The Age of Miracles
Written by Karen Thompson Walker
Coming of Age, Apocalyptic
Published January 2015
384 Pages
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia
'Maybe everything that had happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It's possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.'One Saturday morning the world wakes to discover that the rotation of the earth has begun to slow. As birds fall from the sky and days grow longer, people start to flee, but there is nowhere on earth to escape to.Julia is already coping with the disasters of everyday life. And then there's Seth. Tall and quiet and always on his own, the skateboarding boy who knows all about disaster. As the world faces a catastrophe, Julia and Seth are facing their very own unknown.
Contains spoilers. Check out my reviews for Every Breath and Every Word
Every Series Book Three
Written by Ellie Marney
Contemporary, Thriller
Published March 1st 2015
340 Pages
Thank you to Allen & Unwin
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
Rachel Watts is suffering from recurring nightmares about her near death experience in London. She just wants to forget the whole ordeal, but her boyfriend, James Mycroft, is obsessed with piecing the puzzle together and anticipating the next move of the mysterious Mr Wild, his own personal Moriarty.
So when Rachel's brother, Mike, suggests a trip back to their old home in Five Mile, Rachel can't wait to get away. Unfortunately it's not the quiet weekend she was hoping for with the unexpected company of Mike's old school buddy, the wildly unreliable Harris Derwent.
Things get worse for Rachel when Harris returns to Melbourne with them, but could Harris be the only person who can help her move forward? Then a series of murders suggests that Mr Wild is still hot on their tails and that Mycroft has something Wild wants, something Wild is prepared to kill for.
Can Watts and Mycroft stay one step ahead of the smartest of all criminal masterminds? The stage is set for a showdown of legendary proportions...
Rachel and Mycroft have both returned to Melbourne, after the harrowing and traumatic experience in London. The police may have their abductor in custody, but it's the mysterious and dangerous Wild that has the two teens on edge, they have something he wants and he isn't afraid to make his intentions known. But Mycroft's insistence at keeping in touch with Wild is only fueling Rachel's fears. Her nightmares have drove her to escape the city with big brother Mike, back to Five Mile to clear her head and evaluate her relationship with Mycroft. But Mycroft has a lead, and is determined to see this case through, taking off to Bali to find one of his father's most trusted colleagues.
When Rachel returns to the city, it's clear that Wild is closing in when a young man's body is found, resembling Mycroft and his injuries he sustained at the hands of Wild's henchman in London. But while Mycroft is chasing his lead, Rachel begins to fight back with the help of Harris, Mike's flirtatious and attractive best friend. As Rachel reclaims her power, Mycroft returns, Wild is on their doorstep and it seems that even escaping to Five Mile isn't safe.
We're introduced to a new character in Harris, Mike's best friend from Five Mile and local ladies man. It soon becomes clear that behind the flirtation, Harris is interested in Rachel and her well being. But Harris knows all too well what it's like to feel defenseless, and is determined to help her take control of her life once more. When Mycroft returns from chasing down a lead in Bali, the tension and banter between he and Harris is nothing short of delicious. I adored Harris, he was competent, tenacious and left me torn between wanting Rachel to pursue a relationship with Harris, and the ever increasingly abrasive Mycroft. It only added to the tension. Well played Ms Marney. Well played.
Simply the most engaging, character driven and thrilling contemporary series I've read thus far. It's utterly brilliant. Ellie Marney knows how to create a tense and suspenseful storyline that will make you ache for justice. The flawed characters only add to how endearing not only Mycroft and Rachel are, but Rachel's family and friends as well. What sets the series apart is that it's not complicated, there's no excess teen drama angst, no love triangle and no instant love. The emphasis is on family and the family unit for support. If you've yet to pick this series up, you definitely won't be disappointed. I've absolutely loved it, and the only downside being that the series is now over and I'm not ready to say goodbye.
Every Move is everything you want in a series finale, suspense, intensity and brilliance. Ellie Marney has crafted yet another heart stopping storyline that follows our favorite crime solving couple, Mycroff and Watts and this time, it's personal. Every Move picks up in the middle of the London aftermath, Mycroft is still in contact with Wild unbeknownst to the police, and Rachel has now distanced herself from their relationship. After being captured and tortured in London, it's not only the nightmares that traumatise her each night, but the fear of being held or physically restrained, something Mycroft doesn't seem to understand. He's blinded by his search for the truth, and allows his relationship to suffer.Kelly's Thoughts
We're introduced to a new character in Harris, Mike's best friend from Five Mile and local ladies man. It soon becomes clear that behind the flirtation, Harris is interested in Rachel and her well being. But Harris knows all too well what it's like to feel defenseless, and is determined to help her take control of her life once more. When Mycroft returns from chasing down a lead in Bali, the tension and banter between he and Harris is nothing short of delicious. I adored Harris, he was competent, tenacious and left me torn between wanting Rachel to pursue a relationship with Harris, and the ever increasingly abrasive Mycroft. It only added to the tension. Well played Ms Marney. Well played.
Simply the most engaging, character driven and thrilling contemporary series I've read thus far. It's utterly brilliant. Ellie Marney knows how to create a tense and suspenseful storyline that will make you ache for justice. The flawed characters only add to how endearing not only Mycroft and Rachel are, but Rachel's family and friends as well. What sets the series apart is that it's not complicated, there's no excess teen drama angst, no love triangle and no instant love. The emphasis is on family and the family unit for support. If you've yet to pick this series up, you definitely won't be disappointed. I've absolutely loved it, and the only downside being that the series is now over and I'm not ready to say goodbye.
The Giver
The Giver Quartet Book One
Written by Lois Lowry
Classics, Dystopian
Published April 1993
240 Pages
Add to Goodreads
Classics, Dystopian
Published April 1993
240 Pages
Add to Goodreads
Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units, one male, one female, to each. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. The community is a world without conflict, inequality, divorce, unemployment injustice... Or choice.
Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.
At the Ceremony of Twelve, the community's twelve year olds eagerly accept their predetermined Life Assignments. But Jonas is chosen for something special. He begins instruction in his life's work with a mysterious old man known only as The Giver. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test, when he must try to save someone he loves, he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?
May contain spoilers for Every Breath
Written by Ellie Marney
Contemporary, Mystery. Thriller
Published June 1st 2014
340 Pages
Purchased
Purchased
James Mycroft has just left for London to investigate a car accident similar to the one that killed his parents seven years ago... Without saying goodbye to Rachel Watts, his 'partner in crime'.
Rachel is furious and worried about his strange behaviour, not that Mycroft's ever exactly normal, but London is the scene of so many of his nightmares. So Rachel jumps on a plane to follow him...and lands straight in a whole storm of trouble.
The theft of a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, the possible murder of a rare books conservator, and the deaths of Mycroft's parents... Can Watts help Mycroft make sense of the three events, or will she lose him forever?
Sparks fly when Watts and Mycroft reunite in this second sophisticated thriller about the teen sleuthing duo.
It's been only eight weeks since Homeless Dave was killed and Mycroft is now working with Professor Walsh. Eight long weeks since Watts and Mycroft became more than friends, and since Rachel was placed on house arrest. But in true Mycroft style, he's now working on a new case, a theft of a priceless book from a Shakespearean library in London. The curator of the museum is now dead, a carjacking much in the same vain as Mycroft's parents and he begins to fall apart at the seams piecing together the similarities. Being a forensics expert, Walsh is invited to London to work on the investigation and with Mycroft's increasingly abrasive mood, he leaves without a word.
Rachel knows that Mycroft is determined to find a connection between the two cases, and vowing to support him, takes off within hours to London. But Mycroft isn't happy to see her.
As Rachel reluctantly joins the investigation, it isn't long before she realises the two teens are in over their head this time, as Mycroft may be onto something. Rachel may have gone halfway across the globe to save him, but as her life hangs in the balance, they may just need to save each other or Mycroft risks losing yet another person in his life in London.
Rachel and Mycroft's relationship is strained at best, her parents still untrusting and have forbade her to enter his house without supervision. They're barely surviving through stolen kisses over window panes and heated rendezvous on the odd occasion when Rachel finds herself home alone. Mycroft is emotionally broken, and starts pulling away from their relationship, the final straw when he leaves for London without saying a word. But Rachel won't give up without a fight and takes off for London within hours of Mycroft's departure.
Where Mycroft was abrasive, Rachel was equally as reckless and together the tension was delicious. Mycroft's anger and self loathing was verging on palpable. From the suburban Coburg to the streets of London, it was engaging, enthralling and intense. I loved it. If you're looking for a contemporary romance, this isn't it but the few scenes where Rachel and Mycroft find themselves overcome were passionate and fierce. This is one of the best young adult contemporary series out there, and you won't find a more praise worthy author than Ellie Marney. This country chick really knows her stuff.
Rachel knows that Mycroft is determined to find a connection between the two cases, and vowing to support him, takes off within hours to London. But Mycroft isn't happy to see her.
As Rachel reluctantly joins the investigation, it isn't long before she realises the two teens are in over their head this time, as Mycroft may be onto something. Rachel may have gone halfway across the globe to save him, but as her life hangs in the balance, they may just need to save each other or Mycroft risks losing yet another person in his life in London.
Ellie Marney is nothing short of brilliant. She's crafted yet another contemporary mystery that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Where she differs from other genre authors, her characters are realistic yet completely flawed. Rachel Watts and James Mycroft are simply two of the most likable and down to earth characters in young adult, intense, passionate and authentic. Rachel is a country girl who's family struggle to make ends meet, the bank foreclosing on their family farm and forced to move to the city. Mycroft is eccentric, a deep thinker and emotionally inapt with good reason. His parents were killed in an organised carjacking, something Mycroft is desperate to prove with his latest case.Kelly's Thoughts
Rachel and Mycroft's relationship is strained at best, her parents still untrusting and have forbade her to enter his house without supervision. They're barely surviving through stolen kisses over window panes and heated rendezvous on the odd occasion when Rachel finds herself home alone. Mycroft is emotionally broken, and starts pulling away from their relationship, the final straw when he leaves for London without saying a word. But Rachel won't give up without a fight and takes off for London within hours of Mycroft's departure.
Where Mycroft was abrasive, Rachel was equally as reckless and together the tension was delicious. Mycroft's anger and self loathing was verging on palpable. From the suburban Coburg to the streets of London, it was engaging, enthralling and intense. I loved it. If you're looking for a contemporary romance, this isn't it but the few scenes where Rachel and Mycroft find themselves overcome were passionate and fierce. This is one of the best young adult contemporary series out there, and you won't find a more praise worthy author than Ellie Marney. This country chick really knows her stuff.
In conjunction with Simon & Schuster Australia, the Aussie YA Bloggers & Readers group were not only given the opportunity to read Gayle Forman's brilliant I Was Here, but to ask Gayle questions we were dying to know. See my review for I Was Here.
Follow the Aussie I Was Here blog hop below, and check out the Aussie YA Bloggers Blog from the 8th to see the interview in full.
Monday 2nd: Eugenia at Genie in a Book
Thursday 5th: Jeann @ Happy Indulgence
Saturday 7th: Kiah @ Forever Kiah
The Honest Truth
Written by Dan Gemeinhart
Middle Grade, Contemporary
Expected Publication March 5th 2015
240 Pages
Thank you to Scholastic Australia
Add to Goodreads
Expected Publication March 5th 2015
240 Pages
Thank you to Scholastic Australia
Add to Goodreads
In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day.
But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from.
So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier, even if it's the last thing he ever does.
The Honest Truth is a rare and extraordinary novel about big questions, small moments, and the incredible journey of the human spirit.
Written by Clare Atkins
Contemporary, Australian
Published September 24th 2014
304 Pages
Won. Thanks to Black Inc. Books
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
★★★★★
Rosie and Nona are sisters. Yapas.
They are also best friends. It doesn’t matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal, their family connections tie them together for life.
Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they're in Year Ten and things have changed. Rosie has lost interest in the community, preferring to hang out in the nearby mining town, where she goes to school with the glamorous Selena, and Selena’s gorgeous older brother Nick.
When a political announcement highlights divisions between the Aboriginal community and the mining town, Rosie is put in a difficult position. Will she be forced to choose between her first love and her oldest friend?
Rosie lives in the remote mining community of Yirrkala, on the wrong side of the tracks according to her peers. Her single mother making ends meet on one wage and takes pride in stitching Rosie's outfits, often from the most unlikely of materials. They may not have a disposable income like her peers at school, but they live within a loving community where Rosie spent her childhood camping and playing with Nona. Born days apart, the two families became inseparable with Rosie and Nona becoming Yapas, or sisters.
It's been years since Nona moved away, but now she's back and Rosie has moved on with her life. She is no longer a part of the Indigenous community, and as Nona attempts to return to school, Rosie feels little more inconvenience towards the girl who she once shared a sisterly bond with. But Rosie is on the cusp of her first love, a boy she's only dreamed about. Nick is as popular as he is attractive and Rosie will do anything to keep him interested, including pretending Nona is simply another face in the crowd and renouncing her ties to the tight knit Indigenous community. But Nick isn't as he seems. In a town where so many fear what they don't understand, Rosie starts to see the blatant racism towards the community that she's, although reluctantly, apart of. But what side of the tracks do her loyalties lie?
Kelly's Thoughts
Nona and Me was an incredibly deep and emotional story of two childhood friends who reconnect again as almost adults. Uniquely Australian, I loved being transported to the small community where the saying 'it takes a village to raise a child', no truer words have been spoken. Rosie's parents are separated, but keep in contact. Both are strong in their beliefs of supporting their local communities and have raised Rosie to be accepting, respectful and treat others with dignity. But once Nona, her childhood friend moved away, Rosie lost her way and became another small minded girl who just wanted to fit in with the crowd. Old habits die hard and when Nona returns, Rosie goes as far as to hide her association with her, for fear of being the center of gossip among her friends and losing the keen eye of Nick. My heart broke for Nona, Rosie cared far more about others impressions of her than wanting to reconnect with her sister.
Nona was a lovely character, free spirited and as beautiful as she was quick witted. I would have loved to have seen her point of view and learnt more about where she'd been and how her life was growing up away from Yirrkala. The storyline is set in an era where an 'intervention' was introduced into the Northern Territory, restricting the choices of Native Australians and all based on the misinformation of the government in power at the time. Nona and Me addresses the issues within the community, the lack of job opportunities within the fictional town, leading to depression and suicide. It was incredibly raw and moving, and highlighted the injustice and many forms of racism that run rampant within the fictional town and the wider society as a whole.
Nick's character is one example of a boy who has formed his own opinions from that of his parents, his wealthy father seeing the Indigenous community as second class, not worth his time or patience and passing the same bigoted beliefs onto his son. It isn't long until Nick shows his true, misguided opinions, seeking his father's approval at the expense of others. Sadly, Rosie stood idly by and excused his behavior. In one particular chapter, where Nick was introduced to Rosie's father, where like the government at the time, Nick's opinions were based on misinformation and preconceived notions of the community. Rosie's father is a phenomenal character. Sensitive, educated and opinionated.
Nona was a lovely character, free spirited and as beautiful as she was quick witted. I would have loved to have seen her point of view and learnt more about where she'd been and how her life was growing up away from Yirrkala. The storyline is set in an era where an 'intervention' was introduced into the Northern Territory, restricting the choices of Native Australians and all based on the misinformation of the government in power at the time. Nona and Me addresses the issues within the community, the lack of job opportunities within the fictional town, leading to depression and suicide. It was incredibly raw and moving, and highlighted the injustice and many forms of racism that run rampant within the fictional town and the wider society as a whole.
Nick's character is one example of a boy who has formed his own opinions from that of his parents, his wealthy father seeing the Indigenous community as second class, not worth his time or patience and passing the same bigoted beliefs onto his son. It isn't long until Nick shows his true, misguided opinions, seeking his father's approval at the expense of others. Sadly, Rosie stood idly by and excused his behavior. In one particular chapter, where Nick was introduced to Rosie's father, where like the government at the time, Nick's opinions were based on misinformation and preconceived notions of the community. Rosie's father is a phenomenal character. Sensitive, educated and opinionated.
We're all fundamentally human. We all feel, bleed, hurt, love.I loved it. It was moving, emotional and gave me a sense of righteousness that Rosie was able to make her own independent decisions, while learning a tough life lesson. Beautifully bittersweet.
Written by Skye Melki - Wegner
Fantasy, Musical
Expected Publication March 2nd 2015
448 Pages
Thank you to Random House Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
★★★★☆
Chester is on the road, searching every town for clues about his father and why he disappeared.But when he's caught accidentally, and illegally, connecting with the Song as he plays his beloved fiddle, Chester is sentenced to death. Only a licensed Songshaper can bend music to their will. The axe is about to fall...But there is someone else watching Chester. Someone who needs his special talents. Who can use him for their own ends. And who knows the secrets of The Hush, where there is no music, only deadly Echoes who will steal your soul.Susannah is that someone. The young captain of the infamous Nightfall Gang, Susannah has plans for Chester. Finally, she will have her revenge.
Chester Hays has been on the road for months, using his fiddle in exchange for a warm meal, playing to raucous crowds in the small country towns. Playing itself isn't illegal, but it's only official Songshapers that have studied at the prestigious Conservatoruim who are permitted to connect to The Song. Music is a form of sorcery in Chester's world, and without training it now makes Chester and target and puts his life in danger.
Susannah is the leader of the notorious Nightfall Gang, known across the land for their thievery. Stealing from wealthy barons to give to the poor, the gang have been searching for an unregistered Songshaper to carry out their latest mission, to infiltrate the Conservatoruim. So when they Chester is captured and sentenced to death, Susannah's right hand man Sam saves Chester, leaving the young man in their debt.
But Chester is on a mission of his own after his father disappeared, and Chester has been searching for him ever since. In exchange for his service, the gang promises to share the secrets of The Hush, and alternative world where stray magic looms and monsters called Echoes lay in wait.
Susannah knows all too well what awaits Chester at the Conservatoruim, a suicide mission in order to reap revenge against those who have left her damaged. But as the two grow closer, can she hold the information Chester seeks to ransom, knowing he may never return?
Told as a third person narrative, it follows both Chester and the Nightfall Gang, Susannah, Sam, Dot and the fabulous Travis. They know all too well what the Conservatoruim is hiding, and plan on exposing their secrets and recruiting Chester for their cause. The world building is so incredibly vivid, switching from the realism of our world to The Hush, where sorcery creates a dark and dangerous landscape of rain and Echoes. A cross between middle grade and young adult, I was hooked from the very first page and was torn between flying through the pages and trying to savior the storyline.
I simply loved it. Fabulously written, Skye is the ultimate Australian fantasy fusion author for the young and young at heart. Although the storyline delivers the reader with a satisfied finale, I would love to see The Hush continued in what would no doubt be an epic adventure series. At this point, I'd read this girl's shopping list. She's just that incredible.
Susannah is the leader of the notorious Nightfall Gang, known across the land for their thievery. Stealing from wealthy barons to give to the poor, the gang have been searching for an unregistered Songshaper to carry out their latest mission, to infiltrate the Conservatoruim. So when they Chester is captured and sentenced to death, Susannah's right hand man Sam saves Chester, leaving the young man in their debt.
But Chester is on a mission of his own after his father disappeared, and Chester has been searching for him ever since. In exchange for his service, the gang promises to share the secrets of The Hush, and alternative world where stray magic looms and monsters called Echoes lay in wait.
Susannah knows all too well what awaits Chester at the Conservatoruim, a suicide mission in order to reap revenge against those who have left her damaged. But as the two grow closer, can she hold the information Chester seeks to ransom, knowing he may never return?
The Hush is a imaginative, engaging and enthralling fantasy, with elements of suspense and science fiction. Skye is one of my favourite authors, she creates vivid worlds in which readers can fully immerse themselves, likable characters and is an advocate for creating strong, but flawed heroines. She makes reading effortless and simply entertaining.Kelly's Thoughts
Told as a third person narrative, it follows both Chester and the Nightfall Gang, Susannah, Sam, Dot and the fabulous Travis. They know all too well what the Conservatoruim is hiding, and plan on exposing their secrets and recruiting Chester for their cause. The world building is so incredibly vivid, switching from the realism of our world to The Hush, where sorcery creates a dark and dangerous landscape of rain and Echoes. A cross between middle grade and young adult, I was hooked from the very first page and was torn between flying through the pages and trying to savior the storyline.
I simply loved it. Fabulously written, Skye is the ultimate Australian fantasy fusion author for the young and young at heart. Although the storyline delivers the reader with a satisfied finale, I would love to see The Hush continued in what would no doubt be an epic adventure series. At this point, I'd read this girl's shopping list. She's just that incredible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)