Small Spaces - Sarah Epstein

Small Spaces - Sarah Epstein

"Small Spaces is a gripping YA thriller from debut Australian author Sarah Epstein, perfect for fans of Fleur Ferris. 14+." - Walker Books Aus

Traumatized as a child by her imaginary friend, Tash has been taught to ignore instincts and distrust memories.  So when she is once again confronted by unsettling events from her childhood, Tash must decide what is true and what is imagined.  Time is ticking and lives are at stake.

I do love a decent thriller, and Small Spaces definitely delivers on the suspense front.  The pacing is ideal, I zoomed through in a couple of sittings.  Epstein uses narrative devices like flashbacks, transcripts and an unreliable narrator and it all really, really works.

There's a satisfying blend of likeable and unlikeable characters.  Additionally, the unlikeable characters are suuuuuuper unlikeable.  Some are truly manipulative and emotionally abusive.  The more sympathetic characters are perhaps not wonderfully drawn, but for this particular story I don't think it matters.  There's is so much else to be caught up in.

There's a pervasive creepiness that oozes out of the flashbacks, right into the present day story.  Tash's imaginary friend is right at the heart of the horror and almost enough stop me from sleeping well at night, yanno? The homestead is also... I just... I can't with the homestead.  Suuuuper creepiness (in the best way).

There were some weaknesses, though insignificant enough in the scheme of things.  It was difficult to keep reading through some of Tash's decisionmaking.  Important for the progression of the story, but frustrating.  There's some insta-love and a little too much tell vs. show.  None of this got in the way of what was a twisted, layered and tightly plotted story.

Small Spaces is already in stores and libraries so check it out.

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books

Chaos Walking Trilogy - books 1 & 2

The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

"Imagine you're the only boy in a town of men. And you can hear everything they think. And they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don't fit in with their plans... Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run..." - Walker Books Aus

Fans of YA fic in need of an edge-of-your-seat read will love this prize-winning novel.  I don't think I was able to put it down until I'd finished.  The premise is dark and unusual, and from page one, more than enough to keep me hooked.

Mystery is layered thick, with slow revelations throughout the story.  I love a good mystery so this ticked all the right boxes for me.  I also love a hero's journey narrative, and it was a LOT fun to read one set in an alien(ish) landscape  A cracking pace is set and maintained for the duration of the novel.  Plenty of danger lurking at every corner.  Some tragedy, some horror, all set in a world that is essentially Sci-fi (though feels much closer to Western).  Loved.  It.

With beautiful writing, and plenty of strangeness., The Knife of Never Letting Go is a definite fave for me  Can't wait to see it adapted for film!


The Ask and The Answer - Patrick Ness

"Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd and Viola once again face their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately imprisoned and separated from Viola, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode..." - Walker Books Aus

Book 2 in the Chaos Walking trilogy is a pretty different kettle of fish.  In terms of narrative structure, in terms of pace... Really, in every way different.  There is a lot that works well but overall this one hasn't hit the nail on the head for me.   A big detractor is Todd losing a lot of agency.  I really loved Todd in book 1.  I loved his journey, I loved his connections to loved ones, I loved how he showed courage and I loved his big ole sensitive heart.  I was disappointed to find him somewhat vanilla in book 2.

A big positive is one particular relationship he builds during the story.  I can't go into it without spoiling things, but it's touching.

Overall it feels like some of the momentum is lost (though still an action-packed novel).  There are some new characters to enjoy hating, and some sharp, unexpected twists that were entertaining.  A good read, but for me, not on par with The Knife of Never Letting Go. 


I'm a little of the way through Monsters of Men, the third and final instalment of the series.  I have to admit to not loving it, yet, and have dipped into other books meanwhile, but I'll get back to you with some thoughts when/if I finish.

x

Night of Cake and Puppets

Night of Cake and Puppets - Laini Taylor & Jim di Bartolo

"In this stand-alone companion to the New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone series comes the story of Mik and Zuzana's fantastical first date—as a gorgeously illustrated gift edition with bonus content included."

Laini Taylor fans will require no introductions to this book.  I purchased this on kindle a long while ago and loved every page, but the published hard back is SO MUCH COOLER!!!  If you ever wanted to see exactly how Zuzanna and Mik were envisaged, wish - granted.  For new to Laini readers, start with Daughter of Smoke and Bones first, and then hit this one up!

Zuzanna is an impressive character.  Sharp, witty and immensely loveable.  Her wooing of Mik makes for compelling and often hilarious reading.  Night of Cake and Puppets is definitely the 'curl up in front of the fire with hot chocolate' kind of read.  It's short (novella length) but packed with detail, and Laini's beautiful, lyrical writing.  You'll fall in love with Zuzanna and Mik, both.

If you're deep into the series, but need to come up for air after all the heavy-going stuff, you need Night of Cake and Puppets, STAT.  Get amongst it.

Author Spotlight :: Angela Armstrong

Guys!  Lookit!!  I know you know who Angela is (and if you don't, it's time to find out 😀) so I'm sure you're way ahead of me.  Buuuuut, if there's the slight chance you haven't heard - Angela of Striking Keys has launched her official author website 👊

It's every level of awesome over there.  Make sure you click through the 'books' tab because Angela is offering two novellas for sale, and The Quin is even FREE for a short time.  I've read it and it is BEAUTIFUL.  Go join the Angela fan club, and then we can all claim to have discovered her in the early days 😉 

Book Review :: Landscape With Invisible Hand

Landscape With Invisible Hand - M. T. Anderson

"National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson returns to future Earth in a sharply wrought satire of art and truth in the midst of colonization."

Huh.  This ARC arrived with no blurb on the back and, curious, I read the first chapter to see what was up.  It was compulsive reading from there on in.  It's unlikely I would've pulled this book from the shelf, the cover art does nothing for me, but I'm glad I read it.  It's short and would happily consume an afternoon.  Time well spent, in my opinion.

• This story is relevant.  I mean it's about an alien take-over, ya know, but still totally relevant.  Lol.  The most obvious connection to current times is the poor-vs.-rich gap, and the low quality of life (and life expectancy) of those below the poverty line.  I mean, yeah.  Sobering.
• Adam is a bit of an unlikeable protag - for me anyway.  But I was rooting for him!  Truly.  'Dem brakes.
• I loved the descriptions of art.  I would love to see the actual pieces, coz in my mind they are real pieces, so vividly described.  The cover is very fitting, in retrospect (though I would still like to see a different version).
• There are some really funny lines.  This is a very bleak story, but with a sharp sense of humour. Definitely black humour, fyi.
• This is a bit of a gritty tale, with more substance than meets the eye.  One to read and ponder afterwards.  I can see this one making the leap onto the secondary school reading list.  I think it would be a valuable addition.

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books.

Book Review :: Tell It to the Moon

Tell It to the Moon - Siobhan Curham

"Tell It to the Moon continues the story of Moonlight Dreamers Amber, Maali, Sky and Rose, who are not like everyone else and don't want to be: becoming friends gives them the courage to be themselves."

So you should easily be able to pick whether this read is a fit for you, purely based on the cover, title and tagline.  It's slightly grittier than you'd expect, touching on a number of relevant, teen concerns.  There's also the expected amount of glitter and poems and sentimentality.  Just go in knowing this and you'll be totally fine.

Tell It to the Moon gets a bunch of big ticks ✔✔.  First up - diversity, and not just lip service either! Yuss!  Secondly -  empowering girls to: dream big, believe in selves, be true to selves, conquer fears and stick it to the man, amongst other stuff.  I mean, I know that sounds like a massive cheese-fest, but it gave me good feels and we all need a few of those right?  It totally took me back to my early teens, all the fawning over boys, journaling my probs, dreaming about the magic future and hanging out with my besties.

Yes, there's overuse of Oscar Wilde quotes (already well overused, in my opinion - sorry Osc).  There's also more than a passing resemblance to the Sisterhood books - though at least that comes with hefty amounts of all for one and one for all + got ur back.  LOVE.  If only all teenagers had such solid, dependable friendships to fall back on.

Tell It to the Moon seems likely to appeal most to younger teens - 14 and up.  It's really a sweet story, covers a wide scope of experiences - from the homeschooled girl figuring out the high school system for the first time, to family medical crises, to figuring out sexual and personal identity, etc.  And that's really just the tip of the iceberg.

Tell It to the Moon and Moonlight Dreamers (book 1) are available in stores now.

Review copy provided by Walker Books

Book Review :: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

"Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away?"

Yusss!!  I so needed to read a book set in a spaceship!  I knew from the blurb that it would hook me, and I was so right.  Initially my interest lay in how Romy had constructed a life/world for herself all alone in her spaceship.  A daily audio message (sent months ago, from Earth) is her only link to anyone in the universe.  I mean.  How do you.  Even..  It's beyond horror.  And yet, so intriguing, and somehow not completely horrifying...  Her daily routine, origami construction, fan fic writing, etc, set a cosy scene...  How is it that being stuck in space is basically the most terrifying thing to imagine, and so much fun to read about?  I had the same feels reading Cress... (I need to read more in this genre, stat).

The story develops pretty quickly, tightly plotted and un-put-down-able.  Some of Romy's back story comes to light and it's dark-as, but makes her existence all the more remarkable.  There is a steady build of tension and small reveals.  So good.  Romy grows in my esteem with every challenge set down, and... I dunno, can I say more?  Maybe not.  It's already out, so go read it! You'll see...

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books

Book Review / DNF

When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon

"Will opposites attract when Dimple meets Rishi? A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives. The arranged marriage YA romcom you didn't know you wanted or needed..."

I was pretty surprised to find this book was not for me.  The cover, the blurb, I totally figured I was gonna dig it.  I checked out at about 60%.  Part of me thinks I need to pick it up again at some stage and finish it, the other part of me is like, 'life's too short to spend on books that don't float ya boat, yo'.

For starters, I wasn't feeling love for the protag.  She quite quickly got on my nerves and progressively annoyed me as I read.  I think her feistiness could easily read differently to others, but for me it was a drag.  I was a little more invested in the love interest, but he was often just too sugar-sweet - the actual opposite of Dimple.

Much of the novel is built around the tension between Dimple and Rishi, it just wasn't enough for me.  I didn't especially care whether they were gonna get together or not.  I was curious about how things would play out with their app-building comp, but not enough to stay the course.  I really wanted so much more!  I feel like this novel had all the elements to build something I would love, but just.  Didn't.

I liked things.  There were some nice descriptions of San Francisco, all foggy and city lights and such.  I also really loved the cultural element and the tug-of-war around the (proposed) arranged marriage.  I think more books should be set in the university/college context, too.  Additional descriptions of uni life would've been fun.

I think Menon is a promising author and will definitely try other works of hers.  Dimple might not have won me over, but I'm gonna keep an eye out for what Menon produces next.

Before you go, read Angela's review, for a rounded picture of what's up with Dimple and Rishi...

Review copy kindly provided by Hachette

Book Review :: The Changeover by Margaret Mahy

The Changeover - Margaret Mahy

I dived into the unknown with The Changeover.  I missed this one completely during my teen years.  Come to think of it, I don't know that I read a ton of kiwi authors back then.  I'm glad I finally got to this one.  Mahy's writing prowess is unrivalled.  I mean, duh.  Just a couple of quick points:

• I wasn't hooked straight away, but when I was hooked, I was well hooked.  
• The supernatural side of things is delivered well.  Spooky and intriguing.
• Discourse around consent is on-point.  Mahy was ahead of her time, but fortunately the rest of the world is catching up now.  Still, there are a couple of instances that made me #redflag the romantic interest.  I think the love story is rescued by the strength of the heroine, who doesn't put up with any crap.  Seriously, Laura is suuuuuuch a rad character!  I still felt bothered by some of Sorensen's words and actions.  I found myself liking the character and then being like, 'wait, what?'  If Laura were even just a smidgen less forthright, things could've gone in a different direction.
• Laura is a complete badass.  And funny.  There are some good one-liners throughout the book.  
• Props to Kate too, for being a hardworking solo mum who gives herself the grace to put her own needs first, sometimes.  
• Towards the end certain scenes had me sobbing.  It's harder to read some stuff once you've had kids, right?  I was feeling Kate's feels.
• Again on Kate - the dynamic between mother and daughter is super interesting.  There are times when they switch roles a little, with Laura shouldering extra doses of responsibility.  So not a bad thing.  I really enjoyed reading the exchanges between the two.  Kate treats Laura respectfully - as an almost-adult.  She doesn't shy away from home truths and yet is witty and loving.  Both characters felt authentic and relatable.
• Mahy's writing is just so clever.  The language is rich and beautiful and pleasurable to read.
• The dialogue definitely sets you in a different time-frame.  They use very proper language and it feels very 'kiwi'.  It will be interesting to see how they approach this in the film adaptation.
• There's a film adaptation, coming this month, yuss!!  And it looks SO GOOD!!

I'm so glad this story got a bit of repub love!  Mahy is still the queen of NZ children's lit, and I'm glad I got the push to visit her YA fic.  

Review copy kindly provided by Hachette NZ

Book Review :: The Traitor and the Thief

The Traitor and the Thief - Gareth Ward

"A thief, a spy and a steampunk showdown at Traitor's Gate!"

This is a well-paced little number!  I whipped through it in a couple of days and for the most part, really enjoyed it.  A large part of my enjoyment was derived from how richly detailed and immersive the book is.  The descriptions are so good!  So many vivid pictures in my mind, so much atmosphere.  I am all for detail and it was so fun to slip into a completely filled-out, deliberately drawn, Steampunk world.  So fun.

The story contains a mystery, though somehow it doesn't at all feel like the centrepiece.  A lot of time is given to world-building, to the benefit of the novel (the world-building is just. so. good). But it means that the mystery somehow lacks oomph.  The outcome of the mystery didn't dazzle me.  In fact, the final sequences of the novel didn't dazzle me.  I still read feverishly, despite the hindering ? ?? 👀😕

Okay, I was all in with the setting and premise.  Fun fun fun.  But I was not so invested in the characters.  There's potential there for sure, but all of the major characters lack the warmth to make me really buy in.  Meanwhile, the minor characters are more familiar, like they could've walked out of a Dickens novel.  That said, I think I'm going to like the centrals, once I get to know them better.  Sometimes that's just the way with the first in the series.  I can accept that.

Okay, here's one thing that's super problematic for me.  Early in the book there's a bit of negative commentary around weight.  Zonda is ridiculed (including by Sin) for being overweight, and caricatured by her cake-eating habit.  I do appreciate that Sin becomes an encouraging friend and champion to Zonda, but again, his focus is on changing her - making her "lighter and stronger."  I mean, she's a trainee spy I guess, but still.  *There's a little more on this past the page break but it's almost a spoiler so #duewarning.

I'm holding out hope that there'll be some #radicalselflove and #bodypositive vibes in book two!  I should also mention that everyone ridicules Sin for being uneducated, and the terminology they use is not nice.  Come to think of it, there's a lot of meanness.  Is that par for the course with YA?  Probably, but I don't know why.  It's all #conditioning in the end, and sometimes norms are only so because we let them be.... < #deep #verydeep 😂

Overall I was engaged with the story & universe - I wanna go back.  I hope the next instalment lingers on descriptions in a similar way because this was such a strength!  There's a spooky magic and cleverness about it all, that never feels overdone.  Loved it.  Give me a little more character development and little less fat-shaming/meanness in book two and I'll be happy girl!

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books

Book Review :: Release by Patrick Ness

Release - Patrick Ness

"It's Saturday, it's summer and, although he doesn't know it yet, everything in Adam Thorn's life is going to fall apart. But maybe, just maybe, he'll find freedom from the release. Time is running out though, because way across town, a ghost has risen from the lake... This uplifting coming-of-age novel will remind you what it's like to fall in love."

First up, that cover art.  SO beautiful!  It does all the things I want cover art to do! Perfect.

Release opens with a classic line (deliberately lifted straight from Mrs Dalloway), which sets the task of the book - a day in the life of Adam Thorne.  I love the episodic nature of the novel, broken into distinctive parts that cleverly piece together Adam's life, all fitting neatly into the course of a day.  They read almost as a series of short stories, with connecting threads running through.

I feel less enthralled by the paranormal story that is braided in with Adam's.  There doesn't seem to be a compelling enough reason for it to be there.  Furthermore, the connection between the two comes too late, for me.  It's clever when it does arrive (wrapping a motif up in a tight little bow), but I still think I would've prefer to read Adam's story, alone.

The real strength and beauty of this story comes from the moments of everyday, the musings, the conversations, the simple observed details.  The central relationship in the story - a platonic friendship, is authentic and littered with sweetness.  Ness has a beautiful turn of phrase and writes some punchy dialogue.  It felt rich, sensory* and sensitive.  Overall, a thoughtful, thought-provoking piece.

*On the sensory - there's a lot of sex, and talk of sex.  Just fyi.  

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books

Book Review :: Pointe Claw

Pointe Claw - Amber J. Keyser

Pointe Claw is a well-paced and cleverly written piece.  It's challenging, both in the subject matter and the writing itself (there's visceral, raw and sometimes shocking imagery throughout the novel).  I'm not sure I always enjoyed it - this is not a snuggly settle-in-with-a-cuppa kind of read, but I found it engaging and thought-provoking right to the bitter end.  It also has lotttts of hooks, which helps.

There are two strong narrative voices in Pointe Claw, and each was compelling.  That isn't to say that I felt particularly connected to either.  I didn't.  I wanted them to come to a good end, but I didn't love them in the way I want to love my leads.  I did, however, root for them.  Dawn in particular was dealt some pretty crappy cards and it's hard not to be like, gammon girl, show them!

On Dawn.  Here's a character I haven't come across before.  In real life, yes.  In literature, not that I can think of...  Props to Keyser for giving the stage to a true anti-hero.  One that is brash and confrontational, clever and complex and so vulnerable, right the way through.  And while I found her scenes the hardest to read - she's messy and all hard edges - I absolutely recognised her.  This is one of the areas in which I think Pointe Claw was a bridging book between YA and Adult (perhaps leaning towards the latter).

To me, Pointe Claw promoted feminist attitudes in a far more convincing and naturalised way than What Girls Are Made of.  I won't compare any further, because these are very different stories presented in very different ways, but reading them side by side, this really stood out.  I was pretty impressed with this particular treatment.  Without being preachy, Keyser made it searingly obvious how each girl was effected by certain societal pressures.  Like I said, thought-provoking.

All that said, I'm like ???? about that ending.  Have you read it?  What did you think?

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books

Book Review :: Wing Jones

Wing Jones - Katherine Webber

"With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing Jones is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing's speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants.."

I'm a little back-and-forth on this one.  Wing won me over by the end, but there were a couple of things I didn't love, that took a little pleasure out of the reading.  I'm gonna hit you with some bullet points:

• I like the characters.  Wing feels genuine. Her character growth is visible and deserves a fist-pump or two.  She is very passive and naive to begin with, but gathers strength and is pretty powerhouse by the end.  Her love interest is decent, and their back story is sweet.   
• This is more a coming-of-age story and less a romance (although there's a definite romance - lots of pining). I like that it's character-centred. Coming-of-age stories are A++ in my books.
• Wing makes running seem like it might be reeeeeally fun!  I know for a fact that it isn't, but I was tempted more than once to try again, just in case I'm actually wrong and Wing is right.  Anything that (almost) motivates me to run for fun has gotta be pretty good. I know, I know, running IS fun for some of y'all. 
• Wing Jones opens a dialogue about some important stuff, and there's a clear sense of consequence - natural and enforced.  
• There's a slice-of-life feel that is pleasing.  There are many superfluous details that ground it in real life.  I caught the Friday Night Lights vibe at the start, too, though this is quickly dropped.  Disappointing, because that would've been a hook, for me.
• There really wasn't a good enough hook, for me.
• I found this a bit of a slog to get through.  It has all the ingredients for being a novel that I would enjoy, but it's so slow moving.  In the last quarter things speed up but too quickly, finishing in a rush.  Many threads left hanging.  Much frustrating.
• Some of the descriptive language feels clunky/over-reaching.  
• Wing's two grandmothers live with her, and I love what they brings to the novel.  As characters they are well-drawn and oftentimes they feel as though they should be the centre of the story.  I care most for them, of all the characters.
• The magic realism is fine, but it feels unnecessary, imo.  I get that it's a connection to her grandmothers, further emphasising how central they are to the story, but I think this could have been drawn out in a different way.  However, this element doesn't detract from the story at all.
• This is set in the 90's.  Who knew?  The 90's is my era!  I'm all over it with the 90's!  Damn, how did I miss that?  Really, how was that so easy to miss?  
• Diversity in YA literature is 👊  (white author though, fyi).

All up, this might not be my favourite book of the year, but it was a pleasant read and I would happily recommend it to the young 'uns.  Wing Jones makes for an empowering role model, so on that merit alone I'm recommending!

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books.

Book Review :: What Girls are Made of by Elana K. Arnold

What Girls Are Made Of - Elana K. Arnold

"An ultimately hopeful story of a girl who is deeply confused and self-destructive, who must confront her own sense of what it means to be a girl, and what it means to give and receive love."

I'm an avid reader of YA lit.  I'd say about 80% of my reading is YA.  With that, rarely do I find myself sitting back and feeling like maybe I'm too old to still be reading in this genre.  Almost never.  What Girls Are Made Of made me feel like that.  I was all, do I really want to be reading about someone's first experience having a pap smear?  Do I need to have the function of the morning after pill described to me?  Do I... I mean... the list goes on.  There's so much of this.  It's not hidden in the story, either.  I would say that these little snippets of sex ed. are one of the biggest take aways from the novel.

So maybe that's a good thing, right?  Except that I don't think young people necessarily want a novel to be lecturing at them.  Surely no teen isn't able to see right through Arnold's intentions here, and it does the story no favours.  Some of the 'conversations' are so carefully scripted it's painful.  An early scene, in which Nina overhears a young woman purchasing the morning after pill is the perfect example of this.  The entire scene has no narrative purpose other than to educate the reader.

I would forgive these inserts (no pun intended) if it weren't for the fact that I didn't enjoy the story one little bit.  The characters are all jerks, perhaps with the exception of Bekah, who is such a minor, 2D character she barely counts anyway.  Furthermore, what a young person might 'gain' in sexual health education, they will surely lose in the role-modelling of super catty behaviour.  Nina is basically a mean girl, who describes her (apparently only) friend as "harmless--kind of vapid, but nice."  Errr.  Yeah.

The book aims to shock.  It's rough and 'edgy'.  I've read shocking, rough and edgy.  I'm not afraid of a subversive novel, but I do tend to expect something more from them.  I don't think there was enough here.  For me there is so much power to be found in subtlety, but this is a brutal perspective of femininity, and for all that, it leaves so, so much out.

In her rationale for the novel Arnold describes a 'regrettable' incident in her youth, where she admits that her own legs are 'perfect', to a friend who's legs were 'not as lithe as (hers)'.  I couldn't help but think that she is surely missing the point here.  There's nothing to regret about self-love, but knocking someone else down (not in the moment in this case) in the process is #allthesadfaces in my books.  Likewise, Nina isn't un-feminist for obsessing about her boyfriend.  She's perfectly human for feeling that way.  It's her attempt to hurt and humiliate a woman she's jealous of, for the sake of that boy, that is perhaps the un-feminist action she should be calling herself out for.

In short, I don't think What Girls Are Made Of was the transgressive tome it set out to be.  I respect the intent, and can see that it will appeal to some, but it was not for me.

Review copy kindly provided by Walker Books

Book Review :: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

"Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice."

Thomas handles this charged topic with immense tenderness.  Starr's account of her friend's murder and the aftermath makes for a raw and often painful read, but Thomas weaves magic into the narrative too.  It's a tragedy, but it's also funny, and it's hopeful.  It gives young people a voice, asking them to stand strong against the tide and one day, maybe, hopefully, turn it away.

Small, familiar tensions underly the greater tension of the narrative.  There are familial relationships to be strengthened.  There are friendship battles to be faced.  Starr has to figure out some things between herself and her boyfriend. The relationships are complex, stretched taut at times, and entirely authentic.  They web, picking up secondary characters, none of whom are flat or two dimensional, all of whom add a little something to the picture.  These characters are all vivid and beautifully drawn.

Starr herself is adorable.  Her family, including (and maybe especially) her grumpy old nana, is right up there (with the Weasley's) amongst my favourite book families.  This is partly due to perfect comedic timing coupled with some sharp dialogue.  Example:

          "You no gon' say hey to me, Adele?" Fo'ty Ounce asks.  When he talks, it jumbled together like one long word.
          "Hell nah, you old fool," Nana says.  The door slams behind her.

The snappy one-liners and hilarious exchanges are so, so good, and Starr in particular has such a perfect, dry sense of humour.

John Green is not lying, this book is stunning.  I was hooked from the first page and stayed so to the bitter end.  I'm picking The Hate U Give for a bunch of awards, and was psyched to read that it's heading straight onto film!  I think this will make for a powerful cinematic experience and cannot wait to watch.

Many thanks to Walker Books for this review copy.  It will be read and reread many times.

Book Review :: The Light Fantastic - Sarah Combs

The Light Fantastic - Sarah Combs

"Seven tightly interwoven narratives. Three harrowing hours. One fateful day that changes everything."

It's been a little while since I read some YA Contemporary and I was so ready for this.  The Light Fantastic promised a rich narrative with some punch, so I didn't waste any time starting.  I'm gonna bullet point this one because it's that kinda book.

Book Review :: My Lady Jane

My Lady Jane - by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows

"A comical, fantastical and witty re-imagining of the Tudor world, perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger - and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that's the least of Jane's problems. She's about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong."

I was super eager to read/review this book following a recommendation by this bookish gal (who has never yet led me astray).  It exceeded my expectations!  I saved it up, and I savoured it.  In fact, I was so dreading finishing, that I put off doing so for several weeks.  I wanted, needed to know what would happen but I couldn't bear seeing so few pages left, didn't want that empty #bookfinished feeling to arrive (at least until I had adequate back up).  I considered whether starting over again right away would help, but this book was such a delightful (and I rarely use that word) surprise, I need time and distance before my first reread, that it may delightfully surprise me all over again.

Book Review :: Barefoot on the Wind by Zoë Marriott

Barefoot on the Wind - by Zoë Marriott

"A feminist reworking of Beauty and the Beast from a talented fantasy writer."

Well, you had me at that byline.  Fairytale retellings are fun (see also - Jane Austen retellings *hearteyes*), and there's always room for a feminist spin, imho.  I also looked forward to reading a Beauty and the Beast retelling, not being familiar with the story at all (I know, what can I say?!), so I was pretty much 'come at me with this book!'.

Book Review :: Shield - Rachael Craw

Shield - by Rachael Craw

"Evie is out of options. She must comply with the Affinity Project - obey their rules, play their deadly games, give up Jamie. And her losses keep growing. When she decides to help a small group of Shields trying to affect change, Evie finds herself in the firing line. Counsellor Knox is intent on revealing her secrets and shackling her to the Affinity Project for life. To protect her family, Evie must betray those closest to her."

Book Review - 'The Book of Pearl' by Timothee de Fombelle

'The Book of Pearl' - Timothee de Fombelle

"Joshua Pearl is from a world that our own no longer believes in.  He knows that his great love is waiting for him in that distant place, but he is trapped in our time.  As his memories begin to fade, he discovers strange objects, tiny fragments of a story from a long time ago.  Can Joshua remember the past and believe in his own story before his love is lost forever?"