Review: Nothing by Janne Teller

Nothing by Janne Teller

Pages: 227
Publisher: Atheneum
Published: February 9th, 2010
IBSN: 9781416985792

Pierre Anthon left school the day he found out that it was not worth doing anything as nothing mattered anyhow. The rest of us stayed behind. And even though the teachers carefully cleared up after Pierre Anthon in the class room as well as in our heads, a bit of Pierre Anthon remained within us. Perhaps this is why things later happened the way they did... 

Thus begins the story of Pierre Anthon, a thirteen year old boy, who leaves school to sit in a plum tree and train for becoming part of nothing. "Everything begins just in order to end. The moment you were born you began to die, and that goes for everything else as well." Pierre Anthon shouts and continues: "The whole thing is just one immense play which is about pretending and about being best at exactly that."

Scared at the prospects that Pierre Anthon throws at them together with the ripening plums, his seventh grade class mates set out on a desperate quest for the meaning of life. This involves a closed saw mill, green sandals, a yellow bicycle, a pair of boxing gloves, the Danish flag, the hamster Oscarlittle, a Jesus statue stolen from the church, little Ingrid’s crutches, six blue ponytails, a prayer rug, the coffin with Elise’s little brother, the head of the dog Cindarella, fame and a meaning found and lost.


[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Nothing is a twisted, insightful, and at times sickening ride of a novel. Translated from Danish, its premise is unique and thought-provoking. After Pierre-Anthon resolves that nothing matters and climbs up into a plum tree and stays there, his classmates set out to prove to him that there is meaning.

So his classmates start to compile a pile of things that mean something to them, with what each person puts in the pile dictated by the person before them. Soon, allocating things to the pile feels less related to meaning and more to revenge. "You want me to put my green sandals in the pile? Fine. Put your pet hamster in!"

Then the sacrifices become almost macabre, the last one especially. But even this felt realistic. The character's actions were believable and justified, and I liked how the author didn't try to make her characters unnaturally good. Let's face it: Bruno Mars won't catch a grenade for his girlfriend, and Edward wouldn't kill himself if he thought Bella was dead (you know, if they were real). People aren't inherently self-sacrificing and good. I really liked how this book happily demonstrated that.

The writing style was superb, the foreign-ness of it clear, even with the translation. I can't describe it and do it justice, so I'll just share with you my favorite quote from it:

"And although we'd sworn we'd never become like them, that was exactly what was happening. We weren't even fifteen yet.
Thirteen, fourteen, adult, dead."

It was told from first person perspective, but our narrator is more a background character than the main one. We know little more about her than her name. This book is definitely more plot-driven than character-driven. The plot is slow and suspenseful. I was constantly speed reading trying to figure out how this is going to end, because I knew it couldn't end well.

I can't tell you whether the ending was happy or sad, because even I don't know that, a day after finishing it. It's, like a lot of the book, open to interpretation. All I can really ascertain is that it was very deep and intense.

I give Nothing a 6 out of 5. A definite new favorite of mine.

Review: Burn Bright by Marianne De Pierres

Burn Bright by Marianne De Pierres

Series: Night Creatures (#1) 
Pages: 316 
Publisher: Random House Australia 
Published: March 1st, 2011 
IBSN: 9781864719888

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom.

But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness?


[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Burn Bright, contrary to its title, was extremely dark. In the dangerous world of Ixion, where everyone is solely in the pursuit of pleasure, Retra is trying to find her brother who ran away from their strict home. But Retra finds much more than her brother: friendship, danger, mystery.

Burn Bright is Marianne De Pierres' first book for teens, and the first book in the Night Creatures series. The book definitely had an almost adult vibe to it, the only thing convincing me that it's YA being the teenaged characters.

The world-building was extraordinary, Ixion completely intoxicating. I felt like I was in their world with the characters, on the edge of my seat as they traversed the eerie world.

Retra was definitely a memorable character who stood out from her backdrop. She was totally unlike anyone else in Ixion: innocent, modest, not in Ixion for pleasure but to find someone. Her personality juxtaposed those around her, helping to show us more of the subtle differences between Ixion and Retra's old home.

The writing style was vivid, every description giving me a clear image in my head of what was going on.

The plot was entirely unpredictable. I never could see what was coming next. But set in a place like Ixion, I wouldn't expect to have an inkling of what's around the corner. I was taken aback by the ending, if a little peeved at another cliff-hanger.

I give Burn Bright a 4 out of 5, and recommend it to anyone who's looking for something different.

________________________________________

I read this book for the Aussie YA Reading Challenge.

Review: Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Series: Timeless (#1)
Pages: 304
Publisher: Delacorte 
Published: January 11th, 2011
IBSN: 9780385738385

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.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

It took me a while to get into Timeless, but after the first 4 or 5 chapters, I was pretty into it. The beginning just left kind of rushed to me, and when her mother died, there wasn't as much grieving from Michele as I would have expected. She adored her mother, but after a few days she seemed almost fine.

I couldn't really relate to Michele through the third person narration. I couldn't really hear her 'voice' or feel for her.

The plot, however, I loved. I love anything with time-travel in books, and Timeless definitely didn't disappoint. The twists were clever and obviously well-planned out. The ending tied up most of the main conflict.

The romance between Phillip and Michele felt a little forced at first, but it felt more realistic as time passed. Though, it felt as though they'd only seen each other a few times before things changed. I would've understood her pain over not seeing him more if they'd seen each other more.

The ending is satisfying, finishing with a small tease of what's to come in the next book in the series.

I give Timeless a 3 out of 5.

Waiting On Wednesday (21)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, in which we highlight an upcoming book release we're eagerly awaiting.

This week I'm waiting on Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen, because I've read her other series (Luxe) and Bright Young Things, and adored them both.

In this must-have sequel to Bright Young Things, Cordelia and Letty are small-town girls no longer. Letty is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams. Cordelia thought she lost her true love, but a chance meeting will change her fortune—and her future. The unflappable flapper Astrid Donal has promised herself to Charlie Grey, Cordelia’s half-brother, but isn’t sure their love is true enough to survive. And a bitter rivalry will ensnare them all in a dangerous feud played out in the speakeasies of Manhattan and on the great lawns of Long Island. As these bright young things live out their beautiful days in the summer of 1929, they find romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, new friends and unexpected rivals. 

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Beautiful Days is the second book in the Bright Young Things series, and is expected to come out on the 20th of September.

Feel free to leave a link to your own Waiting On Wednesday post in the comments, and I'll be sure to have a look.

Review: Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Pages: 300
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: August 1st, 2009
IBSN: 9781741758344

Ava Simpson is trying on a whole new image. Stripping the black dye from her hair, she heads off to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, leaving her uber-cool girlfriend, Chloe, behind.

Ava is quickly taken under the wing of perky, popular Alexis who insists that: a) she's a perfect match for handsome Ethan; and b) she absolutely must audition for the school musical.
But while she's busy trying to fit in -- with Chloe, with Alexis and her Pastel friends, even with the misfits in the stage crew -- Ava fails to notice that her shiny reinvented life is far more fragile than she imagined. 

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I would've read this book eventually anyway, but JOHN GREEN BLURBED IT. And as soon as I found that out, I had to read it immediately, in spite of the embarrassing Australian cover to check out from the library:

Pink was an extremely fun read. It was laugh-out-loud funny, and at other times, very sweet. There were serious moments too, dealt with well by both the author and the main character.

Ava was a great character. Her voice was clear, and I really felt a connection to her throughout the book. I was sympathetic towards her as she tried to find herself.

The other characters were well fleshed out and had depth. I found myself caring about them all, and wanted to BE one of the stage crew kids.

The ending was satisfying. In the beginning of Pink, Ava changed schools, changed the way she dressed, tried to change the way she felt, in order to find herself. I won't spoil it by telling you whether she achieved that or not, but regardless, she developed a lot over the course of the book, and the ending really showed that.

Definitely a more character-driven book than I'm used to, I give Pink a 5 out of 5. 

________________________________________

I read this book for the Aussie YA Reading Challenge.

Fantasy or paranormal?

I tag my reviews with the book's genre, and I'm always stuck when it comes to paranormal/fantasy novels. What's the difference between them? How do YOU define them both? Or do you consider them the same thing?

Usually, I consider books involving "creatures" (vampires, werewolves, angels, etc.) as paranormal, and ones that involve supernatural elements that aren't part of a person (magic, time travel, etc.). I mean, there are some clearly defined ones. Graceling is obviously an epic fantasy novel, and Twilight is obviously a paranormal. But some books I read, I can't define as easily. I had no idea about whether The Near Witch was a fantasy or paranormal for ages before just picking fantasy almost as a guess.

But how do YOU guys tell the difference between them?