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‘A Court of Wings and Ruin’ – Sarah J. Maas

I have to begin my review, sadly, by criticising a rather large online organisation – whom I use A LOT. They messed up here. I pre-ordered my physical copy of the book to arrive on delivery day…the night before I got an email telling me my copy would arrive at the end of the month! Simply not good enough…and I am eternally grateful to the ebook here, as it saved me!

Anyway, issues with actually getting my hands on a copy aside, this is another of those books that you will love if you like Sarah J. Maas.

Our story begins with Feyre back in the Spring Court playing a very dangerous game as she seeks allies and tries to establish just who to trust. This first part allowed us to see a little more of Feyre and Lucien – which was good – but I did find it a little dull. Stick with it though, as it gets a whole lot more exciting.

The book comes into its own once Feyre returns to the place she considers her home, alongside Rhysand. With people being told about her new role as High Lady we focus more on the political manoeuvrings as battle looms.

A warning for anyone who goes off the loose book recommendations. I’ve seen this marketed as for 11+ – the very graphic sex scenes make perfect sense in terms of the story, but I don’t think they are necessarily suitable for a younger reader (bit more graphic than the Jilly Cooper books I used to nick from my sister).

That aside, the story is epic in scope. We see everything coming together, and I was desperate to read on to find out just what happens. I loved the fact that we see old and new characters here, and Feyre slowly comes to realise that acting out of a need for revenge isn’t always the most effective move. There were moments in the battle that almost had me in tears – definite movie-style tear-jerking moments.

Thankfully, though not everyone makes it and there’s a lot of loose ends to tie up, there’s plenty to keep you satisfied here.

 

‘Tease’ – Amanda Maciel

Any book about bullying, where a character has committed suicide, is not going to be fun to read. This even less so, as we’re told it’s based on a real event where a group of teenagers faced charges for bullying a new girl to their school.
What I did find interesting was that this was from the viewpoint of one of the bullies, Sara. We watch her recollect the events leading to Emma’s suicide, and see the consequences this event has had on her present day. I was never sure to what extent things were being sugar-coated – Sara, for a long time, cannot see how bad her behaviour has been.

Throughout the book I found myself thinking that Emma was a character who had a lot of things going on, some of which we were not told much about, and that nobody really seemed to take any time to find out more about her. Most of the characters in this book seemed content to fall into their stereotyped role, and to not challenge it.

All in all this is a book that felt like it was trying hard to get teen readers to think more about their behaviour, but it didn’t really hang together as effectively as other books I’ve read that aim for a similar effect.

 

‘I Have No Secrets’ – Penny Joelsen

Due for release by Egmont in May 2017, Joelsen’s debut is a feel-good, dare I say it whimsical, story. I do not mean that response to sound so negative. As I was reading the story, I was desperate for the happy ending, and for things to work out as they did – but it all felt rather too neat once I’d had a little time to reflect on this.

The story is told through the voice of fourteen year old Jemma, a girl with severe cerebral palsy, who is unable to communicate with anyone. Yet do not make the mistake that many people who meet Jemma make…she is not stupid; she is totally sentient and she is a wry observer of the goings on around her. She simply cannot tell anyone about her experience or observations, and her frustration oozes from the page.

We are given privileged access into her mind, and her voice shines through the story. I loved the way she relays some of the issues of living with cerebral palsy without it turning into a pity-fest. She is a shrewd judge of character and her observations about her foster family and the other characters she interacts with were humorous. It is when she comes face to face with Dan, the boyfriend of her carer, right at the start of the book that we are given some indication that there is more to this than an attempt to raise awareness of living with disability.

Dan – convinced Jemma will never be able to communicate with those around her – is a very different character once he is left alone with her. In the best pantomime villain fashion he struts around Jemma’s living room or hospital room, making threats and revealing his prejudice (but only when he thinks nobody else is there to hear him). For this alone I would gladly have applauded all manner of nasty things happening to him. But Dan shares a big secret with Jemma. One that he can’t afford for anyone else to know. It’s such a shame that as we near the climax of the novel Jemma just so happens to come into contact with some wonderful researchers who are trialling a new method of communication that Jemma is actually able to use…yes, we know exactly where this is going, but we want it to happen and don’t care about how unlikely some of these events are. It all makes perfect sense at the time.

A huge thank you to Joelsen, along with Egmont and NetGalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of this. Up there with ‘Wonder’ as one to get people talking…

‘First Class Murder’ – Robin Stevens

In this third outing of the Detective Agency, we are in for a real treat as we journey with Hazel and Daisy on The Orient Express. They are under strict instructions to do absolutely no detective work whatsoever…thank goodness they don’t do as they’re told.

As a younger reader I would have loved to have read about the adventures of these two. They are rather old-fashioned (the 1930s setting makes their behaviour/scenarios feasible) but their camaraderie is reminiscent of Holmes and Watson, though the drugs are replaced with cakes and crossword puzzles!

Within hours of Hazel and Daisy getting on board the train we’ve been introduced to our ragtag bunch of characters, who become suspects in this third case for the girls.

We have a spoilt heiress; a rude husband; a penniless relative who writes murder mysteries; a Russian Countess and a magician. When Mrs Daunt is found in a locked room with her throat cut we immediately have a reason to mistrust every character we’ve come across, and it’s over to the girls to work out who did it and why.

Great fun, raising awareness of some bigger issues and, hopefully, arousing curiosity in its readers to learn more of the time/events referred to.

‘Spontaneous’ – Aaron Starmer

Never did I think I would be typing the words spontaneous combustion in a book review…but, it’s impossible to avoid mentioning that phrase seeing as that is what happens to many of the characters in this novel. Yes, really…

Mara is a senior who, in our opening chapter, watches one of her classmates spontaneously combust. Initially, there’s a sense of shock – but as more and more seniors go the same way, it’s evident that something odd is happening. It’s probably best to not ask too many questions (as we’re never really told why this is happening) but you will find yourself drawn into the way in which those remaining respond to events.

We watch Mara as she and her friends try to come to terms with the weird events taking place in their previously nondescript town. Rather than fretting about the normal everyday teenage concerns, Mara and her peers are simply trying to make it through one day at a time.

There were scenes in this novel that I could not help but laugh aloud at. The game with Mara trying to get her shot of classmates Wie, Love and Cox sitting on a bench will remain etched in my memory. Yet there are also many touching scenes.

An odd read, that I really found myself liking. Though I would have liked a neater resolution (it felt like there needed to be a purpose to this), this was – in Mara’s words – invigorating.

 

‘Seven Trees of Stone’ – Leo Hunt

An unusual read, but it will thrill fans of the series.

It’s been a while since I read book two but this gives some recaps while plunging us into a new story. It doesn’t take long to pick things back up, honest.

Luke has got used to a quieter life, and some time has passed since the events of Book Two. There are still issues between Luke and his mother, and his acceptance of her new boyfriend Darren. When Luke is persuaded to spend New Year’s Eve in Darren’s woodland home we are expecting something dramatic – but this was off the scale of what I thought might happen.

This story tells us about a New Year’s Eve with a difference. After an argument, Luke wakes to find himself in Deadside with no idea of how he came to be there. The world has frozen over, and something is attempting to take over the land of the living.

We watch Luke and Elza encounter some pretty nasty things, but they are resourceful and find a way to take on these Essentials. As with previous books, there’s some graphic description but it is exciting stuff.

I was pretty surprised by the final showdown, and think that’s a fitting ending to events. However, Luke’s final actions imply there could be more to come.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

‘One of Us is Lying’ – Karen M. McManus

Due for publication at the end of May 2017, I am really grateful to the author and publishers Delacorte Press (via NetGalley) for allowing me to read this early.

For readers of the target group, the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club will probably not mean anything. But, throughout, I could see the influence of this movie – and one or two hit teen dramas of recent years – on the way this was written. Yet I never felt I was simply rehashing old ground.

The basic plot is simple. Five students of Bayview High – the “walking teen stereotypes” – are put in detention one night. One of the five, Simon, runs a hit app on which his peers depend for their gossip. Unfortunately Simon was planning to reveal a little secret belonging to each of the four students with him in detention. This provides each of the four with a reason to be a suspicious character in the investigation that ensues after Simon (who suffers with a peanut allergy) ends up dead.

A high-impact start, and we are taken on something of a rollercoaster ride as we learn a little more about Bronwen, Nate, Addy, Cooper and the young man who seemed to hold the key to their high school happiness in his hands.

Don’t worry, there’s no big reveal here. What I will tell you is that I was second-guessing everyone and everything I was told. I trusted nobody and, though I suspected the final revelation, I still wasn’t certain until very close to the end.

A greta debut, and one I will be heartily recommending to my students.

‘I Found You’ – Lisa Jewell

Alice looks out of her window one morning and sees a man sitting on the beach. It’s raining, but he has no coat. Later that day he’s still there. Most of us would turn away, but Alice invites him into her home-even though he has no memory of who he is.

At the same time we see young bride Lily going crazy because her husband has not come home. They are recently married and life is idyllic. So where is he? Nobody knows, and Lily realises she knows little about the man she’s married-made worse when the police tell her that her husband doesn’t actually exist.

Alongside these two stories we are taken back to 1993, where we follow Graham and his family on their summer holiday. They encounter Mark Tate, an older teen who attaches himself to the fifteen year-old sister of Graham. Something is seriously wrong, and we watch in anticipation of working out exactly what this is.

We follow the story as the two women come to learn how their stories link.
I liked the jumping around time frames and slowly piecing together exactly what happened. However, I felt that this was character driven and the characters weren’t ones I particularly cared for.

‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ – Jay Asher

Strangely, this is one of those ‘classic’ reads that has passed me by. I had heard students talking about the Netflix version of it recently, and was curious to see to what extent this show had altered the text. Before I go any further, I must point out I’ve not watched the series yet-but it’s come in for some criticism.

Before I started reading I was wondering why Asher decided to have Hannah, his main character, tell her story through tapes. It was a dated mode in 2007, and I can’t see it coming close to making sense to today’s teenagers. That aside, I think most will read this for the idea behind it – and the exploration of character.

The opening part of the book introduces us to Clay. He’s just received a mysterious package with thirteen tapes inside. When he starts listening to the tapes he learns they’re from Hannah, a girl in his school, who recently killed herself. On the tapes she pledges to reveal how thirteen individuals played their part in her decision.

Clay himself was a good guy. He obviously felt deeply affected by what he was hearing, and we were left with the view of him as a boy who tried to do right but who, on the main event, didn’t quite push far enough.

Other characters were far less appealing. Whether it’s one-time friend who puts her down; the boy who objectifies her; the first kiss who laughs with his mates and exaggerates just what they got up to; the peeping tom who pretends to be her friend or the teacher who doesn’t quite get it, there’s an awful lot of characters who play their part in helping feed Hannah’s low self-esteem.

Reading the transcript of the tapes puts us in Clay’s shoes. There’s a morbid curiosity about just what circumstances created the feeling in Hannah (who seems quite a strong character on the surface) that this was her only option. What stuck with me was a comment from the start of the book where Hannah says ‘it’s not about what you did…it’s about the repercussions of what you did’. Given the pressures on teenagers now, I think this message is more pertinent than ever-and if readers take nothing else from it than to consider how their action/inaction might affect someone else, then it’s a good thing.

I found it hard that Hannah reaches out on a couple of occasions (but not in a way that really indicates she’s feeling anything beyond frustration with her peers) and we do get given a number of ‘check-list’ features that more vulnerable teenagers might be tempted by. I can’t imagine how desperate someone must be feeling to actually go through with suicide, but I think there may have been other characters closer to Hannah that could have offered a different perspective on the events they hear.

‘Dorothy Must Die’ series – Danielle Paige

 

Book one – ‘Dorothy Must Die’ (read 24/04/17)

An unexpected treat for me.

We all know the story of Dorothy and her companions, and their adventures in Oz. What we’re encouraged to believe here is that Dorothy grew to like the power and attention and has gone slightly crazy. Now surrounded by sycophants and very odd characters, Dorothy is slowly draining Oz of its magic.

Into this world steps Amy Gumm, another girl from Kansas who is dropped into the world via a tornado. She is taken under the wings of the Order, and her mission is to kill Dorothy.

Though Amy was a little irritating, and I disliked the obvious focus on physical perfection, this was a great read. I don’t think you can take it too seriously, but it was an intriguing idea.