Aussie Author
Written by Claire Christian
Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Adult
Expected Publication September 29th 2020
288 Pages
Thank you to Text Publishing and Netgalley
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★★★★
Noni didn’t expect to be starting over again at the age of thirty six. But eighteen months after the end of her long term relationship, she knows it’s time to find out what’s next.
While an encounter with a sexy blonde firefighter is a welcome entry back into the dating world, Noni soon realises she’s looking for more than just a series of brief, if pleasurable, encounters.
That’s how she finds herself travelling to Europe to track down the one that got away: the alluring, elusive Molly. But Europe has other surprises in store, not least of which is Beau, a tall, sexy, tattooist from Edinburgh...
Noni Blake lives her life in shades of beige, she's dependable, steadfast and on the verge of embarking on a pleasure quest throughout Europe. Noni is a formidable woman, we first meet Noni as she's healing from the breakup of her nine year long relationship with Joan, sharing a mortgage and child of the four legged variety. The split was amicable but while Joan has seemingly moved on, Noni uses the opportunity to step out of her beige comfort zone and take life by the balls.
Leaving her fabulously gay best friend behind in Australia, Noni departs for London, a to do list in hand, quite literally. Molly is the one that almost was but neither she or Noni could get their shit together and hook up. So rather than always wonder, Noni plans on making the next six months count.
Sexy times, horrendous sexual encounters, new lingerie, posing nude, drinking, indulging and one incredibly sexy viking later and Noni finds herself the embodiment of female empowerment. The new sexy and confident Noni lives her life to the fullest and I absolutely adored her. She's plump, a bit of a bogan and responsible for her own orgasms. She's bright, outgoing and is learning to embrace her imperfections and find comfort in her own body. I loved Noni's authenticity. She's insecure and vulnerable and completely relatable. She owns her sexuality and after years of teaching and putting others happiness before her own, she's finally finally putting her own needs first.
Noni is bisexual and after her nine year relationship ended, a one night stand prompts her to pack up her life and travel. It's inspirational, not to mention incredibly brave. In much the same way that Marie Kondo asks, does it spark joy, Noni is seeking pleasure through travel, friendships, lovers and finding moments of happiness. Temporary pleasure comes at the hands and mouths of people she meets along her journey, from a female firefighter, high school principal, magician, the one who could have been and the Viking, the gentle and kind tattoo artist Beau. Her sexual misadventures are hilarious, even kinky in some instances but Noni takes each experience in her stride and along with her close circle of friends from home and abroad, is discovering she prefers unbridled, adventurous Noni.
The Viking was delightfully unexpected. On a whim, Noni decides to get herself inked while in London, walking in off the street into small tattoo studio where she meets artist Beau, bearded, burly and gentle and as he marks her skin, she's fantasising about getting on on the table and girl, merry orgasm to you my friend. Beau isn't just a conquest, he could very well be the love of Noni's life but beyond her pleasure quest, her new life of saying yes, of friends and parties and painting the town not quite red because she's still a responsible adult, Noni has her friends, family and career in Australia and Beau seems content to enjoy their fling while it lasts.
Oh how I loved It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake! It's fun, flirty and outrageously funny but beneath the surface lies a book about falling in love with yourself. There's a little bit of Noni in all of us.
The Viking was delightfully unexpected. On a whim, Noni decides to get herself inked while in London, walking in off the street into small tattoo studio where she meets artist Beau, bearded, burly and gentle and as he marks her skin, she's fantasising about getting on on the table and girl, merry orgasm to you my friend. Beau isn't just a conquest, he could very well be the love of Noni's life but beyond her pleasure quest, her new life of saying yes, of friends and parties and painting the town not quite red because she's still a responsible adult, Noni has her friends, family and career in Australia and Beau seems content to enjoy their fling while it lasts.
Oh how I loved It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake! It's fun, flirty and outrageously funny but beneath the surface lies a book about falling in love with yourself. There's a little bit of Noni in all of us.
Written by Danielle Binks
Middle Grade, Family, Friendship
304 Pages
Published April 28th 2020
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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★★★★★
I was eleven when everything started and twelve by the end. But that's another way maps lie, because it felt like the distance travelled was a whole lot further than that.
Sorrento, Victoria. 1999.
Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.
But even as the world feels like it's spinning out of control, a crisis from the other side of it comes crashing in. When 400 Kosovar Albanian refugees arrive in the middle of the night to be housed at one of Australia's safe havens on an isolated headland not far from Sorrento, their fate becomes intertwined with the lives of Fred and her family, as she navigates one extraordinary year that will change them all.
Down on the Mornington Peninsula, in the small township of Sorrento, the tides are about to change. It's 1999 and for eleven year old Winifred Owen Ricci, her life is experiencing a shift of seismic proportions. Since losing her mother a few years ago, it's been Fred and her stepfather and police officer Luca against the world, her small family unit including her grandfather, who grieved together and supported one another through the loss of their partner, their mother and their daughter. Luca officially adopted Fred at three years of age but when Anika and her son Sam move into her family home, Fred isn't quite sure where she fits in anymore. Luckily she has the neighbours and best friend Jed, short for Jedi and a nickname given to him by his parents that stuck. Jed has been a part of Fred's life forever, through losing her mum, through her roof climbing escapades and now through Anika and Sam moving into the home she once shared with her mother while her grandfather is in a rehabilitation facility after a fall.
It's a quiet part of the world but lately Fred has felt an ache in her chest, the news from overseas blasting in every home across the country, Kosovo Albanian refugees are driven from their homes by the Serbian army, their country left in ruins, destroyed lives and displaced families. The Australian government were adamant that Australia wouldn't help provide refuge but under public pressure, brought the Kosovo Albanian refugees to Australia under the cover of darkness and hid them away in inhumane detention centres. Fred has a beautiful sense of rightness instilled in her, she isn't sure why anyone in town would protest against helping these people flee their wartorn country, like Mister McMillan who owns the cafe on the main strip. For the most part, the people of the Mornington Peninsula are welcoming, including Fred, Anika, Sam and Luca, who is volunteering at the former army barracks now accommodation for the refugee community.
Being eleven is dreadful sometimes. Fred is in her final year of primary school, a new younger brother who's not really your brother and another on the way, Fred feeling increasingly isolated as Anika and Luca gently announce that their family is expanding. Fred's world is being turned upside down and she doesn't like it. One. Bit. The Trần family next door are wonderful, especially Jed's mother Vi, who has been a mother figure for Fred and an incredibly warm, maternal woman. Vi and her husband are both Vietnamese and met in Australia after fleeing their homeland. With so many diverse, non nuclear and blended families within our communities, it was wonderful to see Fred and Jed's families so beautifully written with compassion and care.
This is very much a coming of age story for Fred but where it differs from most middle grade, is that this isn't only Fred's journey, it's the journey of healing and growing for an entire community through the eyes of an intelligent and astute young woman. I see so much of myself in Fred at that age, learning about the many facets of love, our place within the world and who we want to become. Fred has so many positive role models in her life, Luca and especially Anika. Anika is learning how to parent an almost teen girl and allowed Fred the space to grow and form her own opinions. Although it took a while for Fred to see Anika as someone loving and caring in her life, Anika loved Fred so dearly and is a beautiful example of step parenting written in a positive light.
The secondary characters are lovingly created such as Mr Khouri, their geography teacher who created a fun and inclusive learning environment and Nora, who is a heavily pregnant refugee Fred meets at a hospital visit during Anika's pregnancy. Although most of small town Sorrento and the wider community are welcoming, Fred's friend Aiden begins coming to school with the wildly racist opinions of his father, repeating what's being said at home. Seeing Aiden grow and form his own opinions was such an incredible moment and although he respected his father, he begun to see that he wasn't always right and Aiden didn't need to agree. It was a yes! moment that readers will enjoy.
This isn't a heavy read by any means, there's plenty of lighthearted moments of mischief and laughter but it also raises serious issues such as asylum seekers and how they're treated as less than, especially in Australia. Australia has a terrible history of colonisation and the treatment of First Nations people, we've learnt nothing about the treatment of people and basic human rights. Our current government is the same government who was in power in 1999, when The Year the Maps Changed takes place, same party with interchangeable white men with money. Heartless bastards, the politicians and those who voted for them. The Year the Maps Changed isn't political, instead it provides middle grade readers with the human side of seeking asylum, Nora and children Merjeme and Arta are the fictional faces of those who have been forced to leave their homeland, travel to a strange, new country and then locked up like petty criminals for seeking safety. It only highlights that we're no better than the governments that we vote for and we desperately need to bring about change for the people that Nora, Merjeme and Arta represent.
The Year the Maps Changed is heartachingly beautiful. Danielle Binks has created an exceptional debut novel of warmth, compassion and finding your place in our ever changing world.
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Edited by Anita Heiss
Non Fiction, Anthology, Australian, Indigenous
320 Pages
Published April 2018
Thank you to Black Inc Books Australia
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★★★★
What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award winning author Anita Heiss, showcases many diverse voices, experiences and stories in order to answer that question.
Accounts from well known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside those from newly discovered writers of all ages. All of the contributors speak from the heart, sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.
This groundbreaking collection will enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.
Torres Strait Islander and Indigenous Australians share a tumultuous history of colonisation, genocide and displacement from their land. European settlement by Great Britain has resulted in intergenerational trauma, associated violence and the trauma of the removal of Indigenous children from communities. Although Indigenous communities continue to experience displacement and injustice, the Indigenous identity is also celebrated. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia reiterates that there is no singular Indigenous experience and shares the voices of our traditional land owners with compassion, consideration and celebration.
Ambelin Kwaymullina
Ambelin tells the narrative of growing up of the Palyku community of the Pilbara region of Western Australia among the purple hills, red earth and blue sky. A breathtaking and unforgiving landscape. Ambelin describes the prejudice of vintage Australia as unrelenting and although Australia is an evolving landscape of diversity, we must recognise privilege, reiterating the continuing barricades placed upon Indigenous Australians and the optimism of future generations to challenge society and the bias created and carried by colonialism.
Tara June Winch
Tara is a prolific Wiradjuri Indigenous Australian author, raised in saltwater country, her narrative of feeling displaced and realising her journey within her community as an individual. Using the Corroboree as a metaphor of Indigenous Australia, the sense of identity is often misplaced within the wider, white community. Being from the world and of the world. Her optimism for her own daughter prevalent and she shares the experience of three generations of Indigenous women. Inspirational reading.
Vale Alice Eather
Alice Eather was a beautiful spirit, a prominent Arnhem Land Indigenous community leader and activist. Plagued by anxiety and depression, a life taken too soon. Her contribution of Yúya Karrabúrra is exquisite. Her forefathers convicts on board the second fleet, her mother a Wúrnal woman and Alice, a child of the between finding her identity.
Now I welcome you to sit by my fire
I'm allowing you to digest my confusion
I will not point my finger and blame
Cause when we start blaming each other
We make no room for changing each other
Anita Heiss
Doctor Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, an accomplished and esteemed author of Indigenous literature. Throughout the introduction, Anita shares her experience of Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia, the consideration of each submission and experiencing moments of interconnection and reflection. Igniting, uniting and inspiring reading.
I have been involved in early childhood Indigenous education through Indigenous advancement and children's leagues in Victoria, with an emphasis on the celebration of heritage alongside Victoria's most accomplished Indigenous educators. I'm Caucasian Australian of Irish heritage and through recognition my own privilege, it's imperative for non Indigenous readers to be reminded that support and compassion cannot replicate the experiences of Indigenous Australians. Compassion is not a substitute for the trauma and prejudice Indigenous communities continue to endure. We must condemn and challenge microaggressions and uplift Indigenous voices.
With contributions by Tony Birch, Deborah Cheetham, Adam Goodes, Terri Janke, Patrick Johnson, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Jack Latimore, Celeste Liddle, Amy McQuire, Kerry Reed Gilbert, Miranda Tapsell, Jared Thomas, Aileen Walsh, Alexis West, Tara June Winch, and many more, Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia is ground breaking, inspirational and essential reading.
Contains sensitivities such as violence, assault, substance abuse and intimidation
Written by Kylie Scott
Mature Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
382 Pages
Publishing July 18th 2017
Thank you to Kylie Scott and Netgalley
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★★★★
After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.
While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight, getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.
An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first, losing her virginity, their friendship gets complicated.
Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose. Each other.
Seventeen year old Edith has been taken hostage. Lying on the floor of the convince store bloodied and terrified. While Edie survived the volatile hostage the repercussions of her trauma have altered Edie's perspective, abandoning her private school education and enrolling at the local public school in Northern California where she will become another young woman within the nondescript student community.
John is plagued by nightmares. Surviving the convenience store ordeal, the former narcotics trafficker is determined to change perceptions, returning to solitary and exclusion. Although John internalises the confrontation, Edie reluctantly attends counselling. Tethered by the harrowing experience, Edie and John discover companionship in one another, a tentative friendship flourishing.
Edie is a quiet, intellectual young woman who survived a terrifying and violent hostage incident. Although experiencing anxiety, the incident has emphasised how fragile our lives are when faced with adversity and encourages Edie to appreciate each moment. Edie is magnificent. Mostly. Her tenacity to confront her oppressor was a culmination of abuse and torment because she's a voluptuous young woman. Edie is confident but experiences moments of insecurity but with her positive perspective, refuses to allow others to demoralise or degrade her. It was wonderfully portrayed.
John is an intriguing young man who was coerced into dispensing narcotics after his parents relocated, placing John under the supervision of his brother. John is afflicted by post traumatic stress disorder and although often agitated and sullen, remained resilient although tormented by nightmares. Aesthetically, John is a prototypical male protagonist. Attractive, indifferent and assured. In an act of altruism, John valiantly liberates Edie by confronting the perpetrator. Throughout their tentative friendship, John and Edie are a tremendous support to one another.
If rumours are to be believed, John prefers sexual encounters with various consenting partners. Positive sexual liberation is a wonderful exploration for teens but John and Edie became too dependant on their friendship to allow the other to explore relationships beyond their companionship. The gradual relationship between John and Edie was lovely but the decision to begin their physical relationship felt contrived. The narrative ventured into what is typically viewed as a conventional new adult romance and although I applaud authors who create positive sexual content, I felt mildly disappointed. Trust also touches upon post traumatic stress disorder, abuse, substance abuse and domestic violence. Delicately.
Kylie Scott is a wonderfully accomplished author. Trust is a pragmatic and conscientious narrative, captivating and tender, emphasising our fragility when faced with adversity. To appreciate each moment.
Urban Fantasy, Dystopian
Published March 1st 2011
Purchased
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★★★★★
Retra braves the intense pain of her obedience strip, and stows away to seek her brother Joel, gone two years for Ixion, island of ever night, ever youth and never sleep. Retra is a Seal, sealed minds, sealed community, no craving for parties or pleasure.What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? What happens to those who grow too old for Ixion? Without Joel, is her eternal bond with a Riper guardian enough to save her?Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark.
Written by Sarah Ayoub
Contemporary, Coming of Age
Published March 1st 2016
320 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
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★★★★
Five teenagers. Five lives. One final year.The school captain. Ryan has it all... Or at least he did, until an accident snatched his dreams away. How will he rebuild his life and what does the future hold for him now?The newcomer. Charlie’s just moved interstate and she’s determined not to fit in. She’s just biding her time until Year 12 is over and she can head back to her real life and her real friends…The loner. At school, nobody really notices Matty. But at home, Matty is everything. He’s been single handedly holding things together since his mum’s breakdown, and he’s never felt so alone.The popular girl. Well, the popular girl’s best friend… Cool by association. Tammi’s always bowed to peer pressure, but when the expectations become too much to handle, will she finally stand up for herself?The politician’s daughter. Gillian’s dad is one of the most recognisable people in the state and she’s learning the hard way that life in the spotlight comes at a very heavy price.Five unlikely teammates thrust together against their will. Can they find a way to make their final year a memorable one or will their differences tear their world apart?
New girl Charlie can't wait for the school year to end to move back to Melbourne. She doesn't belong in Sydney and certainly doesn't belong at Holy Family High School. Her single mother fell in love with a wonderful man and to keep their newly blended family together, Charlie now finds herself stuck in Sydney until she leaves for university.
Hood wearing Matty seems like a recluse, spending his school day hidden from the world while trying to make ends meet. On a scholarship at the prestigious school, Matty struggles to find a balance between school and taking on the role of provider for his mother, a woman who is as lost as he feels himself.
Both Tammi and Ryan seemingly have it all. They're the beautiful people of Holy Family, their friendship circle known for their popularity and bullying of others. But Tammi's doting boyfriend David is tired of waiting for the young couple to take the next step in their relationship, pressuring her to have sex while Ryan is nursing a career ending injury and unable to play his beloved soccer again.
But it's the ambitious and dependable politicians daughter Gillian who will bring the motley group of teens together, as they are all sentenced to work on the Holy Family yearbook. While tentative friendships between the unlikely group begin to form, worlds will collide making their final year memorable, perhaps for all the wrong reasons.
Kelly's Thoughts
Labeled as The Breakfast Club for the new generation, The Yearbook Committee was wonderfully written, engaging and most importantly, relevant.
The Rebel
The Newcomer. Charlie may seem as though she has a chip on her shoulder, but since moving to Sydney from Melbourne, she feels as though she doesn't belong. Her mother is pining for a new baby, while Charlie can't wait to finish the year at Holy Family and return home. She's determined not to form any sense of companionship with her peers, her goal of making a clean break to university at the end of the year within her grasp. I loved Charlie's couldn't care less attitude, being a teen is confusing enough without having your life moved interstate during your final year of school. She's an intelligent girl who isn't afraid to stand up for others and what she believes in.
The Jock
The School Captain. Ryan had it all. Popularity, friends and the envy of his team mates until his accident that ends his promising soccer career. Without leading his team to victory, Ryan feels lost and in need of direction. Ryan seemed to wallow in his own pity, he was agonising over his injury long after his team mates had moved on and achieved success without him. His character begins as a narcissistic teen but through his interactions with his fellow yearbook committee members, he begins to see that he is more than a failed sportsman.
Matty's storyline was by far the most touching and emotional. He is seen as a loner, hiding behind is hood and shutting off the world around him with his music. But at home Matty is the breadwinner. He works to keep food on the table and the bills at bay, while his mother's depression slowly eats away at her, unable to seek treatment for an illness she refuses to recongnise.The Loner
The popular girl
Tammi isn't popular, but popular by association. Her supposed best friend being bully Lauren, a girl with a mean streak that isn't above belittling others simply for her own amusement. Tammi's boyfriend is now captain of the soccer team, taking the title from Ryan after his accident. But it's the expectations he places upon Tammi to take the next step in their relationship, pressuring her to have sex even though she's been transparent with her own expectations of needing a commitment before she's ready. With her father as a strict officer of the law, Tammi is forced to moonlight as a children's clown at parties, wanting to feel the independence of making her own money without her parents discovering her extra curricular activities.
I could tolerate Tammi, but was desperately wishing the meek and easily swayed girl would have spoken out against the blatant bullying. Her character was able to defy her parents, but not speak out against her peers. She was incredibly frustrating but yet an example of peer pressure that teens face to feel included and popular. Throughout most of our lives, we've all felt like a Tammi at one point or another, too intimidated to speak out against someone for the fear of being labelled as an outcast.
The good girl
On the surface, Gillian has her life together. She may not be popular or confident and is afraid to speak up against her bully, but she's an intelligent girl who understands the importance of her education. Gillian's father is a predominant politician, always under the spotlight and expects his family to be the model of perfection at all times. Gillian's mother isn't your average housewife, she herself is the vision of perfection and often comments on Gillian's weight, pressuring the teen and projecting her own dieting goals on her confidence lacking daughter. But Gillian is the only student on the committee of her own free will and will bring the group together to not only create a lasting memory of their final year but of the fleeting time they have with one another.
The Final Verdict
At the very core of The Yearbook Committee is a group of teens fumbling their way through their final year of school. They're humanly flawed and represent an understanding of the person behind the stereotype and labels we place upon one another. Even as an adult, we still relate to the same insecurities and pressure, making The Yearbook Committee an incredibly poignant and immersive read.
Sarah Ayoub is an author who can reach teens through a shared love of words, making them feel as though they are more than the labels and stereotypes that are placed upon them, but should not define them. Be prepared to fall in love, fall apart and you'll adore each and every moment.
Written by Shivaun Plozza
Contemporary, Mystery
Published March 23rd 2016
320 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Teen Australia
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★★★★★
Frankie Vega is angry. Just ask the guy whose nose she broke. Or the cop investigating the burglary she witnessed, or her cheating ex boyfriend or her aunt who's tired of giving second chances...When a kid shows up claiming to be Frankie's half brother, it opens the door to a past she doesn't want to remember. And when that kid goes missing, the only person willing to help is a boy with stupidly blue eyes... And secrets of his own.Frankie's search for the truth could change her life, or cost her everything.
Textbook weapon wielding, sassy and smart mouthed. Meet the princess of Collingwood, seventeen year old Frankie Vega who finds herself on yet another suspension.
It's always been Frankie and her Aunt Vinnie against the world, having taken in then four year old Frankie after her mother had abandoned her. Now Frankie spends her days working in Vinnie's kebab shop, suspended over yet another violent outburst when she receives a call that will change her life.
Artistic, sarcastic and criminally minded fourteen year old Xavier is Frankie's half brother, sharing the same self absorbed mother tha abandoned her all those years ago. He now lives with his father in a small, run down suburban home while being beaten, neglected and forced into crime in order to make ends meet. Frankie knows all too well what it's like to be abandoned and despite her inability to trust others, she feels a familial connection to Xavier and the two half siblings form a tentative relationship. Then Xavier disappears.
While the search continues, Frankie's about to be expelled, her best friend refuses to speak to her and Vinnie no longer trusts her, yet again disappointing her aunt who has raised her as her own. With his father more concerned with his missing credit card funds and a gruff detective refusing investigate his disappearance, the last person to have seen Xavier is the blue eyed, petty criminal Nate. Reluctantly, Nate decides to help Frankie but as the two delve deeper into Xavier's disappearance, Frankie's will need to pick up the pieces of her fractured life or risk losing it all.
Frankie is without a doubt, the most compelling debut in young adult since Stolen by Lucy Christopher. It's an utterly enchanting blend of attitude, sass and an engaging storyline as told through the eyes of one of the most likable protagonists in young adult today. Although she's always lived with the hurt of abandonment, Frankie is incredibly fierce and doesn't allow the failures of her mother to define her. She and aunt Vinnie live above Vinnie's kebab shop in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, with an eclectic mix of diversity and crime. It's here that Frankie now finds herself working, having been suspended from school after another violent outburst, when she is contacted by Xavier claiming to be her half brother.Kelly's Thoughts
Xavier too has his own issues, the fourteen year old just having moved to Melbourne from Queensland with his abusive, gruff father. The very same man that Frankie's mother had abandoned her for all those years ago. Perhaps Xavier is the only person who may understand how Frankie is feeling but then Xavier vanishes. The local detectives see Xavier as just another runaway, the Vega name not worthy of their time so Frankie takes the investigation into her own hands and enlists the help of local neighbourhood burglar Nate. Possibly the only person to know of Xavier's whereabouts... Or who cares.
My heart ached for Frankie as she felt she had nowhere to turn for help. Vinnie, although such pillar of strength and support in Frankie's life, was tired of her antics. Suspended for a violent incident at school, to return Frankie is forced to plead her case. In between her therapy sessions with the infuriatingly passive Daniel, the only calming presence in Frankie's life is her best friend in Cara but lately their friendship is also at breaking point. Frankie's sole focus is that of finding her brother which means breaking curfew, disregarding Vinnie, school and visiting the seedy underbelly of the northern suburbs of Melbourne to find him. What struck me most was how genuine Frankie's character felt and realistically flawed.
The romance was barely there, but the attraction between Frankie and Nate was intense and dangerously sexy. Nate's character smoulders, but underneath his couldn't care less bravado lies a boy does what he can to survive, rather than just another petty thief. Although both were dealing with their own issues, they slowly begun to rely on one another for support and companionship.
Frankie is Melbourne. From the language, diversity to the uniqueness of the northern suburbs. During my teen years, these were my people. From the streets of Reservoir to Victoria Park, the Preston Market to the factory outlets along Smith Street Collingwood, it was so incredibly vivid and beautifully written with such an honesty of how fundamentally flawed life in general is.The Final Verdict
Shivaun Plozza, you are a force to be reckoned with. Shivaun is an author who brings stories to life through her characters, her intensity and honesty. A remarkable debut from an author who captured me from the very first page.
Written by Helen Chebatte
Contemporary, Australian
Published February 1st 2016
240 Pages
Thanks to Hardie Grant Egmont
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★★★★☆
What happens when you mix teenage boys, a fight club and ethnic rivalries? You get war.Romeo Makhlouf knows the rules. Stick with your own kind. Don't dob on your mates or even on your enemies. Respect the family.But even unwritten rules are made for breaking.Fight clubs, first loves and family ties are pushed to the limit in Helen Chebatte's explosive first novel.
At Christian Boys College, the rules are simple. You never stray from your own group, you never make a move on a girl someone else is already interested in and you never tell. Take the fall yourself if need be. Sixteen year old Romeo Makhlouf knows how the system works. He attends school, does enough homework to get by and he and best friend Diz relish lunchtime, where they can escape the Lebanese dishes of home for half an hour. They know their place within the school hierarchy. Lebanese boys are tough, honourable and never back down from a challenge.
Australian, Asian, Maori or Lebanese, the boys stay within their social groups until a shared kiss at a party has Romeo being challenged by Luke Palmer, an Aussie who sees Romeo as a threat and makes former girlfriend Stefanie the heated whispers of conversations. Defending his honour, Romeo ends up a YouTube hero, taking Palmer down and embarrassing the young Australian. But that's not where this story ends.
It ends in heartache. It ends with wanting to unite and end the social segregation. It ends with a threat of expulsion, an illegal fight club and changing attitudes of a group of young men that will come to understand that violence is never the answer.
Kelly's Thoughts
I apologise now for the rant.
I grew up in the nineties when I was a teen. The Northern suburbs of Melbourne were a diverse and cultural blend, where your street may have resembled members of the United Nations. I attended a same sex school, much as the same as the connecting school of Saint Adele College and Christian Boys where the storyline takes place. Bro could have been my teen experience. It could have been the same stereotypical cultural groups that continued the trend of segregation. If you were an Aussie meaning Caucasian Anglo Saxon, you were friends with other Caucasian Anglo Saxon teens, the same if you were Maori, Asian and Lebanese as seen in Bro. My high school had a large Lebanese community and we experienced the same segregation and even being a girls college, there were physical fights and weapons used. Back then, we didn't question why, that's how it worked. You stayed within your own group and it took a strong individual to stray from their own group and befriend others. It didn't happen often.
Anyone reading Bro that sees the issue of the us verses them mentality as being unrealistic, has never lived in working class and diverse suburbs. It even happens as adults. We may not involve ourselves in physical conflict, but even our close social circles tend to be formed from the same basis. Like attracts like and I find that incredibly sad that as Australians, we still find ourselves drawn to the same friendships with those who share our cultural beliefs and backgrounds, rather than expanding our circles. In Bro, Romeo finds himself torn. He was born in Australia to a Lebanese father, an Caucasian Anglo Saxon Australian mother, but lives what he sees as the Lebanese culture. Even as he identifies as being Australian, society still sees him as being Lebanese due to his heritage and the colour of his skin.
Apart from the islander teens or Fresh Off the Boat as they're known, the basis of Bro is Australian teen boys and those with a Lebanese background facing off in bouts of physical violence. A Fight Club is established where boys are pitted against one another for sport or entertainment. It's barbaric, but realistic. Less than a week ago in Melbourne, this happened. Teen violence is alive and thriving and the police aren't listening, nor are these mostly young men heeding the warning from authorities. Bro drives home the message of how we can't all grow up being raised in ivory towers. We share different cultural beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, skin colour, language, sex, race, ability and the cycle never ends.
But through tragedy, Bro breaks the cycle of violence and rivalry and although the solution to violence in our communities isn't that simple, it does highlight the need for change in our attitudes and mentality.
I grew up in the nineties when I was a teen. The Northern suburbs of Melbourne were a diverse and cultural blend, where your street may have resembled members of the United Nations. I attended a same sex school, much as the same as the connecting school of Saint Adele College and Christian Boys where the storyline takes place. Bro could have been my teen experience. It could have been the same stereotypical cultural groups that continued the trend of segregation. If you were an Aussie meaning Caucasian Anglo Saxon, you were friends with other Caucasian Anglo Saxon teens, the same if you were Maori, Asian and Lebanese as seen in Bro. My high school had a large Lebanese community and we experienced the same segregation and even being a girls college, there were physical fights and weapons used. Back then, we didn't question why, that's how it worked. You stayed within your own group and it took a strong individual to stray from their own group and befriend others. It didn't happen often.
Anyone reading Bro that sees the issue of the us verses them mentality as being unrealistic, has never lived in working class and diverse suburbs. It even happens as adults. We may not involve ourselves in physical conflict, but even our close social circles tend to be formed from the same basis. Like attracts like and I find that incredibly sad that as Australians, we still find ourselves drawn to the same friendships with those who share our cultural beliefs and backgrounds, rather than expanding our circles. In Bro, Romeo finds himself torn. He was born in Australia to a Lebanese father, an Caucasian Anglo Saxon Australian mother, but lives what he sees as the Lebanese culture. Even as he identifies as being Australian, society still sees him as being Lebanese due to his heritage and the colour of his skin.
Apart from the islander teens or Fresh Off the Boat as they're known, the basis of Bro is Australian teen boys and those with a Lebanese background facing off in bouts of physical violence. A Fight Club is established where boys are pitted against one another for sport or entertainment. It's barbaric, but realistic. Less than a week ago in Melbourne, this happened. Teen violence is alive and thriving and the police aren't listening, nor are these mostly young men heeding the warning from authorities. Bro drives home the message of how we can't all grow up being raised in ivory towers. We share different cultural beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, skin colour, language, sex, race, ability and the cycle never ends.
But through tragedy, Bro breaks the cycle of violence and rivalry and although the solution to violence in our communities isn't that simple, it does highlight the need for change in our attitudes and mentality.
Bro is such an important read not only for teens, but for Australians to understand the issue of teen violence within society and to discuss at a national level. Bro should be part of our schools curriculum, in every school library and addressed within youth groups nationwide. As Australians we need to openly discuss not only violence but diversity, our religious and cultural differences, grief, gender roles and the role they play in our history. But more importantly, how we can change and educate ourselves and Bro is a brilliantly written insight into diverse teen life of our suburbs.The final Verdict
Written by Lynette Noni
Fantasy, Magic
Published February 1st 2015
436 Pages
Thank you to Pantera Press
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★★★★
With just one step, sixteen year old Alexandra Jennings's world changes, literally.
Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her... But he's missing.
While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora's boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can't ignore her fear that something unexpected... Something sinister... Is looming.
An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex's shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race's survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?
Will Alex risk her entire world, and maybe even her life, to save Medora?
Being the daughter of two successful archaeologists has left almost sixteen year old Alex with a sense of wonder, but also a longing for the comforts of home. So as her parents set off on their latest adventure, Alex is enrolled into the International Exchange Academy, a boarding school where she will reside for the entire school year... But the International Exchange Academy isn't what it seems.
Behind the facade lies a school beyond the human realm. Akarnae is a long standing tradition, a school for the magically gifted where teens' abilities are nurtured. Unable to return home, Alex will need to make the most of her opportunities, enrolling with the assistance of Jordan and Bear, two volunteer students who plan to take Alex under their wing.
But Akarnae has other plans for Alex. She's the chosen one, granted access to the inner sanctum of the school library, an ancient relic of the magical world. Alex must not only navigate a new school, a life she never knew existed and the secret that she is not of their world. Being chosen will mean fighting a darkness that Alex and Akarnae aren't prepared for.
It's going to be a long year.
Alex has no choice but to remain at Akarnae, with the only person who has the ability to return her to her world, now missing. Based on an age old method of sorting teens by their potential, Alex now finds herself within a multitude of advanced skill classes, including combat. With her two new friends in Jordan and Bear, Alex hides the secret of who she truly is from her peers. I loved The dynamic between Alex, Jordan and Bear. Their friendship wasn't complicated by a romance but it's undeniable that both Alex and Jordan share a connection. The two worlds of Medora which is where Akarnae is based and Freya, which is our own world where Alex was born and based were both very similar, apart from Medora being the magical plane on Earth. It made the storyline incredibly easy to follow even for non fantasy readers and kept the world building simple, making Akarnae perfect for fans who also enjoy middle grade reads.
Akarnae features shades of Harry Potter, a boarding school for magically inclined teens. With strong, friendship based relationships and a chosen one based storyline where Alex's world has been turned upside down. Each student enrolled at Akarnae is there on the basis of their unique magical abilities, except Alex who has yet to discover what her ability is. My only gripe was Alex's parents and how unprepared she was for this next stage in her life, even based on her attending the supposed International Exchange Academy alone.
It was well written and incredibly enchanting, but felt as though it may be more suited for a middle grade audience, where young teens can grow with each installment. The world building although lovely, fell a little flat at times and I wasn't able to grasp a sense of what Alex was experiencing around her. The renowned school library was magnificent. I loved the Wonderland type feel of the enchanted rooms and the history behind the building.
Behind the facade lies a school beyond the human realm. Akarnae is a long standing tradition, a school for the magically gifted where teens' abilities are nurtured. Unable to return home, Alex will need to make the most of her opportunities, enrolling with the assistance of Jordan and Bear, two volunteer students who plan to take Alex under their wing.
But Akarnae has other plans for Alex. She's the chosen one, granted access to the inner sanctum of the school library, an ancient relic of the magical world. Alex must not only navigate a new school, a life she never knew existed and the secret that she is not of their world. Being chosen will mean fighting a darkness that Alex and Akarnae aren't prepared for.
It's going to be a long year.
Akarnae was wonderfully written and delightfully surprising, not to mention an incredibly enchanting fantasy. Alex's story begins with her parents abandonment in favour of their own adventure, leaving her at a new school without helping her settle in. Where most teens would be an emotional disaster, Alex takes it all in her stride but before she's had a chance to enroll, she's thrown into a world that is not her own.Kelly's Thoughts
Alex has no choice but to remain at Akarnae, with the only person who has the ability to return her to her world, now missing. Based on an age old method of sorting teens by their potential, Alex now finds herself within a multitude of advanced skill classes, including combat. With her two new friends in Jordan and Bear, Alex hides the secret of who she truly is from her peers. I loved The dynamic between Alex, Jordan and Bear. Their friendship wasn't complicated by a romance but it's undeniable that both Alex and Jordan share a connection. The two worlds of Medora which is where Akarnae is based and Freya, which is our own world where Alex was born and based were both very similar, apart from Medora being the magical plane on Earth. It made the storyline incredibly easy to follow even for non fantasy readers and kept the world building simple, making Akarnae perfect for fans who also enjoy middle grade reads.
Akarnae features shades of Harry Potter, a boarding school for magically inclined teens. With strong, friendship based relationships and a chosen one based storyline where Alex's world has been turned upside down. Each student enrolled at Akarnae is there on the basis of their unique magical abilities, except Alex who has yet to discover what her ability is. My only gripe was Alex's parents and how unprepared she was for this next stage in her life, even based on her attending the supposed International Exchange Academy alone.
It was well written and incredibly enchanting, but felt as though it may be more suited for a middle grade audience, where young teens can grow with each installment. The world building although lovely, fell a little flat at times and I wasn't able to grasp a sense of what Alex was experiencing around her. The renowned school library was magnificent. I loved the Wonderland type feel of the enchanted rooms and the history behind the building.
Akarnae was a wonderfully written, a mild fantasy that is not only entertaining but engaging. Reminiscent of Harry Potter, fans of light fantasy will enjoy this series, especially the younger teen audience. Looking forward to book two and seeing where debut author Lynette Noni takes the series. Thoroughly enjoyed it.The final Verdict
Summer Skin
Written by Kirsty Eagar
Contemporary, Awesomeness
Published February 2016
352 Pages
Thank you to Allen & Unwin
★★★★★
Jess Gordon is out for revenge. Last year the jocks from Knights College tried to shame her best friend. This year she and a hand picked college girl gang are going to get even.The lesson: don't mess with Unity girls.The target. Blondie, a typical Knights stud, arrogant, cold... And smart enough to keep up with Jess.A neoriot girl with a penchant for fanning the flames meets a rugby playing pig, sworn enemies or two people who happen to find each other when they're at their most vulnerable?It's all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair and burns Boy's stuff. Just your typical love story.
Oh Kirsty Eagar, how I love thee.
As a reader, don't you tire of the same protagonists? The sleek, blonde and usually perfect young women who seem to have it all on a platter? Yeah, me too kids. Me too. You clearly haven't met Jess. Jess Gordon is a strong, no nonsense girl that could be the voice of the young feminism movement. Jess attends a not so prestigious collage with campus boarding, where females band together against the onslaught against the Knights, an all male boarding house who teach sexism as an extra curricular activity. Jess's story begins with her mission into the Knights lair, looking for a prize in their new annual ritual to repay their previous deeds only a year prior. Blondie doesn't look like a typical Knight but he sure shares their arrogance and catches Jess in her tangled lie of guernsey thievery and playing a doting yet imaginary girlfriend.
Now suddenly Mitch is everywhere and that makes him easy prey.
Mitch is very much the alpha male type character. He's undeniably sexy but does nothing to dispel the sexist label that is placed upon what he represents, even if Mitch isn't part of the typical Knight culture and Jess is the last girl he should be playing games with. The sexual tension between the two was delicious, the banter and sarcasm was hilarious. But under the surface, both Jess and Mitch have their issues. As lovely as Jess is, she's also incredibly cynical about others intentions, especially a Knight and they aren't exactly boyfriend material. She's also just escaped from a toxic relationship, in which she was not only oppressed but the relationship portrayed as being emotionally abusive. Mitch on the other hand is haunted by a ghost from his past. Physically, he's well aware of how attractive he is but emotionally he won't allow anyone to break past the barrier he uses to ensure women don't become attached. Jess included. Jess isn't the shy and subdued lamb you typically find in new adult novels, she's feisty and not afraid to call others out on their bullshit. Including Mitch.
Jess and Mitch's chemistry sizzles. She's feministic, he's sexist and although they tend to clash, there's an incredibly tentative and gentle romance forming between the two. Slowly, Mitch's attitude towards not only his own demons, but also women, begins to change. Jess doesn't want to make him a better version of himself but through compassion and being such a pivotal person in his life, he wants to change. For her but more importantly, for himself.
The sex is wonderful, Kristy Eagar you saucy minx. It's so well written, sexy without being the focal point of the storyline which is what seems to occur with similar books within the genre. It's mature, sensual and incredibly sex positive. Jess isn't ashamed to give into her urges, nor should she be and I loved that characters were able to talk openly about sex without being shamed. It was incredibly empowering and a refreshing change.
One of the funniest scenes is between Jess and her strong female group of friends at a local building site. Where women are often on the end of cat calls and crass comments, it was brilliant seeing the girls taking control of the situation and be the ones objectifying male workers for once. It was written in such a positive light, with both parties engaging in heavy innuendo banter.
Summer Skin is a book to empower young women. The snark, the strong female characters, the compassion and tenderness. The message of being your own person and fighting against the stereotypes of both sexes, all wrapped up in a realistic, relatable and hilarious storyline.
Now suddenly Mitch is everywhere and that makes him easy prey.
Mitch is very much the alpha male type character. He's undeniably sexy but does nothing to dispel the sexist label that is placed upon what he represents, even if Mitch isn't part of the typical Knight culture and Jess is the last girl he should be playing games with. The sexual tension between the two was delicious, the banter and sarcasm was hilarious. But under the surface, both Jess and Mitch have their issues. As lovely as Jess is, she's also incredibly cynical about others intentions, especially a Knight and they aren't exactly boyfriend material. She's also just escaped from a toxic relationship, in which she was not only oppressed but the relationship portrayed as being emotionally abusive. Mitch on the other hand is haunted by a ghost from his past. Physically, he's well aware of how attractive he is but emotionally he won't allow anyone to break past the barrier he uses to ensure women don't become attached. Jess included. Jess isn't the shy and subdued lamb you typically find in new adult novels, she's feisty and not afraid to call others out on their bullshit. Including Mitch.
'You're probably also threatened by the fact that the guys here can cope with women in contexts other than porn. Not like a bunch of little lords who hate women because they secretly prefer getting hot and sweaty with each other under the guise of chasing a leather ball around a field.'
She's awesomely fierce and refuses to sugar coat her words.
The sex is wonderful, Kristy Eagar you saucy minx. It's so well written, sexy without being the focal point of the storyline which is what seems to occur with similar books within the genre. It's mature, sensual and incredibly sex positive. Jess isn't ashamed to give into her urges, nor should she be and I loved that characters were able to talk openly about sex without being shamed. It was incredibly empowering and a refreshing change.
Other aspects that Summer Skin also explores is the need for young women to feel validated, quite often by social media. Allie is a beautiful and kind hearted girl who only feels validated by photos she posts of herself on Instagram which creates such fluctuations in her emotional state, often effecting her friendships."I want you to revise your attitude. Women, amazingly enough, are allowed to like it. If that's news to you, then you're not doing it right."
One of the funniest scenes is between Jess and her strong female group of friends at a local building site. Where women are often on the end of cat calls and crass comments, it was brilliant seeing the girls taking control of the situation and be the ones objectifying male workers for once. It was written in such a positive light, with both parties engaging in heavy innuendo banter.
It's all about the innuendo.'I've got a big hard thing!' yelled a guy who'd been marking out a sizable plank of wood. 'See from here,' Jess shouted, 'it looks just like you're holding a stubby little pencil!'
Summer Skin is a book to empower young women. The snark, the strong female characters, the compassion and tenderness. The message of being your own person and fighting against the stereotypes of both sexes, all wrapped up in a realistic, relatable and hilarious storyline.
Buy it. Idolise it. Refer to it as the thinking young womans bible. You need this book in your life. Kirsty Eagar, you complete me.Kelly's final verdict
I don't know why you're still reading, you should be opening a new tab and buying the shit out of this book.
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Written by Tara June Winch
Contemporary, Cultural, Diversity
10th Anniversary Edition Published January 1st 2016
216 Pages
Thank you to UQP
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★★★★★
When May’s mother dies suddenly, she and her brother Billy are taken in by Aunty. However, their loss leaves them both searching for their place in a world that doesn’t seem to want them. While Billy takes his own destructive path, May sets out to find her father and her Aboriginal identity.
Her journey leads her from the Australian east coast to the far north, but it is the people she meets, not the destinations, that teach her what it is to belong.
Swallow the Air is an unforgettable story of living in a torn world and finding the thread to help sew it back together.
Aboriginal girl May Gibson's mother tragically took her own life, leaving May and older brother Billy behind. The two now find themselves living with their Aunt, a woman dependent on alcohol and abused by her boyfriend until Billy defends the woman who took the two orphaned children into her home. Billy walked out, while May stayed behind to pick up what little hope remained.
We didn't talk about Mum or our Dad's or all the booze and shit around us, we knew the world in the same way that we knew each other, in the quietness than we shared.
May wants to feel a sense of family once more, her journey taking her back to her ancestral community where her mother once shared her stories. Along her path to family, May encounters others that will shape her, her experiences driving her further into the wide, red land.
Kelly's Thoughts
Swallow The Air is absolutely breathtaking. An emotional journey of Australia and it's indigenous community through the eyes of a young girl touched by sadness. Never have I felt so moved by any work of fiction. May was a character representative of aspects of our broken country, where Aboriginal communities are left behind while white society moves forward. Her struggle made my heart ache with grief, losing her mother at such a tender age and trying to find that sense of family once more.
The prose is lyrical, yet incredibly haunting. The vividness of May's journey from the mining Town of Wollongong to the far north of Australia truly is a love letter to outback Australia. She sees beauty in the land we take for granted while her vision without a doubt creating wanderlust in readers. Equally exposed to abuse as she is to the kindness strangers, May's spirit shines. She's determined and intelligent, but hasn't been given an opportunity for an education or carefree life that most children are now afforded, so seeks out the family she never knew to learn about herself and her heritage.
Even beyond the storyline, the writing is immaculate. A mixture of lyricism and stark rawness rarely seen in young adult fiction.
Daylight blanching our dreamings, the gritty air fuming back to our noses, engines starting back in our listening, and we remember what we're all really seeing. Beach lines of gutters, trunks of layered windows, metal wings fleeing the sky, and dinner on the stove. We don't mind, because anytime we can leave in our minds.
One of the realities May also faces is how Indigenous Australians can be treated by our police, authorities and our communities. May's life isn't a stereotype, she's a young woman that society as a whole has neglected, representing our traditional land owners that have been overlooked. May's journey to search for her white father makes for an incredibly emotional read, finding herself, finding who she is and rising above the issues that plague her community and forging her own path.
Swallow The Air is a must read, in particular for fellow Australians who love fictional stories that are true to life. May's story is heartbreaking, poignant and joyful and I loved each and every moment of her journey. It's a love letter to our wide, red land despite our issues and differences. Tara June Winch is a phenomenal author who places the reader on the road to self discovery along with May, where you will share the sadness and hope of this remarkable young lady.The Final Verdict
Kelly loved Swallow The Air and urges you all to buy a copy. Or ten. If you need more diversity within your young adult, a quiet lyricism and a storyline that will stay with you long after the final page is turned, buy it.
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Written by Christopher Currie
LGBTQI, Coming of Age
Published November 16th 2015
288 Pages
Thanks to Text Publishing
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★★★★★
We’re sitting there with matching milkshakes, Sasha and me, and somehow, things aren’t going like I always thought they would. We’re face to face under 24 hour fluorescents with the thoroughly unromantic buzz of aircon in our ears and endless flabby wedges of seated trucker’s arsecrack as our only visual stimulus.In a dead end town like Barwen a girl has only got to be a little different to feel like a freak. And Clancy, a typical sixteen year old misfit with a moderately dysfunctional family, a genuine interest in Nature Club and a major crush on the local hot girl, is packing a capital F.As the summer begins, Clancy’s dad is involved in a road smash that kills two local teenagers. While the family is dealing with the reaction of a hostile town, Clancy meets someone who could possibly, at last, become a friend. Not only that, the unattainable Sasha starts to show what may be a romantic interest.
In short, this is the summer when Clancy has to figure out who the hell she is.
Clancy is a small town girl who longs for escape, to free herself of stereotypes and live, not just survive. When Clancy's father is witness to a fatal accident involving two of the golden children of Barwen, suddenly the entire town turn against them. The police are investigating the accident, the Underhill's are drifting further apart and the sixteen year old is struggling with her own life, interested in Sasha who's the girlfriend of the local hot head who is making Clancy miserable. A lifeline comes in the form of new girl Nancy who has joined the teen Nature Club that is Clancy's only means of escape and the two form a tentative and rocky friendship, both navigating the waters of finding their first friend.
With her position at the local beauty counter under jeopardy due to her fathers assumed guilt, Clancy now finds herself with time on her hands. She's been roped into older brother Angus' latest harebrained scheme, finding an allusive big cat that supposedly roams the local area. Until Sasha takes an interest.
Blinded by her devotion to a girl she barely knows but from afar, Clancy is willing to be the person Sasha needs her to be. Normal. With her family barely holding together and the prospect of her father being charged, her turbulent friendship with Nancy and the endless abuse and vandalism, it's all too much for Clancy. Something has to give.
Kelly's Thoughts
Clancy is a remarkable young woman, the voice of the Australian teen who never quite feels as though she fits into our world. She's strong, sassy but also scared of her town finding out that she's gay, especially her judgmental peers who already see her as an anomaly. Her father works for the local council where his backache has left him with the mundane position of directing traffic through roadworks. Until one night when two local teens run off the road in a fatal accident and Clancy's father is guilty before charged. I absolutely loved the Underhill family. They felt incredibly realistic and a real representation of our family unit. They love one another but live their own lives quite independent of one another, their mother trying to maintain a sense of normalcy while the accident is being investigated.
Clancy isn't struggling with her sexuality, she's aware that she is in fact gay but feels as though she'll be judged and tormented by her peers. And sadly, it's probably a real representation of what can occur in small towns where gossip reins free. Older brother Angus was a lovable idiot. University drop out, layabout and looking at ways of making money by exploring conspiracies and tall stories. Their dynamic added a lighthearted element through banter and teasing one another the way only siblings can. As Clancy's father pulled away from his family, it seemed that Clancy's character could see the same isolation in her father that she also experiences. Listening to the Cricket in their shed and bonding over melted ice cream, their relationship was truly lovely. Seeing her father reconnect with his teen daughter in the face of adversity was beautifully poignant.
The barely there romance was more of an idolised crush. Sasha's character was little more than the token attractive girl, but only made interesting due to Clancy's feelings for her, to which she seemed to exploit to suit her own interests. I appreciated that it wasn't a dramatic of love and that the author bravely had woven a romance that was flawed, awkward and made readers connect with Clancy on an even deeper level. It was emotional and Christopher Currie should be applauded for exploring not only diverse relationships, but the heartbreak of potentially unrequited love when so many other authors prefer happier endings.
The most startling aspect is how Clancy's voice was captured. It felt as though the reader was thrown into Clancy's world of what could be seen as bogan culture and small town prejudice. For those who are unaware of what a bogan is, it's a uniquely Australian term which is described as an uncouth or unsophisticated person, regarded as being of low social status.
Clancy isn't struggling with her sexuality, she's aware that she is in fact gay but feels as though she'll be judged and tormented by her peers. And sadly, it's probably a real representation of what can occur in small towns where gossip reins free. Older brother Angus was a lovable idiot. University drop out, layabout and looking at ways of making money by exploring conspiracies and tall stories. Their dynamic added a lighthearted element through banter and teasing one another the way only siblings can. As Clancy's father pulled away from his family, it seemed that Clancy's character could see the same isolation in her father that she also experiences. Listening to the Cricket in their shed and bonding over melted ice cream, their relationship was truly lovely. Seeing her father reconnect with his teen daughter in the face of adversity was beautifully poignant.
The barely there romance was more of an idolised crush. Sasha's character was little more than the token attractive girl, but only made interesting due to Clancy's feelings for her, to which she seemed to exploit to suit her own interests. I appreciated that it wasn't a dramatic of love and that the author bravely had woven a romance that was flawed, awkward and made readers connect with Clancy on an even deeper level. It was emotional and Christopher Currie should be applauded for exploring not only diverse relationships, but the heartbreak of potentially unrequited love when so many other authors prefer happier endings.
The most startling aspect is how Clancy's voice was captured. It felt as though the reader was thrown into Clancy's world of what could be seen as bogan culture and small town prejudice. For those who are unaware of what a bogan is, it's a uniquely Australian term which is described as an uncouth or unsophisticated person, regarded as being of low social status.
Christopher Currie has captured the spirit of an Australian teen struggling to find her feet within judgmental, small town prejudice. Anyone having grown up in Australia will see themselves within Clancy's plight. She's relatable, likable and an incredible young woman who lends her voice to the underdog of our nation. Or in Aussie slang... She's fucking unreal mate.The Final Verdict
Kelly is a part time crime fighter, a dairy connoisseur and possibly the best dancer the world has ever seen.
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Written by Daniel Herborn
Contemporary, Romance
Published May 1st 2015
345 Pages
Purchased. Available from Harper Collins Australia
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★★★★★
Tim’s a young singer songwriter with a guitar case full of songs and dreams of finding an audience to embrace his tunes.Mandy’s obsessed with music and a compulsive dreamer. She’s longing for something more fulfilling than daytime TV and cups of tea with best friend Alice, something like the excitement and passion of rock ’n’ roll.When their eyes meet at a gig, sparks fly across a crowded room and hope burns in their hearts.But in a city of millions and a scene overrun with wannabes, can they ever get it together? Will Mandy’s nerves doom their romance before it even starts? And where does the darkness in Tim's songs come from? This is a story of Sydney's Inner West, of first love, crush bands and mix tapes, of the thrill of the night and what happens when the music stops.Set in the cafes pubs and dives of Sydney's Inner West You're The Kind of Girl I write Songs About is a ballad to that time of your life when you are trying to work out who you are, what it is you want and what will it take to get you there.
Eighteen year old Tim is in his final year of school for the second time, moonlighting as a suburban Sydney dreamer while chasing a music career. It's up on stage where he'll always remember the moment he locked eyes with Mandy, the dark haired beauty allowing Tim to feel something more than being a failure.
The tea sipping, sandwich artist and music aficionado Mandy has seen it all. With best friend and part time pixie Alice by her side, Mandy seems to have lost her way and moves to wherever the music takes her. Fate has brought them together in a whirlwind romance of music, late night trespassing and finally finding the one person who makes you feel complete. But behind the music lies a troubled young man and a life before Mandy threatens to tear the two apart.
Tim is still at school and repeating his final year, the reasons behind his downfall are obscure and mysterious at first. He lives with his uncle and the two share a gruff but easy going relationship in which he has just officially adopted Tim and now his legal guardian. Tim's character was nothing short of lovely. He's creative and gentle and almost the polar opposite to Mandy.
There was something utterly charming about the early stages of their burgeoning relationship. It reminded me of my own teen years, finding likeminded friends and bonding over music. Not being the biggest fan of independent music, so many of the bands didn't resonate with me apart from Jeff Buckley. If you have no idea who he is, you really need to reassess your life choices and head over to watch him here. I loved that there was no excess drama that is generally associated with teen contemporaries. Tim's character, although he wasn't as transparent both with Mandy and readers, his revelation wasn't manufactured and not something that is brought up generally in conversations. But considering the nationwide conversation that's ongoing in Australia at the moment, it's an important discussion to have. It added an extra dimension and depth to a fluffy and funloving storyline that I wasn't expecting.
You're The Kind of Girl I Write Songs About is a lovely coming of age about finding yourself and finding that person that makes life suck a little less. Told in dual points of view and both being heavily involved within the Sydney independent music scene, both Mandy and Tim are surprised neither of them have met before. Mandy is a barely employed sandwich artist, preferring to spend her day sleeping or watching mindless daytime television. While Tim was likable, I think everyone has had a Mandy in their life. She was unmotivated and stuck in a monotonous routine that is so incredibly hard to shake. Although meeting Tim isn't her saving grace, it allowed her to break out of her former life and find a sense of meaning again.Kelly's thoughts
Tim is still at school and repeating his final year, the reasons behind his downfall are obscure and mysterious at first. He lives with his uncle and the two share a gruff but easy going relationship in which he has just officially adopted Tim and now his legal guardian. Tim's character was nothing short of lovely. He's creative and gentle and almost the polar opposite to Mandy.
There was something utterly charming about the early stages of their burgeoning relationship. It reminded me of my own teen years, finding likeminded friends and bonding over music. Not being the biggest fan of independent music, so many of the bands didn't resonate with me apart from Jeff Buckley. If you have no idea who he is, you really need to reassess your life choices and head over to watch him here. I loved that there was no excess drama that is generally associated with teen contemporaries. Tim's character, although he wasn't as transparent both with Mandy and readers, his revelation wasn't manufactured and not something that is brought up generally in conversations. But considering the nationwide conversation that's ongoing in Australia at the moment, it's an important discussion to have. It added an extra dimension and depth to a fluffy and funloving storyline that I wasn't expecting.
You're The Kind of Girl I Write Songs About was superbly entertaining and overall, a lovely and fluffy feel good read. Although I couldn't connect or relate directly to the independent Sydney music scene, I loved it regardless. Daniel Herborn lends such a raw honesty to his characters and has crafted an engaging and gentle storyline that I couldn't help but immerse myself in. A brilliant debut from a wonderful new voice in Australian young adult fiction. Excited to see what he's working on next.The final verdict
Kelly is currently reading Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray and eagerly awaiting the new season of The Walking Dead.
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Written by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Science Fiction, Space Opera
Expected Publication November 2015
608 Pages
Thank you to Bookworld Australia and Allen & Unwin
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
One moment, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have nothing bigger to worry about than each other. Specifically, avoiding each other in the wake of their messy break-up. In the next second, their entire world falls apart.The year is 2575 and one of the mega corporations that control much of deep space has just fired the opening salvo in an intergalactic war, destroying Kady and Ezra's planet. Forced to flee on a small fleet of crippled rescue ships alongside thousands of other refugees, the fear of enemy warships chasing them down is at first all consuming but soon becomes the least of their worries. A deadly plague is ravaging the refugees on the ships, the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be an enemy, and High Command is refusing to acknowledge that there may be a serious problem. As Kady plunges into a tangled web of data in search of the truth, she realises that Ezra is possibly the only person who can help her save the refugees before it's too late.
Seventeen year old Kady Grant was still at school when the first explosion signaled the beginning of the intergalactic war, the sky raining fire down upon the illegal mining community of Kerenza. Kady knows the settlement must evacuate, even if former boyfriend Ezra Mason is standing in her way. To survive the deadly BeiTech strike, Kady finds herself on board the scientific vessel in Hypatia, escaping into the dark reaches of outer space. BeiTech are determined to destroy any survivors, having unleashed a deadly bio weapon with the potential to kill mankind. Their fleet has taken on heavy fire and the journey to a jump port to reach a populated core system is months within reach, with BeiTech still in pursuit.
The Alexander is a battle carrier transporting refugees from Kerenza, recruiting civilians in plight for survival. The Alexander is armed with an Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network that has been severely damaged during their escape, shutting down the on board amenities and overriding personnel. Kady is the brains, Ezra the brawn and through a series of infiltrated accounts, surveillance and documents, together they will uncover a series of deception, conspiracies and a deadly plague that threatens to kill what's left of the survivors.
ponderings of a booknerd
Fucking incredible.
Illuminae is one of the most unique and incredible experiences that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Presented in a series of documents, security footage and instant communications, it tells the story of Kady and Ezra and what is ultimately the evacuation of their home planet in Kerenza after it was attacked. Their world is blow apart by BeiTech, a mega corporation who have overtaken the small planet Kerenza to mine for resources while killing it's inhabitants in the process. Both Kady and Ezra managed to escape and now on board space vessels who are looking for a safe passage into another galaxy, with the in pursuit BeiTech warship determined to ensure no survivors remain alive. What ensues is a phenomenal science fiction story with an intense romance that will leave readers feeling exhilarated.
The unique format is nothing short of brilliant. The storyline is told through a series of documents, interviews, images and various forms of correspondence presented as a inquiry portfolio. The illustrations, the recorded email and messages recorded only heighten your experience as a reader. It left me utterly breathless.
As a reader, you're thrust into what is an internal inquiry on board the survival ships, in order to understand what happened prior to boarding. With resources low on board both vessels, civilians are recruited to fight against the pursuing hostiles. Ezra will join the assault while Kady finds herself in intelligence training on board the Hypatia, allowing her access to online network communications. It soon becomes apparent that any information inhabitants are given is little more than propaganda, and Kady uses her position to access the secure communication system in order to find answers.
It's within the system where she communicates with Ezra while a deadly plague threatens to wipe out all on board. AIDAN, the artificial intelligence that commands the vessel is dysfunctional at best. Through the turmoil, emerges a tentative friendship between Kady and Ezra, repairing their relationship and trust in one another once more.
The storyline was intensely fierce and Kady an extraordinary heroine while Ezra was charismatic and charming. Although told through the perspective of being a bystander, the in depth reports, interviews and conversations allow readers to immerse themselves within the storyline effortlessly, observing what is essentially conspiracy theories and witnessing Kady expertly working her way through a series of digital breadcrumbs. I had expected a well written space opera, but what I found was an intelligent and brilliantly written science fiction thriller that far exceeded my expectations. Tenfold.
Mind fucking blown. Believe the hype. Every. Fucking. Word.
Illuminae is a visual masterpiece. Blending engaging characters with a unique format and explosive storyline was nothing short of breathtaking. Both Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff have created a phenomenal and flawless narrative that will captivate readers until the final page is turned. Strap yourself in for one hell of a ride.
Illuminae is one of the most unique and incredible experiences that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Presented in a series of documents, security footage and instant communications, it tells the story of Kady and Ezra and what is ultimately the evacuation of their home planet in Kerenza after it was attacked. Their world is blow apart by BeiTech, a mega corporation who have overtaken the small planet Kerenza to mine for resources while killing it's inhabitants in the process. Both Kady and Ezra managed to escape and now on board space vessels who are looking for a safe passage into another galaxy, with the in pursuit BeiTech warship determined to ensure no survivors remain alive. What ensues is a phenomenal science fiction story with an intense romance that will leave readers feeling exhilarated.
"Am I not merciful?"
The storyline was intensely fierce and Kady an extraordinary heroine while Ezra was charismatic and charming. Although told through the perspective of being a bystander, the in depth reports, interviews and conversations allow readers to immerse themselves within the storyline effortlessly, observing what is essentially conspiracy theories and witnessing Kady expertly working her way through a series of digital breadcrumbs. I had expected a well written space opera, but what I found was an intelligent and brilliantly written science fiction thriller that far exceeded my expectations. Tenfold.
the final verdict
Illuminae is a visual masterpiece. Blending engaging characters with a unique format and explosive storyline was nothing short of breathtaking. Both Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff have created a phenomenal and flawless narrative that will captivate readers until the final page is turned. Strap yourself in for one hell of a ride.
The Foretelling of Georgie Spider The Tribe Book Three
Written by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Science Fiction, Dystopian, Cultural
Published August 1st 2015
448 Pages
Thank you to Walker Books Australia
★★★★
A storm was stretching out across futures to swallow everything in nothing, and it was growing larger, which meant it was getting nearer... Georgie Spider has foretold the end of the world, and the only one who can stop it is Ashala Wolf.
But Georgie has also foreseen Ashala's death. As the world shifts around the Tribe, Ashala fights to protect those she loves from old enemies and new threats. And Georgie fights to save Ashala. Georgie Spider can see the future. But can she change it?
Prime Talbot has been removed from the office of Gull City and Prime Belle Willis has been instated. With the change of power, comes the prospect of having the Citizenship Accords banished, something Ashala and The Tribe at Firstwood have been fighting for. Ashala has been summoned to the city to speak with neighbouring Primes, as the symbol of illegals everywhere. Taking Connor with her, Ashala has left Daniel and Georgie in charge of The Tribe in her absence, especially since the group of illegals are on edge.
Georgie continues to weave her maps, intricate threads connecting The Tribe with the land. But when she discovers that Ashala's life is in danger, The Tribe will rally around their leader to keep her safe. Ashala is the key to saving not only Firstwood, but the world as they know it. Terrance is determined to enslave the illegals, and The Tribe in in danger of becoming little more than a small pocket of resistance, who fought for a better world.
The Tribe series has been an incredibly journey. Engaging, enthralling and so incredibly unique. It follows the story of three girls, Ashala, Ember and now Georgie. All three girls hold the unique ability to see into the past, the present and future, using their insight to guide not only The Tribe but for humanity. Woven throughout the series is the beautiful and mesmerising history of the Aboriginal Dreaming, passing on important knowledge, cultural values and belief systems to later generations. It made my heart soar. Not often in Australian young adult do we see the inclusion of indigenous beliefs, making the series a phenomenal experience.
But woven throughout is the story of three girls who will ultimately change the world, the world is on the verge of dying. The Firstwood where The Tribe call home is thriving, members feeding the soul of the forest and the forest giving them life in return. In The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, we finally learn about Georgie and her gift to weave maps, foreseeing into the future. She dwells in the caves of the Firstwood, weaving the futures of The Tribe, along with Daniel and her masses of helper spiders. She committed and frenzied in her work, staying behind while others fight against the oppression of the ruling Primes, and the illegal ruling to outcast and detain those with special abilities. But when one of their own is in trouble, The Tribe rally around their leader and vow to keep her safe.
The Tribe series is phenomenal. It blends the magical Dreaming with relatable characters and an underlying message of to take care of our environment and each other. Ambelin Kwaymullina is a beautiful and haunting voice in Australian young adult fiction, and I can't wait to discover what she's working on next.
Books by diverse authors are windows into other realities. They are also inherently respectful places where the author has made choices about what they wish to share of their realities, and how they wish to share it. So when I want to learn of things outside of my experience I go looking for a storyteller to tell me of their world – and in so doing, I expand and enrich my own.
Ponderings of a Booknerd
But woven throughout is the story of three girls who will ultimately change the world, the world is on the verge of dying. The Firstwood where The Tribe call home is thriving, members feeding the soul of the forest and the forest giving them life in return. In The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, we finally learn about Georgie and her gift to weave maps, foreseeing into the future. She dwells in the caves of the Firstwood, weaving the futures of The Tribe, along with Daniel and her masses of helper spiders. She committed and frenzied in her work, staying behind while others fight against the oppression of the ruling Primes, and the illegal ruling to outcast and detain those with special abilities. But when one of their own is in trouble, The Tribe rally around their leader and vow to keep her safe.
The final verdict
We do not live in a monochrome or one dimensional world. We live in a diverse one, and as an Indigenous author, I am part of that diversity. But the world in which the human species exists is not reflected in YA literature. There are consequences of this for those of us who are part of the excluded; an ever increasing sense of isolation and disconnection. This is a topic that has been addressed by many diverse Australian YA writers. Sarah Ayoub has written that "Across Australia teens of diverse backgrounds are hungry for the comfort these stories offer, showing them they’re not alone in whatever identity struggle they might be facing." Erin Gough has said that the biggest imperative behind her writing is "to give readers who may not have seen themselves represented in YA before that thrill of recognition, and the message that they mean something, that they matter." And I have asked people to imagine a world where no mirror ever shows you your own reflection, or worse still, only a distorted one - if that was the only face you ever saw, if that was the image continually reflected back at you, might you not come to believe that it was all you could ever be?AMBELIN ON DIVERSITY IN YOUNG ADULT
Books by diverse authors are windows into other realities. They are also inherently respectful places where the author has made choices about what they wish to share of their realities, and how they wish to share it. So when I want to learn of things outside of my experience I go looking for a storyteller to tell me of their world – and in so doing, I expand and enrich my own.
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Monday, 21st September The Loony Literate.
Tuesday, 22nd September Cassie the Weird
Wednesday, 23rd September Diva Book Nerd
Thursday, 24th September Inside My Worlds
Friday, 25th September Genie in a Book
Thank you to Ambelin and Walker Books Australia
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