Category Archives: Teenage Fiction

Review: Andy Mulligan – Liquidator

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Liquidator
Andy Mulligan

Liquidator is an amazing new sports drink that people just can’t resist drinking. It’s more addictive than Coca Cola and Coffee, and billed as being good for you! When a couple of kids stumble over the truth, they find themselves facing life and death situations, not just for themselves.

25464528So we’ve got a couple of kids are in high school and they all manage to intertwine into facing off the guys that are in charge of Liquidator. You see more and more characters being added to the visible ‘cast’, and yet you aren’t overwhelmed because the story is moving too quickly for that to happen!

What got me really really grumpy about this novel was that it wasn’t clear which person was speaking without reading the chapter headings. That being said, the different perspectives work really well and make it more are a unisex novel. There’s no romance as a refreshing highlight and it’s just generally a feel-good novel about what difference teenagers can make.

Something else that annoyed me was that it was all about Jamie Song. I didn’t understand why this one person could make such big difference. Even if they didn’t have his photos and he didn’t survive, I don’t think it would have made a huge difference to what happens at the concert. I mean of course they wanted to save him but any of the other records they had would have made a difference. Perhaps this was just a reflection that you need a human face to make a difference.

It was fascinating how the author brought together all the different story lines. I’m going to give it three stars from me, maybe an almost 4. I kept reading because even though I could see how the different plot points were going come together, I couldn’t believe how quickly they were happening.

I’ve got someone in mind that will enjoy this novel and that’s a teenage boy. Target genre right there! It’s action packed, any teen could get hooked. I couldn’t imagine a sequel for this but if it was to happen I would hope it would be as our interesting and complex as this was.

3star

Review: Alex Gino – George

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George
Alex Gino

George has never seen herself as anything other than a girl. That’s just a small problem when she has been assigned as a male at birth. She doesn’t even like what’s in between her legs, and wishes she could play games with the other girls. When a chance to perform might give her the chance to be herself, she will take anything she can to be in it.

24612624For the first chapter of George you don’t actually know what’s happening in the story. George could be a girl or a boy’s name. Instinctively the problem is that George knows that she is a girl, it’s just explaining it to other people. Sometimes it is the least likely of people that believe.

There’s a bit of George concerned with understanding different adults, but it doesn’t seem too packed in. Especially poignant is George finding allies are in unexpected places and sometimes feeling the joy of being just herself without fear.

This book is a great intersection between children and teenage transgender literature that I don’t think has been properly explored in fiction. I think it’s accessible to primary school level (I think Bridge to Terabithia is just as moving, and that was a primary school novel for me), especially since the characters within it are all in grade 4.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t reread this. But I can see it as a definite reread for a young person questioning their sexuality, gender or anything else not ‘normal’. This novel makes those things accessible, and suitable for a school library. Get out there, buy it for your young person.

5star

Review: Kaz Delaney – The Reluctant Jillaroo

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The Reluctant Jillaroo
Kaz Delaney

Harper and Heidi are identical twins that are anything but alike in personality. After an accident at the last minute prevents Harper from going to her dream summer week, Heidi steps in to create instead a week of awkwardness.

27161175There’s too much reliance on obvious differences between Heidi and Harper to get some good characterisation happening. I couldn’t have cared less which one wore the pants or the skirt (and isn’t that cover awful? There wasn’t a pink tutu to be seen, thank goodness). Or which one is epic with guys, and the other is completely oblivious.

The guys themselves are just as predictable. There’s the comic duo, fighting over one unlikely lady, and the dark, steely Chaz who Heidi of could has to fall for. You could tell from the first page that he was going to be the love interest, and you would have been super disappointed if they didn’t get to be together.That’s not even a spoiler.

I would have really enjoyed more depictions of outback life, which would have made it possible for this novel to provide some interest to USA or UK markets. The things referenced weren’t in nearly enough detail. I think that could have been made more of in the campfire scenes, but Heidi was too busy staring at the sexy Chaz to pay attention.

On a final note, I’m not sure why there was intrigue added. It honestly didn’t do much for the novel, and I would have given a lot to have some more realistic characters in that page space. Or more character background. Or different perspectives.

What frustrated me the most was the too-neat, super annoying ending. Of course! Ah yes! Why didn’t I see that? Oh, because it wasn’t hinted about at all. Or it wouldn’t fit the romance. Before that point, I might have been generous to the novel, but that just dropped my opinion completely. I’ll give it 3.

3star

Review: Keren David – This is NOT a Love Story

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This is NOT a Love Story
Kerin David

The world never seemed to revolve around Kitty. But when she finds herself in an entirely new environment with two hot boys to chase (not that she would ever admit to liking them), she creates a new persona for herself.

22838328This novel started out with so much promise, but failed to deliver. What you think is a horrifying lovers spat gone wrong is nothing more than a joke – on both the reader and the characters. Kitty! You stupid, selfish character. You’re so busy being ‘cool’ that you missed everything. And being cruel to the other characters is just ugh. Did not endear me to you despite you being the main character.

And this Instagram thing, which I assumed was included to ‘keep up with the times’? It just dated the novel for me, and didn’t actually do anything to further the story. Maybe if images were included, then it would have been more useful. As it was, I could have done without it, and more character development.

Considering that more than one point of view is shown in the story, you would expect to get a good grasp of the characters. But I didn’t feel like I knew any of them. Ethan was ‘moody’, Theo was ‘clever’, but apart from Ethan being constantly rude and Theo focussing on London Jewish politics, that was it. It had promise, it really did. Ah, but it was all lost.

Oh! And did I mention some of the characters were gay? Just goes to show that you need some solid story as well as some queer references to get my vote. 2 stars from me, with a sympathetic 3 if I must.

2star

Review: Victoria Scott – Salt and Stone

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Salt and Stone
Victoria Scott

Tella has survived a jungle and a desert. Now she faces stormy seas and frozen mountains on her quest to save her brother. With others in the race with ulterior motives and those just trying to survive, it’s a battlefield of interesting portions.

20657437The novel breaks open with a bang, and continues along at a relatively fast pace. This is interspersed with confused love scenes and meaty blood letting. And of course, depictions of friendships that can rise and break in a moment. Don’t think it’s just love and games in their boat, there’s more than that going on.

The reason I perhaps enjoy this slightly more than the Hunger Games is that there isn’t too much killing of people, only Pandoras. I mean, almost everyone is attached to their Pandoras, Tella in particular, but it’s not quite the same as the wanton killing of humans.

Personally, I found the first novel, Fire and Flood, more than this one. It had the juicy details and the threat of death being much closer. Instead in this one, Tella is so comfortable in her role that it is impossible to see anything going wrong for her and her guy (see what I did there, readers of the first novel?)

I received the first novel in this series from the publisher, and it hooked me enough that I requested the second. It didn’t come my way though, and since I have more than enough books to read at the moment, I didn’t buy this one. Luckily for me, my partner bought me this for Christmas!

4star

Review: Jenny Downham – Unbecoming

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unbecoming
Jenny Downham

Katie’s grandmother has unexpectedly come to stay. Katie’s life has been fragmenting since her parents split up, and this new addition to an already dysfunctional family could be the end of it. In coming to care for her eccentric grandmother, Katie comes to realise that family is complicated – but that doesn’t mean it is inherently bad.

9780545907170_xlgThis novel touches on a number of important topics – sexuality, family history and degenerating health conditions. The family history here is convoluted and lovely, and exposed sneakily by Katie’s perspective, and also from Mary’s memory. Mary’s memory loss is extreme, and is getting worse, but she is still trying to work out what has gotten lost, and why it is important.

Dementia can be a tricky subject to portray in a manner that is convincing, but it is done so brilliantly here. The mentions of Jack being present for Mary could have been jarring, but instead they were comfortingly woven into the text, where they could be either past memories or imaginings from Mary.

What I liked about Katie and Jamie/Simona’s relationship was that it was less ‘typical’ or predictable than relationships in other novels, where being in love doesn’t solve all problems. Something I always struggle with, both in novels and in real life, is that any gay characters are automatically expected to like each other! I mean, the saying is that ‘there are plenty more fish in the ocean’ for straight people, and I think that needs to be different for gay or alternative relationships – it’s more like an overcrowded pond with plenty of random fish that are forced to be friendly because they share the same space. Is that too much of an analogy?

The ending was a little neat for my now-refined taste, but there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that. This is the second novel I have read recently that doesn’t offer easy answers, or a linear, unimaginative plot. Not being able to predict characters based on past novels you have read (and I have read a lot) is beginning to be a sign of brilliance of authors I read.

This is a valuable contribution to YA literature. Highly recommended reading.

4star

Thanks to Scholastic for providing me with a complimentary copy.

 

Review: Anthony Horowitz – Crocodile Tears

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Crocodile Tears
Anthony Horowitz

Genetically changed crops are the next stage in feeding the world. But of course, they can also be the source of a plague. Alex Rider is pitted against someone that isn’t even the obvious threat. It’ll take his wits (as usual) to get out of it…

6566616This novel gets off to a roaring start with a party and a road accident. Things seem to go back to normal then, but of course, Alex is in the middle of something before he even notices. Alex never learns. He just can’t help himself, and so he gets into trouble, and he doesn’t know if he’ll survive. But he just has to do it! MI6 chose the right person for the job.

I find myself frustrated by the usual formula of needing to use every gadget you are given! It means that I knew how things would work out. But then again, I love gadgets, and I would have been happy to see a bunch more of them! Gadgets are way more exciting than guns.

The blurb says that this is ‘his most dangerous adversary yet’, but I don’t think it is. All of the villains get a bit same-y eventually. Their motives are usually power, or money. And they all feel the need to brag about their plans! And pretend that it’s cool that it’s a 14 year old in front of them, a bright one, but still too young to make any sort of sense of most of the stuff.

It had been a while since I read the other novels in this series, but it honestly didn’t matter. This book is a stand-alone, any extra information you might need is briefed by one of the other characters. 3-4 stars from me, simply because it wasn’t that absorbing. I got it as a talking book to listen to while I worked, and it made a lovely distraction.

3star

Review: Eliot Treichel – A Series of Small Manoeuvres

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A Series of Small Manoeuvres
Eliot Treichel

Out on a camping trip, 15 year old Emma inadvertently causes her father’s death. Swapping between the days preceding and then following the accident, this novel depicts how life can change rapidly around death and how one girl survives the rapids to the other side.

25408142This novel doesn’t have an ending. Sure, the novel ends, but you are left not knowing all the answers. But that’s ok! I didn’t mind that I didn’t have all the answers, because it allowed me to really delve into the text, and come to my own conclusions. Enough had been said that I was satisfied.

What was refreshing about this novel was that Emma didn’t need a love interest or a best friend to get out of her trauma. It’s a more relatable picture of grief, and so so realistic. Not everyone has a soul mate waiting to pick them up! Emma has to deal with things by herself, and through that come to realisations about life.

The swapping between the time periods could have been confusing, but Treichel made the time periods so obvious, even a serial chapter heading ignorer like me could manage. It was obvious that she survived anyway, so it’s not like that was a giveaway. The hints at the future from the authorial voice worked for me.

So what about the world-building? Well, I think the camping scenario got plenty of air-time, but the outside world was dim in comparison. Again, that seemed to reflect the way Emma and her dad thought about the world – everything is deeper and more colourful in the bush. The other characters? I would have loved to hear more about Peg, and really very few other characters got a full space of description. They weren’t the point of the novel though, so I wasn’t worried.

The more I think about this novel, the more stars I want to give it. Unfortunately, for me, it’s no longer a reread (a bit outside my age group perhaps?). But I do think it has a lot to offer. 4 very strong stars from me, and a wish I could give it 4.5 stars.

4star

Thanks to the lovely people at Ooligan Press for sending me a review copy of this novel. They publish great things!

Review: Richelle Mead – Soundless

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Soundless
Richelle Mead

Fei and her village are deaf, and now are becoming blind. With the levels of food dropping, all the artists are allowed only to continue to paint the scenes of life. Fei longs to draw other things, but with her own work and her sister’s to do, she must

24751478What I liked about this novel was that magic didn’t seem to be a big part of the world, until it suddenly was. It was more about what real people could do when faced with difficult conditions, and what would cause a tipping point between fear and retaliation.

I loved that the storyline required me to pay attention. Not only were the world details beautifully realised, I could see each of the characters in their worn clothing. And around that, I still had to concentrate on the storyline – which kept me reaching for the novel after lights-out. Despite there being a beinga ‘love story’ running through this, it isn’t annoying or cloying and it doesn’t get in the way of the storyline.

Although Fei is always professing love for her sister, I’m not sure that I got a real sense of that. Yes, her sister gave her reasons to change things, but I think that inside Fei felt like she had to do something too. I’m not complaining exactly, but I just wanted more ‘feelings’ and to empathise with Fei more.

This novel reflects on modern society if you look for it. Although we might think of mining as ‘only’ being a dirty job now, the reality is that in poorer developing countries, people are still being treated like Fei’s village.

 

Considering that the author wrote two vampire series that I’m not interested in, I was a little afraid about the quality of this work. Not only was I pleasantly surprised, I might even consider reading other things – just anything but vampires!

4star

Thanks to Penguin Random House for my free review copy!

Review: Christopher Mannino – School of Deaths

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School of Deaths: The Scythe
Christopher Mannino

Suzie always thought that a Grim Reaper was just a story tale, left over from the Middle Ages. When she finds herself wasting away in the human world, she doesn’t know what to do next. When she finds herself in the Land of Deaths she is determined to get home as soon as possible, but that soon changes.

21798470The blurb left me a bit wanting. It basically promised me more than it could offer. The concept was good, but the classes just didn’t live up to expectations. Actually, it reminded me a bit of Harry Potter, except that there wasn’t any real bad guys. Just distant dragons, and the fact that ‘Mentals were treated badly.

Suzie is not particularly bright, as far as I can tell. She frustrated me with her naivety and inability to deal with people. And the romance that eventually happened? Sigh. I just couldn’t love it. I wasn’t convinced. Maybe because her character sometimes came across as very young, and sometimes came across as a teenager.

A million years is a long time… And something about that says to me that Deaths shouldn’t just ferry human souls. We’ve been around as ‘humans’ for around 6 million years. But I suppose the whole concept of this novel steps away from what is possible, so that should be ok…

I didn’t understand the motivations of many characters. In fact, I didn’t understand the big deal about there being a female Death, except that apparently all female Deaths are bad! Or maybe it is just adapting to it. Seriously guys, get over it. I know you aren’t all from the 21st century, but surely you aren’t all bastards?

I read this in one sitting. I always find that ebooks leave me unhappy and not feeling like I’ve really read something with substance. As interesting as the concept of this novel was, I just didn’t feel like it was executed well enough for me to give 4 stars. 3 stars from me. I have hopes for the sequel, but I’m not sure I’ll be volunteering to read it.

3star

I received this novel as part of a tour.