The Industry by Rose Foster

Title: The Industry
Author: Rose Foster

Release Date: 20th March 2012

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:
Kirra Hayward is an ordinary sixteen year old - smarter than most, but otherwise completely anonymous. When she solves an unusual decrypting puzzle on the internet to fill in a moment of boredom at school, she has no idea of what she's letting herself in for.

Kidnapped by a shadowy organisation of mercenaries known only as The Industry, Kirra soon discovers how valuable her code-breaking skills are. And when she stubbornly refuses to help them, they decide to break her ... by any means at their disposal.

Kirra knows that to protect herself, she must trust no one, not even her fellow prisoner, Milo. But as time goes by she wonders if he is the only person she can rely on.

In A Nutshell:
Kirra’s in a no-win situation. She struggles with the moral dilemmas that are put in front of her and tries to pick the lesser of two evils. But can she live with herself over the choices she makes? Part psychological thriller, part espionage conspiracy, I look forward to seeing what direction Foster will take in the sequel.

My Review:
Unlike a lot of teen crime style books, Kirra isn’t a spy. She has, quite seriously, been kidnapped. We’re not talking about a nice kidnapper, who lets her watch TV and sleep in a relatively comfy room until her parents pay a ransom. No, for Kirra, there is no ransom; money can’t buy what Kirra can offer. She spends her days in a freezing cold cell, with a metal toilet, 24/7 guards, supervised showers, meals if the guards remember, and torture if she doesn’t comply with her kidnapper, Latham’s, requests. She suffers hypothermia and watches the closest person she has to a friend be executed. She’s been transported somewhere overseas and she knows they will never release her. As her incarceration passes six months, her hope and resolve begin to fade away. She’s a long way from her invisible existence back in her quiet Australian suburb.

Kirra’s in a no-win situation. She struggles with the moral dilemmas that are put in front of her and tries to pick the lesser of two evils. But can she live with herself over the choices she makes? I think the sequel is going to be really interesting as Kirra is thrown deeper into The Industry, whether she wants to be or not.

The character of Kirra is an interesting one. I really liked her at the beginning; her feelings of isolation at school and in her family were really sad and not unusual for many teenagers. I really liked her relationship with her brother Mitchell and I hope he is brought back into the story in some way. I personally found Kirra to be less likeable the further the story went on and even though she attempts to stand up for herself, I don’t think she will really come into her own skin until the sequel.

I’d love to find out more about the mysterious Desmond and why he is apparently so infamous. As for Latham, I thought the inclusion of his daughter, Simone, was interesting. Generally bad guys like to keep their families as separate from their dealings as possible, but here, Simone is living metres away from Latham’s prisoners. With Milo, I made assumptions about him from the start and I was glad to see I was correct. The development of Milo and Kirra’s relationship came as no surprise to me. Perhaps I’ve read and seen too many espionage/crime books, TV shows and films to know that bonds are always formed between prisoners. I won’t say any more on the topic as I’m sure many readers will come to different conclusions.

I’m looking forward to seeing which direction Foster will develop the story in. My guess is it will either take an espionage/Cherub series direction, or a more psychological thriller route.

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

Title: Every You, Every Me
Author: David Levithan
Photographer: Jonathan Farmer

Release Date: 13th September 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him . . . messing with him . . . threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he's been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence.

And as crazy as it sounds, Evan's starting to believe it's Ariel that's behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself.

Creatively told with black-and-white photos interspersed between the text so the reader can see the photos that are so unnerving to Evan, Every You, Every Me is a one-of-a-kind departure from a one-of-a-kind author.

In A Nutshell:
This is the kind of book you will want to read in one sitting.

My Review:
Every You, Every Me is a psychological thriller for the young adult market. It is a relatively quick read that keeps you turning the pages until you reach the end; the kind of book you will want to read in one sitting until the mystery is solved.

You know one me.
Just like I know one you.
But you can’t know every me.
And I can’t know every you.

Poor Evan. He is drowning in misery, mentally torturing himself for the guilt he feels for his part in the reason Ariel is no longer with him. This reason, and what has happened to Ariel, is not revealed until the end of the story.

My voice is blind, my hearing is mute, my sight is deaf. Art is science, mathematics is conversation, and music is something that bleeds.

Just like Evan, we too are kept on edge as a mysterious person psychologically torments Evan with photographs of himself, where he has been, and of Ariel. Who is this cruel person? How could Evan and Ariel’s ex-boyfriend Jack not know about someone else in her life? As Evan discovers these photographs, he begins to unravel and is forced to participate in this macabre ‘treasure hunt’ in order to find out who this callous person trying to make him suffer is.

This is the thing they don’t tell you about being a third wheel – it’s not like you’re the wheel that is added on. You were one of the original two wheels, but suddenly you’re not so important anymore. The relationship drives fine without you.

Every You, Every Me is written from Evan’s perspective, as if he is talking or writing to Ariel. Ariel is always his audience and he is constantly editing himself, his thoughts, something the reader witnesses the entire way through the book. This was only sometimes annoying. For example:

It was your birthday. The first one after you left vanished were gone.
When I woke up, I dreamed thought about other birthdays. Ones where we’d been together.
Like two years ago. Freshman year. When I’d had you all to myself.

This is the 6th book I have read by David Levithan. Obviously, as a thriller, it’s very different to the other stories he has written, but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who like this genre (as I do).

Little Well-known Facts

The title comes from the Placebo song, Every You Every Me.

This novel was a joint project between David Levithan and Jonathan Farmer. Farmer would give Levithan a photograph who would then write part of the novel incorporating the photo. When Levithan needed the next photo, Farmer would give him one. This is how the whole book was written. Levithan never knew what image he would be given next, and Farmer didn’t read anything until the first draft was complete.

August by Bernard Beckett

Title: August
Author: Bernard Beckett

Release Date: 28th February 2011

My Rating: 2/5

Blurb:

Trapped in a car wreck, upside down, bleeding, broken and in pain, Tristan and Grace are staring at death. When dawn breaks, they might be seen from the road and rescued, or not.

They wait, desperately holding onto life, unravelling the sequence of events that brought them together.

Tristan is a philosopher struggling with the question of free will. Grace's life of hardship allows no place for such ideas. But a brief encounter changes their lives, setting them on a collision course with love and death, and each other.

Part philosophical thriller, part love story, August is a compelling novel about will, freedom and what it means to live.

My Review:
August was quite the head-tripper and wasn't at all what I was expecting. It is set in an alternative time where a Holy Council is in control and those who are not worthy, live beyond the city walls. Both Tristan and Grace are originally from inside these walls but as their individual stories unfold, we discover the paths they took which led them to inhabit the outer regions and the circumstances that have led to their paths crossing on this fateful night.

It wasn't until I was well into the book that I realised August is not really aimed at the young adult market, more adult or at the least, upper secondary. Like Genesis, one of Beckett's previous releases, it questions human nature and is a philosophical thriller. It looks at human weakness, free will and probability. I personally struggled with it due to the content as I am not one to ponder philosophy and religion. However, I do enjoy Beckett's style of writing, and am eager to try Jolt and Malcolm and Juliet as they sound a little more up my alley, but unfortunately, August was not for me.

Teachers notes can be found here.
My review of Genesis is here.

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Title: Beautiful Malice
Author: Rebecca James

Release Date: 1st May 2010

My Rating: 3/5

'Truth or dare?' she asks.
I hesitate. 'Truth,' I say finally. 'I can imagine one of your dares, and I don't fancy running down Oxford Street naked tonight.'
'Truth,' Alice says slowly, drawing out the vowel sound as if she's savouring the word. 'Are you sure? Are you sure you can be completely honest?'
'I think so. Try me.'
'Okay.' And then she looks at me curiously. 'So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed?'

Katherine has moved away from her shattered family to start afresh in Sydney. There she keeps her head down until she is befriended by the charismatic, party-loving Alice, who brings her out of her shell. But there is a dark side to Alice, something seductive yet threatening. And as Katherine learns the truth about Alice, their tangled destinies spiral to an explosive and devastating finale.

I had read quite a few reviews of this before picking it up. Some were good, some were bad so I decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did. While I wouldn't say it is one of my favourite reads, it is something that stayed with me well after finishing, going over the storyline and the characters in my head. This is Australian author Rebecca James' debut novel and I can see why it caused such a frenzied bidding war. Beautiful Malice is a rather disturbing psychological thriller written for young adults, although I would place it as a 15+ novel. It is so well written and is so suspenseful that you just keep sitting there reading, even when you know you should be going to bed for fear of sleeping through your alarm the next morning!

The story is told from three different stages in Katherine's life. Each chapter is told from one of these time periods, weaving between the three until we have a complete picture of Katherine's life and the shocking and horrifying conclusion. Interestingly enough, the part of the story that I think of as the 'present day' actually isn't. Stage one describes the night Katherine's sister Rachel is killed. Stage two is set two years later when Katherine has moved to Sydney to try and have a fresh start and to complete her HSC. This is the stage where most of the story takes place and where Katherine meets the diabolical character of Alice. Stage three is set four years after stage two, and this shows us how Katherine is dealing after the events occurring in stage two. This may sound confusing, but don't worry, it's not, the story flows extremely well.

Rebecca James has created such a fantastic cast of characters. They are unique, well described, free of clichés, and with the exception of one or two, the kind of people you would want to be friends with. I must say that to me, and probably most other readers, the most disturbing part of the book isn't Rachels' death, although it is truly horrible, but the character of Alice. When Katherine finally realises just how toxic Alice is in her life, it's far too late. Alice is someone who has no conscience, or if she does, she pays no heed to it. Just when you think Alice can't get any worse, she does something else that just pushes those around her to their limits. I found that I was getting so angry with Alice and the way she was treating the characters that I love, that I just wanted to protect them, I felt as if they had become my friends. To me, this is an amazing ability of an author to evoke such strong feelings in a reader.

This is a fantastic psychological thriller about love, death, pain, friendship, betrayal, loss and strength.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Series: Hush, Hush Book 1
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date: 1st November 2009 (Australia)

My Rating: 4/5

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I absolutely devoured this book, I literally couldn't put it down and read it all in one sitting. It was incredibly suspenseful and has a fantastic character in Patch, with his suggestive comments, cheeky smile, and 'bad boy' persona. It's more a thriller than a romantic novel in my opinion, which I thought was a far better way of starting off a series than going all out with romance straight away. I hope the sequel still keeps that thriller essence.

Almost every single supernatural teen book these days is compared to Twilight and I really wish the publishers would stop doing that. I find it off putting (even thought I was a fan of Twilight) and insulting to the authors. Stephenie Meyer didn't come up with the idea of forbidden love and there are plenty of books out there that are supernatural and can stand on their own two feet (so to speak). Hush, Hush is one of them.

My only criticism is that Vee is annoying and not really likable and that I really don't like the book title (sorry Becca!).

Keep your eyes open for the sequel, Crescendo, coming late 2010.