Review: Trouble by Non Pratt

I need to preface this review with the following statement. I adore Non. She is one of my favourite people and sometimes I feel we actually share the same reading brain. I loved the books she commissioned when working for Catnip. We meet up from time to time (not enough though) and just talk about books for hours at a time and then stroke said books in foyles. When she first told me about her book I knew I'd love it and I am so so so pleased today to be able to offer you all this review. Yes you could argue I'm terribly biased but even if I didn't adore Non as much as I do I would adore this book (then probably adore her from afar instead).

A boy. A girl. A bump. Trouble.

Hannah’s smart and funny ... she’s also fifteen and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby?

Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters.

My thoughts
I have been waiting to read trouble for a long time and I am delighted to say it didn't disappoint. Trouble is the story of Hannah and Aaron. Hannah is 15 and pregnant and Aaron is the new boy at school who pretends to be the father of her child. It was the perfect read for me for several reasons.

Firstly the voices of both Aaron and Hannah are spot on. The way they think, the way chat about things with their friends captures all those thoughts and feelings of a 15 year old and it draws you completely in. As a result I was the with them from page one and had to keep reading as I needed to know more about these characters. Hannah is clever and funny and whilst she does necessarily use it in the traditional way at school you really get the feeling that she is the sort of girl you would have wanted to hang out with when you were at school. Aaron is absolutely adorable and I loved his loyalty and finding out more about his past and why he was the way he was. Not only were the two main characters spot on the whole host of secondary characters from the other kids at school to Aaron elderly friend Neville (whom I must admit I have a special soft spot for) were brilliantly well done too.

For me this book is all about friendship and the main characters learning what it is to be a good friend. As the book goes on you get to see shifts in the social groups both Hannah and Aaron associate with and it is brilliant to see them at that last stage of high school going into adulthood as they suss out which of their friends are true friends and deserve the loyalty the other can offer.

One thing I do love about this book is the way in which teenage sex is handled. It isn't judgmental and sees sex as an ordinary part of growing up and teenage life as it should be. It doesn't have a preachy message about it either although it does comment on the way in which society can look down on teenage girls who enjoy doing the deed. I also loved how one of the characters was gay but he wasn't included as a gimmick or put on a pedestal but treated normally. We need more of that in YA fiction please.

Ultimately for me the best part of the book was the relationship between Hannah and Aaron and seeing how it develops over the course of the book. I loved how they bonded but still fell out and argued like proper teenagers. I loved seeing Hannah through Aaron's eyes and I loved seeing how they supported one another through some really though situations.

All in all a fantastic read, heart warming whilst dealing frankly with serious issues in a sensitive and funny way. I, for one, will be recommending this far and wide for a long time to come

Devil in the corner Blog tour: Guest Post from author Patricia Elliot on setting

I have always felt as a writer that where novels are set is vitally important. The setting does so much to convey the atmosphere – the flavour – of the story. With The Devil in the Corner I might have set it in London but it wouldn't have worked. I needed Maud, the Victorian girl from London who is my main character, to feel threatened and vulnerable. I knew she had to go to the country, to an unfamiliar landscape that would reflect the mood of the novel, both the claustrophobia of village life then and the feeling of being utterly alone when you ventured beyond it. I also wanted to impart  a sense of the supernatural, of strange things happening that were beyond the characters' control. 

            So I set The Devil in the Corner in Suffolk, near the coast, in an area similar to where I live now. I have been coming here since I was a young teenager, for something always draws me back. To me it has always seemed a county of mystery and magical possibilities.   

            On a clear day it is beautiful. The sun glitters on the sea, the waves lull you, the reeds gently whisper; inland, church towers look down benignly on pink-painted cottages.

            But on a cloudy day, with dark clouds building overhead and a rising wind, you'd better pull up your collar and run! You crunch along the shingle beach, looking in vain for shelter in all that vast landscape. Then it is the most forbidding place on earth and you are the smallest creature under those great lowering skies. There is no escape.

            East Anglia with its huge skyscapes and vast open spaces has influenced many writers from M.R. James, the great ghost story writer, to P.D. James. When I wrote The Devil in the Corner and Maud is haunted by Sly, the strange, gibbering, doomed youth, I thought of M.R. James, for in many of his stories his protagonists are pursued by undefined malevolent figures through deserted landscapes.  It is terrifying for Maud to see this deformed creature, Sly, loping after her in the dusk on a endless shingle beach.  Nowadays we would feel compassion for Sly and recognise his epilepsy, his 'tongue-tied' cleft palette. But then a church-going Victorian like Maud would see him as an outcast, a monstrous aberration, unloved by God and without a place in the Universe. (God had put the rest of Victorian mankind comfortably in charge of it, of course - as long as they had their wits.)  Sly becomes to Maud a sort of manifestation of her guilty conscience and she is not at ease, even when he is dead.

            There have been times when, like Maud, I have walked on the duckboards through the reeds and thought I heard someone following me. When I've looked round, there's been no one, just an endless rustling as the wind blows through their papery stems. It's not surprising that this is a countryside of legends. Even where we live, within an area of three miles we have the hell-hound of Blythburgh, the ghostly horse-drawn hearse of the Westleton Road, the drowned man of the Smugglers' Way – not that I've seen any of them!

            It's partly that Suffolk still seems untouched by the present. It's difficult to get at: the A12 is slow and the trains unpredictable. To imagine a village in Victorian times, as I did for The Devil in the Corner, wasn't very difficult. I think they probably looked like that even up to the nineteen thirties – apart from the sewer in the middle of the street!

            This has always been an arable land and its people are still mostly farmers whose families have farmed here for generations, their names unchanging down the centuries. I wanted to impart a sort of Suffolk 'feel' to the book without making it too obvious, so my characters have names from gravestones and old books, a lane I drive past (Tiggins), a nearby hall (Potton) and some of the towns and villages locally, like Wissett and Brundish. The isolated house where Maud goes to live with Juliana, which I call Windward House, is very like one I stumbled upon by accident one day, walking the dog. It reared up behind a high wooden fence, dilapidated, but with the most amazing view of the surrounding countryside. You could see the sea in the distance. I had to balance precariously on a fallen tree trunk to get a proper look and there it was – crenelated gables, endless chimneys, tall blank windows, very Victorian and rather forbidding altogether. I had found somewhere for Maud to live!

            And so it all comes together: character, plot, setting. You cannot always say afterwards in what order they came to you or if one is more important than the other. But I do know that in this particular novel the setting is very close to my heart.       

           

Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most

My thoughts
A really quick review from me today. This book was beautifully written as you'd expect from Lauren Oliver. I loved the contemporary setting and the idea that all these kids from one town are involved in such a high risk game for a chance at a huge prize fund. I loved the variety of characters and getting into the reasons why they were competing. 

Only criticism is I think I would have preferred 1st person split narrative rather than 3rd person split narrative to make me connect more with the characters.

February Review

February has been an awesome reading month for me. Yay for half term, long train journeys and rubbish weather

Books read
20) The Worst Girlfriend in the world by Sarra Manning (British Books Challenge) 5 star read
21) Half Bad by Sally Green (British Books Challenge)
22) Girl with a White Dog by Anne Booth  (British Books Challenge) 5 star read
23) Far from you by Tess Sharpe
24) Just a girl standing in front of a boy by Lucy-Anne Holmes  (British Books Challenge)
25) The Glass Bird Girl by Esme Kerr  (British Books Challenge)
26) The State we're in by Adele Parks  (British Books Challenge)
27) The Secret of Happily ever after by Lucy Dillon  (British Books Challenge)
28) Going over by Beth Kephart
29) Model under Cover: A crime of fashion by Carina Axelsson
30) Echo boy by Matt Haig (British Books Challenge)
31) Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan (British Books Challenge)
32) You had me at hello by Mhairi McFarlane  (British Books Challenge)
33) Dead Silent by Sharon Jones  (British Books Challenge)
34) Hi so much by Laura Dockrill  (British Books Challenge)
35) Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols
36) Poppy by Mary Hooper  (British Books Challenge)
37) The Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle  (British Books Challenge) 5 star read
38) Don't look back by Jennifer Armentrout
39) Daughters of time by Mary Hoffman  (British Books Challenge)
40) A midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger 5 star read
41) Hog in the Fog by Julia Copus (British Books Challenge)
42) Squishy McFluff by Pip Jones (British Books Challenge)
43)  Magneto by Greg Pak
44) Goose by Dawn O'Porter (British Books Challenge)

I've been seeing a lot of debate over twitter about people sticking with books they don't enjoy. Therefore from this month onwards I'll be keeping a list of books I don't finish (I might even go back and add to last month's too so I have a years worth) for you all to see. I am very much all for giving up on books that I'm not in the mood for or not enjoying. Sometimes I go back to them eventually, sometimes not. Life is too short to force yourself through books for the sake of it.

Books given up on
The Virgins by Pamela Erens (too literary for my mood at the time)
The Amber Fury by Natalie Haynes (too much like work as focused on a school teacher)
Take back the skies by Lucy Saxon (wanted to try it as a debut author but I struggle with fantasy novels)
The Eagle Trail by Robert Rigby (too military based for my liking)
Sleuth or Dare by Robin Benway (2nd book in a series effect)
Shift by Jeff Povey (too much like work as kids in detention)
Amy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern (made me feel wrong. No idea why really)
The visitors by Rebecca Mascull (just wasn't doing it for me at the time)


Book events attended
None as such but I did have a lovely day in London with my lovely friend Non (soon to be published author of trouble) and Sarah and Sammee (two of my favourite bloggers) which was fab.

Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Whitley Johnson's dream summer of shopping, partying and tanning on the beach has just turned into a nightmare. Because Dad didn't tell her he doesn't live by the beach anymore, or that he's no longer a bachelor. He's picked up and moved to a tiny, lame town called Hamilton and gotten himself a fiance. A fiance whose son just happens to be what's-his-name from last week's drunken graduation party one night stand. Just freakin' great.

As if the summer couldn't get worse, Dad seems to forget Whitley's even there. She doesn't fit in with his perfect new country club family, and Whitley does what any kid lucky enough to go all summer unsupervised does: she parties. Hard.

So hard that she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a younger future step-sister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't 'do friends') and a smoking hot, sweet guy who isn't her step brother (yet) and who actually seems to care for her. It will take all three of them to convince her that they're not phoneys, and to get Whitley to get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

My thoughts

I loved the DUFF by Kody Keplinger so was so excited to get this for review earlier this week. I am pleased to say I loved it.

For me Kody Keplinger is one of those authors who I love. Her characters are realistic and therefore I always find the voice is spot on. This book was no exception. The main character Whitley is written superbly stating as this messed up unlikable screw up at the start of the book. Once the story gets going and you start to get under her skin you actually start to see more of why she has become the person she has and you start to warm to her.

I also love how the author writes teen sex without being judgmental and presenting it as a normal part of teenage life not just for boys but also girls. Another example of how YA can be used to do that well and proves you don't need NA titles for sexy times.

I defy anyone to read this book and not fall instantly in love with both male teen characters. I adored Nathan and Harrison entirely and I loved the scenes they were in. Also I found seeing Whitley through their eyes made me like her more too which was good.

Also any book that has a cameo from characters from the author's previous works just slipped in is always a thumbs up from me. I love those entirely in a really geeky way.

All in all a book I really loved. I cannot wait to get my hands on more from the author

Review: Hi so much by Laura Dockrill

Ten-year-old Darcy sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her. This second book sees Darcy move-up to Big School - and all of a sudden EVERYTHING changes. Her best friend Will isn't sure he should talk to girls anymore, her new teacher may in actual fact be a cauldron-bubbling witch and, horror of horrors, her precious pet Lamb-Beth goes missing. Can Darcy face these challenges head-on, armed only with her curious, whip-smart mind and eye for a story?

Joyous drawings, colourful characters and a high-energy voice - the Darcy Burdock books are packed with personality from start to finish.

My thoughts
Hi so much is a fab little read. Perfect for 9 - 12 year olds. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

After loving Darcy burdock last year I was a bit worried about this book mostly because I've been struggling with second books series this last year or so as I've found they've never quite lived up to book one. I am so pleased to say I didn't have that problem at all with Hi So Much and it is just as good, if not better than book one.

This instalment of Darcy burdock follows Darcy as she makes the transition to high school, a daunting prospect for all eleven year olds I'm sure. I loved how this book dealt with all the worries Darcy was feeling at this point in her life and actually I'd recommend it to parents to give their kids who are worried about moving up to high school for that alone.

What I loved about this book though was the brilliant mix of funny and poignant that Laura Dockrill does so well. Darcy is a brilliant character and you really get under her skin as she wears her heart on her sleeve and treats her reader as her personal best friend. I love this as you connect with her so well as a character. I love her imagination and quirkiness and you can't read this book and not fall a little bit in love with her. Be warned though, while on the whole this book is laugh out loud funny you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be touched by Darcy's poem about her beloved lamb Beth which had me in pieces.

All in all another brilliant read from Laura Dockrill. I cannot wait to read book three and am so excited to see her promoting this book at an event I have booked later this year.

Review: Banished by Liz De Jager

Sworn to protect, honour and slay. Because chaos won’t banish itself…

Kit is proud to be a Blackhart, now she’s encountered her unorthodox cousins and their strange lives. And her home-schooling now includes spells, fighting enemy fae and using ancient weapons. But it’s not until she rescues a rather handsome fae prince, fighting for his life on the edge of Blackhart Manor, that her training really kicks in. With her family away on various missions, Kit must protect Prince Thorn, rely on new friends and use her own unfamiliar magic to stay ahead of Thorn’s enemies. As things go from bad to apocalyptic, fae battle fae in a war that threatens to spill into the human world. Then Kit pits herself against the Elder Gods themselves – it’s that or lose everyone she’s learnt to love.

My thoughts

Just a quick review today for Liz's debut novel. Liz is one of the first bloggers I met when I first started blogging and I have been so excited for her on her road to publication and I almost can't believe I am now it a position to review it on here.

If you love urban fantasy this book will blow you away. Awesome world building with a kick-ass main character who you will love In Kit Blackhart (think Buffy, less vampires and more Fae).. I was drawn in from the first page and loved how action packed it was from the outset. A really satisfying read in itself but so much set up for the rest of the series which I cannot wait to get my hands on. A stunning debut.