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young adult

Book Review UKYA

REVIEW: Code Red Lipstick by Sarah Sky

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Distinctive and original, Code Red Lipstick is the outstanding debut novel of a future UKYA star. Sky is the UK equivalent of Ally Carter, with Code Red Lipstick exceeding the Gallagher Girls books in many ways.

Jessica Cole’s father is a former spy, having to turn into a private detective after developing MS. When he disappears, MI6 refuse to let Jessica help, so she takes matters into her own hands. On her own in Paris, Jessica’s investigation leads her to find out about Allegra Knight, former supermodel with a lethal side. Her new product, Teenosity, means the start of a nightmare for teens all over the world.

Code Red Lipstick proves that you can have a kickass female protagonist with female features. Jessica is a model, has awesome makeup-disguised weapons, and is also extremely easy to like at the same time. Jessica is the type of person you can see as a friend, although one that will most often know more about you than you know about yourself.

Set in Paris, it was obvious that I was going to enjoy it because I love everything to do with France. I was pleased to see there weren’t any cliché French stereotypes so we see the city through the eyes of an English person spending time there. Most definitely not a tourist perspective, though…

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, which is out in early 2015. Code Red Lipstick was everything I wished for and more.

Book Review Uncategorized

REVIEW: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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Heir of Fire is an incredible book. The third in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

I’ve put together a review graphic because I cannot put my thoughts into coherent sentences. Basically: It’s AMAZING. Read it now! heiroffiregraphicreview

 

Blog Tour Book Review Uncategorized

10 DAYS TO GO: 5 Reasons to Read The Maze Runner

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With the looming release date of the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of The Maze Runner, here are five reasons you should read the book:

One

The Maze Runner is action packed and will keep you up reading until the early hours. With a unique premise, it’s easy to slip into the world created by Dashner.

Two

Reading the book before you watch the film will give you a major advantage over everyone else!

Three

The world is so original – it even has its own dialect! This book is no pile of klunk.

 Four

There are so many dystopia novels out there at the moment, but this novel is one of the best. It’s adventurous and mysterious, with characters that you grow attached to and learn to love.

Five

Once you’ve read The Maze Runner, you can read the rest in the series before those movies are released!

The Maze Runner is out now in paperback (£7.99) from Chicken House. 

Book Review

REVIEW: Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

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What would you do if you could read the minds of the people around you? It sure would be handy when you’ve fallen out with someone and don’t know what you’ve done wrong, or need to tell if someone is lying. Don’t Even Think About It explores this in a fun and gripping way.

When Class 10B have their flu injections, things seem normal at first. Then they start to hear the voices. With all of their secrets laid bare, how will this group of students cope as they’re forced to cooperate by something completely out of their hands?

Although I’m sure there are many novels about telepathy out there, Mlynowski has taken on a very contemporary attitude in Don’t Even Think About It so, even if we take the telepathy out, it still stands on its own with other things going on that are equally as interesting to read about.

Don’t Even Think About It is unusual in the style it is written. Instead of your conventional first or third person, it is written in a collective third person, from the perspective of the group of students as a whole.

My favourite characters by far were Mackenzie and Cooper, who I wholeheartedly ship, no matter what happened during the novel.

Even though there are a lot of characters to get to know and get used to, you learn to love each one individually, despite the manner of the narrative. There’s betrayal and drama, but there’s also a sense of the cute and sweet side to contemporary fiction. It’s a perfect mix!

Whilst reading, I was constantly thinking: How would I act if I were in the same situation as the ESPies? I know I’d freak out big time!

I really, really, really can’t wait to read the next instalment from Mlynowski because I can already tell how much I’ll love it! If it’s half as good as Don’t Even Think About It, it will be amazing.

Book Review UKYA

REVIEW: Lobsters by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

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I’ve wanted to read Lobsters ever since hearing about it at the start of the year. I absolutely adore contemporaries (hence my blog name!) and so I think I’ve always known how much I would love Lobsters.

Hannah and Sam, both in the summer before university, have one thing in common: they have yet to lose their virginity. Their summers are filled with adventure, antics and a quest to find ‘The One.’

If I could describe Lobsters in one word I would label it ‘awkward’ in the best way possible. Teenage life is awkward, which makes it such an amazing portrayal of teenage life. Nothing in Lobsters is sugarcoated which means that Ellen and Ivison have written a book that reads very much like a memoir.

Lobsters is a ‘read it one sitting’ type of book that you won’t be able to put down. I know I couldn’t!

A funny and realistic take on a romantic teenage summer, Lobsters will make you want to squeal, scream in frustration and go out and find your own lobster.

Hannah and Sam were both extremely amazing characters who I felt so connected to. Told in dual narrative, it was a very rounded perspective of teenage life because we got both a male and female viewpoint. I also loved both equally, which is a nice change because I usually find that I prefer one to the other in dual narratives.

I loved Lobsters, which has quickly become a favourite summer read of mine! Highly, highly recommended!

Book Review UKYA Where to Start

REVIEW: Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton

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Do you know that feeling when you read a book and you’re a bit numb after reading it because you have no feelings on it at all? I hate that feeling. I hate pouring my time into a book, only for it not to deliver anything at all. Luckily, Starring Kitty made me feel the complete opposite.

Starring Kitty is pretty much one of the best books you could ever wish to read, and I don’t ever say that lightly. Instead of writing five pages worth of comments, I’ve decided to do a graphic to explain just how perfect Starring Kitty is.

perfectstarringkittyIn my head, I have a checklist of things that make a book absolutely perfect, and I know many people have something similar. Above is a not so cool version of the thing in my head.

Number One: Diverse Characters

Check one for Starring Kitty! Diverse characters is something I expect in all novels because we live in a world where THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF PERSON WALKING DOWN THE STREET. We have racially diverse characters, illness is portrayed perfectly, and even more that I’ll leave a surprise for you if you haven’t read it.

Number Two: Loveability

Yes, I totally just made that word up, but I’m hoping you understand what it means. For a book to become a favourite of mine and one I will love unconditionally, it has to be so loveable it feels like my own child. Check two for Starring Kitty! It has a quality that just makes it amazing, which I’ll discuss in further points.

Number Three: Feminism

It’s pretty much a given that if a book has a feminist character(s) then I will love it and rate it five billion stars. It’s something we still don’t see enough of and I really want that to change. It’s so important that young girls read books with characters that they can admire and aspire to be like, and feminist themes and  characters are the best of the best.

Number Four: Realistic Situations

Being a teenager myself, I often struggle to find books that feel like the things going on are actually happening to teenagers, and are realistic enough that you don’t have to think twice about them. I felt like Starring Kitty could happen to me – the school experiences were similar to my own, the friendships similar to my own. I’d even go so far as to say it is THE MOST realistic novel I’ve read about characters my own age.

Number Five: LGBT

This is one I don’t want to make too much fuss about because, you know what? It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to compare the romance in Starring Kitty to a non-LGBT one because that wouldn’t make any sense. I love how it felt normal, as it should do. It just felt right, and I loved that!

Starring Kitty can be read by absolutely anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, or usually read books like it. You will instantly fall in love with it, just as I did.

Blog Tour Book Review UKYA

REVIEW: Water Born by Rachel Ward

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It’s rather fitting that I read Water Born during summer, and an absolutely boiling British one too. Whilst The Drowning, the prelude to Water Born, dealt primarily with a dark side to water, the continuation gets darker still and tackles water and hot weather.

Set 17 years after the events of The Drowning, Nic is a passionate swimmer. In the manic clutches of a heat wave, Nicola starts to hear voices underwater, and then the drowning’s start to take place. Just what is happening, and what does it have to do with her dad’s irrational fear of the water?

It seems like so much happened in Water Born from start to finish, which made it so easy to read. Mostly, the reading experience was enjoyable. Then I became invested and towards the end I got rather emotional! The novel takes the word ‘thriller’ to a whole other level, and definitely leaves you on your toes.

Being set quite far in the future, 2030 to be precise, the one thing lacking for me was world-building hinting at a future society. I wasn’t expecting flying cars, just some indication that time had passed, other than the character ages.

Nic was wilful and vivid, which I found incredibly endearing. I’d like to see more characters like her that have depth and completeness, rather than just being known as ‘the kickass one.’ Her feelings and reactions were totally warranted throughout and she’s the type of person I think I’d like to know.

Need another reason to buy Water Born? It has the most gorgeous cover, and it’s SHINY. Paired with The Drowning, it will add total splendour to your bookcase.

Whilst I would recommend reading The Drowning before Water Born for extra comprehension, it’s not compulsory and the two can be read separately.

Book Review

REVIEW: Winger by Andrew Smith

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I read many books every month and every year and whilst I love the majority of them, sometimes there are a few that really stand out. Winger, by far, is a massive contender for my favourite book of the year.

Set in an American boarding school, Ryan Dean Smith is a normal teenage boy who is a winger, hence the title, on the school rugby team and happens to be in love with his best friend, Annie. Winger tells the story of his year in Opportunity Hall, the building that houses the school’s resident troublemakers.

Before reading, I was a little bit nervous. Although I’d heard really good things about it, I hadn’t read or watched any specific reviews so I went into it with a completely open mind. Meaning to read only a few pages, I couldn’t help but read chapter after chapter, and found myself totally immersed.

As a teenager myself, one of the things that really bothers me is when the protagonist in a YA novel feels forced and doesn’t reflect an actual teenager living in today’s day and age. Fortunately, Smith has created an incredibly well rounded and credible teenager in Ryan Dean, who is the epitome of adolescence.

Winger is a book that will attract many teenagers because of its relevance to real issues that every youth has to face – from attracting your crush to dealing with fights and arguments. I also think Smith has portrayed the hormonal and lust-driven teenager well in Ryan Dean. From the first page it is obvious that Smith hasn’t bothered to sugar coat the details. In fact, the novel opens with Ryan Dean trying to save himself from having his head shoved down a toilet. Definitely an opening worth remembering!

Included in Winger are comic strips and illustrations that added familiarity and humour. Although Winger isn’t the shortest book, it’s fast-paced and an easy read. It leaves the reader with many thoughts and feelings; it’s not a book you put down without it leaving its mark.

No matter who you are – male or female, adult or teenager – I think Winger is the perfect book for you. I cannot stop recommending it and I just know that it’s worth your time to buy and read.