Tag Archives: Young Adult

The Feeling From Over Here by Gabrielle Tozer

December 20, 2020Book ReviewAustralian Authors, Begin End Begin, Contemporary, Gabrielle Tozer, Young Adultskyebjenner

Image result for begin, end, begin book cover

Title: The Feeling From Over Here
Author: Gabrielle Tozer
In: Begin, End, Begin (Danielle Binks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Contemporary, Young adult
Dates read: 18th November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: That night he’d drafted a text, scribbled a letter, started Facebook message, but he didn’t follow through with any of them.

Lucy Faris is stuck on a bus to Melbourne. Which would be bad enough, if it wasn’t for the fact that the boy she thought she liked, and then decided she hated didn’t just get on and sit down next to her…

This short story has an amazing pace to it. It’s not necessarily quick, and it’s most certainly not all that typical. But it worked. I love that each little segment was split into the time at which it happened. Sometimes large gaps of time, sometimes smaller. It was an absolute pleasure to proceed through this journey, one step at a time.

I love that Lucy is a completely kick ass year twelve. She has definitely got a bit of attitude, and plenty of gumption to herself. She’s fun and a little bit quirky. The messages that she is constantly sending to her friends just help to top off her great characterization. Then, flipping her point of view with Cam’s to show why he has acted in certain ways… well, it helped me to bond with both characters in a very short amount of time.

I imagine that a year from the ending of this story, Lucy and Cam totally got together. And had some kind of happily ever after. Because I’m a sap who totally believes in love stories.

<- Oona Underground

Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle

December 10, 2020Book ReviewHorror, Lauren Myracle, Paranormal Fantasy, Prom Nights from Hell, Young Adultskyebjenner

Image result for prom nights from hell book cover

Title: The Corsage
Author: Lauren Myracle
In: Prom Nights from Hell (Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Young adult
Dates read: 10th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher:Harper Collins
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: The corsage curled, as if the petals were shrinking in on themselves.

A girl who is desperate for her forever boy to ask her to prom finds a corsage that will grant three wishes. But what follows creates a prom night from hell.

This was a seriously creepy and tragic prom story. Like goosebumps and looking over your shoulder (which in my case meant looking at a blank wall) type creepy. And yet, it was somehow kind of sweet and most definitely heartbreaking. More the kind of prom that I want to read about than the happy, sappy happily ever after crap. Which we won’t go too much into what that actually says about me…

The Corsage is a prom story about first loves and first heartbreaks. With a pretty major twist – it’s not the kind of heartbreak that you would expect. Or at least, it wasn’t what I would have expected in this collection. I had honestly anticipated a lot more happiness and cheerful endings. I’m so happy that Myracle proved me wrong.

Like a lot of stories that feature wish fulfillment in some way, this story acted as a great reminder that what you wish for may not be what you actually want and need. And sometimes making a wish can be the worst possible thing to do. It leaves this story sitting in my pile of not-so-happily-ever-after stories. And definitely one of my favourite novellas…

<- The Exterminator’s Daughter

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper ->

Image source: Harper Collins

Missing Persons by Ellie Marney

December 9, 2020Book ReviewAustralian Authors, Begin End Begin, Contemporary, Ellie Marney, Young Adultskyebjenner

Title: Missing Persons
Author: Ellie Marney
In: Begin, End, Begin (Danielle Binks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Contemporary, Young adult
Dates read: 9th November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I don’t think you should – ‘

Rachel is about to start high school in Melbourne, the Big Smoke, for the first time. It’s very different from the rolling plains and open spaces of her family’s farm. It’ll take a little bit of getting used to…

I can completely, totally, and utterly understand the feeling of not quite fitting into a city. That hatred of living in an area where you struggle to see the wide, open skies. I know it’s why I chose to live in the country as soon as I was able to realistically do so. Although, to be fair, my version of country is nowhere near as open as Rachel’s.

This is a typical fish-out-of-water story. But it’s also a great coming of age tale. After all, Rachel is not only trying to figure out how to fit in with a whole new, terrifying world, but she’s also a teenager who has a whole slew of other issues to contend with. And I love that the Mad Scientist, Mycroft, seems to be the main person who is likely to help her do so. He’s completely off kilter and odd. The perfect person to help you try to figure out your way in a new world.

Although Rachel feels like a “missing person” in this story and still hasn’t quite come to terms with her new life, there is still a ray of hope at the end. This feeling that things will all turn out for the best, and eventually Rachel will find her own place in this new world she’s been thrust into.

<- Sundays

Oona Underground ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

December 8, 2020Book ReviewFae, Fantasy, Holly Black, Paranormal Fantasy, The Folk of the Air, Young Adultskyebjenner

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) by Holly Black

Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Young adult
Dates read: 3rd – 9th November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: My blood is on fire, boiling in my veins.

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered. The fearsome assassin abducts all three girls to the Faerie court, where Jude soon realises that to survive she needs to be as cunning and deceitful as the Fey themselves. But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan.

I seriously can’t stop thinking about this novel. Even though I’m writing this review days after I finished reading it, the words, the occurrences, the entire story is still in my mind’s eye. It was just amazing. Which really isn’t surprising since it was written by Holly Black and everything that I’ve had the pleasure of reading by her is a book that quickly finds its way to the top of my list.

The twist at the end of the story was only obvious about a paragraph before it happened. So, really not obvious or something that I guessed at all. And it was the best twist ever. Luckily, I couldn’t find The Wicked King in my TBR immediately after I finished The Cruel Prince… considering I have a massive stack of books that I’ve already started reading…

Jude is an awesome, completely kick ass lead character. I’m not necessarily in love with her as a person… she’s a little too confrontational and kind of nuts in my opinion. But as a product of being raised by the fae? Yeah, I absolutely loved her. It kind of makes me fear what Taryn will be like in the later books… I mean, they’re twins and whilst they’ve taken a different route to power… it’ll be interesting to see what happens next is the least that I can say.

I’ve only read the one series by Holly Black, and the thing that I loved the most about it was that she depicts the fae beautifully. She continues that vein in this story – the fae aren’t fun, happy, or light. This already feels so much darker than her Modern Faerie Tales series. But it’s still a great indication of the horrors that are in the traditional faerie tales….

<- More Holly Black

The Lost Sisters ->

Image source: Goodreads

Sundays by Melissa Keil

December 5, 2020Book ReviewBegin End Begin, Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Melissa Keil, Young Adultskyebjenner

Title: Sundays
Author: Melissa Keil
In: Begin, End, Begin (Danielle Binks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Young adult
Dates read: 5th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Lou holds out a bottle of Limonata, the top popped.

Sundays are a day of leisure. But, on this fateful night and morning, they are also a day of change. One that heralds the beginning of new things, and the end of the old.

I absolutely adore Melissa Keil, in fact, she’s the reason that I bought the Begin, End, Begin collection – I knew that she had a story in there somewhere and I knew that it was one that I thoroughly enjoy. This short story just drove home how important that was and just why I love this author so damn much. Now I just have to wait for her to publish some more stories…

This story completely matches the idea of Begin, End, Begin. It’s about beginnings and endings, and how just one night can mean the change in everything. I remember finishing high school myself, and how terrifying that precipice of change and adulthood is. I don’t think that I had just one night that did this for me, but I had a whole heap of moments that I can still remember with terrifying clarity that were about the ending of the old, and the beginning of the new. Most of them from this point in my life…

Gabe is a great narrator for this story. She’s not the mainstream teenager that you would expect, and so I probably related to her way more than I otherwise would have. That, and Lou, the rock for her throughout this realisation of change… I absolutely adored both of these characters. I want more of them! Just like I want more of all of Keil’s characters… I’m not slightly obsessed at all…

<- First Casualty

Missing Persons ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Exterminator’s Daughter by Meg Cabot

December 3, 2020Book ReviewMeg Cabot, Paranormal Fantasy, Prom Nights from Hell, Vampires, Young Adultskyebjenner

Title: The Exterminator’s Daughter
Author: Meg Cabot
In: Prom Nights from Hell (Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires, Young adult
Dates read: 4th November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher:Harper Collins
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: “Yes,” Adam says calmly.

Mary knows one thing… that her friend’s prom date is evil. And it’s her job to take him down. But things don’t always go quite to plan… they can be better.

I most definitely want more of Adam and Mary in my bookshelves. I’m not sure that I’ll get more. But it’s most certainly something that I desire! They work so well as a cute teensy couple. Yet, Mary is also completely kick butt and more than a little damaged. Just how I like my heroines.

I’m still a big believer in the fact that prom is completely, totally and utterly boring. But, this one feels a little bit more fun. Mostly because it involves a cute boy and vampire hunting. Alright, I might be a strong, independent woman, and my own prom I did have a cute date… but not a cute date that would use a water blaster to kill a vampire. Or shoot ketchup at him…

This novella involved not only Dracula’s son, but the exterminator’s daughter. And she also happens to be the daughter of a mad scientist… which, honestly, what’s not to love about that? There is so much fuel in this story for more amazing tales, and it’s a seriously fun little journey. Particularly when the ending is so… full of future possibilities.

I’ve read a few books in the Princess Diaries series. So I’m used to Cabot’s fun, cute and easy to read teenage stories. This fit all of the usual bills and was definitely a story that I would read again and again. A bit like Cabot’s other stories…

<- Prom Nights from Hell

The Corsage ->

Image source: Harper Collins

First Casualty by Michael Pryor

December 1, 2020Book ReviewAustralian Authors, Begin End Begin, Michael Pryor, Space, Young Adultskyebjenner

Title: First Casualty
Author: Michael Pryor
In: Begin, End, Begin (Danielle Binks)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Space, Young adult
Dates read: 1st November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: We didn’t get a chance to answer.

It’s a Space Gap Year. One that has some unexpected consequences and occurrences. But this will be amazing.

For starters, this short story is a great reminder to stop the “us versus them” crap. After all, it does nothing but damage everyone and everything involved. Something that we constantly need to be reminded of in my humble opinion. After all, we all have feelings, and that’s the important thing.

The space setting and Gap Year feeling throughout this story is fun. I never took a Gap Year, so the idea of one in space and the adventure that the lead characters go on… it was a lot of fun. There is so much future potential to this story! After all, their Gap Year is just beginning when this story ends.

Not only is this a fun little science fiction, coming-of-age story, but it’s also a wonderful story full of hints of romance. I love how Pryor is able to place out hints of the relationship that is developing, without bashing you over the head with it.

<- In a Heartbeat

Sundays ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

In a Heartbeat by Alice Pung

November 16, 2020Book ReviewAlice Pung, Australian Authors, Begin End Begin, Contemporary, Young Adultskyebjenner

Title: In a Heartbeat
Author: Alice Pung
In: Begin, End, Begin (Danielle Binks)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Contemporary, Young adult
Dates read: 20th October 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I’m going to vom,’ I croaked to Nancy, and she dashed me to the bathroom, and for the first time in this pregnancy, I had a big, long vomit and cry.

She has two heartbeats, and a life that is about to change drastically. But it’s alright, because she has a plan.

I really liked this short story. It took all of about thirty seconds to realise that the narrator was talking to their unborn baby, which was good otherwise this would have made zero sense. Not only is it a great way to show the future mother’s love for her child, but it’s also a good way to sshow the change in thought processes that the future mother is going through.

This short story is all about that moment where you say goodbye to childhood and hello to reality / adulthood. It’s admittedly kind of intense since it does deal with teenage pregnancy. But I thought it was also ridiculously, wonderfully realistic. Particularly when you mix in the fact that this story is also about Asian immigrants and the cultural practices they carry with them. Or at least, that’s why I got out of this.

I had such a great time reading this story, and I could actually hear the narrator’s voice in my head. Her voice was laced with attitude, sarcasm, love and a little fear. It left me smiling and happy when I finished it and wondering if I should find myself some more Alice Pung stories to fill my shelves…

<- I Can See the Ending

First Casualty ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

November 12, 2020Book ReviewChic lit, Contemporary, Jenny Han, Summer, Young Adultskyebjenner

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han – review | Children's books | The Guardian

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Series: Summer #1
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary, Young adult
Dates read: 19th October 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: But there they were, dunking one another for all it was worth.

Every year Isbael spends a perfect summer at her family friends’ house.

There’s the swimming pool at night, the private stretch of beach – and the two boys.

Conrad – unavailable, aloof –
who she’s been in love with forever.
Jeremiah – friendly, relaxed –
the only one who’s ever really paid her any attention.

But this year something is different. They seem to have noticed her for the first time. It’s going to be an amazing summer… and one she’ll never forget.

This is a fairly typical teenager story. It’s a little angsty, it’s about coming of age and discovering oneself. And it’s fairly self-centred all in all. Which to me, is what a lot of teenagers / teenage stories are like. I mean, the name of the book in itself gives that fact away. It’s also an incredibly sweet story and a reminder of my own summers when I was growing up and figuring out just who I was. Making it a seriously enjoyable and easy read (which is exactly what I wanted at the time).

Don’t get me wrong, “Belly” tends to annoy me a little bit in patches throughout this story. She is kind of whiney. And although I sort of get it, I mean, she’s constantly left out by the other three… I also sometimes wanted to reach through the pages of the book, and just clip her over the head. Tell her to get over herself and find someone who did want to spend time with her. She does eventually do this, and the whiney annoyance did eventually disappear. But there were moments of “oh girl”.

I completely picked who the end love interest would be in this story. Although, some of the bumps along the way were a little unanticipated. And even though it was completely predictable, I did actually like who she ended up with. They somehow work together (I think) and I’ll be interested to see how things unfold in the next story. Particularly when you already know which character will be missing, and how it’s going to be a little bit sad…

I do love that throughout this story Belly goes through a pretty good transformation. Alright, she starts this with suddenly being “pretty” (barf). But it’s that internal one that I actually really enjoyed. She manages to figure out just who she is (which helps her win the boy). And she also learns to be less selfish, more able to think about others. Which, ultimately is what I really look forward to in a teenage characters’ growth.

<- More Jenny Han

It’s Not Summer Without You ->

Image source: The Guardian

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

November 9, 2020Book ReviewAfrica, Fantasy, Legacy of Orisha, Magic, Tomi Adeyemi, Young Adultskyebjenner

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha): Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha): Amazon.com.au: Books

Title: Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Legacy of Orisha #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Africa, Fantasy, Magic, Young adult
Dates read: 31st August – 17th October 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: MacMillan
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: “Thank you,” I whisper into her fur.

THEY KILLED MY MOTHER.
THEY TOOK OUR MAGIC.
THEY TRIED TO BURY US.
NOW WE RISE.

This is one of those books that I keep looking at, and seriously wanting to pick up. But then, because I’m somewhat of a child… I get distracted, see something shiny and find something else. Plus, it’s a pretty big book, so I did found it somewhat of an intimidating idea to read. And now I’m regretting not reading this as soon as it came out and found a home on my shelves. Because this is freaking awesome. As in turn the final page and then just stare into space with a really bad book hangover kind of awesome…

This story is all about oppression and power. The inequality and narratives that are often told to justify marginalising and preying upon another group. Whilst this is loosely set in Africa, there were many moments throughout this that were cringe-worthy as I thought about what has been done to Australia’s First Nations Peoples. It is a story that is sadly told across the world, and I loved how this novel dealt with such an issue. How a very, very difficult conversation is had in the pages of this story that will, hopefully, help a whole new generation understand a little bit more about the past.

Zel and Amari are the most fantastic female leads I’ve come across in a while. Zel is all hard edges and aggression. She is so obviously trying to fit into a world and identity that is too small for her. But, there is also a lot of sadness and despair there. Which I can’t wait to see how she continues to grow. Because boy does she mature throughout this novel. And Amari is nothing like what I would have expected as a counterpoint. She begins as someone who seems to be all soft edges and gentleness. And then, as the story continues, you find that backbone of steel and strength. And that gentleness and understanding that Zel lacks. I really hope that these two become best of friends, because I can’t really imagine it turning out any other way…

This is an amazing novel. It introduced me to aspects of African culture, which of course I know next to nothing about. It reminded me of my White Privilege. And it manage to intertwine all of this with an amazing young adult fantasy story of magic and mayhem. Power and triumphing over evil. I really can’t wait to see where Adeyemi takes Zel and Amari next…

<- More Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Virtue and Vengeance ->

Image source: Amazon

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Young Adult

The Feeling From Over Here by Gabrielle Tozer

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle

Missing Persons by Ellie Marney

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Sundays by Melissa Keil

The Exterminator’s Daughter by Meg Cabot

First Casualty by Michael Pryor

In a Heartbeat by Alice Pung

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi