Review: I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

     

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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Pages: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Published: May 17th, 2011
IBSN: 9780316122795

Raised by an unstable father who keeps the family constantly on the move, Sam Border hasn't been in a classroom since the second grade. He's always been the rock for his younger brother Riddle, who stopped speaking long ago and instead makes sense of the world through his strange and intricate drawings. It's said that the two boys speak with one voice--and that voice is Sam's.
Then, Sam meets Emily Bell, and everything changes. The two share an immediate and intense attraction, and soon Sam and Riddle find themselves welcomed into the Bell's home. Faced with normalcy for the first time, they know it's too good to last.

Sam and his younger brother Riddle live under the care of their unstable criminal father, constantly moving out of his paranoia. Drawn to music, Sam one day finds himself in the back pew of a church, transfixed by the off-key solo of Emily Bell, who's given him more incentive to stay than he's ever had.

Let's begin with: I'll Be There is one of the most charming books I've ever read.

The tone of I'll Be There pretty accurately represented what it was all about. All throughout these undeservedly terrible situations, there's a hopeful undertone giving comfort. Hope carries in the promise from the very beginning "I'll be there", in the way our characters never  delve into self-pity, in the soft, young quality to the prose.

Sloan's writing style is spare and beautiful and perfectly captures the emotions behind each of the characters and pulls off third person narration with deeply personal voices. A whole range of characters -- from smarmy sons of detectives to young boys whose education come from phone books to concerned parents -- are created genuine and relatable despite how wholly different they may be to the target audience, and our three leads Sam, Emily and Riddle are among the sweetest characters I've ever had the pleasure of accompanying.

On diverse characters, the story also struck me as having this ageless quality -- as in young in a way that wasn't juvenille or distant -- that will make it appeal to people of all ages, not just YA.

Also, unexpectedly, I'll Be There was not an entirely character-driven novel. In the first pages, Emily tells us about her fascination with twists of fate and ironies, detailing a story of a woman saved from a fall from her apartment window by a mattress ditched by the future husband she'll one day run over and kill. And later, the story follows the Border brothers through a series of astounding near-impossibilities that we forget are still possibilities, taking us along for an almost-ridiculously winding journey that would be comical if it weren't so sad.

And for all of the characters' personal journeys and emotional turmoil, Sloan weaves an ending that intertwines all of the finer points of the novel, restores karmic balance, and leaves even the most stone-hearted of readers all gooey.

A heart-warming story of circumstance and chance and love, I'll Be There is a new favourite of mine and must-read for fans of contemporary fiction.

Review: Break by Hannah Moskowitz

     

Break by Hannah Moskowitz
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Pages: 262
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: August 25th, 2009
IBSN: 9781416982753

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah’s only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders.

When Jonah's self-destructive spiral accelerates and he hits rock bottom, will he find true strength or surrender to his breaking point?

Jonah believes that the family is the smallest unit of measurement. He and his brothers and his parents aren't components of a family, in that they can't be split apart from the family. With a brother deathly allergic to pretty much everything, including their newborn brother, and parents constantly at odds, Jonah decides he needs to be stronger in order for the family to be stronger.

So begins Jonah's mission to break his bones and have them heal stronger. No, it isn't as pointlessly self-destructive as it sounds. It started with a car accident that broke both femurs, and evolved to intentionally taking a few fingers, a wrist, a rib. "The first feeling is pain...the feeling that never comes in regret."

Break appeared on my radar after I read the wonderful Invincible Summer, Hannah Moskowitz's sophomore novel. Going back to her debut of two years prior, I was worried that IS set me up for disappointment, but while I could see how Hannah's writing developed between the two, Break was still an highly emotional and enjoyable read.

Hannah Moskowitz's style is raw and arresting, adopting a common family setting teeming with stress and worry and love and pulling it off with the believability of someone who's been there. The dynamics are so realistic and touching. The bond between Jonah and Jesse especially, both constructive and destructive at the same time, felt so real, and the exploration at their impact on each other's lives felt so deeply personal that remembering them as fictional characters came as a shock.

The characters' conflicts and motivations, the dynamics between them, their situations: everything is realistic and gritty. Hannah Moskowitz is skilled in bringing to life the most difficult and complicated of relationships and characters and making them relatable.

Break is a powerful and personal contemporary family drama I'd recommend to fans of Courtney Summers' novels. It's one lovers of Invincible Summer should check out to help pass the time until Gone, Gone, Gone's April release.

Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

     

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler
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Pages: 256
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: October 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781402261039

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever? 

Jasmine catches mother's boyfriend making out with her best friend just after finding out about her mother's pregnancy. With her own issues with being abandoned by her father, she's caught between exposing her dirtbag almost-step-dad and keeping it from her already stressed-out mother.

It's not as much of a daytime TV drama as the blurb makes it out to be. Now that's out of the way...

Jas has a lot on her plate, certainly, but sympathising with her isn't easy. I couldn't become emotionally attached to her -- or any other character. The narrative voice felt...bland. Jas is reserved, and the voice dedicates itself to portraying that trait without combining it with a compelling or interesting tone.

Jas's issues with her race didn't seem realistic. The only people who bullied her did it such unnatural dialogue ("Who says that? WHO?") that I didn't take their taunts seriously. The setting, a supposedly close-minded town, didn't come across how it was intended. We were told several times that the place was typically close-minded, but we weren't shown it in any depth. But then again, I live in a very mixed-races town and no one really cares what you are here, so I don't know anything much about this. I just wasn't convinced.

For me with contemporary novels, connection to the characters is one of the biggest aspects. They aren't typically plot-driven, but character-driven. I didn't feel anything for the characters of If I Tell, so I didn't feel much for the book overall.

The plot couldn't redeem it for me, with so many chaotic sub-plots I couldn't see what the characters' goals were. This book attempted to tackle many issues, but it just created this tangled plotline.

I'd recommend If I Tell to fans of Janet Gurtler's first book, I'm Not Her, but not to any devout contemporary fans.

I give If I Tell a 2 out of 5.

Review: I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

     

I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
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Pages: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: May 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781402256363

Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?

Tess pales in comparison to her popular, athletic, perfect sister. You know the type -- it's a common trope. But her sister, Kristina, is diagnosed with cancer, and suddenly Tess has to adopt a new role in her family as her mother grows more useless each day and her father grows less present each day.

It's not exactly an original premise, no. You've already read the story about the outshadowed sister coming into her own. I'm not going to try to convince you that I'm Not Her is a refreshing take on it, but I will submit that several themes and plot turns were unexpected, but not enough to make the story stand out.

The characters fell kind of flat, and in the end, I didn't care for them. Some were at unnaturally extreme ends of stereotypes, but I didn't dislike any of them per se. I just didn't become emotionally attached to any of them. While they were going through struggles, I was wondering which book I should read next.

The writing style was smooth and adequately detailed the events and Tess's feelings, but it doesn't lend to a compelling character voice.

I'm Not Her doesn't break any new ground in the genre. It's for fans of contemporary novels who don't mind a plot reminiscent of much else out there.

I give I'm Not Her a 2 out of 5.

Review: All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield


Pages: 202
Publisher: Text Publishing
Published: June 27th, 2011
IBSN: 9781921758300

Mim knows what she wants, and where she wants to go — anywhere but home, stuck in the suburbs with her mother who won't get off the couch, and two brothers in prison.

She's set herself rules to live by, but she's starting to break them.

Over the nine days before her seventeenth birthday, Mim's life turns upside down. She has problems, and she's determined to solve them herself. But in the end, she works out who her people are, and the same things look entirely different.

Mim's story is sweet and raw, her character likeable in its flaws, and her development and change of heart realistic and gradual. Her story is in equal parts heart-wrenching and heart-warming, and wholly touching.

Mim (short for Jemima) doesn't want to associate herself with the deplorable town she lives in, or the people in it. She just wants to get out. She has volumes and volumes of Lonely Planet travel guides read and reread. She's set herself rules to live by to help her get out, but now she's making new friends and delivering suspicious packages for her mother and her rules are slowly being broken.

Mim was a lovely character to read about, even if lovely isn't the word I'd use to describe her. Seeing her begin to contradict herself and realise her truths aren't truths at all and develop was inspiring, and the way she handled the story's gritty romance at the end at odds to how she introduced it perfectly showed how she'd changed.

On gritty romance, I absolutely loved that part of this book -- the way (spoilers ahead!) she was empowered by rejecting the boy who jerked her around even after she pined for him for so long. I always lament about how the girls so many YA relationships swoon over guys who don't deserve it, and I adore how Mim stood up for herself in this one.

Vikki Wakefield's debut was written in beautifully spare prose that easily evoked emotion from the reader. All of Mim's emotions were so clearly and accurately written that they seemed to pool on the page and sticky our hands. Her narration was so honest and her feelings so raw that I began to feel personally acquainted with her.

Mim's story was a short, sweet, and completely gorgeous one. An Aussie debut from a promising writer.

I give All I Ever Wanted a 5 out of 5.

Review: The Opposite Of Amber by Gillian Philip

The Opposite Of Amber by Gillian Philip

Pages: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: April 4th, 2011
IBSN: 9780747599920

'They found the fifth girl right after the snow melted...'

Ruby and her older sister Jinn live together on their own, just about making ends meet. Jinn is beautiful, with glittering blonde hair, and makes it her business to look after Ruby. They are horrified by, but try to ignore, the local newspaper stories of prostitutes who are murdered, their bodies eventually discovered underwater. Then the no-good Nathan Baird turns up on the scene - again - and Jinn starts to change. First Nathan moves in with Jinn and Ruby, making Ruby feel an outsider, and then Jinn and Nathan move out, leaving Ruby alone. Jinn no longer has time to look after Ruby. And it seems to Ruby that Jinn herself needs looking after. Her beautiful glittering hair starts to lose its shine.

And then Jinn disappears.

This book begins with what I later find out to be a regular interlude - Counting Games, it's called - where the main focus is on the serial killer and the found victims. The first three pages did an amazing job of mysteriously yet descriptively setting the chilling tone and the scene from an omniscient perspective. I was impressed to the point of shoving the book at anyone who had the patience to humour me and read the first three pages.

I was hooked from the very start, and stayed hooked except for a few bumps along the way at colloquial Scottish phrases (I know a few Scottish people and am pretty okay with their slang most of the time. It might be a bit much at times for people who aren't familiar with it, though). It wasn't packed with action or drama but the foreshadowing tone completely ensnared me and had me feeling like at any moment something was about to tip the characters' worlds on their heads.

The writing style was amazing. I found myself at times just admiring the way the words were strung together and not taking in what they meant (but I was more than happy to reread).The way the author weaved in figurative language and recurring symbols and metaphors was superb. See the quotes I've collected below for what I mean, because my inferior writing can't do it justice.

I really liked Ruby. The book comes from her first-person perspective after the first chapter. She doesn't waste words -- to the extent where several characters remark "It talks!" when she speaks -- and is devoted to her sister, Jinn. She has flaws to add a realness and third dimension to her personality. She's stubborn, jealous, 'gauche' (in her own words). She had the feel of a real person, and even as she gets into problems that she causes herself, she's easy to feel sympathetic for her.

The Opposite Of Amber was more character-driven than plot-driven, highlighting relationship dynamics and character development. A lot of the book focuses on the relationship between Ruby and Jinn - strong initially, slowly but surely weakening as Nathan's presence plays catalyst. All of the characters were thoroughly fleshed out, to the point where you can understand and feel for characters like Nathan who you're predisposed to dislike.

Although that isn't to say that the plot wasn't compelling. It was. Suspense that the opening chapter created held and grew until the tension at the climax had my hands shaking as I hastily turned the page. The build-up was superbly written and the wind-down settled the suspense and gave hope that Ruby would get her life back on track.

The Opposite Of Amber was an emotional, chilling, and quietly intense story of the bonds between sisters and how they break.

I give The Opposite Of Amber a 6 out of 5. A new favourite of mine.

Have some of my favourite quotes from this to go:

"And to keep it right, to make it the same, he put her in the water too. Not the same water, that's true; but it's a good idea, if you don't want to leave traces, to put a girl in water. It's the opposite of amber."

 (I'm sad that I read this after my post about great titles. The Opposite of Amber is a great one.)

"Her blonde hair was full of ice and it glittered when they pulled her out into the sun; and quite honestly, the man who found her looked so pale and drained and shocked to stillness, she looked almost better than he did."

Review: A Straight Line To My Heart by Bill Condon

A Straight Line To My Heart by Bill Condon

Pages: 228
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: August 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781742377308

School is over, not just for the year, but forever. Tiff and Kayla are free, which is what they've always wanted, but now summer is nearly at and end and that means life decisions. Tiff is hoping her job at the local paper will lead to something more... But 'The Shark' soon puts her straight on what it takes to become a hard-nosed reporter like him. At home, Reggie - the only grandad she's ever known - has quit the smokes and diagnosed himself as cactus. Then Kayla hits her with some big news. And into all this stumbles Davey, the first boy who has ever really wanted to know her.

Tiff is smart with words and rarely does tears, but in one short week she discovers that words don't always get you there; they don't let you say all the stuff from deep in your heart.

A Straight Line To My Heart is a distinctly Australian coming-of-age story.

Tiff describes herself best as plain. She lives with elderly and tough Reggie and Bull, his son; neither are related to her. Apart from her odd living situation, she leads a fairly unremarkable life. That, however, changes dramatically over the summer after high school finishes forever for her.

Tiff will deal with the loss of loved ones, find new loved ones, puzzle over what to do with her life, but come out the other side a new, stronger person. Her voice is clear, her emotions impossible not to sympathise with, her journey both inspiring and very relatable.

A Straight Line To My Heart sang to the part of me who loves out-of-the-ordinary, non-traditional relationships. Tiff's connections with her family and her friends and one Davey (swoony in how relatable, awkward and goofy he is) were heart-warming and touching. The relationships, like the rest of the novel, was refreshingly original.

Written in such an expert fashion, so easily incorporating realistic Australian colloquial language, this book made me, notorious hater of Aussie slang, warm to the characters. It also created a three-dimensional setting that never resigned to the background, but stayed in the forefront of the story.

Concluded with a sweet ending that will make you take turns crying and grinning, this was a simply lovely contemporary novel.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes their books short and sweet, and especially to fellow Australians (and extra-especially to non-Australians who enjoy Australian books -- it gives a very realistic look into a typical Australian lifestyle).

I give A Straight Line To My Heart a 5 out of 5.

Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Pages: 376
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: May 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781921794094

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

I'd heard great things about Saving June from other Aussie reviewers (inexplicably, it was released here just recently, despite the US release date in November) who have awesome taste in books, so I was naturally excited to get my hands on a copy.

Harper is shocked and saddened by her sister's suicide. June didn't leave anything behind to explain, and Harper decides to steal her ashes and take them to California -- where June was obsessed with going but never went. In tow on her road trip from Michigan to California is Harper's best friend, Laney, and the mysterious friend of June's, Jake.

Saving June was an incredibly emotional and realistic portrayal of the aftermath of a suicide. Each of our central characters had an appropriate reaction to the event, given their relationship to June. Harper's emotional state was conveyed clearly through the tone in which she narrated. I felt incredibly sympathetic for her.

But beyond the emotional, grieving part of the story, Saving June is also a really fun read. Road trips with cool best friends and mysterious, music-obsessed guys! Visiting tourist traps like Fridgehenge! I was under the impression that this book would be a solemn, quiet drive to spread her sister's ashes, but there were so many fun stops along the way.

The musical aspect to Saving June was spectacular. Harper and Jake bonded over the music that plays such a large role in Jake's life. The constant musical references also help to set the tone of the story, with many of the songs they play on the journey emotional and heart-wrenching and written from the artist's own pain.

An emotional, fun, well-paced story about grieving and moving on, topped with a sweet and touching conclusion, Saving June is right up there with my favourite contemporaries.


I give Saving June a 5 out of 5.

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Favourite quote:

"It's actually one of my favourite shows, too -- though, granted, it has less to do with the nature stuff and more to do with the fact that Skye has cheekbones you could sharpen knives on, a yummy Australian accent and wash-board abs."

(Favourite because, of course, the name. Though this Skye is also Australian, this one's male. I'll never, ever get used to my name being unisex!)

Review: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Pages: 269
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: April 19th, 2011
IBSN: 9781442407510

Noah's happier than I've seen him in months. So I'd be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It's not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah's happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family's beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive.... 

I'd read enough about this book to know it wasn't a 'typical beach read' but apparently I didn't fully believe that, given how blown away I was by how completely and crazily emotional and decidedly non-beachy Invincible Summer was.

Stories about family bonds aren't usually my thing but this book was totally my thing.

The family dynamic set out in Invincible Summer -- two ever-arguing parents, a deaf younger brother, an outspoken pre-teen sister, another sister on the way, an older brother who runs more than he stays, and our protagonist, Chase -- was incredibly well-developed and realistic. While it was heartwrenching to watch the bonds between them be tested, I so wanted to be a part of the McGill family to feel the intense love the share first-hand (though I doubt in that position I could feel much more strongly for the characters than I did through reading).

The emotions in Invincible Summer were raw and complex; they didn't just affect the characters, but they reached out and latched onto me. I experienced the character's roller coaster of emotions alongside them.

The characters were all incredibly well fleshed-out and realistic. They felt so real that turning the final page, I felt like I was losing friends. Chase's voice was so poignant and sad that I just wanted to give him a hug. Gideon was adorable and easy to love. I identified a lot with Noah, my favourite character in the novel.

The best thing about Invincible Summer, though, is the quasi-love triangle between Chase and Noah and Melinda. It wasn't sweet and built on raw, instant attraction but on need. It wasn't about making the reader swoon, but about making the reader understand the characters and what they've been through and what that means now.

An incredibly emotional story of family told in raw prose. A must-read for contemporary fans.


I give Invincible Summer at 6 out of 5!

Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

Misfit by Jon Skovron

Pages: 384
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: August 1st, 2011
IBSN:  9781419700217

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Misfit is certainly a stand-out new paranormal novel. The supernatural aspects are incredibly unique, and through them, the author also expresses something important about the normal world.

Jael is a halfbreed. Her mother was a demon (the good kind) and her father, a priest. Together, they made an infamous demon slaying and banishing team. But when Jael's mother dies to save her small family, her father takes to running and hiding from the demonic forces chasing them.

Jael's known she's a halfbreed all her life, but it never affected her until she turned sixteen, so she never paid it much mind. She's your average teenage girl - or at least, the token average portrayed in YA - in all other respects: she has hair troubles, a loyal best friend, a crush. She's insecure, in the shadow of her best friend, and sarcastic. With her struggles with her faith, I couldn't really relate or connect, but they did help me understand her character.

I didn't find the writing style or tone very noteworthy, and the pacing wasn't as good as it could have been. I got frequently bored waiting to get the major complication, and reaching it through visions and having all of the information dumped almost first-hand onto the main character took away the development we could have seen in Jael as she figures it out herself.

While so much of the paranormal aspect was unique, the villain's "halfbreeds are a menace" motive wasn't. I was impressed with how imaginatively the world and premise was created to be let down by such an overdone motive.

Overall, it's worth reading if you're not put off by religious themes and like to try different sub-genres of paranormal fiction.

I give Misfit a 3 out of 5.

Review: Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick

Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick


Pages: 216
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: June 1st, 2011
IBSN: 9781742374598

How about we toss a coin? Heads, it's west and a lift. Tails, it's still west, but no lift.'

James is heading into the country on his first teacher-training round when a mysterious girl asks him for a ride. Sophie has him all worked out: 'You live with your parents and they bought you this car, and a very nice car it is too...' At first James can't see past her wild hair and attitude, but then Sophie trusts him with a secret she's been keeping too long. 

I really wanted to love this book. I mean, it has an Australian author and road trips. What's not to love?

I can answer that question now: the cliches. I would have loved this book if not for the cliches. James and Sophie were a pair from teen movies: him, shy and nervous, leaving home for the first time; her, unabashed and confident, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl showing him how to live. From one of their first moments together, where she starts guessing his life story, I was frustrated.

I couldn't like either character. Neither character really developed. James didn't develop, he just suddenly changed. He was quiet and anxious until Sophie told him to get a backbone, and voila, he suddenly had one! Sophie looked like she was going to grow up and go home, but that was a bust.

The subplot about James' parents learning to be less protective of him seemed unnecessary and slightly boring (probably only because I'm a teen, and I don't relate to adults in books.), though it may have made for the only real character arc in the book. 

I was constantly trying to figure out if this was intended to be an issues book or a fun, breezy one. I figured if it were the latter, I'd have gotten bored less often. But the issues brought up in this book are as minor as having clingy parents.

I give Black Painted Fingernails a 2 out of 5. Though I haven't seen a fellow bad review of this book yet, so it's still worth giving it a shot. To each their own!

Review: The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: The Demon's Lexicon (#3)
Pages: 400
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: June 14th
IBSN: 9781416963837

The Goblin Market has always been the centre of Sin's world. She's a dancer and a performer, secure in her place. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin's place is in danger. Keeping secrets from the market she loves, struggling with a friend who has become a rival, Sin is thrown together with the Ryves brothers, Nick and Alan - whom she's always despised. But Alan has been marked by a magician, to be tortured as the magician pleases, and as Sin watches Alan struggle to protect the demon brother he loves, she begins to see both brothers in a new light. But how far will brother go to save brother - and what will it cost them all?

A dramatic and stunning conclusion to the trilogy! The Demon's Lexicon series is one of my favourites, and Surrender definitely did not disappoint.

The stakes have risen with each instalment in the series. The plot was at all times either intense or foreshadowing, keeping me on the edge of my seat. There were so many twists and turns that I never saw coming. Sarah Rees Brennan's books are among the few that I can't predict the ending to, and I love them for that.

I love this kind of pacing: a series of smaller complications all adding up to the final, overall problem.

I wasn't overly intrigued by Sin in the first two books, but with this one from her perspective, I grew to like her in same way I did Mae when I didn't expect to in Covenant. She gave a whole new perspective to the setting, coming from a different background. The narration switches have definitely helped the amazing world-building. 

The relationships between characters are incredibly unique and interesting. I love reading about Alan and Nick's bond - actually, just the relationship between Nick and anyone else. Being unfeeling makes for relationships that are...different.

The romance in this trilogy has been subtle; definitely there, but not the main focus. It's developed realistically given the duress the characters are typically under, making them hesitant.

A perfect ending to the trilogy. I'll miss the characters, but I'm happy with them in the place they reached. I really can't wait to see what Sarah comes up with for future books!

I give The Demon's Surrender a 5 out of 5.

Review: Split by Swati Avasthi

Split by Swati Avasthi

Pages: 282
Publisher: Knopf
Published: March 9th, 2010
IBSN:  9780375863400

Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret.

He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.

At least so far.

Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. 

Split is an amazingly real and raw portrayal of domestic abuse and redemption. From the very first page - nay, the synopsis - I was hooked and emotionally invested in the characters' journey.

The characters in Split will grab hold of your heart from the very beginning and won't let go. They're all fleshed out and incredibly easy to sympathise with. My favourite character would have had to be Mirriam: strong, thoughtful, and calm. Really, she was the hero of the story. She wasn't afraid to deal with the things that Jace and Christian would rather forget and ignore.

Jace and Christian's relationship was dynamic and constantly strengthening, weakening, always changing. There's years of absence between them, shared experiences they'd rather forget, and secrets kept that stop them from becoming as close-knit as they were before. But watching their relationship grow from when Jace shows up at Christian's door is heart-warming and so true-to-life.

Avasthi's prose was spare and emotional, completely compelling in itself. The character arcs felt natural and were inspiring to watch. Really, there isn't a negative thing I have to say about Split.

Swati Avasthi has written an insightful and touching debut that anyone interested in darker, character-driven YA should read.


I give Split a 5 out of 5.

Review: How To Say Goodbye In Robot by Natalie Standiford

How To Say Goodbye In Robot by Natalie Standiford

Pages: 276
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: October 1st, 2010
IBSN:  9780545107082

New to town, Bea is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

How To Say Goodbye In Robot was a one of those bipolar kinds of books: quirky and fun at point A, heart-wrenching at point B, and hopeful and inspiring at point C.

Bea is kind of odd. She likes dressing up and recreating movie scenes, thinking about death, and listening to a late-night radio show for old-timers. But Jonah's kind of odd as well, and the two of them form a bond, stronger than friendship, but not romance: still love. But is that bond enough to keep them together?

I enjoy books that offer offbeat relationship dynamics. And while I can't say I genuinely liked either of the main characters (Jonah, too hot and cold. Bea, way too eager to run back to him.), this book definitely fit that criteria. Their friendship was all-consuming, strange, mostly one-sided, but touching.

Natalie Standiford's writing wasn't complex, the ideas and themes conveyed simply. Though I usually like this style, in this case, it made the characters feel juvenille and much younger than they actually were. I was surprised whenever a reference to their ages was made.

The ending was bitter, even though it was kind of predictable. It didn't do anything to help me warm to Jonah, but it did put his character into perspective.

The novel was not the quirky, cheery book I'd expect, but had a surprising depth and richness that I found myself appreciating all the same. However, for me, it missed the mark in some aspects.

I give How To Say Goodbye In Robot a 3 out of 5.

Review: A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

Pages: 288
Publisher: Flux
Published: May 1st, 2010
IBSN: 9780738719269

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura's dad left them. Convinced that "creative" equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

Aura has been taking care of her schizophrenic mother as she descends gradually into insanity since her father got fed up and left several years ago. Her mother eventually loses her job teaching art classes at the museum and soon thereafter, becomes completely catatonic, and Aura needs to figure out how to help her.

All the while, however, Aura is stifling her own creative abilities because her mother has shown her that art leads to insanity.

While I could see how Aura developed that mindset, it still struck me as slightly ridiculous. Each chapter begun with some tidbit from Aura about schizophrenia, usually attaching the disease to a great artist, like Vincent Van Gogh.

The disease felt incredibly well researched, the symptoms portrayed accurately and people's reactions to it realistic.

The plot was slow-burning in a literary-esque way, but I couldn't find the depth to justify the slow pace. I found myself bored in some places, wondering where exactly the story was going.

A Blue So Dark enticed me with its cover and the fabulous quotes on the back. Apparent in them and in the rest of the book was a poignant and poetic style of writing that kept me entertained while the plot and characters could not.

I give A Blue So Dark 3 out of 5.

Review: What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Pages: 402
Publisher: Puffin
Published: June 2nd, 2011
IBSN: 9780141337791

Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

I expected What Happened To Goodbye to be amazing, by virtue of it being by Sarah Dessen. So while this one was definitely enjoyable and in Dessen's classic style, something about it missed the mark for me.

The premises of Dessen's novels always hooks me in. After I read Truth About Forever I wanted to desperately to work with a caterer. Along For Ride almost made me want to finally learn to ride a bike (but I'm 16 and learning now would just be...embarrassing). And What Happened To Goodbye was no different in that aspect. Mclean's family situation was odd, but not unbelievably odd, and I though this situation is portrayed in a negative light in the book, I again found myself wanting to move all the the time with my restaurant-rehabilitating dad.

Though I enjoyed What Happened To Goodbye very much, the tone felt incredibly familiar. Dessen's protagonists, to me, all seem to have the same voice. And though I get quite attached to this voice, I'd really like to see something different.

Sarah didn't disappoint on the romance aspect, however. Dave was quirky and sweet and funny, and completely loveable. Dave and Mclean started out just as friends, and so their relationship grew naturally and felt realistic.

Dave and Mclean were, of course, surrounded by the likeable background characters that Dessen is so adept at fleshing out and creating. Another reason I always want to live in Dessen's novels after reading them: the people.

Though the ending let me down. It felt rushed, and immediately followed the token character breakdown/turning point. I found the denouement a little implausible, as the problem too easily solved.

I give What Happened To Goodbye a 3 out of 5. I'd definitely recommend it to devout Dessen fans, but not any who were hoping for something fresh and different.

Review: Slice Of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Slice Of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Series: Portero (#2)
Pages: 512
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: January 4th, 2011
IBSN: 9781416986201

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities…

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

I really liked Dia Reeves' first book, Bleeding Violet. While it was gory and violent, it felt almost justified in the world it was set in, and was counteracted by the romance and character development.


Slice Of Cherry was violent, too, but not justified like it was in Bleeding Violent. Our main characters, sisters Kit and Fancy, were obsessed with killing people, usually in creative and sickening ways. They didn't even need a reason to abduct and torture people, and those aren't the kind of characters I'm going to connect with, let alone like. Especially Fancy, who felt like an overgrown and clingy child.

Plus, I didn't buy into the notion that psychopathic tendencies could be inherited. I don't think that the children of The Bonesaw Killer have to be or will be killers as well.

The romance between either sisters and their boyfriends felt incredibly unrealistic. The dialogue between the couples just felt awkward in some instances to me. For instance, I think telling your significant other that you want to cut them open and kiss them all over their insides as well is crossing the line.

I was really disappointed by Slice Of Cherry. I thought this companion novel to Bleeding Violet could flesh out the world better and give a insider perspective to Portero, but I heard almost nothing about how the town worked and the characters were annoying as well as messed up.

I give Slice Of Cherry a 2 out of 5.

Review: Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

Pages: 260
Publisher: Chicken House
Published: January 4th, 2010
IBSN: 9781905294763

While visiting her father in hospital, thirteen-year-old Isla meets Harry, the first boy to understand her and her love of the outdoors. But Harry is ill, and as his health fails, Isla is determined to help him in the only way she knows how. Together they watch a lone swan struggling to fly on the lake outside Harry's window. Isla believes that if she can help the damaged swan, somehow she can help Harry. And in doing so, she embarks upon a breathtakingly magical journey of her own.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

You know those books that you enjoy while you read them, but after you're finished, you put down and never think of again? Flyaway is like that to me.

It was a sweet book. The main character was likeable, the language figurative, and the plot sad.

But it didn't really touch me. I could never find myself genuinely caring about the characters or what happened to them.

But I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for heartfelt contemporaries. I couldn't feel anything much for Stolen either, and I can't name a single person who didn't adore that.

I give Flyaway a 3 out of 5.

________________________________________

I read this book for the Aussie YA Reading Challenge.

Review: Between Here And Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Between Here And Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Pages: 256
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: May 24th, 2011
IBSN: 9781416994848

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

My new favorite of Elizabeth Scott's books, it features a protagonist really unlike the others from Scott's contemporaries. Abby is very strong, and is also insecure in a totally different way to the others: she genuinely believes she's inferior to her sister, and is resigned to being comparatively worthless.

My favorite thing about Elizabeth Scott's books is how she creates likeable but ultimately flawed characters. Abby had so many problems but I really connected with her, and wanted to comfort her through them all.

Eli was a fantastic love interest. He wasn't perfect either, but there was so much chemistry between him and Abby. Though I really wanted to shake Abby at the start and tell her to stop trying to make Eli like Tess, I'm glad she eventually realised.

The writing style was as emotive and beautiful as usual. My English teacher once said that authors never waste words, and Elizabeth Scott is one of the few authors I know of that really don't.

Overall, it was a really touching story of family, love, and loss.

I give Between Here And Forever a 5 out of 5.

Review: Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Pages: 282
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: March 25th, 2008
IBSN: 9781416953555

Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast. 
Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible. And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest. Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen -- but only if she lets them...

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Scott's writing style in Perfect You was, as usual, amazing. She doesn't need to use excessive descriptions or internal dialogues to capture the voice of her characters perfectly. She creates naturally flawed characters that are immediately grab your attention.

The family dynamic was interesting to read about, though I felt her father's character was somewhat unrealistic.

Will was a great love interest. He was swoony, but not perfect. Though I didn't get what he saw in Kate - I mean, she was so rude to him for much of the book, and then gave off mixed signals for the rest - I really liked them together. They suited each other.

A negative about this book, though, for me, was Kate's attitude. She was so pessimistic, yet naive (especially when it came to Anna. I found what she was doing pretty obvious). Also, with how hormone-driven she was.

 Overall, though, Perfect You was a short, enjoyable read, just with a few annoying aspects of some of the characters.

I give Perfect You a 3 out of 5.