REVIEW: Dead To You by Lisa McMann

I didn't really know what to make of Dead To You by Lisa McMann.  I wanted to read it after reading and loving Lisa McMann's Wake trilogy but by the time I managed to find a copy to read I had forgotten what I'd read about the book that had made me so excited.  I think the main reason, and it's not a very good one, that I picked this book up over the hundreds of other books on my shelves was because it's quite a slim book to read.  And a lot of times I mistake fewer pages with less depth, which is what happened with this book.

Dead To You is a pretty simple story. It's the story of a boy being returned to his family after he was abducted from his front garden 9 years ago.  In the past nine years both his family and Ethan have both gone through some terrible things.  I can't even begin to imagine what it would feel like to have a child go missing. To not know what my child is going through, if he's suffering, if I'll ever see him again.

So already my heart is being put through the wringer over this book.  And things aren't improved as things go along.  The family have all taken to dealing with Ethan's loss and his return in different ways and that's the real basis of the story.  This major event has affected everyone's live irrevocably.  There are difficult questions that aren't asked.  There's hovering and panic and worry that won't go away if Ethan doesn't come home straight away. Ethan's younger brother is harbouring deep feelings of guilt but also of anger for what he's had to put up with over the past nine years.

And things are tough for Ethan too.  There are so many expectations -  from his parents, his brother and sister, other family members, friends, neighbours - for Ethan to remember things that happened before he was taken, to answer questions or just be stared at.  Reporters want to know the grisly details of his life away from his family and Ethan can't tell them much.  There are things that Ethan is keeping from his family, the police, the reporters. And his memory of before is practically non-existent and his return instead of being celebratory and happy seems to further be tearing this family apart.

My heart broke for the family in this book.  It's a real nightmare situation to be in and I found myself sympathising with each of the characters in different ways.  I understood Ethan's parents who wanted their child back so much that they stopped asking the hard questions that might push away this already fragile relationship.  I thought Gracie, the 'replacement baby' was wonderful.  Her easy and fun relationship with Efan provided some light-heartedness in an otherwise bleak book.  The ways in which Gracie and Ethan interact with each other just shows how strained and uncertain Ethan and his other family members are together.

And finally, I really got Blake's anger and resentment towards Ethan and ultimately his suspicions. As easy to understand and accept how hard it must have been for Ethan and his parents to go through what they did, it must have been equally hard to be in Blake's position. To be the one left behind to deal with the aftermath.  To carry around guilt for witnessing his brother's abduction. As for Ethan, my heart broke for him the most.  He wants nothing more than to remember the time before so that he can just belong and be loved. 

Everything about Dead To You was emotional to read.  There is plenty of pain and doubt within this family and that uncertainty just mounts further as I carried on reading.  I don't think the book will be for everyone, but I'm glad that I read it...

Jackson Pearce (Bookshelf Requirements)

I'm not a huge collector of books. Most of my books are on a constant stream, both into my house as well as out of it. But there are definitely authors, books and series that I feel is necessary to have on my shelves. And in this new monthly feature, I hope to share with you my bookshelf requirements...(perhaps you'd like to take part? I'd love to have you!) 

Today I have a special guest post from the lovely Kate Ormand, blogger and soon-to-be published author sharing her own bookshelf requirements!  Please give Kate a warm welcome! 

Jackson Pearce books are a must for my shelves. I became a fan after reading AS YOU WISH in one sitting. Her YA book are mostly inspired by fairy tales, but the stories she choses to retell aren’t ones you come across often, making the books all the more unique and special. I have read and enjoyed all of Jackson Pearce’s books and she is an author I will always anticipate new releases from. Here’s why…

 

AS YOU WISH is Jackson Pearce’s debut novel. As I said when introducing Pearce as a bookshelf requirement, I read this funny and engaging novel in a day. It’s an incredibly sweet story of romance, magic and belonging. Viola’s boyfriend splits up with her. She wishes that someone will love her again, and accidentally summons a genie—Jinn. The jinn age rapidly when out of their world, so Jinn is anxious to grant Viola her three wishes and return home, but Viola doesn’t want to waste her wishes and takes her time choosing carefully what to use them for. Soon they begin to realise they’re falling for each other, and then Viola doesn’t want to use her wishes because she wants to keep him in her life, as once her three wishes are gone Jinn will disappear.

SISTERS RED is loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. I read this book a couple of weeks after finishing AS YOU WISH. The story is action-packed, suspenseful, and a tad gory. Two sisters fight together against werewolves that prey on teenage girls. Scarlett wears a red cloak and carries a hatchet. She has scars – emotional and physical – and will do anything to keep her sister safe. Rosie owes Scarlett for her life. Written from both sisters’ views, SISTERS RED gives us a fierce, loyal heroine, a strong family bond, and a sweet romance.

SWEETLY is loosely based on Hansel and Gretel, and is a companion novel to SISTERS RED. This one is very creepy and eerie, set in a sleepy town in a lonely cottage in the woods. Ansel and Gretchen are running from their past, since their sister was killed by a witch. Their car breaks down in a small town, and they meet Sophia – a chocolatier who runs her business from a house deep in the forest. I love the way Pearce ties the story in with SISTERS RED, and the same mystery, suspense, gore and action can be expected from this title. A deliciously creepy read!

While I was waiting for the third in the retelling novels, PURITY hit shelves. This is a heartfelt YA contemporary about love, loss and sex. It is very cleverly written – Shelby promised her mum three things before she died: to listen to her dad, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. But the three promises often overlap and Shelby lives very strictly by them. When her dad asks her to accompany him to the Princess Ball - a dance that ends with taking a vow of purity – Shelby is torn between promises and must find loopholes to break these vows before she takes them. PURITY is a fresh, heart-warming story with a great balance of humour and seriousness. Beautiful book.

FATHOMLESS is the third companion novel in the fairy tale retellings. This is loosely based on The Little Mermaid. Again, the three books are cleverly tied together retellings with a modern twist, and FATHOMLESS is just as gorgeous as the other two. I loved the underwater setting from Lo’s POV, and the on-land story between Ceila and her two sisters. They each have a gift – Jane can know a person’s present, Anne knows their future, and Ceila can see into their past. FATHOMLESS is action-packed, haunting and powerful.

Finally, COLD SPELL comes out this November and I’m already counting down the months until I can read it! This is the fourth in the retelling series and is based on The Snow Queen. This will be on my shelf the second it’s released!

Thank you so much to Clover for inviting me to take part in this wonderful new feature. I can’t wait to see what others come up with, and I really enjoyed the post on Maggie Stiefvater being her bookshelf requirement, as she is also one of mine!

Kate Ormand is a YA writer represented by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors Ltd. She lives in the UK with her family, her partner, and a cocker spaniel called Freddie. She recently graduated from university with a first class BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art Painting. Kate loves long walks with Freddie, reading teen novels, and painting her nails.

DARK DAYS, her YA dystopian debut, will be published with Sky Pony Press in Spring/Summer 2014. Kate is also a member of an online group of writers and illustrators called Author Allsorts. You can find out more about Kate by visiting her blog (kateormand.wordpress.com) or on Twitter (@kateormand).

Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf (Celebrating British Bloggers)

I do love Saturdays! Saturdays mean introducing you to another lovely British book blogger and this Saturday is no exception! Today I have with me the lovely Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf. I've followed Amber's blog for awhile now and I think she's great.  

If you aren't already, please do follow Amber on all of these different websites... 

The Mile Long Bookshelf ... Amber on Twitter ... The Mile Long Bookshelf on Bloglovin' ... The Mile Long Bookshelf on Facebook ... Amber on Goodreads

First, can you tell me something about yourself and your blog?

Hi! I'm Amber and I'm 14. I'm a very creative person - I'm always reading, drawing, writing or painting. I've had my blog since late 2009 when I realised I needed somewhere to write down all of my bookish thoughts! It's quite a girly looking blog but I review any kind of YA book.

How did you begin being a book blogger?

I was browsing the Internet one day and I'm not sure how, but I ended up on Chicklish. Chicklish is a fabulous book blog run by author Luisa Plaja and I saw that she needed some guest reviewers so I signed up! I enjoyed it so much that I made my own book blog - The Mile Long Bookshelf.

When you're not reading or blogging, what do you do with yourself?

I'm always drawing. Always. When you see me, I'll most likely have a pencil in my hand and a sketch pad on my lap. My mum is an artist and the rest of my family are really creative so I guess it's in my genes.

Which book review are you most proud of?

Ooh that's a really hard question! Well, my most popular review is Lily Alone by Jacqueline Wilson, but I really don't think that's a good review. Hmm! *scrolls through blog to find a decent review* I suppose the review I am most proud of is my review of By Any Other Name by Laura Jarratt.

What has been the best experience of being a book blogger so far?

My best experience was going to see Cathy Cassidy at a book signing in London a couple of years ago. When it got to my turn to go up to her and get my books signed, she recognised me immediately and gave me a hug, and thanked me for writing such lovely reviews of her books! It was an awesome moment.

You can do it, what is your absolute favourite book?

Um. Uhhh. Sorry to be boring, but the Harry Potter series....they're classics!

If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would you choose?

Emma from Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton. She sounds really fun and also, being her best friend, I would get to fly out and visit her in my favourite place - Los Angeles!

Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!

Sorry if I miss anyone out! If you're not on this list, I love you anyway! Lucy from Queen of Contemporary, Zoe from Bookhi, Sophie from A Day Dreamer's World, Ruby from Feed Me Books Now and Kyra from Blog of a Bookaholic.

If you could meet your favourite author, who would you like to meet?

Luisa Plaja because she helped me so much when I first started my book blog, and she's given me some great opportunities.

What would you like to see more of or less of in YA?

I'd like more of everything except vampires - I'm afraid to say I'm not a big fan of the paranormal genre!

And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?

AUGUSTUS FROM THE FAULT IN OUR STARS BY JOHN GREEN! He's mine, readers, sorry...

Thank you so much for these brilliant answers, Amber! I love it when authors recognise us for the work that we do on our blogs, and Cathy Cassidy! How fantastic :) 

What do you think of Amber's answers? Are you not a fan of paranormal YA? Would you LOVE to meet Luisa Plaja? Do you think you'd make an awesome friend to Emma? Do you fancy Augustus? Let Amber and I know in comments!

Where do your ideas come from? by Rachel Ward (The Drowning Blog Tour)

Rachel Ward is a pretty new author for me. I've only read one of her books (the first in the Numbers trilogy) but it was such an emotional experience for me that I've put off reading the other two books because I fear my reactions to them. But I was always going to be excited to read more by this same author... 

And I really loved reading The Drowning by Rachel Ward.  It was unsettling and creepy and also really addictive reading. So I'm very pleased today to have Rachel Ward discussing the inspiration behind her books. Please give her a warm welcome and if you'd like to know more about Rachel Ward or The Drowning which has been published this month by Chicken House, do visit the following websites...

 

Rachel Ward ... Rachel Ward on Twitter ... Rachel on Facebook 

 

 

Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

by Rachel Ward

When I visit schools, I talk about reading and writing and the ideas behind my books and what it’s like being published. I also leave time for questions and offer a prize for the best question. For me, question time is the best bit (I’ve heard the other stuff before.) The question I get asked every time is ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ or put another way ‘What was the inspiration for …?’

I think having a good idea is the hardest part of writing, and also the one over which you have least control. Ideas simply come to you – it’s laughingly close to that cartoon lightbulb moment. Nothing there one moment and then – ping! – I’ve got an idea! I think this might be The One!

The idea for my first book ‘Numbers’, of a girl who could see death dates in people’s eyes, popped into my head one day when I was walking my dog in the fields overlooking Bath where I live. Straight away I knew what she looked like, how she spoke, her background in foster care and her gift. I think there were various influences at play (Philip Pullman’s ‘Northern Lights’, the US television series ‘Six Feet Under’ and my own mid-life musings on death and mortality) but I can’t explain how it all came together to form Jem so fully and solidly in my mind. ‘Numbers’ led naturally to ‘The Chaos’ and then ‘Infinity’. With each book I tried to do something different (Can you change fate? Could you swap or steal numbers and live forever?), but the central idea, seeing death dates, stayed the same.

As I was writing ‘Infinity’ there was a nagging question at the back of my mind. What am I going to write next? Will I ever have a book idea again? I honestly didn’t have a clue what I was going to do. Then, my husband told me a story a friend at work had told him. This guy had been in the US at a conference, and in some down-time had gone for a swim in a lake with two other friends and been hit by lightening. All three survived relatively unscathed, but very scared. Immediately I started thinking about the story possibilities. In my mind, I put it together with stories from the news about ‘feral’ teenagers, who commit terrible crimes casually – for a dare or a bet or just because they can. Maybe I also looked out of the window – 2012 started with a cold winter, a couple of weeks of sun in March/April and then rain, rain and more rain.

Within a few hours I had ideas sprouting like alfalfa in my brain. What if it was three teenagers in the lake? Why might they be there? What happens afterwards? It didn’t take me long to find Carl and his brother Rob, and Neisha, the girl at the heart of the story.

That’s where it started. Ideas come from anywhere and everywhere. They are the product of your brain processing all your experiences, books you read, films you watch, conversations you have or overhear. It’s a mysterious process, but you can help it along by being curious about the world – get out there, participate, observe, listen. And take a notebook with you, just in case.

REVIEW: The Drowning by Rachel Ward

I loved The Drowning by Rachel Ward. I loved the creepiness of the water, I loved the uncertainty that came with memory loss and I loved unravelling these complicated relationships between the three main characters and that this book also addresses the serious topic of domestic violence.

The Drowning is this unsettling story of what happens when Carl wakes up on the bank of a lake unsure of how he got there only to see his brother being zipped up into a body bag. The only other person there who might know what happened to Carl or how his brother Rob died is this beautiful girl called Neisha. As Carl's memories come back to him slowly he's left even more confused about what happened out there on the lake and his involvement with both Rob and his girlfriend. And because we're seeing everything from Carl's perspective, the reader is also left with this feeling of unease and uncertainty about how much or how little we can trust of Carl's memories of the events that led up to this tragedy. 

I felt really bad for Carl.  It must be a horrific thing, witnessing your brother's dead body being taken away.  But Carl also deals with a lot of guilt as he has this feeling that he's played a part in his brother's death somehow.  And he's not getting many answers from Neisha who blows hot and cold with her conflicting emotions.  To make matters worse, Carl's home life isn't the greatest, with his alcoholic mother and their poor living conditions. And because Carl just can't catch a break he seems to be haunted by his dead brother who seems determined to punish both Carl and Neisha in the menacing form of water ... from a dripping tap to puddles and the unrelenting weather. 

I just wasn't sure what to make of this book as I was reading it. I do so love unreliable narrators like Carl but I wasn't expecting this level of creepiness. The idea of some sort of evil lurking in something as universal and necessary as water that surrounds us all makes me absolutely shudder! It was pretty disturbing to read about and I was never sure if things were actually happening or if Carl was breaking under the strain of grief and guilt. 

The Drowning was a wonderful book to read. I rushed through it anxious to know more.  It was fast-paced throughout with plenty of action and suspence and definitely very high on the creep factor!

Interview with CJ Harper, author of The Disappeared

Hurrah! Please give a warm welcome to CJ Harper, author of The Disappeared a dystopian YA novel that was published in January of this year from Simon and Schuster. I really loved The Disappeared, especially the ways in which the main character changes throughout the novel.  I'm really pleased that CJ is here today and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel out next year! 

To find out more about The Disappeared or CJ Harper please do visit the following links:

CJ Harper on Twitter ... CJ Harper on Goodreads

Tell me something about yourself and your novel, The Disappeared?

I grew up in a tiny house with a big family. I’m the fourth of five sisters, which means I still eat with my arm shielding my plate. I’ve got a daughter (the Ginger Ninja) and a son (Goblin Baby) and a computer-genius husband. There are enough Children’s and YA books in my house to build a fort with. But I absolutely haven’t ever skived off work to do that.

The Disappeared is about arrogant teenage super-brain Jackson, whose perfect life implodes when his best friend dies in a violent incident and suddenly everything changes: his teachers claim not to know him; his records are deleted. Jackson has disappeared.
    Jackson is dumped an Academy where the teachers are kept in cages for their own safety and the only thing that matters more than how well you can fight is the colour of your hair.
    Jackson has to get over his arrogance and learn to trust people he’s always been prejudiced against, in order to discover the truth behind the lies his life has been built on, and he has to do it fast, before the man at the heart of it all makes Jackson disappear for good.

Did you use mood/inspiration boards or write to any particular music while working on The Disappeared?

One day I would like to collect pictures that represent my story, and to make inspirational playlists, but at the moment I find that the best I can hope for when I’m writing, is that no one is playing the recorder or poking me in the ear with a crayon. I’ve become very skilled at tuning out CBeebies or requests for biscuits. Except my own. I’m quite capable of stopping mid-word if I get hungry.

Setting is very important, especially in dystopian novels. Would you say there is a place that has been very influential to you in your life or in your writing?

It probably says something about the interior of my mind that the ‘grid’ that students in The Disappeared are strapped to and the disgusting dining hall with its ‘feeding pods’ are straight out of my imagination. The only setting that was inspired by a real location is the drum-shaped fighting room, which is taken from a school I worked at. I used to fantasize about making the rudest children battle it out like gladiators in there. Obviously, I never actually did that, and any child that says differently has forgotten that confidentiality agreement I made them sign.

What was the first book you loved?

What a great question! See, this is why I became an author, so I could bang on about my favourite books. (And obviously telling stories from heart and all that . . .) So, The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord is probably the very first book I loved. The town has a wasp problem so they make a giant jam sandwich to trap them in. The illustrations are amazing; they made me desperate to have a go at spreading butter with a tractor.

Which author would render you speechless if you were to meet unexpectedly?

Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman or Geraldine McCaughrean. I would be struck dumb. But don’t worry; I’ve prepared flash cards declaring undying adoration, for if the occasion should ever arise.

Were there any particular scenes or characters that you really struggled to write?

I find it takes me a lot of energy to write action scenes. When I’m working on a fight scene I swear it burns as many calories as a spinning class (and that’s what makes my numerous writing snacks totally acceptable). I did actually have to draw little pictures of scrapping stickmen for some scenes. It’s hard work keeping track of where everyone’s limbs are. I keep thinking that maybe in the next book I write, everyone will just sit around and chat.

If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would you pick?

*Envisages thousands of tiny waving hands emerging from the book shelf accompanied by tiny voices calling ‘Pick me! Pick me!’*
    When I was younger I had Anne of Green Gables as an imaginary friend. She was pretty cool. Other high scorers on my fictional friend list include, Lyra from Northern Lights (I named my daughter Lyra – that’s how much she impressed me), Queenie from Code Name Verity (I’ve always wanted a friend who swears in a cut-glass accent), Rose from the Casson Family series by Hilary McKay and the Marquis de Carabas from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere.

The Disappeared is one of my mostly anticipated books being published in 2013, which book or books would be top of your list?

Gosh, thank you.
    Everything is Fine and Other Lies I Tell Myself by Cathy Brett, Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O’Porter (this caught my eye because it’s set in the 90s – a period I remember fondly, so it had better be good) and I am very much looking forward to the final instalment of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Also, I’ve just discovered Jenny Valentine and Sarah Dessen so I will be getting stuck into their backlists.

Finally, what can we expect from you next?

Well, it’s not the washing up so my husband needn’t get his hopes up.
    The second book in The Disappeared trilogy, which is called The Wilderness, is coming Feb 2014. In a ghost-city Jackson discovers a bloodthirsty captain training a ruthless Resistance who are everything that Jackson has hoped for, except for one thing: they’re a bunch of kids.
    I’ve also got a completely different kind of book called Have A Little Faith coming out this August (published under the name Candy Harper). Faith is in big trouble because her head of year, Miss Ramsbottom, seems to think that she is always blowing stuff up and giving supply-teachers radical haircuts. Whereas, as Faith points out, it was actually just that one time. Faith’s diary charts her blood feud with Miss Ramsbottom, and also her attempts to ignore the immaturity of old people, and her quest to find herself a boyfriend who knows how to have a good cheese fight.

Writing Romance by Marie-Louise Jensen

As some of you are aware, my mind has been changed lately by historical novels. Mostly in part by the wonderful books I've been reading by some very talented YA authors. And this is definitely the case for Smuggler's Kiss by Marie-Louise Jensen.  I loved the adventure and politics of this book very much. I loved the transformation of the characters.  The thing I loved the most? This slow build-up of romance. Which is why I'm absolutely thrilled today to have Marie-Louise Jensen here writing about that very thing... 

To find out more about Smuggler's Kiss or Marie-Louise Jensen, please do visit the following websites:

Marie-Louise Jensen ... Marie-Louise on Twitter

Writing Romance

by Marie-Louise Jensen

Writing a love story is a specific technique. There are unwritten rules which need to be obeyed. You can play with the rules, but if you break them, the chemistry can fail. The reader needs to like both characters. If you don’t like them, you won’t care. If you actively dislike them, you are never going to be rooting for them to get together.

That doesn’t mean you can take a girl and a boy, invest them with wonderful virtues and throw them together. That would be dull to read. Ideally, the characters need flaws which make them interesting and more real. If you think about any great literary love interest which has stood the test of time (take Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre for example) will find plenty of imperfections. These give a character a chance to learn, grow and change – an important aspect of romance. I like it if my characters bring out the best and the worst in each other and offer each other opportunities to develop as people. And I like them to show kindness to one another.

The other important aspect of developing a romance in fiction is creating a situation in which two characters – who perhaps don’t warm to each other on first sight – are flung together and are forced to become better acquainted along the way. Alternatively, if it is a case of love at first sight, you need to find a reason or a plot device to keep them apart (think of Mr Rochester again – he is married and socially way above Jane Eyre).

Done well, romance is a hook that can pull the reader right the way through the book; from the earliest pages to the last paragraph. The more you care about the characters, the slower the romance burns, the more tantalising it is. I know all about this, because, for me, it’s often the biggest pull in a story and has been since my earliest teens.

Will and Isabelle are cooped up on board a ship together a great deal in Smuggler’s Kiss. When they do go ashore, they are often involved in smuggling actions together; staging a haunting, smuggling lace, taking contraband brandy inland, walking to meet the ship. These situations give them plenty of opportunity to interact, on a practical and a conversational level. They move from strong antipathy through tolerance to respect and finally love. Isabelle has a lot to learn and Will, who has been through a similar transformation himself, is well-placed to help her see the world differently.

Both are keeping secrets; from each other and from everyone around them. The secrets keep them apart, but they also give them something in common and the slow reveal to one another and the reader is an important part of the romantic tension.

The part of the love story that always requires the most rewriting (in my books at least) is the actual getting together; the kiss. It is really tricky to get right and I often have to write the scene over and over, changing it and trying out different ways of keeping enough description to make it satisfying but avoiding the cringe factor. Luckily it’s an enjoyable part of the story to write. The characters and their love for one another become very real over the many months it takes to write a book and I’m longing for them to get together by the end just as much as any reader could be.

Thank you for that Marie-Louise! 

Which are your favourite couples that experience this slow build-up romance? 

"Why monkeys?" by Richard Kurti

I've been absolutely blown away by Monkey Wars by Richard Kurti. Walker are publishing this book this month and I really do suggest that you go out and find it in your local bookstore or library. It's been the most surprising book that I've read all year. So I'm very excited and pleased to welcome Richard Kurti to the blog today to talk about that question that many people will be wondering about - why write about monkeys?  

If you'd like to know more about Monkey Wars or Richard Kurti, please do visit the following websites:  

Monkey Wars ... Richard Kurti on Twitter ... Monkey Wars on Facebook

“Why monkeys?”

by Richard Kurti

I didn’t set out to write about monkeys. Why would anyone do such a crazy thing? What happened was that writing about monkeys became the best way to tell a story about people.
Let me explain…

My father was born in Vienna in the 1920s, but when he was 16 years old the Nazis marched in. Suddenly life became difficult and dangerous for his family, along with tens of thousands of others.
After a struggle, my grandparents managed to get travel visas for my father and his 12 year old sister, but not for themselves. The family was split up, and my grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.

Not surprisingly, I was brought up with a very strong sense of political morality.
But… there was a nagging thought that troubled me: it’s very easy to have a sense of right and wrong when you are the victim of tyranny, but what if I’d happened to be born into a family that was part of the tyranny?
If I’d been brought up by loving parents who were part of an oppressive regime, would I have had the insight to see what was really going on? Or the courage to make a stand?

When I moved into the world of work, I quickly realised that in a less extreme form, this dilemma was everywhere. Your salary enables you to raise a family, but you only get a salary by being part of a hierarchy; if that hierarchy becomes corrupt, do you make a stand and sacrifice everything for principles? Should your family suffer for your ideals? Or do you keep your head down and just concentrate on being a good father and husband?

A similar thing happens in the playground with all those hierarchies and cliques; belonging means the difference between acceptance and rejection, friendship and loneliness. What are you prepared to sacrifice in the name of justice?

And what about when regimes fall? When the Iron Curtain came down, hundreds of thousands of people who had been vital parts of an oppressive regime suddenly turned into advocates of liberty. How is it possible to turn your principles on a dime and still look at yourself in the mirror?

All these interesting, dramatic dilemmas were swirling around in my head, and I knew I wanted to explore them in a novel, but I didn’t want to write a story specifically about Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia. I didn’t want to write a historical novel, I wanted to tell a story about the philosophical problem.

For years (decades!) the problem of how to do this sat at the back of my mind, until one day I heard about the true story of rival monkey troops that were at war with each other on the streets of Indian cities. It was a light bulb moment – if I went back up the evolutionary tree I would be able to write about all human societies by writing about none of them!

Fired with enthusiasm, I started researching, digging into two very different worlds: I read books about monkeys and books about tyrannies; visited zoos one week and Auschwitz the next.
The two areas seemed to fit together so well, I plunged into writing.

It was only when I put my head up a couple of years later that it occurred to me that some readers might think this was a really odd way to tell a story. But by then it was too late, the deed was done.
Thanks to the faith of Walker Books, now the readers can judge for themselves!

REVIEW: Monkey Wars by Richard Kurti

Monkey Wars by Richard Kurti has been the biggest surprise of the year for me. I'll admit, if it weren't for my commitment to promoting British YA authors this year and also if not for the passionate words of a dedicated publicists, I might have passed up the opportunity to read this book.  And that would have been an absolute shame, because Monkey Wars is one of my favourite books that I've read all year. It's exciting and interesting and I never wanted to put it down.  This story and these characters got under my skin in a way that I haven't experienced in a long time.  That first night after reading the first 50 pages of the book I had a dream about this book.  Because even in my sleep my brain still wanted to go over the mostly violent things that I'd witnessed while reading this book. 

What I love about this book is that we see this war between Rhesus and Langur monkeys from both sides and we really get a feeling for what it's like to be in either camp. Each of the main characters - Papina, Mico, Twitcher, Tyrell - all had such wonderful personalities and voices and different ways of thinking that it was easy to relate to them, and to sympathise with the complicated feelings of loyalty and belonging and pride that go along with the horrible effects of war.

Monkey Wars begins in a really dramatic way, with the near-massacre of the Rhesus monkeys who lived peacefully in a cemetary in Kolkatta until the death of a human causes the Langur to attack the Rhesus as a means of protecting humans. With this initial attack, the Langur monkeys seek to further their own power and dominance by taking further steps against the Rhesus and one monkey in particular seeks to use his own talents in order to gain more and more power for himself within his own community.

While my heart really went out to Papina and the rest of the Rhesus refugees who have to go out into the city and start over with their lives and deal with truly terrifying circumstances, it is Mico who really stole my heart within this book. It was fascinating but also pretty sad to see young Mico transform from the naive, questioning monkey into what he becomes as the trusted advisor of a power-hungry dictator who is set to wrest all control over the Langur and Rhesus monkeys for himself.

This isn't a historical novel at all, but you can see the similarities within these monkey wars to that of Stalin and Hitler.  The gradual rise to power, the twisting of knowledge, the decline amongst the Langur for free-thought, the ways in which things are manipulated to one person's favour. I love also Mico's struggles with his morals. Does he sit back and allow Tyrell to get further out of control or he does he speak out and try to change things? While everything may appear clear cut in what a monkey should do in this sort of situation, Kurti shows how often things aren't as black-and-white as they may seem.

Monkey Wars was such an exciting book. There is a lot of action involved, lots of fighting and dramatic happenings. The chapters are relatively short which further ramped up the tension levels for me. I found my heart beating wildly, always wanting to know what would happen next, especially as I got more emotionally invested in the lives of Mico and Papina. Monkeys, politics and war might not sound like your sort of thing, but I promise you, this book is endlessly fascinating and complex. I highly recommend it!

REVIEW: Parallel by Lauren Miller

Guest review by Hayley

Although I didn’t know a great deal about ‘Parallel’ by Lauren Miller before I started reading I was sold by the claim on the cover that it’s ‘Sliding Doors meets The Time Traveler’s Wife’. Those are both amongst my favourites and in general I love time slip/time travel stories, so it seemed like an easy win. I was still unprepared for just how much I would love this book though.

The premise is that Abby Barnes, a super focused high school senior finds herself on a completely different path to the one she’d anticipated, and all as a result of having to change one of her lessons to a drama class. Of course things are about to get far more complicated once the day after her eighteenth birthday Abby wakes up in a university dorm in another part of the country and no idea how she got there…Abby soon discovers she is living a parallel version of her life, which changes every time her ‘other’ self makes a decision.

Each chapter alternates between the two Abby’s who are a year apart, one is in her last year of high school, the other her first year at college. I find American high schools and colleges fascinating to read about and it was a nice change to read a YA book set in an Ivy League college. I loved the well-rounded characters in this book, particularly BFF Caitlin and Josh one of the love interests. The characters really seemed to develop throughout the book and not just exist purely to move Abby’s character forward.

The complicated nature of the story was handled really well and I didn’t spot any loopholes created to make the story more feasible, it was incredibly well thought out and I found it fascinating. We all know how small events can change the path we find ourselves on but it was really interesting to read about all of the idiosyncrasies that can have an impact on these changes.

‘Parallel’ certainly gave me plenty to think about particularly as a person who likes to plan! It’s a very ambitious debut that really delivers an engrossing and impeccably executed story. The ending was perfect but still left me wanting more. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone else who is fascinated by the concept of parallel lives and there’s plenty of tension, suspense and romance in the mix.

Sounds brilliant! Thank you so much Hayley :)

REVIEW: Where You Are by Tammara Webber

Ooh. By the ending of Between the Lines I was absolutely desperate to find out what would happen next. So when a copy of Where You Are by Tammara Webber, the second book in this series about young actors and actresses landed on my doorstep I was beyond excited. And I just had to read it straight away to find out about my two favourite characters! 

(This book is the second book in a series and while I won't spoil any of the events of Where You Are there are spoilers for the first book in the series, Between the Lines. If you haven't already read that one, you might not want to carry on reading this review!)

The first thing that I loved about this book is that it's told partially from Graham's perspective. With Between the Lines we were really only partial to what Emma and Reid were doing and feeling.  I really wanted to know what was going on with Graham.  And Where You Are gives this to us in spades. I love the intensity of his feelings for Emma but also finding out more about his Baby-Mama and what happened there and also about Graham's previous and ongoing friendship with Brooke. 

Where You Are feels very much like Graham and Brooke's story.  While we do have the perspectives of both Emma and Reid here as well, the story still belongs mostly to Graham and Brooke.  With Graham, we see him worrying that Emma and his burgeoning relationship is getting too serious too quickly and he's already been burned in love before with his ex, Zoe.  While he wants more with Emma he knows that she isn't as experienced and he wants to know for sure that everything is behind Emma in terms of her previous relationship with Reid so that they can go forward with things. 

And with Brooke, she's harbouring this strong belief that Graham and her belong together. They've been friends for years and sharing huge and important secrets together has bonded them in a way that Brooke really values.  She's sure that with Reid's help, she can break up Emma and Graham so that she can have her shot with the man of her dreams, finally. 

So Brooke and Reid set out to destroy this fragile new relationship.  It was pretty gruesome to watch. Especially as Brooke is the mastermind here and she really plays on Graham and Emma's insecurities, jealousies and their distance to plant seeds of doubt into both Emma and Graham's minds.  I was impressed with the way Brooke's mind works with her scheming plan.  She's manipulative and ruthless and she throws everything she has into this.  I did feel a bit sorry for her but not in the way that I sympathise with Reid. There doesn't seem to be enough there to redeem her in my eyes. We'll see though.

I do love Graham and Emma, both separately as characters and also together.  They're very sweet and their feelings for each other are very obvious and at times incredibly sappy. I was rooting for them throughout and I really enjoyed witnessing the early stages of their relationships. Being all cheesy with each other over Skype and with the whole not being able to take their eyes or hands off each other. These two are insanely cute together.

And, as with the first book in the series, I found Reid to be a fascinating character.  He can be such a jackass through so many different things but he's anything but predictable and there are moments in this book where Reid surprises me by his actions.  I want more for Reid.  Bring on the third book in the series!

It Was Lovely Reading You (Formerly Ebony Black Lines) Celebrating British Bloggers

I love Saturdays! Saturdays mean that I can introduce you to another wonderful British-based book blogger. And as always, if you love this feature and are a British book blogger who would like to take part in an interview, please do email me or get in touch. I would love to have you.

Today's interview is with somebody that I don't know very well and I like that. Making new friends today! 

Ebony Black Lines was very recently changed as the blog title over to It Was Lovely Reading you ... same great blog just with new name! You can follow her in numerous ways... 

It Was Lovely Reading You ... It Was Lovely Reading You on bloglovin' ... The Teenage Book Addict on Goodreads ... The Teenage Book Addict on Twitter

 

First, can you tell me something about yourself and your blog?

Hi, my name is..well..you can call me The Teenage Book Addict(!!) and am the UK based blogger behind It Was Loving Meeting You (formerly Ebony Black Lines). My blog basically has reviews, guest posts, and other features on it and I also do giveaways as often as I can (I actually have 14 - yes, 14! - giveaways (some prize packs) going on at my blog at the moment to celebrate my one year blogoversary so check that out!)

How did you begin being a book blogger?

I actually started being a blogger before a 'book' blogger. I was introduced to blogging by my aunt who is a beauty blogger. The from there I discovered book blogging and was swept up into the life of reviewing books and talking to 'real life authors'! Lol! And then I started making more friends and growing as a blogger. :)

When you're not reading or blogging, what do you do with yourself?

What do I do?! I play a lot of sport, I do a lot of art and such and I just spend time outside and work, oh yes..work...for those horrible exams that are looming up! :(

Basically I spend my life wanting to punch revision in the face.. unfortunately it doesn't have one.. >.<

What was the first book you reviewed on your blog?

It was Wonder by R.J Palacio...which was actually my first ARC as well! It was amazing! Seriously, if you haven't read it..read it!

What has been the best experience of being a book blogger so far?

Definitely just making more and more friends, and getting to know authors, basically how much of a community everyone is..It's really nice and comforting to see. :)

That everyone is there for you no matter what.

You can do it, what is your absolute favourite book?

CLOVER?! This is like one of the worst questions i ever get asked when I do these kind of interviews! Can I cheat and just say a particular author that I absolutely love?!?

Well..I'm going to anyway!...

Shannon Hale...

she is basically like one of the best authors ever in my opinion.

Goose Girl and The Book of a Thousand Days..read them now..she writes sooo exquisitely! 

If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would you choose?

Oooh....either Lina from Between Shades of Gray because she just seems like such a 'hopeful' person..if you see what i mean? Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars because...just because..she seems like a really sweet person...or Hermione from Harry Potter..because she is so like me (we're both nerds..)

Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!

Eeek ok..

Rachel at Booktastic Reviews

Zoe at Bookhi

Sam at Realm of Fiction

Lucy at Queen of Contemporary

Jess at Booked Up Blogggers!

If you could meet your favourite author, who would you like to meet?

Shannon Hale. Definitely. Her writing. is. amazing.

What would you like to see more of or less of in YA?

Definitely more focus on the actual plots instead of the romance..grr...it makes me so annoyed when that happens. I recently read Monument 14 but the problem was..i think the conecpt of the book and the whole plot was amazing..but the whole book was practically focused on the love triangle going on and people getting jealous of each other.. :(

And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?

Oooh...errr...Jem from The Infernal Devices. Everyone's gushing over Will but I love Jem way more. He seems so sweet and kind and generous and gentle and aaargh *goes off to read The Clockwork Prince again*

Thank you so much for those excellent answers! I'm not sure that I've read anything by Shannon Hale as yet and I still haven't read Wonder! Whoops. Love Jem though. WAAAAAY more than Will. So we're in that together!

What do you think of these answers? Do you fancy Jem over Will as well? Would you love to meet Shannon Hale? Would you love to be best friends with Lina, Hazel or Hermione? Let us know in comments!

The current state of my TBR pile

Most book bloggers and readers enjoy looking at other people's bookshelves, right? I know I do. So today I thought that I would share with you the current state of my to-be-read shelves.  I currently keep all of my unread YA books on two specific shelves on a bookcase in my garage. They're surrounded by loads of other books - my adult fiction books, non-fiction books, children's books for the boys. Next to these bookcases are plastic shelving overflowing with excess toys. My garage? Pretty crammed filled of storage. Books, toys, board games. It's pretty shocking. Even so, I love going into the garage, if only to have a quick glimpse of my books.  This picture above shows my two dedicated TBR shelves. Photos below show them in closer detail...

 

First off, in this photo we see the first of my four large piles of books. I've mentioned before that I organise my books into different piles occasionally. For this latest arrangement, I decided to separate the books in a series away from the books that are standalones or the first in a series.  This picture above shows the sequels in a series that I've started but have not yet finished (aside from those two Sophie McKenzie books, which I haven't started because I don't yet own the first book in the series!). Also, these are all books that I bought, swapped, were gifted or otherwise acquired by my own means. By my count, there looks to be 12 series that I have yet to finish or get up on. Yikes. There will be more sequels later on in this post.

Here we see the first book in a series/standalones that I bought/swapped/acquired myself. No books sent from the publisher amongst these four piles. If you are surprised by the number of books in this pile compared to the sequels I bought myself pile? Don't be. Before these photos were taken, I went through and had a massive cull of my books. The majority of books that were discarded were sequels in a series that I don't have the energy or strength to continue with.

Most of the books in these four piles I've had for some time. Not many of them are recent titles. Which I can only take to mean that I put off reading the books I purchase myself and have not made them my priority for some time. That really needs to change.

These two piles are books sent from the publishers for review. They are all books in series that I've started and haven't quite gotten to finishing them or catching up.  I feel incredibly guilty about my stacks of books sent from the publishers. But at least these relatively small piles of books are nothing on the books in the following photo...

Man alive would you look at these three stacks of books? I think the thing that gets to me most is how many of them are books that would fall under the UKYA in 2013 category. 19 of them count.  Guilt is something that I feel very strongly about these books, but especially as I'm going through a rough reading and blogging slump lately, I must remember to be kinder to myself. Not put myself under so much pressure. No matter how many times I tell myself that, it rarely works. But I'm trying. And I really hope to get to these books soon. Or at least soonish.

And last but not least, we have the books that populate my bedside table. This photo actually shows two of my moody shortlisted piles joined together. It's almost an even split between books sent for review (the Markus Zusak series, Noble Conflict, If You Find Me, Where You Are, Dead Silence and Heroic) and books I purchased/acquired myself. I'm hoping to read most of these within the next few weeks (as well as a SECRET book ...that you'll have to wait to hear about, I'm afraid!) You can also see just to the left of the books is my Kindle, which I've been using more often lately. I've been requesting like crazy from NetGalley... (My e-book TBR pile is a whole 'nother story!) 

And there you have it. I'm not even going to count up how many books there. (Oh hell. As soon as I typed that, I had to count. Shit. Even with my massive clear-out, there are still 120 books there.)

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my unread books! I must leave you now to go attempt making a dent in all of these books...

Five Things That Make Me Happy by Tanya Byrne #WeLoveYA

I really love Tanya Byrne. Her debut book, Heart-Shaped Bruise was my favourite book that I read in all of 2012 and I absolutely adored her new book, being published this month, Follow Me Down, too!  So when I heard about the #LoveYA event that Headline are doing for the month of May, I jumped at the chance to take part too.  So, here is the lovely Tanya talking about the books, films and songs that make her happy... aren't they some unusual choices?! 

To find out more about Tanya Byrne or the #WeLoveYA event, please do visit the following websites:

Tanya Byrne on Twitter ... Which Book Next? on Facebook ... Which Book Next on Pinterest

Five Things That Make Me Happy

by Tanya Byrne

Book: On the Road – Jack Kerouac. If you were making a list of happy books this probably wouldn’t be at the top of it, but happiness is subjective, and happiness to me is reading a book that takes me away from the things that make me unhappy. What better way to escape your troubles than in a battered car with your best friend by your side?


Song: Proud Mary – Tina and Ike Turner. I defy you to sit still when this song is on.


Film: Before Sunrise. I think the word perfect is thrown around far too much, but this film is perfect. It’s charming and funny and honest and infused with so much hope that it’s enough to melt even my cold, dead heart.

Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky. Okay. If you’ve read this book then I can just imagine the face you’re making right now, but I love Charlie so much. And yes, this book made me cry, but it also made me laugh and want to call each of my friends and tell them that I love them, so I guess that’s why it makes me happy, because it makes me realise how lucky I am.


Song: Rebel Rebel – David Bowie. If this song ever comes on and I don’t grin, dial 999.

Can you name five things that are making YOU happy lately? Please share in comments!