unfolding in a vacuum; it's knotty and it's messy, and that's what makes it such compulsive reading.

Narrator Grace is the kind of character who, at first, will probably divide readers' opinion. On the surface, she's caustic and irreverent, recounting the story of her attempted suicide and abduction with an unnverving matter-of-factness. Even as a hostage, she's checking out the physical charms of her captor and sniping about the mother who'll barely notice she's gone. While this does mean she's perhaps not the most obviously sympathetic protagonist, her voice is real and authentic and arresting from the very first page. She might say things that make you uncomfortable, but you'll want to hear them. She'll definitely make you laugh. And as her story unfolds, you'll see that all her spikiness is actually armor. She needs it. Underneath, she's fragile and broken and lost.

However, the beauty of Entangled is that author Cat Clarke doesn't cast her main character as a victim. Yes, Grace has been abandoned and deceived, but she's not the only person in the story who has been hurt - and she's not entirely blameless herself. Her story is about control as much as betrayal; she refuses to see what the reader soon does, and makes it impossible for other characters to speak the truth. Yet there's still a huge twist in this tale, as we finally realise the truth about Grace's captor. It's the best kind of twist, too; the kind that clicks perfectly into place, even though you never saw it coming. The kind that, if you reread the book, will suddenly give a whole new context to what you previously thought were incidental little details.

Entangled is one of the most powerful novels I've read in a long time. I suspect that readers' interpretations of Grace's story will differ greatly, not just because of the complexity of Cat Clarke's storytelling, but also because when you come to care about a character deeply you can't help but mull over their motivations long after you've read the last page. Layered and haunting and heartbreaking, this is one remarkable debut.

Out: January 6th 2011, UK

Many thanks to the awesome Quercus for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

2010-10-30T20:08:00.000+01:00

When Cassia attends her matching ceremony, she never expects that her match - the person she'll one day enter into a marriage contract with - will be someone already she knows.

So when it's announced that the Society Officials have matched her with her good friend Xander, she has mixed feelings. She won't experience the excitement of getting to know her match for the first time, but on the other hand she knows how wonderful Xander is already. She won't feel the same rush of excitement as other girls do when her microcard arrives and she's able to look upon her match's face on the portscreen for the first time.

But when Cassia's microcard does arrive, things aren't at all as she expected. Because the face that flashes up isn't Xander's. And perhaps Cassia doesn't know quite what to expect after all.

Matched imagines a future society where unfairness has been eradicated. Everyone has the same shot at happiness. Everyone has enough food, but not too much; everyone who wants to be matched is given the partner who best suits them - and who will, eventually, create healthy new life with them. But to achieve this equilibrium, much has been sacrificed. Difference. Choice. Creativity. This is a society manipulated into contentment by the removal of any temptation to be jealous or disatisfied. When the trees in front of some people's houses flourish and some don't, the officials in charge see to it that they're all cut down. Old people die on their eightieth birthday, no one life permitted to flourish longer than the rest. Beneath the facade of idyllic happiness lies a sinister pattern of cold, calculated control.

And yet, the people are content. There's no cancer, and no poverty. It's a world where, in theory, nobody should be starving or sick or underprivileged. Nobody should be lonely. In Matched, we follow the journey of seventeen year old Cassia as she finds herself faced, unexpectedly, with a choice. Between the boy she'll be content with, and the boy who holds the promise of the unknown. Between blissful ignorance, and the burden of knowledge.

Unlike many protagonists of dystopian-themed YA novels, Cassia isn't really what you'd call an action hero. Her battles are chiefly of the heart and mind, where her strengths also happen to lie. In Xander and Ky, her two matches, we find two quite different potential love interests who reflect the positive and negative sides of the apparent utopia she lives in. Her romantic dilemma is therefore bound so closely to her gradual rebellion against her society that it's impossible to separate the two. So while Ally Condie has given us a story that is much more than a YA romance, the romance is inextricably linked to Cassia's journey as a character. This is a book that reminds us how truly essential love is.

What stands out about Matched is that it's both literary and incredibly easy to read. It's fun and it's a complete page-turner, and it also invokes Dylan Thomas so powerfully that even the most poetry-phobic reader will find themselves falling under his spell. Ally Condie's prose is elegant and luscious and lyrical at the same time. Her version of the future may be heavily controlled by those who govern it, but within the confines of that control narrator Cassia's voice is heartfelt and vibrant. The novel's use of imagery is captivating without ever seeming calculated, as objects of beauty and colour seem to almost blossom against their backdrop of uniformity.

Matched is a book that truly deserves the buzz that surrounds it. It's beautiful and gripping and romantic, and explores its themes with honesty and conviction. It's a book that will inspire readers and have them counting the days until they can get their hands on the as yet untitled sequel, due out in 2011. Simply breathtaking.

Out: December 2nd 2010, UK / November 30th 2010, US

Many thanks to Razorbill UK for providing a review copy of this book, and a special thanks to Carla of The Crooked Shelf for loaning me her copy to read the first time round.

Book news: Halloween edition

2010-10-29T22:15:00.016+01:00

This week, I got this welcome news related to Charlie Higson's seriously eerie new novel, The Dead.

Charlie Higson launches zombie short for teens for Halloween

London, UK. -- October 26, 2010 -- Puffin Books announces the release of The Scared Kid, a chilling short film for Halloween created by best-selling children’s author, actor and comedian, Charlie Higson.

The film is aimed at 12+ and is available to view at www.the-enemy.co.uk/scaredkid. It is also available on YouTube for older teens and zombie fans of all ages. It offers a cliff-hanging taster from The Dead, the second book in Charlie’s action adventure zombie series, The Enemy.

Puffin MD, Francesca Dow comments: 'Teenagers are natural and hungry multi-media consumers and this film is absolutely designed with them in mind'

Charlie Higson comments: ‘The creation of this short was a joy for me as it brought together my twin passions, film-making and writing’

The video footage was produced by Charlie Higson and the makers of Colin, a zombie film that was shown at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and hit the headlines for its £45 budget.

The Enemy is an action adventure zombie series for teenagers and horror fans. Set in and around London, a mystery disease has broken out attacking everyone over the age of 14. Some survive but those that do face a more terrifying fate – they turn into hideous zombies with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Children form gangs and attempt to survive in an unrecognisable world where there are dangers around every corner.

The film features a one-and-a-half minute clip of a boy who posts a webcam video to YouTube when the disease first breaks out, and which becomes the most viewed video in YouTube history.

I'm loving this! If you check out the movie, just look out for the shot of the 'mothers and fathers' outside in the street. The 'Scared Kid' is one of the most chilling aspects of The Dead, and watching that video makes me feel a little like I'm right inside the book. Which is a scary place to be.

Review: The Badness of Ballydog by Garrett Carr

2010-10-28T21:35:00.001+01:00

Ballydog is a one-factory harbour town on the Irish coast; a bleak, mean-spirited place that's about as far as you can get from the lush landscapes and warm hospitality usually associated with the Emerald Isle. It's grim and it's grimy. Most of all, it's a bad town. The factory is bad, the townspeople are bad, and for newcomer Ewan, it's bad news. Worse news is that a giant sea creature has set its sights on destroying Ballydog and everyone in it...

The Badness of Ballydog couldn't possibly be set anywhere else. The town is almost like a character in itself - vividly drawn, and getting under the reader's skin from the very first page. At the same time, it has a subtly dystopian quality; it's a town where landscape and inhabitants combine to perpetuate ambivalence and, well, badness. When we first discover that the world's biggest monster is heading towards Ballydog to wipe it off the face of the earth, it seems at first that perhaps that wouldn't be such a great loss.

But amidst the almost stylised badness of the setting, outcast schoolgirl May is a ray of hope. Dismissed by the rest of the town as 'soft in the head', she possesses a unique psychic ability that allows her to communicate with animals. In a town where even the school field has been laid with concrete, May is the one link that the community still has with nature - so naturally, they view her with suspicion. She's quirky and sincere and different. For the reader, she's like a breath of fresh air. As a new arrival in town, northern boy Ewan hasn't yet been contaminated with Ballydog's insidious negativity, and makes a worthy ally. They're joined by tough boy Andrew, who finds himself caught up in Ballydog's impending doom despite his reluctance.

The Badness of Ballydog is an unusual story. It's also one of those titles that resists age categorisation. Readers of different ages will take different things from it, and I think that's something to admire in a book. On one level it's a humourous action-adventure fantasy, and on another it's a book that'll make you think about how we treat the earth and its creatures. And it's all wrapped up in a tale that's surprisingly heartwarming.... eventually. It's also the first in a series: the second book, Lost Dogs, was published in the UK on November 1st 2010. This one's out of the ordinary.

Out: February 4th 2010, UK

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book for review.

Waiting On Wednesday - Huntress by Malinda Lo

2010-10-27T23:03:00.000+01:00

This week I'm waiting on...

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Summary from Amazon.com: Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance.

To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin, two seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth, without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet the two girls' destinies are drawn together during the mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever.

Of course I'm waiting on this one! I adored Malinda Lo's debut novel, Ash. Just adored it. I'd be crazy excited about any new book from her, but the prospect of revisiting the same kind of magical world we visited in Ash has me literally counting the days.

Also, can we talk about that cover for a second? Totally gorgeous and righteous and carrying the promise of at least one strong female heroine.

This one hits the US on April 5th, 2011. Fingers crossed that the UK don't have to wait too long.

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Review: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

2010-10-25T21:45:00.001+01:00

Ruby Oliver's life is falling apart. Her boyfriend has dumped her, her best friends hate her, and suddenly she's got a 'reputation'. To top it all off, she's started having panic attacks, and her parents have sent her to a shrink. Her first therapy assignment? The boyfriend list.

The Boyfriend List is teenage fiction at its finest. In the tradition of such greats as Judy Blume and Paula Danziger, E. Lockhart has created the kind of heroine who somehow encapsulates the teenage experience so accurately that it's impossible not to relate to her. You may never have had a panic attack or seen a therapist, but chances are you will still find yourself struck by how often you've felt exactly as Ruby does in The Boyfriend List. As a character, she's smart and funny and somewhat neurotic, all in a way that's completely understandable, given what she's been through.

We find out exactly what Ruby has been through gradually, as she recounts - as a therapy exercise - the stories of every single crush, relationship and almost-relationship she's ever had. It's a sorry (but supremely witty) tale of miscommunication, misunderstandings and wishful thinking. At the centre of the story, and of Ruby's recent problems, is the ultimate betrayal. While this twist is foreshadowed enough that we know to expect it, by the time it's revealed readers will have forged such a bond with Ruby that their blood will boil on her behalf.

In truth, I sometimes found myself a little disorientated by the timeline of Ruby's narrative. She mixes recent flashbacks with long-ago flashbacks and present day scenes, and when in doubt I found it useful to refer to the boyfriend list itself, helpfully reproduced in full at the front of the book and corresponding to the chapter titles. Further commentary and additional backstory is conveyed by the use of footnotes, which are detailed and pertinent and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Yet there's an authenticity and sincerity to Ruby's voice that ensures these devices never feel forced or gimmicky. It's a joy to read.

At its heart, The Boyfriend List is about communication and honesty. By turns snarky and sensitive and sweet, it's the kind of book that shows teenage relationships as they really are - no soulmates, no eternity, and no guarantees. It's fantastic. If you haven't already read it, you really should.

Out: 2005, UK

Review: The Dead - Charlie Higson

2010-10-23T20:50:00.002+01:00

As someone who enjoyed Charlie Higson's The Enemy for its convincingly grim take on the zombie apocalypse, I was looking forward to the prequel, The Dead. I wanted to know how the world had gotten to the point that we'd found it in The Enemy, and to learn more about the sickness that turns everyone over the age of fourteen into a zombie-like, flesh-eating monster.

To my surprise, The Dead introduces us to a whole new set of main characters. We join the action at a posh boarding school, as the pupils fend off the bloodthirsty teachers and escape into the countryside. It's a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire as they hitch a lift to London on a bus driven by a man who is seeminly immune to the sickness - but for how long?

While The Dead does tell us far more about the disease that has turned our world into a post-apocalyptic nightmare, readers familiar with the first book may well find that, at times, the 'sicko' (zombie) encounters become a little repetitive. Higson has undoubtedly endeavoured to keep the action fresh with some impressive set-pieces, but as a reader with a limited theshold for violence, I occasionally found myself skipping the fight scenes to get back to the more character-driven parts of the story. Even when the main characters aren't fighting off hungry sickos, there's a decidedly more gory feel to the story as a whole - including the grisly truth about what's keeping one grown-up character healthy for longer than expected.

As in The Enemy, there are some poignant moments here too. The friendship between best friends Ed and Jack provides many of these, as we get glimpses into their lives before the sickness and really feel the weight of what they've lost. One of the characters makes the comparison between what they're living through and the lives of soldiers in the trenches of the first World War, and it's an apt one. The violence may seem gratuitous in places, but in actual fact we're frequently reminded that Higson's characters are children - and every time there's a battle, some of them die.

The Dead may be a prequel, but it pushes the limits of violence and gore even further than The Enemy did. Not one for squeamish readers, it's an antidote to all those paranormal romances on the YA shelf. Oozing with blood and guts on every page, it'll appeal to those who like their post-apocalyptic horror truly horrifying.

Out: 16th September 2010, UK

Thanks to Puffin for providing a review copy.

Review: Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon - Jonathan Stroud

2010-10-21T21:55:00.000+01:00

Jerusalem. The court of King Solomon, who wears a ring so powerful that none can rival him.

Bartimaeus is a djinni - a shape-shifting spirit enslaved to carry out the wishes of one of Solomon's ruthless magicians. He spends much of his leftover time and energy trying to find a magical loophole that will somehow allow him to escape his bonds and get back to the Other Place. Until, that is, he chews his master up, spits him out, and gets sentenced to a spirit chain gang for his trouble.

When Bartimaeus rescues mysterious traveller Asmira from bandits, he thinks he's found a way out. But he doesn't realise Asmira is following orders of her own, and she's intent on taking him with her...

I have to be honest here, it took me a little while to get hooked by The Ring of Solomon, the prequel to Jonathan Stroud's hugely popular Bartimaeus trilogy. At first I wasn't sure why. All the ingredients were there, and I'd been looking forward to picking it up. Then a friend of mine who has read - and loved - all the previous Bartimaeus books suggested that it was because I didn't have an existing relationship with the main character. As it turned out, that was spot on. By the time djinni Bartimaeus crosses paths with girl assassin Asmira, he'd grown on me - a lot. His unique blend of arrogance, sarcasm and all round swagger kept me utterly entertained for the next few hundred pages, and by the time the ending rolled around I felt like we were old friends.

While readers of the original trilogy will pick up The Ring of Solomon knowing exactly what kind of treat awaits them, it's certainly not essential preparation for the prequel experience. This story is a standalone, and sees Bartimaeus (reluctantly) sharing the spotlight with an all-new character in the surprisingly formidable Asmira - a knife-throwing priestess who brings new meaning to the phrase 'girl power'. Stroud makes sure new readers are kept up to speed about magical practices, summonings and spirits with the help of brief background notes and Bartimaeus's own unique approach to footnotes. And by unique, I mean witty and deadpan and generally made of win.

As a djinni, Bartimaeus isn't one of those fairytale genie types that most people will remember from childhood. While he can be summoned to do the bidding of human 'masters', he's not about to happily grant three wishes to anyone who cares to clean up an old lamp. Especially since the powerful magicians who summon him are effectively binding him into captivity with their incantations - and they know it. Bartimaeus's trademark petulance and barefaced cheek may be amusing, but it also reflects the reality of his plight. He spends eternity locked in a cycle of being summoned, carrying out duties as a sort of supernatural slave, and trying to find a way to destroy his captor and be free again. Probably the most fascinating aspect of The Ring of Solomon is the way that it explores the dynamic between master and slave. It's a book that makes you think about the way those roles are mirrored in the real world, and how - if at all - that cycle can be broken.

Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon is a cracking read. While marketed for children, it's one of those books that genuinely works as a crossover title because it's not about the experience of any one particular age group. It's the kind of book a parent would buy for their child, and then end up squabbling over who gets to read it first. Clever and snarky and epic, it's a story for everybody.

Out: October 14th 2010, UK

A big thanks to Random House / Doubleday for providing a review copy.

Waiting On Wednesday: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

2010-10-20T20:30:00.001+01:00

This week I'm waiting on...

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Summary from Amazon: It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

While I've recently found my enthusiasm for paranormal titles waning a little, this one has piqued my interest - largely due to the fact that it's set in the Victorian era. Promising intrigue and atmosphere and an intoxicating gothic romance, this sounds pretty irresistible. Plus, is there anyone who isn't fascinated by Victorian times? I know I am, and as someone who rarely picks up historical novels the paranormal aspects of this one give me just the incentive I need to get a little out of my comfort zone.

The Vespertine is published in the US on March 7th 2011. Can't wait.

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Book blogging: what's the point?

2010-10-19T18:04:00.001+01:00

When I first began blogging, I reviewed books that I'd bought. My weekly bookstore finds were the entire reason that I Was A Teenage Book Geek began. It was where I said, hey look - I bought this book, and I read it, and this is what I thought of it. My target audience? Anyone else who loved reading YA.

What I wasn't trying to do was sell books. In fact, nothing could have been further from my mind. I wanted to share my thoughts on the books I was reading, and hear about the books other people were reading, and that was it.

Gradually, things have changed. Now, the majority of the books I feature are ones that are sent to me for review. While I'm always striving to include older titles and include the odd retro review, I think of blogging in a slightly different way now. Somewhere along the way, I've begun to think of I Was A Teenage Book Geek as a site that promotes books. While it may sound like a subtle shift, the awareness that I receive review copies for a reason has changed the way I blog.

See, here's the theory: book bloggers give new titles publicity. Publicity sells books. Ergo, book bloggers sell books. Makes sense, right?

However, if we're honest, most book blogs are read by a relatively small audience - my own included. While there are some giants in the YA book blogging world, most of us aren't reaching the book buying masses on a daily basis. Which makes me wonder, are most of us just selling books to each other?

Now, I'm not saying that's wrong. It's great to be part of the book blogging community and if that's why you review books, fair enough. I also understand that some people just enjoy the self expression that comes with blogging about something they love. Some may also think of themselves as providing a service for readers by giving an honest review. I blog for all of those reasons too, to a greater or lesser extent.

But if you're someone who wants to make a difference - to get some buzz going for a title you're excited about, or to champion a little-known author whom you adore - well, what can you do? Cross-posting reviews to online bookstores or social networking sites is an obvious place to start, and it's something I'm committed to myself. When I write a rave review of a new release, I suspect it has less impact on people who read my blog than it does on those who read it at an online bookstore and then buy the book.

What I also try to do is spread the word within the blogosphere about particularly awesome books that, for whatever reason, aren't so well known. In the event that only the blogosphere is listening, I'd like to think that one of those book blogging 'giants' I mentioned earlier might spot my latest LGBT / verse novel / Australian-authored-book review and decide to read and review it themselves.

Still, it doesn't always seem like enough. If I'm besotted with a debut novel that hasn't had much buzz, I want to do more to let potential readers know about it. The question is, what? Should I be posting videos on YouTube raving about it? Should I be holding contests? Donating copies to libraries?

What do you think? Do book bloggers really make a difference? Does it matter? And if it does, how do we get the word out?

Review: Shark Girl - Kelly Bingham

2010-10-17T14:45:00.000+01:00

Told almost completely in verse, Shark Girl is the story of fifteen-year-old Jane, who loses her arm in a near fatal shark attack. We follow Jane on her journey to recovery, as she struggles with her anger and grief and eventually emerges a survivor.

Jane's first-person narrative is structured as a series of poems, each focusing on a separate incident or revelation that our protagonist experiences on her journey. Read in sequence, they tell the full story of that journey - from the fateful day on the beach when sheer bad luck put Jane in the path of the shark that attacked her, to the point when she is finally able to find some resolution and move on with her life. Unlike other verse novels I've read, Shark Girl isn't an especially lyrical approach to its subject matter; its strength lies more in the conciseness and clarify with which Kelly Bingham tells Jane's story. The beauty of her writing is that no words are wasted.

In many ways Jane's just an ordinary fifteen-year-old schoolgirl; sometimes superficial, sometimes selfish, no braver than the rest. She liked art and cooking, fought with her brother and hung out with a close-knit group of friends. Before, this was enough. She didn't really need to be brave or to put herself in the shoes of others. But now, with the shark attack having made national news, she receives letters from total strangers telling their own stories of survival - how they too lost an arm or a leg and, while devastated at first, eventually pulled through. Some of their letters are interspersed throughout the story, and while the reader is touched by the words of these people reaching out to Jane, she isn't - at least, not at first. She's angry and bitter and doesn't believe that she has the strength of all these other survivors. This isn't the story of a courageous and determined girl overcoming a tragic loss. It's the story of a regular girl finding the courage and determination she needs to get her life back, and that's what makes it such an inspiring read.

Although the story itself is gently paced, the rhythym of Kelly Bingham's verse is always just compelling enough to keep the reader turning the pages. This isn't an edge-of-your-seat read, but it is a book that lets you into its narrator's head; that lets you really feel the subtle nuances of her emotions as though you're living through her recovery with her. While at one point it starts to look as though Jane will be saved by an all-too-convenient romantic development, Shark Girl actually winds up making the point that friends and family can help, but that sometimes you need to save yourself. Ideal for readers looking to sample YA verse for the first time, Shark Girl is hopeful and enigmatic in a way that anyone who has experienced a great loss will relate to.

Out: April 10th 2007, US

Review: Mistress of the Storm - M.L. Welsh

2010-10-14T22:30:00.003+01:00

When twelve year old Verity Gallant finds herself in possession of a ancient book bound in red, she doesn't know quite what to make of its contents. Spellbound by the stories inside, she begins to realise there's another side to the tight-knit coastal town where she's always lived - a side where history and dark magic collide to threaten all those who get in its way. Soon, Verity finds herself facing a formidable enemy.

The storm is coming... but can Verity survive it?

There's something deliciously old-fashioned about Mistress of the Storm. While I'm still not quite sure precisely what era the story is set in, it has that slightly 'olden days' feel of many classic children's books. It's the type of story that takes you away to another world where anything can happen - where magic is real and a twelve year old girl might just be able to change the course of history.

Verity Gallant is our heroine, an ordinary girl who has always felt overshadowed by her prettier sister. She's not popular and she's not considered beautiful, but she's the kind of character that readers are sure to relate to. A bookworm, she's resigned to the fact that the local children make fun of her and she's not used to having friends. While her story sees her uncovering the truth about a sinister relative who comes to stay - and saving her family from a terrible fate - it's also about friendship. Verity isn't a character who finds fitting in easy, but in the self-assured Henry Twogood and misunderstood Martha Platt, she finds a loyalty that helps her to face up to the biggest challenge of her life... and change her family's destiny.

Verity's adventure unfolds in the ancient coastal town of Wellow, where a ring of smuggling families known as the 'Gentry' once made their ill-gotten fortunes. Rich in local legend, it's an enchanting setting - vividly imagined and steeped in mystery. While there are elements of the supernatural at work here, the story's magic comes from the power and danger of the sea as much as the witch herself, and you can almost hear the waves crashing as you read - ideally curled up indoors by the fire on a blustery winter afternoon. I loved the way that the town library plays such an important part in Verity's journey - warm and welcoming and full of unexpected discoveries, it's the kind of sanctuary that book lovers will wish they had in their own town.

Mistress of the Storm is a truly beguiling tale. It's warm, original, and intriguing. While I occasionally found it difficult to keep some of the secondary characters straight - there's a lot of them - their different threads all come together beautifully in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed Verity's story, and I'm hoping there'll be further adventures from her, Henry and Martha in the future. I'd recommend this one to readers in the eight to twelve age range, or anyone young at heart.

Out: July 1st 2010, UK

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

Waiting On Wednesday: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2010-10-13T18:35:00.002+01:00

This week, I'm waiting on...

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Summary from Goodreads.com: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

As if it weren't exciting enough that Lauren Oliver's next book is a dystopia, doesn't that summary sound enticing?

I loved Lauren Oliver's debut novel, Before I Fall, for the power of its message and the incredible beauty of the writing. I love that for her second novel she's gone for something which on the face of it sounds completely different. While dystopian titles are definitely on the increase in YA, I'm confident that this one will stand out from the crowd.

I'm purposefully avoiding reviews of Delirium until I've read it myself, but a quick glance at Goodreads is showing a lot of five stars awarded already. This makes me SUPER excited.

Delirium is published in the US on February 1st 2011 and the UK on February 17th 2011. The cover shown is the US version, so I'll be interested to see if the UK is the same or different. Roll on the New Year, huh?

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Time Travel Tuesday: Feminism and The Famous Five

2010-10-12T20:55:00.000+01:00

When I was a child, my mum chose most of my books. I didn't have a problem with that. After all, she paid for them, and she also had wicked good taste. She introduced me to Little Women and Ballet Shoes and What Katy Did, which were all childhood favourites of her own. And I loved them.

Occasionally, however, we disagreed. There were books I wanted to read that my mother did not approve of. And while she'd never outright ban me from reading these books, she would make her opinion known. Mainly through The Art of Eye-Rolling, but in extreme cases there would also be... Scornful Remarks. And that was often enough to put me off.

Enid Blyton books most definitely qualified as an extreme case. According to my mother, no Enid Blyton book was worthy of my time. Famous Five books went one step further. They had (and I quote) 'negative gender stereotypes', and I got the distinct impression that I shouldn't want to read them.

Alas, I did want to. Some of my friends had vast Famous Five collections, and I liked a collection more than anything. I'd pick them up in the library and think, maybe I could just try one. Not wanting my mum to think I had lousy taste in reading material, I'd put one in the middle of my stack of loans and hope she didn't notice. Then I'd read them out of sight, relishing the old-fashioned adventure of it all. Sure, they were formulaic, and the main girl character Anne was a total sap, but I loved the fact that the children in these stories had so much freedom. I mean, they could go sailing by themselves and sleep on an island all night and that was just fine. They had the space and time to get into adventures, whereas kids of my generation were so closely guarded that there was absolutely zero chance of us stumbling across shipwrecked gold.

Having reread the very first Famous Five book, Five On A Treasure Island (no prizes for guessing the premise there), I'm not so sure I agree with my mum's stance on this series. Yes, it's dated. Yes, it was written at a time when gender roles were pretty strictly prescribed - and there's evidence of that throughout the book. Anne is every bit as sappy as I remembered, and that's generally attributed to the fact that she's a girl and therefore not as brave / strong / cunning as the other characters. Boo! When tomboy Georgina doesn't like a decision that her mother has made (to sell the treasure island of the title, which she apparently owns) her father points out that his wife is 'guided' by him. Since there's no explanation of why that would be the case, I can only assume that it's because he's the man, and therefore the only one capable of making business decisions. And yes, I find that obnoxious.

However, there's another way of looking at this issue. This book was written in 1942, and Blyton's characters reflect the attitudes of the day. Of course they do. And I have no doubt that in seventy years time readers will be balking at some of the attitudes displayed in current children's fiction. But would we want those readers to miss out on all the good that is in these books? I don't think so.

As I reread Five On A Treasure Island, I was surprised to find myself relating to George as something of a feminist icon. She's eleven years old. At a time when boys are boys and girls are considered feeble, she doesn't identify as female. She refuses to answer to the name Georgina, wears her hair short, enjoys climbing and swiming and sailing, and fiercely wishes she were a boy. She recognises that her society doesn't credit girls with possessing the traits she has, so she's taken the only alternative path and become a tomboy. She comes from a world where girls don't have the freedom to be what she wants to be, and she stays true to herself the only way she knows how. While my personal belief is that we should all just forget about gender identity and be the person we want to be, George doesn't have that option. However, by behaving like her world's idea of a 'boy', she becomes a subversive character. She redefines what being a girl is, and she gives the female reader something different to identify with.

George actually kinda rocks.

So you see, while my mum has been an amazing role model, I think she was wrong on this one. She raised me to believe that I could be a girl and be whatever else I wanted. That I could be clever and independent and that I could achieve anything I wanted to. But what she didn't realise is that the sense of self-belief she gave me could not be shaken by a book.

Verdict: Five On A Treasure Island is a classic. It's fun and exciting and there's a beguiling innocence to it that I can't help but like. While it's undeniably dated, I think that with guidance, young readers can find a way round that. It's all about context, folks.

Event Report: in which Quercus throw a party for Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised By Wolves

2010-10-11T21:30:00.000+01:00

L-R: Me, Lynsey, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jenny, Sarah

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to a little party to celebrate the UK publication of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' excellent Raised By Wolves.

As you may know if you read my recent review, I thought Raised By Wolves was awesome. I especially liked the way the novel explores gender issues through kick-ass protagonist Bryn, so I was really looking forward to meeting the author behind this fantastic character.

Once everyone had arrived, done a little mingling and sampled the Raised By Wolves cupcakes, Parul from Quercus introduced Jennifer Lynn Barnes, who proceeded to say a few words about the book, the UK publication, and her family's reaction to her being in London alone. Let's just say it sounds like Jennifer Lynn's family are protective in the nicest way, but while she may be petite and very sweet-looking, she seems like she can take care of herself! Then Lynsey presented her with a copy of the Raised By Wolves ARC that several bloggers had annotated, and she seemed really touched.

Afterwards, she chatted with the assembled bloggers (Jenny, Lynsey, Sarah and me), posed for photos and took the time to sign our books. Lynsey did an admirable job of fishing for spoilers about Trial By Fire, the sequel to Raised By Wolves that we can look forward to reading next year. While Jennifer Lynn wasn't giving too much away, she spoke about the series with genuine passion and I can tell that we've got another treat in store with the second instalment. She also talked about how writing the character of Bryn was slightly dangerous, because it would get her into a frame of mind where she felt a little invincible... when actually, she's no fighting machine. I kind of know what she meant there, because reading Raised By Wolves is a similar experience - you definitely feel empowered when you're hanging out with Bryn.

In fact, I was pretty awestruck. Jennifer Lynn Barnes seems so completely focused on what she does, and she's already achieved so much, yet she's genuine and approachable too. (And, she likes Buffy. Win!)

I also got to finally meet 'the famous' Jenny from Wondrous Reads, who I kind of felt like I knew already but hadn't like, technically met. She's every bit as cool as you'd expect her to be, and totally friendly. (She's also convinced that Southerners are the ones with accents, but we won't hold that against her.) And I re-met (that's a word, right?) Lynsey from Narratively Speaking and Sarah from Sarah's Book Reviews, who are both total sweeties.

Finally, I'd like to say thanks to Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and to Parul from Quercus for inviting me along. It was a lovely evening and I was glad I got the chance to be there.

Photograph credits: Sarah of Sarah's Book Reviews.

Review: Boys Don't Cry - Malorie Blackman

2010-10-10T16:15:00.002+01:00

Told in alternating points of view, Boys Don't Cry is the story of brothers Dante and Adam Bridgeman. When seventeen-year-old Dante's ex-girlfriend arrives out of the blue with a baby she announces is his, his world crashes around him. Left literally holding the baby, he suddenly goes from being the responsible, academic Bridgeman brother to the one who made the stupid mistake. While at first it's not clear why we also need his younger brother Adam's perspective on this, the shared narrative slowly reveals that this isn't just Dante's story.

In terms of style, Boys Don't Cry is a more mature read than previous Malorie Blackman novels I've read. The intimate first person narratives of Dante and Adam are both easy to connect with and believable as the voices of teenage boys, and the way they interact with each other rings true. The language is authentic without being overdone, and while neither boy has a particular tendency to dwell on his feelings we get to know them thoroughly through their actions and dialogue. The teenage father and his gay brother are both characters that feel completely genuine to the reader, and Dante and Adam face up to the challenges that those identities bring, while still defying stereotypes. These aren't girl readers' dream boys - they're real and they're not perfect, but they're characters whose journeys will warm your heart.

Boys Don't Cry is my favourite of Malorie Blackman's books so far. Every bit as edgy as her readers have come to expect from her, it's also subtle and hopeful and reflective. If I'm honest, elements of Adam's story are easy to predict, and occasionally the scenes with baby Emma verge slightly on the corny side, but neither of those things are dealbreakers. It's one of those rare titles that readers of both genders will be able to relate equally well to, because it's unbiased and because it touches upon topical issues that concern us all. While it's definitely a book that says it's not okay for boys to assume that birth control - and consequences - can be left to the girls, it acknowledges that not all boys have an easy time of relationships either. It's about growing up from a male perspective; about family, identity and what it really means to be a man. If I had a kid brother, I'd give him this book.

Out: October 28th 2010, UK

A big thanks to Random House UK for providing a review copy of this book.

Review: Noah Barleywater Runs Away - John Boyne

2010-10-09T10:35:00.000+01:00

Reading Noah Barleywater Runs Away is an unusual experience. Quite unlike anything else I've read, it's a work of art. Part coming-of-age story, part fable, the second children's book from John Boyne will also be of interest to older readers.

Eight-year-old Noah is our protagonist. He's a boy running away from home for the first time - away from something he doesn't even want to think about. As he runs, Noah enters a world that's straight out of the pages of a child's storybook. On the surface, it's a vivid and enchanting land where anything can happen; where animals talk and trees object to a presumptuous boy swiping their fruits for a snack. But when Noah's journey brings him to a mysterious toyshop, and we meet the old man who lives there, it becomes clear that there is far more to this adventure than pure whimsy. Noah's acquaintance is strangely familiar, and we gradually realise that he's not just any toymaker. His story is in some ways the flipside of Noah's, and the young runaway needs to hear what he has to say.

Sensitively drawn, Noah possesses all the widsom of a real eight-year-old boy. The further we get from our own childhoods, the easier it is to forget how aware we were of the complexities of our lives in those days; this book reminds us. While I would usually hesitate to read a book about a protagonist this young, particularly a boy (having never been one), I found Noah astute and inquisitive and impossible not to relate to. In some ways Noah Barleywater Runs Away is a coming-of-age story, as it deals with a chapter in his life when he has to face essential truths about the human condition a little earlier than most. The magic realism of the world he enters may be spellbinding, but he's also a character bidding farewell to part of his childhood. While I have to confess I did find myself moved to tears on several occcasions while reading, it's not by any means a bleak tale. It's honest and hopeful. It's about real life.

Noah Barleywater Runs Away is a modern children's classic in the making. Beautiful and moving and rare, it will resonate with readers of ages because its subject matter is universal. At some point, we will all have to undertake a journey like Noah's - to learn what he learns for ourselves - and that's what makes it so poignant. I'd urge everyone to step outside their reading comfort zones and give this one a try.

Out: September 30th 2010, UK

A heartfelt thanks to David Fickling Books for providing a review copy.

Review: Finding Sky - Joss Stirling

2010-10-07T21:05:00.001+01:00

Abandoned as a child, Sky doesn't remember her birth parents or who she used to be. Someone wanted rid of her, but she doesn't know who... or why.

Lucky for Sky, the Brights came along and adopted her. When the family move from England to Colorado, Sky thinks her biggest problem is going to be fitting in at a US high school. She doesn't count on handsome American Zed, or the strange connection they share. She definitely doesn't count on the fact that finding the guy of her dreams will also put them both in terrible danger...

With so many paranormal romance titles now available for the YA market, Finding Sky is something a little bit different. Where many books in the genre see a mortal girl falling for a boy who's really a supernatural being, the pairing at the centre of Joss Stirling's debut are both as ordinary - and as special - as each other. Protagonist Sky and love interest Zed are regular teenagers who happen to possess remarkable paranormal abilities. The result? A tale that combines elements of the magic PR formula with its own original lore.

Having been adopted by the Brights at the age of ten, Sky accompanies them when they relocate from Richmond, England to Colorado, USA. The only British teenager in town, her experiences with adjusting to American life - especially high school - are bound to pique the interest of UK readers. Described as petite, blonde and adorable, Sky is the kind of character who isn't always taken as seriously as she would like. But while her diminutive stature is something of an in-joke, she's no pushover. She's sassy, shrewd and yet still has the same insecurities than many teenagers do. Refreshingly, her initial reaction to the seemingly arrogant Zed isn't to swoon and fall into his arms, but to assume he's a complete jerk. She's also convincingly sceptical about the whole paranormal deal, too. Soulmates? It's a nice idea, but she's not buying it without proof. Smart girl.

The romance itself probably isn't one that will sweep readers off their feet; a little understated, it's not the kind of intense melodramatic love story that you often find in this genre. It feels genuine, and it's easy to relate to - even with all the paranormalness going on. What far surpasses the romance, however, is the way that the paranormal is portrayed in the story. Joss Stirling has created a fascinating world within our world where those with a variety of psychic powers live among us. Since readers won't have already devoured scores of books about savants and soulfinders, this aspect of the novel has to be the main attraction. Between this and the well-constructed mystery behind Sky's own identity, it's a reminder that there's more to paranormal romance than girl-meets-immortal-boy. And while the ending is a satisfying one, it leaves just enough tantalising questions unanswered to leave this reader hoping that there'll be a sequel.

Finding Sky is an interesting variation on the paranormal romance genre. It has a certain individuality that hardcore fans of the genre will appreciate. It's fresh and it's unpredictable and will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Out: October 7th 2010, UK

A big thanks to OUP for providing a review copy of this book.

Crescendo Blog Tour: You Know You're Obsessed With Hush, Hush When...

2010-10-06T08:00:00.001+01:00

Today, the UK blog tour for Becca Fitzpatrick's Crescendo - the much anticipated sequel to Hush, Hush - is hanging out right here at I Was A Teenage Book Geek. In celebration of the UK publication of Crescendo, I'd like to share with you seven ways you can tell if you're obsessed with Hush, Hush. Y'know, in case you're in any doubt...

1. Last Saturday, you put in 8 hours at the bookshop hand-selling Hush, Hush to browsers, whether they already had a copy or not. And you don't even work there.

2. You were single-handedly responsible for the hashtag #PatchRocks trending on Twitter. Worldwide.

3. Your last three attempts at eating a balanced diet all ended in a cupcake-hot-dog-and-doughnut fest. Your excuse? Vee made you do it.

4. You wear your 'Team Patch' t-shirt to a wedding. Yes, your own wedding. But you don't really see a problem with that.

5. Your most treasured possession is the collection of angel feathers you found at the beach this summer. (Seagulls? What are they?)

6. You go to a Becca Fitzpatrick book signing, and ask her to make the inscription out to 'Mrs Cipriano'.

7. A super-hot guy asks you out. You agree on three conditions: he hires a jeep for the evening, he calls you 'angel' and if there's a second date, wings are MANDATORY.

Crescendo is published in the UK on October 14th 2010. You can read my review right here.

Want to feed the obsession a little more? Check out yesterday's tour stop at Once Upon A Bookcase for an intriguing extract from Crescendo, and be sure to swing by Book Geeks tomorrow for the opportunity to win a copy of this exciting sequel. You can also follow the entire tour schedule here.

A big thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for inviting me to participate in this book tour.

Review: Blood Ransom - Sophie McKenzie

2010-10-05T14:00:00.001+01:00

Warning: this review contains spoilers for Blood Ties.

Several months have passed since Rachel and Theo escaped the clutches of their evil creator Elijah. Living in separate continents under assumed identities, they think they're safe.

But when a mysterious stranger calls upon Rachel for help, she finds herself - and Theo - drawn back into Elijah's twisted world. With Rachel facing the biggest dilemma of her life, it's up to her and Theo to defeat Elijah once and for all.

As in Blood Ties, Blood Ransom sees Theo and Rachel sharing the narrative, our point of view shifting back and forth between them. It's an arrangement that works incredibly well, heightening the tension as one character's chapter alerts us to the fact that the other is about to walk straight into danger... and then we switch perspectives to accompany them as they do just that, blissfully unaware of what we can already see coming. But where Blood Ties was perhaps more Theo's story, Blood Ransom shifts the focus slightly more onto Rachel. The girl we saw transformed in Blood Ties is now strong-willed and determined, and definitely Theo's equal in the action-hero stakes. This time, she's the one Elijah has his wicked sights set on, and when we finally find out what he's up to it's genuinely shocking stuff. Think fight scenes, nail-biting escape attempts, and sinister revelations.

Amidst all the breathtaking action, we also revisit the themes of identity and nature vs. nuture that made the previous book such fascinating reading. New character Miles not only provides us with a different perspective on the life of a cloned human being, but also poses a threat to the relationship between Rachel and Theo. Again, über-baddie Elijah pushes the boundary between genius and insanity, proving that there's no lengths he won't go to to achieve his aims - and giving us food for thought about where science ends and playing god begins. There's a little more romance this time round, but those who don't enjoy that kind of thing can be reassured that Blood Ransom never strays too far into mushiness. It's first and foremost a thriller, and the thrills are most definitely there.

Blood Ransom is a welcome return to the world we first visited in Blood Ties. It's perfectly paced, thought provoking and sprinkled with jaw-dropping moments that'll have readers on the edge of their seats. Fans of the first book will love it.

Out: October 1st 2010, UK

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for providing a review copy of this book.