Waiting on Wednesday #6

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases to be excited about! (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

Broken by Elizabeth Pulford (Illustrated by Angus Gomes)

Published June 1st 2012 by Walker Books Australia

(This is GoodReads:)

Critically injured in a motorbike accident, Zara Wilson lies in a coma. She is caught between the world of her hospital room and that of her memories and a dream-like fantasy where she searches for her elusive brother Jem. 

Zara's adventures in her subconscious unlock dark secrets and she must face up to her past in order to accept her future. 

Broken has graphic novel elements in a hard-edged graphic style reminiscent of a 1950s' comic book. 

(This is Alex:)

I'll admit that I've not heard much about this book so far - but what I have heard has made me very excited to get my hands on this little gem. Elizabeth is a Ukrainian born author who now resides in New Zealand - you can find the link to her website here. She's had a truly amazing life!

Broken gives me the feeling that it would be something like a combination of MirrorMask, Entangled and Hugo Cabret all in one. This is one I'll definitely be reviewing once it's out! 

Book Review: The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne

"They mustn't know that they are being looked for. We can't afford for them to run away again." Pg 111







Celia Frost is a freak. At least, that's what everyone thinks. Her life is ruled by a rare disorder that means she could bleed to death from the slightest cut, confining her to a gloomy bubble of 'safety'. No friends. No fun. No life.

But when a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum acts strangely - and suddenly they're on the run. Why is her mum so scared? Someone out there knows. And when they find Celia, she's going to wish the truth was a lie.

A buried secret, a gripping manhunt, a dangerous deceit... What is the truth about Celia Frost?

I kind of feel like there should be a dramatic 'dun dun DUN!' after that last sentence. And really - this book is full of the drama. (Please read 'drama' as 'Drah-Mah' for added effect.) I spent the first part of this novel hoping that it wasn't going to be a supernatural thriller and the remainder of it wishing it was.

It's not that I didn't enjoy it - it is a very intriguing story with an intriguing premise. Celia is shunned from public interaction - isolated, meek; add to that standing out with insanely orange hair and being unnaturally tall and gangly - any teen would be moody.
But then she finds out that her mother has been lying to her her whole life - and suddenly Moody Celia turns into Rebel Celia, defying her mother at every opportunity. And it takes another painstaking quarter of the novel to find out WHY her mother lied.

An interesting idea, yes. But the characters were flat and unconvincing (can anyone explain what's with Frank and his hard-on-the-outside but soft-on-the-inside personality and how that is not predictable in any way?) and the story left me feeling as if I'd not learned anything from it - I won't be thinking about this one much at all once it's back on the shelf.

Published: August 2011 by Usborne Publishing

Waiting on Wednesday #5

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases to be excited about! (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
Published June 21st, 2012 by Gollancz 
(This is Goodreads:)

For twenty years after Tara Martin disappeared from her small English town, her parents and her brother, Peter, have lived in denial of the grim fact that she was gone for good. And then, suddenly, on Christmas Day, the doorbell rings at her parents' home and there, disheveled and slightly peculiar looking, Tara stands. It's a miracle, but alarm bells are ringing for Peter. Tara's story just does not add up. And, incredibly, she barely looks a day older than when she vanished. 

Award-winning author Graham Joyce is a master of exploring new realms of understanding that exist between dreams and reality, between the known and unknown. Some Kind of Fairy Tale is a unique journey every bit as magical as its title implies, and as real and unsentimental as the world around us. 

(This is Alex:)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Graham Joyce. I've even reviewed a couple of his books on this blog. So understandably I am quite excited by his latest novel. The description here sounds rather whimsical; but knowing Mr Joyce and his themes, I reckon Some Kind of Fairy Tale will be taking on a slightly more sinister tone, a la Tooth Fairy. Yay!

Book review: Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam

"This whole thing is symbolic, symbolic of a system that's hopelessly short-sighted." Pg 21







It's the anxious eve of the millennium. The car is packed to capacity, and as midnight approaches, a family flees the city in a fit of panic and paranoid, conflicting emotions.
The ensuing journey spans decades and offers a sharp-eyed perspective on a hardscrabble future, as a boy jettisons his family and all other ties in order to survive as a journeyman in an uncertain landscape. By turns led by love, larceny, and a new sexual order, he must avoid capture and imprisonment, starvation, pandemic, and some particularly bad weather.

In Things We Didn't See Coming, Steven Amsterdam links together nine luminous narratives through the mind of one peripatetic and resourceful wanderer who always has one eye on the exit door and the other on a future that shifts more drastically and more often than anyone would like to imagine.

It should be noted that I never intended to read this book. I'd not even heard of the name Steven Amsterdam before. So imagine my surprise as I'm attending a panel event for Dystopia Fiction at the Melbourne Writers Festival - Purely to see Max Barry in action - that I learn of this strange and wonderful book.

Based purely on his talk and the chapter he read on stage, I purchased said book (getting it signed as well, of course!) and got stuck right into it. And did I get stuck into it. A seemly short novel of just 174 pages, I quickly caught on that this wasn't a book to breeze through. It is written in such a way that you never hear the whole story that the narrator is telling you. There is confusion and chaos at the beginning of each chapter - which is the authors' intent, naturally.

I love dystopian fiction, I think that is clear throughout this blog, but Things We Didn't See Coming brings the genre to a whole other level. I'm not sure I could compare it to anything else that's out there. Truly an experience I'll never forget.

Published: March 2009 by Sleepers Publishing Inc.

Book Review: The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

"Once I am in the Cellar, proving myself indispensable to the safety of Marblehaugh Park, they'll never send me away. I will be safe then, absolutely safe." Pg 39







She doesn't really know who she is or what she wants...

Corinna is a Folk Keeper. Her job is to keep the mysterious Folk who live beneath the ground at bay. But Corinna has a secret that even she doesn't fully comprehend, until she agrees to serve as a Folk Keeper at Marblehaugh Park, a wealthy family's seaside manor. There her hidden powers burst into full force, and Corinna's life changes forever.

I'd never even heard of The Folk Keeper until I saw a friend reading it on GoodReads and became intrigued enough to check it out - and soon after ended up buying a copy for myself. Two things surprised me about this book - 1) it is much smaller that I thought it would be, a mere 162 pages and 2) It was first published in 1999, with this new edition being released this year with a most gorgeous cover!

One thing that is evident from the very beginning is that Corinna is a tough girl. Not knowing who her parents are, she has been shuffled from one orphanage to another until she decides that the only way to get ahead in the world is to be a Folk Keeper. And with hard work and determination she goes from the girl Corinna to the boy Corin, gathering as much information about the Folk as she can and developing a heart of steel and nerve.
Which works fine for four years until she is 'found' by another family who seems to have some knowledge of her past and her parents - so she has no choice but to go with them as their new Folk Keeper.

I really enjoyed The Folk Keeper. It was like reading a fairy tale that could have been read to me when I was little, steeped in the curious and ancient lore of the sea. If you're looking for something short but full to the brim with adventure, mystery and even a little romance I'd seriously push you into a bookstore to buy it! For anyone aged 10 and up.

This edition published: April 2011 by Bloomsbury 

Book Review: Shift by Em Bailey

“Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be staying away from Miranda?”

Shift is a sinister psychological thriller that tears through the themes of identity, loss and toxic friendship.

Olive Corbett is just a bit mixed up. Dealing with a family break-up and surviving a suicide attempt, Olive has turned from being the popular girl at school to the introverted ‘freak’ that everyone ignores. With the exception of her only friend – Ami – Olive talks to no one.

Then one day a new girl shows up at the school. There is a rumor that she killed her parents, and Olive admits that she’s just as curious as everyone else. But when Miranda turns out to be an ordinary (if not sullen and pale) girl, she is ignored – even teased – with Olive’s former friend Katie at the head of the gang. But things begin to change, as suddenly Katie and Miranda are best friends – swapping clothes and going out all night. And as Katie begins to show signs of wearing down, Miranda is looking more and more like Katie…

I’m really glad I had the chance to read this book. It’s so different and I think it’s going to be a strong addition to the YA market. The characters are solid and Olive really ties the story together – you are really living with her as she goes through her days convincing herself that she’s not at all crazy.

This one gets five stars from me and I strongly recommend you add it to you ‘To-Read’ lists and go out tomorrow and pre-order it from your bookstore!

Published: September 2011 by Hardie Grant Egmont

Book Review: Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma

"We can't do this... If we start, how will we ever stop?"






Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lachan have never had the chance to be 'normal' teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences... How can something so wrong feel so right?

Some people find it tough to talk or read about difficult subjects - rape, disease, incest - but I suppose it is something of a fascination with me. I like to explore how other people see the subject, and how they approach them in fiction. If there is a list of 'forbidden' or 'taboo' subjects - incest would be at the number one position, without a doubt. This also reflects the lack of fiction around it... Then in comes Tabitha Suzuma. I know from her reputation that she normally writes about the hard-hitting issues of teens, but only after reading Forbidden do I now have a desire to read her previous titles.

Told from both Lochan and Maya's point of view, Tabitha gives the reader a real and raw insight into each characters reasoning's and thus connecting you in a very personal and intense way. And although the novel is laden down with darkness and despair - the passion Lochie and Maya have for each other shines so brightly it hurts, but it's a hurt you want to endure right till the very end.

When people ask me why I love this book so much I can only tell them to read it, because while the subject matter is still one of taboo, it's stories like these that really make you appreciate literature in it's every form.

Published by Random House Children's Books 'Definitions' - May 2010

Book Review: Savannah Grey - Cliff McNish

15 year old Savannah Grey has never felt she's belonged. She keeps her distance, so she's surprised by her attraction to the new boy Reece. Then strange things begin to happen: nature, it seems, is exerting an overpowering force on the world. Birds behave strangely; gusts of wind blow leaves so fiercely they seems to lure people away. And Savannah learns she has supernatural powers. Nature has a purpose for Savannah and her friends. For they are on course to meet the vile and evil Orcrassa, who wants to destroy the world by corrupting nature. And it wants Savannah to help realise it's savage intent.

I'd always noticed Cliff's books on the shelves before, but it wasn't until my mum had bought and read Savannah Grey in no less than two days did I really think: "This is something I need to read." as she had trouble putting the book down; even for a second.

Savannah Grey is a brilliantly plotted tale, mixing in horror, intrigue, suspense and romance - a tricky task for something 234 pages short.
I especially enjoyed the chapters with the 'darkness.' Giving these beings a voice set it apart from the main heroin and thus the enemies are far from being one dimensional, they bring a tenseness to the story, as well as hitching up the fear several notches.

I suppose I should note that over the past few weeks I have been reading novels that are either in the beginnings or the ends of a series/trilogy. So as I started with Savannah Grey it did throw me a little as the pace or drive of the book was so different than the controlled feeling of a series, where an author has the freedom to delve deeply into plot and characters.
In no way did that diminish the strength of this novel, nor my opinion of it. Savannah Grey is a well-crafted master-piece and it only makes me want to read his others novels that much more.

Published by Orion Children's Books - February 2010.

Book Review: Ash - Malinda Lo

 "Is this why you sought me out? To tell me a-" He paused, his lip curling, and continued, "A fairy tale?" Pg86






With her parents both gone, Ash finds herself a servant in the house of her ruthless stepmother and there seems no hope of finding happiness again.
But Ash is unaware of her mother's legacy, and that it will lead her to a magical place. A place where love, identity and belonging are all waiting...

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, it's a staple part of our childhood and with this debut novel, it is not simply a re-telling of a classic. It is so much more than that.
Consumed with grief for her parents, Ash finds solace in the book of fairy tales her mother used to read to her, and dreams of one day falling in to the arms of a handsome faerie forevermore. So when she meets the dark and dangerous Sidhean, all her wishes seems to have come true.
 But when she befriends the King's Huntress, who teaches her the ways of the forest and other survival skills, she feels her heart beginning to change and discovers she is chasing fairy tales less and less...

 I truly loved this re-telling. The lore, The Wood, the fact that Prince Charming doesn't come to Ash's rescue. And thank the Gods, it was nice to have a little deviation from the (dare I say) 'Twilight-type' romances that have been cropping up in YA novels more and more these days.
All in all, this is a beautifully written novel - one that I will definitely re-read in the years to come, as I would any other fairy-tale.

Published by HodderChildren's Books - March 2010

Book Review: The Game - Diana Wynne Jones

"I swear not to say a word about what we do in this game to anyone outside..."







Hayley's parents disappeared when she was a baby. Since then, she has been raised and homeschooled by her grandparents. Grandad is overworked and travels a lot; Grandma is too strict, and never lets her meet any children her own age. When Hayley does something wrong - she is not quite sure what - her grandmother packs her off to her aunts in Ireland. To Hayley's shock, her family is much bigger than she thought; to her delight, the children all play what they call 'the game', where they visit a place called 'the mythosphere.' And while she plays the game, Hayley learns more about her own place in the world than she could have expected.

Anyone who has read Diana's works before - know that they're in for a treat. To those of you who haven't had the pleasure - this is a wonderful book to start with. So simple yet full of charm, innocence and fun. I don't think I'll ever get tired of Diana's ability to weave a story in your heart and have you feeling so full of joy and amazement throughout.
The Blurb says it all in this case, anything more would be a spoiler and I wouldn't want to do that! Though I must say - I much prefer the US cover (top) to the UK, but I'll let you be the judge *grins*

 

First published in the US by Puffin - March 2007 
Published in the UK by HarperCollins - February 2008

Book Review: Do the Creepy Thing - Graham Joyce

"...that's the game: fighting against the screaming need to run. But you don't. You breathe through it, and you put one foot in front of the other and you keep going. You don't even know why." Pg 34.





Caz and Lucy thinks it's pretty cool to do the Creepy Thing. After all, it's just a game. No one gets hurt, right? But Caz plays one game too many and gets more than she bargains for. MUCH more.
Caz believes she's been cursed. Her life is now chained to the hag who lives at 13 Briar Street and she's being stalked by a terrifying shadow-person. What does it want? And how can Caz get her life back?
Maybe the answers are to be found  in the seedy Black Dog pub, or the hair-raising church, or down at the tattoo parlour. One thing is for certain - Caz wont be doing the Creepy Thing again.

Anyone who knows me has probably heard me mention Graham Joyce once or twice, and while I have not read all of his books so far, I can safely say that anything he writes is a wonder to behold.
In this, one of Graham's few Young Adult titles, the story begins with two girls - Caz and Lucy - both of whom are restless in their small England town. To stave away the boredom they do the 'Creepy', essentially sneaking into other peoples homes in the middle of the night when all is silent and sleeping. Not to steal, just to take it in turns to stare at the sleeping residents face for fifteen seconds. The reason? Fifteen seconds can last a long time and the adrenaline that courses through Caz and Lucy during those times is as addictive as any drug. What's more, they know they should stop, but find it beyond their ability to do so.
That is until during one 'Creepy' their subject wakes up and slaps a silver bracelet on Cazs' wrist. Then things get really interesting...

I love Graham Joyce's works. I love the way he writes, the way he pulls you in when you least expect it, and especially the goose-bumps gained as a result. Granted, I do not think his Young Adult novels are as gripping as his Adults ones are - this is still a thrilling and exciting ride. Do you dare take it?

Published by Faber and Faber - July 2006

Book Review: Mortlock - Jon Mayhew

"Maybe it was my reading diet as a child, maybe it's just the way I am but my writing always comes out a little bit... dark." - Jon Mayhew






The sister is a knife-thrower in a magician's stage act, the brother an undertaker's assistant. Neither orphan knows of the other's existence. Until, that is, three terrible Aunts descend on the girl's house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note with clues to the secret he carries to his grave. Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy.

I had a lot of fun reading this. Josie is bright and snappy, while Alfie is calm and reasoning - together they make a great team. Though just 13 years old, they go through the very depths of hell, caught up in the whirl-wind of their guardians past of mystery and power. Set in a dark and dangerous Victorian London they are ruthlessly hunted through the streets by the 'Aunts' (who are just down-right creepy) and their ghoulish crow-minions.

There are some parts in the story which are truly frightening and I realised this is becoming a common theme in a lot of younger children's these days - and I think this is a good thing. Kids are growing up in a very different world these days and their capacity of understanding what they see on the television or on the streets is much more than we give them credit for. And that's one of the beauties of books - they not only provide entertainment - they help us understand ourselves, our world around us and even why we do the things we do.

I cannot wait for this book to be released and I do hope there is room for a sequel.

Published by Bloomsbury - April 2010.

Book Review: Killing God - Kevin Brooks

"Why do I want to kill God?
Reason Two: If God was dead, the shops could stay open later on Sundays."







Dawn Bundy is fifteen. She doesn't fit in and she couldn't care less. Dawn has other things on her mind. Her dad disappeared two years ago and it's all God's fault.
When Dawn's dad found God, it was the worst time ever. He thought he'd found the answer to everything.

But that wasn't the end of it...

Kevin Brooks - Killing God wasn't exactly high on my 'to-read' list. Actually it was situated around the 150 mark. And then I was planning to attend an event with Cassandra Clare, Eoin Colfer and Kevin Brooks. Having read all books written by the former two authors - Mr Brooks suddenly shot up to the number one position.

From the very beginning Dawn is very frank about herself, her alcoholic mother and her father - who's sudden departure two years previous leaves Dawn feeling resentful - not to him - but to God.
And so in a desperate attempt to make sense of her messed-up life, she undertakes a campaign to kill God.
But how do you kill someone that doesn't physically exist?

Accompanied by her dogs, Jesus and Mary, Dawn sets her sights high as she struggles to deal with her real-life issues. With a raw, honest voice that is both ironic and humorous, she begins to unlock the secrets of her family's past.

Killing God was a relatively quick read for me and I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit - but don't expect a happy ending.

Published by Penguin - June 2009.