The Walled City
Written by Ryan Graudin
Survival, Contemporary
Published November 11th 2014
320 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
Add to Goodreads
Survival, Contemporary
Published November 11th 2014
320 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
Add to Goodreads
Disguised as a boy, Jin Ling searches for her missing sister, Mei Yee, who was sold into the brothels of the Walled City. It's a cut throat world of gangs, drug dealers and warlords and every day is a struggle to survive. Jin Ling relies on her speed and cunning but how long will her luck hold? When a mysterious boy, Dai, requests her help with a dangerous mission Jin Ling's inclined to say no, this is a world where no one can be trusted, but the mission offers her a vital chance to see inside the brothel where her sister may be being held.
Jin Ling and Dai join forces, but will either of them survive the mission? Is Mei Yee still alive? And how will any of them ever escape the stifling city walls?
With a fantasy setting inspired by Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong, Ryan's novel has a rich authenticity and an intense atmosphere, and its pace will enthrall the reader from the very first page.
From the reluctant leader, to the dashing hero or heroine that is often abrasive, tenacious and an important character in fighting oppressive regimes or slaying dragons. They're out leading characters and this week I'm showcasing my favourites of 2014, with a few romantic leads thrown in.
Atlantia
Written by Ally Condie
Fantasy, Mythology
Published November 6th 2014
320 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Australia
Can you hear Atlantia breathing?For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above, of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self, and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden, she has nothing left to lose.
Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long hidden truths.
The highly anticipated second book in The Go Girls Chronicles. Stories of gutsy girls in action sports, by Leigh Hutton. Scroll down for the massive giveaway.
The Imaginary
Written by A. F Harrold
Illustrated by Emily Gravett
Middle Grade, Fantasy
Published November 1st 2014
240 Pages
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
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Middle Grade, Fantasy
Published November 1st 2014
240 Pages
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
Add to Goodreads
Rudger is Amanda’s best friend. He doesn't exist, but nobody's perfect.Only Amanda can see her imaginary friend, until the sinister Mr Bunting arrives at Amanda's door. Mr Bunting hunts Imaginaries. Rumour says that he eats them. And he's sniffed out Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and running for his imaginary life. But can a boy who isn’t there survive without a friend to dream him up?A brilliantly funny, scary and moving read from the unique imagination of A.F. Harrold, this beautiful book is astoundingly illustrated with integrated art and colour spreads by the award winning Emily Gravet.
Science Fiction, Romance
Published November 19th 2014
400 Pages
Thank you to Allen & Unwin
Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths. He returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two
Eighteen year old Jubilee Chase is an urban warrior amongst the soldiers stationed on Avon, when Flynn Cormas, leader of the Fianna takes her hostage after crossing paths. Flynn is the reluctant leader of the rebels, a group fighting for independence against the forces stationed on their colony. The rebels are fighting for their planet, and the promise of a better existence for generations to come. A promise Terra Dyn has yet to deliver. Avon should have been a living, thriving destination for families, and Flynn is determined to discover why it's not.
Lee and Flynn are both now on the run, he is unfit to lead the rebels who are now seeking retribution, and she now deemed a rebel sympathiser. Separately, they are just two fighting for what they've always been taught to believe in, but together they will change the world.
Accepting that her life is now in the hands of a rebel, it's only a matter of time before Lee is just another causality of war. But Flynn isn't the savage rebel Lee assumed him to be. In the caves of their community, Flynn is waging his own battle against one of their own for leadership. The ceasefire between both parties relies on Flynn seeking the truth. Why do soldiers seemingly become suicidal, why the lights and whispers guide them through uncharted terrain and why he finds himself in an alliance with a soldier and turning his back on the Fianna.'Clear skies, cousin.' Good luck, he means. There are never clear skies on Avon, no blue, no stars. But we don't give up hope, and we use those words to remind ourselves. Clear skies will come, one day.
Lee and Flynn are both now on the run, he is unfit to lead the rebels who are now seeking retribution, and she now deemed a rebel sympathiser. Separately, they are just two fighting for what they've always been taught to believe in, but together they will change the world.
Kelly's Thoughts
Without a doubt, These Broken Stars was one of my favourite reads of last year, and This Shattered World by far exceeded it's predecessor. Told in dual points of view, eighteen year old Jubilee Chase is a prodigy and a female leader among men. She's seen squadrons come and go on Avon, to avoid The Fury, a condition that ultimately sends soldiers to an early death. While the planet undergoes the lengthy transformation, Lee and her barracks are employed to maintain the peace, often with a heavy hand. Flynn leads a peaceful rebellion, known simply as the Fianna, playing homage to Celtic warriors throughout history.
Jubilee is feisty, stoic and an incredible heroine. She's the ultimate soldier, but fueled by revenge against those who took her parents lives. Unbeknownst to Lee, Flynn also shares a similar fate. His sister lead the rebellion and fell at the hands of the soldiers, or Trodaire as they're known. So what seemingly begins as an attraction and suspicious curiosity across a crowded bar, soon becomes a personal battle of survival. Both Lee and Flynn are more similar than either would care to admit. But when they both begin to question the whispers and secrets that surround Avon, a tentative relationship blooms amidst the volatile world they both share.
Both Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are incredible authors, their character development and world building is immaculate and understand how to construct a well developed and phenomenal storyline. From the very first chapter, I was utterly hooked. The elements of purple prose scattered through is breathtaking. Once again, they've created another fast paced, action packed and passionate storyline that readers will completely immerse themselves in. This is simply a case of book love and these girls can do no wrong. One of the best modern day young adult series. Ever.
But Lee and Flynn are not without allies, and fans of the series will enjoy when These Broken Stars, This Night So Dark and This Shattered World collide.This boy, the one who believes I'm not what they say I am, what I believed I was. A Soldier without a soul, a girl with no heart to break. He's the only one who's proved me wrong.
Both Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are incredible authors, their character development and world building is immaculate and understand how to construct a well developed and phenomenal storyline. From the very first chapter, I was utterly hooked. The elements of purple prose scattered through is breathtaking. Once again, they've created another fast paced, action packed and passionate storyline that readers will completely immerse themselves in. This is simply a case of book love and these girls can do no wrong. One of the best modern day young adult series. Ever.
Starry Nights
Written by Daisy Whitney
Contemporary, Magic
Published November 1st 2014
304 Pages
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
Seventeen year old Julien is a romantic, he loves spending his free time at the museum poring over the great works of the Impressionists. But one night, a peach falls out of a Cezanne, Degas ballerinas dance across the floor, and Julien is not hallucinating.The art is reacting to a curse that trapped a beautiful girl, Clio, in a painting forever. Julien has a chance to free Clio and he can't help but fall in love with her. But love is a curse in its own right. And soon paintings begin to bleed and disappear. Together Julien and Clio must save the world's greatest art... At the expense of the greatest love they've ever known.
In The Afterlight
The Darkest Minds: Book Three
Check out my review for book two Never Fade
Check out my review for book two Never Fade
Written By Alexandra Bracken
Dystopian, Paranormal
Published November 3rd 2014
512 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
Add to Goodreads
Dystopian, Paranormal
Published November 3rd 2014
512 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
Add to Goodreads
Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. Only Ruby can keep their highly dangerous prisoner in check. But with Clancy Gray, there's no guarantee you're fully in control, and everything comes with a price.When the Children's League disbands, Ruby rises up as a leader and forms an unlikely allegiance with Liam's brother, Cole, who has a volatile secret of his own. There are still thousands of other PSI kids suffering in government 'rehabilitation camps' all over the country. Freeing them, revealing the governments unspeakable abuses in the process, is the mission Ruby has claimed since her own escape from Thurmond, the worst camp in the country.But not everyone is supportive of the plan Ruby and Cole craft to free the camps. As tensions rise, competing ideals threaten the mission to uncover the cause of IANN, the disease that killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others with powers the government will kill to keep contained. With the fate of a generation in their hands, there is no room for error. One wrong move could be the spark that sets the world on fire.
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