Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week I'm waiting on...

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Summary from Goodreads: After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested. Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Gaia carries an encoded ribbon from her parents, and its secrets hold vital information about certain advanced children who were "birthmarked" by tattoos. The Protectorat, who safeguards the population within the wall, needs Gaia’s code and its genetic counterpart to offset the hemophilia that plagues the Enclave.

Sgt. Grey, a young, handsome guard of the Enclave, is used by the Protectorat to manipulate Gaia and gain her cooperation with decoding the ribbon. As Sgt. Grey faces his own complicated past and Gaia recognizes the moral ramifications of her actions, they take desperate steps to escape. Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

Dystopia, walled enclave, genetics. 'Rich with intricate layers of codes'? Almost too intriguing. Seriously, this one had me at 'Unlake Superior'.

If anyone knows the code to offset the feeling of just! can't! wait! please share it with me. This one's out March 2010, and I'm not good with waiting patiently.

Time Travel Tuesday: A Wrinkle In Time - Madeleine L'Engle

On a dark and stormy night, a stranger knocks on Meg Murry’s door. A stranger who speaks of wrinkles in the fabric of time. A stranger who holds the key to unravelling the mystery of Meg’s father’s disappearance. A stranger by the name of Mrs Whatsit. And so begins Meg Murry's journey through space...

I was probably twelve when I first read A Wrinkle In Time. It was magical. I loved it instantly, and with an unproblematic awareness that I really didn’t understand it. I knew there were things to be understood, and I knew that I didn’t understand them, but lucky for me I really didn’t feel the need to. The story was enchanting enough.

Perhaps that’s why I associate A Wrinkle In Time with an uncomplicated kind of innocence. And also why I was so surprised to learn that it came in at number 22 on the ALA’s list of most challenged books between 1990 and 2000. More than surprised: dumbfounded. Disbelieving. And basically… confused. After all, we’re talking about people in the last decade finding a children’s book from the nineteen-sixties offensive enough to request that it is removed from libraries. No way, right? Yes way.

Interestingly, unlike the challenges of YA books based on supposedly age-inappropriate material, A Wrinkle In Time has been challenged for undermining Christian values and beliefs. In the interests of figuring out just what that means, I reread it this weekend. What I found did surprise me. I remembered the book as pure sci-fi, but after my rereading I would actually classify it as having strong Christian influences. The three ladies who take our heroine Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin on their journey through space - Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which - are mystical beings who, in addition to having once been stars, also have wings like angels. Perhaps they are angels - but if they are, angels aren't what we think they are. There’s a sense that science is never the whole story, but it is part of it. The same goes for Christianity. I can only conclude that it’s this that has caused offence to those who would see this book removed from library shelves. To me, this is as puzzling as the book itself was to my twelve year old self. Books are about opening your mind to new ideas, right? If you don't believe that, why have any books? Why have libraries?

Did I enjoy this book as much this time? In all honesty, no. It took me fifty pages to get into the rhythm of the writing, and the storyline didn’t blow my mind like it did the first time round. However, it did remind me of the magic of reading outside my comfort zone. There are so many YA titles these days that grab me from page one, sweep me away for hours at a time, and yet don’t challenge me at all - and it took a reread of a classic to remind me that sometimes I need to make more of an effort as a reader. It also reminded me of the first time I encountered new ideas I take for granted nowadays, like dystopia and hyperspace. Ideas I really wouldn't want to be without.

Verdict: This book needs to be in libraries, so that other people can have that mind-blowing first read too.

Contest Winner - UK copy of Hush, Hush

My very first contest closed yesterday, and I have just spent a merry hour making homemade tickets for everyone's entries. An impartial volunteer (a.k.a. my other half) has now drawn the winning ticket out of a so-last-season straw hat. And the winner of a UK copy of Hush, Hush is...

Casey! I'll be dropping her an email today to get her mailing details.

Whew, that was fun! Now my thoughts are turning to my next contest, to celebrate I Was A Teenage Book Geek reaching 100 followers. Expect news of that one sometime this week.

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. The point of this meme is to… well, you probably know already. Or you’ll figure it out.

Gone - Michael Grant

Summary from Goodreads: In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE. Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

I love stories where all the adults in the world suddenly die (disclaimer: not true stories) and kids are left to figure out the world for themselves. I’ve even watched nearly every episode of The Tribe ever broadcast, and it wasn’t for the fake American accents. So, Gone sounds intriguing to me. I’ve got the UK cover, but it’s so ugly I don’t feel the need to reproduce it here. It is of course what’s inside that counts, and I’m looking forward to reading this one.

The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

Summary from Amazon: 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...

The bookcover blub on this one has never really captivated me, but then I was at Rhiannon Hart’s blog and saw she’d used the magic word about it: dystopia.

This magic word renders me powerless to resist, and so why even try?

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Summary from Goodreads: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I was always intending to read Shiver, but wasn’t expecting it to be out in the UK for another week or so yet. Then I saw it in my local bookstore, and had to have it… yes, despite the fact I’ve sworn to limit my book habit to three buys a week. It’s so pretty, and Lament was so good, and I can just tell my partner I found it on the bus or something.

The Dead of Night - John Marsden

Summary from Goodreads: A few months after the first fighter jets landed in their own backyard, Ellie and her five terrified but defiant friends struggle to survive amid a baffling conflict. Their families are unreachable; the mountains are now their home.

When two of them fall behind enemy lines, Ellie knows what must happen next: a rescue mission. Homer, the strongest and most unpredictable among them, is the one to take charge. While others have their doubts about his abilities, Homer has no choice but to prove them wrong - or risk losing everything to the enemy.

Loved Tomorrow, When the War Began, so this one’s a no-brainer. No wisecracks: I just really, really want to know what happens to these characters next.

In other news, my Hush, Hush contest is now over. I'll be randomly selecting a winner sometime day, and will contact the winner by tomorrow at the latest. I was also planning to have a 100 followers contest, and since I hit the big 100 yesterday (yay!) I'll be posting news of this later in the week.

Review: The Bermudez Triangle - Maureen Johnson

Nina, Avery and Mel are The Bermudez Triangle. They’ve been friends since forever, and though they’re all very different, the bond between them is unbreakable. When Nina heads off to pre-college for a summer of leadership courses and a new romance, Avery and Mel are left working at a tacky Irish restaurant and getting romantic with… each other.

When Nina comes back, it doesn’t take her long to realise that her best friends are now more than friends. Missing her summer boy and feeling left out by her friends, Nina’s having a little trouble adjusting to the triangle’s new dynamic.

Turns out, she’s not the only one.

Behold, the power of the would-be book banners. For some reason, I have spent the last year fully aware that many, many people believe Maureen Johnson to be wholly awesome… but not reading any of her books. Then earlier this month, I decided I would read a few ‘challenged’ YA novels in celebration of Banned Books Week. Whilst browsing the internet for inspiration, I stumbled upon Maureen Johnson’s blog post here about the removal of The Bermudez Triangle from a school library in Oklahoma, where a parent had objected to the book because it contains scenes where two girls kiss, references to underage drinking, and (they felt) reckless promiscuity. As it’s not the only occasion where this book has been challenged, I figured I’d read it and see what all the fuss was about.

The Bermudez Triangle is a bittersweet story about what happens to friendship when other feelings come along and mix everything up. Because it’s about a triangle, it goes beyond what happens to Mel and Avery’s friendship, and into the effect that their hook-up has on Nina too. And also because it’s about a triangle, there’s no bad guy (or girl) - just three protagonists with different points of view that are all valid, and that all inspire a whole lot of empathy, but happen to cause each other a whole lot of heartache.

I started out this book knowing which girl my sympathy was with the most in this scenario, but by the end of it I’d been put in each of their heads enough to really see things from the other two points of view. Sure, I’d got a little mad at them all at some stage along the way, but this book is a journey. If all that sounds a little too serious, I can assure you that The Bermudez Triangle is extremely readable. It’s also funny, the dialogue is deliciously snappy, and it has an ending that's feel-good without being feel-nauseous.

Yes, there are a few scenes where Mel and Avery kiss. There are also scenes where other people kiss. And a whole lot of scenes where nobody kisses anyone, and maybe one or two where a few characters under 21 have a few drinks. All said scenes are excellent, compelling, and real in the kind of way that I always hope people mean when they say a book is real, but rarely have found to be the case.

I’ll say it again. Behold, the power of the would-be book banners. They know where the good stuff is.

Review: Ash - Malinda Lo

Recently orphaned and forced to become her stepmother’s servant, real life has treated Ash harshly. She’s alone in the world, without love, and takes solace in the world of fairy tales and magic that she shared with her mother. The life she had before is gone.

Lost in her grief, Ash is drawn to the dangerous otherworldly magic of the dark wood. Then Ash meets Kaisa, a young huntress who is accustomed to death as a part of life. As their friendship grows, so does the possibility of a new life for Ash.

Yet she has bound herself to the darkness of fairy, and it is up to her alone to break the spell.

Ash is a reminder that we write our own futures. It’s a reminder that there is no way back to the safety of our childhoods, and the only way is forward. If childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies, and adulthood is the acceptance that life is change, Ash is what lies between. It’s also a powerful and tender love story.

From page one, Ash herself is the kind of character you can’t help but empathise with. As I read, I could almost physically feel the weight of her loss. It’s the loss of her parents, her innocence, and very nearly herself. The sense of injustice that a child might feel upon hearing a traditional Cinderella story becomes dulled with time and experience, but Ash makes it new again. Except that this time, there’s not going to be a fairytale solution. If there’s going to be a happy ending, it’s down to Ash herself to act.

A fair few reviews of Ash that I’ve read express the sentiment that ‘lesbian retelling of Cinderella’ is an inadequate tagline for Malinda Lo’s wonderful debut. Some of these reviews are from bloggers I genuinely respect and whose opinions I trust, and they’re right that there is far more to this book. There’s beautiful writing and rich texture and characters that you’ll take to your heart. What great novel doesn’t have more to it than a four-word tagline? I don’t feel a particular pressure to emphasise the ‘so much more’ here, because others have done it so eloquently. However, I also think there’s a point to this description. Well, more than one point, actually. Malinda Lo herself has explained on her blog that she describes her book in this way “to identify it openly for queer readers”, and I find it touching that she puts that first - before emphasising the universality of the story, and before the question of whether this description
will affect book sales.

For me, the point is that Malinda Lo has done something very important here. Something that needed to be done. Most of us grew up with fairytales. They’re the first stories that most children are told, and they introduce the themes and archetypes that they’re going to be reading about for the rest of their lives. But, they’re very straight. Modest, well-behaved and beautiful girl attracts the prize in the form of the handsome prince, and all her problems are over. As with most classic literature, there aren’t many representations of queer identities to be found. Not that they didn’t always exist - they’ve just been omitted. By making her Cinderella a lesbian retelling, Lo has put one of these identities back. Where it always should have been, in my opinion. And then, she’s taken the fairytale to new and dizzying heights.

I can’t tell you what you’ll get from Ash. Perhaps it will be a renewed sense of what real love is. Perhaps it will be that heady exhilaration that comes from particularly evocative and exquisite writing. Perhaps it will be something else. What I can say is that if you identify yourself as a reader, you should read this one. It’s for you.

Throwdown Thursday (7)

Throwdown Thursday is a meme started by Kate at The Neverending Shelf. This is a weekly thing where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!

Last week, my throw down saw two of YA fiction’s most loved lycanthropes going head to head. And the winner was…

Jacob from Twilight. Seems a lot of people can’t get enough of this guy.

This week, I’m throwing down two Victorian-Gothic YA novels that I really love. Dangerous other-realms, powerful friendships, and bucketfuls of atmosphere make these two firm favourites with me, even though one of them's a new kid on the block. Which one’s your favourite?





Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink?












Or A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray?







Answers provided via a ouija board, please. Or, you know, just leave a comment.

Waiting On Wednesday (7): Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Yep, I'm aware that at time of posting, it's not technically Wednesday. Well not here in the UK, at least. But I probably won't be able to post while it's technically Wednesday, and actually I have no clue how to schedule posts. Yay! ignorance.

This week I'm waiting on...

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

Alternate history. Airships. Girl dressed as a boy to get into the Air Service. Steampunk! What's not to like?

This just sounds so darn different from any other YA out there right now. And it's out October 6th in the UK and the US, so not too long to wait for this one.

Review: Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

Nora Grey has never met a boy she could fall for. Certainly not at school, and when she winds up with bad boy Patch as a biology partner, she’s desperate to switch. Patch is infuriating, handsome, and way too sure of himself. Not only that, but he knows secrets about Nora he couldn’t possibly know.

Before long, she’s wondering whether Patch has something to do with the terrifying things she’s been seeing recently. A masked man tearing his way into the car she’s driving. A fall from a rollercoaster that should leave her dead, but doesn’t. And everywhere she goes there’s Patch.

Nora’s being drawn into the world of fallen angels. The battle is on, and she’s right at the centre.

I love debut novels, because I never know quite what to expect. No matter what the summary is like, no matter how many reviews I've read, there’s always something deliciously new about the first page of a new author’s first novel.

Hush, Hush has inevitably attracted comparisons to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, and while I think the association is a understandable one, there is a lot more to Becca Fitzpatrick’s debut. Nora Grey is a responsible, studious heroine; Patch is a dangerous character; they’re forced to sit next to one another in biology… Yes, there are surface similarities. However, I actually found Hush, Hush to be a far darker and more complex novel than the big T. In particular, the reader is made aware very early on in the story that Nora is personally under threat - and we’re talking real, someone-wants-to-hurt-her danger with consequences. It’s well-developed and there’s genuine mystery about who is out to get her and why. Page-turning mystery, people, with a whole lot of action. And when we get the answers, they satisfy and they make sense, and a lot of things fall beautifully into place.

Now, on to the romance between Nora and Patch. Actually, I don’t even want to call it a romance. It’s a relationship, and there is a huge amount of chemistry, but it’s not hearts and flowers. It’s dangerous and unnerving, and I spent parts of the book not quite sure whether I liked it. Patch is a bad boy - overconfident, a little bit naughty, and not particularly respectful of personal space. His early actions read like stalking, even to Nora and her best friend Vee. As you might expect, Nora is unsure whether she has the serious hots for him, or should be running scared. In view of this, I wasn’t so keen on the fact that she let herself end up alone with him in several potentially dangerous situations. And yet… Patch is just so darn likeable. He’s funny, unexpected, and just impossible - in a good way. I could deal with it because Nora doesn’t think that certain types of behaviour are okay, and because she gets into these situations unwillingly. I could also deal with it because this inner conflict I felt about Patch was exactly the conflict that Nora was going through.

However, there’s another aspect of the relationship that I really loved, and that I think is expertly done. It’s hard to get into it without spoilerizing to an unforgivable extent, but Nora’s discovery of her true significance for Patch provided me with my single biggest OMG moment of the story. It made me realise how deeply Fitzpatrick had imagined the world of Hush, Hush and how high the stakes were for every character involved. And surprisingly, this made the ending of the book genuinely touching in a way I wouldn’t have imagined in the opening chapters. I often feel a little let down by the endings of books that are the first in a series, but not in this case. There’s resolution, there’s understanding, and there’s still a lot to get me crazy excited about the sequel.

Hush, Hush is without a doubt one of the best YA titles I’ve read this year. Sure, I had my reservations about the ‘romance’ at times. I wasn’t sure I should be willing Nora to get more involved with a boy like Patch. And yet… I couldn’t stop reading. I was intrigued. This is a book about fallen angels, and no creature is going to blur the boundary between good and bad like one of those. The relationship between Nora and Patch is every bit as edgy and complicated as the subject matter demands it should be. Just don’t go into it with your heart set on warm and fuzzy, or expecting it to be just like any other YA out there. This one’s all new.

In My Mailbox (7)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Ash - Malinda Lo

Summary from Amazon: In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Is there anyone in the world who isn’t aware I’ve been desperate to read this book for eons? (Well, for like months at least, and I have no patience so it feels like longer).

Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

Summary from bookcover: For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere and know everything. She can't decide whether to fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is in the middle of a centuries-old battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, sooner or later, she’s going to have to pick a side...

Okay, so this one was less ‘in my mailbox’ and more ‘in a rainstorm’. And I had to wear angel wings in public to get it. Luckily, I have no shame. What I do have is a spare copy that survived the downpour with only a few scratches, and a contest here.

A Wrinkle In Time - Madeleine L’Engle

Summary from Goodreads: Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother.

Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father.

In doing so they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time.

This one’s a reread - I’ll be doing a Time Travel Tuesday post on it some time this month. It’s a second-hand buy, and the cover is the exact one pictured. Isn’t it beautiful? If it’s not as wonderful as I remember, I’ll be posting about how my dreams have been stolen and life has lost its meaning. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Review: Tomorrow When the War Began - John Marsden

When seven Australian teenagers go bush for a few days, it’s meant to be an adventure. Ellie Linton and her friends head off into the outback with one destination in mind: a remote and near-mythical wilderness known as Hell.

At first, what they get is heaven. A clearing just made for camping. No chaperones. Chocolate instead of veggies. It’s their very own paradise. And a few days later, the group drag themselves back home.

But home isn’t like it was before. A foreign power has invaded, their families are gone, and the seven are about to get their first taste of what it’s really like to be on their own.

For many of us, the notion of a full-out war being fought on our own home soil is almost unimaginable. Our lives are relatively safe, and most of the time we can shut out world politics if we want to. Tomorrow When the War Began imagines that war does come, quite suddenly, into the lives of an ordinary group of Australian teenagers. Their families have all been captured, and the authorities are no longer in control. Do they fight back? Should they?

I first heard about Tomorrow When the War Began over at Rhiannon Hart’s blog. It was one of those why-haven’t-I-already-read-this? moments for me, because it was pretty clear from her review that it's a modern YA classic. Plus, it’s the first of the seven books that make up The Tomorrow Series. Any series that holds readers’ interest for seven books has to be worth a look, right? So right, as it turns out.

Our narrator is Ellie Linton: natural leader, rural girl, and the group’s nominated scribe. Thrown into a situation where they can either run and hide or try to fight back in whatever way they can, Ellie and her friends have to decide what they believe in and how far they’re willing to go for their beliefs. Although the story is rich in adventure, Marsden really hits home with the sense of near-paralyzing fear that permeates the action scenes. Ellie is a heroine, but she’s not superhuman. She’s just a terrified girl, trying to do what she thinks is right, and it doesn’t come any braver than that.

It’s hard to read this book and not speculate about who the invaders are. That’s human nature, and had Marsden chosen to reveal the nationality of the invading army I’m sure it would’ve made fascinating reading. However, I think it would also have been a very different book. The version we have reminds us that there are two sides to every story, even that of the invaders. Take secondary character Robyn’s analysis of the situation: in this war there’s one country where the citizens are well-fed and privileged, and another where starvation and disease are a way of life. It’s understandable that those who sicken and starve, feeling that the other nation do nothing to reduce the imbalance, can justify taking a share of the wealth by force. But, she says, ‘understanding is not the same as supporting’. And as one of those previously privileged citizens, the death and destruction inflicted by this other nation can never be acceptable. Good vs. evil doesn’t exist. It’s not that easy. Relevant to current world conflicts much? I think so.

The impact of this message is all the more powerful for not being able to identify the nationality of the invaders. As I see it, Marsden hasn’t told us who the villains are because they’re not villains in the true sense of the word. They’re doing what they believe in, just as Ellie and her friends must act according to their beliefs. Do I still want to know who the invaders are? Hell yeah. Do I think we should be told? Absolutely not.

If I’m honest, reading Tomorrow When the War Began made me feel a little envious of the Australians. The characters in this book seem to embody a national spirit - the resourcefulness, the determination, and the way that characters from different cultural backgrounds combine to create a stronger multicultural whole - that anyone would be proud to belong to. It must be fantastic, as an Australian teenager, to read this book and find such an inspiring reflection of yourself.

Anyone who enjoys speculative fiction should definitely have a read of this one. It’s also a coming-of-age story. You can't go wrong with it.

Throwdown Thursday (6)

Throwdown Thursday is a meme started by Kate at The Neverending Shelf. This is a weekly deal where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!

Last week, my throwdown was between two kickass YA heroines: Katniss from The Hunger Games and Katsa from Graceling. And the winner was…

Katniss, by a margin of six.

This week, I’m throwing down two characters from different YA books who share one major thing in common: they’re werewolves. So… which wolf wins?





Jacob from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series?











Or Vivian from Annette Curtis Klause’s Blood and Chocolate?

Waiting On Wednesday (6): The Line - Teri Hall

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week, I’m waiting on…

The Line by Teri Hall

Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it’s far from the city where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it’s close to the Line—an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country. She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she’s never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It’s a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right?

Have I mentioned I love speculative fiction? I have?

Well I do! I love it. And I also love stories where there’s a boundary none may cross, and nobody knows exactly what’s on the other side. (If there’s a less unwieldy name for that genre, please clue me in, because I don’t know it.) Maybe it comes from being old enough to remember when the Berlin Wall was still standing, or maybe it’s just because I’m naturally curious.

The Line is out March 2010, and I’m already desperate to know what’s on the other side. I have a feeling I’m going to reach fever pitch waiting on this one.

Review: Devil's Kiss - Sarwat Chadda

Fifteen year old Billi isn’t like other London schoolgirls. Born into The Order of the Templar Knights, she’s always been expected to put her own priorities aside and focus on protecting humanity from the Unholy. Ghuls, werewolves, fallen angels - they’re all out there, and Billie’s expected to face them in combat. She’s never been given a choice. Her mother is dead, and her father Arthur SanGreal is the leader of the Templars. He’s not worried about her grades or her happiness. In his eyes, she can never be ruthless enough. Unlike her friend Kay, who has returned from a year of Oracle training to a hero’s welcome.

Enter Michael: handsome, sensitive, and actually interested in Billi. She’s not sure what she wants anymore. But when the children of London begin to suffer from a dark sickness that can only be Unholy in origin, Billi finds it’s not that easy to walk away...

Sarwat Chadda likes his monsters old-school. No over-protective werewolves, no football-playing zombies, and definitely no sparkling vampires. His monsters are of the terrifying variety; bloodthirsty, dangerous, and evil as hell. Add to that a fifteen-year-old heroine who really does act like a regular schoolgirl - when she’s not kicking Unholy butt, that is - and Mr Chadda has got himself a winner.

We join Billi SanGreal as she undertakes The Ordeal - an initiation into the Templar Knights that has her killing an Unholy being. The catch? He just happens to look like an angelic six-year-old child. In a sense, this is our induction as well as Billi’s. It’s gory and it’s disturbing, but it’s an act that represents the inner conflict that Billi will face as a templar, and that we will follow. It’s little wonder that sometimes, Billi just wants to be normal - to get her homework in on time, to have a father who gives her the occasional hug, and for the nightmares to go away. Factor in a best friend who is suddenly infuriatingly handsome but can literally read Billi’s mind, and it’s hard not to feel for her.

There are definitely aspects of Devil’s Kiss that some readers may have trouble with. Arthur SanGreal’s treatment of Billi has always been incredibly single-minded, and there are scenes where his tough-love training methods are downright disturbing. Is anyone comfortable with a father headbutting his fifteen-year-old daughter in the face, even if it is to make her a better fighter? I doubt it. But then, if he knows his daughter could be killed by demons at any time if her fighting skills aren’t up to scratch… what should he do? Tough call, isn’t it? Chadda’s depiction of the life of a young templar knight is unflinching, and conveys the brutality of living in a world where all the scary monsters you don’t want to believe in are undeniably real. It's not an easy life, so don't expect an easy read.

Most readers will have heard of the Templar Knights, but Devil’s Kiss gives the history and the myth an original spin that suits modern-day London down to the ground. Born to a Pakistani mother and an English father, Billi was raised as a Muslim until her mother’s death. As a member by birth of The Order, she’s subsequently been immersed in a single-mindedly Christian world. But Sarwat Chadda’s templars aren’t about a specifically Christian agenda: as master, Arthur’s firm belief is that the ‘old religious war’ no longer concerns the templars, and all that matters is the battle to save mankind’s soul. To win this battle, the templars need the combined wisdom of various religions. It’s a message that the world can really use right now, and Chadda communicates it with a lightness of touch that never seems heavy-handed or preachy.

I’d recommend Devil’s Kiss to anyone who likes their fantasy dark and uncompromising.

IN MY MAILBOX (6)

In My Mailbox is hosted by the most excellent Kristi at The Story Siren. Here in England mailboxes are uncommon, but 'On My Doormat' doesn't really have the same ring, does it? So I'm going transatlantic on this one.

The Demon’s Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan

Sixteen-year-old Nick knows that demons are real. Magicians call up demons in exchange for their power. The demon’s can appear in any shape, show you marvels, promise you anything - until you invite them in and receive their mark. What happens next? First you get possessed. Then you die. Nick’s been on the run his whole life, ever since his mother stole a charm from the most feared magician of them all, and the only person he trusts is his brother Alan. Alan’s just been marked by a demon. Only Nick can save him, but to do so he must face the magicians - and kill them. The hunt is on, and Nick’s going to discover things he never dreamed were out there…

I’ve read some really positive reviews of this one, and Sarah Rees Brennan’s live journal is just super cool - giving me two extremely strong reasons to believe that I will enjoy this book.

Winter Song - Jean-Claude Mourlevat

From Goodreads: One voice is the weapon against tyranny in this powerful hymn to courage and freedom. Four teenagers escape from their prison-like boarding schools to take up the fight against the tyrannical government that murdered their parents fifteen years earlier. Fleeing across icy mountains from a pack of terrifying dog-men sent to hunt them down, only three of the friends make it safely to Jahn's Restaurant, the headquarters of a secret resistance movement. It is here they learn about courage, freedom and love, and discover the astonishing power of one voice as the battle begins - to free a depressed and terrified nation from a generation of cruelty, and to save their captured friend, forced to fight to the death in a barbaric ancient game.

I’m not sure if the upcoming release Winter’s End is the sequel to this one, or if it’s the same book with a different title. In any case, Winter’s End sounds highly intriguing but it’s not out till November. Whereas Winter Song is out already, so I decided to check it out now. If anyone knows what the relationship between the two books is, I’d be grateful if you could clue me in, because the internet is failing me on this one. (PS: Anyone pointing out that 'a poor workman blames his tools' will be answered only with eye-rolling.)

Tomorrow, When The War Began - John Marsden

Hell isn’t only a place for the damned. Sometimes it’s a place where the saved take refuge.

Seven teenagers take a trip to Hell. And seven return. To find Hell has come home.

It takes one week to escape from civilization and live rough in a remote, unexplored valley. It takes one week for civilization to be destroyed. Now there is only one place left to hide… When your worst nightmare comes true, how can you face tomorrow?

I read an impressive review of this over on Rhiannon Hart’s blog, so I’m pretty confident I’ll love it. It’s the first in a series that is already out, which means if I do love it, I don’t have to wait ages for the next one. Bonus!

In other book related news, I discovered this week that my sweetheart has ordered me an import copy of Ash. I think that's pretty much the most thoughtful gift ever, and I'm going near crazy every time the post arrives. I've also heard about a very exciting Hush, Hush event in London this week. Now the only question is: can I really bring myself to go out in public dressed as an angel?

REVIEW: PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS - MICHELLE ZINK

The world goes still. There is no room in my mind for the wind in the trees or the lake lapping the shore below. No room for anything, really, except the tendrils of the prophecy twisting itself into something that is only a seed of reason.

When Lia Milthorpe’s father dies in mysterious circumstances, her grief soon turns to foreboding. A strange scar-like marking appears on her wrist, a book with only one page tells of a mythical prophecy, and her twin sister Alice is performing sinister rituals in the room that was once their mother’s chamber.

As Lia begins to uncover the secrets of the prophecy, she and Alice are pitted against each other in an ancient struggle of good versus evil. A battle that only one of them can win.

Prophecy of the Sisters has all the ingredients of a sublime gothic fantasy. An inescapable hereditary curse, the occasional spooky séance and more than one visit to the graveyard combine to imbue Michelle Zink’s debut with a dark and shivery allure. Our protagonist, kind and bookish Lia Milthorpe, even has her very own doppelgänger - in the form of her twin sister, the somewhat less kind and less bookish Alice.

Yet, Prophecy is far more than your everyday gothic novel. Recently-orphaned Lia is a girl on the verge of adulthood - a girl who, unlike her sister, has always preferred the tranquillity of her father’s library to the pleasures of local society. But now her beloved father is dead, and she and Alice are mistresses of Birchwood Manor. As the prophecy begins to make itself known, Lia is forced to question her knowledge of her sister and herself - and to take control of her own destiny. For Lia is more independent than she first appears: she does have a boyfriend, and he's a sweetheart, but their romance takes a backseat to the other developments in her life. This is a girl who has her own path to follow.

Like most people, I find identical twins rather intriguing. Lia and Alice Milthorpe are no exception, and Prophecy of the Sisters throws up questions of identity that give the Victorian-era tale a more contemporary slant. Are the twins two halves of the same being, or two entirely separate individuals? Can the two halves ever be reconciled, or must one triumph over the other? There’s a poignancy in widening chasm between them, these girls who once shared a womb, who used to fall asleep holding each other’s hands but always felt a mutual sense of mistrust.

Michelle Zink’s writing is lyrical and authentic, conjuring a Victorian setting that is both atmospheric and convincing. The prophecy itself has its roots in biblical and mythical material, and I loved the richness this lent to the story. Zink is also a master of metaphor, painting the most vivid images with her words: rain ‘falls in sheets, a blanket of silvery thread rushing to the hard almost-winter ground’. Some readers may find the story slow at times, but those who enjoy feeling unsettled will appreciate the gradual build of tension. And build it most certainly does. Then - bam! - the tale twists, the tension shifts, and the reader is rewarded with some of those ‘no way!’ moments that get the pages turning faster than ever.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good supernatural yarn. Those who need a lot of action to hold their interest should bear in mind that this one might be out of their comfort zone - but then, the beauty of Prophecy of the Sisters is its ability to draw you in and get you wondering. My only complaint would be that the ending felt very unresolved. On the plus side, this means we can jump straight in to the sequel when it arrives - but for now, I’m suffering a little! If you can’t tell, I loved this one. My advice would be to get a copy, wait for a rainy Sunday afternoon, and read it by lamplight.

THROWDOWN THURSDAY (5)

Throwdown Thursday is a meme invented by Kate at The Neverending Shelf. It's a weekly thing where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!

Last week, my throwdown saw Malinda Lo's Ash facing off against Alex Flinn's Beastly. And the winner was...

Both! It was a tie.

These week, I'm throwing down two books which both have kick-ass female protagonists. (Okay, so I'm English, and technically I should say kick-arse, but that sounds lamer.) Both characters have a knack for staying alive, they're both awesome with a bow and arrow, and even their names are pretty evenly matched. So which girl hero gets your vote?






Katsa from Kristin Cashore's Graceling






Or





Katniss from Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy?

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY (5): THE WAKING: DREAMS OF THE DEAD - THOMAS RANDALL

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week, I’m waiting on…

The Waking: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall.

From the author’s website: Kara Foster thinks the hardest thing about moving to Japan will be fitting in as an outsider. But dark secrets are stirring at her new school. When Kara befriends Sakura, a fellow outsider whose rebellious nature sets her apart from the crowd, she learns that Sakura's sister was the victim of an unsolved murder on school grounds. And before long, terrible things begin to happen.

It starts with nightmares - strange, otherworldly dreams that wake Kara in terror every night. Then more students start turning up dead, with strange marks on their bodies. Is Sakura getting revenge on those she suspects are responsible for her sister's death? Or has her dead sister come back to take revenge for herself?

I’m a little bit in love with Japan. The culture, the history, the videogames, the Pocky. I’m also a total J-Horror fangirl. As you may have guessed, Japan is pretty much top of my list of places I need to visit. In the meantime, I’m thinking that I may have just found the perfect set-in-Japan YA novel to escape in.

The Waking: Dreams of the Dead sounds seriously spooky. Not convinced yet? Check out an extract here. Plus, isn’t that cover amazing? This one’s released September 29th, and I’m counting the days. Seriously. 20.

TIME TRAVEL TUESDAY: CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES - PENELOPE FARMER

At I Was A Teenage Book Geek, Tuesdays are for time travel. Every week, I’ll delve into the YA bookshelves of years gone by and review a book that most definitely isn’t a new release. It might not even be a recent release. It might be five years old, or ten, or twenty. So that’s the deal: I’ll read it, and let you know whether I think it’s worth you reading it too. The book won’t necessarily be about time travel. Although it might be.

It’s the nineteen-sixties. Thirteen year old Charlotte Makepeace arrives at boarding school for the first time, lost among the returning boarders and their easy friendships. The next day she wakes up in 1918, in the same bed, and people are calling her Clare.

I can’t be sure, but I think Charlotte Sometimes is the first book I ever read about time travel. Certainly, it’s the first one that really stayed with me. I fell in love with it when I was ten years old. I borrowed a school library copy, and read it straight through twice. Since then, I’ve read it at least once every couple of years, over and over. I’ve seen it marketed as middle-grade fiction and as YA, but I can tell you from experience - this book transcends all that. It grows with you.

There’s something heartbreaking about this story of a thirteen year old girl who switches places in her sleep each night with a exact double she’ll never actually meet. Boarding school in 1918 is stark and formal, and the backdrop of the First World War - air-raid alarms, rationing and young men who went to France and never came home to their sweethearts - adds an air of unsettled melancholy. The only person who could ever truly understand what Charlotte’s going through is Clare. And she’s the one person who is always out of reach.

Charlotte Sometimes is a book about time travel, but it’s also a book about identity. Charlotte is accustomed to living with her family, attending a small village school where she doesn’t even have to put her last name on her assignments. She doesn’t need to ask who she is. She just is. If boarding-school throws that innate sense of self into question, that’s nothing compared to waking up as somebody else and finding that nobody knows the difference. And when Charlotte gets stuck in 1918, not knowing if she’ll ever find her way back, she begins to worry that she’ll actually become Clare - and that Charlotte will be lost forever.

What really makes Charlotte Sometimes a classic is the way that Penelope Farmer handles the end of the story. Charlotte and Clare can never meet as thirteen year olds, that much is clear. And yet, Clare was born just forty or so years before Charlotte. As the story unfolds, we wonder whether they might just meet in the nineteen sixties after all? And if so, which one will be thirteen? When we reach the ending, it’s enigmatic. It’s the kind of ending that inspires a lasting wistfulness, a feeling of something lost that can never fully be recovered.

Verdict: If you haven’t already read this one, I really think you need to. And if you have, maybe it’s about time for a reread. It’s a beautiful story.

You can check out Penelope Farmer’s blog here, where you’ll find a sidebar link to a two-part post about the connection between her book Charlotte Sometimes and the Cure song of the same name. For fans of either, it’s a pretty moving read.

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Prophecy of the Sisters - Michelle Zink

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves uncovering a lifetime of secrets. Secrets that could destroy everything.

Lia and Alice don’t know who they can trust.

They just know they can’t trust each other.

I get the impression this one is a little dark and twisted, which matches my mood exactly right now. (Okay, my mood most of the time). I also love the way that the summary intrigues without giving anything away. I’ve only read a few pages so far, and I’m enthralled already.

Genesis - Bernard Beckett
The island Republic has emerged from a ruined world. Its citizens are safe but not free. They live in enforced isolation - approaching planes are gunned down, refugees shot on sight - until a man named Adam Forde rescues a girl from the sea and changes history forever. That history is fourteen-year-old Anaximander’s specialist subject. In a darkened room she sits facing three Examiners and a gruelling four-hour examination. The subject is close to her heart: Adam Forde, her long-dead hero. If she passes, she’ll be admitted into The Academy - the elite institution that runs her utopian society.

Already read and reviewed here, this book is one-of-a-kind. I picked it up because I’m a major fan of speculative fiction, but it kind of transcends genres. It’s a thing of beauty, people!

The Bermudez Triangle - Maureen Johnson

Nina, Mel and Avery: best friends. The Bermudez Triangle - Nina Bermudez at its heart.

But then Nina goes away for the summer and everything changes. A party leads to a kiss leads to… Avery and Mel. And Nina. It used to be a triangle, but now three’s a crowd.

I’m going to be doing some posts on ‘challenged’ books later this month, and The Bermudez Triangle is one of the books I’ll be looking at. I’ve heard a lot about it, and I’ve also read some interesting interviews with Maureen Johnson about whether or not it’s okay to consider books ‘adult’ just because they feature LGBT relationships. She sounds like the kind of writer I should have already checked out. Plus, sometimes I need a non-speculative, non-fantasy book in my TBR pile. There’s a real world out there that’s plenty interesting too.

Devil’s Kiss - Sarwat Chadda

Billi SanGreal is facing her Ordeal. The last test before her initiation. But she hadn’t expected this. Not killing a little kid. Billi is determined to follow her father into The Order and protect the masses from the Unholy. From the thousands of evil, tortured souls that prey on humanity. Billi is fifteen. Is a life of brutal fighting and deadly combat really what she wants? Or is temptation threatening to lead her astray…

I’m a little late on this one, since it’s been out here in the UK for some time. But recently I discovered the author’s blog, and suddenly I was wondering why I haven’t read this yet. Plus, he’s a Londoner. His author bio says that ‘There’s nothing he enjoys more than getting lost in its ancient paths and alleyways, and it’s on these streets that Billi SanGreal was born. Who needs fantasy worlds when you’ve a city like this?’

REVIEW: GENESIS - BERNARD BECKETT

The world as we know it has been destroyed by war, plague, and the shrinking of the human spirit. On a group of islands known as Aotearoa, protected by the Great Sea Fence, The Republic survives.

Fourteen-year-old Anaximander is an inhabitant of The Republic; intelligent, inquisitive, and fascinated by the islands’ history. She has come to a prestigious institution called The Academy to sit an entrance exam, consisting of an extended interview on her specialist subject - a man named Adam Forde, who changed the course of The Republic’s future by breaching the Great Sea Fence to save a refugee. Genesis is the story of Anax’s interview, of Adam Forde, and of the hidden truth at the core of The Academy’s existence.

At first look, there is something alien about Genesis. Reading the opening pages, even the most seasoned speculative fiction fan could reasonably be surprised to find that they seem to have picked up a novel about a four-hour academic entrance exam. On the page, it actually looks strange, unfamiliar. The dialogue between Anax and her Examiners is set out in a simple script format, interspersed with paragraphs of more traditional narrative and lengthy passages of Anax’s storytelling as she recounts the history of Adam Forde. Even the page numbers appear on every other page, two at a time.

Read beyond this, and the authenticity of Genesis begins to take shape. Genesis does not read like other books because it is not like other books. This is not our world. This is the only way this story could possibly be told. Not only that, but the writing is beautiful. I read most of this book in solitude, and from time to time I would realise I was speaking the words aloud, simply because a turn of phrase was just so damn perfect.

Anax is an intriguing heroine, because Beckett reveals very little about her life and yet, she’s entirely compelling. Readers will be urging her to succeed, wincing each time she displeases the Examiners, and striving for understanding alongside her. The world she lives in - and the history of the events that have led to this point - is fleshed out through her dialogue with the Examiners and the holographic representations she has painstakingly prepared for this one day. Layer upon layer, Beckett builds the world of Genesis - as Anax builds the world of Adam Forde. A world where a man could be killed for showing human compassion. A world where androids might just be learning to think for themselves.

As the title suggests, Genesis is in part a creation story. It’s also a story about what it means to be human, and the importance of ideas. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a breathtaking ride of a tale; taut with suspense, delivering killer twists that will knock the wind out you. Rarely does my mouth literally drop open in readerly shock, but Genesis caused me to do this on more than one occasion. It’s part philosophy, part science, and if this all sounds a little heavy - it’s utterly spellbinding. If you don't read this book for yourself, call it a little present for your brain. It'll thank you.

REVIEW: THE RESISTANCE - GEMMA MALLEY

From book cover: The year is 2140. Peter and Anna are living as ‘Legals’ but continue to rebel against the laws of the state. Impatient to see action as an agent in the Underground, Peter is tasked with infiltrating the Pincent Pharma corporation to find out what’s going on in the secret Longevity programme.

To do this Peter must feign a reconciliation with his grandfather, Richard Pincent, one of the most powerful men on the planet, whose company is chasing the holy grail of modern science - a drug which will reverse the effects of ageing. But his grandfather has his own plans for Peter and Anna. Plans that threaten the young couple’s dreams for the future.

In The Declaration, Gemma Malley introduced us to Anna Covey and the life of a surplus - a child born illegally into a future society where the Longevity drug allows human beings to live forever, and reproduction is forbidden. In The Resistance, the focus is on Anna’s boyfriend Peter, grandson of Richard Pincent - the owner of the company that manufactures Longevity. Working undercover at Pincent Pharma on behalf of the Underground, Peter makes discoveries about his grandfather’s company that put his relationship with Anna - and his determination to ‘opt out’ of Longevity - to the test.

When it comes to speculative fiction, I’m all about the world-building. The Declaration demonstrated the Gemma Malley can world-build with the best of ’em, and in The Resistance we get to see more of the world outside of the Surplus Hall that Anna grew up in. There’s a real completeness of vision in this instalment of the story, in terms of everything from the environmental implications of human beings living indefinitely, to the boredom these humans feel with all this time on their hands and no major life events to structure it. It’s also a lonely world; Jude, one of the few ‘legal’ young people, spends time in a virtual reality program populated with other young people - rather than venture out into his real world, where he’s not wanted.

The only aspect of The Resistance I’m not so keen on is the seriousness of the relationship between Peter and Anna, who are living together as a couple when the book opens. Sure, it makes a kind of sense: they’re all each other has, and it’s not like they can play the field. However, in a book that champions the natural cycle of human life, I thought it was a pity at times that at sixteen, the leads had to be so darn mature. Don’t get me wrong, their determination to have children together makes sense in terms of the story, and it works considering there’s no teenage culture in their world… it’s just that I like my YA with a little more coming-of-ageness. Peter and Anna are pretty much already there.

Ultimately, The Resistance is a darker read than the previous instalment, even shocking in parts, and it packs more of punch. Richard Pincent might border on being a pantomime villain at times, but Peter is a complex and convincing hero, and readers will find it easy to empathise with him. On a personal note, I loved the fact that Gemma Malley chose a well-known London building (Battersea Power Station) as the setting for the Pincent Pharma factory - there’s something wonderfully eerie about speculative fiction using familiar landmarks, isn’t there?

I’d recommend this book for anyone who likes a dystopia. You’ll need to read The Declaration first, to fully appreciate this one. Luckily that’s good too.