Flat out love by Jessica Park #bookreview

The self publishing industry is popular at the moment, but in my experience the good titles are few and far apart. The quality of self published novels is often lacking, there is a lot to be said for having a good editor and the traditional publishing industry on ones side when publishing a novel. This time however I have managed to find that rare piece of gold among the gravel!

I bought Flat out Love after reading several good reviews from my Goodread friends. I felt reasonably safe that I could trust these reviewers as I just removed well over 600 friends whom for some reason or another did not fit my new criteria for GR friendship. So after my bout of cleaning Flat out Love still stood out as a good read, friends had given four and five star ratings to the novel. I was curious, could this self published YA novel really be that good? After having finished the novel, I wonder why on earth no major publishing house has bought the rights to this lovely story. Several self published novels that is lacking, compared to Flat out Love, has already been bought, so why ever not a novel that actually deserves it?!

Julie has been scammed, her supposedly nice little flat (one she found through Craiglist) is a restaurant. What ever should you do when you have no place to live in a new town? Julie calls her mother. Luckily, mom Kate is able to find a temporary home for Julie with a family of her best friends from her own time studying. The Watkins is kind and Julie quickly bonds with brothers Matthew and Finn, and their younger, quirkier sister Celeste. One of the strangest tings with Celeste is the fact that she is dragging with her a live size cardboard copy of her older brother Finn everywhere. The doll is appropriately named Flat Finn; it keeps Celeste company when Finn is out traveling the world.  Julie finds it rather weird that this is how a thirteen year old copes with missing her brother. Could there be more too it? However nice the family is something is off and all family members are overprotective of Celeste. 

Julie moves from Ohio to Boston to go to college. In Boston, she houses with a nice but also a very dysfunctional family. The story is predictable and could perhaps have delved even more down into the more serious issues, that being said the story was so entertaining and addictive that I devoured it despite of some of the things that the author could have delved deeper into. What you see is what you get and sometimes that is all this reader needs. Nicely done characters, smart (sometimes perhaps a bit too smart on some areas in life and not so much in others) and evolving throughout the story. Jessica Park has a good vocabulary and a varied language, I enjoy that in a novel, it has a nice flow too it and I learned a few new words along the way.

“Only one more exit, and then we’ll be there. This will be worth the two-hour drive. Trust us.” “When you say worth, do you mean there will be cash incentives involved? Apple is having a press conference in a few days, and I’m sure they’ll be releasing some wildly unnecessary gadget that I need."

Self published novels are often more unpolished than a traditional published novels. I find myself speculating how this novel could have taken the step from very good to excellent with the firm hand of an editor. Jessica Park has done an amazingly good job all on her own. It is important to remember that the publishing industry is a whole lot more than big budgets for marketing, at least in the early stages of a novel. Author and publisher works together to bring out the very best story that lives in the author, the see a good story and offers guidance on the road to a great story. I must not forget the wonderful people washing the manuscripts for grammatical errors and so on. Luckily, I cannot say that I noticed any grammatical errors in Flat Out Love. I give this sweet romance my stamp of approval. The sequel, I do believe it is the story of Celeste, is already added to my wish list.

Have you read Flat  Out Love? What did you think? What are your experiences with self published novels in general? Would you consider reading this one? Drop me a line in the comments.

#bookreview - Cemetery girl by Charlaine Harris & Christopher Golden, ill. Ben Kramer

From Sookie and her sizzling hot vampire crew in Bon Temps, to a young girl struggling with amnesia. I have read Charlaine Harris' first graphic novel.

The birth of Cemetery Girl

Behind Charlaine Harris' light brown curls a mass of entertaining plot ideas abode. This time the idea was also a first for Harris - her first ever collaboration project.

The ball started rolling when Charlaine conversed with Christopher Golden - known for, among others Buffy, Baltimore-serien, Hellboy & X-men - about an idea that she had. An idea the author felt had no format befitting it. Time went by and nothing happened with the embroy of an idea that Charlaine had. One day an email from Mr. Golden silently glided into Charlaine's inbox. Should they work together on Charlaine's idea?

The result is as you probably all have guessed by now; Cemetery Girl. The first in a graphic novel trilogy illustrated by Ben Kramer - known for Batman, JSA and a the Dr. Fate miniseries.

The story

As luck would have it an acquaintance of mine had this book in her possession. Some time ago we discovered our mutual passion for reading, and the love of the same genres, so she generously offered to Cemetery Girl to me.

The novel is a fairly new, published early in 2014. This time around Charlaine Harris is wooing to a younger audience than the one she normally caters too. In my opinion this novel is fitting for a lot younger crowed than just Harris' faithful fans.

This sounds familiar

The plot is perhaps not as original as many a reader might like when they pick a new read. If I was interested in originality I wouldn't have picked one of Harris' novels to read. When I read a Charlaine Harris I come for a light, entertaining read, and she usually provides(if one forgets about the last books in the Southern Vampire mysteries), Cemetery Girl is not an exception.

A girl, she calls herself Calexa Rose Dunhill, loosing her memory and settling down in a crypt on Dunhill cemetery. After a close encounter with death Calexa Rose can see the soul of humans recently passed. One of these poor souls need Calexa's help to find peace. This might sound like The Ghost Whisperer or Harris' own Harper Connelly series. Still, I was buying into it and I stuck around until the last page was turned. The writer duo even managed to squeeze a couple of tears from my eyes. It was definitely a nice 20 minutes break from the world as we know it. This graphic novel debut gets a stamp of approval from me.

The illustrations

Below you'll see one of the illustrations from the novel. What is shown is a piece of memory. If you look closely you will be able to see that Ben Kramer added the illusion of broken glass over the memories, to show us, I guess, that this is only a fragment. A nice touche. I really enjoyed the way Kramer used that kind of effect throughout the story.

#review: Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

A girl trying to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, in a society whose dwellers are divided, by law, between day and night. Plus One is a great story with injections of smart writing and beautiful prose.

In Elisabeth Fama's world the population on earth is divided, in each country, by day and night. A measures taken to prevent further diversification of the Spanish Flu in 1918.

You think the cover is beautiful now?
Read the book and the story will bring a new dimension to the cover.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux(Macmillan Children's Publishing Group) for providing me with a reading copy through Netgalley. This review is my honest opinion of Plus One.

Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.

Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece—a day dweller, or Ray—she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.

Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.

WOW

Plus One just threw me off track right from the very first sentence. I hadn't really done my research before starting this novel and I actually thought I was in for a story on teenage pregnancy. How wrong I was. The first ARC cover might have been a tad bit responsible for misleading me - one look at the pregnant O and I knew, well at least I thought so, what this story was about:

Smart decision to change cover for this sublime story.
Sadly covers matter a lot, unless you are as famous J.K. Rowling.

When one right makes two wrongs 

You know how sometimes people do things for the right reason? Sometimes it just all gets out of hand no matter how good the intention was initially. In Plus One this goes both for our main character Sol and the society she lives in. Things get out of hand and in the dead of the night good intentions turns sour. This might sound like a dystopian but I wouldn't really say it is.

At its most visible level Plus One can be said to be a story about love in a family as well as broken families. Sol's love for her grandfather(and brother)is truly touching. It reminded me of the loss of my own beloved grandfather, a person that truly held a special place in my heart(as all of my family members do, but some people leaves a greater mark in our hearts than others). I'm not sure I would commit to kidnapping, like Sol did, to put a smile on someone's face. Kidnapping can seem a little extreme, but in Sol's case the situation is so special that I accepted that it had to happen that way.

"But after he tells you how they died, I want you to remember how they lived(...)"

Secondly this is a story about people being unfairly treated by the lawmakers. It is about how they react to it. Some just go with the flow, accept the rules, play by them and even find life good in some ways. The ones who never question why, how or whom. For Sol that is very much how life is, she is not out to change the world, she just wants one last happy moment with her grandfather, to see him smile out of pure joy once more.

It was familiar, it made sense, it was permanent. It had never been presented as a point of discussion.

Also we have these people's very opposites, the people who will fight for everyone elses rights at all costs. They will sacrifice their soul for the sake of others. People like that walk, and have walked, on this earth every day, not just in Fama's alternative version of it. In Plus One the people have started a demonstration against the government. The revolt on the division of hours is led by Grady Hastings and in him all great freedom fighters from our history lives on.

Thirdly this is a romance and that might I add is a wonderfully played bonus.  

The not so insta-love

Mrs. Fama has been clever and she never fell all the way down the insta-trap. Thank you! In a clever manner she drew, by short switches from present to past, an old connection between the two who were romantically involved. It made the whole thing a lot more believable and antagonizing at the same time. All the way through the story I felt that these two can never become one, this cannot possibly end well. I will not reveal the answer here, you just have to read the story to figure it out for yourself.

Characters

Elizabeth Fama has done a thorough job with the characters, they are well fleshed out on the page. They are all human - they all have their strengths and weaknesses and the good guys can be bad and the mean ones nice.

Language

I love Elizabeth Fama's language in this novel, there is no dumbing it down. The author trusts her audience to be able to read the text without it being simplified in any way. The language is rich and Fama leaves little doubt that she has a vast vocabulary to work with. Fama and her likes should be an example to others, most young adults and adults needs, and enjoys, the text to challenge them in some way. As I mentioned in the first lines in this monster of a review I adore the prose that can be found in the text.

Powerless But for the star destroyer Unknowing She crash-lands in his heart.

A huge bonus for those of us always happy to learn new things was that Fama had interesting tidbits hidden in the text educating me without it being obvious. I now know about Pavlov's dog, the green flash, The Ink Spots and the hypnagogic twitch - the latter has happened to me for as long as I can remember, but I never knew there was a word for it. I bet some you know the feeling of falling down in your bed before sleep - well that my friend is the hypnagogic twitch.

“Look at the mid- sky, about halfway up from the horizon, and wait for your eyes to adjust,” I said softly. “It will take five to ten minutes.”He was quiet. The sky was full of stars; and the spaces between them were not fully black, because the longer we stared, the more the pricks of other stars peeked behind and next to them. I stole that time to listen to him breathe. I soaked up his presence, storing it for the future, burning it into my memory.

Surroundings

The bridge was geologically ancient, an impassive observer, surrounded by life that was fleeting in comparison: trees that would only survive hundreds of years, tourists who would only live decades, insects that would thrive only for weeks.

The description above is both wonderful and philosophical, and perhaps not the best example of Fama's wonderful work describing the characters surroundings throughout the novel. But hey, it was a very lovely sentence, I had to incorporate it somewhere in my review and this was as good as any. Fama has a way of describing places that makes you want to go there right away. To see what the characters of the story sees, and feel what they feel. I now have an urge to go to the Maquoketa caves state park in Iowa, the Noma camp(sadly it won't be there) and The Harper Memorial Library in Chicago.

Soon the sky had become a blanket of stars; and then it became heavy, bulging down on us, so thick it was like soup that I might reach up and stir with my hand if I tried. And finally, to my relief, Cygnus the Swan and the Great Summer Triangle began to emerge from the cosmos with the faint, cloudy dragon spine of the edge of our galaxy.“Oh my god, is that the Milky Way?” he whispered. My throat got hot. It was the most beautiful thing I could ever have hoped to show him.

There is one incident of sex in this story, but it is nicely done and nothing too graphic. It feels a bit weird to just have to state it in the text, as sex, drugs and swearing is not that uncommon in Nordic YA(those of you who've read The Circle will have an idea about what I mean).

The only negative thing I can say is that I feel that some of Sol's reflections might seem a little too adult for her age, but that is just a minor hitch nothing that sets back the quality of the overall story.


Elizabeth Fama

Photo:  Gene Fama Jr.

• is Italian, married and has four wonderful young adult children 

• is well educated

• likes to jog, swim and play tennis

• her father won the Nobel Prize in Economics 2013

• asked a very good question on YA book covers that publishers ought to ponder.

Check out Elizabeth's homepage for more information. Also check out her family's page for comics and Elizabeth's Hippo.

Other books by Elizabeth Fama:

Upcoming books by Elizabeth Fama:

Review: Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman`s boyfriend Nick opened fire in the school cafeteria and killed and injured several teachers and students including Valerie. Most people initially thinks she was in on it or at least that she knew about her boyfreind`s plans. Both Valerie and Nick were outsiders at school and together they created a "hate list" with names of people and things they really disliked or hated. This list were found by the police and known by the public shortly after the shooting. Nick obviously used this list to target his victims so no wonder people blame Valerie. When her stay at the hospital and the summer holidays are over she is forced to confront her guilt and fear and return to school. Old friends and even family turn their back on her and some new and unexpected people welcomes her. But will she forgive herself and move on with her life?

                           

   

My thoughts:

First and foremost Hate List is about Valerie and she is a very complex and interesting character. She is confused and broken because she still loves Nick but cant`t tell anyone. She blames herself on one hand and on the other she does`t. She doesn`t in any way understand why Nick did this terrible thing but feels she probably should have known. She thought he was messing around when he talked about wanting to hurt people or is this something she keeps telling herself to justify why she didn`t contradict him? Recently before the shooting he`d started to hang out with an older guy and Valerie felt left out because Nick didn`t share as much with her anymore. Still she didn`t suspect anything. The way people treat Valerie made me really angry but Valerie`s way of thinking and denying that she had any part of this also made me angry. She didn`t shoot anyone but she was part of creating the list of people that were targeted. In fact she was the one that started it. Even after reading the book you don`t have an answer to why this happened and how guilty Valerie really was. It is up to the reader to decide and personally I`m not sure. Her perspective gives the book something special and makes it such an interesting read.

Even though Hate list is an easy read and written in a way that really captures you the content is obviously not to be taken lightly. The story about what happened on the day of the shooting, earlier stories of  incidents that made some og the people get their names on the list and how Valerie copes with it are given to the reader bit by bit in separate chapters. This is very effectful. You don`t get the whole background story at once and all the pieces come together in a puzzle that is not at all black and white. It`s like we process things together with Valerie and your initial thougts might change. Is she without any guilt? Are the people on the hate list without blame? And is Nick only an evil guy? The author makes us feel both sympathy and anger for Nick because he was also a victim but his actions are of course in no way exusable.The book doesn`t give us the answers to these questions because as in real life situations, things are very complicated. Hate List both allows you to and makes you think and that is what makes this a good book. High school bullying definitely occurs and hate and anger amongst the ones that are bullied rises even though fortunately the consequences rarely gets this extreme. Bullying is not really the main issue of the book though but it is definitely an important topic and the school didn`t handle the issue of bullying or the situation very well. In extreme incidents like this people easily get blinded by hatred and the importance of placing blame instead of dealing with what created the situation. And I guess placing blame is a main issue here, how difficult it often is. By not really giving us any answers only more questions this book is one you don`t forget that easily.

My rating:


Source:
I bought my own copy

Good, better, best - Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

In out of the Easy Ruta Sepetys have created a wonderful set of characters. The characters never asked to be loved, but still they crawled under my skin, and as a result everyone of them will live on in my heart for years to come. It pains me to face the facts, these memorable characters aren't real. In their own way they feel so real and vibrant, colorful, fun and exiting to spend time with.

Caged? Spread your wings and fly away! I love this cover <3

Another time, another place

Come with me, take my hand and jump aboard my time capsule. We'll travel back in time, to the south, Louisiana, in the "French quarter" in New Orleans. When we are there I'll introduce you to Josie Moraine, she is just seventeen years old, but Josie is wise beyond her years. Growing up in the shadow of a mad woman working on a brothel is no joke. Josie will tell you she is doing fine, in spite of or perhaps because of her difficult childhood she is making a life for herself. She has dreams and she has the fighting spirit to make her dreams turn into something solid.

The Future

If you think that this is all set to be a tragic story about a young girl, then you are on the wrong track. Ruta Sepetys choose to focus  on Josie's future, the hard past is something that is part of Josie but it never takes over her life. Josie is living and fighting for a better future. It seems like everything just might be in Josie's reach when she is involved in a murder case. I will not tell you how it all turns out but I need to let you know that this is a story that will give your warm and fussy feelings. Thinking about Josie, her friends and foes makes me feel thins bubbly sensation of happiness inside and I want to hand out a copy to all my friends and make them read Out of the Easy.

Josie spent most of her childhood and teenage years in a bookstore. Perhaps it was this one?© Flickr/Justin Cozart

Characters

In my intro I mentioned how much I fell for the wonderful characters within the word of Out of the Easy, that is just the way it is when a talented author let the characters live a life that feels true, real, a whole lot more than black ink on white paper. Ruta Sepetys writes characters full of richness and complexity, like real live human beings. There is a whole set of memorable characters here; like Willy the brothel owner(based on Norma Wallace), the taxi driver Cookie, mechanic and florist Jessie and many more. I heart them all.

A lovely fasade in New Orleans. © Flickr/Michael Allen Smith

Do you like reading stories featuring memorable and quirky characters? A story that makes you believe in the good that exists in the human kind? With a sweet romance as the delicious cherry on top(or whatever rocks your boat)? Then Out of the Easy is your next read, you won't regret it.

Listen to author Ruta Sepetys talk about what inspired her to write Out of the Easy.



After reading Out of the Easy I dived a bit further into the history of New Orleans, being Norwegian and all I haven't got all that much in depth knowledge on all the American states. I thought I would share some of my finds with you guys before ending this review:

• Louisiana was named after Louis XIV of France
• In 1719 the French founded Nouvelle-Orléans. Guess what the city is called today? ;)
• "The French Quarter" is the oldest quarter in New Orleans
• Napoleon Bonaparte sold New Orleans to America(with Thomas Jefferson as the man in charge) in the Louisiana purchase in 1803 for 15 million USD.
• Author Truman Capote was from New Orleans. You might very well have read or heard of his most famous work; Breakfast at Tiffany's. I have read, and enjoyed, the book.

Book review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

If aliens one day enter my home to empty my bookshelf Code Name Verity is one of the books I will hold on to for dear life. I will fight the aliens with every fiber in my being, that's how much I loved Code Name Verity. This is book will be high on my Top 10 Reads list for 2012, I loved to bits and if you don't pick it up soon then you're in danger of missing out, BIG TIME.

I love this cover, it says so much about the story.

No spoilers

The setting for Code Name Verity is France (and partly England) during WWII. It is a story about female friendship, adventure and women/girls with rather unusual occupations during the war (spy, pilot and mechanic). And that my friend is about all I can tell you about this wonderful story. Why so little you say? Well my dear friend for me to answer that question I need you to answer this question: Have you ever read a book where the whole story will fall apart if you reveal the slightest thing about it? If you have then you know how hard it has been for me to write up this review. There is so much I'm longing to talk about but I cannot  bear the idea of spoiling this amazing story to new readers.

It’s like being in love, discovering your best friend.
A beautiful quote on friendship from Code Name Verity.

Female spies and pilots

Code Name Verity is an epistolary novel(see I learned myself a new word, yaaay), that means the story is being told through letters and diary entries. Our narrator is a young lady imprisoned by the Germans in France. The story changes between being told from a 1st POV and 3rd POV and it works surprisingly.

Our dearest narrator has a bleak future ahead of her, as she is labeled a Night and Fog(Nacht und Nebel)prisoner, that usually means prisoners who disappear into thin air and is never seen or heard from ever again. The narrator is well aware of this and she swaps whatever she can for the chance of a longer life, even if that means turning traitor.

I am no longer afraid of getting old.
Indeed I can't believe I ever said anything so stupid. So childish. So offensive and arrogant.
But mainly, so very, very stupid. I desperately want to grow old.
From Code Name Verity.

A puzzle or a crossword

This book is like a puzzle or a crossword and we all know how freaking annoying it is when you're this close to the solution and someone looks over your shoulder and gives you the correct answer. Author Elizabeth Wein has sprinkled her story with some very nicely hidden hints for the outfall of this story and I couldn't connect the dots at all until she spelled it out for me. Well done you! I love stories that keep me guessing until the very end and when it's revealed I could almost smack myself for not understanding what was going on before my very eyes earlier.

Code Name Verity might all sound very confusing, but I promise you that it is not. On the surface the story is well put together, there is no holes there but there is secrets there that you just cannot see before the author spills it.

This is a story that is perfect for rereading, it is not necessary but I'm willing to bet that I'll discover a whole new story the second time around. The first time I devoured the book, the second time I'll take my sweet time and discover all the little clues that was hidden for me the first time. I'm not much of a rereading kind of gal' but for this one I'm willing to make an exception. 

I am a coward.
I wanted to be heroic and I pretended I was. I have always been good at pretending.
Quote from Code Name Verity.

Credible

The main character is living on borrowed time, as long as she writes, she lives. The MC, I cannot name her, read the book and you'll understand why, does the unthinkable and becomes a traitor. It might seem a bit unrealistic that the soldiers doesn't just torture the information out of our MC spy, but to believe in this story this was just something I had to accept. This situation is made credible due to the fact that author Elizabeth Wein makes all her characters are human and complex, even the enemy has his weak spots . Very few of the characters, if any, is portrayed as just good or just bad.

Book trailer

Code Name Verity is fiction and at first glance one might believe there to be some historical errors in this novel. If you take a closer look at the information that exists in this novel you might be surprised to learn that some of the things that sounds unreal actually was very real. The things that aren't historical correct is being explained in an authors note at the very end(I learned some interesting facts in this note and I recommend that you read it if you ever read the book) and I think she has done a wonderful job writing about things that very well could have happened during WWII.


This story is both beautiful and heartbreaking and I L O V E it DEARLY! The story will appeal to young and old alike, especially women as this is also a story about strong women and friendship.


Did you know?
That 166 female pilots flew for the ATA during WWII?
15 of these 166 women died on the job.
The ATA pilots mission was to transport planes from one place to another and sometimes they also flew passengers.

That the ATA allowed disabled pilots to fly?
It didn't matter if you missed an arm or an eye, ff you could fly safely the ATA needed your help.

That a female pilot needed twice as many pilot lessons as a male pilot before they were allowed to fly on their own?

Well... look at all the lines I managed to use when I could have said it in such a simple way; I loved Code Name Verity. You don't want to miss out on this one.

This cover is just not to my liking at all. Looks more like a book in
the same genre as 50 Shades, which Code Name Verity most definitely is not.

Have you read Code Name Verity, if so did you enjoy it as much as I did? If not is it at least on your wishlist?

I purchased the audiobook from Audible. En innbundet utgave er på vei hjem til meg også, jeg må ha en fysisk kopi i bokhyllen.

I HAVE TOLD THE TRUTH! And for those of you who has read this novel already you know what I mean.

Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent was probably one of the most anticipated novels of this year. And personally I already know which book will be my most anticipated novel of 2013. Yes, the wait for the third book is a long one: the expected publication date is September 26th 2013. That's 287 more days.
I flew through Insurgent, the story is even more compelling and fascinating than Divergent.

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My thoughts

With Roth's writing style as compelling as in Divergent, we are pulled into the story. It has the reader in a grasp and won't let go until the last page has been read.
Insurgent is most definitely a worthy sequel to Divergent.


Every war leaves its traces, this one is no exception.
Tris struggles with herself, tries to cope with her grief. In the meantime the war rages on and of course there's Four. It's the developments that intrigued me, both in characters as in Tris's entire world.
Tris' tendency to throw herself in front of guns and Four's frustrations makes their relationship very intense, confusing and emotional. Their romance is handled perfectly, I was amazed by how it evolved with so much going on around them. This makes their relationship realistic, believable and moving.

Keeping up with the story requires some presence of mind though. It is complicated and rushes from one situation  into the other. Something you'll either love or hate. There is a lot of moving around throughout the city, there are numerous fronts of people and suddenly there's a shift in power. We're also introduced to the world outside the fence, which promises a rather interesting third installment.

My rating of this book

Source

Bought a copy in Cambridge :)

Other links

Find this book on Goodreads

Visit Veronica Roth's website here

~ Sylke

Book review: Variant by Robison Wells

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life. He was wrong. Now he's trapped in a school that's surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive. Where breaking the rules equals death. But when Benson stumbles upon the school's real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape--his only real hope for survival--may be impossible. (From Goodreads)

Variant by Robison Wells really surprised me in a good way. I was a bit let down after reading Beautiful Creatures before this one and other experiences this year. I felt a lot of the supernatural books in YA were starting to get to predictable. Variant is a dystopia but still my expectations were decreased. This is not predictable, it is never boring and has characters I believe in.

Maybe one of the reasons this really worked for me is that the story acts within certain limitations. The students are trapped inside a school ground and they know very little about what happens on the other side of those video cameras. This gives the author more room to develop the plot and build the tension and mood in the story. I also have to say that I personally found it a bit refreshing and relieving not to have to put my mind to another society or universe just this once. Because it is kind of demanding to do so in every book you read and first of all is it demanding for the writer to develop such a universe and society and not everyone can do this as well as others.

What Robison Wells really can do well is to create a very unpleasant mood with a couple of surprising twists and turns. I both enjoyed and disliked not knowing how bad this could go and not knowing what would happen to any of the characters and who to trust . It's still well within the boundaries of what I can endure. Benson is a character I think most people can identify and/or sympathize with. He's the one who asks questions about what is happening to them and he's the one who takes matters in to action when the rest of them either doesn't want to or are to afraid. He could be a little more careful in my opinion but I understand his actions and his flaws make him very human. I think most of us wants to be that brave person that just don't accept injustice. I can also understand the students that are too afraid or too comfortable with the situation. What they all have in commom is that no one is missing them. They came from fostercare where they were unhappy and probably thought they were really lucky to get in to this private academy.

Variant is a very thrilling and unpredictable read. I was not only surprised but even a bit shocked during my read. Languagewise it is not the greatest exsperience of all times but it works and the book has something even more important, a good story. I have very high excpectations for the next book, Feedback, that is already out in english. Have any of you read it by the way? I have to warn you that this ends with a real cliffhanger so it could be nice to have the sequel close at hand. I think I am going to wait for the norwegian book to come out in 2013 since I read this in norwegian, but the english version might just end up in my cart the next time I'm in buying books online.

My source:
A gift from the norwegian publisher Cappelen Damm for a book blog tour

My rating:



Silje

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

 After her parents are offered teaching jobs in Bristol, England, american girl Rory convinces her parents to go to a boarding school in London. In London a Jack the Ripper-copycat has started killing people on the same dates and with the same methods as the original Jack the Ripper. At first Rory doesn't get scared but more fascinated, but then weird things start to happen to her. The police are left with no witnesses or clues except for one thing, Rory saw and even talked to a man close to the murder scene on the night of the last murder. The strange thing is that her friend Jazza didn't see or hear him even though she was right there. Rory finds her self not only being an important witness but now also one of the murderer's main targets. And this is not the last time she can see people other's can't. This is the first book in the Shades of London-series.

The characters:
Rory is a small town girl from Louisiana with many weird relatives and is more straight forward than many of her new english friends. The stories about her relatives and the way she struggles adjusting to the british culture is funny but I still find her to be a little boring and uninspired as a main character. She is both smart and funny but she does'nt show a lot of emotions, you are just told about them. She finds her group of friends early on consisting of her roommate Jazza, Jerome, the not so nice Charlotte, and a couple of others.

I think we get to know too little about the characters because I don't get any feelings for them, I dont like them nor do I dislike them.  For instance I can't remember if we are told what any of them look like except Jerome's got  curly hair. I especially think Jerome is a very vague character and he is part of the book from the beginning and is an important character to Rory. If a book's heroine is going to have a romance should't you at least get to know what's attractive about the guy? Later we meet a new group through her other and new room-mate Boo and I find these people a little more intriguing. Especially Boo is easier for me to picture than the rest. I'm guessing we get to know more about all of them in later books.

The plot:
I did like the way the story plotted around the Jack the Ripper-mystery and we got details from the real case while reading about the new one. There were some short sidecuts to the story about a reporter and a Jack the Ripper-expert that gave some extra information and this strenghtens the book. I didn't know a lot about Jack the Ripper beforehand, but now I know a lot more. I found this book most interesting and exciting during the first half  and than again in the end but during the rest, I just wasn't that into it. One one hand you have the plot of the murder investigation and on the other there is Rory finding out about her abilities and learning about the ghost police and their background.  In the end I found the second plot to be the more interesting and this story will continue in two more books so there is light in the tunnel;-) What I didn't get about the mystery plot is the murderer's motives. I found them a bit too unlikely and that partly ruins that part of the book for me.

My thoughts:

It takes about two thirds of the book before the action starts for real and this time is not mainly spent to develop characters or build suspense. I actually didn't mind it being a bit slow in the beginning but at a certain point I wanted something more. I like to read about the daily life of teenagers in boarding school but something's not working when what they eat, hockey-sessions and other trivialities almost gets the same amount of attention as the plot and the characters. As I said earlier we don't really get to know or feel any of the characters and even though the plot is promising it's not enough to make this a great experience. I also think the lack of involvement from Rory made me less involved as well. I still think the last part of the book was intriguing and the characters of Boo, Callum and Stephen seems promising and more alive than the others. I might have to wait and hear what others think of the second book before I decide to continue with this series or not. Because even though it could be read as a stand-alone I find it more promising as the first book in a trilogy.

.
Source:
I bought the audiobook for myself.

My rating:

Who's buying and reading YA-books?

In september I read an article about adults buying teen books in The Christian Science Monitor. The results showed in this article are based on a study from Bowker Market Research. It shows that 55 % percent of the buyers of YA-literature are 18 or over and they say this is a trend that's only been increasing over the years. The majority of the buyers in the 18+-group are actually 30-44 years old (I am one of those:-) Of course this group could be buying the books for their kids or other teenagers, but according to the survey 78% of the adult buyers reported that they were buying the books for themselves. The popularity of series as The Hunger Games, Twilight and Harry Potter can take some of the blame but not most of it. More than 70% of the readers reported to read a variety of titles. This is good news for the publishers Bowker says because these book's readers are among the most loyal, socially active and committed you can find. So why do adults like to read books meant for a younger crowd?

Why do I like to read YA?
I can only speak for myself since I am one of those adults who like to read YA-literature. I started to read YA-books because of my job as a school librarian but now I really enjoy them and also buy some for myself. The article in The Christian Science Monitor claims one of the reasons for this could be that YA-books are often written in a less complicated matter than many books for adults an therefore may offer more of a literary escape. The genres of dystopia and fantasy that are very popular in YA-literature are both genres that appeals to me. I agree that many times these books are less complicated and first of all easier to stomach (less graphic) than in many of the adult books, which is fine by me. But I also think a reader could find literary escape in adult literature just as easy and many do but maybe the issues and the thematics doesn't appeal to everyone in the less complicated literature for adults.

                                                   (Photo: copyright: Flickr/Ben Sutherland)

Also the line between YA-literature and the adult literature is sometimes very thin. There's great diversity in YA and some of it is an easy read and some of it is not. One of the few similarities seems to be that it's about young people and issues that they are concerned about. So, the YA-literature appeals to me for many reasons but one of them  is about that last thing, that you can read about a persons period of life that is maybe the most vulnerable, exciting and where so many of your experiences are new and fresh. I think we all like to feel like that again. I also think this is one of the most important periods of life when a person is between childhood and adulthood. This is when you struggle to find out who you are and who you want to be. A lot of great literature has been written about this but maybe not been called YA. I think it's about time that this literature is discovered by a larger group of readers. And this leads to me ending this with the most important reason for me starting to read YA; I didn't know I could find so many fun, exciting and good books among them before I started to read them.

This leads me to another thing. In Norway we don't have a YA-category. Some books are called crossover-books but this is not really working in the marketing process because these books have a problem finding their way to the right readers. Therefore neither the young adults nor the adults read them a lot. This is hopefully going to change now that they are given more attention. How is this in you country?

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I'm very sorry for my long absence, combining school with life is harder than I expected.
While sorting through my goodreads account yesterday I came across an old review. Seeing I absolutely loved this book I though it would be nice to share it with you guys.

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

The Iron King tells the story of Meghan, a 16-year-old girl. She never understood why she always felt like she didn't fit in, until she finds out about fairies. And that her life is tied together with their world more than she could ever have imagined.

"Me? Die? Didn't they tell you, princess? I'm Robin Goodfellow."

At first I was a bit wary of reading this book, because it is so similar to A Midsummer Night's Dream. However, Kagawa manages to create a complete new world, with only the same old names. And I like it.
The writing was amazing, the Nevernever so beautifully described I felt like I could almost touch it.
The story was even better. This was a true fairytale, not the usual bittersweet love story, but a spark of beautiful hope in a void world.
The Nevernever, filled with dangerous creatures wanting to eat you and manipulating Fey hoping for you to say two words, signing a binding contract. Thank you.
Julie Kagawa is a genius.

"Bravo," said Grimalkin, peering down from Cold Tom's chest. "The Winter prince and Oberon's jester agreeing on something. The world must be ending."

The characters are amazing.
Meghan. Brave, stubborn, selfless. She's a likeable character, a character you can't help but empathize with. Even though she is a tad naive and has the bad habit to freeze when things are coming to eat her.
Ash and Puck, two Fey with a shared troubled past.
Grimalkin though, he steals the show. A big, sarcastic talking cat. I mean, how can people not like that? HOW?! Days after finishing the book I still wondered whether Grimalkin is a good guy or a bad guy. Only one way to find out.

The only reason why I felt a bit uncomfortable while reading was the relationship between Ash, Puck and Meghan. Still, a love triangle. While it wasn't necessary for the story.

I'm definitely reading the other books in the series, I can't wait to find out more about the Nevernever, Meghan, Puck, Grimalkin and Ash in particular...

You must get your hands on this one. Promise me.

My rating of this book

Source

Ordered it. Glad I was smart enough to buy the entire series at once.

Other links

Find this book on Goodreads

Visit Julie Kagawa's website here

~ Sylke

Book review: Pushing the Limits by Kate McGerry

What did I expect from Pushing the limits? A lot, love, teenage angst, drama and grief, something in the lines of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. So do check out my review(and my semi-new review format) to find out whether or not author Kate McGerry's debut novel met with my standards.

Looks like there might be a sizzling romance
behind this cover, right?

The good girl

Name: Echo Emerson
Age: Soon to be eighteen.
Looks: Like a siren(according to Noah)
Family: A bipolar mother, a distant father who married Echo's former nanny, a shallow stepmother and a brother, Ares, who was killed in Afghanistan.
Life: Struggling to blend in at school. Difficulties coming to terms with her brothers death and trying to cope with the fact that she is scarred for life. All of the above is resulting in nightterrors, so Echo isn't getting much sleep.
Bad habits: Trying to please everyone but herself. Other than that, she got none. Echo's your typical good girl, well at least she used to be before Noah happened.
Mission: Trying to figure out what happened the night she got her horrible scars, her brain has suppressed the memory of the entire evening. Fixing Ares care.

The bad boy 

Name: Noah Hutchins
Age: Soon to be eighteen.
Looks: Omigoshsohandsome
Family: Two younger brothers(aka his reason for living), parents deceased. Foster parents and a foster brother.
Life: Spent the past few years in different foster families. Has a history of violence.
Bad habits: Smoking pot, drinking, doesn't really caring about school anymore.
Mission: To get custody of his brothers and to make sure non of them will ever forget their real family.

When Harry met Sally(or you know what I mean)

Echo and Noah attends the same high school, but they have never been on speaking terms. Now the two of them are forced to work together through an arrangement suggested by the school therapist. It is a classical situation where two very different people are brought together and forced to collaboration. We all know how that ends, for the most part that is.

Author Kate McGerry's blossoming romance is nicely done, in the pre-relationship stage, but as soon as their relationship starts to evolve from flirtatious to the real deal the magic slowly seeps away. McGerry's real strength, in this story, lies in her portraits of what is broken. Difficulties and tragedies can change a life upside down, some are able to get back on their two feet, others don't. I feel that one important lesson to learn from this story is that one should always remember never to alienate people who have experienced a tragedy of one kind or another. In many situations there is created a gap between others and the victim(in lack of a better vocabulary). Instead of alienating people we should reach out to them, show them that we care and are there for them, no matter what.

As a bad boy I felt Noah was sweet up until he stared saying things like he wanted to own her and giving her deadlines to follow if she wanted to be with him. He felt a little too controlling, perhaps understandable due to his experience with loss, but not a healthy trait in a relationship.

Favorite character?
The therapist, her role felt so genuine. She cared about her patients and helped them bring out the best in themselves.

All in all I was a bit let down and I felt that perhaps that the story was a bit too moralistic for my taste. My final verdict is a three waning lil' moons.

/

Suggested for further reading(as they so nicely put it in textbooks):
- Review: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

- Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles.

- USA Today's article in which Kate McGerry describes her first kiss with her husband.

Source: Review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

Book Review: Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling

Set in London, during the preparations for the Olympics, this book is a perfect read for this holiday. It is the second installment of the Benedict series, and in my opinion a (more than ) worthy successor of Finding Sky.

Yves' story.
This is about getting you out...I'm stealing you.
Phoenix belongs to the Community - a gang of thieves with paranormal powers. Yves Benedict - an American student visiting London - is her mark. But Yves turns out to be more than just a target. He is her destiny. Her soulmate. But the Community owns Phoenix's past and it wants her future too.

My thoughts

Phoenix is a young Savant girl, surviving by stealing off unsuspecting tourists. When she is ordered to find a specific victim her whole life changes. Yves Benedict, another Savant, is her prey. She messes up and is not sure whether she can still rely on her remarkable gift. More importantly, she is not sure whether she will last the day. Luckily, she does and we get to enjoy a wonderful story.

I must admit I was first a bit skeptical when I found out this book wasn't about Sky & Zed. During Finding Sky I had grown attached to these two, while I liked Yves I didn't want to let go off them. After months of procrastinating I finally decided to give this one a try and I'm glad.
The story is a whole new one: New main characters, new place, new developments.Yes, the other Benedicts still play a significant role.
Again, Stirling's writing was amazing. The way she described everything made me feel like the book was about me myself, like I was Phoenix. How Phoenix feels, what she sees, what she thinks. Every sentence written in this books is interesting and creating vivid imageries. Stirling is definitely a creative mastermind.

Another thing I loved about this book is the character development. The Benedicts are intriguing, as well as their bond. Every single one of the seven brothers is different, what makes reading about them fascinating.
Yves is my kind of guy: intelligent, caring, romantic and a tad shy. How he's willing to do everything for Phoenix, right after he finds out she's his soulfinder, was touching. Though he immediately falls in love with her their love is hesitant at first. Yet he doesn't give up on Phoenix. As the story progresses their love runs deeper and develops, something I missed in Finding Sky.

Phoenix is an admirable heroine, someone I can relate to myself. The way she desperately wants to find a way out of the Community, the way she has trouble trusting others, the way she lost faith in humanity really. Throughout the book she learns to trust others, she learns to accept events even when she doesn't like them. 

Phoenix and Yves are from completely different worlds, them being together, it felt impossible at first. However, they complement each other perfectly. It's just right. 

Just like "Finding Sky" this story had me hooked right from page one, I can't wait to find out more about the Benedict brothers and their Soulfinders.
Stealing Phoenix was packed with loads of action and dangerous intrigues, and during their adventure Phoenix and Yves crept up on me.

Cover

Although the cover is nothing really "outstanding" nor related to the story, I like it. It's subtle, pretty. 

My rating of this book

Source

Bought at the local bookshop. 

Other links

Find this book on Goodreads

Visit Joss Stirling's website here

~ Sylke

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Firstly, I'm very sorry for my absence this last month, I was stuck in a place without a proper internet connection. However, I'm back now, and I'm going to make it up to you with a review of the most amazing book I read in 2011! I actually read it three times more since that first time, so it's about time I review it...

I can guarantee you, this book will get you hooked.

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

My thoughts
Divergent tells a story set in a dystopian world, post war. This sounds suspiciously similar to the Hunger Games, and yes, a lot of people do compare these books with each other. At first this made me weary, as I absolutely loved the Hunger Games and didn't feel the need to read a similar story. However, at one point there was no way of escaping: I had to read this book. And I loved it!
The inhabitants of Chicago have been divided into five factions: Abnegation (Selflessness), Erudite (Intelligence), Dauntless (Bravery), Amity (Peace), and Candor (Honesty)
Once a year children aged 16 must choose their faction, it's entirely up to them whether they decide to stay with their family in their old faction, or join another faction. Tris is stuck between two choices, her family or herself.

The book isn't that similar to the Hunger Games in my opinion. The heroines may be a tad identical, yet their worlds are completely different, as well as their stories. 

Veronica Roth's writing style is amazing. The way situations are described, I felt as if I was the one jumping from a roof, not Tris. Also, Roth managed to catch my attention right from the start, even though the first chapters are slow. As the story progresses it gets more and more thrilling. I simply couldn't put the book down.

I loved the world Roth created, and I loved the characters even more.
Tris, this short, shy girl somehow transforms into a strong and fearless leader. The kind of person you can't help but admire. The changes she goes through in just 487 pages, incredible. And believable, amazingly done by Roth.
Four is completely different. He doesn't really change, it's more that Tris him bit by bit unravels. The story is written from Tris's point of view, and as a reader you know as little about Four as Tris does. Where he is an intimidating, mysterious and a bit scary person to Tris at first, she learns about his past and gets to know him.

If you don't read this book now Tris and Four will come and hit you, you've been warned.

Cover

Personally I prefer the UK cover of this book, as I have a preference for pretty covers. I do feel the US cover shows the main setting and plot of the story better.

My rating of this book

Source

Bought at the local bookshop. 

Other links

Find this book on Goodreads

Visit Veronica Roth's website here

~ Sylke

Book review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie is a sequel to the book Matched and part of the Matched-trilogy. I've really been looking forward to this book since I liked Matched so much. I have to say I'm a little bit dissapointed. If you haven't read Matched you should stop here, because this review contains spoilers from the first book, and rather read Nina's review of it here or my review here (in norwegian.)

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his sure death--only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of a rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices every thing to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again. (Photo and summary from Goodreads)

My thoughts: 
To tell you the truth this book bored me one time to many. There's a lot of talk and no play (isn't that how it's said?:-)). Even though Ally Condie's writing still is beautiful and low-key I wanted this book to be more filled with action than it is. The first book isn't excactly action-packed either but it presents the characters and the Society where it all takes place to us in a very satisfying way in my opinion. The ending of Matched built up some expectations of a more exciting second book and what we get is even more background history of the characters, the Society and the rebellion on the outside. I don't think there's anything wrong with that but it doesn't match (haha) my expectations. We get to know Ky a lot better and what's going on outside the Society and it's "safe" boundaries. I want to know more but I wish we got to "see" it with our own eyes instead of beeing told the story through someone else like Ky or some of the new charachters we meet (I'm not sure this make's sense). Instead of being where it's all happening we just hear about it.

Ally Condies biggest strenght still is her poetic language and the moods she creates in her books. I still think it's a bit over the top for my taste in Crossed with all the poems and love declarations. Condie still writes in a way that makes this an easy read and I'm very excited about the third and last book. The pace surely must pick up in that one?

Source: 
Review copy from the norwegian publisher Mangschou in exchange for an honest review

My rating:




Silje*

Book review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Summary from Goodreads:

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

Rules of Attraction is a sequel to Perfect Chemistry (you can read Mari's review here). Even though you don't really have to read the first book before this one I would recomend it.

My thoughts:

After struggling a bit with the books I've been reading lately I decided to take a break and read something I, after reading the first book by Elkeles, expected to be a light but good and very entertaining read. I have to say I was not dissapointed because I really enjoyed Rules of Attraction even more than Perfect Chemistry. Even though I wasn't as excited as Mari about the first book I liked it a lot. It's been at least couple of years since I read that one but I think I can say for sure that the stories have a lot of similarities and they are indeed a bit predictable as many of these love stories tend to be. I still have to say that Simone Elkeles language makes it all flow very easy and natural. Especially the dialogues between the characters seems very natural to me. Another thing that makes this a good read are the characters, I really believe in them and connect with them. One of the reasons I think I like this book better than the last one is that I prefer Kiara to Brittany. I find her more interesting and sympathetic and she actually reminds me a little of Jordan from Catching Jordan by Miranda Kennealy.

The romance in this book is very cute and hot actually and if you're a teenager yourself you can probably relate and if you're no longer a teenager like me, you can remember your first love or maybe the one that got away;-) The book is also funny and exciting in many ways but if you're not a fan of a good YA-romance you should stay far away from this book.

Source:
Checked out at the school library where I work


My review: