From an author whose family was affected by the Holocaust, this is a brutally emotional story of a young Jewish boy who escapes an Orphanage to find hFrom an author whose family was affected by the Holocaust, this is a brutally emotional story of a young Jewish boy who escapes an Orphanage to find his parents, not knowing of the atrocities happening in the world around him.
Despite a young protagonist, the story does not gloss over anything and following Felix, who started the story off so optimistic, so naive and full of hope for the goodness of people, slowly try to come to terms with seeing people slaughtered in front of him had me in tears by the end of this short novel. ...more
Have you ever wished that But I'm A Cheerleader was a horror? This book is what you're looking for. I've never read any of Chuck's previous erotica boHave you ever wished that But I'm A Cheerleader was a horror? This book is what you're looking for. I've never read any of Chuck's previous erotica books, but I was curious to see how he would do switching to a horror story that's somewhere around the YA genre, and he nails it, this is a wonderfully twisty story that deals with religious trauma in a nuanced, thoughtful way.
I figured a lot of this book would be set at Camp Damascus, but it's actually about Rose, who starts to question what's happening in her world after she starts vomiting up flies and a demon only see can see snaps a classmate's head right round, which... fair.
This did feel a little slower paced after the middle of the book, but really picked up at the end, with Rose discovering the secrets that had been held from her. I loved that while this showed the dark side of Christian cults and conversion therapy, it also showed the ways even the people who had been hurt by the cult could still find comfort in that religion, in their own way....more
Truly a book you have to trust and go along with, I did find myself re-reading the first couple of pages before I got it and got into it, and this weiTruly a book you have to trust and go along with, I did find myself re-reading the first couple of pages before I got it and got into it, and this weird little story of two teens who find themselves trapped in a corn maze where they keep finding their own dead bodies was just as complex and satisfying as I wanted it to be.
If the best part of The Maze Runner was the puzzle of the maze itself, this book is for you. Time is messed with, they find other people trapped in the maze that may hold the clues to escaping it, they find lost items and they meet Helena, who has her own ideas on how to escape the maze and is intent on following them.
The ending of this was so good. I was worried we'd have a non-ending, or worse a cliffhanger but this story is fully tied up, it's clear the ending was planned throughout, and I left the final pages feeling really satisfied with the conclusion. ...more
I was initially wary going into this as the author is white, writing a Mulan retelling, but seems to have done her research and contacted people who kI was initially wary going into this as the author is white, writing a Mulan retelling, but seems to have done her research and contacted people who know a lot more about the subject (however I'm also white so cannot be certain). I really enjoyed the trans aspect of this though, and thought it was brilliantly written.
I loved that this was a standalone fantasy, with romance, but the focus was on Zhi's identity and their struggles to pass as male in the army camp they're assigned to. I felt this was paced really well, not being too slow, but also not trying to cram too much in, so the standalone aspect works very well here.
For me, the ending was so good. I loved the final chapter of the older Zhi, telling their story to a younger generation. The story overall reminded me of Mulan, but didn't feel like it was a direct copy and paste, while still feeling unique and original....more
I'll admit, I bought this book for 50p from a supermarket charity bookcase because I thought the cover was cool and would look good on my Instagram feI'll admit, I bought this book for 50p from a supermarket charity bookcase because I thought the cover was cool and would look good on my Instagram feed. However! I was rewarded with one of the most beautifully written, compelling stories about the Second World War I have ever read, to the point where I purposefully slowed down my reading speed to make it last just a bit longer.
I love simpler stories like these, that feature the day to day life of ordinary people. English pilot John Franklin finds himself living in the home of farmers near a small French town after his plane comes down leaving him badly injured, and over the course of the next few months he falls in love with the girl that lives there as he recovers.
I was so invested in the characters and the story that I really felt every tense moment, and I almost didn't want to read the final chapters in case something awful happened. The author really has a way of connecting you to the story that reminds me of The Memory Police, which was another favourite of mine....more
I think this may be the first YA I've about domestic abuse where the guy is the victim, and his girlfriend the abuser. This story has two seemingly unI think this may be the first YA I've about domestic abuse where the guy is the victim, and his girlfriend the abuser. This story has two seemingly unconnected POVs, Gabe and Elyse, as Gabe attempts to get out of an abusive relationship, and Elyse finds herself drawn her to her high school theater teacher.
I was wondering just how Gabe and Elyse were connected, to the point of trying to work out if they were even in the same timeline or school at several points, and I just about worked out how right before the reveal, which was so good. I usually guess it within a couple of chapters and end up bored.
There's some pretty heavy topics in here that are handled really well, and I think overall this story would be great for Pretty Little Liars fans. Both Gabe and Elyse have distinct voices and I was fully invested in both of their storylines. The ending was WILD too....more
There's this one episode of The Sandman that's set in a pub, and you follow the stories as the years pass by. This is that same exact vibe, with even There's this one episode of The Sandman that's set in a pub, and you follow the stories as the years pass by. This is that same exact vibe, with even at least one of the same characters. Beautifully written, Chris Riddell's illustrations in this edition really add to the story....more
Despite the tougher subject matter, this story was like a warm hug, not going into graphic detail about what happened to Ari and surrounding her with Despite the tougher subject matter, this story was like a warm hug, not going into graphic detail about what happened to Ari and surrounding her with fierce, loving, wonderful friends who all supported each other and uplifted each other all through the story.
Ari is autistic, and she's one of the first autistic characters I've read where I could really see the similarities to myself. I loved Ari and Shawni's friendship that slowly turned into a romance, and that Luis was part of the story, but the story did not center on him, instead showing Ari and her friend's struggles with their home lives and their hobbies.
Although the ending and the friendship might not have been a realistic portrayal, I didn't care. This story felt so safe, I never once felt like I was going to turn a page and find my favourite characters in a situation they couldn't handle, and I knew they were going to be okay after I turned the final pages....more
This story is simultaneously almost to ridiculous to be believed, and so true to real life events it's a little uncanny. After June's sometime friend This story is simultaneously almost to ridiculous to be believed, and so true to real life events it's a little uncanny. After June's sometime friend Athena dramatically dies, June steals her almost completed next novel - and sells it as her own.
What follows is a twisted, chaotic thrill ride as June trips herself up again and again trying to sell this story of Chinese people as her own, as people online start to point out more and more similarities with Athena's work.
If you're on Twitter, and you follow book drama, this feels so, so real. I had no idea the author kept up to date with the drama online as well as she clearly did, because there's so many parallels to real life events this story could so easily end up becoming true in the future.
This story even had me convinced that Athena had faked her own death at one point, but I did manage to guess who was harassing June, that was revealed in the final scenes. I loved that this story doesn't have a conclusion that a reader might find satisfying, keeping the realistic tone that was set throughout the book....more
A quieter Dystopia story about a Lesbian girl who is basically clocked by her oppressive government as a child, taken to a school where she's told theA quieter Dystopia story about a Lesbian girl who is basically clocked by her oppressive government as a child, taken to a school where she's told they're the "best and the brightest" and years later after she's left, has to deal with the trauma that has followed her, while trying to save her school friends from being trapped in a life they don't want.
We get a back and forth POV in this story, seeing Eleanor's time in the Meadows and her school friends as they were, and then the future, seeing the choices they had been forced to make and how that had affected them, which I thought was really interesting.
I loved that the YA Dystopia trend of having the main character be the one to overthrow this massive government has all but gone now, and Eleanor, while making small changes, is never intended to do that. She's just a citizen, trying to survive and find the girl she left behind in her village, and the girl she met in the Meadows.
Towards the middle, the pacing felt really off and started to slog a bit, but it was so worth slogging though, as the last hundred pages gave us so many answers, uncovered some incredible secrets and gave me hope for Eleanor's future world, as she met the people looking to change the world, and she started to find her own path. It was such a fitting ending (or beginning) for her character, and left a lasting impression on me....more
This sequel to Twin Crowns managed to hit all three points of my second book checklist to make it great - new settings, new characters, and new dangerThis sequel to Twin Crowns managed to hit all three points of my second book checklist to make it great - new settings, new characters, and new dangers to face, as Rose finds herself in the long lost Sunkissed Kingdom and Wren travels to the icy realm of Gevra to rescue Banba.
This story took so many turns I wasn't expecting, from the vivid new characters introduced in the Sunkissed Kingdom, to returning characters and a surprise new romance. These new challenges really moved Wren and Rose's story forward and set up the building blocks for the next book.
It's so refreshing to read a second book in a series that doesn't feel like filler, that has stories to tell in it's own right. The ending made me so excited for the third book, but I'm worried not all my favourite characters will make it to the final pages....more
I wasn't sure when I started this book is Valentine was intended to replace Juliet - I'm familiar with the story but not THAT familar - and I was happI wasn't sure when I started this book is Valentine was intended to replace Juliet - I'm familiar with the story but not THAT familar - and I was happy to find out that Valentine really is a minor character in the main story, brought to the forefront here as a love interest for Romeo.
Which means, Juliet is in this story too. And she's brilliant - quick witted, smart, sarcastic and is constantly moving Romeo's story along and really showing the side of Verona that has teenage girls trapped in loveless marriages, and her desire to escape her fate.
This is a queer found family story that keeps a very similar storyline to the original Romeo & Juliet, only starting to really divert away from it at the very end. Romeo and Valentine are a perfect paring, and I truly wanted to live in that final chapter....more
I accidentally read two UK YA books about girls and bands at the same time, and luckily I loved them both. While Ice Cream & Indie Music is about a giI accidentally read two UK YA books about girls and bands at the same time, and luckily I loved them both. While Ice Cream & Indie Music is about a girl who's a roadie for a touring band before she leaves for college, this story takes place in Brighton, and is about a girl who finds her love for music while struggling with the traditional expectations of school.
It was really refreshing later in the story to see parents who didn't see school as the be all and end all, as it's really common in the UK to not go to college or university after high school. I think this showed the different dynamics of a toxic friendship and a wholesome friendship really well, and I loved Dirty Harriet almost instantly upon meeting them....more
A wonderfully weird story about the way past traumas can be carried for years, and sometimes decades. Set in an unusual house in Ireland with ancient A wonderfully weird story about the way past traumas can be carried for years, and sometimes decades. Set in an unusual house in Ireland with ancient beings and endless rooms, this explores toxic relationships, teen crushes and obsession in a truly unique way....more
It's been a while since I read the entirety of a book in a day, but this story was so good I really couldn't put it down. While it is a shorter read aIt's been a while since I read the entirety of a book in a day, but this story was so good I really couldn't put it down. While it is a shorter read at around 230 pages, it was perfectly paced, giving time to set up the story and the characters, and even leave us clues that make sense later.
I would describe this as a slow burn horror, rather than a basic slasher. I loved that there was enough breathing space to get to know the characters, while maintaining a creepy atmosphere at the camp ground, and when we lost them I was genuinely devastated.
The ending gave us twists after twists, I was floored where the story went, I'm so used to the basic, easy to guess culprit but this story doesn't do that, it's much more elaborate. I was on such a high after the final pages I immediately screeched at the author over Twitter, I'm so hoping we get more horror from them....more
I read this because so many people on my Twitter feed were screaming and crying about it, and now I can see why. This story packs so much hope, grief I read this because so many people on my Twitter feed were screaming and crying about it, and now I can see why. This story packs so much hope, grief and sorrow into just 30 pages, it's a masterpiece....more
I knew after reading the incredible Dreams Lie Beneath that there was a strong chance this story could be just as good, but I was not prepared for it I knew after reading the incredible Dreams Lie Beneath that there was a strong chance this story could be just as good, but I was not prepared for it being even better. Divine Rivals is an incredible fantasy romance, in a world that feels much like the First World War.
To everyday soldiers, it doesn't matter if the cause of the war is Gods or Humans, and this is shown brilliantly in this story of warring Gods, where the battlefield doesn't feel any different to the trenches of the World Wars that inspired it. This pulls us into the mud, blood and gore that the soldiers experienced, through the eyes of reporters Iris and Roman.
The romance is so, so good, and I love that the magic is kept fairly simple with the typewriters that can transfer messages in an instant. Iris finds herself accidentally writing to her rival, instead of her missing brother, and I loved that those letters helped create a bond between the two before Iris discovered who Carver really was. ...more
Although this wasn't the long sequel I wished for, this was still a solid story in it's own right, set almost entirely within the walls of the Thorn hAlthough this wasn't the long sequel I wished for, this was still a solid story in it's own right, set almost entirely within the walls of the Thorn house that Elisabeth, Nathaniel and Silas find themselves trapped in. Mysterious hidden rooms are found, a relatives clothing comes to life and assaults them, Silas deals with a new house guest. I just really really wish we'd finally make the three officially a throuple because COME ON??...more
Quiet, but powerful, The Memory Police is everything I didn't know I was looking for in a dystopia, after so many years since the YA Dystopia phase caQuiet, but powerful, The Memory Police is everything I didn't know I was looking for in a dystopia, after so many years since the YA Dystopia phase came and left us. This made me realise that I was looking in the wrong genre all along, and I plan to start looking in adult and translation fiction to see if I can find more.
This story isn't about rising up against an oppressive government or tackling social injustice from the inside. Instead it's a simple story of a female author, living on an island where the residents memories are slowly being erroded by a mysterious force.
When each new disappearance happens, it slowly becomes more and more devastating to see the islanders throw objects away that once held so many memories for them. And as the author starts to realise that they themselves will be lost forever soon, the story becomes a horrifying wait for the final chapters.
There was so much hope in this book, as the author tries to save her editor by storing him away in a secret room in her house with the help of the old man, and their moments of friendship, celebrating birthdays and mulling over the past were the highlights of the story, which ultimately broke my heart later on....more
This is one of the only series I actually kept up with, reading the sequels as soon as they were released. I was truly sad to leave at the end of the This is one of the only series I actually kept up with, reading the sequels as soon as they were released. I was truly sad to leave at the end of the third book, so when I found out that this series is continuing, I was so freaking happy.
The Hawthorne Brothers is not a novella, or a rehashing of events, but rather a nearly 500 page continuation of the story, switching the POV to Grayson and Jameson as they deal with the mess left behind by their biological fathers.
Grayson meets his sisters, and the wonderfully chaotic Gigi as they try and solve what happened to their father and Grayson tries to hide it, while Jameson and Avery find themselves in England, and a mysterious underground club.
While I did love Gigi, Jameson's story of underground clubs, shady deals, and a game played by the rich was the more interesting side of the story, and I really raced through those chapters. There's a puzzle box to solve in Grayson's side but it didn't quite hit as much as that.
This is not the final book either, and I'm hoping we get to see Avery and Jameson's plan put into action in the next, and after the reveal of Jameson's incredible secret, I'm really looking forward to seeing where that goes too....more
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