Romance – Page 20 – My Good Reads

‘Fangirl’ – Rainbow Rowell

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they’re off to university and Wren’s decided she doesn’t want to be one half of a pair any more – she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It’s not so easy for Cath. She’s horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she’s experienced in real life.

Now Cath has to decide whether she’s ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she’s realizing that there’s more to learn about love than she ever thought possible.

If I’d read this as a teenager, I think I’d have fallen a little in love.

We meet Cath and Wren as they head off to university. For Wren it’s an opportunity to grow and become her own person; for Cath it’s a living nightmare. Scared by pretty much everything, Cath spends most of her first weeks hiding in her room eating protein bars because she hasn’t worked out where the canteen is!

Cath is taken under the wing of her surly room-mate, Reagan, and her close friend, Levi. Though she takes refuge in her writing of fan-fiction, the pair force Cath to take her first steps towards independence. In the wrong hands Cath would have been a pitiful character, but as we slowly work out some of the things that have helped make Cath what she is we come to understand her a little more.

Throughout the novel we have excerpts from Cath’s favourite series and her own writing. I have to say that these were my least favourite parts of the novel by the end. They were serving the purpose of helping to illustrate some of Cath’s thoughts and ideas, but I was far more interested in what was happening to the main characters.

A beautifully told story, that I will certainly recommend to my students.

‘Half Lost’ – Sally Green

I’d adored ‘Half Bad’, was less enamoured by ‘Half Wild’ and was keen to see where Sally Green would send Nathan in this final instalment of the trilogy.

At the start of this novel, Nathan is desperately seeking revenge on Annalise for her part in the murder of his father. He is the linchpin in the Alliance’s plan to bring down Soul, but those closest to him are concerned as to whether he can cope with the pressure he’s putting on himself.

This is full of action, and there are some great moments as we see Nathan drawing closer to his ultimate goal. I loved watching him come to terms with what has happened to him, and realising that it’s okay to be wrong sometimes.

Inevitably, there’s a lot of deaths in this novel – some of which I was more upset by than others. Though there were some unresolved questions (leaving things open for a return to this world?) I felt the ending was a fitting conclusion to Nathan’s story.

‘Undone’ – Cat Clarke

Jem has been in love with her gay best friend, Kai, for years. Though she knows they will only ever be friends, this relationship means everything to her. When he is outed in the cruellest way imaginable, Kai cannot cope with the pressure of his peers knowing and commits suicide. Jem is distraught, and is determined to find out who was responsible for what happened so she can get revenge.

From the outset, I liked Jem. Though she thinks of herself as an outsider, she is portrayed as a strong and witty character. Once Kai, her lifeline, is no longer around though she withdraws from everyone. It is only when she is given a parcel of letters by Kai’s sister that Jem starts to think seriously about how she can make people pay for what they have done.

I wasn’t sure where this novel would take us, but we follow Jem as she puts her plan into action. Watching her transformation revealed vulnerabilities that she didn’t even seem aware of. I liked the way she came to experience some happiness, and Clarke helps us to see that nobody is quite what we see on the surface. Everyone has secrets, and some are better at hiding them than others!

To be honest there were moments in the novel where I wasn’t as engaged as others, but the finale was explosive. It stunned me, and really was not what I expected. It also made me angry. We’d been given a few clues that this ending might be on the cards, but I had really hoped it wouldn’t go that way. For reasons I won’t share here, some of the other characters come out of things very badly. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that for someone who we’re told cared so much about Jem, Kai kept a lot of himself hidden and acted really selfishly.

‘Girls on Fire’ – Robin Wasserman

I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have to say thank you for being given the opportunity to read such an intriguing book.

‘Girls on Fire’ focuses on the obsessive friendship between Lacey and Hannah. The novel begins with the discovery of a boy’s body in the woods. The rumour is that he killed himself, but it’s soon clear that there’s more to this case than we’re told at first.

Hannah has always been a good student. Quiet and unassuming. When she is befriended by Lacey, who has more than her fair share of problems, Hannah finds a new confidence. Together, the pair are trouble.

Initially, the style is a little disjointed. We shift viewpoints and none of the main characters seem particularly likeable. Sticking with it – and as we learn more about the situation of these teenagers it is easier to feel the allure – the skill of the plotting becomes evident. Washerman perfectly captures the obsessive nature of a lot of teenage relationships, and I loved the fact that it was set in the 1990s so I completely got a lot of the references.

By the end I have to say I wasn’t sure who to see as a victim. There were many. This was a tense and claustrophobic read that won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it is certainly a novel to notice.

‘In The Shadow of Blackbirds’ – Cat Winters

Having read ‘The Cure for Dreaming’ by the same author it seems that Winters has an eye for period detail and is fascinated by the supernatural and its place in our world.

‘In the Shadow of Blackbirds’ is set in America in 1918, and the attention to detail is to be applauded. Through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black we see the effects of war, Spanish influenza and the Spiritualist craze on a small group of people. There’s a lot packed in here, and I felt the writer created an intriguing background to events.

The story itself focuses on Mary and what happens to her when she is sent to live with her Swiss aunt. Mary is scornful of her aunt’s fascination with the latest craze for Spiritualist activity and she is dismissive of the efforts of an old friend of the family, who is determined to prove through his photographs that ghosts exist. When Stephen, the man she loves, is killed in war Mary becomes reckless. She is struck by lightning, and then seems able to communicate with Stephen.

If you are not prepared to accept the characters’ interest in ghosts then I would imagine you will not enjoy this novel. Mary’s initial scepticism is challenged, and there were moments that I felt it was all too incredible. However, it was a story that engaged me from the start, and the light it sheds on the experiences of people in war was to be applauded.

‘Radio Silence’ – Alice Oseman

In this novel, Osman focuses on Frances – a high-achiever, following the path expected of her – and what happens when she makes friends with Aled.

You may be forgiven for thinking this is a stereotypical YA romance; you wouldn’t be further from the truth. The relationship between Frances and Aled revolves around shared interests, and accepting each other for who they really are, not what they think they should be.

This novel explores so many areas, but never in a way that feels forced. It was a genuinely exciting read, and the ending was almost exactly what you wanted.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

While this review might seem short on details, it’s important that key details are unknown until they’re revealed in the reading.

‘What’s Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles 1)’ – Kat Zhang

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

This is an intriguing idea, though I was not convinced from reviews I’d read that this would be a novel I’d find satisfying.

Initially I found the novel quite confusing. As a number of readers have commented, there’s a lack of detail to help explain why this world is as it is. However, there are some details given later on, and it’s strongly suggested that more answers will be given in part two of the series. On balance, this lack of detail doesn’t interfere with enjoyment of the story itself.

The creation of two distinct characters is handled well by Zhang. I felt deeply for both girls as they struggle to do something they’ve been brought up to believe is dangerous though it might bring them happiness. It doesn’t ruin the reading experience to know that there are some unscrupulous people who are running experiments on children like Addy, and that a lot of the novel is set in the clinic where these experiments are taking place.

Personally, I felt parts of the novel dragged but the pace picks up towards the end and brings us to a satisfying conclusion.

‘Everyone Brave is Forgiven’ – Chris Cleave

When war is declared in 1939 Mary North, the daughter of a wealthy family, signs up to do her bit. She is assigned the role of teacher, which those who supervise her think she is wholly unsuited for and she is ordered to remain in London. Determined to do her bit, this fiery character seeks an audience with the education administrator and practically demands that he let her resume teaching those children not deemed suitable to be evacuated to the countryside. Tom agrees, and so marks the beginning of an unusual relationship.

Mary is passionate and her relationship with Tom becomes personal. This might have become a pedestrian romance in the hands of less engaging writers, but Cleave introduces a third character, Alistair, and thus begins a wholly engaging story.

The characters of Mary and Alistair are loosely based on Cleaves’s own grandparents, and the personal investment in this shone through in the tender portrayal of the relationship. Cleave is unflinching in his depiction of the wartime experience, and I felt the writing was evocative.

Though a happy ending seemed inevitable from the outset, I think that one of the strengths of this novel is the cast of characters surrounding our main trio. Throughout I was keen to know more about their experiences and how the war affected them.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Prey’ – Tom Isbell

In the start of a trilogy that seems perfectly suited to the big screen, ‘The Prey’ lands us in the Republic of the True America. Rumours abound of radiation sickness, Crazies and mutated animals that everyone is warned about. Sometimes, though, those closest to you are the ones to be most afraid of.

We are introduced to a number of characters, each with their own stories (some of which get developed). We meet Hope and Faith, twins on the run with their father. When he dies, he urges the girls to separate. What does he know that makes this the best choice? We meet Book, a studious boy who seems haunted by his past. There’s also Cat, a mysterious boy running from his own demons.

These characters end up together, where they hatch a daring plan to escape the danger from within the camps they are contained in.

If I’m being honest, this was full of exciting action though it had the sense of scenes written with an eye on movie rights being obtained. I liked the characters and there was enough focus on them developing to keep me engaged. My main gripe is that I cannot imagine that, having been through what they had endured during this book, they would willingly turn their backs on their chance of freedom in order to return from where they came in an attempt to rescue the others.

‘Glass Sword’ (Red Queen 2) – Victoria Aveyard

‘Glass Sword’ picks up straight after the events of ‘Red Queen’, and we are thrown quickly into the bloody aftermath of the escape.

This novel focuses a lot more on the emotional impact of events on our key players, which might irritate some readers. It’s not that there isn’t action – there’s a fair few skirmishes – but it’s all part of a much bigger picture so in the grand scheme of things you could argue that not much happens.

That’s what my detached head response says. But as Aveyard keeps pointing out, anyone/anything can betray anyone. My heart has a much stronger response to this novel and I lapped it up whole-heartedly.

Without giving plot details away, this novel focuses on the attempt to find the Newbloods, those Reds with powers, before Maven can get to them. We get to see some interesting new characters, and there’s a definite sense of a strategic pulling together of various threads. Mare develops in ways that aren’t always welcome, but I felt for her as she struggles to become what people want her to be. Her changing relationships with Cal and Kilorn have me totally clueless about which way this romantic element will play out. There’s also a small part of me that would love Maven to be redeemable. I teared up at the loss of some favourites (and, no, I won’t spoil it by saying who) and was more than a little intrigued by the appearance of some new characters.

There’s been some criticism of the revelation that there are to be four books in this series. With an ending like this, however, I personally can’t wait. A powerful, yet ominous, final image that has me desperate to know what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy (sorry to not get round to reading it until a lot later than publication)