Tag Archives: love

An Interview with… Gina Blaxill!

I’m so lucky to have interviewed one of my favourite crime authors, Gina Blaxill! I’ve been a fan of her books for about a year-ish, now, having read her first two crime thrillers for teens last October and absolutely loving them. I didn’t know until a couple of weeks ago that Gina had a new title out- and I was so glad I got to read a copy. I really wanted to interview Gina on her newest book, Saving Silence, which I reviewed yesterday on my blog, and she was kind enough to agree to answer a few questions! So, here’s a little bit about this author, and an interview with some really great answers about her new thriller for teens (complete with pictures- of the setting and Gina’s awesome writing shed):

Gina Blaxill is 27 and lives in North London. She has an English degree from Cambridge University and now works in schools liaison, helping teenagers puzzle out the mysteries of higher education. Between the ages of 11 and 15 she wrote an epic 36 part story featuring over 1,000 characters – she still remembers most of their names! Apart from Saving Silence she has two other novels published with Macmillan, Forget Me Never and Pretty Twisted, which is an e-book bestseller.

Your newest novel is based in an area with a lot of crime. particularly gang crime (The McAllister twins): why did you decide to write a novel with themes of London gang culture?

I wanted to write something that genuinely felt real, like it could actually happen. I also wanted to write about something that might affect teenagers, rather than about teenagers getting accidentally caught up in adult crime. Gang crime is a huge issue that affects lots of teenagers with loads of really interesting themes – identity and belonging and friendship to name a few, themes I think relate to teenagers in particular. I was lucky that I didn’t grow up with gang culture around me but for many of the young people I’ve met across London it’s something they have to deal with every day to a lesser or greater extent.

Did you always want, since wanting to become an author, to write crime/thrillers, and for teenagers?

I definitely always wanted to write for teenagers.I love teenage fiction and I just don’t have anything interesting to say to adults! My teenage years were not at all dramatic but I think it’s a really interesting period of life, when people are discovering exciting new things and figuring out who they want to be.

I actually ended up falling into writing crime thrillers. When I wrote my first book Pretty Twisted I didn’t realise I had written a crime novel! However it makes a lot of sense because I’ve always loved crime novels and crime dramas.

What was your main inspiration for Saving Silence?

My starting point was the idea that someone might do a good deed that had bad consequences. I wanted something really dramatic at the beginning too, so both those ideas turned into Imogen saving Sam’s life. Obviously I then needed an explanation for why someone would want to try to kill Sam and that became the rest of the book. I also really wanted to write something set in a part of London where kids have to be tougher and more streetwise – somewhere that felt claustrophobic and potentially dangerous.

Do you base any of your characters on yourself or other people that you know?

I usually don’t – not consciously, anyway! It’s not that I’m a boring person but I think characters like me would be a bit rubbish in a crime book because they would be sensible and just go to the police ! I do try and give all my important characters a little something of me – like Imogen I like to get things done without fuss and like Sam I enjoy baking. However, I did base Nadina strongly on a lovely girl I met through my day job at a college in Hammersmith – I gave her the same name, appearance and from what I could tell a similar personality. I hope the real life Nadina doesn’t mind being put in a book! I also based some of Ollie’s background, loosely, on a kid in an episode of World’s Strictest Parents, so character inspiration can strike from odd places.

There’s a bit of a romantic twist, especially at the ending, to Saving Silence. Were you always going to include it?

This is a good question! Originally there was less romance in Saving Silence . I think I got so caught up with
plotting and atmosphere that I forgot about it a little – my bad! Both my editors, very wisely, pushed me to up the

romance a little and I’m glad I did. The development of the characters’ relationships and the ending just feel right, and a lot of the romantic twists and turns just ended up happening naturally – I never really planned to end up with a love triangle, for instance.

Finally, do you have any ideas for a fourth book, that you can share with us?

Nothing’s set in stone for the fourth book and I might change my mind and go with a different idea! However the idea I’m working with at the moment is about a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, and revolves around one of them having been abducted.

Ooh, can’t wait to hear more about this idea if it goes forward! Also, I would write this in a picture caption, but stupid WordPress won’t let me caption things for some reason… So can we just take a moment to admire this writing shed/author habitat above. I WANT ONE.

Finally, thanks so much to Gina Blaxill for answering my questions with some really great answers- I really enjoyed reading them and hope everyone else will too. You can check out my review of SAVING SILENCE by clicking HERE, and you can also hear Gina read the first chapter HERE!

Belle Époque

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By Elizabeth Ross, published by Hot Key Books.

Belle Epoque Goodreads synopsis: When sixteen-year-old Maude runs away to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Increasingly desperate for money, she answers a mysterious advert: ‘Young Women Wanted for Undemanding Work. Apply In Person To The Durandeau Agency.’ But the work is very strange indeed. Maude discovers she is to be a repoussoir – an ugly young woman hired by Parisian socialites to enhance their beauty.

Maude is humiliated – but faced with destitution, what choice does she have? Quickly (and secretly) selected as the perfect companion for the Countess Dubern’s daughter Isabelle, Maude is thrown into a decadent world full of parties, glamour and astonishing cruelty. Maude finds that academic Isabelle is equally disenchanted with the Parisian social scene, and the girls form a tight bond. But when bohemian artist Paul and the handsome Duke d’Avaray are introduced into the girls’ lives, their friendship will be tested to its limits. The girls are about to discover the true meaning of being beautiful…

My Review: I don’t think I’ve read much set in France before, let alone a historical France, so Belle Epoque was a really interesting read for me! I was really looking forward to starting it as the synopsis sounded very different and also, the cover is just gorgeous (Just look at it! SO PRETTY!). I really grew to love the setting! Paris, France… I was thinking the whole thing would be quite glamorous, but Belle Epoque showed the darker side of historical Paris… which was hugely entertaining to read about. It was quite shocking, really: ‘Ugly’ girls are hired through an agency by rich Debutantes for parties- the rich girl hiring will look even more beautiful next to the ugly hired girl. Just- what? That’s pretty mean. The subject really interested me, though, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.

The plot was very well thought out, and very unpredictable. Though I could tell that Maude was most definitely going to be with this rich girl Isabelle throughout the book, there were a lot of shocks in store for me! I had guessed, a little way into the book, that Isabelle was going to be this sour, stuck-up, horrible rich girl who made life awful for Maude, who’d seek revenge somehow. However, I got that entirely wrong! Isabelle had this secret life, revealed to no one, and made her a whole lot nicer, and I grew to like her a lot more after that was revealed. I really loved that twist in the story. I really wasn’t expecting it! There were loads of other great twists throughout the story, keeping me reading. I loved the whole outcome: There were two heroes to the plot, really, and a great ending for both Maude and the employees of the Durandeau agency.

Maude was a character I struggled to like at first, unfortunately. I would have liked to know why, exactly, Maude had decided to leave, penniless, for Paris. She seemed a bit too confident that she was going to build this glamorous life and seemed a bit too shocked when it didn’t turn out her way. Then, I started to warm to her personality, as I got to know more and more about her through her joining the Durandeau Agency. She became a much more loveable character, whom I really wanted everything to turn out great for! I didn’t really understand why she fell in love with one man, but did understand one other, the Pianist. The love triangle created was pretty tense for Maude, and I was ecstatic when everything turned out how I’d hoped!

A character I also grew to love was Isabelle, I mentioned before how she was most definitely not what I had expected. She really wasn’t! I loved the secret side of her: I don’t suppose I can reveal much, or it’ll ruin the surprise, but her rebellious personality I could really relate to. She loved the kinds of things I loved, though she did it behind the back of her strict, marriage-obsessed mother. The rebel-thing going on with her added some tension to the story. I loved that! Isabelle’s unlikely friendship with Maude was just amazing. You’d never expect the two of them to become even slightly friends. However, I could see this bond between them towards the end of the story- the relationship they had was just beautiful, really, and laced the story with themes of unlikely bonds. I really loved it, more, I think, than I enjoyed the love aspects of the book!

Overall, Belle Epoque is a really great read. I enjoyed it a lot! Although I couldn’t really connect with the main character at first, I really got to love her, as well as Isabelle- and of course Paul, one love interest who was just brilliant! The plot was really great- loads of unexpected parts, and the narration (through the eyes of Maude) was really good too. I loved the setting, of historical France, going through a really interesting period of time (The time period was called La Belle Epoque- translating as Beautiful Time, for fellow non-French speakers! Thank the almighty Google Translate for that.), and the job Maude had in this was shocking, but also strangely intriguing. Elizabeth Ross most definitely did her research on this- details were so accurate. Reccomended to Historical fiction fans, or people who love great stories about friendship!

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Belle Epoque from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

ALSO: Hot Key Books have this absolutely beautiful book trailer for Belle Epoque! It’s really stunning. Go take a look at the beautiful trailer, people!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTpIp6XaQsE]

Hold Your Breath

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By Caroline Green, published by Piccadilly Press.

Hold Your Breath

Goodreads synopsis: Tara has the power to find missing things and people, but it’s only been a source of trouble for her so far and she’s relieved when her family move house so she can make a fresh start and try to forget about the odd images in her head.

Making friends at her new school hasn’t been easy, especially with mean girls like Melodie Stone running the show. Then Melodie disappears. Tara’s not too sorry, but she starts to see strange images of a captive girl who she gradually realises must be Melodie. Tara tries but fails to ignore the pictures in her head and finally goes in search of Melodie, with the help of Melodie’s attractive half-brother. She finds herself trapped with her former enemy, and Tara and Melodie must work together to get free, with the help of Tara’s gift.

My review: Hold Your Breath was such a brilliant thriller! From the blurb on the back, it seemed a little too confusing, but as soon as I began the story, I couldn’t stop. The writing was brilliant, and the author clearly has a knack for keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. As the story began, I was instantly immersed in the world of Tara, and hints were frequently dropped that something terrible had happened to her in the past involving a child. The hints were cleverly dispersed, and left me itching to read on so that I could find out the full story. In fact, it was a little like By Any Other Name by Laura Jarratt- because that’s a story where the girl slowly reveals her shocking past, too. So, as that dark past slowly unravelled, so did a tense, eerie story line involving a suspected kidnapping. I loved the build up to the outcome of both events- and how both past and present wound together, to help Tara rescue Melodie Stone.

There was also, soon after Melodie disappeared, a kind of vague love triangle involving Tara, Melodie’s half brother, and Melodie’s boyfriend. Though love triangles are getting a little too common in YA fiction, I was so excited to see the outcome for this one. As Tara played detective, she started getting closer to both characters. However, and I won’t reveal which love interest, is part of a shocking event that basically kicks him out of the whole story, I got a little disappointed. Although that definitely shook things up, Tara didn’t seem to feel much sympathy. Instead of going to visit this person in the hospital, she went down to the Lido for more answers, and made it seem like she was going to go and see him later. But she never did. Apart from the slight mention of this love interest at the ending to Melodie, there was no other mention of him after the said shocking event. Where was Tara’s sadness, her anger, her sympathy? Where was everyone else’s? It just seemed like he was forgotten about- when he was quite a central character before. This, I think, was the only fault in the story for me.

Tara was a really great protagonist, straight from the start. I doubt any other teenage girl would go out looking for the girl that she originally hated and was picked on by. That’s what I admired in her, and it made her a good role model, in terms of forgiving. I loved her investigative side. She seemed a bit like the teenage, female, modern Sherlock Holmes, hunting for clues to solve a crime. I really enjoyed reading her action-packed, dramatic adventure. Her background was really well illustrated, both through the flashbacks to the past, and through her family. It was explained all really well. Tara’s supernatural gift was really cool- who wouldn’t want to find whatever they’ve lost? Though, obviously, I got kind of put off from wanting to be able to do that when Tara’s ‘fault’ affected a life massively in her past.

Overall, Hold Your Breath was a brilliant read, from an author that’s new to me and that I’d love to read more from. I’ve heard lots of praise about her previous novels, and I hope they’ll be as brilliant as this read! Fast paced, thrilling and with a supernatural twist, I’m sure that Hold Your Breath will be thoroughly enjoyed by teenagers. It has elements of crime and ransom in it, as well as reflections on teenage life and love. It was very well written, and the author clearly has a real talent for storytelling. Keep on writing, Caroline Green!

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Hold Your Breath from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby: After Iris

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By Natasha Farrant, published by Faber.

Goodreads synopsis: Bluebell Gadsby is 13 but that’s the least of her problems. Both her parents seem more interested in their careers than the family, leaving Blue and her three siblings as well as their three pet rats (who may or may not be pregnant), in the care of Zoran the au pair. The enigmatic Joss moves in next door and Blue thinks she might be falling in love, until he takes out her older sister Flora instead (who, incidentally, is trying to make a statement by dying her hair bright pink but no one takes the blindest bit of notice). Blue thinks and feels very deeply about life but can’t really talk to anyone about it, because no one in the Gadsby family wants to address the real problem – that Blue’s twin sister, Iris, died a year ago, and they are all just trying to hide their grief in busyness…
So Blue turns to her diary and her unique way of seeing the world through her camcorder to express herself.

My review: After Iris was such a brilliant read! When I read the blurb after it arrived, I got kind of confused. It said Bluebell’s story was told through words and film. Film? In a book? Then I opened the book up and saw that all of Bluebell’s films were written up in transcripts, and were between every few diary-entry chapters- such a clever format! I really loved how it was written. Not only the unique format I’ve never seen before- but also the writing itself, crammed with emotion. Much of the story was quite sad, with the constant reminders of Iris that haunted Bluebell, and the writing was so full of raw emotion about that, and the rather shocking love story. Speaking of which- the plot was so unpredictable! Especially the love story that was woven into the plot. I expected a very basic romantic tale, where Bluebell would fall in love with Joss, the love interest, and then there would be a fight and then they’d get back together for a happy ending. I didn’t get that. what I got? A brilliant, complex romantic tale, where Bluebell fell in love with Joss, the love interest, but not all goes to plan and Blue’s sister has a large involvement and there wasn’t exactly the happiest of endings for that. But I loved that plot twist with Joss! It was so unpredictable.

The other aspects of the book were really great, too- I loved reading about Bluebell’s ‘invisible’ school life, and how she managed to get back at a bully, and I also really enjoyed reading about her frantic, very unique family and how they all dealt with Iris’s death in different ways. Everything was resolved really well- I loved the outcome. I think that the event at the ending, involving Blue’s little siblings, was really quite terrifying. When the story ended with them okay, I was so pleased- but that was solved a little crazily.

Bluebell was a really great main character, and I loved her throughout. She was so relatable- through the bullying incidents and the many issues at home- so made for a very realistic character. She had a very strong narration and I got to know her really well through her detailed diary entries and the things that she filmed on her camcorder. Bluebell had a really interesting, in-depth background, and her past was revealed little bit by little bit throughout the story, which was quite clever because it kept me reading because I wanted the full back story. I grew to love Bluebell so much, and I was so happy to read that this is the first book in a series- I will DEFINITELY be looking out for the sequel!

Overall, After Iris, was an emotional read, with its witty parts too. It was so well written, in a totally unique format that I really loved because it captured the essence of Blue’s family so effectively. Bluebell’s story was harsh at points, humorous and uplifting at others, and it’s really hard not to just fall in love with it. I honestly could not stop reading- this book is like a mixture of Cathy Cassidy’s contemporary masterpieces mixed in with the raw emotion from Annabel Pitcher’s equally amazing titles. Definitely recommended to young teenage girls, because they’ll definitely be able to relate to at least a small part of the story. I really can’t wait to read more of this series!

My rating:

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I received a copy of After Iris from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Friday Brown

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By Vikki Wakefield, published by Hot Key Books.

Goodreads synopsis: ‘I am Friday Brown. I buried my mother. My grandfather buried a swimming pool. A boy who can’t speak has adopted me. A girl kissed me. I broke and entered. Now I’m fantasising about a guy who’s a victim of crime and I am the criminal. I’m going nowhere and every minute I’m not moving, I’m being tail-gated by a curse that may or may not be real. They call me Friday. It has been foretold that on a Saturday I will drown…’

Seventeen-year-old Friday Brown is on the run—running to escape memories of her mother and of the family curse. And of a grandfather who’d like her to stay. She’s lost, alone and afraid.

Silence, a street kid, finds Friday and she joins him in a gang led by beautiful, charismatic Arden. When Silence is involved in a crime, the gang escapes to a ghost town in the outback. In Murungal Creek, the town of never leaving, Friday must face the ghosts of her past. She will learn that sometimes you have to stay to finish what you started—and often, before you can find out who you are, you have to become someone you were never meant to be.

My review: Friday Brown was such a brilliant book! As soon as I started it, I go so engrossed in the unique story. At the beginning, with the superstitious mother, it felt a bit like If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. Of course, if was so different, but in a good way. By the ending of the prologue tears had already sprung to me eyes (This book is SAD. Do not read it if you get as emotional over books as me. Or you will cry. At multiple points.)- that’s how powerful the authors words are.

The whole plot was totally unpredictable. I had no idea what the story was about, honestly, when I picked it up- and the whole thing was so unpredictable that I never knew what was around the next corner. After Friday leaves her grandfather’s home, she runs away and is picked up by a ragtag gang of homeless teenagers like her. But things start going terribly wrong when one character turns sour. I really wasn’t expecting the event that happened about two thirds of the way in! In total, the plot covered some really sad and really shocking issues, through an exhilarating and, at points, terrifying story.

Friday Brown was such a brilliant character. I loved her from the beginning, right when she lost everything and had the courage to set out into the Australian city by herself. I really enjoyed the way that she met Silence and his fellow gang, because not only did that open up her chances of survival, but that crucial night also came back to her at the end for a different, and clever reason. She was a really likeable person, and realistic too. Her background was pretty much all shown in the prologue, which was great, so I knew all about her, why she had that name, and even about her ancestors, before the story had even begun! I think that the decisions she made in the book were really great, and full of courage, especially towards the ending.

Overall, Friday Brown was such a brilliant read. The character were all great, the plot well written, and the story sad. This story will move you to tears, pull you in, make you gasp in shock, thanks to such brilliant, detailed and fluent writing by an amazing author. I really recommend it to Young Adults, and Adults too, if you’re looking for an emotional, yet also uplifting read. Watch out John Green- you have a contemporary fiction contender here, who’s bound to win awards too for this masterpiece! There was only one aspect of the book that I didn’t like, which I’ve put below.

**KINDA SPOILERISH ALERT**

My only problem with this book was that she never got in touch with her dad! I thought that he might come in at the end, to make the ending even happier than it already was. I mean, the reason she set out alone was to go and find him- and I still don’t understand why she didn’t make a bigger effort to go and find him. So her primary goal was never fulfilled. Which I didn’t like. But I don’t suppose it really matters- I guess the dad-less plot shows how goals and lives can change in an instant.

My Goodreads Rating: 4.5/5!

I received a copy of Friday Brown from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

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By John Green and David Levithan, published by Penguin.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Goodreads synopsis: One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, teenager Will Grayson crosses paths with…”Will Grayson”! Two teens with the same name who run in two very different circles suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions. Culminating in epic turns-of-heart on both of their parts, they team up to produce the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high-school stage. Told in alternating voices from two award-winning, popular names in young-adult fiction – John Green (author of “The Fault in Our Stars”) and David Levithan (author of “Boy Meets Boy”) – this unique collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humour that has won both authors legions of fans.

My review: I bought this over a month ago, whilst getting pretty much all of John Green’s other titles, too. For some reason, I hadn’t gotten around to reading this one until last week! As I turned to the first page, I was wondering how different it might be to John Green’s other books, as he wrote WG, WG with another author (Which, unfortunately I haven’t read anything by!). And, it was very different. But in an amazing, unique and genius kind of way. The whole book was written in alternating chapters, in turn by each Will Grayson, with one author writing each. John Green’s writing style was his same, hilarious and descriptive fashion. I haven’t read anything by David Levithan before, so I don’t know if he always writes like this, but he wrote with no capitals and no speech marks. As much as that drove me round the bend (I’m a Geek, it frustrates me. Okay?), I grew to really enjoy the individual style by Levithan.

The plot was unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and I was so not expecting the events that took place. The story began with who I’m now going to call WG1, as he started another day at school being the sidekick of his outrageous, constantly-falling-in-love friend Tiny. I got to like WG1 a lot, as his problems were really and relatable. He was just your typical male teenager, with the hopeless crush on that girl and the best-friend he is stuck with and sometimes hates. Then, I began the second chapter of WG2, who led a very different life. I instantly felt sympathetic about him, from his home life, to his difficult relationship. He seemed like such an outsider, with nobody but this online guy who he’s fallen for to turn to, and when that world of his was torn down I felt like crying for him. His emotions were raw and real, displayed really well through David Levithan’s writing.

The two boys came together under the most unlikely, most hilarious circumstances, and their meeting really made me giggle. After they’d met, it became pretty predictable that WG2 was going to fall for Tiny, but as much as I enjoyed seeing the ups and downs of their dating, it seemed to take over the whole plot, and made WG1’s story seem so much smaller. The story could’ve been re-named Will Grayson, Tiny Cooper. I really liked WG1, so would’ve liked him to have a little more limelight. I loved his growing relationship with the leading female character, though. It was really sweet. However, the focuses on certain characters did not stop my love for the overall plot. The book made a really great build-up to a sweet, emotional ending that has a lot to do with the name Will Grayson.

Overall, WG, WG was a very fun read. It focuses on accepting gay people for who they are, and teenage life through a very unlikely, brilliant coincidence that really made it funny. The plot was unforgettable, and I loved the switching narrative between two really strong protagonists. John Green’s writing, as always, was so amazing and full of emotion and laughter. Also, the story made for a great introduction, for me, to David Levithan’s equally emotional and fun writing. I’d love to read more from both author’s in the future!

My Goodreads rating: 4/5!

I bought Will Grayson, Will Grayson from a local bookstore.

Pandemonium

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By Lauren Oliver, published by Hodder.

Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)

Goodreads synopsis: I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

My review: **Contains spoilers for the ending of Delirium! I tried to review this without mentioning what happens, but there was really no way I could write this without mentioning it**

After the incredibly sad, and shocking ending of Delirium, I had absolutely no idea how Lauren Oliver would be able two make two more books out of the story. However, she’s built really well on the mentioned rebels, the runaways who live on the outside, uncured from the Deliria, and their world. It was imaginative, and a really believable dystopic landscape in which they were living.

I really loved reading about Lena, the protagonist, as she delved into this new world beyond-the-fence. The plot was quite strong with some clever twists that kept me reading. I got to see much more of what was happening in other parts of America; that people were actually campaigning to have the Deliria cure put into action on people under eighteen- the age in which you are wiped from extreme emotions like love. Also, I really loved the setting of New York, and how Lauren Oliver has used so many places in it, even the underground, to turn NYC into a kind of sinister place.

I really liked all of the new characters; the tightly knit group of outsiders which is run by Raven. They all had some really great relationships with each other and each one had brilliantly-developed backgrounds which were well explained. The only character I didn’t really like was the new love interest, Julian. He was portrayed as quite a nice guy behind all of the things his father had said, but I suppose I didn’t really like him because Lena seemed to move straight on from Alex, seemingly hardly grieving for him at all, and fell in love with Julian. That’s the only thing I didn’t really like about Lena. She didn’t seem sad about Alex’s supposed death for most of the book! However, I enjoyed reading the second part of Lena’s adventure. She went through a lot of grim things and, I think, gained much more confidence through it. She fought back when trapped by the Scavengers and became more kick-butt, which was really great. I really loved how she never gave up, and saved Julian multiple times although he was campaigning for the Deliria cure to be issued to youngers.

Overall, Pandemonium was a really great sequel to Delirium. It was packed with heart-stopping drama and lots of action. Lena’s character developed a lot in the book, gaining much more confidence and fought back rather violently for the first time to get her way. I didn’t really like her relationship with Julian, and when they were just about to have a happy ending, the biggest plot twist happened literally a paragraph from the ending! I won’t say what happened, but it made me gasp, and then squeal, and then do a little victory dance which earned me some really strange looks from my brother. It’s really brilliant, and was very unexpected. Can’t wait to see what develops from that in Requiem!

My Goodreads rating: 4/5!

I bought Pandemonium from a local bookstore.My review of the book before Pandemonium, can be found HERE.

Goddess

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By Josephine Angelini, published by Macmillan.

Goddess

Goodreads synopsis: She must rise, or they will fall …Helen’s powers are increasing–and so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous traitor is lurking among them, and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, or risk all-out war. The final book in this heart-stopping trilogy.

My review: I loved Starcrossed and Dreamless so much, and I was so excited to see how everything would end! When this came in the post, I was over the moon.

I was a bit confused at the beginning of the story, maybe partly because I’ve read many books in between Dreamless and Goddess. But also, I was a little confused because suddenly, Helen was gaining memories of Helen of Troy, and re-living them. It was a little hard to grasp at first, the sudden switching between the present and the past, but I understood it more and more as the story progressed. The plot was a little bit similar to the second book, actually, because one of Helen’s friends had gone over to the enemy’s side. I won’t say who did, though, but it’s very shocking! Much suspense was added because I could see what Helen’s-friend-gone-baddie was preparing for, whilst reading about the oblivious Helen. I really enjoyed reading the part where Helen discovers who’s leading the enemy, the most. The giant war scene at the ending was fast-paced, dramatic and totally unpredictable- like the whole of the trilogy, really!

Helen really developed in this story the most, I think, than in the previous books. There was a rising tension throughout the story because she was really torn between Orion and Lucas. As so much background to the two love-interests, especially for Orion’s character, were introduced, it made it so hard to decide who I thought Helen should choose! However, I think the outcome of the whole love triangle was really great, and made for a happy ending for everyone, too. Helen also discovered a new Scion power within herself in this book, which I think is now my favourite of her Godly talents. She could create whole new worlds! the character’s creativity really shone through with that, and I think what she did with Every-land the world created by Helen, was used in a really genius way at the end. Helen also, I think, got a really big confidence boost in goddess, too!

Overall, Goddess was such a fun read. It tugged at my heartstrings, and had some really great plot twists that made the book a real roller-coaster of a journey. The characters developed so much, and I loved reading about them all. I also really adored the ending. It tied up all of the loose ends and was satisfying, happy… but I just wanted to read on: I love this author’s world and characters so much! I really want to read more from Josephine Angelini. Her writing is just so brilliant.

My Goodreads rating: 4/5!

I received Goddess from the publisher, in exchange for a review.

If you want to read my reviews of the previous books in the trilogy, click on their titles: STARCROSSED (#1), DREAMLESS (#2).

ACID

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By Emma Pass, published by Random House.

Acid

Goodreads synopsis: 2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.
The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID – and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago…

My review: ACID was one of the most thrilling books I’ve read this year! It had a really strong beginning that hooked me right in, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading. The plot was epic and a real adrenaline rush- there was no point where the action and drama faded! I loved reading every second of it. The whole story was totally unpredictable and the events unexpected. I thought this book would just cover a run for survival for Jenna Strong, but actually, it included first love, fights for freedom, hidden truths… even a terrorist gang set on blowing ACID to smithereens. There were some really great plot twists too that left me shocked and on the edge of my seat- especially the one that took place just after the halfway point of the story- not saying what happened, because I’ll spoil it!

Jenna Strong has got to be one of the best protagonists I have ever read about. She was strong, and independent, whereas in many books I’ve read the main character has been leaning on one person, and she could fight her own battles. Quite literally, with super-fast karate chops and guns and everything. She was a totally kick-butt heroine, and I loved her narration too. Her situation was understandable and well-explained through her narrative. In all, I loved her character so much. The story also had themes of identity, and self-discovery in it. I really enjoyed seeing Jenna develop as she has to pretend to be different people while on the run and finding out some shocking truths about her past.

Overall, ACID was one of my favourite reads of the year. It was fast-paced, dramatic and full of adventure. I enjoyed it so much and really didn’t want to finish it, because I so wanted to carry on reading about Jenna! And, I really loved how the story stayed in one narrative but also contained news reports from ACID and letters-from-a-secret-someone-who-I-won’t-reveal! It gave a really great 360 degrees perspective on how Jenna Strong’s breakout from prison had affected different characters. Strongly recommended to dystopia fans; this book had such a frighteningly real vision of the future that both terrified and interested me. Go pick up a copy of ACID now, this is a must-read!

I received ACID from the publisher, in exchange for a review.

Kite Spirit

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By Sita Brahmachari, published by Macmillan.

Kite Spirit

Kite and Dawn are best friends, and totally inseparable. Kite and Dawn share everything with each other… or so Kite thought. On the eve of their first GCSE exam, Dawn takes her own life, and Kite’s world shatters. Kite’s dad, Seth, takes Kite to the Lake District to give Kite space to grieve and cry for her lost friend, whilst he delves into his family history. Soon, Kite meets a boy, who seems to understand her pain. Can Kite get help from Garth, this understanding, kind boy, and learn how to say goodbye to Dawn?

I absolutely loved Kite Spirit! It was emotional, heartbreaking and truthful and I couldn’t stop reading it. The plot was really great, and beautifully written. I loved the main backdrop for the book, the Lake District- I really enjoyed the authors vivid descriptions. There was a tie-in with the afterlife while Kite was in the Lake District, a little, with the Owls (I won’t explain anymore, because I might drop some spoilers!), and I really liked reading about that and how it drew Kite closer to Garth and his grandmother.

I really loved the character of Kite- Sit Brahmachari has managed to convey so much of her emotions, through a third-person narrative. I really understood Kite, and loved her unique personality so much. She was a really strong protagonist, overall. Her ending to the story was just perfect! It really showed how Kite had changed after the events of the book and that she had said goodbye to Dawn.

I liked how Kite and Dawn’s relationship with each other in the past was clearly illustrated for the reader with frequent flashbacks, and memories. The really showed me what Dawn was like, and gave me clues as to why Dawn might have committed suicide. Dawn’s situation pre-death was very understandable, and the outcome very shocking.

Overall, Kite Spirit was totally amazing, and flawless, in my opinion. It brought tears to my eyes multiple times, but that just shows what an emotional ride this book was. The characters were three-dimensional and realistic, and the setting was really great. I think this book was a great introduction for me to Sita Brahmachari’s award-winning writing- I can’t wait to soon read Artichoke Hearts, Jasmine Skies, and any more from Sita in the future!