Young Adult – Page 51 – My Good Reads

‘Silver Stars’ -Michael Grant

Silver Stars

It is the summer of 1943 and our women soldiers, with the cries of battle fresh in their ears, are being shipped out – with the rest of the American army – to conquer the Italian island of Sicily.

With some time having passed since I read the first in the series, it did take a little time to get back in the heads of Frangie, Rainy and Rio though they remain fascinating characters. Once again Grant blends the historical detail with masterful storytelling to create the kind of book that you want to devour in one sitting, but also savour for what it tells us about war and our attitudes to fighting.

As Grant points out, he tones down the reality faced by those at war and that’s a sobering thought. The accounts of battle are vivid, and it is as if we are alongside the soldiers through their experiences. Too often, there were details I’d rather not have to think about, but I think that simply shows why books such as this are needed.

I felt mixed emotions while reading this. I felt frustration at the situations these men and women were placed in; I felt annoyed by the casual sexism and racism that was faced; I was dismayed at the seeming ineptness of some of those in charge, but my overwhelming feeling was of intense admiration for those who can face their worst fears as these characters do.

I received a copy from edelweiss in exchange for my honest thoughts, and I have to thank them – and Grant himself – for giving me the opportunity to read this.

‘Demon Road 3:American Monsters’ -Derek Landy

In the third in the series, Amber and Milo are on the trail of her parents – while also trying to work out how to double-cross the demon Astaroth.

While I find the relationship between Milo and Amber fun, and there are some great humorous scenes here, I do feel that a lot of the violence is unnecessary and this detracts from the good elements of the book (sorry to those fans who are, no doubt, cursing me now).

As we watch Amber’s journey we see her relationships with a number of characters develop in rather unexpected ways. Unfortunately, there were just one too many incidental journeys/events that meant this felt a little dragged-out to me.

Towards the end, as we started to explore Amber’s reaction to events, I felt we got back on track. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication, but I’ve felt less engaged with this series as it’s progressed and it’s a shame as it started so well.

‘Perfect’ – Sara Shepherd

Perfect

Although I wasn’t expecting some of the events that we’ve seen so far, I have to say that I think this is the best of the first three books in the series.

There was, naturally, a little less linking back to events and I got the impression that certain details are being put in place for us that might only make sense as we progress through the series. There felt to be more interruption from A, and I loved the fact that there was a more menacing tone to the notes/messages.

A lot of the focus in this novel is on Emily and her uncertainty over her sexuality. She has a refreshingly honest relationship with Maya and I felt really angered by the reaction of her parents and some of the other characters to what was revealed. I also found myself wondering how Mona turned so quickly, and Spencer’s behaviour is definitely setting off alarm bells. I can’t be the only one surprised at the apparent ease with which certain characters are getting injured/bumped off, so I’m wondering just who is going to be left soon!

‘The Naturals’ – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Naturals

Seventeen year old Cassie has a natural talent – she can read people, and is adept at working out their likes and interests from observation. This is a skill that she’s always had, and refined with her mother’s help. Unfortunately, since her mother’s disappearance – and presumed death – Cassie hasn’t felt comfortable with her talent.

Then one day the FBI come calling and try to enlist Cassie in their new program, using teenagers with exceptional abilities to profile cases that haven’t been solved. Determined to try and find out more about what happened to her mother, Cassie enlists – and gets a lot more than she bargained for!

While the whole idea might be seen as preposterous, this is a highly entertaining novel that will be of interest. There are some graphic details connected to murders, but nothing like the level of detail that some writers seem intent on giving us.

I enjoyed seeing how Cassie got on with the other teenagers she is placed with. They are all damaged in some way, but the relationships that Cassie forges were interesting.

At one or two moments the story felt slow, but when we are introduced to the serial killer currently at work – who seems to be linked to Cassie in some way – it becomes a lot more intriguing. Throughout I was trying to second-guess just who was involved, and how, but I was totally off!

‘Flawless’ – Sara Shepherd

Flawless

In the second in the Pretty Little Liars series we continue with the creepy messages from A and it’s quite unnerving how the messages show explicit knowledge of what the girls have been up to. It’s enough to make anyone paranoid, and you can sense the creep-factor being ramped up here.

Naturally there are some differences from the TV series, in terms of order of events and the level of focus on specific characters. Honestly, I do think the girls in the books are a lot less appealing; they’re all heavily flawed, and we don’t really see much sign of any redeeming features.

After the discovery of Alison’s body at the end of book one, it’s of obvious interest to work out what’s going on. The fingers are pointing heavily to Toby and all the girls have moments that are worthy of some horror movie parody. The notes from A are genuinely creepy though, and I felt that with the adult characters acting as they do it’s hardly any wonder that the girls are rather flawed.

We are told a little more about the situation between Jenna and Toby, though it’s painted in a far less positive light here. While I’m finding the reading of this series good fun, I can’t deny it is totally superficial.

‘The Last Beginning’ – Lauren James

The Last Beginning

Finishing while you’re ahead is always a good idea, but this was such a wonderful read there’s a part of me that hopes there is more to come.

In The Last Beginning we follow Clove Sutcliffe as she learns about her real parents and the role they played in history. We are introduced to one or two familiar faces and get to meet some new, very intriguing, characters.

If you’ve read the first in the series you will be pleased to know this novel helps us make a lot more sense of some of the more confusing elements of the first novel. This is a deftly constructed, compelling read that had me desperate to see how things would be resolved. I loved the character of Clove and as she develops an understanding of her role in history, I couldn’t wait to see how James dealt with some of my unanswered questions. I was gripped by this from the moment I started. Time travel is a familiar concept to explore, but there’s a real sense of James’s skill in controlling what information we need to know at what point in time.

I would urge you to read The Next Together immediately if you haven’t already, then treat yourself to this little gem.

‘Pretty Little Liars’ – Sara Shephard

Pretty Little Liars

My first encounter with Emily, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, the mysterious A and a whole host of other characters came when I started watching the series on Netflix. It’s the kind of series where everyone is impossibly glamorous – I’m pretty certain that few people look like this lot at high school – but the wicked humour and clever plotting has quickly made it a firm favourite of mine. Although I’ve become an avid fan of the series, I wasn’t sure if I could face reading the sixteen novels on which the show is based.

I can only apologise, and say that I wish I hadn’t waited so long.

For those of you unfamiliar with the series we focus on what was a close-knit group of friends. They have gone their separate ways since the ‘leader’ of their group – Alison – has gone missing. Her disappearance causes ripples in the small community of Rosewood but life goes on.

Just like the TV series we are aware very early on that the key characters are all involved in something that the group want to remain hidden. Their secret has kept them tied to each other, even though they don’t seem to like each other very much at times. We become aware that each of the girls also has their own secret, which Alison knew, but none of the others were aware of. These secrets are things they don’t want anyone to know about, yet when they start receiving messages from ‘A’ we watch them unravel as they try to work out just who is watching them.

The idea of someone monitoring their every move in the way that would have to be happening here is quite creepy. Initially the girls think Alison can’t have disappeared and that she is tormenting them for her own fun. However, when her body is found in her old back-yard, it seems there’s a little more to this mystery than we first thought.

While I found the constant name-checking of brands and products rather irritating in the novel, I was interested to see how the novels differed from the show. The female characters in the book are more nuanced than we’re led to believe and I liked the fact that their roles within the group are not quite so defined. In my head as I’m reading I confess to visualising the characters from the show, even though in a number of cases they are nothing alike. The first novel ends shortly after the discovery of Alison’s body so we are left with many questions, and I really liked the device of having A directly address us at the end.

I picked this up because of a reading challenge I’m involved in which is focusing on Series reads – with sixteen to get through, I might not manage them all in one go but I’m happy to read along for a little.

‘Before Life Happened’ – Isabel Curtis

The front cover drew me to this – partly because it was so intriguing, but also because it hints at something innocent being hidden or masked in some way.

Described as a distinctive coming-of-age novel ‘Before Life Happened’ is the first in a series. The second is due out in January 2017, and I think this sets us up well for developing a story while maintaining our interest in established characters.

Hayden Wilson and her brothers are left devastated by the sudden death of their parents. Nobody is sure what to do, when they are so used to having someone guide them. The brothers are doing what they can, but Hayden is really struggling to accept what has happened.

In this story we see things go from bad to really awful for Hayden. Clearly struggling to cope with her grief over the loss of her parents, Hayden shuts herself away from those who could help. She had people looking out for her, but not in the way that meant they could make any difference.

Though the story was quite entertaining I was surprised at just how quickly Hayden gets into trouble. The events that she gets caught up in are beyond the wildest imaginings of many of us, but many of the key issues are resolved in some way. I’m not totally convinced by the conduct of some of the adult characters in the novel, but I think this will have its fans.

‘The Yellow Room’ – Jess Vallance

Having read ‘Birdy’ it came as little surprise to me that in ‘The Yellow Room’ Vallance creates another set of dysfunctional characters, who form unhealthy obsessions.

When sixteen year old Anna receives a letter from her father’s girlfriend, asking that they meet because he has died we are given some clues about the type of relationship Anna has with her family. It did strike me as strange that this issue wasn’t discussed by Anna with anyone, and that Anna received such important news from someone she had never met.

Against her better judgement Anna meets Edie, and is immediately drawn to her. Edie is the mother-figure that Anna desperately craves, and the bond they form is unnaturally close.

As the story progresses we are given some clues as to how this story might resolve. By the time we start to piece some of these ideas together it is, just as it is for Anna, too late to do anything but see them through to their natural conclusion.

Tautly written, and quite unnerving, this is a dark story that I didn’t particularly like but couldn’t put down.

‘The Serpent King’ – Jeff Zentner

Travis, Lydia and Dill live in what can best be described as a claustrophobic Southern town. Preparing to leave high school we start with the three best friends caught up in their own personal issues.

None of them have great lives, and they all seem lost.

Dill is the only son of a Pentecostal minister who has had a very public fall from grace, which Dill is taunted about on a daily basis. He is in love with his best friend, Lydia, but cannot tell her how he feels. She is determined to escape their small town with her fashion blog. Travis lives in his own fantasy world, preferring it to the reality of the world he is faced with. None of these teenagers seems comfortable in their own skin, and they don’t seem as though they’ll work together. But they do.

I found the setting hard to take initially. The extreme religious focus, and the lack of understanding many of the characters show was really hard to take.

There came a point, as we start to get under the skin of the three characters, that I started to get more intrigued. Things didn’t always take the obvious route and this was one of those books that appealed to me in ways I wasn’t expecting.

Bleak in many ways, but there was an endearing sense of hope too.