#WhatIsNormal: 'The Art of Being Normal' review

'The Art of Being Normal' by Lisa Williamson

Review by Christopher Moore

 

Summary:

Two boys. Two secrets. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth - David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal - to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year 11 is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long ...

 

Review:

The Art of Being Normal is an incredibly thought-provoking book that looks at bullying, abuse and family but in particular, transgender life – territory that is seldom touched on in YA lit. Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2016 (for Best Older Fiction Category), it doesn't take a rocket science to understand why. The book tells the story of two boys – Leo, who wants to be invisible, and David, who's hiding a secret. David is transgender and for as long as he can remember, he has wanted to be a girl. He struggles to tell his family, fearing their reactions. Bullied at school, through David's narrative, we learn to empathise and understand more about what it means to be transgender (for example, I never knew about the concept "to go stealth" or why it mattered but Williamson slips it in seamlessly to the story, entertaining, enlightening and educating the reader).

David and Leo are complete opposites and in other ways, they are so alike. Their narrative voices are completely different and a great contrast in the way the story is told. I love how David scopes out society in different ways; when he sees twins in a buggy, one wearing blue and the other pink, and remarking on the way society wants to fit you into a mould that you don't necessarily fit. Leo's thoughts are more inward, centred around his past, his family and the father he never knew. Essie and Felix are incredible characters too. They offeran interesting dynamic, infinite dollops of humour and as the self-labelled Non-Conformists, they are who they are – unapologetically so.

I'm incredibly happy that The Art of Being Normal has done so well. It feels like the "what will the parents think?" concerns have gone out the window or, at the very least, are a less important factor in determining prize winners. It proves that you don't have to be transgender to read it and more so, it's a huge contribution to the LGBT canon. All that is required is an open mind. The novel raises the question of what it is to be normal and maybe there's no such thing as normal and if there is, it's fitting in line with a preconceived set of notions that we've passed down for decades, even centuries, and if that's the case, ignore them. Empower yourself and be who you want to be because normal is overrated. As a friend of mine once said: "do you, boo. Do you."

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

Christopher Moore:

  

Christopher is a co-founder of the YAfictionados blog and is best known as the YAblooker. He is a twenty-five year old book blogger who has previously worked in marketing and consumer insight for various publishing houses and writes in his spare time. He loves to travel and will read anything YA-related and some general fiction and fantasy.

I'm So Starstruck: 'Star Struck' Review

'Star Struck' by Jenny MacLachlan
Review by Christopher Moore

Summary:

Following on from Flirty Dancing, Love Bomb and Sunkissed, Jenny McLachlan's next book is perfect for fans of Geek Girl and Louise Rennison.

A spotlight shines down on the two of us and everyone drifts into the shadows...Pearl is destined to be the star of this year's school musical. Being the lead is all she wants - especially as it means kissing super-hot Jake Flower.

Then a new girl walks into the audition...Hoshi can sing, she's an amazing dancer and she's seriously cute. Before Pearl knows it, she's stolen her part, her friends and Jake's attention! But this girl doesn't know who she's messing with. Pearl's used to battling every day and she's not going down without a fight. Sparks are going to fly!
 

Review:

Star Struck is the last in the Ladybirds series. I should probably point out now that I haven’t read the others but that didn’t take away from my reading enjoyment.

If I’m being honest, I thought that Pearl was an absolute cow. She came across as a complete rhymes-with-witch but I get it. MacLachan crafts her characters on two levels; their characteristics and outer appearance and their internalised problems like Pearl's home life where we get to see her softer, more vulnerable side. So yes, on the outside, Pearl isn’t a very nice person but when we get a 360 view of her life, we begin to understand the complexities that drive her and make her act the way she does.

Domestic abuse haunts her home life. Pearl has to lock her bedroom door to prevent her brother from invading her personal space and finding new ways to torture her. There were parts where I was actually scared for Pearl; where I experienced her panic and fear as if there were some sort of fictional-real-world, psychic link tethering us together.

I don’t think the book covers do justice to the stories. When I picked it up, I wanted to put it down again because the cover gave the impression that this was going to be a girly, all-frills kind of book when it’s more than that. It’s a book that touches on some really strong issues like abuse and there's a nice surprise towards the end. Pearl, as the narrator, is funny and cruel but she demands your attention and makes you want to read her story.

Is this the best book I’ve ever read? No. Is this a book I’d recommend? Certainly. It’s an ideal beach read. The only drawback for me was the way the abuse was handled; I don’t feel like there was any sense of resolution and for younger readers, that’s a bit dangerous, hence why I knocked off a star.

Rating: 4/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★

 

Christopher Moore:

  

Christopher is a co-founder of the YAfictionados blog and is best known as the YAblooker. He is a twenty-five year old book blogger who has previously worked in marketing and consumer insight for various publishing houses and writes in his spare time. He loves to travel and will read anything YA-related and some general fiction and fantasy.

Connor Franta: Work in Progress

'Work in Progress' by Connor Franta

Review by Sarah Nuttall

Summary:

 

In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation-so far. Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue his creative and artistic passions in his early twenties, setting up his thrilling career as a YouTube personality, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tastemaker.

 

Exploring his past with insight and humour, his present with humility, and his future with hope, Connor reveals his private struggles while providing heartfelt words of wisdom for young adults. His words will resonate with anyone coming of age in the digital era, but at the core is a timeless message for people of all ages: don't be afraid to be yourself and to go after what you truly want. This full-colour collection includes photography and childhood clippings provided by Connor and is a must-have for anyone inspired by his journey. 


Review:

"I’m just a small-town kid. Trying to figure out my place in the big, wide world. I’ve only been around for twenty-two years, and there’s so much left for me to explore and learn."

Even those unfamiliar to vlogging or Youtube channels will have seen the rise in books written by internet personalities over the last year. From Zoella’s record-breaking debut novel Girl Online to Fleur De Force’s beauty book The Glam Guide, these diverse and exciting books are exceeding all expectations and appealing to a wide range of readers for different reasons. With loyal fan bases, some followings have their own language, nicknames and in-jokes with their respective vlogger, resulting in intense, pre-release speculation for cover reveals and a surge in pre-orders.

Connor Franta’s Work in Progress was no exception. As soon as the book was listed, there was immense interest; my small bookstore in a little northern town was receiving e-mails, phone calls and visits from customers eager to buy the book before it was out. Twitter enquiries came through at night when our store had closed. Unlike the other personalities that have released books so far, Connor’s is listed as a memoir and offers an insight into his extraordinary life. As vloggers are often criticised for portraying their lives through an adjusted lens, it was quite interesting that this was to be a more exploratory look at the phenomenon. As I was unfamiliar with Connor Franta's vlog, I wondered if I could engage with his book as a non-fan. I’m also lucky enough to work closely with my former branch, Waterstones Leeds, who were asked to host Connor’s UK tour. To say the staff were tremendously excited was an understatement; the event was hosted with the unadulterated joy of a child seeing fireworks for the first time. With six-hundred people in attendance, it was always going to be one of the most exciting events in the shop's history.

I arrived quite early to the event. I wasn’t surprised to see fans queuing outside; this happens on many occasions even if the celebrity isn’t going to be in the building for hours, however, never this many, so soon. The atmosphere was electric as fans jostled together to queue and see Connor when he arrived, pressed together so closely we would weave through them opening windows, offering water and sweets trying to make sure they were comfortable. I spoke to many of his fans on the day and the excitement and happiness was overwhelming. Fans screamed his name, some were unable to speak through tears of joys and others, so incredibly elated that they came back to thank the store for hosting the event. At one point, I opened a window to screams and cheers on the top floor upon sight of my arm. The day did leave one firm impression that this book had resonated with so many people for a reason and with my own signed copy, I went away and read the book that evening.

So, a little history about Connor Franta: as I mentioned above, he’s an internet personality, best known for his Youtube channel where he discusses and reflects on issues and thoughts on the world. Connor started posting videos in his teens and has grown up on camera with the videos representing his growth from a boy into a young man, from puberty to adulthood. Connor’s videos vary from nipple piercings to living alone and sexual comments from fans to coming-out; quite a broad range of topics varying from the mundane to the heartfelt. This is the tone of the book that details his entire childhood up until now and gives you a fascinating insight into his world. As a non-fan, I found the earlier part of his memoir (focusing on his childhood) particularly sweet but it was similar to looking through a friend’s baby album. The hospital pictures are cute; you find out their first word, you laugh at them screaming whilst having their first bath but then, it’s a chorus of first-day-of-term school pictures and annual nativity scenes. To a fan though, I think it is incredibly exciting to read about the personal moments and memories of someone you aspire to. Fortunately, we soon arrive at Connor's high school years and the memoir switches gear. Suddenly it’s incredibly moving, interesting, honest and relatable. The Connor personality from the videos shines through and I was eager to learn more about him and the life lessons he’s learned.

Although Youtubing may seem like an easy way to success there are hundreds of Youtube channels, personalities and videos and its Connor’s personality and engaging force that has made him stand out from the crowd. In his memoir Connor encourages his fans to learn, understand and accept themselves. To embrace new experiences as opportunities and grow: it’s a powerful message and to the majority of his fans are in an age bracket where this is a struggle as they mature and strive for independence. It is a message that will hopefully resonate and inspire. For those who don’t read ‘celebrity’ memoirs, you may not be fully convinced to pick up Work in Progress, however, it touches upon subjects that many YA fans will appreciate like learning to accept yourself, diversity and honesty. I really enjoyed getting to know Connor and I’d be interested to see if he puts pen to paper again as I think he might be a good story-teller as well as his many vlogging and non-vlogging-related ventures..

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Sarah Nuttall
Sarah is an active contributor for the YAfictionados blog site. She has written posts for the Waterstones blog and has worked as a bookseller (for 9 years), a Children's bookseller (for 6 years) and is now a manager at her local bookstore. Needless to say, Sarah is a valued member of the YAfictionados team - a true Children's and YA literature expert. Follow on Sarah on Twitter: @CapturingSarah.

 

      

'Take Back The Skies' Review

'Take Back The Skies' by Lucy Saxon

Review by Laura Ashforth

 

Summary:

Catherine Hunter is the daughter of a senior government official on the island of Anglya. She's one of the privileged; she has luxurious clothes, plenty to eat, and is protected from the Collections which have ravaged families throughout the land. But Catherine longs to escape the confines of her life, before her dad can marry her off to a government brat and trap her forever.

So Catherine becomes Cat, pretends to be a kid escaping the Collections, and stows away on the skyship Stormdancer. As they leave Anglya behind and brave the storms that fill the skies around the islands of Tellus, Cat's world becomes more turbulent than she could ever have imagined, and dangerous secrets unravel her old life once and for all . . .

 

 

Review:

For a debut author, Lucy Saxon's first book is pretty good. She certainly has a lot of potential which I’m sure will improve as she writes more.

The plot of TBTS is fairly good, it has a dystopian, ‘overthrow a terrible government’ feel to it but different and in a completely new world. However, at the start of the book, Cat’s objective is to escape her life, but we don’t get enough detail on it to know exactly what she’s escaping from; she dislikes her father, but doesn’t every teenager at some point? And her mother is ill; doesn’t she mind abandoning her? I felt it needed more on her father's cruel behaviour so that she felt forced to leave rather than seeming like a stroppy runaway.

After Cat leaves, there is too big a gap in the plot where nothing really happens. She just lives happily on the Stormdancer with nothing building in the background and you wonder what the rest of the story is going to be about. It leaves you bored just waiting for the plot to pick up.

Once things do pick up, sometimes you’re left thinking, really? The main characters have snuck in to a secret government building and to avoid being caught hide in a cupboard, where they begin talking. Surely, they couldn’t be at all surprised when they’re shortly after discovered and hauled out?

The characters, I think, could’ve been better developed with more stand-out, individual characteristics compared to the stereotypical enigmatic male with a dark past he doesn’t wish to speak of. He didn’t seem different to past heroes. The heroine was a typical, stubborn girl who wants to escape her life and ends up falling in love with the first boy she encounters. 

The language was unnatural and forced almost. The dialogue just didn’t flow but seemed disjointed; it needed to be more conversational.

The world building was good; Lucy has built an odd and new world with opportunity for later books set in it. It was easy to slip into the world and imagine it and want to be aboard the Stormdancer. 

The end of the book I feel isn’t satisfying; you’re left hanging and angry. After finishing, I liked that the end was different and sort of angered me because it made it stand out but I felt saddened by it in an already quite dark book. It didn’t change and end lightly, which was surprising. 

 

 

Rating: 3/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ 

 

 

Laura

Laura is a blogger who started reviewing for the Guardian’s Children website before starting her own blog and joining the YAfictionados. She loves to read everything and anything though fantasy is her favourite (probably, she thinks, because of her childhood love of The Lord of the Rings). Her favourite books include the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

Follow Laura on Twitter: @AssassinGrisha

Find Laura on Goodreads: Laura Ashforth

'Because You'll Never Meet Me'

'Because You'll Never Meet Me' by Leah Thomas

Review by Christopher Moore

 

Summary:

 

Ollie and Moritz are two teenagers who will never meet. Each of them lives with a life-affecting illness. Contact with electricity sends Ollie into debilitating seizures, while Moritz has a heart defect and is kept alive by an electronic pacemaker. If they did meet, Ollie would seize, but turning off the pacemaker would kill Moritz.

Through an exchange of letters, the two boys develop a strong bond of friendship which becomes a lifeline during dark times - until Moritz reveals that he holds the key to their shared, sinister past, and has been keeping it from Ollie all along.

 

Review:

 

Because You'll Never Meet Me is an incredibly touching story told between two boys who will never meet because Ollie, repels electricity and it repels him, and Moritz requires a pacemaker to live. The story is told in a letter narrative, mostly, between the two boys and is an intimate form of writing that lets us see both characters, their relationship and so much more.

 

I would have liked a little more character differentiation between Ollie and Moritz. Sometimes the lexicons feel quite similar but overall, Thomas has produced a magnificent story with endearing characters (admittedly, Ollie being the most charismatic and bubbly) that reveals so much about human nature, love, friendship and family. It's not without its highs and its lows but ultimately, it's a long-distance journey that changes both boys for the better.

 

The LGBT element is subtle and this is a perfect example of where LGBT representation can be prominent without it being centre-stage and completely taking over the story. Yes, the story does cover LGBT issues but it's not a LGBT story. It cannot be pigeon-holed as such because it is a compelling and deeply touching story that encompasses this but is so much more than JUST THIS. This is exactly the sort of story that we need. I would class it as a diverse book and as James Dawson commented this year at YALC, we have diverse books around us already but we need to champion and support them in order to push publishers to produce more wonderfully diverse stories. We don't just need DIVERSE books, we DESERVE them.

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

Christopher Moore:

 

 

Christopher is a co-founder of the YAfictionados blog and is best known as the YAblooker. He is a twenty-four year old book blogger who has previously worked in marketing and consumer insight for various publishing houses and writes in his spare time. He loves to travel and will read anything YA-related and some general fiction and fantasy.

 

 

 

Follow Christopher on Twitter: @YAblooker

 

Find Christopher on Goodreads: Christopher Moore

Follow Christopher on Instagram: @yablooker

'The Mime Order'

'The Mime Order' by Samantha Shannon

Review by Laura

 

 

 

Summary:

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most wanted person in London. As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.

Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on. 

Review:

There is no question over whether or not you should pick up The Mime Order. It is a MUST. In the sequel (to The Bone Season), Shannon’s story well and truly settles itself in your memory, gripping you, demanding a place on your ‘favourite’s shelf.

The Bone Season concluded with Paige escaping Sheol 1. The Mime Order immediately follows this so straight away, you're hauled in to Shannon's world until your gripping the page, white-knuckled. The first had a lot of information to take in but with The Mime Order you can slip right in and feel comfortable minus the info-dumps. 

I was a little concerned about how Shannon would keep the storyline running for her predicted seven books. The first is so jam-packed and fast-paced. I didn’t know how her ideas would stretch out for all those books. Now that I have read The Mime Order, I am not at all worried.. Seven books suddenly seems a lot more realistic now. I’m confident in Shannon’s amazing writing.

Also, SEVEN BOOKS! Looks like we won’t be saying goodbye to Paige for a while yet, yay!

In The Bone Season we got to experience the inside of Sheol 1 with only flashbacks and a little hint of the Cohort Districts, teasing you almost. The Mime Order introduces a whole new range of places in the Cohorts. Shannon’s world is so vivid and rich, everything is seen so easily and so, once you start the book, it’s very hard to pull yourself back into reality! The unique spin on a 2059 London combined with the idea of clairvoyants really sets Shannon’s book apart from anything I have ever read. That's what makes it so special and personal.

We get to know the other members of The Seven Seals a lot more which is great as there are some wonderfully imagined characters in the group.

Jaxon Hall is an especially brilliant character. He seems to walk the fine line of love and love-to-hate for me. Paige is very much cemented as one of my favourite heroines now. I have so much respect and love for her after this book. It’s wonderful to read about such an intelligent character, you never feel exasperated towards her for being naïve, for example.

The cover and chapter headers, of course, like the first, carry special meaning within the book, which is always fun to look out for.

If you like The Bone Season and maybe have trouble envisioning the characters, or if you just want to see some cool fanart, check out thefourthorder.tumblr.com and The Bone Season wiki. There are amazing drawings to gawk over. 

And boys and girls, I would prepare yourself for the ending of this book.

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

 

 

 

'Bomb' Will Blow You Away

'Bomb' by Sarah Mussi

Review by Christopher Moore

 

 

Summary:

I'm Genesis Wainwright. I'm a sixth-form student. I come from Somerset. My mum is the best mum in the world. I play the guitar (badly). My best friend is Holly. I'm searching for answers to the Meaning of Life. I believe in True Love. AND I'M IN LOVE WITH NAZ. I want to be a performance poet. And I'm crazy about motorbikes.

I can remember everything.

Except last night.

When Genesis goes on a blind internet date, she just wants to get over her ex-boyfriend Naz. She just wants someone to like her again. But when Genesis wakes up the morning after the date, she can't remember a thing. She doesn't know where she is, or how she got there. And she can hardly move because she is strapped into some kind of body armour ...

Before she has time to figure it out, she receives an order through an earpiece stuck in her ear. And then a voice sounds in her head: 'You have been chosen for an assignment ... The vest you're wearing is packed with high explosives. And with one mobile call we can detonate it.'

To her horror Genesis has become an agent of mass destruction, a walking weapon in the hands of a terrorist cell.

The countdown to detonation has begun: Genesis must re-examine everyone and everything she loves and make terrifying choices ... in the face of certain death.

 

 

Review:

 

The best YA books are those that stir a reaction - an emotion - in the reader. Bomb is a book that will make you sick to your stomach, give you heart palpitations, make you really feel for Mussi's protagonist, Genesis, and downright scare the absolute crap out of you. The story is dark and twisted and much like Mussi's previous book Riot, which explores forced sterilisation and overpopulation in a not-so-distant England, she pulls no punches. From the first page, she demands the reader's attention.

 

I thought it might veer into predictability by the halfway point but instead, I followed Genesis on her rollercoaster journey that had me almost tearing out the final pages with dread. In particular, I commend the in-the-moment, fast-paced, action that drives the story forward; something not every author can do and not something that I have seen successfully sustained over an entire novel. Mussi intertwines this effortlessly with Genesis' character. Living in London, I love how Mussi effortlessly anchors the story in London without removing us from the suspense of the story and the emotional connection between Genesis and the reader.

You can't help but root for Genesis. Regardless of what you might think, you feel her pain and her fear and you really have no idea how it's going to end. I love Genesis. Given her situation, she decides not to play the victim. She chooses to resist. She taps into her own power and weaponises herself against the enemy. She's clever and calculating and we need more heroines like her in the world of YA.

I rarely curse but in the immortal words of Louise O'Neill, this book is a "total mindfuck". It plays on your emotions. It's dark and gutsy but ultimately, it's a compelling read that will hold huge appeal for male readers but also, it is something that I would hugely encourage girls to read too. It doesn't have sparkly vampires. It doesn't contain star-crossed lovers. It's a bleak story, full of action and suspense and the perfect book for anyone that loves chills and thrills.

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

Christopher Moore:

 

 

Christopher is a co-founder of the YAfictionados blog and is best known as the YAblooker. He is a twenty-four year old book blogger who has previously worked in marketing and consumer insight for various publishing houses and writes in his spare time. He loves to travel and will read anything YA-related and some general fiction and fantasy.

 

 

Follow Christopher on Twitter: @YAblooker

Find Christopher on Goodreads: Christopher Moore

Follow Christopher on Instagram: @yablooker
 





'The Vanishing Girls' Is An Edge-Of-Your-Seat Nail-Biter

'Vanishing Girls' by Lauren Oliver

Review by Sarah Nuttall

 

Summary:

 

Lauren Oliver returns with her exceptional new book ‘Vanishing Girls’ once again delivering a novel that will appeal beyond her adult audience with a coming-of-age story with YA appeal. 

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

 

Review:

 

New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Oliver, has once again created a story that will appeal to adult readers with Vanishing Girls due to its rich complexity and emotional intelligence but with characters on the cusp of adulthood, faced with life-altering decisions, the books are relatable for YA readers too. The central theme of Vanishing Girls is loss; the loss of identity through a person’s beauty, body, relationships and friendships. The accident rips all these from Dara and her loss of identity and anger at Nick feels justified and relatable because Dara feels she’s vanished from her own life; a pale shadow of her former self. When Dara crashes a nearby party to avoid the first night she’ll see Nick, she’s struck by her peers' reaction to her now to what it would have been a few months earlier. When her best friend drops by to return her possessions she’s left in her car, Dara notices that she doesn’t look at her eyes; that the possessions aren’t because she thinks Dara would want or need them but because she doesn’t want to see them; she doesn’t want to be reminded of Dara. When she leaves and Dara realises that this is the end of their friendship, because neither know how to be friends now, it's real and heart-breaking.

It’s a testament to Oliver’s writing that we are able to understand the closeness of Nick and Dara’s relationship from a few past memories and little instances in these scenes sow the seeds for later developments in the book, causing an unsettling air or tension. Within this tension, we are also introduced to the disappearance of Madeline which breaks into the forefront of the main story in unexpected places. Oliver uses this dual storyline to her advantage ratcheting up the tension in the book between the sisters, between the past and the present and the loss of Madeline to create an unsettling thriller. Yet, it's also an extremely emotional drama about the loss of the relationship between two sisters who were so close they were almost one. I found Vanishing Girls both extremely emotional and unsettling. I enjoyed it so much that  I passed on my copy immediately to a friend as I needed someone else to read it so I could talk about it.

 

Like Oliver’s other books this is a well-written novel that will stay with you long after reading and can be read as an introduction to Oliver’s style as well as a standalone novel. I’d highly recommend trying any of Oliver’s works as she is in a class of her own, from her chilling horror book Room, to dystopia with the Delirium trilogy to this thriller in Vanishing Girls she is able to write in any genre and make it engaging, providing complex and interesting characters and themes YA readers will adore.

 

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Sarah Nuttall

Sarah is an active contributor for the YAfictionados blog site. She has written posts for the Waterstones blog and has worked as a bookseller (for 9 years), a Children's bookseller (for 6 years) and is now a manager at her local bookstore. Needless to say, Sarah is a valued member of the YAfictionados team - a true Children's and YA literature expert.

LBOY2015 Shortlist Review #5: 'Summer's Shadow' by Anna Wilson

'Summer's Shadow' by Anna Wilson

Review by Christopher Moore



 

Summary:

Her mother's will states that Summer's legal guardian is her uncle Tristan: a man Summer has never even heard of before. Forced to leave her life in London, Summer moves to Tristan's creepy, ancient house in Cornwall. There she is met with indifference from him, open hostility from her cousin, and an aunt who has chosen to leave rather than to tolerate her presence.

Soon Summer comes to believe that the house may be haunted. But is it haunted by ghosts, or by the shadows of her family's past?

Scared and lonely, Summer begins to spend more and more time in the beautiful sheltered cove she discovers nearby. But she's not alone. A local boy frequents it too. Can Summer find first love and the answers to the mysteries of her new home with this good-looking boy who appears to be too perfect to be true?


Review:

This is a sweet book that's almost literary in style, telling the story of Summer after the death of her mother and her new life at Bosleven with her estranged family. Summer is a middle-of-the-road character. It's a pity that I read Clare Furniss' The Year of the Rat before this because Furniss really captures the essence of her narrator's, Pearl's, pain and grief with splashes of humour and a distinct voice that intrigues the reader. Summer's voice is a bit flat. I found it difficult to engage with her or pay attention to what was going on. I found myself reading a page and having to re-read it because I wasn't sure what happened. I couldn't focus. I think the reader would have benefitted from a first-person perspective from Summer's point of view.

The settings were well developed; the beach, Bosleven. Wilson anchors the reader in specific places that are beautifully described.

As I read the story, I wasn't sure what sort of story it would be. There were some supernatural elements that almost echoed Alyxandra Harvey's Haunting Violet but ultimately, the story is more in line with The Year of the Rat. The characters were OK. I wanted them all to be pushed a bit further.

Overall, it's a nice read but it's not the best book in this area that I've ever read.

 Rating: 3/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ 

 

 

Christopher Moore:

Christopher is a co-founder of the YAfictionados blog and is best known as the YAblooker. He is a twenty-four year old book blogger who has previously worked in marketing and consumer insight for various publishing houses and writes in his spare time. He loves to travel and will read anything YA-related and some general fiction and fantasy.

Follow Christopher on Twitter: @YAblooker

Find Christopher on Goodreads: Christopher Moore



LBOY2015 Shortlist Review #3: 'Only Ever Yours' by Louise O'Neill

'Only Ever Yours' by Louise O'Neill

Review by Sarah Nuttall

Summary:

freida and isabel have been best friends their whole lives. Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions - wives to wealthy and powerful men.

The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate.

But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to be perfect mounts. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty - her only asset - in peril.

And then into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.

freida must fight for her future - even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known...

Review:

Only Ever Yours is the debut novel of the talented Louise O’Neill. A satirical novel on society’s obsession with female beauty and the pursuit for physical perfection, it was well received by the YA community as well as being shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and winning the inaugural YA Book Prize.


freida and isabel have been best friends their whole lives; born from the same batch of eves they are genetically engineered women designed to be the right standard of physical beauty and perfection. Along with their sister eves for twelve years they have attended The School awaiting the day of The Ceremony, the day were they will finally discover which role they will receive on leaving school – companion, concubine or chastity. The greatest of these is the companion; a role which allows the eve to be owned by a husband and the possibility of having sons. Next, are the concubines; designed for sexual pleasure. And lastly, is the common chastity; remaining at the school to develop the future generations of eves to attain their futures. The chastities teach the eves the rules; be pretty; do as you’re told; don’t be different; and don’t break the rules. They eves are drugged with pills to help them sleep and keep their weight within target. Their classes revolve around learning skills that men will find useful and critiquing the beauty and weight of their fellow eves. The pressure is immense and when the boys arrive to claim their brides the eves descend into the final rounds of their high pressure game of "'win or lose"; for this is what they were designed for; this is why they were made. 


I was absolutely floored the first time I read Only Ever Yours and having read it a second time it still has had a strong emotional effect on me. Although the story is fiction, it comes from such an honest core, using our society’s obsession with physical beauty so that it offers more of a reflection on modern society that, on the surface, may resemble a standard YA dystopian novel. The eves are trained to analyse, critique and manipulate each other all in the name of beauty and by conforming to one type of beauty, the eves are faceless; mere clones encouraged to have no personality. The eves viciously attack each other’s physicality; the eves with the highest beauty rankings setting the standards and implementing a self-perpetual cycle that cannot be broken. The onslaught is relentless.


Social media and TV offer no reprieve to the eves; instead, it is used to reflect back to them the standards and ideals they must achieve. It’s a frightening parable but one which will resonate with most. Who amongst us hasn’t witnessed someone’s physicality described negatively? Hasn’t seen a magazine label a woman too skinny, too fat, or simply labelled a bitch? Read a description of a woman’s age and beauty rather than her profession achievements? A mere glance on the internet can bring up the worst and nastiest comments from faceless commentators, with users hounded off social media by taunts of weight, beauty or accusations of stupidity. The most popular cosmetic surgeries across the world are breast augmentation, nasal surgery and eyelid surgery as women across the world alter their faces and bodies to achieve one goal. Butt implants are the fasting growing surgery. It’s a vicious onslaught and although it’s a personal choice and, for some, surgery may have a positive life change, perhaps some would feel happier with their perceived imperfections if there were more standards of beauty than what’s currently reflected.


The desire for physical perfection is summed up perfectly by O’Neill. The standards don’t make our eves happier or healthier, indeed they make them less so; physically and spirituality they are stupid, dull, insipid and mean. The eves are constantly pulling each other down but are never content or happy. Indeed, our happiest characters are those that have accepted themselves and their bodies. It’s a positive and much needed message and one I hope younger women will see and champion because there is beauty in everyone and to deny your beauty to fulfil another’s standard is a loss to the world.


Only Ever Yours is a truly remarkable book, not only for its positive messages, but for introducing us to the wonderful O’Neill who I’m sure will continue to create wonderful books and interesting books. For a debut author, her writing is exceptional; great dialogue, complex and interesting characters and an uncanny ability to understand and connect with her characters. I understood the motivations and could empathise with the characters in the book; from isabel’s attempt at defiance to freida’s overwhelming desire to be a companion; megan’s drive to be Number One and Darwin’s confusion at the eves' interlocking love/hate relationships. A truly wonderful book and one that deserves to be in every school library.  

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Sarah Nuttall

Sarah is an active contributor for the YAfictionados blog site. She has written posts for the Waterstones blog and has worked as a bookseller (for 9 years), a Children's bookseller (for 6 years) and is now a manager at her local bookstore. Needless to say, Sarah is a valued member of the YAfictionados team - a true Children's and YA literature expert.