Category: Reviews by Maddie

Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

Miss P

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Genre: Supernatural, Contemporary
Published By: Quirk Books
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book wasn’t what I was expecting. It was peculiar, but then I guess that was the point. I went into this book not knowing much about it, only that it contained some marginally creepy photographs and Jesse the Reader loved it.

My reason for reading the book? I wanted to read one of Ransom Riggs’ books first, as Bee had already read Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and I needed to lay claim to half of the adorable couple.

The story begins with Jacob, who has a job given to him by the powers of nepotism. His grandfather had always told him odd stories about his past and how he lived with all these children in a home that catered for their peculiar talents. Having written all of his grandfather’s stories off as…well, stories Jacob was in for a major shock when he witnessed a horrific event and realized old Abe was telling the truth. Monsters were out there and so was Miss Peregrine.

This book took me to so many unexpected places. A riddle was given to Jacob that he had to try and solve but I, and he, had no idea that the resolution was going to involve time travel, or a time loop (all lingo is explained in the book, don’t worry) also transfiguration akin to Harry Potter and an underwater shipwreck that Ariel would have been comfortable with.

There was nothing wrong with the strange elements of the book, overall they added to the mysterious tone. But I find myself being unable to actually describe how I felt about the novel because I completely wasn’t expecting the outcome. I loved the plot twist at the end, there’s nothing better than a plot twist that you never saw coming, and the narrative was reminiscent of a John Green novel, but with subtler wit. The book had me laughing at relevant points and, if I’m honest, left me a little bit spooked for the next book, ‘Hollow City’, the title of which I now understand.

Characters were well built, and I thought the pictures were integrated really well into the story, I’ve never seen something like it before, that’s for sure. The presence of romance between Emma and Jacob did seem a little bit convenient and, if we were to look at the history Emma shared with Jacob’s grandfather, then it’s weird, but this issue is addressed by Jacob himself, so if he’s cool with it so am I.

I’d definitely recommend ‘Miss Peregrine’s’ to anyone looking for an unusual read that has a consistently interesting plot. There were definitely no boring moments and the change in direction of the plot kept me reading in rapture. In conclusion, I give this beautiful oddity 3 out of 5 stars because it isn’t something I’d usually read, but I loved it and definitely will be reading the sequel as soon as my library get it in stock.

Review: Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Published on by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Branded-CoverBranded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Published By: Amazon
Pages: 384
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The authors approached us in relation to this book and asked if we would like a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. Having accepted their generous request, let the reviewing commence.

Branded

The first point that’s important to make about ‘Branded’ is that it’s set in such an original world. You can almost think of the Hole,
where those that have committed crimes corresponding with the seven deadly sins are sent, as a Tartarus parallel, as it contained a lot of horrors that would have comfortably resided in the Underworld. The authors did an excellent job in setting out their world and describing said horrors, though perhaps visions of spurting blood will haunt my nightmares for a few days after putting this book down! The violence and the gore was gripping and certainly did it’s job in outlining how terrible life in the Hole truly was.

The Hole is ran by this evil dictator, known ambiguously as the Commander, so instantly his identity is hidden and there’s a great sense of mystery over who he is and his motives in purging the world of crime. As suspected when dictators force their beliefs down other people’ throats, those people will start to rebel. Cue our beautiful main character, Lexi. Lexi’s father is a legend when it comes to the growing resistance and Lexi later realises that it is up to her to continue her father’s legacy and fight for not only his beliefs but her own.

Lexi starts out as this very strong character, who is struggling to survive in her society under the tyrannical hand of her stepfather. Once she is captured and sent to the Hole, where she is unjustly accused of a crime she didn’t commit, it doesn’t take long for the brutal world to break her. Her strength vanishes, and her extensive gag reflex appears as she is literally horrified to the point of physical illness at what’s going on in the Hole. Her character was changeable throughout the book, but her intentions were in the right place, and this was especially easy to see when she befriends Alyssa, a young girl dying of an incurable disease. When the situation demands it, Lexi will throw herself in front of children and dogs to protect them but perhaps relies on being saved herself by a made-of-muscle male character.

Cole, Lexi’s guard, becomes her love interest despite the rules against guards and sinners falling in love. But who can put a stop to love, right? Lexi and Cole’s relationship develops quickly, and could be another reason for Lexi’s increasing dependancy on others. Their romance is slightly more steamy, shall we say, than any other YA novel, but I think the desperation in the romance well reflects the dangers of the world and just how much it can hurt people emotionally, as well as physically.

Some parts of the novel seemed a little too convenient in some places, however this isn’t atypical of fast pace novels that wish to get the reader to the end goal and definitely made sure none of the plot was irrelevant. Also, there were some times in the novel when the characters would have inconsistent personalities, for example one minute Lexi was demanding to be protected, but a minute later she would plead her independence. Yet, ‘Branded’ is going to be part of a trilogy, so hopefully as the other books in the Sinners Series are written the characters will retain consistent personalities, especially because after the plot twisty ending, Lexi no longer has as many people trying to hold her back.

The ending was certainly the most thrilling part of the novel, with a few things that I totally didn’t see coming, especially the scenes in the Control room (but no spoilers, of course!) After a rapid-fire ending like that, I can’t wait to read the other books in the series when they’re released just because the authors now have so much freedom in what can happen to Lexi, Cole and the unforgettable Zeus.

Overall, we rated this book 3 out of 5 stars, because although there were elements of the novel we really enjoyed, like the fast pace and the sweet character of Alyssa, we had a few problems with how the characters developed. That said, we’d definitely recommend ‘Branded’ for anyone that’s looking for some thrilling and minutely mysterious dystopian fiction that will have you on the edge of your seat (or other preferred reading places), especially when things start to heat up towards the end!

Thank you so much to the lovely authors, Abi and Missy, for giving us the chance to review this book, we’ve loved being part of the Branded Blog Tour and wish the novel and you all the best with your future novels that we can’t wait to read!

Review: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Published on by Heart Full Of Books4 Comments

Rebel Belle by Rrebel belleachel Hawkins
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Published by: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 345
Format: Hardback
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I was definitely expecting a lot from this book since, when the book first came out, there was a general opinion that ‘Rebel Belle’ was better than expected and a total favourite. Thank goodness, I couldn’t agree more.

The plot combines two of my favourite things: high society girls that know how to kill a man with blunt objects and teens that gain super powers but have a surprisingly calm reaction to said super powers, so instantly I knew I would not be disappointed.

By the third chapter we’re sucked into a world where Harper, the protagonist of the book that is seen as the all around popular girl both inside and outside of school, has to dodge the evil hands of people that want to kill her. I loved the past pace and how the story moved. The first few chapters reminded me of Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief when he has to fight off demon Miss Dodds and it was just thrilling. (There is no higher comparison than Percy Jackson in my book.)

Harper managed to get her ‘mission’ in the book very quickly and I appreciated the Hawkins didn’t beat around the bush when it came to revealing what Harper and David actually were. There’s nothing I dislike more than being 50 pages through a book with no significant plot movement, but ‘Rebel Belle’ had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Now, you may not think that proms and puffy dresses is not going to mix well with ninja fighting and knife throwing but, as I learned from ‘The Gallagher Girls’ series, a lady is more than capable when it comes to wearing heels and kicking butt (simultaneously). The balance between girly and, well, bad-ass was perfectly struck that meant the novel could be enjoyed both in battle scenes and in softer romantic scenes.

Although Harper prides herself in being well organized, I think the only problem I had with her was that she didn’t dump her boyfriend soon enough. That seems catty, but after realizing that she no longer felt the same way about him, especially after the entrance of slightly-annoying-but-really-adorable David, it seemed like the most logical thing to do. I get that she wanted to keep a part of her normal life but I think her prolonged decision meant that cute moments with David were sacrificed (and I loved David. This was a great shame.) It got to the point where I wanted to shout at Harper “You love David! David loves you! Just kiss already!” (My wish was granted in Chapter 39)

There was a lot of build up to the Cotillion, an excuse for seventeen year olds to dress up as brides, and I was not disappointed with the final battle of the book that could be best described as unpredictable and threatening, not exactly as Harper planned.

Consistently brilliant with a plot that was well built upon throughout, ‘Rebel Belle’ was a true gem. I seriously cannot wait for a sequel to come out, because Hawkins left the novel in such an intriguing place that it would be impossible to leave Harper, David and Ryan where they were. Also important to note that this is my first hardback since ‘The House of Hades’ and, gosh, am I glad I decided to take the plunge to pay extra for more than just a paperback. ‘Rebel Belle’ now resides among ‘The Gallagher Girls’ series and ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ as one of my favourite books, therefore I just have to give this beautiful book (and it’s beautiful cover) 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

lemonLemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
Genre: Contemporary
Published By: Delacorte Books
Pages: 352
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Just ask yourself what two things would make ‘The Breakfast Club’ a better movie. Bridgit Mendler and singing did you say?

Oh, ‘Lemonade Mouth’ has both of those things set in detention, sign me up!

After watching the Disney Channel Original Movie, a title screen that will warm my heart for the rest of my days, I just had to get my hands on the book. I was mega disappointed that Mo and Charlie didn’t get together in the film, but finding out their relationship was canon was literally the best thing to happen to me since ‘Clearwater Crossing’. (Don’t even get me started on that twenty book series gem.) Let me tell you that the book definitely filled the ‘Lemonade Mouth’ void that the movie left me with. I really didn’t want those 112 minutes to be over, so was glad that I had a potential five hours of more lemon-flavoured fun.

Firstly, what I love the most about the book is the diverse range of characters. I really enjoy reading books from mulemonade-mouth-51b77a1ec4913ltiple perspectives, in my opinion, the more the merrier. So to read about every character through different mediums, like letters and interviews and typed essays was refreshing and wholesome, just like a glass of lemonade.
The characters were not afraid to admit their flaws, but it wasn’t like a big deal was made of the fact that Olivia was chubby, or Stella was six foot tall or that Charlie could be best described by the word ‘thick’. None of their appearances mattered, instead the emphasis was placed on the personal growth that each character went through when they picked up an instrument and started to play.

The whole atmosphere of the book was toxic. I couldn’t get enough of what was going on in their lives and what they were singing. The foundations set for the plot were built upon in a way that everything was both expected and unexpected. You just knew that bad things were going to happen, after so much good especially with Charlie’s constant references to destiny and the balance in the universe.

What set this book apart from just being another ‘High School Musical’ drama was the constant stream of rebellion and the feeling of change. I think it’s really important for teenagers to realize that, no matter what their age or ability, they have the power to change the world and ‘Lemonade Mouth’ really proved that. I learned a lot about fighting for what I believe in, even if it seems like a lost cause, and to never doubt the power friendship can have on someone’s life. Olivia went from being a friendless nobody to a lead singer, a girl that was quiet and underestimated but when it came to saving the world, she didn’t hold back from joining the revolution.

And that’s really what it was. A revolution. I loved every single rebellious second and because of that I have no second thoughts when it comes to giving ‘Lemonade Mouth’ 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Glitch: Lost in Time Book One by Brenda Pandos

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

GlitchGlitch: Lost in Time Book One by Brenda Pandos
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance
Published By: Corgi Children’s
Pages: 300
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

We received this book via NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I have to say is that this book was nothing like what I was expecting. When it said ‘zombies’ I was instantly reminded of ‘Warm Bodies’ and was expecting something like that – not the zombie love part, but just the zombies in general. It turned out that the zombies were just a myth told by the government as, you guessed it, a means of control. (Or were they?! Spoilers.)

As readers, we are thrown straight into the action, at a baseball game. A lot of world-explaining goes on within the first chapter that could have been slightly smoother in my opinion, but at least everything was explained so the author could get the plot moving forward. Our main character is Abby, and as main characters go, was quite nice. (High praise.) She is your perfect citizen so finds it slightly difficult, as you can imagine, to adapt to the world that’s been opened to her when she looks beyond the watch on her wrist that tells her when she’s going to die.

Generally, I thought there were quite a lot of concepts to the world; dates of death, zombies, Oracles and time travel to name a few, and this led some of the narrative to sound cluttered, but I enjoyed the fast pace of the first 25% and how the perfect world was destroyed quickly.

When Abby is abducted against her will, as she reminds us multiple times throughout the novel, she meets Kaden. Kaden is the love interest, though he and Abby have only had one conversation, if that, before Abby begins to have feelings for him. There is kind of a love triangle with Kaden and his brother Memphis (brotherly competition) but it’s always obvious that Kaden will come out on top.

Abbey is taken to Kaden’s colony, which is kind of ‘The Host’-esque. She is in inner torment about whether she should stay in the colony or try to return. (At least Melanie and Wanda didn’t have a choice – makes for less inner conflict.) This carried on until Abby decided to return and it took her a further 25% of the book to reach this decision.

Abby plays a big part in the destruction of her world. She is the Oracle, who has the power to time travel but doesn’t know how to use her powers wisely…like any superhero in the beginning. When her Complement, meaning her future self, tells her she has to murder someone, I was instantly confused. Time travel happened, it was very back-and-forth and hard to keep up with. A lot was happening and the pace was fast, so this probably didn’t help me to get to grips with what was going on. But, the book sure as heck ended on a cliff hanger.

Now I need to read the second book, to know how the problems resolve and how the future was affected by Abby’s choices. Something tells me, now that we’ve had the first book to explain the world and set up the plot, the sequel is going to be juicy and jam-packed with stuff (more than this book, if possible.)

I’d recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed ‘Slated by Teri Terry’ as it has a similar premise, and the presence of zombies set this book apart from other dystopian series. Overall, I’d give this book 2 stars, as I did thoroughly enjoy the novel, but did have some problems with the extent of the content.

Review: Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve

Published on by Heart Full Of Books5 Comments

Fearsome Dreafearsome-dreamer-wipmer by Laure Eve
Genre: Techno-Fantasy, Romance
Published By: Hot Key Books
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★★
Series: The Illusionists (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Laure Eve has created a beautifully original new genre of book, combining fantasy, technology and romance in a stunning debut novel that could not have been more satisfying.

Although the blurb suggests the story is told from Rue’s perspective, it is not only Rue’s mind we inhabit. Two other characters, both male, White and Frith offer their thoughts up to the scrutiny of readers, adding to the well roundedness of the novel. Each character has such an action packed story line, I would have been completely happy to have read individual books about each character.

Rue is a girl who was training to be a hedgewitch but felt that she was not as well suited to the role and knew that she had a power that made her different to other people in Angle Tar, the remote island where she lived, that had separated itself from World.

World is the rest of the world; countries that have come together, united under the technology of Life, sort of like a simulator that means travel is no longer an object and people can just connect to Life in order to meet others, shop, go to school, everything! White lived in World, but was being persecuted for his powers, the same powers Rue possessed, but he dealt with them with a lot more experience. He wished to seek the refuge of Angle Tar, a place that would not threaten a prison sentence for being a Talented individual.

Frith is a government agent, working to recruit Talented people like Rue and White in order to train them to be used for government means. Undertones of evil, I suspect.

Sometimes when a story is told from multiple perspectives in can be clumsy and ineffective, yet Eve’s characters wove together perfectly and the POV changed at just the right moments in order to gain the biggest scope of the story world.

I was expecting more love story between Rue and White, because their romance was tantalizingly forbidden by society. Neither Rue nor White would admit they had feelings for each other, leading to ultimate distress at the end of the novel for White in particular. But I think Eve has left it at a dramatic place for the next book – fingers crossed they’ll actually get the kisses they both crave!

Slowly, we were fed information about Angle Tar and World from a variety of sources and an emphasis was placed on choosing whom to believe. My advice: never trust people with unnatural eye colours. They’re just looking for trouble.

IllusionistsI loved the ambiguity surrounding the government and their involvement in things. Sometimes when explanations are too explicit it’s easy to see how the characters are going to react to the corruption but ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ left a lot unsaid which just made me want to read more and more. What’s the ‘Castle’? Why is there a ‘Ghost Girl’? Who are these people? Who am I?

Overall, I’d say that ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ is like nothing else out there. I never knew where the book was going to take me, literally, and loved the sense of surprise with each new development. I feel I’ve really discovered a gem with this book and can’t wait to read the sequel ‘The Illusionists’ in August (which could not come soon enough!) Did I mention that the covers are beautiful? I need this book constantly on display so I can bask in its beauty for as long as possible.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone that is willing to try something different compared to the popular ‘girl vs government’ dystopians that are flooding the shelves at the moment.

Rating: 4.5 stars Can’t be given 5 because I was not emotionally fulfilled with Rue and White’s relationship. More information needed! (and more dancing too, that was cute.)

Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Published on by Heart Full Of Books5 Comments

Slated by TSlatederi Terry
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-fi
Published By: Orchard Books
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Originally, I wasn’t going to pick up this book. I’ve already had my fill of stories about girls that didn’t know the world they lived in was an elaborate lie the government produced as a method of control. But, after consulting GoodReads, my trusty reviewing companion, I decided that ‘Slated’ had something to prove.

The idea is that teenagers that have done terrible wrongs in their lives are given a clean slate (hence the newly coined verb: to slate) and are ‘reprogrammed’ to no longer feel anger; their emotions controlled by a device with a death grip on their wrist.

Kyla (beautiful name) is the main character so, as we are reminded many times, is different. She can feel anger. She can remember parts of her previous life. She is unhappy to conform to the world the government is trying hard to maintain and is desperate to learn about her past self, and the horrible thing she did to be Slated.

 One thing I’ve learnt from novels like this: questioning the government ends in your ultimate termination….or the termination of the government, of life as we know it, of the truth. (These books can be a little melodramatic.)

Generally the pace of the book was very slow. I put this down to it being the first in the series, so a lot of explaining had to be done to build the world, but perhaps 300 pages of miniscule plot was slightly excessive. Kyla doesn’t actually get her ‘mission’ until the final third of the book and though the first two thirds aren’t without purpose they could have been more exciting.

There was a love interest, though like a modern Jane Eyre, Kyla was hung up on the fact that he may have been previously dating another girl that disappeared. The love story felt slightly forced, as if romance is a necessary part of all teen fiction, when in some cases it can only distract from the action.

The last five pages were thrilling, though slightly confusing because the pace of the novel rapidly increased, like Teri Terry was trying to sprint to the finish after she’d saved up her energy at the start of the race.

Dark and sinister in places, ‘Slated’ was a captivating read (when the plot was actually moving forward.) I enjoyed the relationships between Kyla and all other characters; there was so much development below the surface.
Overall, 4 stars.

Review: Tape by Steven Camden

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

18721308

Tape by Steven Camden
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 363
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

In 2013, a girl called Ameliah discovers a tape that a boy was recording a diary on. She had no idea who the boy is. She’s recently lost both of her parents to a car crash and illness, meaning she lives with her Nan. In 1993, a boy called Ryan decided to record a diary on tape to help him recover from the death of his mother. He is falling in love with a girl called Eve, who is living with her nan for a while during the summer.

The parallels are definitely obvious, though the identity of Ryan isn’t revealed to Ameliah straight away. Due to the time difference between the two, it was somewhat easy to guess how Ryan was significant to Ameliah butequally enjoyable to be with her when she discovers small things to connect the two of them, for example Nirvana mix tapes and sea shells.

The book is told in two very realistic voices. It was interesting to see how the behaviour of teenagers hasn’t changed much in twenty years. Despite being realistic, the book contained too many obvious coincidences – I know it was meant to, but as said, Ryan’s identity was easy to guess after the first…100 pages or so.

Generally a very quick read due to the big font size and average settings. There are no speech marks; the book is formatted like French novels with dashes to represent a new speaker. Strange.

 The blurb makes it sound like there’s going to be more inter-dimensional discussion between Ameliah and Ryan, which I was looking forward to, having watched and enjoyed ‘The Lake House’ movie, yet there was barely any conversational overlaps, despite Ameliah and Ryan both having the opportunity to speak to each other across twenty years. That would have definitely made the plot more captivating.

Apart from that, there was little fault with the novel overall. Ameliah slightly overreacts at the entrance of a new character, Joe, a 30 year old man who happened to know her dad, but then again, we’ve all imagined stalking someone, haven’t we?

An enjoyable and fast read, lacking somewhat in time travel, or love story as the blurb promised. 2.5/5 star

Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

17208924Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 310
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Will Grayson and Will Grayson, by John Green and that other guy, you have both failed to impress me. I had such high expectations for this book, after reading all of John Green’s other published works and having sampled David Levithan’s writing when I read ‘Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares’. Perhaps, because of these high expectations, I was guaranteed to be let down.

      Being a co-written book, ‘Will Grayson, Will Grayson’ is a mixture of good and bad. Unlike other co-written books, such as ‘Beautiful Creatures’, it is easy to tell which writer is writing which Will Grayson. I preferred the first Will, who had a fairly robotic way of life until his joints were oiled by love. The way that this Will Grayson articulated his feelings was occasionally beautiful but generally easy to relate to. It was easier to love this Will Grayson, compared to the second one.
      The second Will Grayson was distinguished by his inability to use capital letters. He was suffering from depression and knew that he shouldn’t use his mental condition as an excuse for being a rude and horrible person, but did it anyway. The way he treated his friends and his mother made me want to distance myself from his character, or completely skip his chapters all together. One Will Grayson was definitely enough for me.
      The second Will Grayson was gay. This book did a lot to raise the awareness of homosexuality; the plot is all about a musical production about being gay. But, I didn’t understand why it was so necessary to make a big deal over who was gay and who wasn’t. Isn’t the point of raising awareness about homosexuality to promote that everyone is normal, no matter what? Why did the fact that a character may or may not be gay have to constantly be mentioned?
      Also, one of the main aspects of the book was that the Will Graysons were both meant to meet. This meeting didn’t happen until 100 pages in, yet the I felt the plot in first 100 pages could have been at least halved. Not a lot was happening up until the point they met, and to be honest, not a lot happened after that either. I’d say, out of the whole 308 pages, both Will Graysons were together for 20 pages, max. Not what I expected.
      The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying, but at least one Will Grayson got a happy ending.
Of course, if you’re looking for a book that has a trial and error (or trial-error-trial) attempt at being witty and somewhat insightful then this is the book for you. If you’re dead set on reading this book just because John Green co-wrote it, may I recommend ‘Paper Towns’ instead? The library also has a copy of this and you won’t regret the decision of deciding to follow the story of Quentin and Margo over Will Grayson and the other Will Grayson.

Review: Dead Ends by Erin Lange

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Dead Ends by Erin Jadead-endsde Lange
Genre: Contemporary, Friendship
Published By: Bloomsbury
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Rating:
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I picked up this book because a lovely friend of mine said she had mixed opinions on it and I wanted to see if I could come up with a more definitive thought on the novel to share with her. Plus, I loved the colour of the cover.

‘Dead Ends’ is told from a bully’s perspective, though like many bullies, he doesn’t realise what he’s doing is wrong until someone else, in this case a kid with Down’s Syndrome, Billy, points it out. Dane, the bully, is roped into helping Billy around school and their on-off friendship leads to trouble, mayhem and more trouble as both boys try and find their lost fathers.

It was definitely interesting to read a novel told from a troubled perspective. It was a different dynamic that I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed. Dane didn’t seem very anxious about the repercussions of his actions, whereas I’m sure Voldemort might have felt at least some inner turmoil.

The relationship that grew between Dane and Billy was a Marmite relationship – they either liked each other or they didn’t. Dane had a few double standards when it came to Billy – he didn’t like other people treating him differently because of his appearance yet would distance himself from Billy’s company by not wanting to call him a friend. As the novel progressed, I’m sure his outlook changed but it annoyed me that Dane wasn’t completely accepting of Billy like he wanted others to be.

Slightly ‘Paper Towns’-esque when the boys were trying to figure out a trail of clues left for Billy by his dad on how to find him. That was slightly interesting, but not enough to make me turn the pages any faster.

Billy had his own double standards when it came to honesty, though I won’t go into that but it made me feel as angry as Dane at the injustice of his outbursts, which were valid but not at all fair.

The plot progressed nicely, with new things being weaved into the story at semi-regular intervals that helped me to keep reading. My favourite character was probably the love interest, Seely, but it seemed she was only written in for convenience and didn’t hold a bigger purpose other than ‘the girl with the computer’.

Still, it would be wrong to say I didn’t enjoy parts of the novel, though it didn’t contain anything that wowed me. My rating would therefore be: 2.6 stars because I felt, in the end,  I was just reading it to finish it, not to love it.