YA book review Archives - The Boomerang Books Blog

Review: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

I was absolutely drawn into Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean from the moment I started chapter one. It presents such a lush and dimensional world, full of monsters and oppression and girls hiding their true forms. It’s also based on Japanese mythology, by an ownvoices author, and just getting lost in the legends, weapons, food and monster lore was fascinating and brilliant.

The story follows Mari who’s off to enter the contest of the seasons to win the prince’s hand. Except she’s actually a yokai, a supernatural monster, and it’s her nature to destroy. She’s been trained by her family for this exact moment — succeed in the trials of Winter, Spring, Autumn and Summer, and marry the prince before stealing his fortune and fleeing back to her family. But there are tangles in the plot, which Mari soon finds as she enters the palace. The prince, Taro, doesn’t even want the throne, and Mari discovers she’s been followed by her half-blood yokai friend, Akira, who is getting mixed up in people craving rebellion. And as much as Mari needs to help them, she also has to focus on just surviving the rooms of death with other contestants who will do anything to beat her.

The world building is a standout in this one. It takes time to show us the world, from the reclusive mountains where Mari originally lives, to the gorgeous and lush emperor’s places. There are four magic rooms, each built to reflect a season, and filled with deathly trials for the girls to compete in and I loved how creative and intriguing they were. Stakes were high. Girls were dying. It reminded me of The Hunger Games!

I also loved the twist of how it was the girls competing for the prince’s hand for once! It’s a nice twist on an old tale, and the whole concept was done fantastically from the fights to the secret rebellions to the prince who doesn’t fit in and Mari masquerading as human when she’s not.

We have three narrators to cover the whole tale: Mari, Taro and Akira. Mari was the standout for me, and I adored her right from the start. She’s not afraid to get bloody, but she’s still a really soft and sweet person. She’s an Animal Wife, a type of yōkai who basically woos men into marriage and then runs off with their fortune. She’s incredibly good with weapons and is also a strategist. She’s the complex and intriguing kind of character you can’t help but root for (especially when she sighs at the annoyingness of men) and I also liked that she enjoyed being feminine and carrying a sword. You go, girl, smash the stereotypes.

Taro is the emperor’s son and he’s into inventing things, not oppressing the monsters. He makes adorable mechanical birds and tries to just stay out of his snarky father’s way, but when he meets Mari, he starts to think getting married might not be horrible after all. (Mwahah he has no idea she’s a yokai herself.)

Akira was an intriguing narrator, with less space to tell his tale then then the others. He was scarred and quiet, a tortured monster who’s just trying to find his place in a world where he is half yokai and half human. He does have a bit of an obsession with Mari, though she has no interest in him.

The plot is exciting and full of twists! No dull moments and you’ll honestly fly through the chapters.

Empress of All Seasons is a Japanese-inspired fantasy of monsters, murder and mayhem. It’s clever and exciting and if you have a heart that melts for tragic monsters and badass heroines? This is for you.

Review: To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo is the swashbuckly and deliciously dark pirate adventure we’ve all been waiting for. It’s got hints of a Little Mermaid retelling, with more nods to the original Hans Christian Anderson tale than Disney ever did. This is full of sirens who eat princes’ hearts and enchantments and runaway royalty and enough snark and banter to have you smirking in your seat.

The story follows two narrators: Lira, a siren who eats princes’ hearts and whose wicked mother is getting between her and the throne. And also Elian, who’s very opposed to his royal heritage and wants to be a pirate, riding the world of the murderous sirens that claim so many innocent lives each year. Their stories entwine when Lira is cursed to wear human legs until she can prove her loyalty to her people…and the perfect way to do that would be to kill Elian. Except Elian is on a quest to find a way to stop the siren queen forever and when he rescues a “mysterious” girl lost at sea — he has no idea who he’s truly making alliances with.

The characters just stole the seawater for this one! The dual narration is perfect balanced, with each character stealing the show as soon as they’re on page. He’s hunting her and she’s hunting him, which is obviously the recipe for a perfect romance. This is enemies-to-lovers at its finest! It wasn’t rushed or awkward. It was seriously such perfect fun to see them go from distrust to distant admiration to snarking at each other to “accidentally” “saving” each other’s lives. Lira’s denial of having feelings for him (hey, she’s a wretched evil siren, remember?!) was completely adorable. I also loved how they both had soft sides, even though they’re warriors here to fight in the seas. Lira is super sweet and protective of her little siren cousin. Elian is quite soft and kind to his crew, despite being a “pirate”. And his sass and banter levels were off the charts.

I also loved how it portrayed the sea! It fully makes you fall in love with it. I mean, yes the sea in this book is full of murderous dangers, like sirens and mermaids and monsters, but the vivid and lust descriptions made me understand why Elian couldn’t leave the sea to claim his birthright of the throne. The lure was there! I could see the gorgeous settings, taste the salty sea, and absolutely lose myself in the world. There’s actually quite a lot of world to explore, and even though the book is small, it takes you a variety of places with excellent world building. There are kingdoms and mountains and palaces with cursed queens. I found the description was perfectly balanced — not info dumps, but enough information to set you up in this diverse and intriguing world.

I particularly appreciated the amount of banter! It kept me smiling the whole time as Elian and Lira sparred words and gradually fell for each other. The secondary characters also had their quips too!

“If the necklace is that precious,” I say, “we should have just killed Tallis to get it.”
“You can’t just kill everyone you don’t like.”
“I know that. Otherwise you’d be dead already.”

To Kill A Kingdom is a lush and vicious book that will lose you in its winsome adventures of death and curses, love and magic. It was perfectly written and exquisitely told, face-paced and entrancing!

Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

With Cinda Williams Chima spin-off-series Flamecaster coming out SO SOON, I think it’s a very good time to revisit the original Seven Realms series — which you need to read. Absolutely desperately need. Trust me. It’s YA epic fantasy at it’s finest.

(Note: I’m not 100% sure if you need to read The Demon King series before Flamecaster, as I haven’t read Flamecaster yet. BUT! Read it to be sure because it’s good and you need good books in your life.)

So oh wow…oh wow. I will officially confess that The Demon King is one of my most favourite fantasy series in the history of ever. EVER. This is not a drill, peoples! This book has everything I want and love in an epic fantasy. After flipping every page I kept thinking that this book was just made for me. It’s like it went through a checklist of things I adore.

Epic Things In This Book:

It has a Matriarchy and a Queendom. YES THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS. WOMEN RULE.
There are wizards and magic and it all has rules. I love this. I love when magic has rules because it feels more real. And I love the detail of the magic system! I’ve only read detailed magic systems in Brandon Sanderson‘s books (which are very pleasing, by the way, and you should read them).
It has thieves! Grifters! Charmers! Sleight of hand!
Two epic dual narrators (Han and Raisa) who are sassy and strong and interesting and stubborn and awesome.
The world is large, dimensional and has tons of culture!!

The plot is basically about Han discovering an amulet that belonged to an ancient and dead demon king and…he keeps it. Smart (not) boy. Then there are powerful dark wizards after him to get it back. Contrasting to the story of Princess Raisa who is worried her mother, the Queen, is being brain-washed by resident wizards and wants to marry Raisa off to a suitor who will potential destroy the whole realm.

So basically The Demon King did no wrong. Plus the characters were my favourite part! It’s dual-narrated by Raisa (heir queen) and Han (retired streetlord and thief). They were both epic I couldn’t even pick a favourite! Hans was all swagger and scruff (and he loved his family really fiercely) and he was always in trouble and had such a smart mouth. And Raisa was epically stubborn and sassy and really cared about her queendom. She didn’t want to be a puppet queen.

As for secondary characters? Amon was Raisa’s childhood friend and guard, and he was so loyal and basically a precious little stubborn cinnamon roll. Fire Dancer, Han’s best friend, was epic (although not in the story that much) and a bit of a tortured soul.

I also feel like one of the people groups of the book were influenced by Native American culture. (That’s what I surmise anyway.) I love this! Because I hadn’t read a fantasy book with that kind of influence yet. But they had names like “Fire Dancer” and “Hunts Alone” and they learned tribal things and were warriors and had deerskin leggings…but, like I said, only “influenced”. It all felt different and magical, but I think it was a pleasant nod in that direction. Plus I loved how there were so many cultures and groups of people in this world. The townsfolk were your average medieval scruffbags, and the rich people were nearly Renaissance fantasy. Plus add in all the wizards and the wizard and warrior schools. IT JUST HAD EVERYTHING.

So basically. Go read this. I don’t even know what else to say except: it is glorious and everything a YA fantasy should be.

[PURCHASE HERE]

Review: Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman

Legacy of Kings is basically a historical-fiction-fantasy with Alexander the Great’s childhood reimagined. Does that not scream marvellous and great (har har I couldn’t resist) things to you? IT DOES TO ME. It’s quite a dark gritty book. There is battle and blood everywhere and evil magic and snakes. Ugh to snakes. I’m a big fan of gritty fantasy, though, so I loved the darker tone and how it kept up the exciting fast pace.

Oh, did I mention it has seven narrating characters? I KNOW. SEVEN. I hesitantly say it’s “too much”, although I did like most of the characters. But a few seemed superficial to the story line…but I assume they’ll become important in later books.

A quick over view of these little narrators!

ALEX: Obviously. I mean, he’s THE DUDE, right?! But he has an unfortunately small story line. I loved his character and would’ve liked more from him.
HEPH: He was really easy to manipulate. Poor Heph. He’s Alex’s best friend…but their friendship really goes under fire.
OLYMPIA: This is Alex’s mother, and I appreciate that we do get a peek at her POV. She is a subtle “villain”. She got up to some seriously freaky stuff…like, terrifying. Snakes. SNAKES IN HER HAIR. I am terrified of snakes.
KAT: I wasn’t Kat’s biggest fan because she was super self-involved, never communicated properly, and was NOT loyal in the romance department. But she definitely had complex intentions and was interesting to read about!
JACOB: He is Kat’s little childhood sweetheart. Aww. Except, Kat rejects him right at the start so I felt rather bad for him the entire book.
CYN: She. was. AWESOME. I’m 99% sure she was a sociopath, and her manipulative and smooth talking skills were so captivating to read.
ZO: What is the point of Zo? It is a myth to me. She’s supposedly Alex’s “betrothed”, but she runs away, gets caught by slavers, is a general naive munchkin. I will be curious about where here story goes in the sequels!

I’m a huge fantasy nut, though, so despite the millions of narrators, I still couldn’t help but love the story! I adore grisly fantasy. And the story kept me captivated the entire time, I did not want to put it down. Plus fantasies are usually tiring to read…but I just found myself whipping through it easily! HUZZAH. The world building gets a big thumbs up too. It was interesting and lavish and I felt immersed, even though the book is only 430-pages long. The writing was just fantastic. There is also a gorgeously glorious map. To be honest, I think all books should have maps.

If you’re a fantasy fiend: Legacy of Kings is for you. It is! I had a few quibbles about the characters, but as I sit and stare at the book (as one does when finishing a novel) all I can focus on is what I adored. I wish I had book 2 right now. Hopefully it’ll have more of Alex’s story in there…because I want to see how this battle and strategy genius grows up. It’s such a unique premise, right?! Yay for historical-fiction fantasies!

[PURCHASE HERE]

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is now solidly one of my all-time favourites. Wow…just…how do I even sum up my love for it?! It’s beautiful and visually delicious and the characters were absolute perfection.

BLURB

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch…she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Okay, but let’s pause a moment and let me tell you the story of how I have history with this particularly tale. When I was 12 I was obsessed with Shadow Spinner. I reread it copiously. So when I saw the Wrath and the Dawn existed, I knew I had to have it. But expectations were high! I’m so grateful The Wrath and the Dawn really stuck to the original story, but embellished it so beautifully. My high expectations did not come crashing down.

It’s a fantasy, but with a pinch of magic and a lot of Persian culture. I love this. There are also hints of magic, which I’m sure will come out more in the sequel. And there was such delicious description of the Persian dishes. I nearly died of starvation just reading it.

…setting plates of food in front of each guest — aromatic rice with fresh dill and split fava beans, lamb simmered in sauce of turmeric and caramelized onions, skewers of chicken and roasted tomatoes, fresh vegetables garnished with mint and chopped parsley, olives marinated in fine oil, lavash bread with rounds of goat cheese and seemingly endless sweet preserves…(pg 252)

Excuse me while I eat this book.

All of the writing was witty and fast-paced. Every word MATTERED and the sentences were short and biting. It’s also narrated by a lot of people. I think this totally expanded the view of the world. Shahrzad was the main protagonist. She was so small and sassy and had a big mouth and a sharp wit. Shahrzad could be sweet…if she wanted to. But her spunk and snark totally hooked me in. Then there’s Khalid, the “monster” boy king. Since he kills a girl every night, he’s got to be EVIL, right?!! I figured there’d be more to that story than meets the eye. I was so curious to know what it would be.

And the romance between Khalid and Shahrzad was absolutely swoon-worthy. It was so adorable and perfect and I have zero complaints (lets face it, I have no complaints about anything in this gorgeous book). I ship it! It was a slow attraction and it so sweet. Khalid busted out with these incredible soliloquies at the end. And, omg, there goes my heart.

Basically it is the most perfect book in the universe. It was everything I wanted in this favourite tale of mine. The writing was delicious and the characters all stole my heart. So if you’re still unsure whether to read this or not, let me give it to you straight: this book is absolutely incredible and you need to try it! GO! GO!

[PURCHASE HERE]

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

I had no idea what to expect when I read These Broken Stars (co-authored by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner) because I don’t read a lot of sci-fi. But WOW OH WOW. It was just incredible. It was exciting and sassy and flawless. I constantly hear it pitched as “The Titanic In Space” and basically – yes. It’s about space-ship crashes and survival and a hate-turn-love romance that makes me squeak with intense feelings. And have you seen that cover?! THAT DRESS!? Easily one of my most favourite covers of ever. I would recommend this book to every human, alien, and stray cat.

So go read it.

NO WAIT! Finish my review first, because I have more things to rave and flail about.

It’s set in space, so we get all the epic futuristic technology and starry descriptions. I love the thought of massive spaceships with their laser guns and soldiers and technology. What I didn’t know, when I picked it up, was how heavily it featured survival. It’s only partially about space things — but mostly, our two protagonists are fighting through an uninhabited planet jungle, trying to survive and be rescued. Since I’ve grew up devouring Gary Paulson’s Hatchet trilogy, this was so my thing.

Let’s discuss the characters! I loved them. It’s dual narrated by Lilac and Tarver.

Lilac LaRoux: she’s a “princess” — rich and snobbish, but such a sweetie underneath. Her father basically controls the galaxy (money, peoples, money is everything) and he dotes on her. Usually I find the “snob” character unlikeable and I don’t care about them. But not Lilac! She was interesting and relatable and I found it so easy to feel for her.
Major Tarver Merendsen: He’s the epic, young, and war-hero. Except that he’s extremely sarcastic. His humour was awesome! I loved how he was frustrated out of his mind with Lilac’s princess ways, but he was never cruel to her. I love how he kept being a gentleman – no matter what the circumstances. His voice is very different to Lilac’s too, which is super important in dual-narrated books. I loved BOTH their chapters and can’t even pick a favourite!

What I loved most about Tarver and Lilac is – they hated each other! It’s hilarious. Of course, they don’t stay that way, but they’re so snarky at the beginning.

“Where will I sit?”
Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise lounge I’ve carried here for you in my pocket, Your Highness, so glad you asked. I clamp my mouth shut, struggling not to say it aloud.

Between each chapter is a snippet of Tarver being interrogated. I loved these! My only criticism is: some of them sounded the same. But Tarver really gives his interrogators a hard time and it’s hilarious.

“Major, to what extent did you act upon your feelings for Miss LaRoux?”
“Medium.”
“Excuse me?”
“How am I supposed to answer that question?”

The ending will blow your mind! It has a plot twist that basically knocked me over — and I loved it so so much. The writing is amazing and flows perfectly and, basically, I can say no evil about this delicious book.

[PURCHASE HERE]

Review: Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

You know those books that make you sit back and go, “Um, woah” and then are super hard to talk about because they’ve messed with your brain so much? WELL. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill definitely fits in that category. It’s the kind of book that makes you think. It took me ages to formulate thoughts. WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK? Is it a masterpiece or a terror? Or both?

Both. Both, for sure.

It’s set in a futuristic world were women are treated as…objects. They exist for men’s pleasure. They are nothing. An insult is, “Don’t be academic.” It’s the most sickening society I’ve ever read and I found it quite tough to read about. It’s narrated by a school of 16-year-old girls where their entire LIFE’s PURPOSE is to make a man happy at some point. To be chosen and married and used. They’ll only have sons because women are “made” in this society. And if there’s a glitch? They just terminate the girl. LET ME JUST SCREAM. I hated the society with a fiery passion — but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. Contrary. It set up the world-building so thoroughly I was totally invested in the story and couldn’t put it down. But it’s pretty much not for the faint of heart. And if you, like me, are really passionate about feminism, then it’ll rile you badly.

It also prodded today’s society’s view of things. Like the definition of beauty and how people treat those with mental illnesses. It exaggerated them. But the nugget of realism drove the book home hard.

These girls must be “perfect”. They can’t be fat. They constantly chant how evil and horrible “fat girls” are. It’s sickening. It basically just shredded me…the way they had bulimia and anorexia and how this impacted their psychological health too. The girls don’t even have capitals for their names. Because they’re not worth it. Omg.

The writing is utterly addictive. I think the entire book was a tad too long. Like it made a point — YES FOR SURE — but sometimes it felt like it was just repeating the same horror story again and again and again and…nunngh. I get twitchy when a book’s pacing is off.
It doesn’t have a conclusive ending. The moment I closed the book, I wanted to how, “BUT WHAT WAS THE POINT???” It does have a point — it’s a story with a point but no conclusion. I did struggle with that, but at the same time, I think it made the book stick in my head longer because I couldn’t stop mulling over it’s themes. This was a good but sickening book. I felt uncomfortable the entire time. It is 100% depressing. It is 1000% well-written and thought provoking and feels stabbing and….basically you need to read it.

If you are tired of the average YA “dystopian trends” — try this. It is unique and psychological and intense and woah.

“She’s beautiful, but it’s a faded beauty now, as if she’s been washed too many times.”

[PURCHASE HERE]

Review: Every Breath by Ellie Marney

I absolutely loved and adored Every Breath by Ellie Marney. I DID! I put off reading it for a few stupid reasons and yes I am ashamed. But I was nervous to try it because:

I totally adore Sherlock Holmes and I didn’t want to read a bad retelling,
The cover is not pretty. I’m shallow, but HEY. At least I’m honest.
The title does nothing for me. It doesn’t even hint that the book is a crime/thriller/mystery.

But I should never have hesitated because Every Breath was pure PERFECTION. Plus it’s by an Australian author. What is not to love?!

It was a perfect YA Sherlock Holmes adaption. Mostly because it was really realistic. It wasn’t about two kids who go snooping for crimes like a revamped Nancy Drew. These two Aussie teens kind of trip into the murder of a homeless guy that they knew and they can’t let it go until it’s SOLVED. Plus they defer and reference the actual Sherlock Holmes, which I adored because it wasn’t a “take over”, it was more honorary. These two kids just happened to be named James Mycroft and Rachel Watts. Mycroft is a forensic genius and Rachel has a knack for medicine. I loved the gender bending of John Watson/Rachel Watts, too!

And it’s so so very Australian. Which just fills me with immense joy. I felt like dancing around the house singing, “It speaks my language!” (You can tell I read a lot of American books, can’t you?) They use “arvo” and “bikkie” and “cuppa”. They call Rachel “Rache” for short (such an Aussie thing to do) and sarcasm and “she’ll be right mate” attitudes come easier than cuddly emotion. I just love how Australian it is, okay?!

The characters (and development) are probably just the. best. ever. It’s narrated in first person by Rachel, who is epic. She’s a bit of an open book, and gets smothered in disbelief and righteousness and rules. But at the end of the day, she’s a ripper of a friend. Since her family just moved from the country to the city, she’s dealing with a lot of “I don’t fit in” and homesickness, which was uber relatable.

Then there was the adorable, eccentric Mycroft. He’s not as narcissistic as the original Sherlock, which was actually refreshing. He claims to be a social moron, BUT, he makes friends with just about anyone and everyone. Literally every second person he’s like, “Oh, hallo, Bob, how’s the wife and kids” and it always stumps Rachel how he just KNOWS everyone. Mycroft has a tragic past and he forgets to eat, and he notices everything, and he has scars, and he pretends his life is fine, but he huuurts. The tortured little darling hurts. omg. Plus he and Rachel have one of the most fantastic friendships of EVER. It was refreshing to read about a friendship so strong as theirs too, although it hinted that it might move off platonic in later books.

The only things I didn’t like?

The book starts with this confusing after-the-school-yard-brawl scene. It was confusing and jarring. I like books to start with action, BUT STILL. To this day, I’m not even exactly sure what that first chapter was about.
I still don’t know HOW Rachel and Mycroft met. Did the book not say? Did I miss it? Was it brushed over because it didn’t matter? I’m curious and hope this, too, gets explained in later books!

But otherwise? I’m a billion percent in love with this book. I need the rest of the trilogy ASAP. I loved the mystery, I loved the deductions, I loved how it was all so realistic and very Australian, and I loved the character exuberant amounts.

[PURCHASE HERE]

Review: All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) by Ally Carter

I am quite pleased with Ally Carter‘s latest book All Fall Down. I had high expectations since her NYT bestselling series, Gallagher Girls, is such an excellently hilarious series, but All Fall Down definitely stands on it’s own! It features Grace, snarky and bitter, and granddaughter of a powerful ambassador. Oh and she’s looking for her mother’s killer.

I admit! I was dubious at the beginning! The first 100-pages didn’t grab me and I was trembling in my fuzzy socks that the book would plummet into an untouchable basket. THEN IT WOWED ME.

Unlike Gallagher Girls, this new series is not about spies or espionage. It’s set in a made up country (like Genova from The Princess Diaries!) where there’s an entire street of embassy houses. So Israel, Brazil, Russia, USA, etc. are all door-to-door. Technically when you visit a house, you’re “in Russia”. Grace pretty much has PTSD after witnessing her mother’s death. She’s convinced her mother was murdered by a scarred man. Basically she spends the entire book getting into raucous trouble, making bad decisions, snarking left-right-and-centre, and chasing after an elusive killer that no one (but her) believes is guilty.

Grace was a very dynamic character. But kind of hard to swallow at times because she was such a brat. The rudeness did make my eyeball twitch once or twice.

And the secondary characters?! Let us take a moment to hug their wonderfulness:

Noah: who is half Israeli and half Brazilian…He elects himself Grace’s Best Friend. It’s adorable. HE’S HILARIOUS.
Alexei: He’s Russian and was Grace’s older brother’s friend in the past (phewf that’s not complicated). He enters the book as Grace’s overbearing surrogate brother and he was kind of awful and domineering.
Megan: She’s like a computer genius.
Rosie: She’s a really smart 12 year old who knows everything, apparently, and is like a ninja when she sneaks after people.

The writing was fast and light and easy to read. The tone could’ve been middle-grade even, if the characters had been 12+. (They acted that way…ahem.) But instead they’re 16 and dubiously immature at times. STILL. This is definitely a book younger teens will enjoy. Literally no swearing or heavy romance.

I did have a few quibbles. Not too many, though.

Grace is pretty rude and dismissive.
None of the female characters seemed as fleshed out or interesting as the boys.
Repetition. Eh, there was just a lot of repeating dialogue (like every third sentence is “ARE YOU OKAY, GRACE?” when obviously she’s not, or Grace saying “I’M NOT CRAZY” when maybe she is, just a little).

I enjoyed All Fall Down. The plot wasn’t fast-paced, but it was engaging and the cliffhanger was torture. I ADORE shocking endings and I sat there with my mouth impersonating a cod-fish. I have a lot of questions and I’m desperately hopeful the sequel will answer them.

“The obvious,” Noah goes on, a little out of breath, “being that he is probably some super secret assassin or something. And I’m not as tough as I look.”
“That’s OK,” I tell him. “I’m way tougher than you look.”

[PURCHASE ALL FALL DOWN HERE]

YA Review – Steal My Sunshine

The reading audience of YA yarns is ticklish to quantify by age and intangible by definition. Yet its common trait is the desire to be shocked, entertained and moved in the briefest possible time. I no longer have the rush of youth but do suffer the impatience of age so I love that YA reads can take me on a tour of emotions and conflicts, show me succinct snap shots of life, and have me safely home in time for dinner. It’s a bit like being a teenager again. So many issues, duelling emotions, and desperate questions that need answering – like yesterday.

Steal My Sunshine, Emily Gale’s first Australian release, is a bit of a circular re-visitation of one’s past. It centres around 15 year old Hannah, a girl with mostly pure intentions who is often at bitter odds with her mother Sarah, and older brother, Sam. She dwells on the fringe of true friendship and romance and feels most kindred to Essie, her eccentric, gin-swilling grandmother.

This story drew me in from the start. How could someone’s sunshine be stolen? It is easy to find fault with Hannah’s acerbic, confused mother, her pusillanimous father, her self-absorbed brother, and her seen-it-all-before best friend. But the key to surviving a crisis is not always about attributing blame. Sometimes it just makes more sense to acknowledge your true-self and accept how it fits in with life.

Hannah’s acknowledgment occurs when her world begins to dissolve during an oppressive Melbourne heatwave. Normality is slipping through her fingers faster than sand from St Kilda beach and she’s at a loss as to how to hang onto it. Enter Essie; the one person Hannah feels holds the answers, whose past can help Hannah make sense of her future. But Essie harbours a shameful secret of her own.

Hannah’s wild, enigmatic misfit of a best friend, Chloe, complicates the mix further. She is as intimate as a bestie should be but is not quite the right fit for the more straight-shooting Hannah. It doesn’t help that Hannah has a burning desire for Evan, Chloe’s older brother.

The disintegration of Hannah’s parents’ marriage and subsequent polarisation between Sam, her mother and herself, forces Hannah to spend more and more time with her grandmother until Essie at last, reveals the shocking truth. And this is where it gets interesting.

Essie takes us back sixty years after an ill-fated attraction leads to her expulsion from her family in the UK to Australia and the subsequent ‘cruel, immoral and shameful’ forced adoption of her baby. It is this theme of abandonment, involuntary confinement, and coercion that Gale portrays so poignantly through Essie’s heart-wrenching, personal recounts.

Though astounded, Hannah eventually finds solace and an understanding of where she belongs within her family and in doing so, reconciles with those she has been at odds with.

Touted as a coming of age novel, Steal My Sunshine summons us to acknowledge the abominable practise of forced adoption in the 1950’s and 1960’s and the realisation that not all broken things can be fixed back to perfect. But as Hannah discovers, the pieces can be saved and remodelled into something else just as special.

Gale successfully evokes all the discomfiture of living in St Kilda during a heatwave whilst confronting one’s burning personal issues. Her narrative is gripping yet fluid, and although I would have liked to have seen more emotional development between Hanna and Evan (because I’m a hopeless romantic), it would have been superfluous to the story. The ending seemed a little too convenient after the gritty intrigue created mid-novel but these are minor niggles in a book that offered a satisfying YA mix of confronting pasts, contemporary anguish and reclaiming one’s self. A YA read that shines.

Woolshed Press imprint of Random House Australia May 2013

THE KEY TO STARVELDT

The Key to Starveldt is book two in The Rare series by Foz Meadows and it’s a gripping read.

Solace Morgan was born a vampire.

The castle of Starveldt is waiting. Having escaped once from Sanguisdera, Solace and her friends are in desperate need of guidance.

Seeking to unravel a cryptic prophecy, they travel to the Rookery, an otherworldly place governed by the enigmatic Liluye. Magical and wiild, the Rookery tests them all in preparation for the crossing to Starveldt. But the group is starting to fracture.

The threat of Lord Grief continues to grow; old betrayals, lies and secrets boil to the surface – with startling consequences.

As danger closes in, can they make their peace before everything falls apart? Or will the Bloodkin triumph?

I love the twists and turns of the plot in this book and the way the setting is so integral to the story and has been given so many dimensions and nuances that it becomes like another character.

Foz Meadows uses humour to make the characters more real and it also helps build the suspense.

There are plenty of surprises and characters who are not who or what you think they are. The Key to Starveldt has disappointing betrayals and unflinchingly loyal characters prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I enjoyed the unique world of this story. Foz Meadows makes these unfamiliar places seem believable and enables you to picture yourself there side by side with Solace as she battles terrible foes on her quest.

Although there are a number of characters central to the story, each has a unique voice that sets them apart. The third person omniscient point of view allows the reader to get inside each character’s head and experience their thoughts and emotions.

Each character has rare and unique qualities that make them an asset to the group and help them combat ongoing danger.

The Key to Starveldt is a compelling novel for young adult readers with strong themes of friendship, loyalty and belonging. It is published by Ford Street Publishing and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Falling into Midnight.