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Showing posts from September, 2011

Review of The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.
Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.
In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.
But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

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I’ve read quite a few other books by Lisa McMann, so I opened this one knowing that whatever the story it was, it would be amazing. And it really is.

As a kid some of my favourite books were written by Enid Blyton, C.S. Lewis and of course, J.K. Rowling. This one is like a combination of all of them but unique in its own right, and a Dystopian too. Although aimed at Middle Grade readers, I didn’t notice this at all and I doubt other readers my age and older would either. I sincerely wish I had this when I was a kid because I would have read it so much that the pages would have fallen apart! You can definitely see the similarities between this and Harry Potter but as I mentioned, it’s completely unique. A magical castle, statues that move and talk (I loved Simber, the talking stone Cheetah who guards the castle), talking blackboards (my favourite was Earl) and many interesting magical spells.

Dystopian themes are strong in this - you have two worlds, one truly Dystopian and one Magical, which is a really strange idea but it works. Quill, the Dystopian world has strict rules where all creativity is banished, even dreams and drawing. There’s a Purge each year, choosing who is Wanted, who is Necessary and who is Unwanted. The Unwanteds are sent to their Death in The Lake of Burning Oil, a horrifying prospect for any 13 year old kid. But hang about; it’s a Middle Grade book so they’re all fine! They are rescued by the leader of Artime; an awesome guy called Mr. Today and they learn whichever creative pursuit they wish, as well as Magical Warrior Training, just in case the leader of Quill finds out about them.

The story itself is pretty fast paced, which is a shame as I wanted to see the characters developing and learning new skills properly. But I can see why it was fast paced, managing to stuff a year into 400 pages – it may have ended up like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix if it hadn’t! Lots going on though, Alex is coping with being separated from his brother Aaron, who has become a Wanted. He believes his brother would want to come to Artime if he knew about it, which may or may not lead to some silly decisions later on in the book – you’ll have to read it to find out! The side stories were fantastic in this, instead of having a silly amount of different thoughts and switching constantly between them, you occasionally get a glimpse of what the other characters are thinking, without it being too much. I particularly liked Lani’s story and would have liked to have known her character better. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

4/5

Review of Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…. Now it’s our turn.
Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even worse is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, hooking on to weakness, turning the unwary into hunters, killers, crazies.
Mason: His mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground. Everyone he knows is killed.
Aries: A school bus, an aftershock and a crash. Pulled out of the wreckage by a mysterious stranger, she’s about to discover a world changed forever.
Clementine: An emergency meeting at the town hall that descends into murderous chaos. Outside the rest of their community encircle with weapons. How can those you trust turn into savage strangers?
Michael: A brutal road rage incident. When the police arrive on the scene they gun down the guilty and turn on the by-standing crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad?


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I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was hoping for something good and boy, it really delivers. At first I wasn't sure if four POV's would work and I figured it would be quite confusing, but I kept up with each storyline easily and I loved how it all came together in the end.

Although there are a few unexplained things in this, such as why an Earthquake caused so many people to go crazy or why there are certain levels of craziness - some were complete zombies, others were calculating killers and some seemed completely fine, like our four protagonists - I found that I didn't really care. I was too caught up in the action and suspense, which is pretty much a constant. Right from the beginning the four are thrown into very different situations. Mason has just learnt of his Mother's death and is waiting in hospital, Aries is on a bus when it crashes due to the Earthquake and she first meets Daniel there, a mysterious stranger who seems to be hiding his own secrets. Clementine is in a Village Hall with most of her town when her Mother tells her to escape when a couple of men with guns turn up - upon leaving, the screams start. And Michael is on a Motorway with his friend when a an argue between two motorists starts a bizarre sequence of events.

Of all the characters, I think I like Clementine the best. Aries is smart but she her stupid moments around Daniel, who she seems to think she owes or something. Micheal is likeable but makes some pretty silly decisions when he's supposed to be looking after someone, and Mason doesn't ask enough questions! Clementine however is the smartest. She keeps herself in the shadows and makes it the furthest on her own, narrowly escaping the baggers a few times. She teams up with another one of the four later on, at a time when they most needed her.
I really hated Colin. He's a complete coward and I would have kicked him out of the group pretty quickly! He doesn't expect to have to get food or keep watch or anything and he's always making excuses. He's definitely one of my most hated characters in a book!

5/5


Received free from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review

Review of Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Seventeen-year-old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth- shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything.

Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have aquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever...

Alex meets Tom, a younge army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all: In such a vastly changed world, who can you trust? 


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How to review Ashes? The first half of the story is amazing, I couldn't put it down. It reads like a modern Stephen King and the idea of Alex being able to smell fear and the changed kids is a really interesting concept. However, the second half was like reading a different book. I couldn't connect with any of the new characters, the story itself seemed very slow going, I had to drag myself through it just so I could get to the ending. However, the ending is a cliffhanger the size of Everest, which I wasn't best pleased about.

Alex, Ellie and Tom are the perfect team, they're pretty much a family unit, people who would have never even glanced at each other if they hadn't have been stuck in the situation that they're in. I liked that none of them knew each other before hand, so we're learning about them at the same time as them learning about each other. Tom has the survival skills, Alex has the butt-kicking heroine attitude and Ellie, well, she's Ellie - a fiery temper but strangely loveable.

I liked the unique things about this story - Alex's brain tumour (not something you'd usually see a YA main character having), her strange sense of smell where she's somehow able to sense people's emotions (this reminded me of R. J. Anderson's Ultraviolet, where the main character could taste words), and the obvious one - the Zap thing itself. On the other hand the second half is loaded with bland stereotypes that had me banging my head against a wall (a cult, really?) and I was quite disappointed with this. I'm hoping the sequel will go back to the quality of the first half, which I would have happily given five stars to. Fingers crossed!

3/5

Received free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Review of Blood Tide by Tess Oliver

When four strangers move into Blackpool Cove the same week a tragic shipwreck befalls its shores, Trixie Muldoon waves it off as coincidence. Even the arrival of the appealing, young investigator, David Durham, does not convince her otherwise.

But when a girl disappears, it's obvious something sinister has gripped the quiet, coastal town, and it all leads back to the town's newest inhabitants, including the mysterious Beck Ryker.

Everything about Beck Ryker, his scarred face, his hypnotic gaze, his seemingly tortured past, says heartbreak and regret. Yet Trixie finds herself drawn to him.

But when the tangle of secrets surrounding Beck unravels, Trixie finds herself caught between terror and passion.
 


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Tess Oliver is my favourite Author, so you can imagine my excitement when I got a copy of this. Blood Tide is a YA Vampire novel, set in the late 19th century. Admittedly I usually avoid Vampire novels like the plague but as this one is written by Tess I figured I'd make an exception. I made the right choice too - Blood Tide is (almost) as strong as the previous two I read (Bitterroot Crossing and Camille), and the main character is almost more likeable than Camille, which surprised me. 

In the theme of strong female characters, Trixie Starfire Muldoon (now there's a name I won't forget in a hurry) is living on Blackpool Cove with her Grandfather and Romani-Gypsy born Grandmother, who has the uncanny ability to predict the weather. Not surprisingly though, the star of the show is Trixie's pet Pelican, Finley who definitely has a very cute personality - and a constant longing for fish.
Onto the boys. This is where I had problems. I found there were too many male characters to be able to keep up with them all! It was rather difficult to remember who said and did what as well as trying to work out who Trixie could end up dating, which was a shame. It got a little easier towards the end of the book but I would have enjoyed it more if there were less.
Piper Louisa was my favourite character (I nearly always like the sidekicks best), she's very stereo-typical 19th century girl around boys, obsessing over them and giggling a lot. I felt the stereotypical-ness was a good thing though. I found it very entertaining when her cousin, Charlotte turned up and they both hated each other, which led to many digs at each other.

Plot wise, I enjoyed it but found it a little silly in places, although what with the events that happened I suppose it needed a little sillyness! I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second though, as Piper showed up more and the characters seemed stronger.


4/5

Received free from the Author in exchange for an honest review

Review of Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings

Fourteen-year-old Natalie O'Reilly's world is turned upside down with the news that she will soon go blind. As if this weren't shocking enough, she is forced to face the fact that she must now attend a school for the blind to learn Braille and how to use a cane. As Natalie tackles the skills that will help her to survive in a sighted world, she inwardly hopes for a miracle that will save her sight. But will that miracle come, or will she need to learn to embrace her new life?

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What would you do if you were told you were going blind? In Natalie's case, she goes into complete denial, even after being enrolled in a Blind School. There she learns many lessons, other than Braille and using a cane, and makes many friends along the way. The story is a really quick, enjoyable read and I quite enjoyed it. 

Of course, there were a few things that I didn't enjoy so much, which seems to be a common peeve of readers - Cummings becomes quite extreme at times, throwing so many life lessons and perilous situations at me I felt like a moron. A lot of it is basically saying, 'Look! Blind people can go to the mall if they want to!' and other parts were just silly. Despite this, I really enjoyed Natalie's story.

Of the characters, I liked Bree a lot. Despite her attitude when we first meet her, you learn about her past later on and she tries her best to make amends. Natalie is similar, at first she shuns everything, refuses to use her cane but after falling down the stairs and knocking herself out (true) she realises that she can't be in denial forever. 
I found it a little odd that Natalie was the perfect girl-next-door farm girl, whereas the rest of the characters had some pretty serious histories but I think that was part of Cummings way of drilling life lessons into our heads...


4/5