Category: Young Adult

‘Lies Like Wildfire’ – Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Lies Like Wildfire was an interesting concept, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance of publication (due September 2021).

The story focuses, initially, on a horrendous wildfire that is started by the reckless behaviour of sheriff’s daughter, Hannah, and her close group of friends. Not being familiar with such an experience, I was surprised by the punishments meted out to anyone causing a fire though given how potentially damaging it is this makes sense. Given such a penalty hanging over them, perhaps it’s more understandable why they do all they can to cover up their involvement.

The ‘monsters’ as her group of friends are affectionately known (after their involvement in a childhood play) are not going to come out of this experience unscathed. Part one of the book focuses on the fire and its immediate aftermath. The police – including Hannah’s father – are drawing closer so it’s understandable that it appears someone is going to crack. However, part two focuses on the disappearance and subsequent search for Violet.

We know these kids are prepared to lie to protect one another. Their relationships are founded on bonds formed years earlier, but they have secrets and are not all keen on protecting themselves. The question becomes who is more desperate to preserve the status quo?

The initial fire story really hooked me. However, it quickly blew up into a more melodramatic story. Hannah – for no obvious reason – got herself into a weird situation with a man who should have known better. Her father was clearly prepared to uphold the law, whatever the personal cost, but we never really saw beyond the surface so don’t know what he suspected. The group were fractured from the off, and their selfishness irritated me. These elements made it hard to sustain the engagement of the beginning, and the open-ended moral ambiguity was frustrating.

‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ – Stephanie Garber

Due for release in September 2021, I have to thank the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I adored the first two books in the Caraval series, and though the final brought some closure it didn’t work as successfully for me. This book features some of the characters that will be familiar to readers of Caraval (and though I think this could standalone, it offers more insight into the actions of some of the characters) and immerses us in another magical world where characters are pushed to their limits in order to define themselves.

Our main character is Evangeline Fox, who believes herself to be in love with childhood friend Luc. She is reeling from the sudden change of heart he appears to have had, and now he is about to marry her stepsister Evangeline wants to find a way to stop events that she believes shouldn’t be happening. So she strikes a bargain with Jacks…

Things do not go as expected. Suddenly the wedding party is turned to stone and Evangeline finds herself in a rather unusual situation. Without hesitation she sacrifices herself, so this is the kind of world that rewards selflessness…and then pitches her into the kind of scenario straight from Grimm’s fairytales.

We learn that Evangeline is sent up North, where she becomes betrothed to Prince Apollo. We know early on that manipulations are at play, but we’re not told the full extent. What we do learn is that many – Jacks included – believe Evangeline to be a crucial part of a long-believed prophesy.

The story focuses on the magic and machinations of those who desire something. Few are exactly as they seem, and it becomes a puzzle for Evangeline to work through. There’s plenty of hints as to what could happen, and we end on a sweet high…happy that some elements have been resolved, but sensing that Evangeline’s ordeal is far from over.

‘In the Wild Light’ – Jeff Zentner

In the Wild Light is a book that I’m going to have to recommend with caution. I imagine anyone who picks it up will enjoy it, but this book – in the right hands – has the capacity to break someone time and time again, before slotting the broken bits back together and forging something new. Yes, this is going to be a book that I know I’ll read again (and that doesn’t happen often), will find ways to use excerpts from in class and will always wish I could recapture the feelings I had as I read it for the first time.

Our main characters, Cash and Delaney, come from a small town called Sawyer in Tennessee. Cash lives with his grandparents after the overdose of his mother, and Delaney’s mother seems to be heading the same way. Cash’s grandfather is dying of emphysema, and the pair of them are coming under pressure from a local dealer to get involved in things they’d rather avoid. At the start of the book I was convinced this would be bleak reading.

We are told early on that Delaney has made an important scientific discovery. How big a thing this is doesn’t become obvious until we’re told that she has an exclusive prep school offering both her and Cash full scholarships to study there. Though they have reservations about leaving at such a time, they are encouraged to break out of their home environment and take a risk.

The opportunity to study at such an establishment cannot be ignored. It changes them both in ways they could never have foreseen, but it also allows them to reflect on what they have come from and what is important to each of them.

There were so many passages and moments within the book that I loved that it’s hard to focus on specifics. The friendship between Delaney and Cash is at the heart of the book, but they would not be where they are without the support of Cash’s grandparents. The professor who fosters Cash’s ability to write was inspiring, and each of the students Cash and Delaney find themselves befriending had something about them. The story is quite simple, but the way in which is written is achingly beautiful. Though I was expecting some of the bleak moments, there were more…but, at its core, there was a strong sense of hope that cannot be ignored.

Jeff Zentner has created a story that goes beyond the boundaries of the page. It’s a love story, testimony to the power of friendship, family and environment. It’s a story that cannot be forgotten.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this in advance of its August release.

 

‘The Girls I’ve Been’ – Tess Sharpe

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication in exchange for my thoughts. The Girls I’ve Been is a hard-hitting story exploring some awful crimes…but from the perspective of a young girl you can’t help but support (even though she’s had to do some awful things).

Nora O’Malley is waiting in line in her local bank to deposit some fund-raising money. She’s with her ex, Wes, and her girlfriend, Iris. Things are normal for them…until they are almost at the front of the line and the man in front of them pulls a gun. They find themselves caught up in a robbery – which would be a dramatic story of its own – but it becomes the perfect catalyst for us to learn the truth about Nora. She is not what her friends think.

During the course of the dramatic few hours they are held captive in the bank, Nora’s insight into the minds of the men holding them hostage reveals she’s got a lot more in common with them than you might think. Nora has been raised by her mother to con people…to read them carefully, to find the perfect mark, to exploit their weakness and then move on.

As their drama in the bank unfolds, we learn the truth about Nora. She has been many girls – each with a particular characteristic – in order to help her mother get the end result. But what we soon learn is that Nora is hiding a bigger secret…the last ‘mark’ was a seriously dangerous man, her mother fell in love with him and Nora did what she had to in order to escape.

There’s so much going on here, but it never felt messy as I was reading. The background to the characters was fascinating, and I really liked the dynamics between the main three characters. I can’t help but feel there’s more we could have been told, and the way the story ends really could be the start of a whole new story. Great fun!

 

‘The Box in the Woods’ – Maureen Johnson

The Box in the Woods sees us back with Stevie and her friends, with Stevie doing what she does best.

In this fourth instalment we see Stevie away from Ellingham Academy and heading to a remote summer camp, home to a series of brutal murders in 1978. Of course, we are watching Stevie as she solves this cold case, but we also get to see a little more of what happened on the night in question.

The town of Barlow Corners is a small town, where everyone knows everyone else and nobody’s business is safe from prying eyes. Barlow Corners is a town where people have their secrets and will do whatever is needed to maintain their security. So, it’s clearly going to be a place that Stevie finds fascinating due to it being the site of such a well-known horror story.

The details of the original crime are pretty grim. A group of four teens are murdered when they sneak out of camp one night. Everyone has an opinion of what might have taken place, but the crimes have never been solved. The story of the four teens found murdered and posed in the woods is certainly of its time, but it was interesting to see how modern readers react to the tale and how they attempt to maintain the facade.

 

‘Hexed: Don’t Get Mad, Get Powers’ – Julia Tuffs

Jessie Jones has got used to moving schools regularly, being the new face and trying to do enough not to get noticed. However, when her mum moves the family back to her hometown, things are not quite as straightforward as she might have hoped.
Trying to fly under the radar might work out okay for most…but when you find your darkest wishes suddenly manifesting in front of you it’s a sign something strange is going on. Jessie finds herself wondering how she’s managed to turn the face of popular bully boy Callum acne-ridden, and how her desire for a boy to get caught out in his lies can result in his nose suddenly growing. What she’s not expecting is the revelation that she’s a witch.
The stereotype of witches is definitely challenged here. Jessie and her family come from a long line of witches, and their powers can come in useful.
There’s a bit of silliness at first with talk of witchcraft being used to rectify awful cooking or to conjure up the perfect bath. But in Hexed we have a superficially funny tale – of a girl who learns she’s a witch coming into her powers – that is used to deliver a very important message about women in society.
From early on we can see things on the island are not quite right. Women are treated badly…and these misogynistic views are held under scrutiny with the focus on behaviour in Jessie’s school. From the casual scoring system of rating girls’ attractiveness to the leery comments and tales of poor behaviour. There’s a clear culture of sexism and this book shows one girl’s attempts to take on and challenge these views.
While it might not exactly be smashing the patriarchy Hexed shows sexism is still an issue and ought to be challenged, by everyone. Along the way, there’s some other useful life lessons challenging attitudes and pushing back bit by bit. A tale that should be shared every day…not just Wednesdays!
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication.

 

‘Blackout’ – Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon

Blackout is a collection of short stories from some fantastic contemporary writers. The premise is straightforward – New York City experiences a blackout and, in the time it takes for light to be restored, we are given an insight into some of the lives of those caught up in the experience.
The six writers involved in this collaboration talk about being keen to show the lives of black teens and to try to ensure a fairer representation for readers. It is clear they are a tight-knit group of writers/friends, and it does seem to have been an interesting collaboration since there are strands running throughout the stories.
The afterword stresses that this book began as a project doing the unsettling first period of adjusting to life in Covid-affected times. Drawing on a common experience, and showing how just one moment can impact on the lives of many is clearly at the fore of the stories. They all explore love – in some form – and the stories/experiences are varied (just as you would expect in life).
Naturally, some of the stories are more engaging than others. I’d hazard a guess that every reader will find a favourite set of characters/story, and it might not necessarily be the one written by the author that you would predict. The story by Tiffany Jackson acts as a framing device for all the stories, and though we spend more time with them these two characters still felt as if there could be more to come from their story.
For me, each story focused on a moment and captured a reaction/thought/idea. They were all cautiously optimistic and offered readers the opportunity to draw a little closer. This might not be the kind of story collection I’d return to time and time again, but I’d certainly recommend it to readers looking for something a little different from writers they are familiar with.

 

‘As Good as Dead’ – Holly Jackson

When I finished Book Two in the series I was struck by the shift into darkness – perhaps inevitable for a true crime focus – but nothing prepared me for the developments we see in As Good as Dead. In this stunning finale to the trilogy (and, boy, does that pain me to write) Pip is thrust into a position it’s hard to imagine…and nobody could come out of that unscathed.

When the book opens, Pip is preparing for her new life at Cambridge. Superficially, her life is good, but the signs are there that events have taken their toll. Pip is far from alright. She’s not sleeping, her nerves are shredded and she seems to be developing a sense of paranoia when she is convinced that the little chalk figures appearing on her driveway, the online death threats and the nuisance phone calls she is receiving are connected. In spite of promises to her parents, Pip needs something to take her mind off things…so she turns to what she knows best. Murders.

 

Pip starts looking into the stalking incidents that the police refuse to take seriously. They share an alarming link with the profile attributed to the DT killer, a recent case where five young women were found murdered. But the DT killer has been behind bars for six years. He confessed, so it can’t be him.

If someone were in this situation they might be reassured, but not Pip. She is unsettled by the links and digs deeper. What if the confession was, as the killer’s mother is convinced, given under duress? Could the real DT killer still be at large? Could Pip be the killer’s intended sixth victim?

This is the point that I give no more details, as the enjoyment of this story really does come from following Pip on her journey and being given access to her thought process as the events she has started to investigate take an incredibly personal – and increasingly sinister – turn. I was – on more than one occasion – stunned by what I was reading. It is haunting, and made me review my thoughts on certain characters and even the events covered in the previous books in the series. When this is published in August I cannot wait to see the reactions…

Holly Jackson, I never imagined you’d go there…what a character you have made us come to love (which makes the events of this book even more difficult to process) and I am so grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this prior to publication.

 

‘The Gilded Cage’ – Lynette Noni

Due out in October 2021, I’m hugely grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this in advance of publication thanks to the publishers and NetGalley…and now I am in eager anticipation of book three.

The Gilded Cage opens with Kiva going to stay with Jaren. They have become close, and – for obvious reasons – Kiva is worried about her growing affection for this man who’s come to mean so much to her. He saved her during the Trial by Ordeal, and she cares for him, but her mission weighs heavily on her mind.

Much of the book focuses on the growing threat from the Rebels, and though we don’t get a lot of detail it is clear that there’s a more strategic fight going on than we’re told about. Jaren and his family are fighting to save the King, and to try to keep their people safe.

From the outset, I was curious to see how Kiva would adjust to her new situation. She finds it hard to trust people, but a couple of key moments within the book show us that learning to trust your own judgment is often the hardest battle. Much of her battle lies with her growing unease at what she has been charged with doing now she has come to see that things are not as clearcut as she has been led to believe.

After the revelations that come thick and fast at the end of this, it’s even harder to see how Kiva can hope to maintain the sense of equilibrium she had discovered thanks to Cal’s training and the support of those she trusts.

This is such a hard review to write as I don’t want to let crucial plot details slip. The pacing drew me in and I felt like I’d been put through the proverbial wringer by the end of it. There were highs…and lows…and I am genuinely excited to see how Noni continues this enthralling tale.

 

‘But for the Mountains’ – Erin Riha

 

The title of this story comes from a story retold late on in the book but which is central to the theme at the heart of this novel…that of survival. But for the Mountains focuses on the story of Arden, a young girl who has endured horrific abuse at the hands of those who should be protecting her, and how she learns to find ways to accept this element of her past and move into a new future.

While the story of survival and the character of Arden herself were engaging, I don’t feel this worked as effectively as it might have because of some of the other plot elements.

Our story is set in the fictional world of Nordania. There are many places within the country mentioned, but I never felt I really was given much to picture the world or how it came to be. We are, however, told that each year there is a group of young women who are sent to the National Institute in order to learn how to rise to their potential role within society – and, though this is never explicitly encouraged, the main aim is to secure a potential match for the Prime Minister’s son.

As a number of reviewers have commented, the competition between a group of young women to secure the hand in marriage of someone important has been done before. It is very reminiscent of The Selection – even down to the backstabbing and machinations to beat their rivals – but it was only once I got to the end of the book that I started to feel this was merely a device to allow the author to convey her message about the society, what these girls endure and how all who ‘look the other way’ are complicit in the abuse.

Arden herself is a character I found intriguing. She is broken, but by the end she is fighting and I definitely liked the way she ended the book. Her relationship with Beck was a curious one, and I’m convinced there is more to this man than meets the eye – how else could he get away with so much?

While there are elements of this book I found did not engage me, it certainly showed us a character determined not to give up, someone you want to succeed and a very real suggestion that she might do okay – in spite of the barriers placed in her way.