Review: Breaking Butterflies by M Anjelais

The closest he will ever come to happiness is when he's hurting her. Will she let him? A beautiful and twisted story of first love and innocence lost--written when the author was just eighteen.

Sphinxie and Cadence. Promised to each other in childhood. Drawn together again as teens. Sphinxie is sweet, compassionate, and plain. Cadence is brilliant, charismatic. Damaged. And diseased. When they were kids, he scarred her with a knife. Now, as his illness progresses, he becomes increasingly demanding. She wants to be loyal--but fears for her life. Only the ultimate sacrifice will give this love an ending

My Thoughts
I'm not sure I have the words for this one

It's like watching a car accident happen in front of your eyes. You want to look away but can't because you need to know what happens next.

Hands down the creepiest most intense relationship I've ever read about in a YA novel and one that will stay with you for a long time after you finish it. I found myself oddly compelled to want to know more but wanted the ability to go in and pick up Sphinx and take her far away from this terrifying boy.

The role of the mothers was also a really interesting one in that it makes you think had their actions had been different would their children have been different in the way they lived out their lives.

All in all a really really creepy read which will make you think for a long time to come.

Books I can't wait to read

Here is my list of all the various titles that have caught my eye of late when browsing online which I cannot wait to get my hands on...

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most

Why I can't wait for it
I loved Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series and I love how different each of his titles are. Very much looking forward to giving this one a go.

Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar

 Imagine there is someone you like so much that just thinking about them leaves you desperate and reckless. You crave them in a way that's not rational, not right, and you're becoming somebody you don't recognise, and certainly don't respect, but you don't even care. And this person you like is unattainable. Except for one thing... He lives downstairs.

Abbie has three obsessions. Art. The ocean. And Kane.

But since Kane's been back, he's changed. There's a darkness shadowing him that only Abbie can see. And it wants her in its world.

A gothic story about the very dark things that feed the creative process

Why I can't wait for it 
Yes I know. I could by this tomorrow on kindle. I do know that but I hate kindle and this week I am in a wanting to reading all the aussie YA I can get my hands on phase and I adored Kirsty's Raw Blue. Can someone please publish this in the UK? 

Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon

Another scintillating tale from the bestselling author of The Longest Holiday and Lucy in the Sky.
Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia.
Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends.
In her free time, Bronte is a wedding photographer, so Alex enlists her to do his wedding. Unable to refuse, Bronte is stuck with the job. But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business.
Will Alex leave his bride at the altar, or will Bronte be forced to photograph the wedding of the man she herself should be marrying?

Why I can't wait for it
I only discovered Paige Toon in the last few months and have since read everything published by her that I can get my hands on. I am dying to get a copy of this!


Only Remembered by Michael Morpurgo

A timeless and seminal anthology of First World War literature for children fronted by the master of the period, Michael Morpurgo, and illustrated by acclaimed illustrator, Ian Beck.
     2014 will mark one hundred years since the outbreak of the First World War. To mark the date, this beautiful anthology will collect favourite extracts, images and poems from some of the UK's leading cultural, political and literary figures.
     Poems, short stories, personal letters, newspaper articles, scripts, photographs and paintings are just some of the elements of this astonishing collection, with cover and artwork by renowned illustrator, Ian Beck. Among the many contributors are: Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, Sir Andrew Motion, Miranda Hart, Jacqueline Wilson, Anthony Horowitz, Eoin Colfer, Antony Beevor, Emma Thompson, David Almond, Dr Rowan Williams, Richard Curtis, Joanna Lumley, Raymond Briggs, Shami Chakrabarti and Sir Tony Robinson.

Why I can't wait for it
I have heard only good things about this book and I think it'll appeal to my historical side a lot. Looking forward to it a lot.

Review: Echo Boy by Matt Haig

Audrey's father taught her that to stay human in the modern world, she had to build a moat around herself; a moat of books and music, philosophy and dreams. A moat that makes Audrey different from the echoes: sophisticated, emotionless machines, built to resemble humans and to work for human masters. Daniel is an echo - but he's not like the others. He feels a connection with Audrey; a feeling Daniel knows he was never designed to have, and cannot explain. And when Audrey is placed in terrible danger, he's determined to save her. The Echo Boy is a powerful story about love, loss and what makes us truly human

My Thoughts
While I'm not certain this book was entirely for me I can certainly think of several people I'd happily recommend it to.

Echo boy is set in the future in a works where echos are used as robotic human like servants and starts dramatically with the death of the main character's parents at the hands of one of the echos. The story then follows her as she goes to stay with her uncle, the man who owns the company who produces echos and gets to the bottom of the murder.

The world presented in echo boy is a scary one especially do as it feels so real. The action is fast paced and the mystery side keeps you guessing.

That said, probably because it was scifi it didn't grip me as much as I would have liked. 

Review: Goose by Dawn O'Porter

It's a year and a half on from Paper Aeroplanes, and Renée is now living with her Aunty Jo. They even have geese, and Renée likes to sit and watch them, wondering if she'll ever find 'the One' - someone who will love her no matter what, and be there for her no matter how bad things get. She and Flo are in their final year at school, and they've got some tough choices to make - like will they go to university? And if so where - and will they go together? Renée's usual ambivalence on the matter shocks Flo, who had assumed they'd continue as they were, the best and closest of friends, forever. She feels as though she needs Renée's support more than ever, so when a handsome young boy enters Flo's life, she finds herself powerfully drawn to his kindness, and his faith. Renée and Flo's friendship will soon be tested in a way neither of them could have expected - and if Paper Aeroplanes was a book about finding friendship, Goose is the novel that explores whether it's possible to keep hold of it

My Thoughts
I'm deliberately going to write a short review for this book today mostly because I don't want to spoil it for others.

Put simply I loved Goose. For me this book (and indeed its predecessor) perfectly encapsulate what it meant to be a teenager in the late 90s before mobile phones and the Internet became a normal part of our daily existence. I loved this book because you get a real feel for the time and for me it meant it was so realistic. I relate to the main characters so well because I can remember throwing in that spice girls tape and dressing up in the fashions mentioned whilst spending the weekend out and about socialising rather than spending it behind a screen. If for no other reason this is why I loved it.

I also loved that this book stood alone as a story. I struggle with series and it has been a while since I read book one and it was nice to be able to pick up where book one left off with reasonable ease.

All in all a book. I thoroughly enjoyed mostly because it made me feel like a teenager again.

Review: Don't look back by Jennifer Armentrout

What if you had the chance to start again...but only if you promised never to look back? Samantha is popular, rich, and seemed to have it all...until the night she and her best 'frenemy' Cassie disappeared and only Sammy resurfaced, with no recollection of who she is or what happened. Sammy's a stranger in her own life - a life she no longer wants any part of. Losing her memory is a chance to start again. Then Sammy begins receiving mysterious notes warning her about that night, urging her to not look back. But she can't let it go. As she starts poking around in her past she begins to remember...and something sinister begins to surface.

My thoughts
I literally had no idea what to expect from this author not having read any of her previous books but I was keen to read this book as lots of my blogger friends went nuts when it dropped through their letter boxes.

I don't want to say too much about this book for fear of spoiling it but I will say that it was an awesome read which kept me guessing right through until the very last pages. It's nice to have a thriller mystery where you don't guess the outcome from the very start. I loved finding out more about what happened and who was involved.

A special mention has to go to the adorable Carson whom I loved entirely from the very first moment he stepped onto the page. I also loved what this book had to say about popularity and why you pick to be friends with the people you do.

All in all a really enjoyable read.

Review: A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke

When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant.

Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend.

Alex can’t help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive…

But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.

My thoughts
This review is deliberately short because of two reasons. Firstly I'm not certain I have the words to do it justice and secondly I don't want to spoil it for others.

You can always rely on a Cat Clarke novel to rip you to shreds emotionally. This was no exception. It's gritty and hard hitting throughout. The story itself is one of those where you just know from the outset that it isn't going to end well for the characters involved. The situations they find themselves in are impossible and you just know that whatever happens their lives are going to be changed forever.

The thing I loved about this book more than anything else is the way it explored teenage sexuality without labels. All too often people want to put a label on a person to define the person they love and I think this book showed so brilliantly well that often sexuality has as much to do with making a connection with an individual be they male or female rather than a conscious choice to be attracted to someone of the same sex. YA needs more of this please.

I adore the characters in this book and I loved the relationship that developed and desperately wanted to root for it whilst knowing all along that speeding towards an impossible place. I also loved that it was A UKYA novel not set in England. I loved the setting of Edinburgh and it has left me wanting to go back to visit again.

All in all a perfect YA novel which blew me away from the start, had me gripped until the end and left me in emotional tatters.

Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E Smith

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

My thoughts
A super sweet offering from an author who I have come to expect great things from. The Geography of You and Me was a quick and lovely little read which I enjoyed thoroughly.

The Geography of You and Me is the story of Owen and Lucy. They are very different and meet during a blackout when they both end up stuck in an elevator. I liked the contrast between the two and their backgrounds but also being the common ground they have in their stories. Both are quite lonely and being moved from place to place by dictated by their parents work.

The vast amount of the book the pair are separated whilst on their travels and their only communication being a series of postcards and email replies sent between the two. It was a really sweet idea and I liked seeing how their relationship developed in this unusual way.

For me the book was very much about seeing all the places the characters visited. I personally got very excited about seeing Edinburgh and London through Lucy's eyes and I loved the American Roadtrip feel of Owen's story.

All in all a book I very much enjoyed and an author I continue to follow with interest.