Wow. Every Word was definitely not what I expected. If you are a little unsure about whether you want to read thiSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Wow. Every Word was definitely not what I expected. If you are a little unsure about whether you want to read this book–especially if you weren’t a crazy fan of book 1, let me persuade you otherwise. Every Word is powerfully absorbing and possesses just the perfect amount of intrigue, action and romance. If you love crime novels, this book is most certainly for you.
The book starts off not long after Every Breath and we are once again drawn in Rachel’s mind. Within the first few pages, Mycroft has flown to London with Professor Walsh to the scene of a carjacking crime. Rachel, knowing Mycroft’s dark past, is furious that he left without her and immediately takes a flight off to London right after him. One of my few problems with Every Word rose here. I found it really difficult to believe that Rachel managed to grab a flight without her parents permission to London within the matter of half a day. I know Rachel was frantic and needed to make sure Mycroft was okay, but not informing your parents and going off with your older brother’s girlfriend just doesn’t really sit too comfortably with me.
Despite my niggle, I adored Rachel’s character. She’s not perfect, but she’s brilliantly strong minded and determined. She can be helpless and sloppy at times, but that just shows how realistic she is. She may not be kick-ass physically, but she totally is in her heart. Ever more ideal, was Mycroft. We get to know more about his past and demons–things to do with his parents’ death in London when they died in a carjacking accident–I feel like I can connect with Mycroft’s character much better here. He’s an extremely complex and damaged character, and that’s what made me appreciate him so much.
It’s always a relief when the author doesn’t decide to make a wonderfully ideal romance into one with drama and a love triangle. Ellie Marney, I love you. Why? Because Marney doesn’t make us deal with all that crap. The romance in Every Word was kept authentic and it’s love-triangle free and pointless-drama free. I won’t lie and say that there’s no drama but it’s place in the book is believable and necessary to keep things realistic. I think what sold me on the romance was how it really did feel like a teenage romance. Personally, for many contemporary novels I’ve read, the romances just don’t feel genuine. This isn’t the case here. Perhaps the romance did come a little too strongly in some areas, but hey, I’m not complaining.
Equally thrilling and absorbing, Every Word is even better than it’s predecessor. Highly recommend this to fans of crime novels or someone who’s just looking for a series that will capture their attention immediately.
~Thank you Allen and Unwin Australia for sending me this copy!!...more
Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks is one of those super cute, swoon-worthy contemporaries that you can pick up at See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks is one of those super cute, swoon-worthy contemporaries that you can pick up at any point in the series, and love them just as much as the next person. For me, I started reading her books since Racing Savannah (book 4) and this book, Jesse's Girl is undoubtedly my favourite one up to date. While the first 5 books have all been about sports, this one is different in the sense that the two leads are musicians.
Things that I loved about Jesse's Girl:
1. A strong-willed female main character. In another world, Maya could have totally been my best friend. She's a really quirky girl who dresses like in the eighties, and really values trust and loyalty in a relationship of any sort. I loved her passion for music, it was definitely one of the first things that struck me about her. She may be lacking in self-confidence, especially after finding out that her crush actually never liked her back and that the band she created no longer wanted her as lead guitar, but I loved her strong-will and clear vision of pursuing music as a career by herself, and not by using her new relationship with Jesse, big time musician, as a handicap to get her there. Saying that I admire her is one helluva understatement.
2. Greatest family dynamic ever! If I were to ever list my top ten favourite family relationships, Maya's family would definitely be on that list. Family plays a huge role in this book and it seriously just had a lot of feels from it. I love how warm and supportive Maya's family is, and how every one can argue with each other but you can still see how much love they have for each other. THINKING OF IT JUST MAKES ME SQUEEE AND HUG MY KINDLE. Also: Maya's older brother is actually Sam, one of the main characters from Catching Jordan, so fans of the first book will surely be over the moon. I found it seriously amusing and adorable how protective Sam was over Maya. BROTHER OF THE YEAR, PEOPLE.
3. One cute as heck romance with witty banter. I've always had a love to hate relationship with celebrity/normal person romances because they can be melodramatic as fuck. Thank God that's not the case here because I am so. done. with that kind of drama. That is not to say that there aren't instances where for example, Jesse thinks that Maya is using him to get to her dream as a musician - but it's never as full blown or ridiculous as some books can portray it. Their relationship is healthy, realistic and also sex-positive which is always another huuuge plus.
4. YAY LGBTQ characters! There are some LGBTQ+ supporting roles in this novel which are so cute. I totally ship, Maya's best friend, Dave with Xander. THEY ARE SO CUUUUUTE. There are also nods towards other LGBTQ+ people as well, so THANK YOU Kenneally for all ze diversity!
My only gripe is that I felt like I predicted most things that were going to happen in this novel from the very beginning, but in the end, it's not a huge deal for me because of how brilliant all the other components were.
Miranda Kenneally's contemporaries are the ultimate reads for the summer, and Jesse's Girl is no exception with it's amazing cast of people.
Celine and I discussioned (that's a word) this on the blog and we both gave Hellhole 4 stars! Come and check out the awesomeness (and for a giveaway oCeline and I discussioned (that's a word) this on the blog and we both gave Hellhole 4 stars! Come and check out the awesomeness (and for a giveaway or two) here.
Things we discussioned: - How this was hella funny but also dark. And totally Gina Damico style - How hilarious Burg the devil was - And we agreed that he totally stole the spotlight here - We admire Damico's ability to create some great character growth - And talk deep stuff like being good and evil - We also discuss Max's mum (aka the deeper stuff) - And how we liked the romance but not so much that we shipped them like FedEx - We also admire how fabulous Lore is - Because she really is - And so is Gina Damico.
If you love a good revenge story, this is definitely a book you want to check out.
Gone Too Far starts off on a promising note. Piper Woods discovers a notebook on the ground on her way to class one day, and what she thought was a generic notebook that probably contains someone's finals notes actually is filled with the true stories about several of the students that attend Piper's high school that, if revealed, could corrupt them. Piper soon receives a text message from an unknown number which tells Piper that he/she knows about the notebook that she found and that he/she could corrupt anyone as long as Piper sent he/she a name. At first, Piper doesn't want to respond, but when Stella dies after a sex-tape of her goes on the internet, Piper wants justice and revenge. So she sends the mysterious texter a name.
I admit, I really did not like Piper at the start. She was awfully impulsive and was driven solely on her emotions; her sense of justice was really twisted, and I wanted to rip my hair out because of that. However, I love that Piper grows as a character throughout the story. She soon begins to mature and learn from her mistakes; and I really appreciate that. Her story arc was impressive and soon, by the end, the main character grew under my skin.
"I don't think you've got a terrible person in you." "I think we all do. If you scratch the surface."
This is now my second novel that I've read by Natalie Richards and once again I am impressed by the messages that this author tries to convey through her novels. Nick is the love interest in Gone Too Far and oh my gosh he is absolutely the cutest. Piper has always disliked the popular crowd and holds the impression that all of the popular people are manipulative and total jerks. With Nick, she learns that not everyone is the same and that there's more to a person when you look behind those outer layers. The romance was certainly a highlight in this book, and it didn't even take over the main plot line, which was a bonus.
Gone Too Far was an enjoyable read that had some great underlying messages. While I feel that this novel could have been even better executed, the romance and character growth made up for it.
~Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this copy!~...more
Currently, I have only read two of the Hundred Oak series and it definitely seems that I should remedy tSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
3.5 stars
Currently, I have only read two of the Hundred Oak series and it definitely seems that I should remedy that because this series is so much fun. While a have a few of my criticisms, whether you are a sports junkie or not–this is worth checking out.
Annie was a very easy character to click with for me. I used to run long distance a lot two years back (now not so much because of school and homework and new interests, though I still enjoy running occasionally) so before even picking this one up, I had a feeling I would adore it. And I was right! Ever since her boyfriend passed away, Annie has been determined to finish what he started: a marathon. So Annie, despite hating running herself, begins training with Matt and week by week she trains hard, increasing her stamina so she can finish the marathon that is 6 months away. Annie’s unrelentless determination to finish what her boyfriend started was touching, and while she did have her ups and downs, you can tell how strong and real Annie’s relationship was. Annie’s regret and guilt about her boyfriend’s passing being mainly because of her rejection to a marriage proposal was also well addressed.
While I loved Annie, less ideal was the love interest, Jeremiah. WAIT! Don’t start running towards me with pitchforks and knives, YET. I have reasons. Personally, I felt like Jeremiah was a little too typical; perhaps I’m being over-crtical however I struggled to warm up to him throughout the entire novel. He’s a bit of a cocky person–adrenaline junkie (goes high on adrenaline) and has scars all over his body. I am absolutely sure that a lot of readers will love him but I have seen this character trope more than the fingers on my hand and if you get me, it becomes boring and unoriginal. I also think I failed to image Jeremiah as a real person, he didn’t feel as well and thoroughly constructed like Annie and several other characters in this series. Aside from that, I thought the romance was pretty cute, and I preferred it so much better than Racing Savannah. Their relationship is best described as realistically developed, though I wasn’t a huge fan about their first kiss–which is a shame because it would have been a-freaking-dorable if they did not go as out of hand as they did.
I loved the sports side to this novel. While I don’t really talk about it much online, I do love some sports, and running is definitely one of my top ones. I have become a total pig over the last two years *big proud smiles*, but before that, sports I loved and did as frequently as reading. I could totally understand Annie’s stress about her running and I think the way Kenneally developed it was fantastically drawn out. It’s not everyday you get fun contemporary romances with a huge dose of sports, and this series does great justice of it.
Breathe, Annie, Breathe was a highly entertaining contemporary romance that had an excellent and strong sport component. It’s my favourite Hundred Oaks novel so far and I will definitely be checking books 1, 2 and 3 now.
~Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for supplying the review copy!~...more
Ooh I don’t even know where to begin with this. Being a total wimp, I found myself underneath the covSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Mini Review:
Ooh I don’t even know where to begin with this. Being a total wimp, I found myself underneath the covers while reading this. If you want a book with a creep factor, here is one you want to consider.
The opening of this book starts out really well. We are in the perspective a girl who has been murdered and her body is being dragged from the murder scene across an oval. The descriptions are pretty damn detailed and graphic, and had me on high alert from the get go. Who is the girl and why is she dead? Who is her killer? Chapter 1 then switches into Claire’s perspective, a girl who went through a near death experience recently. While she lived she was damaged not only physically but also mentally. When her father gets an opportunity to leave their town, they move to Peculiar, Missouri–but there’s a lot going on in that small town. In fact, Claire finds a dead girl in the woods on her first week upon arrival. Creepy doesn’t even begin to explain it.
Unfortunately, I felt that the weakest point of the book was in the characters. Put it candidly: they were bland. I did like Claire’s back story etc. but that’s as far as my interest in the characters go. Each one more insipid than the next. I cannot even remember any of their names (well, apart from this girl called Becca) because they all merged together for me. Anyway, I absolutely could not stand Becca. She was so self-centred and I was constantly suspicious of her. Though I get this was probably the author’s intention, but Becca made me want to rip my hair out.
The mystery was a nice element of the story. The feral cats made me get shivers down my arms–though I don’t really get what the point was with those cats. I was rather confused in the end in that retrospect. The mystery aspect definitely messes with you and while I was a little disappointed with the ending to that plot line, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
I liked the fact that there was no romance and that this book wasn’t just a mystery thriller. There was quite some character development for Claire as she was still rather caught up from her terrible experience.
All in all, Feral was an eerie psychological thriller that despite a few qualms, was enjoyable. The creepy descriptions is definitely worth it as well as the plot line.
~Thank you HarperTeen for the review copy!~...more
As most of you already know, I've been having the trashiest luck with books. DNFs and 1 stars left and right. ButSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
As most of you already know, I've been having the trashiest luck with books. DNFs and 1 stars left and right. But this brilliant, brilliant book totally swept me off my feet. I read this whenever I had the chance; in between classes, while on public transport and even during my Autumn Concert. If you haven't figured out already, I found Disruption to be insanely addicting.
Disruption is set in the future where all citizens must wear M-Bands. These M-Bands are designed to make everyone's life easier--they even help identify your perfect match by giving a rating of how well you will go together. However if you get more than 3 negative interactions a month, you will be taken away from society to be questioned and rehabilitated. Being rated negatively means that you'll do something terribly bad in the near future. In Jessica Shirvington's world, she calls them "Negs". Then enter Maggie Stevens, a girl whose father got taken away from her when he suddenly started getting negative interactions all the time. After a long period of planning, Maggie is now prepared to go and find her father. However the key to her sucess lies with Quentin Mercer--heir to the M-Corp Empire.
I absolutely loved Maggie. Her situation is really tough as she has a father who was taken away from her and a mother who is working night shifts to pay back the debts that Maggie's father left her with. Maggie's brother doesn't even want anything to do with them. For a tough situation, Maggie deals with it realistically. She's not huddled up in a corner sobbing or night, what she is determined to do, she will do to the best of her ability. She'll fall and trip and take wrong turns, but her determination and passion for her goals is what pulls through. That's not all. Maggie is also very witty and has the best comebacks, I find myself grinning ear to ear. I am already missing her. (Can Corruption come out now?)
Disruption also excels with the relationships. I loved the family dynamic, though it was not a strong focus. However the relationship between Gus and Maggie was. Gus is a bit like Maggie's helper. He helps her on her missions and finds contacts for information that can help Maggie achieve her goal to save her father. However, Gus only does it because Maggie blackmails him. Their arguments are always highly entertaining but it is clear to us readers that they have grown emotions--PLATONIC EMOTIONS--for each other and always have each other's backs no matter what they claim to say.
The romance is a pretty big focus in Disruption. While I could have done with less focus and less angst, it was sweet. It started off with a reluctant partership after Maggie manipulated Quentin's view and fooled him into believing that he was a Neg. Soon it grew into a very sweet and squeal-y romance that I adored.
A book brimming with gorgeous writing, a witty female lead, strong world building and fantastic relationships--platonic and romantic, I highly recommend people to read Disruption. While I'd say that I loved Between the Lives better, this one comes as a close second.
~Thank you HarperCollins Australia for sending me this copy!~
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for sending me this copy.
I think I'm getting to that point where I am insaSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
3.5 stars
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for sending me this copy.
I think I'm getting to that point where I am insanely sick of contemporary romances. Six in a row is just about enough now. I'm quite sure, under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed this so much more but I wouldn't give this more than 3.5 stars at the current situation.
How willing are you to risk everything to be with the one you love? Savannah and Jack come from two different backgrounds. She works at the stable while he lives in an estate house and owns the farm. She's poor while he's swimming in his wealth. She's the one with big, dangerous ambitions and he's the one that can make them come true. She's the one that's been warned that he's not worth it. He's the one that's been told she'll bring him down. But still, they want to be together no matter the odds.
Savannah has been around horses for most of her life; she trains them and finds herself in the stable most of the time. When she gets the opportunity to become a horse jockey, she wants it more than anything. Not only did I love Savannah's passion for horses, but her humorous remarks kept me grinning like a fool. She doesn't like being treated like shit and is a strong young woman. I loved her attitude and how determined she is. Moreover, I liked how she would go to her father and talk to him openly, other contemporaries have the MC closing up towards their parents, not telling them anything. Per contra, I struggled to get used to how observant Savannah could be. There was constantly the phrase: "He's staring at me" or something like that. You're not looking at him but you can still see him staring at you? Kinda creeeepy. Especially when it happens so many times.
Another aspect that shined was the friendships. Rory and Vanessa’s relationship with Savannah was truly amazing. The three would stick up for each other and were totally honest. Exactly what an authentic friendship is like. For example: Rory and Vanessa offered to kick Jack's ass because he was being a dickhead.
For me, what did not make this a hugely lovable novel were Jack and the romance. Unfortunately, I struggled to like Jack for half of the story. Savannah and Jack's connection was so hot and cold and too fast. I get that Jack's nature is to flirt, but I seriously hated his approach sometimes. There's something about flirty cocky guy gone all gooey and sweet that just doesn't work for me. I would have preferred if there was a better build up.
All in all, Racing Savannah was a great read even though I failed to connect with Jack or believe in the romance 100%. This was my first Miranda Kenneally novel, and I think I am willing to try her previous ones. ...more
Jennifer Brown, where have you been all my life? Torn Away takes the YA genre to the next level. It's predominantSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Jennifer Brown, where have you been all my life? Torn Away takes the YA genre to the next level. It's predominantly a story about finding hope, which was written in the most realistic and heartbreaking-ly beautiful manner. I found myself crying for the sad and dark sections, but I was also chocking up in the happy parts.
We had drills twice a year, every year, in school. We talked about it in class. We talked about it at home. The newscasters reminded us. We went to the basement. We practiced, practiced, practiced. But we'd never--not one--discussed what to do after.
It has been an extremely long time since I've picked up a fiction book to do with natural disasters; so this story line felt really refreshing for me. Jersey Cameron thinks she knows all about tornadoes. She knows when it's a drill, when it's the real thing and when one is about to come. But she never even thought about what happens after. When her mother and sister are torn away (see what I did there?) from Jersey by the tornado because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, she felt more lost than ever. Everything she ever called home was gone. Immediately, I could sympathize for Jersey. She's lost everything she ever had and now is forced to go and live with her biological father who she hasn't seen in 16 years. Turns out, he was just as bad as Jersey thought. Drunk and rude. His family is no better, they despise her and treat her like trash and Jersey is forced to sleep on the couch on the porch at night.
The strongest aspect of Torn Away was definitely the connection I grew with the characters. I was crying for Jersey during her stay with her biological father, and was grinning my head off whenever there was a snippet of life back when Jersey still had her mother and sister. Jersey's grief was dealt with genuinely and her rebirth was developed at a steady pace. Small things like writing facts about her sister on pieces of gum foil that her sister owned, all of it, felt real. The depth put into each character is commendable--for example, Jersey's mother--she's not necessarily the perfect woman that Jersey had always believed.
Jennifer Brown's latest has certainly opened my eyes to the effect of natural disasters on people, and I highly recommend this if natural disasters interest you. Even if you just want a good sob story, this is an ideal choice. I am definitely reading the rest of Brown's novels--who wouldn't?
~Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for sending me this copy!~
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
What would you do if six months of your life has been wiped out? Who would you tell--would you tell? When Chloe falls asleep in the middle of school and wakes up lying in the snow, in complete confusion of how she got there and why Adam was by her side. After all, she always thought Adam as a complete creepo. Soon, she finds out that she is dating Blake, a boy who she'd only dared to have a crush on before and that her academics have soared sky high. Even though her new life seems perfect, her childhood best friend, Maggie isn't in it. During the six months, something made their friendship snap.
The characters in Six Months Later were fun, but already just a day after finishing, I can't recall much of their personalities. Like Chloe's memory, mine's been washed away about anything I truly felt about the characters. I as easily frustrated with Chloe, she took some time to tell her parents what had happened to her memory- though I appreciated that she could keep calm in a shocking twist of events. Maggie was also enjoyable, I love that Natalie Richards created an undeniably flawed character--one the stutters and is really hard to accept people as Chloe's ex-best friend. Her character wasn't shallow, in the sense she'd just forgive Chloe easily, like nothing major happened but she wasn't difficult and stubborn about Chloe's attempt at rekindling a friendship either.
The romance was one of my favourite aspects. There is a slight hint of a love triangle but it's really non-existent. Adam was really sweet, I adored his personality- not possessive but a nice balance between humour and empathy. And Blake was just a jerk face. Another aspect that was highly liked was the plot. I was confused just like Chloe was about past memories and the way we find out more about her six months was fun and well paced.
My main issue, was how believable the reason behind Chloe's memory loss was. I wasn't totally satisfied with the answer and it made no spence because it just induced more plot holes and questions to no end.
All in all, an entertaining read with a few problems with plot holes and the characters. Still recommended!...more
Thank you Balzer + Bray for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
-So Melanie, I’ve heard a lot of mixed reactions towards Robin Constantine’s YA debut, The Promise of Amazing. What did you think of it?
*grumble* Lying piece of poop. Amazing my ass! What is it with the world? People break promises… and now book titles are breaking them?! *grumble grumble*[image] -I take it you were not pleased with what you got. It is certainly a risky move, titling a book The Promise of Amazing. But let’s not fret o—
It’s all good! I forgive the book! I mean, Wren forgave Grayson for his wrongdoings and lies the next day when she woke up; because y’know, he’s so damn good-looking like why hold a grudge against such a sexy guy? *faked jubilance*
-Oh. Um, can we backtrack a bit and first hear what The Promise of Amazing is about?
More like The Promise of a-clichéd-insta-love-romance-and-crappy-characters-with-an-even-lamer-ending.
-Mel—
Fine! The Promise of Amazing is your average, boy meets girl story. The two meet one night when Wren is catering at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall and sees Grayson choking on a cocktail weenie, then saves his life literally by performing the Heimlich. And seriously, minus all the cheesy ‘love at first sight’ junk going on when Grayson and Wren’s eyes met, I was thinking it was a start to a fun and awfully fascinating romance. But then, of course, the author has to bring in the YA (even sort of NA) romance motifs.
-And what motifs appeared in The Promise of Amazing?
The main one that has been getting on my nerves lately is the bad boy, good/plain girl romance and how the girl brings out the ‘good’ in the guy. Grayson Barrett used the be king of St. Gabes, he was star of the lacrosse team and was excelling in his academics but it was all blown away when he got kicked out after getting caught for being term paper pimp. Sure, he seems like a pretty decent guy who did one bad deed, right? But that’s not all. His past is filled with demons that are coming back to the surface again. Then there’s Wren. She’s plain and average and always does what she’s told.
And when Grayson and Wren suddenly meet, it’s like BOOM! Instant, illogical love. *cough* Run away! *cough cough* Honestly, this book revolves around the romance and I was not convinced about the connection at all making it a total bust for me. The second Grayson and Wren meet, their thoughts from then on are about 70% about each other and how much they want to see each other again. I was sitting here thinking: “Err… did I miss anything or are these two already in lurrrrrve?” Apart from the instant love and obsessive thoughts about each other, I also failed to understand the chemistry because I didn’t see how these two were even attracted to each other in the first place. Sure, Grayson’s a looker but I just wasn’t feeling anything.
-You mentioned Grayson had some demons in his past, was this topic handled well?
I actually did not mind Grayson. He was had a better charisma than Wren. Wren was like a piece of cardboard. Boring, nothing outstanding and her potential of a good story line with her family drama were swept away the second she met Grayson. As from then on it was all: GRAYSON GRAYSON GRAYSON. But continuing on, yes the topic was handled pretty well. I wasn’t keen on having another bad boy good girl romance but Grayson’s past was too interesting to turn my back to. There is a clear character arc that develops throughout the book as he tries to change himself to be a better person and move on from the bad past. However I would not go as far to say I really liked Grayson, he’s a bit of a jerk at times but I enjoyed his determination even though he wanted to change partially for Wren as well.
-Overall thoughts?
In all, The Promise of Amazing had a cute premise but hard to like main characters and a romance too tough to believe. And as a last, quick note, I was not happy with the ending. AT. ALL. *flips table dramatically and exits interview*
---
Yeah, I did an interview review because I haven’t been able to access twitter and really felt like making conversation with someone. That person ended up being myself. I AM NOT WEIRD....more
Thank you HarperTeen for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
Find Me is one of those books that will keep yoThank you HarperTeen for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
Find Me is one of those books that will keep you hooked throughout the whole book- despite a few minor flaws. The strong highlight definitely was in the characters however the romance was also a rather favourable aspect.
There is no point hiding it that I did make my expectations lower quite indeed-ly however I still believe that I would have enjoyed Romily's debut all the same. The story starts with Wick, a hacker, finding her ex-best friend's, Tessa Waye's diary on her front door step with the two words, "Find Me" written on it. Then the next day at school she finds out the Tessa is dead. Wick begins to assume that it is some big prank but after discovering that her sister, Lily, is the murderer's next target, Wick will do anything to save her. With her hacking skills coming into play, she also begins to find out that Griff, a friend has a few secrets of his own.
I fell in love with Wick on the first page. Her love for her sister is unconditional and she throws herself into the midst of a murder investigation to find out who is planning to take down Lily. Her character was arrogant at times, determined and witty. What's not to love? As for Griff, I thought he was a little odd but as the story goes by I really grew attached to him- he kept a smile on my face. The supporting characters like Wick's best friend were also likable, Lauren wasn't the typical oblivious drama queen that we usually have in YA novels, which I appreciated greatly. The romance was slightly hard to be convinced into. I felt it was a little forced and shaky, yet just like Griff's character, I ended up really liking it. Griff is kinda cute in a non-sweet way. I don't think that made any sense...
I feel like everyone has said it. The major flaw in this Find Me was the predictability. For once, I have actually guessed the culprit and the guess was made rather early on in the book. I still noticed Romily placed a few strings of misleading clues which was smart however once I decided who it was, I was quite certain I was correct- and I was. Nevertheless, a fun mystery that got pretty intense at the end. There's really more than meets the eye. Another annoyance for me was that we don't see Wick use her supposedly 'amazing hacking skills' she just tracks and embeds a few things; I would've appreciated more detail.
A nicely balanced novel, I recommend Find Me to people who are looking for a light mystery read with great characters and a sweet romance! Especially if you suck at predicting things....more
Thank you Allen and Unwin Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this reSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Thank you Allen and Unwin Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
I see that Jump (or Twinmaker) will have a large range of strong opinions. Strangely, I was not one who had a strong opinion, whether negative or positive. I would be lying to say that this book is completely flawed, but I also would be to say that Jump was perfect.
What Worked:
I really liked the idea of Sean William's world. Clair lives in a dystopian world that has been revolutionised by the d-mat. A form of transport that can take you anywhere across the world. What I have been having trouble with most dystopians lately is that there is no clear advancement in technology. Jump, gives us more advancements in technology like d-matting which was a completely refreshing idea. The complication that arises in Jump is when d-mat users are promised for Improvement. Something that can change how you look, making you more beautiful. Clair immediately thinks that this is too good to be true and absolutely superficial. Yet her best friend Libby, falls for the new update. And things twist from there on out.
The Improvement is what made me actually want to read on. The Improvement promises to perfect imperfections make you grow taller, stronger and prettier. This Improvement is made for those people who don't like what they look like now. This Improvement is what makes real life issues and teenage themes arise. This, while I won't call a coming of age novel, not only delivers a science fiction-y read but also includes themes of true identity, deception, trust, body image and friendships. It's the first time I've ever come across a book with all these themes as one in a dystopian novel. Jump was original in its idea and topics being threaded within.
I'm seriously insanely happy to announce this one: romance isn't a main focus at all in Jump! We do have a little bit of jealousy and cheating however that is really just about lust. The real amazingness comes in much later in the book and it's practically non-existent as well. I'm excited to see how that continues in sequel.
What Didn't Work:
The ultimate killer of my enjoyment was the lack of world building. And in a dystopian novel, it's one of the main aspects that I look forward to. Instead, I had to go through this with an awfully faint sketch of the world and how everything works. We don't get much of an explanation of the history of Clair's world (so I hope there will be one in the future instalments) and not much a description about the world in general. The feeling is a bit like a black coat over your head, everything sounds muffled and you can't see a thing. I definitely had to expand my imagination here. More details please!
Another aspect that I also regard highly in dystopian novels--heck any novel is the likability of the main character. I liked Clair, and I hated her. Our relationship was rather bumpy; up and down. I liked how sceptic she was to the Improvement. Things that change how you look never seem to right. Furthermore, I loved her thoughtfulness to each other character. She may be completely idiotic at times and a bit of a drama queen, but she cares for everyone. She doesn't let anyone in her power just die.
Overall:
On whole, I liked this book for its idea and topics that were raised (and Q and Jesse!) however the main character and lack of world building need much more work in the future....more
Thank you Text Publishing for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this reSee more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
3.5 stars
Thank you Text Publishing for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
'I'm the least brave of everyone. I never signed up for this war. Leukaemia conscripted me, the fucker.'
Zac and Mia had a John Green vibe to it- the synopsis immediately reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars. While not as fantastic, Zac and Mia has a strong story filled with wit, humour and heart felt moments. But let me stress that this book should not be in comparison to The Fault in Our Stars, Zac and Mia carries it's own, unique story about two teens living with cancer. The execution is utterly antithetic.
Both main characters, Zac and Mia were enjoyable. Zac had a judgemental narrative point at times, yet his sarcasm and general authenticity made it hard not to love him. Zac has been dealing with leukaemia for some time and during his time in the hospital, meets dangerously fiery Mia. Who seems to have a bad taste in music. Who shouts at her mum. Who has no friends that know about her fatal illness. In all honesty, I found Mia unappealing for the majority of the novel. With her constant swearing, ignorance and crude behaviour, I felt isolated from her, nonetheless, all her glaring flaws seem to have a foreshadowing meaning to it, which resulted me into likening Mia eventually.
While the family relationships only held a minuscule part to Zac and Mia, I still feel the urge to commend it. In contrary to Mia and her mother's yelling and coldness, Zac and his mum's connection- I loved to pieces. They were small sentiments, playing Call of Duty and talking, but it was cogent, tight and absolute bittersweetness. Moreover, a great contrast to the deep topics of illness- which I thought was fleshed out well. Not entirely dramatic but realistic in the sense that I was told from the perspective of a teenager.
Zac and Mia surprisingly was not solely romance based. Yes, there was a chemistry, but it wasn't overpowering at all. The connection between Zac and Mia was more of a friendship during cancer, the hold to reality even. Nevertheless, the romance isn't typical and eye roll-a-rama, it's gradual, not too gradual, sweet, but not too sweet.
Briefly, the plot seemed a little lacking to me, some background drama (not in the dramatic sense) would've been preferred to make it more eventful. Yet on the other side of the scale, the writing was close to perfect. A. J. Betts effortlessly created a story, while daringly similar to John Green's, still equally fascinating and touching.
All in all, with minor flaws in the plot and characters, I found myself still loving the story overall. Compassionate and confronting are two words to describe this novel. --- My friends and I have a theory. We have all read The Fault in Our Stars and absolutely adored it, if anyone can remember Isaac, the short name is pretty much, Zac. And there's Monica, but Mia seems pretty similar enough. Our theory is that this is the story of Isaac and Monica before The Fault in Our Stars was taken place. Of course, that was just our hopes since TFiOS is something that keeps coming back to traumatise us. Additionally, Isaac and Monica's word was always, the synopsis mentions always. Could that be they're, "okay"?...more
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