Amplified by Tara Kelly

Title: Amplified

Author: Tara Kelly

Release Date: 25th October 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb: 

When privileged 17-year-old Jasmine gets kicked out of her house, she takes what is left of her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Jasmine finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from over the hill can hack it.

In A Nutshell:

Amplified was a quick, easy read and while predictable in parts, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked Jasmine. She's on a mission to follow her dreams and leave no regrets. The C-Side band members are a great mix and I love how they all just get lost in the music while playing. Music + cute boys = swoon. 

My Review:

Amplified was a quick, easy read and while predictable in parts, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s one of those lazy day comfort reads: Cute boy? Check. Introverted girl eager to prove herself? Check. Music themed? Check. Awesome share house where fun is to be had? Check.

Jasmine is rather shy and introverted, a girl essentially brought up by nannies and although her father has always provided for her, it’s never been in the kind of loving, understanding manner that Jasmine needed. To him, life is about success and creating a future and while Jasmine has played the perfect daughter and student, even getting into Stanford, the future she wants to create doesn’t quite match up to the one her father has envisioned.

Amplified is about taking a leap to follow your dreams, even if it means doing so without any support and with your only family telling you it is the biggest mistake of your life. Sometimes you have to believe in yourself, at least to know you have tried everything and have no regrets.

I loved the dynamic of the C-Side band members. The banter and teasing between over-the-top control freak Bryn, cool and quirky Felix, the loyal and dripping in sass Veta, and Sean, my new book crush, just made for an entertaining read. Throw in a secretive Jasmine and the drama levels in the band and the share house rise. For Jasmine, things become a little more complicated than they already are when she falls for Sean, who is currently coming out of an ugly breakup. His heavily tattooed ex-girlfriend takes an instant dislike to Jasmine and makes her difficult stage debut even harder than it could have been.

I would have liked there to be a little more about Veta and Bryn’s siblings, Zoe and Nick respectively, since they are introduced into the storyline. The same goes for Jason, Jasmine’s bestie. I have discovered there will be a sequel titled Encore to be release sometime in 2014 so maybe they’ll make an appearance.

I’m a big fan of music/band themed books so if you are too, maybe check out one of my favourites, Five Flavours of Dumb or the books tagged with 'music'.

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 Rig by Joe Ducie

Title: The Rig

Author: Joe Ducie

Release Date: 5th September 2013

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Will Drake has made a career of breaking out from high-security prisons. His talents have landed him at The Rig, a specialist juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one can escape from The Rig. No one except for Drake...

After making some escape plans and meeting the first real friends of his life, Drake quickly realises that all is not as it seems on The Rig. The Warden is obsessed with the mysterious Crystal-X - a blue, glowing substance that appears to give superpowers to the teens exposed to it. Drake, Tristan and Irene are banking on a bid for freedom - but can they survive long enough to make it?

In A Nutshell:

The Rig is an action packed, suspenseful novel with a male protagonist. Set in a slightly dystopian future with a science fiction element lurking beneath the surface, The Rig is one for fans of the Cherub series, ACID or any other action adventure featuring secret government agencies.

My Review:

Set in 2025, Alliance Systems and their elite soldiers, Crystal Force, maintain and guard The Rig, a floating prison in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. As the "most secure rehabilitation centre” for juvenile offenders, the inmates follow strict rules, guided by their GPS electromagnetic prison cuffs, and work off their stay. For Will, instantly hated by the Warden, this means cleaning out the sewage pipes and tunnels daily.

Will has escaped three prisons already and while he is originally full of bravado when he arrives at The Rig, once he experiences its inner workings, he's not so sure there is a way off the prison. Not unlike a maze, The Rig, housed on a disused oil platform, has a sinister science fiction element lurking beneath the surface, and as Will discovers, his fellow inmates are being used as guinea pigs. Now, more than ever, Will needs to escape and find his way back to land, even if it means leaving his new friends, friends he’s not all that sure he wants in the first place, behind. But between the guards and the other prisoners, not to mention some mysterious disappearances, Will Drake will need to figure something out quickly if he wants to get off the rig alive.

I found it fun trying to figure out how Will would attempt to escape as well as uncovering more details about the other prisoners, particularly Tristan his cell mate, who has a few surprising tricks of his own. Tristan’s character is from Perth, Australia (my hometown) and this is mentioned a few times. It’s always nice to have our little old city mentioned in novels (usually done by authors who live here, like in this case). It was also nerve-racking to see how far Will would push the guards and how much pain he could take from the various incidents that occurred. Some of the characters also remind us that in a corrupt system, sometimes it is necessary to break the law if it’s for the right reasons and that not all ‘criminals’ are evil (please note I in no way condone breaking the law. We do not live in a dystopian society…yet).

The Rig is an action packed, suspenseful novel with a male protagonist for fans of the Cherub series, ACID or any other action adventure featuring secret government agencies set in a slightly dystopian future.

You can find The Rig on Amazon, The Book Depository, or other online retailers.

More Awesome Aussie Books

Today is Australia Day. I'm celebrating by having a BBQ with friends and listening to the Hottest 100 Countdown before watching the fireworks tonight. But if you're not in Australia, or you know, even if you are, why not take this opportunity to familiarise yourself with some great YA novels by some of the amazing authors we have here.

I did a post just like this last year sharing some of my favourite books by Australian authors. But, as expected, the list has grown over the past 12 months. Below are some 'fresh meat' for you to peruse. Click on the image to visit my review.

   

 

   

 Also, I've just finished The Sky So Heavy, debut novel by Claire Zorn. I don't have a review up yet but you should definitely check it out :)

The Tales Compendium Turns Four!

So today is my 4 Year Blogoversary! Quite an achievement huh? 

To celebrate I'm doing a little giveaway to show my appreciation for sticking with me through the years. I love the book blogging community so here's to another 4 years!

What's up for grabs?

*A copy of Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. Signed by David.

*A signed copy of Forsaken, the first in the Demon Trappers series by Jana Oliver

*A Jana Oliver Swag Pack containing a Demon Trappers sticker, a Demon Trappers Guild iron-on patch, signed Jana Oliver postcard, signed Grade One Demon (Klepto-Fiend) postcard and a signed Briar Rose postcard.

*A Gayle Forman Mini Swag Pack containing Just One Day and Just One Year postcards and a Team Adam badge (If I Stay/Where She Went)

Competition closes 23rd Feb 2014.

The Tales Compendium 4 Year Blogoversary Giveaway

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2014 Perth Writers Festival Program

It's that time of year again! Last week the program for the 2014 Perth Writers Festival was revealed. Held on the beautiful grounds of the University of Western Australia, the four day event (20th - 23rd Feb) is bursting at the seams with local and international authors.

I will admit that this year there appears to be less talks featuring young adult authors, with only one free talk really exciting me. There are however lots more publishing industry professionals taking part in sessions and workshops that may be of interest to you. 

I have included a couple of events below but there are many more on offer. Images are screen shots taken from the official program. For more details and to match up the event numbers, please download the PDF brochure here.

One of the few YA events

Full day publishing seminar

 

There are also writing workshops for kids held on the Family Day 

(Sunday 23rd Feb)

An example of a writing workshop for kids

And remember, the Writers Festival is part of the larger Perth International Arts Festival which features plenty of other events being held throughout February. This includes theatre and dance, classical and contemporary music, visual arts and film.

Download the full Writers Festival Program here.

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!

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider

Title: Severed Heads, Broken Hearts (UK/AUS), The Beginning of Everything (US)

Author: Robyn Schneider

Release Date: 1st September 2013

My  Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: In one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra's knee, his career as a jock, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for homecoming king, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra's ever met— achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

Together, Ezra and Cassidy discover flash mobs, buried treasure, secret movie screenings, and a poodle that might just be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby. But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: If one's singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

With lyrical writing, nerdy humor, and realistic romance, Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything is a story about how difficult it is to play the part people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

In A Nutshell:

Major love for this book. If the title doesn't instantly make you want to read it then the inclusion of geocaching, Harry Potter references, flash mobs and nerds being awesome should seal the deal.

My Review:

I absolutely, completely loved Severed Heads, Broken Hearts, but I can't put my finger on the exact reason.

Perhaps it is the coming of age story when the popular kid gives up trying to impress others to fully recognise his own interests and what real friends are. It could be the beginning of first love, the high school setting, or that it portrays that nerds know how to have fun too.

Or it could be the witty remarks, terrible puns, pop culture references which remind me of my childhood, the likeable characters, the music references, the sneaking into college classes, watching Disneyland fireworks from the hood of the car, the flash mobs, the Harry Potter love, debating competitions, geocaching or the giant poodle named Cooper… the list goes on.

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts, aside from having a freakin’ awesome title, has a good mix of comedy and tragedy, with the heart-warming storyline of people finding ‘their people’ but also the heartbreaking moments when life just doesn’t go to plan. Ultimately it asks, when the ‘thing’ you and everyone else have always used to define you disappears, what comes next? Who are you really? In this case, who is the real Ezra Faulkner?

If you liked this, try:
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: The Impossible Knife of Memory

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Release Date: 2nd January 2014

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

For the past five years Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq.

Now they are back in town where he grew up so Hayley can go to a proper school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy's PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?

In a Nutshell:

From the first page, The Impossible Knife of Memory took hold and wouldn't let go. It's a novel full of emotion, respect, pain and love. Beautifully articulated from Hayley's perspective but with snippets of Andy's memories dispersed throughout, it clenched my heart and left me at pains to think of what so many people are, and will continue, to go through. It's an exploration of a father and daughter attempting to piece themselves back together and the life events that lead them to realise that accepting or asking for help is not a measure of failure.

My Review:

The Impossible Knife of Memory reflects the often forgotten casualties of war; the servicemen and women who return from their tours with injuries invisible to the eye. Not only does Laurie Halse Anderson respectfully, carefully and thoughtfully explore the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on a veteran, she also looks at the way in which their loved ones are effected and this is done through the point of view of seventeen-year-old Hayley.

Not to give too much of the story away, here's a little about Hayley's situation: Hayley's dad, Captain Andy Kincain, served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan for much of her childhood, leaving her to be raised by her Grandmother after her mother died when Hayley was only five months old. After her grandmother died, Hayley was brought up by Andy's 'Base Bunny', Trish, the closest thing to a mother Hayley had ever known. Due to suffering multiple injuries, her dad returned, injured in more ways than just physically. The relationship between Trish and her dad fell apart eventuating with Trish walking out on them both. Ever since, Hayley and her dad have moved from town to town with Andy home-schooling her. 

After an 'incident', Andy decides it's time to put down proper roots and returns to his hometown so Hayley can complete her final year of high school, much to Hayley's disdain. Adjusting to a new school is hard enough, but when you've never been to a high school, things are somewhat harder, regardless of the situation at home. She is frustrated by the system and the 'zombies' around her and doesn't give much stock to her guidance counsellor's efforts to get her to think about college. Hayley has never really given her future a thought given her position with her dad and while her friends dream of ways to escape their town, Hayley has never felt she's had the luxury of planning her future.

"My earbuds were in, but I wasn't playing music. I needed to hear the world but didn't want the world to know I was listening"

Hayley has very few memories of her childhood, having blocked most of them in an effort to forget and protect herself from further hurt. You can't miss what you don't remember but even the memories she does have are unreliable. The abandonment she felt after Trish left has turned into anger and coupled with her dad's psychological state, she suffers from anxiety, scared of what condition she may find her father in and her constant concerns for his safety. She is often left playing the parent, cleaning up after him as he numbs his pain and escapes his memories with alcohol and drugs. Her loyalty to her father and her belief that the two of them can make it work keeps her from letting those around her into the complexity of her life. The sudden and unwanted return of Trish adds to the unpredictability of Hayley and Andy's lives.

Hayley's friendship with Gracie and the inklings of a possible romance with Finn keep her floating above water, although she isn't the only one with a somewhat complicated home-life. Her friends are suffering through financial strain, a sibling's addiction problem, a messy divorce, and self-medication. But regardless of their problems, they provide each other with glimmers of hope and happiness.

From the first page, The Impossible Knife of Memory took hold and wouldn't let go. It's a novel full of emotion, respect, pain and love. Beautifully articulated from Hayley's perspective but with snippets of Andy's memories dispersed throughout, it clenched my heart and left me at pains to think of what so many people are, and will continue, to go through. It's an exploration of a father and daughter attempting to piece themselves back together and the life events that lead them to realise that accepting or asking for help is not a measure of failure.

Thankyou to Text Publishing for this review copy.