Category: Young Adult

‘For the Wolf’ – Hannah F. Whitten

Aderys (or Red) has, since she was born, known her fate. As the Second Daughter to the Queen it has always been known that she will have to go to the Wilderwoods and be delivered to the Wolf as part of the deal to try and do what is needed to bring back the Five Kings. Her sister, Neve, urges her to run away but for reasons she doesn’t want to share Red is keen to follow through with the plans for her.

Upon her arrival at the Wolf’s castle she is surprised by what she finds. Yet something keeps her from embracing this world…her love for her sister.
We follow Red as she tries to control the wildness inside her, and tries to find a way to return to the life she has known.

An interesting idea, and there was plenty crammed in here. The background to the Kings being trapped in the Wilderwood wasn’t fully explained and Neve’s behaviour seemed to be rather too convenient on occasion. However, the focus on Red and the Wolf was interesting and there were suggestions of more going on that could be explained in book two.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my thoughts.’

‘Tell Me When You Feel Something’ – Vicki Grant

A charismatic female student is in a coma. Drugs are rumoured to be involved, but everyone who knows Viv maintains she would never touch drugs. So, what happened?

We learn the shocking truth as we flit between the stories of Viv and her friends. Piece by piece we get to put the story together..and it’s not a pleasant one.

The common factor in the story is the fact that people have secrets they don’t want to share with others. Some of those secrets are more dangerous than others, but – combined –  they create a toxic environment.

Initially it seemed we were being encouraged to see this as a love triangle gone wrong. The home situation of Viv made it all too easy to see how some of this was not seen earlier. There’s a few red herrings thrown in to suggest alternate stories…but I did suspect the truth from quite early on and it became a case of waiting to see how the strands would fit together.

This is certainly a story that will have appeal to many, but there are potentially triggering experiences that could have been better signalled. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication.

 

‘The Things We Don’t See’ – Savannah Brown

Sometimes, it’s hard to trust what we see in front of us…and in the case of Mona, our narrator, she is determined not to accept at face value anything she is told. As CAP she broadcasts a regular podcast looking into the disappearances of people over time. This is – as we come to realise – a situation very close to her heart, but Mona becomes fascinated by the mysterious disappearance of singer/songwriter Roxy Raines.

Ever since her guitar was found washed up off the coast of Sandown, people have wondered what exactly happened to Roxy. Nobody in the small community wants to talk…so Roxy decides to take a three month sabbatical, spend the summer on the island and try to learn the truth.

Of course, nothing is what it seems.

Mona gets herself a reputation for being nosy and manages to alienate most of the small community. Her dogged determination draws in some of those she encounters, and of course I spent most of the book trying to work out what had happened to Roxy.

For me, the situation surrounding Mona and her past was actually more engaging. We got some answers, but it was hard to tell to what extent we could trust Mona’s recollections. Things built to a head more rapidly than I expected, and I was left with rather more questions than I was prepared for.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication.

‘I Know You Did It’ – Sue Wallman

What a rollercoaster of a read…

We know that Ruby is moving to a new school in year eleven, and that things were tough at her previous school – though we don’t learn all the details until later. Her first day seems to suggest a fairly typical experience and I wondered where the twist would come. Right at the end of her first day she finds a note pinned to her locker saying ‘I Know You Did It’…and then we learn that some believe her to have killed a girl.

With such a shocking start, how could you not want to know more? The story is not quite what it seems…and it is very clear that Ruby is struggling to work out how to move on from events in her past and the behaviour of some of those who should have helped her.

The incident in Ruby’s past is bad – but it definitely seems a tragic accident. Unfortunately, someone seems to believe otherwise and this appears to be behind some awful events taking place at her new school.

We follow Ruby as she tried to adjust to a new school. Clearly scarred by her experiences it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Ruby…particularly when we start to get suspicious deaths of students whose last known contact was Ruby.

From the moment we get the first death it’s fascinating to see the reactions of those around Ruby. A rather scary tale showing just how easily some can be manipulated…and just how dangerous unresolved anger can be. So many people could be blamed for how things panned out here, but this was a fantastic read.

 

 

‘Ace of Spades’ – Faridah Ábíké-Íyímídé

Ace of Spades is a gripping read, but one which I wish wasn’t needed. I’m so grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me read this before publication, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy in school.

Our story focuses on Devon and Chiamaka, two students at the prestigious Niveus Academy. They are both determined students, with high hopes and ambitions…but acutely conscious they have to work harder than some of their peers. When they return to school for their Senior Year things start well…but the year quickly takes a turn for the worse.

Someone calling themself Aces begins to send messages to the student body. They threaten to expose secrets that Devon and Chiamaka desperately want to keep hidden. Initially it seems fairly standard bullying…but we soon realise they are the only students targeted and they are both black. There is, sadly, more to this than we might first think.

What started out as a rather obvious high school bullying story soon takes a much darker turn. A little digging and our two students realise that this is systematic racism, and it has been happening annually since 1965. Nothing has been challenged – so we are, of course, right behind Chiamaka and Devon as they attempt to bring down whoever is behind this.

Once we focused on the bigger picture I couldn’t help but feel anger to my core that this could ever be allowed/encouraged, and that so many were complicit in ensuring no harm came to those responsible. Standing by and allowing it to happen is just as bad as instigating it.

 

‘Pride and Premeditation’ – Tirzah Price

There will be readers who dislike this as it’s so different from Jane Austen’s story, and then there will be others who applaud this and take delight in the sense of familiarity while looking for the modern twists. I definitely fall into the latter category.
Pride and Premeditation focuses on Lizzie Bennett and her determination to convince her father that she had what it takes to become a barrister. In this modern version, Lizzie becomes embroiled in a murder investigation, determined to prove that Bingley did not commit murder and that someone else hatched a plan to bring him down.
From the opening pages I found myself loving this. The style is Austen-like and offers a commentary – of sorts – on the society Lizzie is judged by. There’s a few anomalies but these didn’t impede my enjoyment at all.
Great fun…though for readers who don’t know the original it might create something of a shock!

 

‘The Prison Healer’ – Lynette Noni

I’d requested The Gilded Cage (the second in the series) before realising that it was part of a series…cue a hasty purchase of book one, and now I’m feverishly hoping that I’ll get my request authorised as waiting until October will be tough.
There were elements to The Prison Healer that were reminiscent of other fantasy series moments/characters, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This won’t be to everyone’s tastes, and even though a fair few of my predictions came to be correct this was a book I couldn’t put down once I’d started.

When we first meet Kiva we learn of the day her family are attacked, and she is taken to Zalindov. Ten years later we discover she is still in Zalindov prison, her father has died and she has found herself working as the prison healer. Her life is tough, she is under constant pressure and she dreams of escaping and finding her remaining family.

The story centres on the events after the so-called Rebel Queen Tilda is captured and brought to prison. She is to face a barbaric torture – the four trials – and all Kiva knows is that she has been tasked with keeping this prisoner alive so that rescue can come.

Without giving important details away, Kiva vows to do whatever she needs to in order to protect those she cares about. She takes on the sickly queen’s trials herself…and though nobody has ever survived these four trials Kiva is determined to give it her best shot.

Of course we know these trials are a device to create tension and that Kiva will, ultimately, succeed. She is forced to rely on help from some new friends – which is a tough call for a girl who has had to be so self-reliant. The tension came from the little details that were revealed through the process, and the hints at the bigger picture that was largely ignored throughout the book. There is a rather shocking revelation at the end (though it was nice to have my predictions confirmed in some aspects) and it has made me even more desperate to get my hands on an ARC of book two. I can’t wait to see what is in store next…

 

‘Our Last Echoes’ – Kate Alice Marshall

 

Our Last Echoes was always going to have to be a book I tried as soon as I saw the Twin Peaks mention…and it definitely has its surreal, downright creepy, moments where you’re never quite sure what is actually going on. I also started reading The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson at the same time, and there was a similar oppressive quality to the description of the place where much of the story takes place.

Our main character Sophia recalls nearly drowning as a young child, and she has always been plagued by memories that she can’t explain. Passed from one foster home to another, she has always felt the need to learn more about the disappearance of her mother and to learn of the significance of Bitter Rock to her life.

After pestering Dr Kapoor – the woman who is in charge of those who are allowed to work on the island – Sophia is allowed to visit. Given what we later learn about her link to Bitter Rock I still think this is rather unlikely, but it’s a necessary device to get her to the heart of where these strange things keep happening.

Many people have heard of this place. Throughout time, people who have visited the island mysteriously disappear. Nobody can explain what happens to them. As we learn more about these unusual events, I can fully understand why.

From the outset it is highly suggested that we are in the grip of something that is hard to explain. After finishing the book I can still think of no rational explanation for what happens, and if you were to get caught up in events such as this in reality you would be terrified.

This is certainly a book to go into with little warning of what is to come. It doesn’t shy away from some very dark moments, and this will not be to everyone’s tastes. However, the inclusion of interview transcripts and the details from different times lends a fascinating element to a most unusual story.

‘The Outrage’ – William Hussey

Imagine a world where to be gay or trans is a crime. You’re a degenerate and treated as sub-human by members of The Protectorate, the leaders of this new world charged with keeping order and keeping everyone safe. This is the awful world in which Gabe lives.

Our main character is forthright, angry and prone to making some really stupid choices. But he’s also loyal and loving, and determined to stick up for what he believes is right – no matter the cost.

Gabe and his friends – who charmingly call themselves The Rebels – know they are different, and that people are threatened by them. They want nothing more than to be themselves, to be proud of who they are and to live their lives.

Unfortunately, Gabe is also in love with Eric Dufresne, the son of someone high in the ranks of The Protectorate. When they are caught trying to remove a banned disc, showing that dangerous movie ‘Love, Simon’, things quickly escalate and what became an idealistic aim becomes a fight for survival.

Hussey creates a truly shocking environment-strangely not at all incredible given some of the situations and events we see happening around us. While the representation may not please everyone, it’s an evolving process to encourage people to consider their place, their personal beliefs and their role in history.

I’m looking forward to seeing what people make of this, and I’m so grateful to NetGalley for granting me early access.

 

 

‘The Obsession’ – Jesse Q. Sutanto

I cannot even begin to imagine where the author will take this story in book two, but I found myself surprisingly captivated by Dee who is (without a doubt) the real focus of our story.
The story is told from two points of view – of Logan, a star lacrosse player, and Dee, a new student at the school. From the beginning my senses were tingling in overdrive at Logan and his earnest creepiness. Nobody seemed suspicious of him, but his internal monologue as he talks about a past student and his relationship with her gives off very worrying vibes. When he sees Dee across the school site, he is convinced they are destined to be together and so begins his one-sided pursuit of this quiet young girl who is definitely not what she first appears.
Dee has her own secrets. Some of which are more serious than others, and some of which certainly took me rather by surprise. What we know from very early on is that Dee is suffering at the hands of her abusive stepfather…but as he’s a policeman she and her mum believe they’re on their own.
Splitting between the two views means some of the plot details are not revealed quite as quickly as you might like. Logan is convinced he has the upper hand in his relationship with Dee, and I can’t begin to imagine how terrifying it would be to find yourself faced with a stalker who’s under the delusion that you are as committed to the relationship as he is. However, we also learn pretty early on that Dee has a resolve to her that is positively scary.
Reading this became a tense cat and mouse style chase, where we knew someone would come out of this badly but we genuinely don’t know who it will be. We know we haven’t seen the end of this setting/characters, and I am very curious to see how things develop as they leave the safety of high school.