Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson

Title: Conspiracy Girl

Author: Sarah Alderson

Release Date: 12th February 2015

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Everybody knows about the Cooper Killings.

There was only one survivor – sixteen year-old Nic Preston.

Now eighteen, Nic is trying hard to rebuild her life. But then one night her high-security apartment is broken into. It seems the killers are back to finish the job.

Finn Carter – hacker, rule breaker, player – is the last person Nic ever wants to see again. He’s the reason her mother’s murderers walked free. But as the people hunting her close in, Nic has to accept that her best chance of staying alive is by staying close to Finn.

And the closer they get to the truth, and to each other, the greater the danger becomes.

In a Nutshell:

Conspiracy Girl is a thrilling mystery full of suspense that had me speed-reading from the first page.

My Review:

Conspiracy Girl is a thrilling mystery full of suspense that had me speed-reading from the first page. Once again, I made the mistake of starting chapter one just before I went to bed and wasn’t able to put it down until I finished the whole book in the early hours of the following day. 

Nic Preston is paranoid, but with good reason. After her mother and stepsister were murdered in a home invasion, the killers were never brought to justice. Nic has spent the last two years constantly looking over her shoulder, never feeling safe, even with the top security systems utilized and taking every precaution. She is strong and resilient but has built up a fortress around herself, not just literally but emotionally, to make sure she never feels powerless and vulnerable again. But when her security system is compromised and the FBI’s ability to protect her is questioned, it looks like the worst moment of Nic’s life is set to repeat itself. 

Enter Finn, gorgeous computer hacker and seeker of justice who is asked to ‘babysit’ Nic while the FBI look for the mole in their organisation. Finn has an interesting catalogue of skills and also a tragic past of his own, one, much to Nic’s annoyance, which has also crossed paths with her own. Battling her constant fear and survivors guilt, Nic has to learn to trust again if she and Finn have any chance of escaping the people on their tail, who somehow keep managing to find them as they go on the run, dodging bullets across country while searching for answers. 

I can tell you now, if I had assassins after me, I’d want Finn by my side! Don’t get me wrong, Nic isn’t useless at protecting herself, she’s just in way over her head! Finn is super protective of Nic and willing to do anything to keep her safe, and the more that’s revealed about him, the more you fall in love with him. There’s also some killer sexual tension thrown in to heat things up and complicate the situation! 

Conspiracy Girl was a total page-turner and I can’t wait to get my hands on another Sarah Alderson book! 

The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn

Title: The Sky So Heavy
Author: Claire Zorn
 

Release Date: 24th July 2013

My Rating: 5/5
 

Blurb:

For Fin, it's just like any other day - racing for the school bus, bluffing his way through class, and trying to remain cool in front of the most sophisticated girl in his universe, Lucy. Only it's not like any other day because, on the other side of the world, nuclear missiles are being detonated.

From an exciting new voice in Australian YA literature, Claire Zorn, comes a haunting novel, The Sky So Heavy - a mesmerising story inspired by the continued debate over Australia's treatment of asylum-seekers and how a line through a map can determine your fate.

In A Nutshell:

This gripping story of utter desperation and survival is full of suspense as our characters face a near apocalyptic future. Faced with situations no one, let along children, should have to endure, they question where to draw the line when fighting for survival and how far you would go to protect the ones you love. Claire Zorn and her debut novel, The Sky So Heavy, are exciting new additions to the Aussie YA community.

My Review:

The Sky So Heavy is the debut novel by Australian author Claire Zorn. Zorn has created a chilling story of survival set in Australia’s Blue Mountains after another country ‘tests’ nuclear missiles and essentially sends the world back into the dark ages.

Our main character is seventeen year old Fin. Along with his younger brother Max, the boys battle the freezing cold and dwindling supplies after their dad disappears on the first night. As the months go by, they come to the realisation that those not from the city (Sydney), or who do not possess ‘valuable’ skills (such as doctors) are being left to die. The brothers, forced to fend for themselves to survive, team up with new friend Noll and Fin’s school friend Lucy, and attempt to make their way towards the city in search of Fin and Max’s mother. But staying alive and getting into the barricaded city will be harder than any of them expected.

As Fin tries to hold it all together and stay positive for their little group, their new reality means hypothermia, dehydration and starvation become very real possibilities. And if those don't kill them, someone will probably try. The kindness of strangers often surprises them when at the same time, people they have known their whole lives try to kill them for supplies. With the population becoming more desperate and violence escalating in correlation to how hungry people are, Fin, Noll and Lucy question what is right and wrong. Who do they trust? And where do they draw the line in order to survive and protect the ones they love?

This gripping story of utter desperation and survival is full of suspense as our characters face a near apocalyptic future. Yet throughout their struggle, Fin, Max, Noll and Lucy continue to hold on to hope that they will find somewhere they can rebuild their lives.

Claire Zorn and her first novel, The Sky So Heavy, are exciting new additions to the Aussie YA community.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray

Release Date: 1st September 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

1920s New York. A teen clairvoyant. An old evil. It has begun...

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old home town and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City - and she is pos-i-tute-ly thrilled! New York is the city of speak-easies, rent parties, shopping and movie palaces, and soon enough Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfeld girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult - also known as 'The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies'.

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of it. Even Evie's new pals - hoofers, numbers runners and activists, but all swell kids - are drawn into the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first...

In A Nutshell:
The Diviners is an intricately woven story of superstition, old magic, religious zealots and race relations. It also portrays the different ways love and family can take shape, how meaningful those relationships become, and what people would do for the ones they love. Although the novel is a about a serial killer, there are many other aspects to it and you’ll find that amongst the suspense and superstition, there is an exploration of what drives cults and religions, but this is also balanced out at the same time with fun, light-hearted frivolity. I loved it!

My Review:

I "pos-i-tute-ly" loved The Diviners. Libba Bray’s storytelling abilities continue to blow my mind. The first chapter is amazing and sets the scene for the rest of the book. We are thrown right into the belly of the beast which is Manhattan in the 20’s and we get an insight into all the different boroughs of NYC and how it was then.

Right from the beginning we know the murderer is Naughty John, but we follow the characters as they are introduced to us and as their lives become affected by Naughty John’s actions. John is a fantastic and truly creepy villain and you never know who he is going to go after next, sometimes it’s a stranger, other times it is one of the characters already known to us. Each chapter I was worried one of my favourites was about to be killed. I dare say I wouldn’t read parts of this at night when you are home alone cos you may just get a little too creeped out!

There are lots of characters to keep track of but this isn’t hard as they are all given plenty of page-time as their lives and secrets are discovered. Our main character Evie likes to have a good time and sometimes forgets to think before she acts. Arriving in the Big Apple from Ohio with her clairvoyant abilities a secret, her pending new lifestyle has her brimming with excitement. She’s sassy and at times selfish, but she has a good heart and if you don’t like her at the beginning, she will definitely grow on you. Staying with her Uncle Will, Evie joins forces with her New York pen pal Mable, who lives in her uncle’s building. Mabel is often the voice of reason but her complaints sometimes fall on deaf ears, particularly when Evie gets together with the theatrically divine Theta and Henry. Together, Manhattan is their playground.

Evie’s Uncle Will, curator of the occult museum, has a few secrets of his own, as does his assistant, Jericho, and the pickpocket Sam Lloyd, who wrangled his way into Evie’s life and won’t entirely disappear. There’s also the charming Memphis, a poet with a lot on his shoulders, his brother Isaiah whose unusual talent catches the interest of the mysterious Miss Walker and Blind Bill. There’s trumpet player Gabe and attention seeker Daisy, Will’s old friend Detective Malloy and annoying reporter T.S Woodhouse. Let’s not forget Evie and Will’s old neighbours, Miss Adelaide and Miss Lillian, spinster sisters who appear to be losing their marbles. Pretty much everyone has something to hide and as many of the characters meet and their story-arcs cross over, these secrets are slowly revealed.

It is obvious how much research went into The Diviners and it was well worth it as there is so much detail to every scene. The reader is able to fully immerse themselves in the story, feeling as though they are right there with Evie, or in the same room as Naughty John (not always a good thing!), or sitting in the cemetery with Memphis. The story feels so authentic and I could really picture what the 1920’s was like in New York City. The setting is woven so well into the story that readers won’t feel as though they are having descriptive details thrown at them, you just become enthralled with what is going on.

I spent much of the novel reading it as though Libba herself was narrating it after she read aloud at Reading Matters last year. It made it so much fun imagining her theatrically voicing Evie and Theta and the 1920’s slang really helped set the atmosphere.

If you’ve seen The Diviners sitting on a bookshelf, you've probably noticed that it is quite a brick of a book. At 578 pages, my arms did occasionally get sore, but the length was by no means a detriment to the novel. If anything, I am glad it was so long as I didn’t want it to finish. I’m pleased to know there will be a sequel out in late 2014 but until then, make sure you savour all 578 pages!

The Diviners is an intricately woven story of superstition, old magic, religious zealots and race relations. It also portrays the different ways love and family can take shape, how meaningful those relationships become, and what people would do for the ones they love. Although the novel is a about a serial killer, there are many other aspects to it and you’ll find that amongst the suspense and superstition, there is an exploration of what drives cults and religions, but this is also balanced out at the same time with fun, light-hearted frivolity. The Diviners also only scratches the surface of a bigger picture, one which I am sure will be unravelled in the sequel.

This is Libba Bray’s signature storytelling at its best!

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson

Release Date: 1st September 2011

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever.

After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust, her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them.

In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone, there are others out there just like her, people with special powers, and her mother's killer is one of them...

In A Nutshell:
Hunting Lila is an exciting, suspenseful novel that keeps you questioning if all is really as it seems.

My Review:
Lila is an impulsive and curious 17-year-old girl who has been on an emotional roller-coaster for the last five years after the death of her mother and separation from her brother, and it’s just gotten worse as she has somehow developed the ability of telekinesis. After arriving on her brother Jack’s doorstep, she becomes curious as to what it is his military unit actually does as he is cagey and extremely over-protective, as is his best friend Alex (and Lila’s long term crush).

As Lila gets more and more fed up with being kept in the dark and ‘babysat’ around the clock, she starts fishing for information about what their unit are investigating. She has no idea who to trust with her secret, especially because Jack and Alex are still treating her like a child. When the stumbles across the unit’s real mission she has to question what the real truths in her life are, and if she can still trust those closest to her. She also discovers she is not alone in her unique ability.

There are many twists and turns to the story, with the constant question of who is telling the truth, and what parts of the supposed truths are actually lies. It is fast-paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. While it doesn’t finish on a traditional style cliff-hanger, you will still find yourself desperately wanting the sequel, Losing Lila, which of course won’t be released until the second half of 2012.

I think Lila’s feeling and actions in regards to Alex are spot on. When faced with being in the company of someone you love but you can’t do anything about, it’s excruciating and I think it was appropriately portrayed. They are very real moments and feelings; not wanting to tell Alex how she feels for fear of rejection, the jealousy she feels when seeing the way other females look at him, how she makes up scenarios in her head and also jumps to conclusions on all manner of subjects.

This was the first book I have read in six weeks. After a family tragedy, I didn’t have the will to pick up a book, let alone review anything. Hunting Lila was the book I chose to ‘get back on the horse’ and I couldn’t have picked a better story to keep my mind occupied and be completely enthralled by the plot and characters.

Absolutely loved it!

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Title: Slide
Author: Jill Hathaway

Release Date: 27th March 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

In A Nutshell:
Slide is a murder mystery/thriller and a total page-turner. It joins the small list of YA detective style stories that are available and will appeal to fans of Veronica Mars (the TV show).

My Review:
I am super excited by the fact I got the chance to read an ARC of Jill Hathaway’s Slide, which is not due for release until March 2012. I’ve been following Jill for a while now and I became totally hooked by the premise of Slide; Vee, a girl who can slide into other people’s minds but has no control over who or when this happens. After seeing her sister’s best friend killed through the eyes of the murderer she decides to play detective and find out who the killer is. I am so pleased to be able to say that Slide lived up to my expectations, and then more, and I can’t wait to read its sequel!

Slide is a murder mystery/thriller and a total page-turner. It joins the small list of YA detective style stories that are available and will appeal to fans of Veronica Mars (the TV show).

I really like Vee, with her pink hair and awesome 90’s music taste. She’s not perfect but she tries hard to deal with her ‘episodes’ and slightly disjointed family. Vee’s father is a paediatric doctor and also councils people whose family members have passed away due to cancer, just like Vee’s mum did. He appears to be the hero dad, spending all his time trying to help and comfort others but he ignores what is right in front of him; his own pain and that of his daughters.

Even though Vee has to act like a mum sometimes, I really like the relationship between her and her sister Mattie. They clash at times, but they are there for each other and support each other as much as they can. This is a very real portrayal of a sisterly relationship. In many YA novels, siblings often play a very small background role and are not really part of the story, or the main character is an only child.

And what of our other supporting characters? The relationship between Vee and her best friend Rollins is predictable but not infuriatingly so. You have the hot mysterious newcomer Zane who seeks out the weird girl, Vee. There is Scotch, the stereotypical self-centred jock you just love to hate and the bitchy high school girls who are not all that they seem. The characters all have depth and their stories are incorporated into the storyline. Everything is connected and it isn’t just mentioned to fill up a word count. Parents and teachers also have parts to play. Just like the teenagers, they all have secrets and problems in their own lives which influence the story.

Slide does well to point out that the image someone projects, isn’t necessarily who they are and has the age-old warning (not in a preachy way), not to judge someone until you get to know them. Appearances can be deceiving and everyone has problems. It also highlights bullying and just how cruel teenage girls can be, but also how vulnerable they are.

With her wits about her, Vee must learn to control her ‘episodes’ to get to the bottom of the mystery and find out who killed Samantha. There are quite a few twists and turns, with misdirection and different theories and to who the killer is. It is suspenseful and entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A big thank you to Jill Hathaway for including me on her ARC tour!

POD by Stephen Wallenfels

Title: POD
Author: Stephen Wallenfels

Release Date: 27th June 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Surviving a massive alien siege is one thing-­surviving humanity is another.

I'm all cried out. I'm still alone. The sky is full of giant spinning black balls that kill anyone stupid enough to go outside. I've only been out of the car twice-once to pee and once to look at the sky. That one look was enough for me. Now I sit alone in the car, staring out the window like a rat in a cage. But I don't have anyone to look at. The parking garage is empty, except for twisted-up cars, broken glass, and the smell of leaking gasoline.

POD is the story of a global cataclysmic event, told from the viewpoints of Megs, a twelve-year-old streetwise girl trapped in a hotel parking garage in Los Angeles; and sixteen-year-old Josh, who is stuck in a house in Prosser, Washington, with his increasingly obsessive-compulsive father. Food and water and time are running out. Will Megs survive long enough to find her mother? Will Josh and his father survive each other.

In A Nutshell:
POD is a sci-fi, apocalypse/armageddon–esq story of survival. It is suspenseful and looks at bravery, resilience, desperation, relationships and peoples humanity, or lack of.

My Review:
POD is a sci-fi, apocalypse/armageddon–esq story of survival that centres around sixteen year old Josh in Washington, and twelve-year-old Megs in Los Angeles. It is a suspenseful novel that looks at bravery, resilience, desperation, relationships and peoples humanity, or lack of. The chapters alternate between both characters, chronologically what they go through each day over the space of a month, beginning when the alien PODs first arrive. The question is, what do they want? Will help come? When will they leave? How long can it continue?

We know very little about the PODs except that they make anyone not inside a building, disappear. While there isn’t any specific sightings of aliens, both characters deduct that because of the black spaceship pods and death-by-laser beams, plus some other strange occurrences, (high pitch sounds assaulting their heads, mysterious fog that allows them to see inside people) it must be aliens.

Josh is stuck at home with his OCD dad and old dog Dutch. At first Josh thinks his dad is crazy for rationing food and filling the bath tub with water but as food runs out, the electricity is cut off and the water stops running, he realises the reason behind the madness. While Josh doesn’t have it quite as bad as Megs, his relationship with his father is really tested and he only has the girl he can see across the street to give him something to smile about. Josh is also plagued by nightmares of the PODs and the damage they have caused as well as constantly worrying about the fate of his mother who is in LA on business. As food and water run out, Josh and his dad start to consider their options, death by starvation or death by POD, and have to make some tough and surprising decisions. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Megs is alone in a hotel parking garage, hiding from the tyrannical hotel owner and his ‘security guards’ who like nothing more than smashing things and contributing to the aliens death toll. The poor thing is left to fend for herself, dodging dead bodies and scrounging through cars for food and water, not something that is easily found. Aside from hiding and putting up with hunger pains and thirst, all she has to occupy herself with is a kitten and an Alien vs. Predator comic she finds in one of the abandoned cars (ironic since she is essentially being held hostage by aliens). Megs is only twelve but she is gutsy and smart and is a very likable character.

What makes POD different to other books about invasions is that usually the characters can survive by raiding buildings and fighting back using guerrilla tactics. But in POD, you can't leave your house without being zapped by the aliens and disappearing. So what can you do??? Is any attempt at survival a lost cause?

While the ending doesn't really finish on a cliff-hanger, it does leave the reader with (a lot of) questions, questions that enable the author to continue on with a second book. In my opinion, this is where the story is let down. There are so many questions about the aliens that to reach any sort of real satisfaction, a sequel will need to be read. I am content with the ending and I’d like to think I will be able to wait around until its release, but patience isn’t a virtue of mine when it comes to books so fingers crossed it won’t be a long wait.

Try this if you enjoyed Gone, The Enemy, Chasers or The Road (by Cormac McCarthy).

Thankyou to Allen and Unwin for providing me with this review copy.

The Wolf Letters by Will Schaefer

Title: The Wolf Letters
Author: Will Schaefer

Release Date: 1st May 2011

Genre: Adult Historical Thriller

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Southern England, August 1936. An artefact from the dark ages – a wolf carved in jet – is stolen from the archaeology department of St Matthew’s College. A man is murdered in an antique store.

Historian George Haye translates two eighth-century documents for the investigating police, and is very soon nearly murdered himself. What is it about the documents? Aren’t they just letters from one Englishman to another? And why does the wolf from St Matthew’s seem to be at the black heart of all the evil that unfolds around him?

Haye is desperate. He must find the letters which lead him to the wolf, or he will die.

But Haye will find something else. Something he could never have imagined – something long forgotten, something terrifying …

My Review:
As you can probably already tell, The Wolf Letters is very different to what I usually review. Aside from YA, I love a good thriller and when I was presented with The Wolf Letters, I couldn't pass up the chance of reading it, especially since it comes from a debut Perth author.

Now I am not much for historical reads. The book is set in both the 8th century and also England in 1936, and so you may think my reading it is a little strange, but despite its time period, I found myself ploughing through the novel. While I did find the first couple of chapters a little slow, I think this may have been due to getting my head around the time period and that the story was only just beginning.

And what a mystery it is. Our hero, George Haye is pulled into a chilling, century old mystery that involves 8th century letters, a jet wolf, unexplainable murders committed by unlikely suspects and a connection to the occult that he never would have believed a day earlier.

Haye is a genuinely nice guy, who is 'recruited' by Detective Sergeant Aage Nielsen to translate letters between Ohthere, an 8th century solider-priest, and Bishop Ecgwulf, detailing Ohthere's exile from England and his subsequent journey through Europe and the mysterious jet wolf which is causing so much trouble in 1936. As more letters surface and strange events continue to arise, Haye and Nielsen travel to Wales in search of answers, unsure of who to trust, with shocking and devastating consequences.

The biggest compliment I can probably pay The Wolf Letters is that I am someone who does not read historical fiction, and have never really been a fan of learning about it in the first place. But, I read this book in less than two days and thoroughly enjoyed it.

While I haven't read Dan Brown's books (my act of rebellion on the book industry), I have seen the films and in my opinion, if you liked his books, you will like this.

So if historical is not your thing but suspense, mystery and intrigue is, this may still be one of you. And if historical fiction is your cup of tea, then you have found a gem.

A fantastic debut.

For more information or to purchase a copy, head to the website.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth

Release Date: 1st May 2011

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

In Beatrice Prior′s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue-Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is-she can′t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are-and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she′s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she′s kept hidden from everyone, because she′s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.

My Review:
I LOVE THIS BOOK!

When I picked Divergent up, I was unaware of all the hype circulating the blogosphere and was unsure of what I was getting myself into. I like going into reading a novel without a biased opinion and allowing the book to have a clean slate. It wasn't until I finished reading it that I discovered I was not alone in my love for it.

It is so easy to become completely absorbed in the pages of Divergent as Tris struggles with the choices she has made, how they affect her in her new faction, and her feelings towards the family she has left behind.

While I didn't connect with all the characters (when tragedy strikes some of them I didn't feel a great loss, just like Tris didn't), I did really like the slowly evolving friendship and relationship between Tris and Four. I liked his whole 'tortured soul, mysterious background' deal and was glad to not have to face ANOTHER love triangle. The relationship is a secondary storyline and I really liked that it wasn't the main focus. There were some fantastic surprises that I really loved, including revelations about her family and the discovery of a long-lost faction member.

I love Tris's spirit, her courage and trains of thought. I love her innocence but also how she feels when she lets go and becomes the person she is, rather than who she has been told to be, no matter the consequences. She is her own person, who is stronger than she, or anyone else, would have believed.

Think The Hunger Games meets Matched. I was a little worried that it would be more like Matched when I first started reading it but the more I got into it, the more I grew to really love Divergent. While I know I probably shouldn't compare books to each other, trust me, dystopian fans will not be disappointed. Beware, like some scenes in The Hunger Games, Divergent can get quite brutal at times.

I can't praise debut author Roth more. Fantastic!

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Title: The Eternal Ones
Author: Kirsten Miller

Release Date: 30th August 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Have you ever fallen in love at first sight? Do you long for a place you've never been? Do you often experience the sensation of deja vu?

Ever since Haven Moore can remember, she's experienced visions of a previous life as a girl named Constance, whose love for her soulmate Ethan ended in tragedy.

And then the sight of the world's hottest movie star, Iain Morrow, brings Haven to her knees. She knows she has met him before. Is Iain her beloved Ethan?

Unable to deny her past any longer, seventeen-year-old Haven flees to New York to find him - and an epic love affair begins. But it is both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Can Haven unlock the deadly secrets hidden in her past lives - and loves - before all is lost and Ethan disappears again...forever?

My Review:
The Eternal Ones was one of those books that generated a lot of hype, and for this reason I did not read any reviews of it so I could avoid being influenced by others. I still haven't read any now that I have finished the book so I have no idea if people are loving or hating it.

That said, I loved it. After reading the blurb and drawing assumptions from the title, I was under the impression it was going to be another vampire story (because they all seem to be) which is why it has taken me so long to get to it, but I was so pleasantly surprised when I started it and realised that is not the case at all. The Eternal Ones is based on the concept of reincarnation or past lives if you prefer. This is not something that gets explored a lot in YA fiction so I was very intrigued.

I thought the novel was very well written with a love story and a couple of murder mysteries, spanning across time with many different points of view. Because we as the reader, and Haven, didn't know who was lying and who was telling the truth, the suspense was at an all time high, you just never knew what was going to happen next. I really liked this aspect because I am usually able to guess what is going to happen in a story, so it was a nice change!

The characters were really interesting but it felt like there were lots of characters when really there weren't. This is because of all the past lives and the characters revisiting their memories of those. The supporting 'cast' of those without past lives was made up of strong characters who provided a stable point in contrast to the 'busy-ness' of all the past lives. Haven has grown up in a small southern town and she has never fit in, especially with her visions causing her to pass-out randomly. The scene and towns people have been created perfectly, I felt like I was Haven, living in this small town, dealing with all the small-mindedness that surrounded her and her best friend Beau.

One thing I would like to point out is that the majority of the novel is set in Manhattan, and I found this very surreal because I am currently in New York on holiday and a lot, if not all the places and neighbourhoods that are mentioned, are places that I have walked past. I could picture very clearly, for instance, when Gramercy Park was being talked about because, only the day before I started reading this, I went to Gramercy Park and wandered around the streets there. It was very, very surreal and I wonder if this is how it is for people who live in cities that stories are often set. I suppose it is the same for T.V. shows. I live in Perth, Australia which very rarely gets featured in anything (ironically enough the previous book I read was actually set in Perth!) and for me to actually be able to fully visualise a location, and not have to rely as heavily on the author describing it, was very exciting.

The Eternal Ones finishes with a twist, but not a cliffhanger and so I was a little surprised, but happy, to hear that there is going to be a sequel. I don't feel it needs one so it will be interesting to see what Miller does with it. No news yet as to when but as soon as I know, I will put it up on my Coming Soon page.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Series: The Hunger Games Book 3
Author: Suzanne Collins

Release Date: 25th August 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

My Review:

There isn't a whole lot I can say without completely spoiling the ending...but I will make a couple of points...

1. I love Gale
2. One of my favourite characters dies
3. Katniss does not go into another Hunger Games
4. I think some some parts of the story are drawn out too long and others were just glazed over where they should have had more attention
5. There is an epilogue that I wish wasn't there
6. One of my favourite quotes from the book is:

"If we burn, you burn with us"

While I did like Mockingjay and felt Suzanne Collins probably couldn't have finished the trilogy any other way, and obviously it is impossible to please everyone, I was disappointed in a quite a few spots, mostly relating to the ending, and overall I prefer the previous two books. Does anyone else agree? Almost every review I have read seems to be that they think it was amazing and that it ended perfectly. The shining light for me is a post I was told about by Nomes over at inkcrush. The post covers everything I think is wrong with the book (and I have since added my own comment at the bottom) so I am not feeling quite so alone. To view this post over at Forever Young Adult click here, but be aware it is full of spoilers so do not read it until you too have finished the book.

Please do not post any spoilers in my comments (obviously non-spoilery comments are always welcome). If anyone has anything to say about the ending, or wants to discuss it, send me an email at jwillis87@hotmail.com

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Title: I Am Number Four
Series: The Lorien Legacies Book 1
Author: Pittacus Lore

Release Date: 30th August 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Nine teenagers and their guardians are hiding on Earth … protected by a charm that means they can only be killed in numeric order, three are already dead. John Smith is Number Four. And his mortal enemies, the Mogadorians, are hunting him down.

The only way to keep off their radar is to keep moving, never staying in one place for long. Now in the firing line, all he can do is adopt the guise of a student and pray his unusual gifts, his legacies, stay hidden long enough for him to settle into this new community.

But others seem to sense his otherness and when small-town life sucks him into its intrigues, it’s only a matter of time before his true nature is revealed. And that means there’s no space for love, friendship or a future if it means protecting not only himself, but the other five as well...

My Review:
I was a bit hesitant at first when picking this up as my advanced readers copy did not have a blurb, only 'We were nine. Three are dead. I am number four'. Yes this was intriguing but when I went and had a look online, all I could find was that it was an alien sci-fi novel (in fact there is very little information about the book available online). Now aliens and outer space are not my thing. Firstly, I don't think I have ever seen a movie set in space or concerning aliens that I have really enjoyed, same goes for books, so I just don't bother looking at them any more. Yes I prejudge and yes I am sceptical but hey, that's me. Secondly, I can't get the image of a little green man with a big head out of my mind. Needless to say I wasn't highly enthusiastic about the prospect of diving into the book. But, a friend of mine who was reading it, said she was really enjoying it and that I should give it a go. So I did.

As I am sure you have guessed, based on my defensive ramblings (and my rating above), I loved I Am Number Four. First and foremost, it is not set in outer space, from the blurb you will see it is set on Earth, and the aliens are not little green men. Reminiscent of t.v. shows like Heroes, and Michael Grant's series Gone, I Am Number Four is about a group of teenagers, with unnatural abilities who live among normal people with their guardians, hiding from another alien race who want them dead. It is very well written, incredibly suspenseful and exciting. From the first page it is gripping and action-packed as we witness the demise of Number Three.

Our main characters, Henri and Number Four, also known as John, are very likeable and John's frustrations are so easy to relate to. While some of the characters such as Sarah, Sam and Mark are the typical supporting characters, they, and the story, are still somehow unique. I love the character of Sam, John's new best friend, and I think this might be because I have such a soft spot for the geeky but loyal side-kick type character he portrays.

The only thing that is stopping me from giving this book 10/10 is that there were certain reactions to events I found to be unbelievable. Sometimes, the way Henri reacts to the way John behaves is not how I image Henri should react. The same goes for some of Sarah, Sam and Mark's reactions. I'm sorry this is cryptic! As much as I would love to talk about certain things that happen within the pages, I refuse to post spoilers (but please feel free to email me).

This is one of those books that is getting a lot of pre-release hype online and already a movie adaptation is in the works, currently being filmed starring Alex Pettyfer as Number Four. The author Pittacus Lore, which is a pseudonym, is perhaps one of the worst kept secrets. Aside from the fact you will find a reference to the name Pittacus Lore inside the book, it is also the writing team of James Frey (best know for A Million Little Pieces), although he is yet to confirm or deny this, and newcomer Jobie Hughes.

I am so glad I finally picked up this book and am highly excited that there are to be six books in the series. As I have said in previous posts, the only downside to getting advanced readers copies is that I now have to wait even longer for the sequel to come out. Bring it on!

For another review, that explains the storyline in more detail, click here.

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Title: Jekel Loves Hyde
Author: Beth Fantaskey

Release Date: 1st June 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules – especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.

To better her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything,even Tristen’s love, just for the thrill of being… bad.

I haven't read Beth Fantaskey's first book, Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side, which everyone says I should, so I may just do that after reading Jekel Loves Hyde. Jekel Loves Hyde is a dark, slightly creepy, suspenseful thriller with a murder mystery and budding romance in a high school setting. It is what happens when a good girl meets a bad boy, and tries to save him. Will she succeed in saving him before it's too late? And will she lose herself in the process?

The character of Tristen is mysterious, dangerous and sexy. But does he have a hidden softer side? I fell for Tristen after the second line he spoke, 'Trust me'. If you read the surrounding text, I'm sure you will see why. There is just something about bad boys (think Patch in Hush Hush, Adrian in Vampire Academy, Jace in City of Bones). *sigh*

One of the great things about this book is that we get to read it from both Tristen and Jill's perspectives, which gives us so much more insight into their characters, especially since both of them change, and grow, quite a bit through the story. While Jill is initially seen as a timid little pushover, we eventually see her crawl out of her shell and become quite the strong willed person that was always hiding inside, which I think is probably my favourite thing about the whole book. With Tristen on the other hand, we get to experience his anguish as he is constantly battling internally with himself, over his good side, and his dark side, in his attempt to become the person he desires to be, and not succumb to his legacy.

The novel is based on the classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It's wonderful when today's authors take classics and work them into current YA fiction. Classic authors such as Jane Austin and the Bronte' sisters and titles such as Catcher In The Rye and The Great Gatsby are often referred to in today's fictions but it's also nice when other less popularised titles such as To Kill A Mocking Bird, and in this case, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, are also bought into the popular YA fiction of today. It's a great 'shout out' to the works of yesteryear and a great way to create interest in titles that would possibly not have as much intrigue to today's young adult market.

My only disappointment was the epilogue. I feel there were too many clichés and it seems like Fantaskey was trying to wrap the story up too quickly.

Ages 14+