Author Archives: keithbwalters

Partials

By Dan Wells, published by Harper Collins.

Partials (Partials, #1)

Kira Walker lives in the world of the 2060’s: where there are only 36,000 people left on the planet. The artificial humans, the Partials, were meant to just win the Isolation war… but they got out of the US’s control and wiped out 99.96% of the planet’s population with the RM virus. Now, the remnants of the human race are all residing on one island, but the youngest citizen is fourteen. Babies only last three days before dying, as they are not born immune, but in a desperate plan to revive the human race women are forced to have one baby a year, in the hope that one might be born with instant immunity to the RM virus, Admist all of the attacks by the terrorists who go by the name of ‘The Voice’, Kira is a sixteen year old medic who is getting more heartbroken by the day watching babies die in the maternity ward. When her best friend falls pregnant, she knows she must save Madison’s baby, along with the rest- she can’t stand any more deaths. An epic adventure follows, for Kira and her friends… but can she really find a cure for the virus, when the enemy is holding the secret to it?

I noticed that the sequel to Partials would be out soon, and realized that I still haven’t gotten round to reading this, Partials, I picked it up straightaway. I wasn’t all too sure what I was in for, but I was drawn in right from the first page. The death of a non-immune baby on the first page really shocked me, and created instant questions in my head- Why did he die? What happened? I was totally engrossed throughout, too! The plot was cleverly written with some great and unpredictable twists- especially the Partials involvement in the RM virus. Also, I loved the medical detail and accuracy in this book- I’d normally get lightheaded at a slight mention of blood, but the author has made Kira’s medical-breakthrough scenes really, really interesting. In fact, the medical elements made this story scarily realistic!

Kira was a very bold and confident protagonist. I absolutely loved her personality and her determination right from the start, and understood all of the choices she made, especially the one about her relationship with Marcus at the end (Although I was almost crying at that point. Gosh, it was so heart-breaking!). She was well-developed, with realistic and believable emotions. I also loved the characters of her friends- Haru and the others who went all the way to Manhattan to get a Partial with her, as well as Madison, whose pregnancy was the thing that made Kira decide she would be the one to cure RM. Also, the character of Isolde was pregnant at the end, but she seemed to get forgotten about. I want to know if her baby was immunized or not, so I hope that’s shown in the sequel.

Partials was, in all, a brilliant read. I loved all of the characters, and even had a soft spot for the Partial they captured- Samm. The plot was scary and with some great dystopian elements… Dan Wells has created one of the most terrifying apocalyptic visions of the world I have ever seen, and I can’t wait to read more, in the sequel (Fragments), and the e-Book novella!

Maggot Moon

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By Sally Gardner, published by Hot Key Books.

Maggot Moon

“What if the football hadn’t gone over the wall? What if Hector hadn’t gone looking for it? What if he hadn’t kept the dark secret to himself? What if…?

Then I suppose I would be telling myself another story. You see, the ‘What if’s’ are as boundless as the stars…”

Standish Treadwell is a dyslexic boy living in the Motherland, in the 1950’s. He’s the outcast at school; by teachers and students, and then HEctor moves in next door, who believes in Standish’s imaginary world, and loves him for who he is. One day, the two are kicking a football around, and when it goes over the wall, neither of them realises how much that is about to change their lives. They discover an astronaut- one who is meant to be in a rocket, flying to the moon, but actually, he’s run away. A dark secret is being kept by the Motherland… Their moon mission is a hoax.

When Hector and his parents are kidnapped and taken away because they know too much, Standish is determined to get them back, and show the world that the Motherland are lying, and putting scientists like Hector’s dad into slavery to win the race to the moon. Can Standish do both, and what will it cost?

After seeing this shortlisted for this year’s Carnegie Medal, I wanted to read it again, and relive the brilliant, and special story. I think I enjoyed it much more the second time around! Sally Gardner has executed this story perfectly, and I could see through Standish’s eyes so well. She has created such a wonderful, witty, and brave protagonist who has a very unique voice that is really thought-provoking. His narration was excellent, and, above all- so believable. He was such a well developed character and I was rooting for him throughout the book; when he was getting beaten up, when he snuck himself into the Palace to get Hector back- I have never wanted a character to win so much before! His rich imagination gave him such a determination throughout the book, and when he finally made it to the ‘Land of the Croca-Colas’ at the end, it brought a tear of happiness to my eye, despite the ending being heart-wrenchingly sad.

The plot was very thought-provoking. The whole tie-in with the moon landing being a hoax really drew me in: I’m really interested in that subject, so I became totally engrossed in this book! It had a really dystopian essence to it too, and I loved that so much. As for the setting- it was great. The Motherland is a figment of the author’s imagination, but it was scarily realistic. It mainly felt like America, with the whole moon-landing idea, but a lot of the names sounded kind of Russian, and it had that eerie strictness of Germany under the Nazi rule. The setting was shown really well through the writing.

So overall, this book was totally amazing. The writing style was very fun to read, with slight mix-ups of words by Standish, but I think that made it all the more believable and three-dimensional. With an extremely clever plot, shocking and scary scenes, and so much more packed into it, I’m sure Maggot Moon will win the Carnegie Medal!

Awards and things

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Waterstones Children’s book prize 2013

I just saw the video for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2013, and noticed two of my favorite books on the shortlist!

Ketchup Clouds

The overall winner for teen fiction was Ketchup Clouds, by Annabel Pitcher, and I’m not surprised by that at all. Ketchup Clouds was totally amazing! Click HERE for my review.

Insignia (Insignia, #1)

Also, Insignia made the shortlist, Wahey!

Carnegie Medal Shortlist

This is kinda late news, but here’s the shortlist: I’ll be updating this post and hyperlinking the book titles to my reviews once I read them, as I’m trying to read all of them!

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)
A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle (Marion Lloyd Books)
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner (Hot Key Books)
In Darkness by Nick Lake (Bloomsbury)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Bodley Head)
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick (Indigo)
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton (David Fickling Books)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Electric Monkey)

–What book do you think should win the Carnegie Medal??

Slide

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By Jill Hathaway, published by Harper Collins.

Slide

“I see through the eyes of a killer…”

Vee Bell hates being labelled as the ‘Narcoleptic freak’. Everyone thinks she just collapses because of her diagnosed Narcolepsy, but Vee knows differently. She collapses because she slides- every time she touches an object that somebody has had and felt a strong emotion with, she slips into them, and witnesses what they’re currently doing not matter how far away. One night, she slides into an unknown body, and witnesses that body commit the murder of her cheerleader-little-sister’s best friend: Sophie. Determined to track down the killer of such a lovely little girl, Vee begins an terrifying investigation.

Then another cheerleader is murdered. The stakes are getting higher now, and Vee has little time to solve the murders, because her little sister Mattie is next…

After seeing the sequel to this and reading the synopsis for it, I just had to start Slide! I devoured the whole thing in about a day- It was quite short at 250 pages, but had one heck of a plot. I’ve never read anything quite like it before. The psychological roots of this story made it pretty eerie, but also extremely interesting. The first murder was absolutely terrifying and on the minor character which was the last person I thought would be the first to die. The murder conspiracies were totally riveting and unpredictable, and I loved the genius way that the author connected Vee’s father to the murderer.

Vee was a really unique protagonist. I could tell she was the outcast right from the start- and not just because of her Narcolepsy condition, but because the bullying inflicted on her in the past. It made her a really three-dimensional and realistic character. Also, she was brave and strong and never gave up, despite the terrors and the unidentified murderer she was facing. I really liked her and can’t wait to read more about her in the sequel! I also enjoyed reading about the characters of Zane and Rollins. Rollins was her best friend who began to get distant with her throughout the events of Slide, but I was so happy their friendship became whole again at the end of the book, and that he didn’t leave her alone. Zane was a very complex love interest. As he had ties to the murderer and I don’t want to spoil the story, I won’t go into depth here- but I’ll just say he was very unpredictable. The author went in-depth with his character, making him just as three dimensional as the protagonist, but not arousing suspicion with his character. That made the resolution to the murder so unexpected!

In all, Slide was amazing. IT was a very complex but riveting and fast-paced crime story, with a lot packed into it. Despite supernatural, psychological themes, the book was realistic and had a really important, embedded messages about peer pressure and bullying. I loved it so much! I can’t wait for the sequel, IMPOSTER, published in later in April!

City of Glass

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By Cassandra Clare, published by Walker.

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)

Clary is determined to get to the city of glass- Idris- to get the antidote for her mother so she can wake from her coma. However, Jace has other ideas, and doesn’t want her to leave for the island of Shadowhunters. Jace, the Lightwoods and Simon leave for Idris, but Clary catches up. When there, she realises that a war is soon to begin between the Shadowhunters and her evil father, Valentine, over the third mortal instrument- the Mirror, disguised as Lake Lyn of Idris. Can Clary use her unique power to create new Shadowhunter runes in order to win the war, whilst pursuing her love for Jace, despite it being forbidden?

**REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**

This was absolutely brilliant! I couldn’t wait to start City of Glass after reading City of Ashes, and my expectations were pretty high. Thankfully, this book meet all of them! Casandra Clare’s writing had been amazing in her last two books, but in this one, I loved it even more. The descriptions were beautiful, as was the imaginative setting of Idris. It was really great that the whole book was set in Idris, as it had been mentioned in the books before, and I had been itching to read more about it. The plot was solid and so much different from City of Ashes and City of Bones, and well structured, too, with some great plot twists. I especially was shocked by the re-entrance of Hodge about halfway through. However, he seemed to be forgotten about after the protagonists found him, and that kind of annoyed me because I wanted to see into his character more and find out why he betrayed them in the first in the series. Apart from that tiny little thing, I totally loved the story!

Clary seemed to become a lot more confident in City of Glass. Her rune-creating powers played quite a big part in this and really changed the course of the battle. However, she didn’t actually fight in the war. Although Clary was told not to fight, I still would’ve thought she’d want to get back at Valentine and his evil demon army. However, she really developed right at the end, as her love for Jace saved his life and put an end to Valentine for good. Also, the new character of Sebastian really shook the plot up. I was so not expecting that he was Clary’s brother instead of Jace! That added a real element of action to the story, as he was evil and violent, after being implanted with demon blood by his father (Clary was given angel blood- making her the opposite of him). He was a totally ruthless, and utterly terrifying, new antagonist for the story.

City of Glass, overall, was a seriously enjoyable read. I loved the plot twists, and also love seeing the characters of Jace and Clary grow back together again after being apart in the book before. Although the battle with Valentine is over so I have no idea what’s in store in the fourth book (City of Fallen Angels) I can’t wait to read it!

Finding Cherokee Brown

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By Siobhan Curham, published by Electric Monkey.

Claire Weeks is browsing the second-hand book tables on the Southbank when she pulls out a copy of ‘So you want to write a novel?’ by Agatha Weeks. Claire starts writing her own book about her life, and thinks she will have to exaggerate her own life to make it exciting, but she is so wrong. Enter Claire’s long lost father, the rock ‘n’ roll loving street-singer, who tells Claire that she is actually called Cherokee- Cherokee Brown. Cherokee starts a new life, full of adventure, where she finds out who she really is.

Ever since I saw that there was another book coming from Siobhan Curham, I’ve been an even bigger jumping-up-and-down-impatiently-waiting-and-extremely-excited fangirl than I usually am. When this came in the post, I was so excited to start it! In my opinion, this is probably the best piece of contemporary fiction I have read this year. I simply couldn’t stop reading, and finished it in a few hours! Cherokee was such an amazing protagonist, with a well developed, realistic personality and a big heart. I loved reading about her so much. Her narration was absolutely brilliant, and I especially liked the ‘notebook extracts’ in-between some chapters. They were very fun to read, and as they were character profile pieces that Cherokee had written about herself, Harrison, and her dad, they gave a really great insight into what Cherokee thought of the new men in her life, as well as herself. Also, I really loved the character of her Dad- a street singer, who dresses a bit like a hippy and drives around in his campervan. He was so unique and unlike any other fictional Dad I’ve encountered. I loved the relationship that developed throughout the book between him and his daughter- there was a really strong bond between them even though they had only met about ten times. As well as that, I loved the connections to music in the story that he made (I haven’t listened to many of the rock songs that play a big part in his life, but I really want to now!).

The plot was very fun, and well structured. It dealt with lots of very common problems that teenagers face today- Bullying, Stepfamilies, and first love. Siobhan Curham’s writing made these events in Cherokees life really realistic and understandable, and I found myself sympathizing with the characters a lot. However, as well as dealing with some very sad themes, this story was upbeat and funny at parts too. I enjoyed this story of freedom and discovery so much. Despite the difficulties in Cherokee’s life, she had some great times finding out who she really was. I loved seeing her make the journey from being plain, dull Claire Weeks to becoming the cool and quirky Cherokee Brown.

In total, Finding Cherokee Brown is an unforgettable book that leaves you thinking about it way after you put it down. It had some of the greatest characters I’ve seen in a while, and a well-thought-out plot with lots of great twists, and a satisfying ending. Recommended to fans of Annabel Pitcher- this book had lots of heart, humour, and tears. I can’t wait for a next book from this brilliant author!

Pushing The Limits

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By Katie McGarry, published by Mira Ink.

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1)

Echo Emerson is the ex-popular girl of her high school, re-labelled as a freak after a horrific incident a year before. Her mother had supposedly tried to kill her, but Echo’s mind had repressed the memories of it, and now she’s been landed in counselling to try and regain the memory of the day she has forgotten. She’s living with her seemingly careless dad, and his stupid new wife who’s expecting a baby who Echo is sure will replace her.

Noah Hutchins is the bad boy of his high school, and his parents died years ago in a house fire. He’s been through more care homes than any other foster kid, and is currently living with a couple who don’t care about him, and two two equally bad Isiah and biker-chic Beth.

Both Echo and Noah are broken, but when they meet, everything will change as they fall in love…

WOW. I have never actually read a book with such realistic events, that has been pulled off so brilliantly! I absolutely loved how this was constructed- with switching narratives between Echo and Noah. That really gave me a great, clear insight into their relationship and both of their lives at home. The plot dealt with some very serious themes, and although they were heart-breaking and terrifying, they still had great positive endings. I loved how the events in this book played out, and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Echo Emerson was the character I fell in love with instantly. Her personality was so unique and her emotions easy to identify, and I really understood her nervousness and how she felt about all of the problems in her life. On the other hand, I didn’t like Noah so easily, and didn’t understand why Echo fell in love with him- he’s the bad boy who uses fists instead of words, and turns to alcohol instead of friends. However, through his narration, I began to understand him and why he did what he did. I ended up really liking his character, too, about halfway into the book. The protagonist’s relationship developed really well throughout the book, and I loved reading their story.

In total, I enjoyed Pushing The Limits so much. It had a really gripping plot which had lots of unexpected twists. The characters were three-dimensional and understandable, and I grew to really love them. I so want to read more writing from Katie McGarry in the future!

The Medusa Project: The Set Up

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By Sophie McKenzie, published by Simon & Schuster.

The Set-up (Medusa Project, #1)

As soon as Nico discovers he has telekinesis by accidentally creating a ‘freak electrical storm’ during a school assembly, he realises that this could get him money, and the girl of his dreams- the beautiful, sporty Ketty. Nico’s stepfather tells him never to use his power again, but a mysterious guy named Jack informs Nico that he was one of four children to be implanted with a gene- the Medusa gene- and that his power was a result of that. Nico begins an exhilarating adventure full of hope, lies and betrayal, searching for the other three Medusa-gene carriers…

I’ve been meaning to start Sophie McKenzie’s sci-fi series for ages, and after reading the first book, I so want to read on! The whole idea in general was really cool and original. I loved reading it so much. The plot was solid and well constructed, with some great twists thrown in- I was definitely not expecting one of the major characters to betray Nico and sell off the Medusa gene into evil hands! As well as all of the explosive action and drama, I also really enjoyed the love triangle that became visible in the middle of the book- it was pretty unexpected, and the outcome shocked me!

Nico was an enjoyable protagonist. At the beginning, I disliked him because all he seemed to want to use his power for was to get money and his girl. however, I grew to like him as the events in the book played out, as he made some seriously brave and sacrificial decisions in order to save the girl he loved, even though she was dating somebody else. I think the love triangle between Nico, Ketty and Ed really shook the plot up!

In all, The Medusa Project: The Set Up was a really good, roughly 300 page read. It was so different from Sophie’s crime books that I read, but I still really loved it and although it was really aimed at 11-12 year olds in my opinion, I still enjoyed it a lot and will definitely start on the second one soon, as this ended on a cliffhanger!

The Day of the Triffids

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By John Wyndham, published by Penguin.

The Day of the Triffids

Bill Masen wakes up in a hospital, and finds every inhabitant of the building blinded. Their eyesights were totally destroyed by a freak cosmic event, and Bill missed it because his eyes were plastered over with bandages. Upon emerging into the streets of London, Bill discovers that most people cannot see, and are fumbling aimlessly around the streets, and that he is one of the few lucky people not to have witnessed the blinding metoers. He teams up with the beautiful Josella, and so a journey begins- because evil plants called Triffids have gained the ability to move and kill humans with a poisonous sting. With most of the population blind and unable to see the Triffids sneaking up on them, the whole world has the chance of being wiped out. Can Josella and Bill build a safe sanctuary, and maybe put a stop to the Triffids?

The Day of the Triffids was quite enjoyable for a short book! I think it was really imaginative- you can’t get more imaginative than giant, blinding comets and walking plants in the same novel!- but it still seemed scarily realistic. Right from the start I was totally hooked on this- The Day of the Triffids was absolutely terrifying! The plot was well structured and I enjoyed every second of it- there were lots of twists, and despite the setting being so chaotic, it still made sense.

Bill Masen was a physically strong protagonist, and his adventure in this novel was really fun to read. However, at the end of the book, I still had alot of unanswered questions about him- like why he had been in the hospital where doctors were working on mending his eyesight. Also, I think he could’ve been more three dimensional, personality-wise: I think I definitely liked the character of Josella more than him, because she had such a vivid and well explained background. Also, the antagonists totally terrified me, despite their plant form!

Overall, The Day of the Triffids was an enjoyable read. I loved the plot, and the author has alot of imagination, but I think he could’ve gone into much more depth in the main protagonist’s personality and childhood, etc. I’d recommend it to Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans, though!

The Ghost Bride

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By Yangsze Choo, published by Hot Key Books.

The Ghost Bride

“One day, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride…”

Li Lan lives with her father and Amah, in 1890’s Malaya. One day her father arrives home with the craziest, most unexpected marriage proposal. The rich Lim family would like Li Lan to marry their dead, teenage heir as a ghost bride-a rarely come by, ancient Chinese tradition- in order to preserve the Lim family name. After a strange visit to the Lim family mansion, Li Lan finds herself falling for her dead fiancee’s cousin, the handsome, attractive Tian Bai, and also thrown into the world of the dead- full of ghosts, secrets and betrayal. Li Lan must uncover the reason behind her fiancee’s murder, and try to control her feelings for Tian Bai. Can she do both with the help of Er Lang, the dragon?

I really didn’t know what I’d think of this book when I picked it up. I don’t really read historical fiction that much (although now I’m starting to really get into it thanks to Hot Key Books’ historical titles!). However, I really loved this debut! The British-ruled 1800’s Malaya was a place that I knew nothing about, but The Ghost Bride gave me a really clear introduction to the setting. The descriptions, and the writing overall, was absolutely beautiful- some of the best writing I have seen this year, and from a new author! The plot was really gripping and with lots of unexpected twists- a complex, unpredictable love story. I was so not expecting for Li Lan to fall in love with the mysterious man she had never seen the face of! I also really loved the fantastical underworld, which took up about a third of the book. It was so imaginative, and realistic, and overall just so fun to read.

Li Lan was a great protagonist. She was determined, fearless, and really loveable. I really felt her emotions through Yangsze’s writing, and understood why she was so torn between Tian Bai and a certain-mysterious-person-I-will-not-mention-the-name-of-because-I-don’t-want-to-spoil-it. Tian Bai was such a great love interest, although it broke my heart that Li Lan changed her wedding plans with him, despite the fact that I knew she had feeling towards another man. Also, the character of Tian Ching; the dead son of the Lim family, had a really shocking personality. I had thought that Li Lan may have fallen in love with him, in the underworld, but it turned out her was the opposite of what I’d expected. However, he was a really great character, and he was like a puppet to the Ancestors of the Lim family who played him, and that made a really great plot twist.

Overall, The Ghost Bride really exceeded my expectations and I loved it so much. The characters were three dimensional and understandable; and the plot was totally unpredictable and kept me reading. It was so enjoyable and now I want a sequel!!