Young Adult – Page 67 – My Good Reads

‘The Sin Eater’s Daughter’ – Melinda Salisbury

Having read a rather scathing review of this, I admit to starting it with some trepidation.

Twylla is the Sin Eater’s Daughter, relied upon by her villagers to absolve them of their sins. Early in life she is taken to the castle and told that her role in life is to fulfil the wishes of the gods.

According to those she interacts with, Twylla can kill with a poisoned touch. She is chosen to marry the Prince, but the appearance of farmer boy Lief throws this into question.

Unfortunately, for large parts of the novel Twylla does nothing. She worries about everything but never actually takes any action.

I was annoyed by the epilogue as its ambiguity made little sense. Not one of my most enjoyable reads Ii have to say.

‘Mind Games’ – Teri Terry

‘Mind Games’ is set in a futuristic world, where people willingly plug into Realtime – a virtual world that allows them to learn and travel without their bodies having to go anywhere.

I loved the ‘Slated’ trilogy, so was curious to see what would happen in this story.
Luna refuses to join in the technologically-dependant lifestyle favoured by her peers. We assume that her misgivings are linked to something to be revealed later…they are.

I felt this to be a little slow initially. As soon as Luna is selected for the testing process, and we see the world unravelling, it became a book I can only describe as mesmerising.

Luna was a great character and this was an intriguing idea. I am not ashamed to admit I loved Gecko, and the revelation of what is actually taking place made me feel cold!

‘Jekyll’s Mirror’ – William Hussey

I picked this book up as it was featured on the longlist for the 2016 Carnegie Awards.

Cyberbullying has become something of a hot topic in YA fiction, reflecting our concerns with just how the perceived anonymity of social media can impact on behaviour. This is a little more interesting because of its knowing nods to Stevenson’s Gothic classic.

Sam has had a hellish experience, seeing his mother murdered by his father, and he is obviously concerned about his own behaviour and potential for violence. He is asked by his English teacher to take part in a new project – ‘Project Hyde’ – and the experience is, initially, exhilarating. Sam quickly becomes aware of the growing obsession those in this group have with the project, and the impact it is having on their behaviour.

This was dark and fairly graphic on occasion, which might be off-putting to younger readers. However, with many teenagers now having to study ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ this is an interesting modern exploration of some of the novel’s key ideas.

‘Raining Fire’ – Alan Gibbons

Ethan has a promising career as a footballer, and it is going to be his way out of the dead-end estate he calls home.

Unfortunately, things don’t go quite to plan. When his brother, Alex, is charged with assault it’s clear that Ethan is going to find it hard to escape the gangs that rule the estate.

Ethan tries to sort things out for his brother, but his actions have far-reaching consequences.

Like a number of Alan Gibbon’s novels, this is a fast-paced read that will hit the spot for younger – probably male – readers. I found it desperately bleak and, at times, quite unpleasant.

‘The Light That Gets Lost’ – Natasha Carthew

When Trey is a young child he is witness to a traumatic event. In the real world, this would result in all manner of therapy and monitoring – here, he is kind of left to get on with things, determined to get his revenge on his parents’ murderer.

I wanted to like this book, but it was hard to get into. The initial idea that he would grow up a petty criminal and just happen to get sent to a juvenile detention camp where the killer is was a step too far.

There were some beautiful passages in the story, but not enough to really keep someone hooked. Towards the end it got interesting – but I can see many readers giving up before this point.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

‘The Hollow Boy’ – Jonathan Stroud

What can I say? Another great adventure in the Lockwood & Co. series.

This time, there is a supernatural outbreak that is taxing all the agencies in London. Old rivalries are put aside as the agents have to work together to keep alive.

Glamorous new assistant, Holly Munro, causes some upset and the skull in the jar is becoming more and more vocal.

The ending hints at a dark and terrible future. I personally can’t wait for the next in the series!

‘Need’ – Joelle Charbonneau

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WANT AND A NEED. WHAT DO YOU NEED?
One by one, the teens in Nottawa, Wisconsin join the newest, hottest networking site and answer one question: What do you need? A new iPhone? Backstage tickets to a concert? In exchange for a seemingly minor task, the NEED site will fulfill your request. Everyone is doing it. So why shouldn’t you?

Kaylee Dunham knows what she needs –a kidney for her sick brother. She doesn’t believe a social networking site can help, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

Or could it?

After making her request, Kaylee starts to realize the price that will have to be paid for her need to be met. The demands the site makes on users in exchange for their desires are escalating and so is the body count. Will Kaylee be able to unravel the mystery of who created the NEED network—and pull the plug before it destroys them all?

As soon as I read this description I really wanted to read this book. I was lucky enough to receive a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, prior to publication in November.

The first thing I will say is that this is a great concept – and it doesn’t surprise me that the novel is already being optioned for a movie. Initially, the demands placed on the students are fairly trivial, but things quickly take a far more sinister turn. The consequences of what people are being asked to do are far-reaching, but if nobody knows who’s done it, does it matter?

This certainly encourages readers to question their own sense of morals. Unfortunately, I felt the ending of the book became less secure and with so many characters involved in telling us their stories I became less interested as it went on. This is a shame as I really wanted to love this novel.

‘Asking For It – Louise O’Neill

I decided to read this after reading ‘Only Ever Yours’ and having a colleague – who has passed on some humdingers – recommend it.

First, I have to stress that this is a book that I really do believe EVERYONE should read. Teens, parents, anyone who works with young adults…they should be made to read this and then sit down and talk about their response to the ideas it raises. This is not a comfortable read, and it is not one I could say I enjoyed reading, but I could not put it down!

Emma, as is so often the case in real-life as teens work out who they are, is not a particularly likeable character. She is rude to her friends and family, makes some quite unwise decisions and has such a barbed tongue on her that you can understand why some of the characters within the novel take the view towards what happens to her that they do. That doesn’t mean they are right.

If you are going to pick up this book, it’s likely to be because you are already aware of the areas covered within its pages. Emma goes to a party, drinks, takes drugs and consents to sex with one man. What she doesn’t consent to, however, is what happens later at the party.

When we see her waking up the next morning, half-undressed, on her porch she has extreme sunburn and very little memory of what took place at the party. Like Emma, the details of what happened are drip-fed to us. Learning bit by bit about how she was gang-raped and her violation was revealed on social media was painful to read. What was even more painful was the reaction of others who feel that the boys – local heroes – involved shouldn’t be punished for their crime, and that Emma was responsible in some way for what happened to her.

This is a book that has, since I read it, generated huge amounts of publicity. It was a book that made me so angry when I first put it down, and it is certainly the kind of book that you have to talk about. Having had a number of conversations with teenagers I teach where they eerily mirrored some of the ideas expressed in the novel, it is clearly a much-needed novel.

For Emma, and all the other girls who seem to think that they do ‘ask for it’, I feel desperately sad. I also feel that this is a book that will generate discussion and – if we’re really lucky – change behaviour and attitudes. I certainly hope so.

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain – John Boyne

While this is not a complex book, it deals confidently with complex issues.

The opening clearly establishes the relationship between Pierrot and his deaf Jewish friend – a relationship that will become highly significant later in the novel. When young Pierrot’s parents both die he is sent to an orphanage and we start to get a sense of what was happening in the background of the time. Slowly, we are immersed in a world where the rights of a group of people were eroded piece by piece.

As with ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, seeing this world through the eyes of a child makes it more horrific. Initially I found the character of Pierrot more likeable than Bruno; this is why what happens subsequently is more chilling.

The discovery that Pierrot has an aunt who is willing to look after him seems a good thing. Following him on his journey we witness snapshots of the changing attitudes in Germany. These do not make for comfortable reading, though I wonder whether the significance of the events will be apparent to younger readers. When Pierrot arrives at the home where his aunt is housekeeper we think he will be safe. Sadly, the master of the house is Adolf Hitler and what we have to witness is the gradual erosion of the moral compass of this young boy.

Pieter (as he becomes known) comes to worship Herr Hitler and we watch helplessly as he is drawn into a world so different to the one his family envisaged for him. His betrayal of his aunt was a truly horrific scene to read, and the actions of Hitler leave us in no doubt that what we are witnessing is the destruction of innocence in one man’s pursuit of glory. Pieter becomes a character that is so twisted by the values/beliefs of those around him that he is quite repellent at stages. Ultimately, he is still a child at the close of the novel and Boyne is careful to make clear that while Pieter has committed some unspeakable acts he is very much a product of his environment, and not beyond salvation.

For me the most poignant moment came after Hitler’s death when Herta leaves and speaks to Pieter of what will happen now: “you have many years ahead of you to come to terms with your complicity in these matters. Just don’t ever tell yourself that you didn’t know…That would be the worst crime of all.”

Reading about such a subject is not, and nor can it be, pleasant, but I feel this is a book that deserves to be read.

The Starblade Chronicles Book 1: A New Darkness – Joseph Delaney

Tom Ward is no longer an apprentice in this new trilogy from Joseph Delaney. Following the death of his master in battle, Tom is a fully-fledged spook – charged with protecting the county from all manner of supernatural creatures.

I couldn’t wait to read more about Tom’s adventures, but I loved the fact that we were given new characters in this series. Jenny, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, is fabulous and I was so thrilled to see Grimalkin play such a part in this story.

While this could stand-alone, I think that those who’ve slogged through the 13 instalments of the Spooks Apprentice series will find more of interest.

The ending came as something of a sucker-punch. What a way to leave us hanging…and guarantee that we’ll read the second book when it’s released!