Tag: YA

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

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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: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

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Bur13406425n For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 358
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I managed to read this book in a day. It was that gripping. It probably helped that the chapters were short due to the changing perspectives, but something about this book meant that I couldn’t put it down. By the end, I still couldn’t work out which perspective I liked the most. Although, it’s probably a tie between Lillia and Kat, considering Mary faded into obscurity in some moments, considering she was the new girl and was not allowed to be seen with her cohorts in public situations.

I desperately wanted to like the book even more than I did, but my moral compass said that it would be wrong to completely agree with the revenge that the girls were enacting. Yes, the characters may have deserved a little bit of karma due to insane personality defects, but my stomach clenched every time they took revenge because you just know that they have to get caught out at some point.

It’s always interesting to read about the American school system and experience, because it sounds completely different from the UK system. There were quite a few clichés in the personalities and cliques, but that’s just what gives these kinds of books their charm. The social hierarchy is always a ‘fun one’ to experience in writing, especially when you get the ‘insiders view’ – which is never as perfect as you think it’s going to be. But I found it odd that we didn’t hear about any of the other friends that Mary must have made at some point, despite the fact that she’s the new girl surely she would have been able to make at least one other friend – I know she’s reserved, but considering her past I’m sure she wouldn’t purposefully want to be alone.

I liked how the character’s backstories were integrated into the novel, particularly in the beginning where in Lillia’s chapter a lot of names are thrown about and you have to work out who’s who and what relationship they have with the others. Then to find out how Kat and Mary fit in with this little gaggle of the socially elite, was simply wonderful. It was as if the stars had aligned and you knew that these characters were destined for *looks to the stars* great things.

The cliffhanger was exactly what was needed to make me want to read the sequel, and having read the plot line, I’m sure it will be just as good, if not better. I’d heard some mixed reviews about this book, and I think that’s mainly because of the controversial topic of ‘revenge’ and then the subsequent questions of ‘What is right and wrong?’ and ‘Can we really take it upon ourselves to enact justice on those that have done terrible things in the past?’ Overall, this book is wonderful for such philosophical questions, but if you’re not into questioning the meaning of existence or defining rights and wrongs, then it’s the perfect beach read too! Burn for Burn is definitely the kind of thing that I feel in the mood to read when the weather gets a bit warmer, and I want to stay clear of the novels with heavier plots and fantasy worlds.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to read this series, because it was enjoyable, as long as I didn’t think about it in too much detail, and restrained myself from wanting to reach inside the book and punch certain characters in the face.

Review: Teardrop by Lauren Kate

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16070143Teardrop by Lauren Kate
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Published by: Delacorte Books
Pages: 441
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Series: Waterfall (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

First of all I should preface this by saying that the premise for this novel is amazing, and I was unaware that this was the first in a series, rather than just a standalone.

Nonetheless, I did find the pacing of the novel to be a little slower than I would have liked. Almost fifty per cent through and the real purpose behind the plotline was still yet to be revealed. Despite this, I still enjoyed the story overall and the last fifteen per cent of the book – which was a rollercoaster of emotions, I can tell you – more than made up for the slow beginning. Although I thought the pacing was slow, the actual timeline of the story was very fast, and I found myself loosing track of days until I spotted a sentence that said ‘it had been two days since” etc., etc. The love story itself may have been a little rushed, or at least it felt that way until it was fully explained at the end. I would have been perfectly happy for Ander and Eureka to remain separated until the next book, because although Ander had been with Eureka for a long time, Eureka didn’t know that, and so her ‘insta-love’ felt perhaps a little too artificial. Generally I liked their romance, despite the fact that it all happened quite quickly, and am looking forward to how it develops throughout the series.

The pain Eureka felt over the death of her mother was executed extremely well, the burden became heavier throughout the story because the protagonist wasn’t really up for sharing. I felt Eureka’s concern over therapy, but without including spoilers, I think I may have agreed with Brooks’ opinions over her stoic-ness.

My favourite parts of the story where the translations of the Book of Love, and when Eureka was underwater; I was captivated by the story and would have liked to know more. As for when Eureka was underwater, Lauren Kate’s description of scenery is wonderful. She described the bayou, and pretty much any location that was mentioned, in such detail it was so easy to imagine any one would be able to draw the scene.

Lauren Kate has a way of gripping her readers just when the time is right, like the last fifteen per cent for example. There were times when I put the book down for a while too long, but when I picked it back up again something amazing would happen and I’d regret that decision to put the book down. Teardrop makes it’s audience feel all of the emotions possible. Okay, well, mostly anger, frustration, heart wrenching sadness and small pockets of joy whenever a scene gets a little too depressing. However, the deaths of certain characters were as blunt as Brooks was at the Halloween Maze party. There was little closure that I felt the reader got, not to mention Eureka herself! All I can say is, that it’s going to be extremely heart breaking to read when all that death and destruction catches up to her.

Overall, I’d give Teardrop three stars, because it was definitely a fun read, but there were some questions that I want answered, but that’s what the next book is for, right?

Review: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

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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: Glitch: Lost in Time Book One by Brenda Pandos

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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: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

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Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac 51vf-m3-xol1by Gabrielle Zevin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

It all started with a coin toss. A simple wager on who would have to go back to the school to collect the camera that they had left behind. It was Naomi who lost and subsequently fell down the front steps of her school. The next thing she knew she woke up in hospital. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is the story of a girl who has forgotten who she once was and is trying to make sense of who she is now, but not everyone is quite so happy with the change. When she eventually does remember who she is she has to face moving on with the troubles she had previously forgotten, and decide what she is going to do with her life now that she has a fresh start.

      I loved the writing style; it was perfectly formed for a teenage audience. The banter between Naomi and her best friend Will was hilarious and there were some particularly great one liners that I’ll have to use at some point. Even though Naomi was confused and slightly off-kilter when it came to her emotions, as an audience we’re not annoyed by this because it’s understandable in her condition, whereas in other young adult books I will not refrain from shouting at the protagonist until she pulls herself together.

      However, regardless of that fact that she has suffered from some emotional and physical trauma, I didn’t think it was a good enough excuse for treating her friends badly. I understood why she didn’t want to tell them everything now that she was ‘a new person’, and for the most part she did handle things quite as well as I would have hoped, but when it came to Will I just didn’t get how she could ignore him.

      There were moments when she was with James (the boy that sort of rescued her from the fall) when I thought: even if she had lost her memory, surely she shouldn’t have lost her common sense, but apparently so. It was still an enjoyable read.

      The novel is split up into three parts: I was, I am and I will, and my favourite section was definitely I was. Everything was explained perfectly, and Zevin made sure to tie up the majority of the loose ends by ‘I will’, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed with the ending. I wanted more to have happened and there to have been more character development. I was proud of how Naomi dealt with her family, but with boys she definitely still has some work to do.

Therefore this one gets a 3/5 rating.

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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The Night Circus UK

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Anchor
Pages: 387
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I have heard nothing but good things about this book and I have to say it did live up to my expectations. The Night Circus is hard to explain as there are just so many elements to it and the blurb gives almost nothing away. From the title you can ascertain that it is indeed about a Circus and everything that comes to mind when the word ‘Circus’ is mentioned. You may also have guessed that as it is called ‘The Night Circus’ it is indeed only open…at night.

      The Night Circus is a story of romance, mystery and magic. Two magicians are to face a ‘challenge’ and what happens to the loser isn’t revealed until almost the end of the novel. Written in the third person, we experience chapters with almost every character and multiple time lines that all fit together in the end. We start with Celia Bowen when she is five, and we finish the story when she is in her mid-thirties. Although The Night Circus is a stand-alone novel the romantic elements do not feel like an ‘insta-love’ as so often is the case in young adult literature, simply because their love story has lasted almost twenty years in the scheme of things.

      Along with the third person narrative interspersed throughout the novel are second person passages that explain the circus as if you are really there. The Circus itself is a mystery; therefore having it explained to you in that way really helps to build up an image of the Circus. These passages are also key to the plotline even though you don’t quite realise how until more things are explained.

      Reading The Night Circus is very much like playing a game of ‘Jenga.’ With each new piece of information a brick is placed on top of the pile, and with every mystery a brick is taken away. However, you get to the final part of the novel and realise that the tower is way too high and the climax of the story has to topple it down. This is the part where you may be slightly disappointed. You’re still learning about the way of the circus and some things have started to piece together, but there are still bricks being taken and somehow everything still stands up. Just when you think everything is going to fall down, the tower stops swaying and you’re left pretty much where you began. I think there wasn’t quite enough closure, and the ‘competition’ wasn’t explained as well as it could have been – leaving it up to the imagination. It may have been a slightly laboured metaphor, but once you read it I guarantee that it won’t sound quite as ridiculous.

      Overall, I still got completely caught up with the story and will have to buy myself a copy – as I found this gem in my school’s library – so that I can re-read my favourite parts. 4/5 A must read as long as you’re okay to fill in a couple of blanks on your own.

Review: Slated by Teri Terry

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

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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

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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.