Review: Saving Daisy - Phil Earle

Title: Saving Daisy
Author: Phil Earle
Format: Paperback
Pages: 338
Genre: Young Adult
Published (UK): 5th January 2012 (Puffin)
Previous Books in Series: Being Billy

Losing love, fighting guilt, seeking hope.

Daisy’s mum is gone. Her dad refuses to talk about it and as far as Daisy’s concerned, it’s all her fault…

Saving Daisy is a powerful and moving story that follows the life of Daisy Houghton who first featured in Phil Earle’s critically acclaimed debut, Being Billy.

As Daisy struggles with misplaced guilt over her mother’s death, she turns to extreme and violent measures and soon her life starts spiralling out of control. This leads to tragedy and suddenly Daisy finds herself left all alone. But sometimes the kindness of a stranger can turn things around. A stranger who desperately wants to save Daisy – if she’ll only let herself be saved

Fourteen-year-old Daisy tries to blend in as much as possible so she doesn't draw attention to herself. She blames herself for her mum's death and sometimes she thinks her dad blames her too. Daisy has her own way of dealing with this. She has to release the panic by cutting herself. If that wasn't enough to cope with, another tragedy leaves Daisy orphaned and full of guilt. She needs help and there's one person struggled to do so. But Daisy can't be saved until she's ready.

The main thing I loved about this book and Earle's previous book, Being Billy, is the realism. Not shy of jumping right into very real problems that teens struggle to cope with, the author deals with them brilliantly. The characters are real and gritty, doing things that teens do but probably shouldn't; neither glamourising nor condemning them. Smoking and drinking are easy ways for the teens to deal, or at least block out, their issues. There's no preachiness but a clear 'this is what could happen' message that goes with the characters' actions.

While by no means a fun read, owing to the nature of the story, it's most certainly an interesting and emotional one which is hard to put down once you've started. You really start to care for Daisy at an early point in the book and the pages keep turning as you feel a need to find out what happens to her. A highly recommended read.

Review: Deception - Lee Nichols

Title: Deception
Author: Lee Nichols
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Genre: YA, Supernatural
Published: 5th September 2011 (Bloomsbury)

When Emma Vaile’s parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, she’s left all alone in her creepy old house. But her brother’s very cute best friend, Bennett Stern—Emma’s knight in J. Crew armor—arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England. There, Emma settles into his family’s museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. She quickly finds friends in the popular legacy crowd at Thatcher and spends her free time crushing on Bennett.

But the eerie visions she’s been hiding from everyone have gotten worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can’t explain—it’s as if she’s returning home to a place she’s never been. Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

Deception starts out like a lot of books of this genre, with Emma being without parental guidance, moving to a new town and new school before discovering what she really is. Right at the start I did get that "Here we go again" kind of feeling, just because it was so much like a lot of things I'd already read. However, I soon forgot about that because something about this book captivated me much more than a lot of books have. Ghosts haven't been overdone in YA books, at least not that I've read, and this, along with amazing writing and some great characters, drew me in more and more the further I got through the book.

As a protagonist, Emma was likeable, interesting, funny and believable. She has a bit of a quirky edge as well which made her a refreshing change from the usual types of main characters (which usually fall into either all-action herione or angsty emo-girl). She took just the right amount of time to come to terms with being able to see ghosts. She didn't immediately believe it nor did she take so long to figure it out that it got frustrating for the reader. Bennett was one of those characters you'll fall in love with straight away. At times he's distant and he's always a little bit arrogant but that just made me like him more! Emma's new friends are also well developed for secondary characters and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there wasn't an annoying one as I nearly always hate the 'friend' character in most books.

Overall, Deception is an excellent debut book and a great start to what I hope will be a fantastic series.

Review: Forbidden - Jana Oliver

Title: Forbidden (Demon Trappers #2)
Author: Jana Oliver
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Genre: Supernatural, Dystopia, Young Adult
Published: 5th August 2011 (MacMillan)

Riley's beginning to think being a demon trapper isn't all it's cracked up to be. Her dad's been stolen by a necromancer, her boyfriend's gone all weird and she's getting warm and fuzzy feelings for someone who's seriously bad news. It's tempting to give it all up and try to be normal, but that's not an option. Because the demons have plans for Riley. And they're not the only ones.

Riley's life has been turned upside down, her dad was killed and now he's been brought back as a Stiff; the trappers were attacked, her boyfriend almost died and now he's acting strangely. A mysterious stranger is acting as her personal body guard and Riley can't help but have feelings for him. And then there's Beck. Riley thinks of him as an annoying, bossy big brother but does he feel the same way about her?

The Demon Trappers is fast becoming one of my favourite book series of the moment. It pretty much has everything I like in a book. An awesome main character who's tough yet vulnerable, an exciting plot, angels, demons ... hot boys. The writing is excellent as well. There's actually nothing I can fault with this book. In fact, Forbidden probably steps up from the first of the series because as a reader, you're already immersed in the story world in this one and while we find out a lot more about the trappers and everything else, there's not the "first of a series explanations of everything" to get through.

I definitely recommend reading the first of the series if you haven't done so.

My review of Forsaken is here.

The Demon Trappers series are titled The Demon Trapper's Daughter and  Soul Thief in the US.

Review: The Maze Runner - James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Format: Paperback
Pages: 371
Genre: Young adult, dystopian
Published: 2nd August 2010 (Chicken House)

Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You're in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids -- the Runners -- venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. And not all of the Runners return from their daily exertions, victims of the maniacal Grievers, part animal, part mechanical killing machines.

Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?

Thomas wakes up in a box with no memories of his past. He has no idea of where he is or how he got there. He emerges from the box to find himself in the Glade, an enclosed area in which he is to live with a community of other boys. There's no adults in the Glade and other than some essential supplies and a regular newbie being provided, they have to survive on their own. Outside the Glade is the Maze, which a small group of the Gladers, known as Runners, explore every day in hope of finding a way out. The Maze changes every night, when the doors to it are closed and the Grievers, hybrid mechanical animal creatures, come out to play.

Soon after Thomas' arrival, another newbie turns up in the box. Teresa is the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade and as she tells the Gladers before slipping into unconsciousness, she is also the last newbie to come. The Gladers know from then that something unusual is about to happen but none of them could ever imagine what's in store for them.

The Maze Runner is very much plot based rather than character based and well, it's a hell of a plot! At times I had literally no idea what was going on which may sound like a bad thing but it wasn't. The characters were spent a lot of the time not knowing what was happening and so it was good to feel their confusion. Usually I'm good at guessing what happens next or how the story would end up so I really liked that in this book there was a whole bunch of surprises and twists in the plot.

The characters weren't all that developed but personally I don't think this was really needed anyway. The story has that much going on that any more character detail would have just been too much. Plus, the Gladers had had their memories wiped before arriving at the Glade so they don't know their pasts and we're not meant to. A part of me did feel that Thomas did become attached to certain other characters very quickly but then I considered the situation they were in and figured that it made sense.

The Maze Runner is a a mix-up of The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies, with a bit of Big Brother thrown in for good measure. It's an exciting, fast-paced adventure set in a future world and it's bound to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

Review: Six Days - Philip Webb

Title: Six Days
Author: Philip Webb
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Genre: Young adult
Published: 4th July 2011 (Chicken House)

For Cass, the life of a 'scav' is all she’s ever known – scavenging what’s left of London in search of a precious relic no-one, not even her new Russian masters, has ever seen.

But when two survivors from another time show up, claiming they hold the key to the whereabouts of the missing ‘artefact’, scavving will never be the same again. They have six days to find it before their world will come to an end.

A gripping post-apocalyptical adventure set in the ruins of London about a desperate race to find a relic of extraordinary power. Spectacular science-fiction debut from Philip Webb.

Future London has been destroyed by bio-chemical warfare and taken over by the New Russians. Under their command, the Scavs search the remains of the city for an artefact no one has ever seen. No one even knows what it looks like. Cass's family do this day in, day out because they know no other way. Then on one shift her younger brother, Wilbur, disappears, believing he's onto the location of the artefact. Cass tracks him down to Big Ben where they come across a strange boy called Peyto. Peyto is from another time and reveals that they have six days to find the artefact otherwise the world will come to an end.

Six Days is an exciting, action packed sci-fi adventure. I found this book a little hard to get into right at the start, I think because it's written from Cass's point of view in the kind of slang you'd expect her to use. It wasn't hard to understand but for me it didn't seem to flow right away. A couple of (short) chapters in, however, I'd gotten used to it and in many ways it added to the story. Plus, the age of the reader this book is aimed at probably wouldn't even notice it's slang.

The story is much more plot based than character based and while the characters were likeable enough, I didn't feel like I really got to know them. Still, the action carried the story along nicely and so mostly the lack of deep connection with the characters wasn't really a bad thing. Don't get me wrong, the characters were certainly well developed in the author's mind and this showed in that they weren't dull or flat. Also, the plot was really detailed so it would have probably been too much to have a lot of in depth character development as well.

A great read which would particularly interest boys of the ten to fourteen age range.

Review: The Rogue's Princess - Eve Edwards

Title: The Rogue's Princess
Author: Eve Edwards
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Published: 7th July 2011

1586 – London, England. Sixteen-year-old Mercy Hart is the daughter of one of London’s richest – and strictest – cloth merchants. Kit Turner is an actor and the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Dorset. A chance encounter finds Kit falling for the beautiful Mercy’s charms, but their love is forbidden. A merchant’s daughter and a vagabond – it simply cannot be. If Mercy chooses Kit she must renounce her family name and leave her home. Will she favour duty over true love, or will she give Kit his heart’s desire?

*Possible minor spoilers of the previous books*

One of the things I like about these books is that while each of them largely revolves around the main female character, it's the boys who link the stories together. In the previous books, we've seen Will, the young Earl of Dorset fall in love with a girl of no fortune and his brother, James, fall for the lady Will was suppose to marry. This time it's their half-brother Kit's turn to fall in love with the 'wrong' girl.

Mercy comes from a strictly religious background which she takes to another level because of something in her past that she feels was her fault. An invite to her friend's for dinner leads to her meeting Kit and she's immediately attracted to him. However, what she doesn't know is that Kit is a theatre player and therefore not a suitable match for her. Kit is determined to win both Mercy and her father over, changing his laddish habits to try and prove himself.

The Rogue's Princess takes the Lacey Chronicles in another direction in which we are immersed into the world of Elizabethan theatre, complete with a cameo appearance from one Will Shakespeare. I've loved each of the Lacey boys as I've gotten to know them but unsurprisingly, Kit is my favourite. Just that he is considered the 'rogue' of the bunch swung my allegiances in his direction. He's a player in every sense of the word, both on stage and with the women. As soon as he meets Mercy though, he wants to change all that, not just to win her over but because he no longer wants that kind of life. He's dedicated to her from the start.

The story itself is rich in history from Shakespeare to religious conflict and conspiracy. While it's quite obvious that Kit and Mercy end up together, it's a bumpy ride and it's more about how and when it will happen than if it will.

An excellent addition to a great series, all I hope now is that their will be a fourth book centred around the youngest Lacey brother, Tobias.

Review: Strings Attached - Judy Blundell

Title: Strings Attached
Author: Judy Blundell
Format: paperback
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical, YA
Published: 5th May 2011 (Scholastic)

Kit Corrigan has always dreamed of being a star. But in order to get there, she needs to break up with Billy, who's going to Korea, and leave her family in Providence, Rhode Island, to move to New York City. There, she finds small roles and a city that's tough to live in.After she meets with Billy's father, Nate, things get a little easier. But Nate is a lawyer who defends mobsters, and soon Kit realizes that she has to do what he asks of her. Kit's life starts to feel beyond her control, especially once she uncovers a mystery that she needs to solve in order to protect the people she loves.

Set in the post-war America in the 1950's, with the glitz and glamour of gangsters and nightclub showgirls - as well as the seedy, less moral side. the story revolves largely around the relationship between Kit and Billy. The young couple have had their issues, with Billy joining the army and Kit leaving their small hometown to try and make it in New York. Help comes her way in the form of Billy's father ... but there's a price to pay.

The characters are well developed and believable. The writing is good, with enough detail to set each scene without being too much. It's clear that the author has researched the time period well, which comes across in the writing. The story jumps back and forth between different years, combining Kit's 'present day' with what had happened in the past as well as switching between places. This was easy enough to keep track of though as each chapter is clearly marked with where and when it is.

Overall, Strings Attached is an enjoyable read with twists and turns along the way to keep it interesting.

Review: Sweet Valley Confidential - Francine Pascal

Title: Sweet Valley Confidential
Author: Francine Pascal
Format: paperback
Pages: 293
Genre: Young Adult
Published: 14th April 2011 (LondonArrow)

Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood.

Okay, so I'm not going to write a summary of the book here because pretty much the whole point of the book is to find out what has happened to the Wakefield twins since their college days. If I even say how the book starts, it's probably going to take some of that away from fans of the Sweet Valley books.

What I will say is: don't expect too much from this book and you'll probably like it. The front cover asks "Have you ever wondered what happened when Elizabeth and Jessica grew up?" and that's basically what it tells you. I was a big fan of the SVH books when I was younger - I couldn't get enough of them. My friends and I used to buy different ones and swap them amongst ourselves. So when I saw this book there was no doubt in my mind that I would read this one. I didn't however anticipate an amazing story so I wasn't especially disappointed. It was however a bit of nostalgic fun and in many ways it was done well because I think nearly every character in the original books was mentioned (and I was surprised to find how many of them I remembered).

One thing I found it strange to get my head around was the twins. When I read the originals, my favourite twin was always Jessica. Okay, so Elizabeth is probably the one I'd be friends with in real life but Jess was the fun, exciting one. Reading this book, I kind of just thought she was a bitch. In fact, I did find the grown up twins kind of annoying. Also, the sisters are living on opposite sides of the country and for me the series was all about the 'twin thing'.

Mostly I missed the High School setting. When I was growing up, SVH was pretty much how I knew anything about American High Schools (that and Saved By the Bell lol) and how much different they were to the British school I went to. It was all about "I wish we had lockers and could wear our own clothes!"

If you loved the SVH series then you'll want to read this to find out what happens to the twins but I'd advice borrowing it not buying.

Review: Angel Burn - LA Weatherly

Title: Angel Burn (Angel Trilogy #1)
Author: LA Weatherly
Format: ebook (netgalley)
Pages: 464
Genre: Young Adult, Urban fantasy
Published: 24th May 2011 (Candlewick)

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed romantic trilogy, L. A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill ride of a road trip — and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

Alex hunts and kills angels. Because in this world, angels are bad. They feed off humans, leaving them with some kind of physical or mental illness. Alex is one of the few people left who can do something about stopping them. Willow has the ability to see into the future. She doesn't know why she can do this ... but Alex does.

There's something about angels that catches my interest, although I've yet to find an angel book I really like (I think I want them all to be like Castiel from Supernatural). I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the plot of the story and that the angels weren't all perfect and good. The book follows both Willow and Alex, who are likeable enough, so we get to see what's happening to both of them when they aren't together and get another dimension to the story. It's also well written. However, there was something that didn't quite do it for me and I'm not even sure what. There did seem to be parts of the book where it seemed to drag and towards the end I was just wanting to get through it; it was almost like if it had been a hundred pages shorter, I'd have really liked it. It also felt a little like, while it was an unusual idea for a plot, it followed the same basic outline as a lot of YA books. Girl meets boy, situation leads them to falling for each other (I'm not counting this as a spoiler as it's really obvious it's going to happen), situation tears them apart ... you've read it a billion times before. I wanted some bigger twists in the tale, ones that I couldn't see from a mile off.

Overall, not a bad book and I'm sure I'll read the rest of the series to find out what happens. For me though, it just needed a bit more 'umph'.

Review: Flawless - Lara Chapman

Title: Flawless
Author: Lara Chapman
Format: paperback
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult
Published: 10th May 2011 (Bloomsbury)

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.

Sarah, a high school Senior, is smart and good looking, apart from she has a large nose. On the first day back at school, new boy,  Rock Conway, turns up in her class. Sarah falls for him immediately but so does her best friend, Kristen. When Kristen asks Sarah to help her get Rock (by helping her sound more intelligent) Sarah can't say no, even though she really likes him herself.

I really liked the idea of this story but I felt it a little 'blah' to read. It wasn't bad as such and the actual writing was good, I just didn't really find myself liking the characters all that much. Sarah bugged me a little as she seemed to want to make a point that she was okay about her nose, that she wouldn't have cosmetic surgery on it or anything, but at the same time her whole life seemed to revolve around what she looked like. Her nose was apparently so huge that people stopped and stared at her and she seemed to think no boy, including Rock, would ever like her because of it. The second thing that bugged me was that I couldn't work out why Sarah didn't just tell Kristen that she liked Rock as well. It wasn't like he was already Kristen's boyfriend or that Kristen had met him first or anything. (Obviously there wouldn't have been a story but it would have made much more sense). Kristen was annoyingly stupid at times. I could accept that she wasn't the super-smart one and that she probably didn't know everything about poetry or whatever the topic was but she came out with some unbelievably dumb things at times. Rock was a little too perfect for me. I kind of wanted him to have some kind of flaw for himself. Also, his name. I like characters with 'normal' names, please.

Overall, it was a well written, easy to read book but my issues with the characters took away from it a little.

Review: Midnight Alley - Rachel Caine

Title: Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires #3)
Author: Rachel Caine
Format: ebook
Pages: 256
Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA
Published: 23 November 2009 (Allison & Busby)

MORGANVILLE IS SUCH A NICE PLACE TO LIVE… AND DIE. IF YOU DON’T MIND THAT SORT OF THING.

When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

*Possible spoilers for the previous book in the series*


There's a whole lot of tension and secrets in the Glass house. As well as all the usual drama of living in Morganville, Shane's dealing badly with Michael being a vampire and Claire hasn't told any of the other housemates about her deal with Amelie. Part of this deal has Claire studying Alchemy with Myrnin, a less than mentally stable vampire. If that wasn't enough, Eve's brother is out of jail and causing all kinds of trouble.

The characters in this series are developing nicely as the books go on and we get to know more about them. Claire's becoming more worldly wise and becoming more a part of the group rather than the little kid the others look after. She's taken a big step by making her deal with Amelie which gives her and her friends some kind of protection in the town but now she's having to pay the price for that. Shane's pulling off moody bad boy as good as any one and I really love the relationship between him and Claire which show off his soft side. Some of the Shane and Claire moments throughout the book are unbelievably cute!

I really liked that we're starting to find out more about the vampires as well. Myrnin is a particularly interesting character and it's through him that we learn some more about what's going on with the vamps. I'm sure there's still a lot more to be revealed, particularly when it comes to Amelie.

Midnight Alley is as fast-paced and exciting as the previous two books and one thing I particularly like about the series is that there isn't a real set pattern to each book like some series' can have, which makes it that you never really know what's going to happen next and Caine quite often throws a curve ball that you don't see coming until it hits you. Plus there's the cliffhanger ending that I both love and hate!

Morganville Vampires is one of my favourite book series' but I must point out that these aren't stand-alone books in any way. Each book picks up directly from where the last one ended and there's minimal recapping of what's already happened - there's enough to remind you but I don't think it would be easy to know what's going on without having read the previous books. So, if you haven't already read the previous books ... do it now!

Previous books in the series:

Glass Houses (my review)
The Dead Girls' Dance (my review)

Review: An Act of Love - Alan Gibbons

Title: An Act of Love
Author: Alan Gibbons
Format: paperback
Pages: 224
Genre: Young Adult, War
Published: 2nd June 2011 (Orion Childrens)

Childhood friends Chris and Imran celebrate the Millenium as inseparable blood brothers, they are both seven years old. But by 2011 their lives have taken very different paths. One has joined the Army and served in Afghanistan, the other is a potential jihad recruit. They are no longer friends, and there are bitter wounds between them which remain unhealed. Will their childhood bond be strong enough to overcome an extremist plot? In a highly-charged, honest and life affirming story, told in flashback from both Chris and Imran's viewpoint, Alan Gibbon's cleverly explores the very real issue of terrorism that affects everyone today.

At seven-years-old Chris and Imran are best friends. The story follows them as they grow up and apart from each other. As children they had so much in common but they end up with dramatically different lives.

The book deals with the difficult issue of terrorism which is dealt with in an accessible way by viewing historical moments such as the Bradford Riots, 9/11 and the 7/7 bombings through the eyes of two young boys who at first don't understand the importance of what is happening around them but soon find out just how these much impact these events have.

Throughout the story we get to know the two boys through their different feelings and emotions regarding their friendship as well as racism and terrorism. At times the book is not easy to read - in terms of subject matter, the writing is outstanding - and it makes you question your opinions of the whole issue.

An Act of Love is a great way for young people to learn more about the war on terrorism, particularly on how it affects individuals, and it would no doubt prompt discussion about this as well.

Review: Awaken - Katie Kacvinsky

Title: Awaken
Author: Katie Kacvinsky
Format: ebook (netgalley)
Pages: 352
Genre: Dyslit, Science Fiction YA
Published: 23rd May 2011

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

In Maddie's near-future world, everything can be done through a computer. For Maddie this means school, socialising, excercise ... even a walk in the park. She rarely leaves her house partly because she doesn't need to and partly because of restrictions set down by her father. Maddie's father is the head of Digital School and a few years previously Maddie hacked into his computer and caused all kinds of trouble - I won't explain any more as we don't find out any more details until later in the book - which essentially has had under house arrest since. Only now is she starting to get a little more freedom.

I found the whole idea behind this book completely fascinating. It's set fifty years into the future, so in a time that most of us will see (hopefully!) and to me it was completely believable that things could go that way. Today so much can already be done through computers and the internet, more and more of us are using it for shopping and socialising and there's already a whole bunch of online learning. Many of us have smartphones/laptops/tablets that mean we're constantly attached to the internet. Awaken is really just taking it a step further. Even the reasons given for the start of the Digital School make sense.

To start with Maddie is okay with the life she has but after meeting one of her online contacts in person, things start to change. Justin is against the solitary, digital life that most people lead and her introduces Maddie to a whole new world and things she's never experienced before.

I really liked the characters in this book, Maddie was both fiesty and in some ways innocent to the real world. She had a clear rebellious streak but it had mostly been trodden down by her father and we get to see it coming alive again as the book goes on. There was no surprise that there was some romantic element to the relationship between Maddie and Justin with a heap of "I'm not good enough for you" on his part to add to the tension.

I don't know if there's plans for a sequel but it certainly seemed like there was more of this story to tell and I definitely want to read more to find out what happens next.

Review: Rage - Jackie Morse Kessler

Title: Rage (Horsemen of the Apocalypse #2)
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Format: ebook (netgalley)
Pages: 228
Genre: YA
Published: 4th April 2011 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.

That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.

A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation,Rageis the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

You can read my review of the first book in the series, Hunger, here.

Melissa Miller is a cutter, a self-harmer. She deals by bleeding out the bad. It makes her feel in control. After an incident involving her ex-boyfriend and public humiliation, Missy accidentally cuts too deep and finds herself face to face with Death - quite literally. Death offers her an option - to become one of the Horsemen of the Apocolypse: War.

Like in the first book of the series, Hunger, in which the protagonist is an anorexic who becomes Famine, Rage deals with an extremely sensitive issue in a fantastic way. The self-harming is in no way glamourised nor does it hold back on the details. It's not preachy either. It just tells it like it is. With no personal experience of self-harming (either first or second hand) I found this book to be an incredible insight and by the end of it felt like I had some understanding as to the feelings and emotions behind cutting.

At times this book can be very serious and dark but this is offset with humour, usually in the form of Missy's conversations with Death, who the author has portrayed as the laid back rockstar with a dry sense of humour. I really liked this characterisation and it certainly gave a few light moments in the book.

I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment of the Horsemen of the Apocolypse series, Loss, which is stars Pestilence. I'm interested to find out what issue this rider is dealing with and how the author handles it.

Review: Montacute House - Lucy Jago

Title: Montacute House
Author: Lucy Jago
Format: Paperback
Pages:288
Genre: Historical, YA
Published: 3rd May 2011 (Bloomsbury - UK)

At first a boy’s body is discovered, then John, Cess’s best friend, disappears . . . What is the mystery behind these sinister events?

Cess works caring for the chickens at Montacute House but on her thirteenth birthday everything changes. She finds a precious locket hidden in the chicken coop and is convinced someone has placed it there for her to find. But the day is overshadowed by fear as a boy’s body is found by the river, and then John disappears. Cess is determined to find him but is soon embroiled in a plot that threatens her world and forces her to draw on powers she never knew she possessed, powers that will place her life in danger if they are discovered by the villagers. Witchcraft, politics and religious ambition combine in this gripping and wonderfully realised novel set in the Somerset of the 1500s.

Poultry Girl, Cecily Perryn, might be one of the lowliest workers at Montacute House but she knows she is lucky to have her job. Without it, she and her mother wouldn't survive. An illegitimate child in the Elizabethan era, Cess is at best ignored in the village of Montacute and at worst thought to be a witch.

Cess's thirteenth birthday is an eventful one to say the least. First she finds a locket in the chicken coop and then there's the case of the missing boys. When her only friend, William, later goes missing, Cess sets about finding out what is going on, finding herself deep in a treasonous plot.

I really liked the idea behind Montacute House. It's set in a time period that I love reading about, there's conflict between Protestants and Catholics and the whole witch hunting thing going on. However, for me there was something missing. I don't know what though. There was nothing I particularly disliked about this book, it just somehow didn't pull me in and grab my attention. The writing throughout was good, although in places I personally felt it was a little too descriptive; there seemed at times to be more about the scene than what the actual characters were doing and feeling. The characters themselves were okay; they didn't annoy me but at the same time I didn't really feel that I connected with them and I didn't really care what happened to them. This was a shame because I thought they had potential to be really good characters. There's a small element of a love triangle that's not really expanded on as much as it could have been which would have given another dimension to the story. Also, the villian of the story is called Drax Mortain which has to be up there with the great names for bad guys!

Essentially the book was more plot driven than character driven but as the plot was itself a fairly predictable, it really needed something else to take it from an okay book to a great one. There are also places in which the plot is moved forward just by one of the characters telling "This is what happened" rather than it being discovered or figured out. However, this book seems to be aimed more at younger teens, what with the heroine being thirteen and the length of the book, so that mostly explains a lot of these points. Baring this in mind,  I'd say Montacute House would be a good introduction to historical fiction for that age group.

An okay, but not great read. If you're a fan of the genre maybe get it from the library.

Review: Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Format: paperback
Pages: 476
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk
Published: 6 September 2010 (Walker Books - UK)

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Tessa Gray arrives in England expecting to be met by her brother, Nate. Instead she is taken by the Dark Sisters who hold her while they prepare her for the Magister. It is here that Tessa learns that she has the power to transform into other people.

Rescued by Will, Tessa is given refuge at the London Institute and in return for giving the Shadowhunters all the knowledge she has of the Dark Sisters and the Pandemonium Club which they belong to, the members of the Clave promise to help her find her brother.

Clockwork Angel is set in the same world as Clare's Mortal Instruments, only in England and during the Victorian era. It has many similarities with this book having an added Steampunk element to it which makes it that bit different. It wasn't overly steampunky though so it would be a good introduction to the genre for anyone who hasn't read any before.

For anyone who's read MIs, there are a lot characters who will seem familiar, some like Magnus Bane who appear in both and others because they are ancestors of the original characters. Most notably I found that Will resembled Jace in many ways, although for me that wasn't a bad thing as Jace is my favourite character in MIs. The saminess of this book with the other series is quite obvious and I guess, in many ways expected. Despite having finished the book, I'm still not sure if this is a good or bad thing. It would have been nice to have a little more difference to spice it up a little but at the same time, having loved the MIs I enjoyed reading more of the same.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this book for me was learning more about the Shadowhunters and the world they live in, seeing it from different view points and a different time. There's lots of action going on throughout the story, keeping the pace fast. Another great part of Clare's books is the witty dialogue. I particularly like how Will and Jem banter and argue with each other but it's in a completely brotherly way.

I think that technically the two series' could be read in either order but I personally I'd recommend reading Mortal Instruments first as there seemed to be less explanation of the world in Clockwork Angel - not a bad thing because it would have been annoying if everything had been repeated, but it may be confusing for anyone who chooses to read this first.

Review: Across the Universe - Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Format: Paperback
Pages: 398
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Published: 3rd March 2011 (Razorbill)

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Having been cryogenically frozen, seventeen-year-old Amy is suddenly and painfully woken. She'd expected to wake on another planet, three hundred years in her future but instead it's fifty years too early and she's still on the space ship, Godspeed.

Elder is the future leader of Godspeed and is trying to learn everything he can to be ready for this role. His teacher and the current leader, Eldest, isn't as helpful with this as he should be. Elder knows there's things Eldest isn't telling him and his determined to find out what. Even more so when it becomes clear that Amy's early unfreezing was an attempted murder and the murderer isn't giving up easily.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to think of Across the Universe when I started reading it. I'd seen both hype and bad reviews - and as I often find myself not liking hyped books, I didn't really have high expectations. However, I'm glad to say I was wrong and that I really enjoyed reading this book. I did find it a little slow to start and I wasn't all that taken by it for maybe the first quarter or so, but that could have been because I was almost looking for reasons to not like it. But then I found myself caring about the two main characters Elder and Amy and it was interesting to find out how the people on Godspeed lived.

For me there was two small disappointments. The first being that in parts of the story some of the emotion was lost by the point of view it was written from. The book switches between Amy and Elder but there were a couple of occasions when something happened to one of them but the story was being told by the other so the reader only got the more detached view rather than the emotions of the one dealing with it. The second disappointment was the 'twist', or at least I assume it was supposed to be a twist; I'd figured it out quite early in the book. Maybe it was supposed to have been obvious but I'd have liked it to be more of a surprise.

Over all, Across the Universe is a good read with some really likeable characters and an interesting story world. I'm looking forward to the next installment, A Million Suns, due to be released in 2012.

Review: Hunger - Jackie Morse Kessler

Title: Hunger (Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1)
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Format: Paperback
Pages: 177
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Published: 18th October 2010 (Harcourt Graphia)

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

Anorexic Lisabeth is visited by Death after taking an overdose of her mother's pills. He offers her a chance of not dying by becoming one of the Horsemen of the Apocolypse. Lisabeth doesn't really remember any of this when she comes round but slowly it comes back to her, thanks to a set of scales, a horse no one else can see and further appearances from Death and a couple of the other Horsemen.

Hunger has an unusual, non-preachy way of looking at eating disorders; choosing to look at how Lisabeth deals with it and her thoughts and feelings, rather than focusing on the "OMG it's bad, don't do it" apect. It's an interesting insight.

For a short book, the characters are well developed. You really get to understand why Lisa feels the need to be in control of her body. Death is the best character though with witty comments that gave a bit of light relief to the subject matter.

My only real complaint about the book was that I felt it was a little too short. I would have liked a bit more in some parts. What is there is good though and I'm looking forward to reading Rage, the second book in the series.

Review: Being Nikki - Meg Cabot

Title: Being Nikki (Airhead #2)
Author: Meg Cabot
Format: Paperback
Pages: 301
Genre: Young adult
Published: 1st July 2009 (Macmillan)

Teen supermodel Nikki Howard has a secret. She's not the gorgeous golden airhead she seems - on the inside she's someone else. Literally. Em Watts is stuck in the body of glamazon celebutante Nikki. And it's not easy. Especially when Nikki's past is about to catch up with her, her boss is spying on her, and Em's heart wants one thing but her lips keep kissing someone else...

Emerson Watts is now Nikki Howard, famous model and "the face of Stark". Em is still struggling to come to terms with the brain transplant that landed her in the body of Nikki and she's still trying to get used to her new life. She'd be happy if she could just go back to her old one.

Being Nikki steps up from the first book, Airhead, with Nikki's brother arriving on the scene with news that their (his) mother went missing around the same time as Nikki's "accident". Coincidence? Em's already suspicious of Stark's actions and this just makes her more so. Now she's determined to find out the truth.

Meg Cabot writes fun and engaging books and this one is no exception. Although this series is based on something (hopefully) unrealistic, the characters and how they respond to the situations they find themselves in is completely believable. There's a few new characters in this book who fit in well with those from the first book but I think my favourite is Lulu Collins, celebutante (daughter of rich and famous parents) and Em/Nikki's room mate. She's so adorably cute in a not knowing what's going on kind of way!

A must read for fans of the first book and of books such as The Princess Diaries.

Review: Crank - Ellen Hopkins

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Format: Paperback
Pages: 544
Genre: Young adult, verse fiction
Published: Simon & Schuster UK

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: a gifted student, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is a total opposite to Kristina - she's fearless.

Through a boy she meets, Bree is introduced to the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul and, ultimately, her life.

Kristina is good, straight-A student until she goes to stay with her father, who she hasn't seen for a number of years. There, Kristina disappears with her alter-ego, Bree, taking her place. Bree's confident and out-going, doesn't think twice about talking to boys she doesn't know. It's one of these boys, Adam, who introduces her to the drug, crank.

It's Bree who returns home, although she tries to hide it from her mother and step-father. Before long Bree's running around with a couple of different boys, using crank on a regular basis and getting in all kinds of trouble.

Crank isn't an easy book to read, it doesn't hold back on any aspect of Bree's drug use. Written in verse, it delves deep into her emotions and it draws you right in. Bree might not be a loveable character but she's definitely an interesting one. Certainly not a book for younger kids but one that older teens are likely to relate to and it's definitely not going to have them wanting to run off and 'meet the monster' for themselves.