Just Listen Book Reviews

Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy.

2009-05-06T17:52:00.009+10:00

Rating: 4/5.
Summary: At school, Pearl feels as though she is in a group of one. Her teacher wants her to write poems that rhyme but Pearl's poems don't. At home, however, Pearl feels safe and loved, but her grandmother is slowly fading, and so are Mum and Pearl. When her grandmother eventually passes away, Pearl wants life to go back to the way it was and refuses to talk at the funeral. But she finds the courage to deliver a poem for her grandmother that defies her teacher's idea of poetry – her poem doesn't rhyme; it comes from the heart.

Review: Pearl Verses the World is not the kind of book I would pick up in a bookstore. The cover, though adorable is too childish for my tastes and I started the story with that mind set. The novel is directed at younger readers, but I still managed to enjoy it.

It's written in verse and Murphy does a wonderful job at getting Pearl's emotions across and making the reader feel for her. The verse is clever and poignant and I enjoyed it immensely.

Another thing I enjoyed about Pearl Verses the World is the youthfulness of Pearl and her sweet innocence in the novel, making the poems, for me a little more enjoyable and fun. Pearl, was in one word adorable. And I enjoyed her character, in the short length of the novel Murphy was able to make me feel attached to Pearl and really care about what she was feeling and how she would cope.

I love the message of this story and I love the way Murphy puts Pearl's thoughts across. Pearl Verses the World really is a great novel. Even though it's not YA, I believe that a lot of people would enjoy it and younger sibling would love it.

It's hard to rate Pearl Versus the World because it's not YA, it's more MG. I'd give it four out of five stars, I'd recommend it for your younger siblings and you can always have a quick read of this little gem.

Allie.

Lack of Posting.

2009-03-28T14:22:00.003+11:00

As you may or may not have noticed there has been a lack of posts. It's the end of the school term and there have been tests, projects, work and not a whole lot of time for reading. It's a busy weekend for me, it was my birthday yesterday (ohhhhhhh) and I have lots of stuff on. Life has been a very stressful thing.

I apologise for the lack of posts. I have a two week break coming up at the end of next week, so I will be reading heaps, I have lots of reviews to write.

Thanks and please just bare with me.

Allie.

In My Mailbox (6)

2009-03-22T12:14:00.003+11:00

In My Mailbox is the awesome weekly segment created by The Story Siren.

Going Too Far by Jenniffer Echolls.

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn’t make it back.
John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won’t soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won’t be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge—and over..

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead. (1, 2 & 3)

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school—it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's—the very place where they're most in danger. . . .
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Money Run by Jack Heath.

Ashley Arthur is a teenage thief - the best there is. Nothing is so safe that she can't get to it. But when she tries to rob a billionaire of $200 million hidden somewhere in his building, she collides with an assassin who plans to kill him. Suddenly Ash is fighting for her life, and it seems that the billionaire might have a sinister agenda of his own . . .

Allie.

Charlotte McConaghy Interview Part 2.

2009-03-19T16:07:00.004+11:00

Charlotte McConaghy's debut novel, Arrival, has been a hit with Adele, Lisa and I. After thoughly enjoying the novel the Aussie YA Alliance has chosen this week to focus on Charlotte and her novel. We conducted a MEGA chat room interview last night and it's been broken into 4 parts. (Links to the other part at the bottom of the interview).

Of all the characters you created, who is your favourite?

I'm completely in love with Jane and Fern. I can't get enough of them! Fern is ultra hot the way I imagine him!

Did you base any of the characters off of people you know?

No, they are all completely imaginary. However I did name a character after my brother Liam, in the hopes that it would one day entice him into reading it.No such luck yet. You'd think having a warrior emperor named after you would get someone reading...

What can you tell us about Book 2? We need some details (we are a little fixated on what's going to happen)

Okay, I can tell you that it is very much in the works. I finished off the second draft today!!!

What's book 2 called?

I don't have a name for it yet. I'll have to mull it over for a while yet. I'm terrible with names. I find it the most difficult thing about these books because there is so much in them!

When’s book 2 being released?

I don't have a date for it yet, but hopefully before the end of the year. Sorry, guys, I'm not being very helpful am I? Haha, yeah I'll definitely stick to the one word idea.

Who do you think you are most like...out of the Strangers?

I think what I like about all of my characters, is the fact that I can create qualities in all of them that I can aspire to. I'd like to be Jane, of course, but that's just wishful thinking. lol

Want to read the rest of the interview?

Part One: Aussie YA Alliance.

Part Two: Right here.

Part Three: Look At That Book.

Part Four: Persnickety Snark.

Arrival can be purchased online here.

Review: Somebody's Crying by Maureen McCarthy.

2009-03-16T19:19:00.002+11:00

“When Alice looks up and sees Tom staring at her, everything closes down around them and becomes very still. No one is breathing. No one else is in the room. Tom feels as if he can see right into the soul of Alice Wishart. It lies open before him, like a wide long pane of glittering glass. So beautiful and…ready to break.”

Rating: 1/5.

Publisher: Allen and Unwin.

Summary: Three years have passed since the murder of Alice's mother, but still the killer is unknown. Alice, her cousin Jonty and his friend Tom are drawn together by the mystery, but what is each of them hiding? Will their secrets bind them tighter or tear everything apart?

Review: Somebody’s Crying. It’s the novel that is everywhere at the moment. You can’t walk into any facility that sells books and not see it. That creates a lot of intrigue, it certainly did for me and I found myself disappointed.

The story is centred around the death of Lillian, close friend of Tom’s, the mother of Alice, aunty and good friend of Jonty. And how each react to the death and what happens after. It’s a story filled with a lot (a lot) of angst. Characters that are constantly changing their oh so set opinions and too much description. Lillian is made out to be a wonderful and artistic woman and is wholly admired by the three main characters and I found her bland. The plot is basically a non thing, as I can’t name more then two big events. The blurb had me ready for a good mystery filled with twists and turns. Yet, I sat there reading tentatively, set up my suspicions and none of them were right, sure the mystery was tricky, but it wasn’t great tricky it was: is that all? And left me feeling no satisfaction at all.

When you plunge into the first pages of the novel you’re taken aback by the descriptive and wonderful writing style. You’re interested, you want to know more about the lives of Johnty, Tom and Alice. You want to know who killed Lillian. Soon, the lovely descriptions become strenuous and you find yourself wondering when something will actually happen.

I will not deny that Maureen McCarthy has a freaking fantastic way of writing a novel. Her style is just amazing. Unfortunately that doesn’t bring the novel home.

I had a love hate relationship with the characters. I could get so annoyed at them, especially Alice. She seemed to be glorified by the other characters, but I found her hard to put up with. Same with the deceased Lillian. The characters that were glorified I found hard to put up with due their unattractive personalities. That made it hard for me to like Tom and Jonty due to their intense adoration of Alice and Lillian. On a positive note, they were very realistic characters and McCarthy crafted their realism very well.

The end is sweet and happy. Sometimes when I think back on it, I think that it’s too happy. Other times, I think that after all they’ve been through it’s good closure.

I’m giving this novel, one out of five. I wouldn’t recommend this novel. I expected a lot more.

In My Mailbox (5)

2009-03-15T19:03:00.004+11:00

In My Mailbox is the awesome weekly segment created by The Story Siren.

Just one book this week, but it's one I've been looking forward to.

Set in 1980s inner-city Sydney, The Lucky Ones follows maverick teen Tom, as he tries to make sense of life after school.The novel reveals in poignant and hilarious ways the workings of a young male mind – with all its misplaced romanticism, youthful delusions, bewilderment about girls and need for adventure.

I love the look of this one, the cover is pretty and the beginning was brilliant.

What did you get this week?

New Look!

2009-03-15T13:34:00.003+11:00

I thought that my blog needed a make-over and look what the awesome Kelsey did! LOOK! How pretty is it? We went through I think two before we found this one. I think I stressed Kelsey out to the max, but look what we got in the end! Thank-you Kelsey!

When the new template went up, I lost all of my widgets, so I don't have my blog list anymore. If you were on my blog list could you please comment so that I can re add you?

Don't forget to check out the AYA this week. We're focusing on Arrival by Charlotte McConaghy. An absoloutely awesome novel that I recommend to all of you. There will be an interview with Charlotte up on AYA later this week, so stay tuned. Want to know more about Arrival? Check out Black Dog Books and, well the AYA this week.

--Allie.

Waiting On Wednesday (4)

2009-03-11T20:12:00.007+11:00

Waiting on Wednesday is the awesome weekly segments that allows us book lovers to drool over soon to be released books. Find out all you need to know here.

This week I chose Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend's restless spirit.

I've seen reviews EVERYWHERE and it makes me want to read this book SO much more. It looks so amazing. Everything about it so captivating, the cover, the title. I can't wait until I can read this one.

Allie.

Teaser Tuesday (1)

2009-03-10T18:11:00.005+11:00

Here's my first Teaser Tuesday. The book I'm reading at the moment is Undine by Penni Russon.

This is how it works:

*Grab your current read
*Let the book fall open to a random page
*Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
*You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

"It was dangerous: it was the glittering blade of a knife; it was the momentum of a single mindedness of a bullet. But it was also vivid and intoxicating."

What I love about this book is the descriptions! They give you some great imagery.

The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2009-03-09T15:56:00.002+11:00

Rating: 4/5.

Summary: (from inside of book) Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, a librarian, who have known each other since Claire was six and Henry was thirty, and were married when Clare as twenty-two and Henry was thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement: periodically his genetic clock resets and she finds himself misplaced in time, pulled into moments of emotional gravity in his life, past and future.

Review: Not a YA book, but it deserves a review all the same.

It’s a long book, but it’s worth it. The Time Travellers Wife is an epic tale of Henry and Claire’s truly heartbreaking story and how they defy the odds, even with Henry jumping through time at unexpected times only to wind up in another unexpected time. It took me a very long time to get into it and I had high hopes for an amazing story, and in a sense, I got one, in another very small one, I was disappointed. It starts off really strongly, the prologues, from both perspectives are really amazing.

For a while I couldn’t really feel Claire and Henry’s love for one another. Slowly it sunk in. Some events made it fade away, others made it stronger. I liked the way that everything was really built up and if I were to reread this novel, I would probably cry in some points because I’ll know 100% what’s going to happen and the foreshadowing and events that are clues will be very clear. There were quite a few confusing events that had no explanations but they all kept me hooked and really made this story a page turner. Some parts though, were boring.

The writing style was really blunt, there was Niffenegger didn’t hesitate to swear or use raw descriptions, especially during the sex scenes. That kind of language kept me hooked and really helped me feel a part of the story.

I love the comedic aspect that took away from the anticipated heartbreak Claire was about to face. At some points through the novel I felt like we were focusing on unimportant things.

The way that they described Henry’s condition was amazing. It added the scientific part of the novel in a really interesting and informative way that I enjoyed whole heartedly. Niffenegger made it seem believable.

It was a thought provoking story that really makes you ask: what if? As I write this review I think of scenes and it makes me want to cry.

Unlike the YA romance novels I read, this one unravelled a lot of a married life together. I liked that, though I did very much enjoy when Claire was a teenager in the story.

Seeing and knowing what was going to happen to Henry made it that much more of a page turner. You waited in anticipation for it to happen, you waited it out and then you had to experience it. There are some really intense scenes there that make your heart break.

The end was heartbreakingly wonderful. Personally it was my favourite part of the novel and has me in tears just thinking about it. I’m holding back a spoiler filled rant right now.

Four out of five. It was utterly thought provoking and magical. When I finished I had tears in my eyes and their romance is still with me now. I think that it will be the same for you.

In My Mailbox (4)

2009-03-08T11:47:00.003+11:00

In my Mailbox was created by The Story Siren.

Nothing came in the mail for me this week. So, to make myself feel a little bit better I bought myself:
Evernight by Claudia Gray.

Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

I've been seeing, hearing, reading a fair bit about this book and couldn't resist when I came across it Thursday. I love the cover of this one as well.

What did you get this week?

Fabulous Blog Award

2009-03-06T16:12:00.004+11:00

Adele from Persnickety Snark awarded me the Fabulous Blog award.

Here are 5 things that I am obsessed or addicted, or both to:

1. Coke. It rots your teeth very badly, I know, but I can't get enough of it.

2. BOOKS! I love to read, obviously. I love looking at books that are about to be released. I could spend hours in a bookstore.

3. Photos. I LOVE taking photos of me and friends, family, having a good time.

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Most fantastic show in the whole world.

5. The computer and everything on it. I spend too much time on the computer, checking my emails, writing up reviews, writing, editing pictures (badly), blogging, posting. The list goes on and on.

Haven't been tagged yet? Well I'm tagging you!

Allie.

Interview with Stefan Petrucha.

2009-03-03T15:56:00.007+11:00

Stefan Petrucha has written a crazy amount of novels and graphic novels, and the list just keeps growing. His latest novel The Rule of Won has been widely read and loved by a large percentage of the blogosphere. Including me. (Check out my review here). Want to know more about him? Check out his website here.

What was your inspiration for The Rule of Won?

Going back to my teen years, I’ve always been fascinated by New Age ideas. More recently, I was stunned by the popularity of The Secret, especially since, far from being “secret” in any sense of the word, it seemed to be just a collection of old ideas in new packaging. But Oprah endorsed it, and it’s sales were practically propping up the publishing industry for a year or so.

What do you think of ideas like The Rule?

Positive thinking’s great. Believing in yourself, believing the world is full of possibilities can open you up in a life-changing way. On the flipside, not believing in your own potential can shut you down, make it practically impossible to accomplish anything.

So that aspect’s terrific, useful and healthy, but when you take it to an extreme, when you argue that the universe somehow has to give you whatever you ask for, that people who are starving or dying of disease do so because deep down they’re asking for it, that’s something else entirely. Aside from being irrational and utterly narcissistic, it’s dangerous. You can’t have everything. As the current economy is pointing out to peple all across the globe right now, real life is full of tough choices. Having to make those choices defines what we are.

Did you learn anything interesting while you were studying for The Rule of Won?

Aside from reading The Secret and some of the books it was based on (which go back to the 1910s), I did come across a particularly fascinating story about a panel conference in the eighties, where the idea of the Rule of Attraction was being discussed by believers and critics.

It kind of summed up some of my ideas on the subject when at one point, a gentleman held up a picture of a baby with a horrible both defect and said, “Are you telling me this child wanted to be born this way?” One of the believers coughed nervously but finally said, “Yes.” It’s stunning how far some people will go to defend irrational beliefs.

Similarly, writing the novel gave me a chance to go back and watch Mondo Kane, which is mentioned in the book. It’s a really garish, dated documentary, but it did have an interesting section on the cargo cults of the Vanuatu, a tribe that built fake airports from bamboo in the hopes of attracting cargo planes, which they believe carry gifts from the gods.

One song that you think describes or suits The Rule of Won?

Well, there’s the one I wrote, “The Rule of Won” available on iTunes and Amazon, and as a free download at my website, http://www.petrucha.com/! Past that there’s that old song recently re-used in a children’s commercial, “Gimme that, gimme that, gimme, gimme, gimme that.” Don’t know who recorded that one. And maybe the George Harrison tune off the Beatle’s Let it Be album, I, Me, Mine.

Why do you write for YA?

They pay me! :) But seriously, I broke into writing doing comic books (aka graphic novels), so in some ways teens have always been a big part of my audience. Writing YA seemed a natural. I also write for “adult” markets, but don’t really see it as all that different, other than generally having a teen main character.

If anything, a lot of YA is actually far more inventive, engrossing and edgy than what you’ll find in the mainstream fiction sections. I’ve always been a big fan of M.T. Anderson for instance. Feed, and his more recent Octavian Nothing books are nothing short of brilliant.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Well, some writers advise you to write what you like, and that’s good advice for being happy, but to be a professional writer, to sell something, you have to write what other people like, and that’s not always the same thing. With that in mind, my advice is to read everything you can get your hands on, even stuff you don’t like, and try to figure out how and why it works. In the end, I think it’s more about developing great taste then writing what you like. Writing is communication, and communication is only half about you, the other half is about the person/people you’re trying to communicate with.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m very pleased to be working on a vampire thriller for the mass market that takes place across about a century. It starts in 17th century America and ends in 19th century Europe, during Napoleon’s reign. As a result, I’m reading a lot of interesting historical material, including a book from a very strange children’s series from the 1890s called Young Puritans in King Philip’s War. I’m also reading some fascinating material about the discover of the Rosetta Stone by French workers after Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt.

Fiction wise, the last story I read was a science fiction piece called Lobsters by Charles Stross I was at a Boston science fiction convention a few weeks back and it coming up on everyone’s must-read list. It did not disappoint.

What are you working on now?

For Papercutz, the edgy tween graphic novel company, I continue to script the Nancy Drew graphic novels with my wife, Sarah Kinney. I’m also penning a few stories for their Tales from the Crypt series (including a Twilight satire co-written with my daughter Maia!)

Past that, I have two mainstream adult projects I’m currently working on, the vampire thriller mentioned earlier, which I think will be my best work to date, and a non-fiction project based on a popular paranormal reality show that I’m having a great time with. The contracts for those aren’t signed yet, so I can’t say much more.

I also recently completed my third book for Walker, Split – about a teen who leads two very different lives – and so far reaction from my publishers has been terrific. I’m very excited about that one as well. It looks like a great coming year for me, writing wise. And hey, thanks for having me!

Thank-you so much for stopping by Stefan! :)

--Allie.

In My Mailbox (3)

2009-03-01T12:23:00.004+11:00

In My Mailbox is the awesome segment created by The Story Siren.

Arrival by Charlotte McConaghy.

It has been foretold. Two worlds will collide when six mortals from Earth enter Paragor through a portal.
They will face forces of terrifying darkness.
Their journey will become the stuff of legends.
It is time.

I'm really excited about this one, the prologue was so amazing.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.

2009-02-28T13:11:00.004+11:00

“Don’t be afraid, be alive.”

Rating: 4/5.

Summary: It’s going to be a long summer for sixteen year old Macy Queen. Her boyfriend Jason is going away to brain camp and she’s stuck working at the library.
But then one night, the summer seems to get a whole lot brighter when she’s needed to help the Wish Catering crew at her mother’s open house event. And not long after that, Macy ditches the library job and joins up with the Wish gang. Where she befriends: the big hearted Delia, quiet and clumsy Monica, fashion loving and funny Kristy, the young genius Bert. But who Macy likes the best is Wes, understanding, artistic Wes. The Wish crew teaches Macy to look at life a whole new way…

Review: I will firstly say that everyone who loves a young adult book, with a boy and an issue: you need to read Sarah Dessen’s books. I can’t enthuse that enough. Dessen is the queen of YA.

The Truth about Forever is wonderful. Sarah writes a beautiful novel where we get a fantastic plot and even more fantastic characters.

The characters are fun and entertaining, and have more to them then we think. From fashion conscious Kristy to Monica who barley speaks. As an avid Sarah Dessen fan I expect wonderful minor characters because she is so great at writing them. The Truth About Forever not only doesn’t disappoint, but brings her minor and quirky characters to a whole new and exciting level.
The Truth about Forever is laugh at loud funny in and brings tears to your eyes in other parts. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that is impossible to not jump on and enjoy like crazy!

The story is sweet and we see that trying to be perfect can waste away our lives, and that we should just be ourselves.

Sarah adds a lot of quirk and fun to the story as she is known to do. She lets us get to know the characters in fun ways, such as “the game of truth”.

We see raw and strong emotion that makes this book a page turner.

Four stars because I totally and utterly enjoyed this book, the characters fun and the plot sweet. Sarah writes us another fantastic book in her own style.

Allie.

Special: Cover to Cover (3)

2009-02-25T22:33:00.005+11:00

After reading How I Live Now, I’ve become an admirer and fan of Meg Rosoff. I was very excited to find out that she has a new book – a wonderfully titled book – coming out later this year. The Bride’s Farewell.

Aussie publishers need your help in deciding between the U.S and the U.K cover for the book.

So here’s a sneak peek at the U.S cover:

And the U.K cover:

I’m tipping toward the U.K cover myself, but what about you? Which one grabs your attention? Which is your favourite?

--Allie.

In My Mailbox (2)

2009-02-22T19:03:00.003+11:00

Whooo! I get to join in! This awesome idea comes from The Story Siren.

(From Amazon)Welcome to New Avalon, where everyone has a personal fairy. Though invisible to the naked eye, a personal fairy, like a specialized good luck charm, is vital to success. And in the case of the students at New Avalon Sports High, it might just determine whether you make the team, pass a class, or find that perfect outfit. But for 14-year-old Charlie, having a Parking Fairy is worse than having nothing at all—especially when the school bully carts her around like his own personal parking pass. Enter: The Plan. At first, teaming up with arch-enemy Fiorenza (who has an All-The-Boys-Like-You Fairy) seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart’s desire, it isn’t at all what she thought it would be like, and she’ll have resort to extraordinary measures to ditch her fairy. The question is: will Charlie herself survive the fairy ditching experiment?

Only one, but it's better then nothing and I am loving the look of this one. I can't wait to get into it!

Allie.

Aussie YA Alliance.

2009-02-19T20:07:00.004+11:00

Something awesome has begun. The Aussie Young Adult Alliance or AYA for short. It’s a blog devoted to Aussie YA and international authors release in Australia. It’s been put together by Lisa May of Look At That Book, Adele of Persnickety Snark and myself. All Aussie's who love YA, especially those by Oz authors .

We’re planning a tonne of amazing things like regular features, author interviews, guest blogs, competitions and have already got an interview with the author of How To Ditch Your Fairy, Justine Larbalestier.

It’s just getting off the round now, but there are many amazing things to come. So go and show your support! Subscribe, follow, comment!

Want to see better versions of this post? Check Adele and Lisa’s blogs.

What Australian authors have you read? Who is your favourite Aussie author?

http://aussieya.blogspot.com/

Waiting On Wednesday (3)

2009-02-18T18:24:00.002+11:00

Created by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. (Fantastic idea!). Basically we book lovers get to drool over books that haven't been released yet.

My pick this week? City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

(From Amazon) To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?

One word, name, whatever. Jace. I am a huge fan of Jace and think that Cassandra Clare is awesome for creating him and putting him into the YA novel world. *fangirl moment. After the huge cliffhanger at the end of City of Ashes, I am dying for this one!

What's your pick this week?

Allie.

White Is For Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

2009-02-16T17:40:00.003+11:00

Rating: 2/5.

Summary:A year has passed since Stacey Brown saved her best friend from a horrible death. Now she's having nightmares again, haunted by ghosts of the brutally murdered . . . and by a crazed stalker. As she desperately casts healing spells, a new student named Jacob enters her world. Beautiful and mysterious, he reveals that he is also having dreams. To stop a killer, they must join together. But can Jacob be trusted? Or will this new love cause her darkest dreams to come true?

Review: I feel like I’m writing lots of negative reviews recently. Oh well. Let’s get on with this. White is for Magic is the second novel in the Blue is for Nightmares series.

I felt like the series would get better, but I feel that it’s stayed the same, or even gotten a little worse. I feel like the characters haven’t grown at all since the tough times they’ve been through last year. Stacey is annoying and fickle. Drea is once again getting herself in trouble and I wish that she could look out for herself. None of them have grown at all. The new addition and love interest Jacob is cool and I hope that his character is more awesome and has more to him then Stacey and magic in the next novel. I think that Stolarz could have made the characters more human this time around. Instead of making the only thing they care about the mystery of the story and the person they’re interested in romantically.

The mystery was odd and I felt like it didn’t really make much sense, but I knew who the “bad guy” was going to be. One positive is that Stolarz allowed you to doubt who the bad guy was, like she did in Blue is for Nightmares.

For some reason I have a compulsion to finish this series, something has me hooked and I don’t want to be, so there’s another positive about the novel.

Two out of five for this sequel. I feel like it could have been much better though, I have still have a little hope that the series will improve.

Allie.

Waves by Sharon Dogar..

2009-02-12T21:56:00.001+11:00

Rating: 4/5

Summary: Last summer Hal’s older sister Charley was in an accident in the waves, leaving her comatose, not dead, not alive.
On returning to the beach, Hal finds it difficult to shake Charley’s dominant presence. Thoughts of her fill his mind, pictures and places, even strong emotions crowd his busy mind and soon enough Hal realises that they’re not entirely his.
Hal is determined to find out what happened to Charley last summer in the waves, and as the summer goes along he gets closer and closer to finding out about what Charley really did last summer.

Review: This was a really fascinating story and I really enjoyed it.
A highly original story that had an excellent supernatural undertone. Wonderful plot, wonderful mystery. Awesome characters and some that were kind of disturbing. Dogar wrote the disturbing parts of her characters an enourmous amount of class.
There are two perspectives given in this novel. The most used is Hal’s, the younger brother, with him we go through his wonderfully written pain and anger about what’s happened to Charley. We’re able to watch him search for answers and put some of the pieces together and even fall in love. Even experience some of the emotion he is experiencing.

Then we have comatose Charley. Her perspective is very interesting, we get her now – as in, the Charley that’s lost in a coma – it’s very creative and vague and I enjoyed reading her parts so very much. Then we get Charley then, and we live her memories of last summer and get quite a few clues from there.
I think that this story takes a bit of getting in to, but it’s very much worth it when you finally do. The ending is beautiful. When all the pieces are put together and you finally see what happened that night things seem to make a lot more sense and we see why some people are the way they are.
Dogar is a lovely writer, who writes with such imagination and creativity it’s inspiring.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery and putting pieces together, or even if you’re a supernatural addict, this could be a fix.

Four stars, this book was really enjoyable and so original, the characters were fun and mysterious, the views creative, I think that this story was a breathe of fresh air.

Cover to Cover. (2)

2009-02-07T15:59:00.009+11:00

Cover to Cover. Want to know more about it? Check out the first one here.

This weeks pick? Looking for Alaska by the awesome John Green. A personal favourite of mine.

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words — and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

I have trouble choosing a favourite out of these three. My copy of the novel has the first cover. I like how simple it is and how intense the: "First friend. First Girl. Last Words." And how Alaska is written.

I love the second one because if you think about it for long enough it can imply a lot. Maybe it implys things going up in smoke? Maybe it implys the end? I adore the way that the smoke curls up the top of the shot.

The last one and I believe the Australian cover. I love the way: "First Friend. First Girl. Last Words" is written on this as well. I love how sweet the picture is and how it's faded. I like the black border as well.

My favourite cover, I think has to be the second one (U.S). What about you? Which cover is your favourite and why?

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

2009-02-06T22:48:00.004+11:00

Rating: 2/5.

Summary: In 1958 Landon Carter is a shallow but well-meaning teenager who spends most of his time hanging out with his friends and trying hard to ignore the impending responsibilities of adulthood. Then Landon gets roped into acting the lead in the Christmas play opposite the most renowned goody two-shoes in town: Jamie Sullivan. Against his best intentions and the taunts of his buddies, Landon finds himself falling for Jamie and learning some central lessons in life.

Review: I feel bad writing this review. But I’m going to express what I really thought about this novel.

I expected to really like A Walk to Remember. This is the first novel I’ve read by Nicholas Sparks and I thought that it would be better. Read the summary and it’s my kind of story. Only a small amount of time to spend with someone you love, it’s amazing and tragic and I adore stories like that.

Problem number one: I didn’t feel it. I didn’t feel like Landon and Jamie were in love, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t. It wasn’t passionate enough for me.

Problem number two: Heaps of stuff was explained and never shown.

Problem number three: There weren’t enough major events or exciting things, even though I powered through this novel in a mere few hours, I did so because I felt like something really amazing was going to happen. It didn’t.

The beginning is so powerful, so amazing, so well written, the only thing you can do is have your hopes up high. The rest of the novel really lets down such amazing writing. It hooks you, and then deteriorates.

The characters were very well written, Landon was really realistic as far teen males go, I got a little sick of the way he explained everything though. Jamie, is sweet and nice. And just so sweet I could hardly stand it. I’ve read Nicholas’s notes on the novel and I agree, they should be innocent as they’re portrayed. But, I was hoping for a little corruption. Sometimes I felt with Jamie the only personality trait she had was her love and devotion to God.

It’s a good story about faith, starting off amazingly and slowly getting worse and more rushed. It took a long time to come into the main plot which is Jamie’s leukaemia. The way the town came together to express their sympathy is corny, but kind of beautiful.

I hate to do this, I really do. But I’m giving this novel two out of five. Too much explaining, too rushed. Not passionate enough.

Allie.

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

2009-02-04T17:21:00.002+11:00

I just have to get my lust for this book out of my system.

It's been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents' divorce - or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live. A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

Ah, now I don’t know whether you all know, but I’m pretty big fan of Sarah Dessen. (Does the title of the blog give it away? XD ). As you would expect, I am very excited about this novel. It seems like ages ago I read about the announcement of this novel and the days have been slowly ticking away to its release and are still trudging along and to be honest, it’s quite agonizing.

Allie.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine.

2009-02-02T17:49:00.008+11:00

Welcome to Morganville, Texas.
Just don't stay out after dark.

Rating: 4/5.

Summary: College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.
When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

***

Review: What I liked about Rachel Caine’s Glass Houses was that I was told lots of good things about the novel and when I read it I wasn’t disappointed. One mildly negative thing I have to say about the novel is the writing style. It reminded me very much of a novel that I could not finish a couple months ago. The difference between the novels though is the plot and characters and all around wit of the story was able to carry the story and really make it a page turner.

The characters were only lovable. Claire, Eve, Michael and especially Shane. Caine crafted them well and made them human. Other characters were very intriguing, especially Amelie.

Something about the story that I really liked was how the town was crafted and ran. There’s so much potential in the story, plotting, the way the town is crafted that makes me very desperate for the next novel in the series. The vampires are pretty damn evil and stay evil, and I like that. Keeps things very interesting.

I’m singing nothing but praises about this novel. And can’t wait until I have money to buy Dead Girls Dance.

Four out of five. Fantastic. There’s been waves and waves of Vampire YA and I mean it when I say this: one of best Vampire YA novels I’ve read in a while.

Allie.

Cover to Cover.

2009-01-31T19:03:00.007+11:00

This is a new weekly thing that I'm going to try out. If you want to the jist, it's:

One book. Two covers. XD

Cover to Cover is a post I'll do weekly -- what day, ohhh, who knows? -- to show one book and two different covers that it has, usually the U.S cover and then the cover that I own or have seen around, so the English cover.

Personally my favourite is the English cover. It's so pretty. I like the way that lots of things are surronding her head, like thoughts. And if you've read the book then you'll know that Annabell has a lot to deal with, lots of thoughts. And the U.S cover is so simple and I like the way the person on the cover holds their hands, it's very Anna.

Which cover do you like better and why?

The Rule of Won by Stefan Petrucha.

2009-01-29T14:01:00.005+11:00

“Right,” I was thinking. “If the universe is really just a huge Wal-Mart and you’ve got unlimited credit, why doesn’t everyone already have whatever they want?”

Rating: 3/5.

Summary: The secret of The Rule of Won is simple, yet its power has been suppressed for generations. The universe is one of infinite abundance—ask, and you shall receive.
Umm, yeah right. Meet Caleb Dunne, slacker extraordinaire. Caleb prefers to glide through life with the minimal amount of effort, so he isn’t too jazzed when his overachieving girlfriend, Vicky, convinces him to join a new school club based on a controversial book, The Rule of Won. Slackers don’t join school clubs, do they? As The Rule gains popularity, though, the club members start to gain power within the school. From dark posts on the club’s online message board to all-out threats in the hallways, it becomes apparent that the group is getting out of control. For slacker Caleb, though, the only thing worse than doing something is not doing something.

Review: What I liked best about The Rule of Won is a little dorky. I really liked all the new things I learnt while reading the novel. The Rule, in which the novel is based upon I found interesting – though I certainly do not believe in it. Petrucha gave me a very thorough explanation of it and gave me room to develop my own opinion instead of being overwhelmed by the MC Caleb’s thoughts and ideas. The reactions, the following and how everything spiralled out of control was very well crafted. I enjoyed watching the rise and fall of The Rule.

Petrucha’s writing style is fantastic and suited Caleb wonderfully. When we first hear from Caleb in chapter one, I was very taken by the natural way his personality had been put to paper.

I liked how the prologue and epilogue were from Alyssa’s perspective. It gave enough intrigue (and started the novel nice and strongly) in the beginning and enough closure at the end. I do wish that we had heard more from her.

Now, a few little negatives. I thought that it was a good novel. The second half could have been done a little better. The end was a little cheesy, the epilogue saved the end of the novel. Sometimes I felt like the characters were too insane, I suppose that is what obsession of that kind does to you.

I’m giving this novel three out of five. I enjoyed it, but the second half could have been a little better. I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants to learn about something new and a little different.

--Allie.

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

2009-01-28T11:28:00.005+11:00

This is my first one, let's see how it goes, eh?

Envy by Anna Godbersen. Hitting the shelves in May for me and other Aussie's.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland's dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana's side, however, those watching New York's favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South.
Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city's most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope's finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope's social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune—and her fame—are anything but secure, especially now that one of society's darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.

Sorry about the tiny picture...anyway. I've recently devoured the first two novels in this series and now can not wait for Envy which isn't hitting the shelves in Australia until May. So I have to avoid spoilers for a couple of months. Trust me, it's going to be hard. I love the covers of these books as well, aren't they just amazing? Totally draw you in.

--Allie.

Happy Australia Day! (contest?)

2009-01-26T19:03:00.006+11:00

Long time, no post, eh? I’m so sorry about that. You’d think that I’d have nothing but spare time in the summer, but I’ve been busy. I’m working on some reviews now. So you’ll be hearing more from me soon.

Anyway, I’m here to wish everyone, in and out of Australia a Happy Australia Day! Adele, from the awesome Persnickety Snark has a wonderful post, with links to Aussie authors and YA blogs, so I thought that I’d do something similar. You should defiantly check out hers though, it’s great.

To celebrate Australia Day I think that we should all have a look at some fantastic YA authors from Aus, like:

*Melina Marchetta (Review --Finnikin, review --Saving Francesca, interview).
*Julia Lawrinson (Review -- The Push)
*J.C Burke (Expect a review for The Story of Tom Brennan soon).
*Scot Gardner.
*Debrah Lisson.

*Simmone Howell (Review)
*Maureen McCarthy (reading Somebody’s Crying, review soon)
*Kate McCaffrey (Review)

Keep an eye out for these authors around the traps, there are some really great novels out by them, read the reviews. I believe that I gave them all a very good wrap.

Now, to celebrate I have one copy of The Push by Julia Lawrinson to give to the 15th person to post. Yes it's international, all the contests here are, no deadline, just the 15th person. Good luck and once again, happy Australia Day!

EDIT: It's taking longer than I thought to get to 26 posts, so how about the 15th person to post? Also, you can post more than once but not twice in row.

--Allie.

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

2009-01-15T12:47:00.005+11:00

"I Know Your Secret . . ."

Rating: 3/5

Summary:Boarding school junior Stacey Brown has nightmares too real to ignore. Her nightmares come true. This time they're about Drea, her best friend who's become the target of one seriously psycho stalker. To try and protect her, Stacey's working with what she knows-candles, cards, incantations, and spells...

Review: This was my first novel by Stolarz and I plan to read many more.
Blue is for Nightmares is the first in the acclaimed fantasy/mystery series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. Blue is for Nightmares hooked me enough to buy the novel that precedes it: White is for Magic. Does anybody else really like the titles of these novels? Blue is for Nightmares has me very desperate to skip White is for Magic ahead in my reading pile. Though the novel does not end on a cliff hanger, the characters, the plot and the writing is gripping enough to make you want to go and get the next novel.
The characters are nothing to rave about. There’s nothing extraordinary about them. They could even be considered clichéd. I liked the characters enough though, I liked that they were human. Stolarz did a great job at keeping them that way. She made me care about them.
Something that a friend and I enjoyed about this novel was how she had the ability to make you doubt who you thought the guilty party was.
One of the great things about the novel was how some things that were seemingly random at the beginning all clicked and made a lot more sense in the end. That was what I really enjoyed about it.

I’m giving this novel three out of five. Though it’s a good book, I really think it could have been a little bit better. I do look very much forward to White is for Magic.

Hey, I'll be away for another week, so there won't be any reviews from me until next Friday. Hopefully. Sorry! But I'll read as much as I can and when I return update as much as I can.

Rumours by Anna Godbersen

2009-01-13T12:16:00.003+11:00

Rating: 5/5.

Summary:(from amazon.com)After bidding good-bye to New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, rumors continue to fly about her untimely demise.

All eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her mischievous sister, Diana, now the family's only hope for redemption; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoon-maker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind—including Henry; even Elizabeth's scheming former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency.

Review: Rumours, Rumours, Rumours.

This is the time that I'll mention that this is a spoiler free review. To all of you have read it though, I say: what??? why?! That's all I'll say on the matter.

Rumours follows on very smoothly from The Luxe. Putting the devoted readers right into the thick of 1899's scandal and schemes of the devious characters. The end is somewhat shocking (more so if you don't read the last page *looks guilty*) and has me craving the third book in the series Envy, released January 29^th in the U.S and I believe (don't quote me on that one though) May this year for us Aussie's.

The young cast of characters once again capture your heart and make you want to turn the page, a few characters though, do not. That Godberson has characters out in her novels, that she does not mind them being disliked makes her a much more extraordinary writer in my eyes and her characters even more realistic. In my review for the The Luxe I spoke of my favourite characters and that has not changed. Maybe my distaste for Penelope has grown, and my love for Will as well, also my love for Henry. Diana remains my favourite because of her romantic heart and cheeky attitude towards life.

Of the two novels in the series, I believe that I enjoyed Rumours more. Instead of waiting for the drama, we are put back into it. We know the characters so much better, we know what they want, who they want and how badly they want these things. This made the novel that much more interesting and swifter.

I really do recommend this series of books to anyone who enjoys scandal and confusing love triangles (or squares or pentagons).

Yet another five out of five for this wonderful series. Envy. I am waiting oh so eagerly for you.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan.

2009-01-05T11:02:00.003+11:00

“I know this is going to sound strange, but will you be my girlfriend for the next five minutes?”

Rating: 2/5.

Summary:Nick is two things, a member of a queer core band that can never decide on a name and heart broken. He comes to the club to perform, to rock out but he finds much more.
Insert Norah, a fiery, sarcastic girl who is college bound – or so she thinks.
Two troubled teenagers have the most eventful night of their lives after one question is asked.

Review: I have no raving reviews for this novel, it was positively average.
The characters were fickle and annoying and that kind of irritating odd. Personally I thought that Nick was the easiest to put up with, he was cute. Norah, I thought she was cool at the start because she was sarcastic, but slowly that thought slipped away and I found myself…annoyed. The characters seemed to deteriorate through out the novel.
I had a few problems with this novel, some things that happened were too spontaneous and weird. I’m not going to ruin this book for people sitting at their computers deliberating whether or not to read this, but if you have read it: weren’t like…half the events in the novel just spontaneous and pretty much meaningless?
Something that could really bias my opinion on this novel is that: I’m not a fan of novels that stretch over one day or night. Too many coincidences and random events. For me to enjoy a novel that stretches over a night or not much more it has to be written very well. That, though, is not to say that this novel was written badly, Levithan and Cohn work really well as a team and I did like them as a combination.
The characters though (yes, back to the characters), seemed either too hurt about something at one point and then too okay with something the next. Their emotions were much too rash for me to enjoy.

I’m giving this novel, two stars. Really, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’m going away today so I will be unable to post for the remainder of the week. I’ll miss you all, have a great week! See you Saturday.

--Allie.

Some Very Late New Years Resolutions.

2009-01-04T21:05:00.002+11:00

Kelsey from Just Blinded book Reviews tagged me – ages ago, sorry about how long it’s taken. I’m supposed to tell you my New Years Resolutions. See, I hadn’t really thought about them much until I was tagged. This year really went fast (to my utter surprise) and though I did not achieve last years resolutions, I don’t feel like a complete failure because I (alright, are you ready for a huge dose of corny? Ugh, I hate corny, I can’t believe I am doing this) achieved a lot more and in some ways, it was better because I achieved some unexpected things like starting a book reviewing blog and completing nano and lots more stuff in my personal life.

Anyway let's shuffle away from the corniness. Moving on. My resolutions for 2009 are:

*Complete the first draft of one of my novels.
*Post more frequently on my blog.
*Make the blog more exciting.
*Take more photos.
*Be more spontaneous.
*Decorate my room.
*Put some money away for the future.

Also, something I would love to see happen is the "Just Listen" segment on here. I think that I'll try and make it more official and get back to you all. Any ideas about it, PLEASE email me at the address listed under authors/publishers. Thank-you to the one person who emailed me! I really appreciate it.

That's just a few of my resolutions. I’m looking forward to 2009 and to blogging with the rest of you. I’m hoping that 2009 will be easy, but I believe that it will be quite the opposite.
Good-luck!

--Allie.

Something in the World Called Love by Sue Saliba.

2009-01-01T18:22:00.001+11:00

“for everything was how esma saw the world. everything and nothing. the world was bursting and full and forever, or it was blank and useless and dead.”

Rating: 4/5.

Summary: When Esma moves into 22 Starling Street, she knows she's come to the right place. A place to become someone new. A place to belong.
As the seasons change, she finds herself falling deeper and deeper in love. But not in the way she expects. . .

Review: The first thing that I noticed about Something in the World Called Love was that there were no capital letters. Not after full stops, for the names of people and places, none. At first I thought that that would really annoy me – and for a while it really did. Then I got really involved in the writing of the story.
It’s not so much the storyline and plot that kept me hooked for the 200 page duration of this novel, it was Saliba’s writing style. It was so poetic. The writing style suited the main character Esma – deep, quiet and true. A main character who I quite enjoyed.

“instead the words gave her a ground under her feet, a kind of false knowing that stopped her from stepping out into the reality of things, the truth of things where that there were no words, after all.”

Something in the World Called Love was a short tale of a girl’s need to belong after being hurt and how she and her roommates try to make a home for themselves. The title of this book will certainly catch the eye of romantics. The novel, though, is not as romantic as the title makes it sound, but that’s not to say that romantics won’t enjoy this. It ponders in depth about love, what it is, where it is, when you feel it and why. Being a romantic myself I enjoyed this because it wasn’t traditional. Maybe this novel won’t give a romantic their hit, but it could just change the way you think about love.

There are a lot of unanswered questions in this novel. I would say that it lacks closure, but for me, it gave me enough. The novel and it’s unanswered question gave me enough room to freely imagine what happens next. It allowed me to see why Esma felt the way she did and see that she had grown as a person and so did the majority of the characters around her. And that was enough for me.
As for the characters. Well, Esma was easy to like because she was so timid and realistic, Kara, was harder to like, Chloe was even harder. I was a big fan of Simon, personally.
One thing that I would like to know about this novel, is why there were no capital letters. I feel that there is a secret meaning behind them.
I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a short novel that has hidden meanings. To people who like books that make them think or to anyone wanting to read a very unforgettable writing style.

I’m giving Something in the World Called Love four stars. It was a beautifully written novel, really the writing style is amazing.

--Allie.

Waves by Sharon Dogar.

2008-12-28T19:00:00.002+11:00

“What really happened last summer?”

Rating: 4/5

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

2008-12-24T12:02:00.001+11:00

“If Elizabeth had looked down from that lovely perch one particular October morning on the proceeding of her own funeral, she would have been honoured to see that all of New York's best families had turned out to say goodbye.”

Summary: (from amazon.com) Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement.

Review: First and foremost I want to compliment this book on its chapter size – yes, I do realise that is a weird thing to do, but the chapter sizes were perfect. Short and swift and straight to the point.
The Luxe is written in third person and with each chapter comes the perspective of one of the scandalised central characters. Making The Luxe is an addicting read that I had trouble putting down.
Character wise they were set up well and all had memorabile traits. One character I could not stand was Penelope. The thing that annoyed me the most about her was that she was constantly positioning herself so that the light was hitting her features in a perfect, alluring way. That said, I felt like Penelope was put in the novel to be disliked.
The romance was fantastic – especially Elizabeth and Will’s, probably my favourite in the novel as well. I love romances with higher and lower class people when reading novels set in a different time era like the 1800’s. Besides of course Will, Diana was my favourite character because she was mischievous and wasn’t bent on being perfect.

The beginning of this novel draws you in, giving a brief explanation of each pivotal character, naming situations that intrigue you and finally ending with a bang. Leaving me with so many questions that I had nothing left to do but turn the next page.
This is described as Gossip Girl set in the 1800’s, when I think of Gossip Girl I do think of confusing love triangles and society problems, but I do not think of The Luxe, even if the basics are the same. The difference between the Gossip Girl books and The Luxe – for me that is – is that I was able to finish The Luxe and the characters were so much better developed and realistic.

The cover is just beautiful as well. I would find it hard to walk past a novel with that pretty a cover, it's so intriguing.
The Luxe has me very much wanting to read the sequel Rumours and anything else that will come in the series.

I’m giving this novel five out of five. Godberson writes a scandalous 1800’s novel filled with corsets and drama, forbidden love and money. A novel that I recommend to anyone in need of a guilty pleasure or who likes a scandal.

--Allie.

Girl Week.

2008-12-20T10:43:00.000+11:00

Steph over at Reviewer X is hosting Girl Week. Girl Week is Steph and numerous authors way of getting us to celebrating feminism, female characters we should look up to and of course YA lit. With a collection of interviews, guest blogs (both with amazing authors) and lots of wonderful competitions.

I'm having a great time over at Girl Week. If you haven't heard about it, I advise you go quickly and get involved as much as you can!

Expect a review for The Luxe and Blue is for Nightmares up soon.

--Allie.

Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell.

2008-12-16T18:11:00.001+11:00

“I don’t believe in life after death or diuretics or happy endings. I don’t believe anything good can come from this.”

Riley Rose doesn’t want to be at Spirit Ranch Holiday Camp. Riley wants to be partying with her best friend Chloe at the beautiful Ben Sebatini’s house. She has a plan to get away from the jumpsuit-wearing counsellors, the feel-good mantras, do-gooder campers and the monotonous schedule of team-building exercises and outdoor activities.
But Spirit Ranch is not what it appears. Secrets abound — a missing shroud, an abandoned house, a boy called Bird, and why the hell doesn’t anyone want to talk about the accident that landed the mysterious Dylan in a wheelchair last year?

When I think of words to describe this novel, two leap out at me. The first is weird and the second is touching.
I hadn't heard of Simmone Howell before I got this novel, so I obviously hadn't read any of her books. But, I am very interested after reading Everything Beautiful in reading her first novel Notes from the Teenage Underground.
I think that Everything Beautiful takes a little getting into, but when you are sucked into the story you really feel like you need to get a blanket, curl up into a ball and read this novel. It’s a cute read, not too heavy but the story isn’t meaningless.
Riley Rose is the rebellious main character, a little bigger then the socially acceptable weight is thses days and full of personality. I found her a great MC and wonderful person to hear the story from. Even if she was a little odd.

"Mum used to say that anyone who used your appearence as ammo was the worst kind of bully -- weak and unimaginative."

I think that this story had a lot to say about looks being deceiving, especially in sex god Craig’s case. Who you think will be the love interest of the novel -- buff, perfect smile -- does he not suit the stereotype? But you find that the love interest is instead Dylan, the sad looking boy in the wheelchair. Dylan is beautifully wounded and he was the kind of hurt person this book needed to make it not only interesting and memorable.
Everything Beautiful is written very well and set up into intelligently planned sections. The novel revolves around Riley being sent to a Christian camp for seven days and is broken into seven day sections -- get it? I understand that the main character being sent to a Christian camp may turn someone who’s not into novels about religion off this book. However, Howell does a wonderful job of slipping religion into the novel, but not letting it take over the whole thing. The way other minor characters act and feel about religion at the camp is very well put into the novel as well as realistic.

"Sometimes -- usually first thing when I wake up -- I forget. I go to get out of bed and it's like a blind down or a slap around the head."

Riley is very influenced by her best friend Chloe, a total and utter party girl. Throughout the novel we hear Riley speak and think of her best friend in a realistic way that you would a person you admire. How Riley grows without her wildly confident and experienced best friend makes me smile and gives me this odd sense of closure. Riley grows a lot through this novel and I love that, because it was time for her to do so.
Riley and Dylan’s relationship is the kind of cute that makes you smile warmly. I love the way they acted around one another, how completely random and comfortable they were.
Howell does a great job of writing a story that makes you laugh and think, it’s a novel that I would recommend to any teenager looking for a novel that is thought provoking, but gives you room to laugh.

I’m giving this novel four out of five (I’ve given a lot of novels this score recently haven’t I?) it was a good and quick read that was fun and thoughtful.

--Allie.

*Don't forget to email me your thoughts on the novel Just Listen, ASAP.

Just Listen Segment.

2008-12-13T16:52:00.000+11:00

I’m really excited about starting the Just Listen segment and really want to start it. I’ve decided that the book we’ll start off will be Just Listen.

Anyone who has read Just Listen and is reading this post I need you to email me and tell me why you loved or hated this novel, tell me about your favourite character and why they were your favourite. And anything else you can think to tell me about it that may make someone interested in reading this novel really want to read it. Please remember to be insightful.

Also, when you email me at justlistenbookreviews[at]gmail[dot]com and tell me all about why or why not Just Listen is a book worth reading tell me what book you think will be a good choice for next time. You have two weeks to get your opinion in, so be quick!

In Ecstasy by Kate McCaffrey.

2008-12-11T11:24:00.002+11:00

“Ecstasy. I’d always thought I might try it one day. I’d heard kids at school talking about getting wasted on the weekends. They made it sound awesome. I pictured the roughly made tablets with their tiny butterflies. An amazing experience inside a tiny pill.”

Rating: 4/5.

Summary:Mia and Sophie have been best friends forever — but that’s all about to change. Experimenting with drinking, boys and drugs, their friendship is tested to its limits, and they soon find out just how very bad things can be.

Review: This novel was hard hitting, from the very first time Sophie and Mia took ecstasy you knew that things were going to get bad, though, I didn't think that they'd get that bad.

Something about the way Kate McCaffrey wrote this book kept me wanting to turn the next page. There was also something about the way she described things that made them so real, so real that I often felt like I was reading someones biography or their memoirs from their drug crazed days.

The novel is from two perspectives, I found Sophie's more enjoyable at the start, her problems more developed and the way that it was written was more intriguing. Mia's story, just beginning seemed to grab my attention but whenever I hit Sophie's perspective my first thought was: yay. At the end of the novel, I felt differently. Sophie's problems in some ways ending and other just beginning made her perspective less interesting and Mia's problems sky rocketing made her perspective even more interesting. McCaffrey did a very good job at keeping me hooked.

The novel, as you would have already assumed from the title revolves around drugs or more specifically ecstasy. It was very intense and frightening to watch what happened when the girls were under the influence. And I found the process of reading this novel, not only enjoyable, but educational. Reading a novel about this sort of stuff goes into much more depth and teaches you a little more then your health teachers and parents ever could.

“That morning I figured life couldn’t get any better. How could something that made you feel like that be bad for you?”

I found Mia and Sophie very easy to relate to, as the novel progressed, I was in tune with how Sophie was feeling and found her easier to relate to, her reactions to Mia's problem made me think of myself and how I would probably handle the situation the same. The way they thought about themselves and one another was very real.

As terrible as it sounds I love stories about the rising and falling of people in the 'in' crowd. In Ecstasy did a wonderful job of showing how the person on the rise in the group feels and reacts, and how the people already in the group react. How the friendships sour and the opinion of the person on the rise goes from good to bad.

The ending, once again, I got a perfect one. It gave me a little hope for the girls and left a lot up to my own imagination, and actually made me laugh, which was great.

I'm going to give this novel four out of five. It was so real and Kate McCaffrey is a wonderful and inspirational writer and I will be looking out for her other novel Destroying Avalon. I would recommend this novel to anyone, it's one of those books that teenagers should read so that they can understand the dangers of drugs and how easily you can get caught up in them.

--Allie.

And The Winners Are....

2008-12-10T13:08:00.000+11:00

Finally! I've been excited about today for a while now.

Mum and I sat down and got all the entries together and then put them in the most adorable Santa bowl and then she drew out the following people:

The first prize pack which contained:

ARC of Finnkin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta.

(Both signed)

To Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag!

And the second prize pack which contained:

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.

(Both signed)

Went to Kelsey from Reading Keeps you Sane!

I've emailed both of you already and need you to reply in the next 72hours or else I will be forced to choose another winner(s).

Thank-you to all of you who entered!

Allie's Amazing Week in Mail!

2008-12-09T17:17:00.001+11:00

So, this would have to be my biggest week in books ever, so I thought that I'd take this oppurtunity to do an In My Mailbox post.

Last Monday I received:

Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell.
The Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marrilier.
Surf Sisters by Laurine Croasdale.

And the following Monday I received:

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Rumours by Anna Godbersen
The Museum of Mary Child by Cassandra Golds.
Savvy by Ingrid Law.
Something In The World Called Love by Sue Saliba.
The Boat by Nam Le.
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen.
The Push by Julia Lawrinson.

Lots of reviews to come and a competition some time in the next month or two. And on the subject of competitions, remember, the Melina Marchetta competition is closing tomorrow and the winners will also be announced. If you have haven’t entered click here and leave me a comment, if you’ve entered and are looking for extra entries sign up and introduce yourself on the Sane Reading Boards here.

Anyway, what did everyone else get this week/last week?

Sane Reading = Extra Entries.

2008-12-08T14:42:00.000+11:00

A little while ago, a great friend of mine, Kelsey from Reading Keeps You Sane started the Sane Reading Boards. Sadly though, no one really goes on there anymore. It's a huge shame because the boards were going to be fun and there was going to be a book club on there. Yes, a book club.

The idea, the boards, they're too great to go waste, so, I'm asking you to go and join up. And, just to motivate some people a little more. If you sign up for the boards and introduce yourself in the introduction section, I'll give you five extra entries into my contest where you have the chance to win some of Melina Marchetta's books!

Link to the boards: Sane Reading Boards.

The contest ends in two days, so sign up ASAP. In order to get those five extra entries though, you must introduce yourself on the boards and then comment me here (click here).

Have fun, post like crazy on those boards and expect an In My Mailbox post and my review for In Ecstasy (I mean it this time).

An Idea.

2008-12-05T15:56:00.000+11:00

Recently I have been trying to come up with the most amazingly brilliant idea that I possibly can to make my blog a little more fun. Sticking to the name of my blog I thought of a little idea that I’m not sure is amazingly brilliant, but it will be fun to see how it goes, and I’ll need your help to pull it off.

Every fortnight I’m going to name a YA book and then I’m going to ask people who have read the novel why others should read it or why they shouldn’t, I’m going to ask people who haven’t read the novel why they would pick this novel up. For this, I won’t need a huge review, I want short comments about what you thought of the book, but when I say short I don’t want: I thought this book was good. I want insight!

When that two week block is over I’ll post up as many of your comments about the chosen book as I can and we’ll see whether the book is wonderful or not. The name is still under consideration, so help in that department would be marvellous, though I want the name to stay in tune with Just Listen as that is the name of the blog.

The thing about this is that I really need your help and contributions to get this off the ground. If you want to help me in anyway email me at the address under authors and publishers or leave a comment. I would love to hear your own ideas about this. Also, I want you to nominate the books, so email/comment me with your choices of what books would be best!

Thank-you!

I Love Your Blog Award

2008-12-03T17:49:00.000+11:00

Today at school was pretty funny, but at the same time, very embarrassing, I had a door crash on my arm (XD) carried a wood work table home with my friend and had to do this thing in front of the whole school...but, after all that, three very awesome bloggers have made my embarrassment (and pain) so much better!

Amanda from That Teen Can Blog.
Laina from Laina Has Too Much Time.
And Just Blinded Book Reviews.

Everyone, go and comment and tell each of these girls how awesome they are!

I'm very excited to get this award because I've only been blogging for a little over a month and it really makes me happy that there are people out there that love my blog.

Anyway...

After receiving the award you are supposed to pay it forward:
1) Add the logo of your award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Okay, well, time for me to nominate. Of course there's:

Kelsey from Reading Keeps You Sane.

Hope from Hope's Bookself.

Emily from That One Girl Emily.

Rachel from The Book Muncher.

Liv from Liv's Book Reviews.

Ashley from Ashley's Bookshelf.

Sarah from Sarah's Random Musings.

Have fun!!

Nano!

2008-12-01T20:07:00.000+11:00

It's been a long stressful wonderful month and I really want to know how everyone who participated went!

How did I go...?
I finished! Can you believe it? I couldn't. I've got 50,000 words of crap, but the thought that's comforting me now is that I can always edit and rewrite. I am very excited, I have my little certificate printed off and hanging on the wall.

I can not wait until next year and I can't wait until I have the time to get back into the story and edit, my inner editor is crying at the moment and there is so much to be fixed in the story it's quite mortifying.

So, participants who are reading this, comment! Tell me all about your Nano experience, what you could have done better, what you loved and hated about the month, why you love your story and anything else you want to share with us!

Remember to enter the contest I'm running, you have the wonderful chance to win signed copies of Melina's Marchetta's wonderfully amazing books. Oh and how's this, Nano participants, whether you won or lost, three extra entry's into my contest!! Isn't it wonderful that I'm feeling so generous?

Expect a review for In Ecstasy by Kate McCafferty in the next day or so.

Paper Towns by John Green

2008-11-28T18:37:00.002+11:00

“Here's what's not beautiful about it: from here, you can't see the rust or the cracked paint or whatever, but you can tell what the place really is. You can see how fake it all is.”

Rating: 4/5.

Summary: Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Review: Ah, Paper Towns, how do I describe thee?

It was a long wait for this novel and even with my hopes high for this novel and expectations even higher I still managed to love this novel. Though, I found that I enjoyed Looking for Alaska more, Paper Towns still has heaps to offer.

I expected nothing but brilliance from John Green and I got what I wanted from this novel, sometimes as I read this novel I was astounded by how deep and wonderful the characters were. I loved what this book had to say about our perceptions of people, our imaginations and how they make us judge or assume what people are like.

The characters were amazing, Q was sweet, sometimes he irritated me, but throughout the novel I learnt to live with it. Radar well, everything about him made me laugh, Ben was probably my favourite character, he was hilarious and there was something about him that I loved. Margo though, she was an amazing character that I to an extent admired, she made me laugh and made me all teary and sad, she was delightfully complex.

John does an amazing job of writing for and about teenagers, I loved how the characters were angst ridden and I found them easy to relate to.

“Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thin and paper-frail. And all the people, too. I've lived here for eighteen years and I have never once in my life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters."

This novel was hilarious all the way through, it had me laughing constantly.

The mystery was interesting, the clues I found hard to piece together and even though Margo was gone for the majority of the novel, I felt like the clues allowed me to get to know her. Even though the majority of the time I got to know her through Q's undying obsession that at points through the novel irked me, something about the way he went about looking for Margo at times annoyed me, but only for short bursts in time, then I was wrapped up in the awesomeness of the novel again.

Nerdfighters will adore all the talk of awesome in this novel, I sure did.

The ending, my oh my, does it have me wondering. It was shocking, and I must admit that I had a bit of a jaw dropping moment, I would not have picked what happened and the reactions and well, everything. I thought that the ending was great, I liked how ideal it was and then how it left you wanting to know more and more about the characters and what they actually did after you left them.

“The town was paper, but the memories were not."

This wonderful novel gets four out of five from me, it was amazing and I had a lot of fun reading it. I would recommend it to anyone who reads YA because it's a great book and I would also recommend John's other books (though I have only read Looking for Alaska) because he is an author that you do not want to miss out on.

Author Interview: Melina Marchetta.

2008-11-22T17:41:00.001+11:00

Melina Marchetta is an Australian author with four very popular books released: Looking For Alibrandi her first novel which she wrote when she was twenty one has won numerous awards and is one of Australia’s favourite YA novels, In 2000 Looking for Alibrandi hit the big screen, starring Pia Miranda and Anthony LaPaglia and Melina wrote the screenplay. Her other four acclaimed novels are: Saving Francesca, On the Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock (expect it out in the U.S in 2010), she’s currently working on her fifth novel The Piper’s Son.

Can you tell people who don't know much about your latest novel, Finnikin of the Rock all about it?

After the slaughter of its beloved royal family, the kingdom of Lumatere is cursed and half its people are trapped inside never to be heard from, and the other half are scattered in exile across the Land. Ten years later, Finnikin, once the best friend of the young prince and the son of the captain of the king’s guard, travels the land taking care of Lumateran refugees. Until he’s called to an abbey where a young woman, named Evanjalin, claims she can walk through the sleep of those trapped inside, as well as claiming that the prince is alive. Finnikin doesn’t believe her, but they’re stuck with each other and it all starts from there.

Who was the hardest character to write?

Definitely, Finnikin. He’s a bit pigheaded, at times, really. But I loved sitting back and watching Evanjalin slap him down. Although it’s not written in first person, most of the action is seen through his eyes, so I had to keep him more emotionally held back than the narrators of my other novels.

Who was your favourite character?

Perri the Savage. He’s the second in command of the Guard. A very dark character, who as a child and young man was a violent bully. But I wanted to show what happens when a character is trusted and the Captain of the Guard trusts him with his son, Finnikin and from that point on there’s no turning back with Perri. When I was a year coordinator at a boys’ school, sometimes you’d get the naughtiest, less trust worthy kid to run your errands and have the keys to your office. It was a gamble, but most times it worked because they took trust seriously.
Evanjalin is a favourite as well. As much as this is Finnikin’s journey, Evanjalin isn’t merely the love interest. She’s the one who challenges him and controls the narrative. But I had to be careful with her. I wanted her to be respected by the reader for all the right reasons. Sometimes, a female character is raved about because she knows how to fight and defend herself with the best of them and really, all that means is that we like her because she’s demonstrated traditional male hero traits. I didn’t want to do that with her. Apart from one or two fight scenes she’s forced to participate in, I wanted to show how she uses her brain and her faith to get them through situations and although you feel you can’t trust her, I’d like to think that the reader, like Finnikin, can’t help loving her and wanting to follow her.

What was your inspiration for Finnikin of the Rock?

Inspiration never really comes from one place. Sometimes a character hangs out with you, gives you a bit of information and you go with it. I’m the grand daughter of migrants. Displacement and loss of homeland are part of my story.

A lot of readers of Just Listen Book Reviews have yet to read Finnikin of the Rock because it's yet to be released in the U.S, but a lot of them have read On the Jellicoe Road, can you tell us about your inspiration for that?

A strange inspiration. I just wanted to write a boarding school story because I love them. On the surface it might look like a story about the territory war between three factions of this particular area, but for me, Jellicoe is about what happens when the lines between being enemies and friends are blurred. It’s about gathering community when community has been wiped out and it’s about the role fate plays in our lives and how we either become reactive to it, or proactive.

On The Jellicoe Road was a pretty intense novel, was it hard for you to write?

Oh very. I can’t even read the last fifty pages without crying and it’s my book and I know what happens! But I love the strong bonds in this novel, especially the relationship between Taylor and Jonah. It’s a tough book on the reader. I always say, ‘Be very patient. It’s not Alibrandi and Francesca. In Jellicoe, you find out things at the same time Taylor does and sometimes it’s a long time coming but I’d love to think that the patience pays off.

Of all your characters, do you think that you can choose a favourite?

Too hard. I think it’s Frankie Spinelli (SF) Her story is personal to me so I feel I know her well and I love her relationship with the very pragmatic Will (who at times reminds me of that stubborn Finnikin). And of course I love Tom Mackee from Saving Francesca because I’m writing his story in The Piper’s Son (see below)

When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?

When I was writing Looking for Alibrandi at the age of 21 and knew I wanted that story to be published.

Do you have any advice for young aspiring writers?

My first novel was rejected about six times. It was re-written about ten times and took about six or seven years to be published. This writing business isn’t for those who have no passion for their work. You can’t give up.

Why do you write for young adults?

I tend to say that I write about this age group rather than for this age group. I think the age of seventeen is a powerful time in a person’s life because it could be the first time you make the really big decisions on your own rather than having to rely on your parents or teachers to make them for you. It’s a fascinating age and comes equipped with conflict. Perfect for a writer.

Can you tell us (in extreme detail) about the novel you're currently working on, The Piper's Son?

Hmmm. Haven’t learnt how to articulate this one yet so this is going to sound like a ramble. Sequel to Saving Francesca except it’s about Tom Mackee. The gang is 21. Tom’s estranged from the girls because of an awful family tragedy two years prior. He just couldn’t cope and gets lost for a while. At the start of the story he’s back in Frankie and Justine’s life, reluctantly. He’s a dish pig at the pub the girls work at that belongs to Justine’s uncle. They’re all still obsessed with music and used to be in a band together at university.
The rest of their people are overseas and their story is about how they cope with the distances between them. Frankie’s still with Will (I couldn’t have put two more different people together but somehow they work) and Tom has to make amends with Tara Finke because of something intense that happened to them in their second year of uni. That relationship is explored in a series of angry, funny, poignant emails and phone calls. It’s hard to conduct a love story when they are never in the same room but I’m hoping it works because I find it pretty romantic having to rely on words.
Mostly, it’s about not being able to bury your dead and the impact that has on Tom’s family. But for all the sadness, they are intensely dark- humoured people and I’ve had fun with them, despite the fact that I could easily cry every time I write a scene. Tom’s hard to write because he can’t articulate how he’s feeling.
The grown-ups get more of a story in this one, especially his pregnant Aunt Georgie and her estranged partner, Sam. (not quite the same themes as Mia and Robert in SF, but same dynamics) as well as Tom’s very fragile relationship with his father. It’s got a cast of thousands in the same way Saving Francesca has, but it’s still a small book with big themes. How to do all that without it being a sloppy cliché? I’m working very hard at it, I promise, but I think I’ve done it before and I can do it again. I never thought I’d say I’m crazy mad for Tom Mackee, but I am.

Favourite novel of all time?

My first was Anne of Green Gables. I’ll say over and over again that my life changed when Anne hit Gilbert Blythe over the head with the slate and that it influences my writing because I think I use that scene metaphorically over and over again in my novels – think Francesca Spinelli and Will Trombal in the Tolstoy/Trotsky face off (Saving Francesca)

Anything else you want to add?

Only that I suppose it’s difficult changing genres for both the writer and her readers. But I’m ecstatic about the reviews and letters for Finnikin. I either get them from people who are avid fantasy readers or those who have never read fantasy before. Once or twice I read a negative blog and I just have to just put it down to a reader not connecting with the world I’ve created or having their own expectations of what the novel should be before they start reading it. Someone commented on their disappointment that the action with the villain is off screen. But for me the villain isn’t the one-dimensional imposter king. It’s the hearts and mind of good people who turned their back on others who were suffering. It’s why I used the Primo Levi poem. Regardless of when it was written (Levi was an inmate at Auschwitz) he speaks about retribution - of what happens to people who look the other way when bad things are happening. Perhaps, deep down, that’s what I wanted to say.

Thank-you so much Melina!!

(Remember that if you post a comment on this interview you get another entry into my contest where you have the chance to win all of Melina's books.)

My First Competition!!

2008-11-17T17:57:00.000+11:00

Guess what came in the mail today? -- actually the most books I have ever received, but I'll tell you what you may be more interested in. Four signed novels by Melina Marchetta that I'm going to be giving away to two (2) lucky people!

What books have I got up for grabs?

*Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta.

*Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.

*On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, (hardcover).

And for residents out of Australia this is a HUGE ARC.

*Finnkin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.

The lovely Melina Marchetta was very kind and sent me all of these books! So a HUGE yay for Melina Marchetta!!

So, how's this competition working? Well, two lucky people will get two books each. The first person I draw out will win:

*Finnkin of the Rock & Looking for Alibrandi.

The second person I pick out will win:

*On the Jellicoe Road & Saving Francesca.

How do you enter? Well, to enter all you have to do is comment on this post and leave your email address, extra entry's will be given if:

*You were a follower before this competition started that gets you three (3) extra entry's, (but you need to comment on this post so I know that you're interested).

*If you sign up to follow my blog then I will give you two (2) extra entry's.

*Another entry will be given if you comment on Melina Marchetta's interview that will posted in the next couple of days

*You will be given five (5) entry's if you advertise this competition on your blog (side bar is fine).

(Make sure you comment and tell me so that you don't miss out on your entry's).

This part is going to be tricky, as the competition is international YES INTERNATIONAL (seeing as if it wasn't I'd probably be sending the books to myself...) and all of our times are different. The competition will end roughly on Tuesday the 9th of December at midnight, so if you're north of the equator I'm guessing that it'll be Monday over there, so I'll post when the competition has officially ended to clear up confusion about the end of the competition.

Winners will be drawn and announced sometime Wednesday the 10th of December (my time) Tuesday your time. I'll post the winners on the blog and email them, they'll have two days to get in contact with me, if they don't, sadly enough, then I will draw out new winners.

I have read all of these books and can tell you that each and everyone of them is awesome. The review for Finnkin of the Rock can be found here and the review for Saving Francesca can be found here.

If this information has seriously confused you, email me at the address at the top of the page.

Well, good-luck!

--Allie.

Dear Everybody by Michael Kimball

2008-11-15T15:58:00.002+11:00

“Jonathan left all of these fragments behind and I have tried to put them back together in some kind of order. I hope that this hold him together”.

Rating: 5/5.

Summary:Jonathon Bender had something to say, but the world wouldn’t listen. That’s why he writes letters to everybody he has ever known—including his mother and father, his brother and other relatives, his childhood friends and neighbors, the Tooth Fairy, his classmates and teachers, his psychiatrists, his ex-girlfriends and his ex-wife, the state of Michigan, a television station, and a weather satellite. Taken together, these unsent letters tell the remarkable story of Jonathon’s life.

Review:My mum arrived home with a bag of books from her book club, out of curiosity I picked through the pile and that is where I found this wonderful novel. The first pages had me hooked and when I really got into this book there was no going back. It’s not like anything I’ve ever read before.
The book is written very differently, not using the traditional third or first person but letter form, with a collation of articles, excerpts from Jonathan’s eulogy and his mother’s diary and conversations between Robert and people who knew Jonathan.
This is a tragic story about abuse and suicide and how the victims deal with it. The letters are hard hitting, at some points throughout the novel I was gasping at what Jonathan had written.

“Dear Grandma and Grandpa Winters,
Thank-you for giving me the Etch-a-Sketch for my seventh birthday. I liked drawing with it better then drawing on the walls, but I always felt sick when I shook it and everything on it’s magic screen disappeared. It reminded me how my dad would grab me by both of my shoulders and shake me until everything went blank inside me too”.

Jonathan was very easy to love because he was so blunt and sweet, very sweet and that really just made you a little sadder. What I really liked about Jonathan was that when he wrote the letters to his abusive father you could tell by how he wrote them that he was like: stuff it. He never searched for approval from his father, he knew that he didn’t like him and he didn’t try and change that. His brother Robert on the other hand was a lot harder to like, he was in denial about everything and would make awful comments about his brother and didn’t seem to really care.

Jonathan’s mother Alice was tortured character who was frightened and it was hard not to feel the deepest sympathy for her. I hated his father, some conversations between Robert and Tom (the father) would make you feel sick, he treated Jonathan so badly.
The book leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions and depending on which characters you like and trust will leave you with your own opinion on whether what Jonathan was saying was true or false.
The story does a great job of showing Jonathan’s mental illness, Sara (his ex-wife) explains a lot of what happened to Jonathan in a very personal manner and really makes you seem like you were there.
The story was hauntingly real, the characters, the plot, the reactions, the circumstances.
It’s a quick and enjoyable read and it ends very abruptly.

I’m giving this novel five out of five, it was so dark (though not disturbing) yet touching, I loved reading this novel and would recommend it to anyone, especially fans of darker writers.

--Allie.

Also, stay tuned because in the next couple of days I will be posting my interview with Melina Marchetta (how exciting!) and giving out the information about my first contest!

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter.

2008-11-12T16:34:00.000+11:00

"I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel invisible sometimes, like they just disappear. Well that's me - Cammie the Chameleon. But I'm luckier then most because, at my school, that's considered cool."

Rating: 2/5

Summary:Gallagher Academy is not for normal girls, it's for the exceptional, the students are trained to kick box in PE, disarm bombs in science and could kill someone with an uncooked piece of spaghetti.

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women may seem like your normal school for stuck up rich girls, but it's a school for spies.

Cammie Morgan is the headmistresses daughter, fluent in fourteen different languages and is nicknamed the chameleon because she's only seen when she wants to be.

But that all changes the day that Josh, a normal boy, sees her.

Review: I've been told so many great things about this novel. I've been trying to get my hands on it for ages and the day that I found this book in my local bookstore I thought that I'd struck gold, but sadly, this book disappointed me.

My first problem with this novel is how smart the girls are. They're geniuses, they're spies, but what escapes me is why they don't act like them, throughout the novel I was told how smart each girl was (over and over again) but I felt that I was never shown that they were smart.

My second problem is a fan girl one, the love

interest is one of the things about the book and really makes or breaks a novel for me, Josh...was sweet, a little weird and kind of funny, but...he wasn't... interesting enough. He was predictable, dull even. What I couldn't stand was that while they had their first kiss Cammie was babbling about how she wasn't going to describe what it was like because her mum was going to read this diary of hers.

Problem three:Cammie was a bit of a Mary Sue, all the characters forgave her actions after moments, she's with Josh and that is illegal in spy world and she doesn't get punished for her actions, and her mother is all: yes, yes, I knew, now, sleep well honey. Made me a little angry. She hurts Josh and he's beginning to forgive her. I didn't like that.

Problem four: the enormous title! At first it was cute and sweet, but after a while it got really annoying.

Problem five: the corniness. I can't stand corniness and I got a lot of it in this novel.

Problem six: I know that they're spies and that they save the world all the time, but they make Josh and people out of the school seem so useless and terrible and pathetic.

Problem seven: Repetitive.

I think that this novel had so much potential and it was wasted.

I think that I'll give this novel two stars. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up so high, but this novel really disappointed me and I will not ever re-read it and I wouldn't recommend it.

I've noticed that a lot of the bloggers love this novel, and I totally respect that, I was wondering if you could comment and tell me why you enjoyed this book? I'm really interested in finding out why you loved it. :D

I thought that I'd share this cover with you seeing as it's different to the regular cover.

---Allie.

Amazing Because It Is.

2008-11-10T18:34:00.000+11:00

I was tagged for the first time ever today! Whoo! And this was fun! Thank-you Kelsey!
Basically, with my iTunes, I have a lot of phases, so there's a lot of the same artists...don't tease my music taste. :D
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Put the artist after a dash following the song name.
5. Put any comments in brackets.
6. Tag some lucky people to spread the disease.

How would you describe yourself?
Promises - Broken Toy Airplanes.

How do you feel today?
The Scientist - Coldplay.

What is your life’s purpose?
Dusk and Summer - Dashboard Confessional.

What is your motto?
Big Sur - The Thrills.

What do you think about very often?
Breathing - Yellowcard.

What is your life story?
Clumsy Card House - Blue October.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
We Walk - The Ting Tings.

What will you dance to at your wedding?
A Whisper - Coldplay.

What will they play at your funeral?
You're So Damn Hot - Ok Go. (Oh, gosh, that made me laugh. Ha.)

What is your hobby/interest?
Prayers of the Refugee - Rise Against.

If you could do anything right now, what would it be?
Grand Theft Autumn - Fall Out Boy.

What do you want most of all?
Forever Young - Youth Group.

What is your greatest fear?
Spray On Pants - Kisschasey.

What is your darkest secret?
Rooftops and Invitations - Dashboard Confessional.

What is your favorite thing in the world?
Carry This Picture For Luck - Dashboard Confessional. (Can you tell that I'm a DBC fan?)

If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?
Imperfection - Skillet. (I was hoping for Money, Money, Money XD XD)

What is your theme song?
Now or Never - Josh Groban.

The next time you hear this song (aside from now, that is), you must dance.
Everywhere - Yellowcard. (That'll be interesting)

What will you post this as?
Amazing Because It Is - The Almost.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

That was fun. And now to tag some people... (this is hard, seeing as I don't really know anyone well yet.)
Amanda (That Teen Can Blog) and Megan (Simply Books). Have fun!

-- Allie.

The Push by Julia Lawrinson.

2008-11-09T12:11:00.001+11:00

“Love is just about the only hold anyone can have over another person; if you have that, then nothing else in necessary.”

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (from julialawrinson.com.au) Erica is restless for a life outside her office job, her boring boyfriend and her mother's tiny house in down-and-out Glebe.

In the 1950s, Sydney is quickly building a reputation for sinfulness, and some of the most attractively sinful people are to be found in a group known as the Push. They meet regularly to discuss their wicked ideas at the Royal George, and Erica is drawn into the captivating crowd.

Review:Doesn't the cover just sell this novel to you? I know the old saying: never judge a book by it's cover. But I don't agree with it in terms of reading, that's one of the first things I do. And this gorgeous cover is just the beginning of good things for this novel.

It's written in third person and in multiple perspectives to give you a good view of everyone and why they are the way they are, for example Trish, who is the best friend of the main character Erica, who introduces her to the notorious push, has a family that doesn't respect her and that causes her to rebel.

Erica is the main character and I think that as far as MC's go she was wonderful and easy to relate to. She's beautiful but shows that with beauty doesn't come everything, especially reassurance. We really watch her grow up throughout the story.

Johnno from the first time you see him is something special, his introduction is fantastic and you see that it suits his personality very well and it leaves a lasting impression on you. Some points through the novel I hated Johnno, but as it progressed that changed and I loved him more, he wasn't fickle, he was just passionate and wouldn't allow anything to sway his views.

I thought that Vanessa was a great character as well, very original. In the novel there was at least one character that you could relate to, Lawrinson's characters were realistic and interesting to read.

A major theme in this story is loss of innocence and it's carved marvelously throughout the story.

The emotion runs strong in The Push and something about the jealously Erica feels about Johnno and girls is very real.

“Is she – was she with Johnno?” asked Erica.

“It doesn't work like that,” Trish said. “It's more...fluid.”

I don't usually like books set in another time era, they tend to confuse me, but if you're one of those people like me then don't worry about it, the era doesn't make this novel hard to follow or annoying because of the way they speak or act. I actually really loved this novel because of it's era.

I may seem a little uninformed when I say that I had never heard of the the push (it was an actual real group of people) before reading this novel a few months earlier and I learnt a fair bit about it.

I love the ideas this novel possess and how opinionated the characters appear to be, the controversy was relevant for the time era.

I don't know whether it was intentional, but Lawrinson shows clearly which path Erica could have taken, she could have played it safe and stayed in the dining room at lunch with Jean and stayed in a relationship with boring David, but she chose the elusive push with Johnno.

“She with me!” David said. “I'll punch your head in you impertinent pig.”

The man gave a small laugh. “Oh you will, will you?”

There are a few mini mysteries in this novel, based around Erica's absent sister Peggy and hearing things from Peggy's POV is great though she isn't having the best life.

Lawrinson's writing style is wonderful and I love the vague way she writes. She does a wonderful job of keeping the characters in character and keeping you hooked.

The ending! The ending was great! I can't believe how wonderful I thought it was and I'm so picky about the end. It was happy but at the same time it wasn't corny and allowed you to have your own and wide opinion of what happens next. It gave the best sense of closure and hope I have been given in a long time.

This book was a delight to read, everything was marvelous and I am having trouble thinking of something bad to say about it.

I'm giving this novel five out of five. It was different, interesting, the characters interesting and the plot great. Lawrinson may be an Aussie author and her novels may be hard to get a hold of for people in the U.S, but if you ever get the opportunity to read The Push take it, because you will not regret the twenty something dollars you spend to experience it.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

2008-11-07T20:29:00.000+11:00

“Where’s your mother, Ruby?”

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:Only a few months ago, Ruby, almost eighteen was abandoned by her mother. She’s been living in the yellow house, just getting by, but the game is up and she’s going off to live with her older sister Cora who left for college ten years ago and never returned and her husband Jamie.

Suddenly her life is transformed into the opposite of what it used to be. A luxurious house, private school, new clothes and even the chance to have a fulfilling future that Ruby could never have imagined.

But Ruby is having trouble accepting all this, trusting all of those around her who want to make her life easier for her.

There’s an upside though, the boy next door, Nate, genial, popular and sweet seems to understand her problems, maybe it’s because he’s hiding something of his own though.

Review: Mid April I got this novel, I waited a long seven, eight months for it and I must say it was worth it. Though, Lock and Key doesn’t compare to Just Listen (obviously I love that book, check out the blogs name XD), but fear not fans Dessen fans, it does not disappoint.

The plot was fantastic! Everything clicked and made sense, there were a few twists and turns, but they where good ones keeping the story off a boring path.

Ruby was a great character, very easy to relate to and very real, maybe even the realist of all of Dessen's characters, I loved her reactions to events. Nate was something special though (swoon) very intriguing, he was sweet and just so flawed, he was interesting and his secret was sad but a great twist. I enjoyed other characters in the story such as Gervais the little genius who loves to fart, Olivia who is constantly on her cell phone, Jamie with the huge family, Cora who is strong and has too many friends. Dessen writes some of the most amazing characters YA literature has ever seen and Lock and Key once again, raises the bar.

The descriptions were lovely and the emotion was portrayed and written wonderfully.

Dessen does something many authors don't, she has characters from old novels coming back and Lock and Key had a huge amount, people who have read a few of Dessen's novels will be constantly giggling throughout the novel and if you're new to Dessen's novels it will intrigue you.

The end had just the right amount of closure, it wasn't conry, it just signified the ending of an era, of letting go and that's the sort of ending I like.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Sarah Dessen, it touched upon so many topics and in the end won my heart.

Four and a half stars, this book was just fantastic and if you haven’t read a novel by Sarah Dessen yet, go on, what are you waiting for?

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.

2008-10-29T15:51:00.001+11:00

And then the dark forces of the curse entombed the kingdom, separating a people in two. This is the story, as told to those of us who were born to see such days, recorded here in the Book of Lumatere so we will never forget.

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (From melinamarchetta.com.au)At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh in order to save the royal house of his homeland, Lumatere.

And so he stands on the rock of three wonders with his childhood friend Prince Balthazar and the prince's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood. And Lumatere is safe.

Until the 'five days of the unspeakable', when the King and Queen and their children are slaughtered in the palace. And an imposter king takes the throne.
And a curse is put on Lumatere, which traps those caught inside and forces thousands of others to roam the land as exiles, dying of fever and persecution in foreign camps.

But ten years later Finnikin is led to another rock to meet the young novice, Evanjalin. A girl plagued by dark dreams, who holds the key to their return to the Land of light...

Review: This is a story written in third person and is about dwindling and fiery hope, about redemption and guilt, regret and love, about finding those who you love and going back for those who you left behind. Six long months I waited for this novel and I was not disappointed. Melina Marchetta, my favourite author in the world managed to once again weave another original and amazing tale.

The first thing I will say is: how does Marchetta write such original stories? When you think about the basics of her stories they sound very genial, but whenever she writes it screams originality. This was her first fantasy story and I must say that she pulled this one off.

Her story was a little complicated, she created a whole new world and learning the names of every country, every town was a little difficult at the beginning but as the novel went on you learned a lot about each and I commend Marchetta highly on being able to give so much detail to every town she created that little bit of history we were given made the story that much more realistic and moving.

Finnikin was the main character and was...well awesome. I loved how he was so determined and good natured, I read a Q&A about FOTR on her website and Marchetta said that she had trouble writing Finnikin because he kept appearing too weak or too arrogant, but I think that she crafted him wonderfully. Evanjalin was a great character and was a kick ass female heroin, Finnikin and Evanjalin's relationship was fantastic, complicated and once again, realistic, especially considering the time era. My favourite character though had to be Perri the Savage, he was delightfully miss understood and I loved that Finnikin's father Trevanion trusted him whole heartedly and gave him a chance, despite the rumors that circulated around him, when I explain it that way it sounds corny doesn't it? Well, it isn't.

But Trevanion was staring at Perri. “You,” he said. “If anything happens to me, protect my boy.”

I loved that towards the end of the book we got a look from the misunderstood Froi's point of view, he was perceived as such an awful character at the start of the novel, but he was so...sweet, after my initial hate for him I felt a little bit of sympathy towards him and when I read his perspective it made my feelings of sympathy stronger and caused me to really like him.

The others pretended that deep down he wasn't bad. That he didn't come from evil. But she knew. She saw the badness. She saw it now and shivered. Page: 244.

Melina's wonderful style shone through in this novel, her flashbacks, dream sequences and just writing was beyond enjoyable to read.

A lot of brutal things happen in this story and Marchetta is never too frank about them, which I liked, she implies a lot of what happened to the women and the reaction of her characters say more then the harsh sentence ever would.

Marchetta threw in so many twists and turns it made this almost 400 page novel one I powered through, one twist had me gaping because it was popped in at the most random time and I didn't know whether it was a dream or wishful thinking. One of the biggest twist of the novels I'm glad to say I guessed (yes, I guessed it, whooo) and it was a great twist indeed.

So, overall: the plot? Engaging, amazing, awesome, fantastic, wonderful and amusing. The characters? Gah, amazing. I loved each and every one of them for every flaw and everything that made them glorious. The twists? Amazing, fun, beyond interesting. The writing? Don't get me started on how fantastic it was, how the story was intricately weaved and just so beautiful that I can't believe someone has that much writing talent.

I want you read this book, I love it. I want you to read each and every novel of Marchetta's because each is so wonderful I want you to be able to experience it.

Are you in the U.S? Are you going insane and really want this novel? Well, you can get your hands on it Spring 2010, a little while away, but you can always try and find it on the net.

Five out of five, I think that my review says enough, please, read it when you get the chance.

--Allie

An Apology And Thank-You To The Very Few Readers Of This Blog. :D

2008-10-27T18:40:00.000+11:00

I haven't had a post in a while, it seems that I've miss placed the flash disk containing some (well, a lot) of reviews. I've also been busy preparing for NaNo. Which is approaching fast. I cannot wait to get a start on my story, the outline is so close to being finished. If people are interested in what my stories about, comment and I can post and tell you about it -- don't feel obliged, and honestly, it's not terribly interesting anyway. XD

Also, I've noticed how exciting everyone else's blogs are, any suggestions for what I could do to make this blog just a little more enticing?

Competitions will probably come up, so I'll just tell you two things:
1) I tend to get attached to novels and can't give them away.
2) I'm in Australia and I'm sure that it'll cost me a fortune to post to the U.S or wherever else.
Though, I did just get a job (yessssss) and may have the cash to pull that off soon, hmmmmm...

Also, does anyone know of any other Aussie book reviewers? I'm sure that there's a little community somewhere and I would love to become a part of it, and free books, wow, free books, it'd be like Christmas but better.

Anyway, you should be expecting a review of the wonderful Finnikin of the Rock soon, maybe Thursday -- hopefully Thursday!

I also want to thank all the people who have taken the time to comment and follow my blog, it really means a lot to me that you would do that, you're awesome. But a HUGE thank-you goes out to Kelsey, for not only getting me to start a blog and put up with my stupidity at the very beginning, but then making the adorable banner that sits up the top of my page. Thank-you!

Okay, that's enough from me now, thank you and have a wonderful day!

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.

2008-10-22T16:38:00.001+11:00

“This morning, my mother didn’t get out of bed.”

Rating: 5/5

Summary: Francesca is beginning her second term in year eleven at an all boy’s school that’s just started accepting girls. Her mother has had a breakdown and no longer gets out of bed and she misses her old friends.

But what Francesca doesn’t expect when she arrives at her new school, seriously not wanting to be there is that the new friends she makes grudgingly are fiercely loyal and that there’s more to them then it seems. She doesn't expect to fall in love or that she has the power to bring her family that is slowly falling apart in her mother’s absence back together.

Review: This story is phenomenal. Melina writes a magical book with raw and extraordinary real emotion.

With the terrible summary I have written and provided you all with you're probably thinking that this is an awful novel with not much going for it, maybe you're thinking: depression? What a sad topic, why on earth would I want to read such an unhappy tale? Please don't let any of that sort of stuff put you off.

Marchetta has the writing ability to make you seriously care about her characters. Her characters are easy to relate to, fun and different. In each novel Marchetta produces comes with it a fantastic set of new characters and as a reader and major fan of all of her novels the characters in Saving Francesca still stand to be my favourites.

There where so many points where I was touched by the characters who are so much deeper then they seem, and there were even more points where I was laughing out loud at what a character had said or done.

It's an all star cast in this novel and if you're looking for a novel with characters that are beyond the ordinary then you must pick this book up. There's Thomas and Jimmy who make you laugh, there's William who makes your fan girl hearts go insane, there's just so many wonderful characters I could be here all day babbling about them.

Francesca is a fantastic narrator, and what you see and feel thorough her eye’s is real and true. You feel her pain about her mother’s problem, you feel her anger toward the people who just don’t get it and you laugh with her whenever Thomas is a smart ass or when Jimmy invites himself around.

The plot is interesting and I felt driven to finish this novel because...of well everything, the characters – don't get my talking about them again. The plot, original and interesting and the writing, Marchetta's style is in one word blunt and in two: blunt and beautiful. She doesn't beat around the bush, she never drags things out for too long, she tells you all the truth she can and tells it beautifully and by her doing this she has become and probably will always stay my favourite author.

This novel, to be fully appreciated needs to be read by people who are mature, when I read this novel for the first time at age thirteen the mother's depression made me feel a little sick with sadness, but when I reread it a year later I loved this book so much that I am till this day constantly reaching for this novel for comfort when I have a bad day.

This novel gets five stars. Everything about it is wonderful and amazing. I hope that you're putting this novel on the top of a very long list of books to read or running off to buy it because Saving Francesca is not to be missed by YA readers because it is definitely amongst the finest in that category.

--Allie.

The Nature Of Jade by Deb Caletti

2008-10-19T13:47:00.000+11:00

“The one thing my illness made me realize is how necessary it is to ignore the dangers of living in order to live. And how much trouble you can get into if you can't.”

Summary: (From debcaletti.com) Jade DeLuna is too young to die. She knows this, and yet she can't quite believe it, especially when terrifying thoughts, loss of breath, and dizzy feelings come. Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder she's trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That's why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and where she first sees the boy in the red jacket. A boy who stops to watch the elephants. A boy carrying a baby.
His name is Sebastian, and he is raising his son alone. Jade is drawn into Sebastian's cozy life with his son and his activist grandmother on their Seattle houseboat, and before she knows it, she's in love. With this boy who has lived through harder times than anyone she knows. This boy with a past.
Jade knows the situation is beyond complicated, but she hasn't felt this safe in a long time. She owes it all to Sebastian, her boy with the great heart. Her boy who is hiding a terrible secret.
A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right...

Review: I've heard nothing but good things about Caletti's books. I now I see why.
Caletti writes a wonderful novel. Filled with wonderful characters and fantastic plot twists that keeps this book interesting.
I will admit that it took me a while to get into this book, so long in fact it's overdue at my library, but when I did get sucked into this fantastic tale I couldn't put it down.
Jade was a wonderful MC and I could see a little bit of myself in her, everything she did I would have done. I loved how she acted and I loved watching her grow, her love was genuine her reactions perfect. I also loved Sebastian, he was a great character to have and gorgeous love interest. Him, Bo and Tess made me laugh.
The twists, were a little predictable, but I think that it's a wonderful feeling to figure out what's going to happen before the MC.
The information about elephants was fun, I liked that aspect of that book very much, giving it the originality that I really enjoyed.
Everything that happened in the novel was believable. Caletti wrote so that you were feeling what Jade was feeling, so that you loved all the characters.
Down side? I think that we could have had more time with Sebastian, but that's just the fan girl in me talking.
I'm picky about endings and I thought that this was a pretty good one.

I'm giving this novel four out of five. It was awesome. It took a little time to get into, but when you're in, there's no going back. I highly recommend you find a copy of this novel, especially if you're a Sarah Dessen fan.

--- Allie.

Losing it by Lizzie Wilcock

2008-10-16T18:07:00.001+11:00

Gabbie Martyn has the perfect family, perfect grades, perfect everything. She's fourteen and is loving it. Things couldn't get any better. But then things change and things get worse

Her uncle Daryl moves in with them for some mysterious reason. Her best friend Zoe is more cryptic then usual, she's rebelling and even getting arrested. And then Gabbie's falling in love with Zak, the gorgeous new boy from New Zealand.

Gabbie has to fight, because if she doesn't, she may just lose it.

I think that my expectations were too high. I was told by friends that it was “the best book ever”. I disagree. Straight after I read the novel I found that it was written too simply, the MC is made out to be quite intelligent as far as fourteen year old girls go, but I felt as if her intelligence in the writing style was understated. When I look back on the novel now though, I think that innocence in the style is important to the plot.

Each character was somewhat complex, I really loved Zoe's character, she was delightfully dark and in some ways I could relate to how Gabbie felt about her friend, slowly slipping away. I also loved Zak, he was sweet and made me smile. Gabbie was great as far as MC's go. She was sweetly innocent and I loved going through her story and watching her experience new things.

This story is fun and sweet, but has a terrible theme lurking in the background, that gives the book a dark twist. It's always there, on the edge of your tongue and makes the book one that you have to finish. I'm not going to spoil this novel for anyone who hasn't read it, but I think that as you get into it, you will know what I am talking about.

I thought that this novel was pretty good, like I've mentioned, a tiny bit too juvenile for my liking, but still, really liked it, defiantly not a terrible novel. It was a wonderful coming of age story, though, like I said, there's a dark element to it.

If you know me well, you will know how I feel about happy endings. This novel had a dramatic ending, that people who like things to be all cleared up at the end would hate. It left a lot of stuff up in the air and gave only a fraction of closure. I was glad that I didn't have to go through the end bit filled with closure and happy endings, instead the ending is somewhat happy and it leaves a lot up to the readers imagination as to what happens next.

All in all, I'd give this novel three stars, very sweet, fun and had a creepy element that I didn't so much as enjoy, but made the novel a lot more interesting.

--Allie

Losing It by Lizzie Wilcock

2008-10-15T19:10:00.001+11:00

Gabbie Martyn has the perfect family, perfect grades, perfect everything. She's fourteen and is loving it. Things, they couldn't get any better. But then things change.

Her uncle Daryl moves in with them. Her best friend Zoe is more cryptic then usual, she's rebelling and even getting arrested. And then Gabbie's falling in love with Zak, the gorgeous new boy from New Zealand.

Gabbie has to fight, because if she doesn't, she may just lose it.

Each character was somewhat complex, I really loved Zoe's character, she was delightfully dark in a sense and in some ways I could relate to how Gabbie felt about her friend, slowly slipping away. I also loved Zak, he was sweet and made me smile. Gabbie was great as far as MC's go. She was sweetly innocent and I loved going through her story and watching her experience new things.

This story is fun and sweet, but has a terrible theme lurking in the background, that gives the book a dark twist. It's always there, on the edge of your tongue and makes the book one that you have to finish. I'm not going to spoil this novel for anyone who hasn't read it, as someone spoiled the novel for me, but I think that as you get into it you will know what I am talking about.

Okay, so all and all, I thought that this novel was pretty good, like a said, a tiny bit too juvenile for my liking, but still, really liked it, defiantly not a terrible novel. It was a wonderful coming of age story, though, like I said, there's a dark element to it.

All in all, I'd give this novel three stars, very sweet, fun and had a creepy element that I didn't so much as enjoy, but made the novel a lot more interesting.

Allie.

Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

2008-10-13T17:51:00.000+11:00

“See you later? What does that mean?”

Georgia Nicholson is fourteen and on the brink of woman hood – she even wears a bra now. Her little sister is insane, her parents just don't understand. Her friends, well, she loves them and then she hates them. Everything's going as normal as it can be for Georgia, until the day she sees Robbie aka "The Sex God". Watch as Georgia's life goes from crazy to insane as she tries to get the Sex God's attention.

I read (or rather listened to the audio tape) this book because of the movie, I like to read the book before I watch the movie so that I can compare them, odd, I know. The movie made me cringe, Georgia is weird in a way that I think should only ever be read, not watched.
I walked in and out of the room as I listened to the beginning of the tape, but as the story progressed, I was very engrossed in her story, not because it had the best plot ever, or the characters were so amazing and deep, it was because it was so funny. Georgia, made me laugh numerous amounts of times throughout this novel and that's why I liked it.
The plot was fun and easy. The characters were funny and light. The story was just: easy going. I liked that for a change I wasn't reading a complicated novel that was filled with twists and turns (even though I love twists and turns) just for a little change.
Even though the characters were insane you could relate to them, I found myself laughing at memories of my friends and I doing silly things like the “Ace Gang” back in the day.
My little sister is very picky with her novels and she enjoyed this one, so that must be a good sign. Though, it does show that this novel is directed at pre teens and early teens, so if that's not your thing, stay away.
I spent less then a day listening to this novel because I enjoyed it so much. I think that if you're looking for something to read, just for a little fun, you should look into finding yourself a copy of Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging.

I give this novel four stars. It was so hilarious that I'm currently listening to the sequel: It's Okay, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers. And it's quite a laugh as well.

Best Wishes.
Allie.

Thirteen Reason’s Why by Jay Asher.

2008-10-12T14:27:00.000+11:00

“You can’t stop the future. You can’t rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret…is to press play.”

One afternoon a mysterious package arrives at Clay Jenson’s door step, with his name on it. Inside he discovers seven tapes and he’s shocked to find that there cassette’s are by his classmate and crush Hannah Baker who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Clay finds out that there are thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself, and he’s one of them. And if he listens, he’ll find out how he impacted on her life, and how others did too. Clay spends one long night, with Hannah’s haunting voice guiding him all over their small town, and first hand into her private pain.

This book is great.

It’s as if we get two perspectives. We hear Clay, the nice boy who wouldn’t hurt a fly, thoughts on what Hannah says, what Hannah's done. The suspense leading up to his story is incredible. You feel his pain as he grows as a person and learns the truth.

And then we hear Hannah Baker’s strong voice that is so distinctive you’ll be thinking about her and what she said and what happened to her long after you’ve heard her story.

Asher writes a practically perfect novel, full of suspense, pain, sorrow and regret.

The story is beautiful and full of truth. We learn how the smallest of moves or mistakes can impact on someone else’s life in a positive or a negative way. I personally think that I learnt a lot from this story.

The end of this story is amazing and though leaves you wanting more also gives you a comfortable sense of closure.

Four stars, because even though it was so original and amazing, I was told it was phenomenal and was ever so slightly let down. But the story was fantastic and would recommend that you pick it up and give it a whirl.

All Righty Then....

2008-10-12T13:44:00.000+11:00

Hey, I'm Just Listen, you can call me JL or Just or Listen or Allie.
A friend of mine *coughKelseycough* persuaded me to start this blog, so here goes nothing.

I love reading so I will be trying my hand at reviewing.

Best Wishes!