We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's 

Released: 9th of February 2017

Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his new home. Meanwhile, Jess's home life is overshadowed by violence. When Nicu and Jess meet, what starts out as friendship grows into romance as the two bond over their painful pasts and hopeful futures. But will they be able to save each other, let alone themselves?

What I Have to Say 

I read this pretty much in one sitting. It was easy to read but also had a lot of very heavy subjects to addressed. Jess's life of abuse and worry intersect with Nicu's life trying to live life in the UK, while fending off the pressure of his parents. These teenagers affect each others lives in various ways and give the readers hope that they will achieve their dreams and forge a new life away from their various troubles. 

The most interesting thing about this book was the way that Nicu's sections were written. They were almost in verse, with a lot of broken English as he struggled to become proficient in the language. It showed a lot about how people treat foreigners, putting him in the bottom classes because his English wasn't good enough to express himself even though he was actually really smart. It really hit upon the point that sometimes when you make assumptions about people based on their race or level of English it can push them down and make these assumptions true because they can't get out of the box that everyone is putting them in. 

The ending disappointed me. It felt a bit of a let down and I felt what happened with Nicu was a bad portrayal of racial stereotypes. The worse thing about it was that the authors seemed to make such an effort with his character through the rest of the book and then just threw it away. 

If you're looking for a read that's easy and brings up a lot of interesting points then this could be a good place to start. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with this copy for review. 

Who Let the God's Out by Maz Evans

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 368

Publisher: Chicken House 

Released: 3rd of March 2017 

Elliot's mum is ill and his home is under threat, but a shooting star crashes to earth and changes his life forever. The star is Virgo - a young Zodiac goddess on a mission. But the pair accidentally release Thanatos, a wicked death daemon imprisoned beneath Stonehenge, and must then turn to the old Olympian gods for help. After centuries of cushy retirement on earth, are Zeus and his crew up to the task of saving the world - and solving Elliot's problems too? 

What I Have to Say 

With humour, adventure and some great interpretation of the Greek gods, Who Let the God's Out? was a pleasure to read. 

The way that Evans portrayed the gods was probably the best bit. As someone who has studied the Greek gods, I can say that even though it seems ridiculous, it isn't that far off. A lot of inspiration has been taken from various aspects of the myths, including Zeus' tendency to sleep with a lot of different people, to create characters that are fun to read while still reflecting their mythology. 

I definitely liked the way it was written and the relationships shown between Elliot and his mother as well as Elliot and the gods. I can't wait for more in the series! 

My thanks go to Nina Douglas and Chicken House for providing me with this copy for review. 

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 464

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Released: 9th of February 2017

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

What I Have to Say

As a long time fan of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, obviously I was interested in seeing her take on Alice in Wonderland. At the start it was hard to see how anything would connect up with the screeching, angry Queen of Hearts as pictured in the original story. But as I trusted Marissa Meyer as an  author and quite liked Cath as a character, I continued to read and watched as poor Cath's life was torn apart. 

It was a sad story, but it also had a lot of humour, merriment and obviously acts of the impossible. There were many of the original characters from Alice in Wonderland and we saw the origins of a lot of the other characters as well, including the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat, obviously. It was beautifully woven with the insanity and humour that Wonderland is known for in Meyer's unique style. 

Meyer has a very distinct style and as I have liked her other books, I enjoyed reading this style, but I feel like she lacked a lot of the humour that Wonderland is known for. It had bits of whimsy involved in it, but mostly it was quite a serious story based within this world. I respect that this is a choice that Meyer had to make, whether to go with her quite serious style or change to add more humour, so I wouldn't say it's a problem as such, but I think I would have liked more humour really. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Macmillan to providing me with this copy for review. 

Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas

What I Have to Say 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's 

Released: 9th of February 2017 

Ollie and Moritz might never meet, but their friendship knows no bounds. Their letters carry on as Ollie embarks on his first road trip away from the woods--no easy feat for a boy allergic to electricity--and Moritz decides which new school would best suit an eyeless boy who prefers to be alone.

Along the way they meet other teens like them, other products of strange science who lead seemingly normal lives in ways Ollie and Moritz never imagined possible: A boy who jokes about his atypical skeleton; an aspiring actress who hides a strange deformity; a track star whose abnormal heart propels her to victory. Suddenly the future feels wide open for two former hermits. But even as Ollie and Moritz dare to enjoy life, they can't escape their past, which threatens to destroy any progress they've made. Can these boys ever find their place in a world that might never understand them?

What I Have to Say 

Adventures with Ollie! Moritz making friends! And a whole lot of sadness. This book like the one before was filled with sadness but also happiness. Ollie and Moritz are both taking strides to live life despite their deformities. It's a good representation of the ups and downs of what life is like to be disabled, but on a much bigger scale. 

I enjoyed meeting different kids with different mutations. It's interesting to see what sort of thing the author could come up with. The web forum was a really interesting way to explore the world they live in through different perspectives. 

There's a lot about relationships in this book, Between Ollie and Moritz but also between the others around them. With such an interesting group of characters there are a range of interesting relationships, even if it's heartbreaking times. 

My thanks go to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Margot & Me by Juno Dawson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 417

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 26th of January 2017 

Sometimes love has to cross all kinds of barriers . . .

Fliss is on the way to visit her grandmother in Wales - the grandmother who she doesn't get on with - with her mother who is recuperating from chemotherapy. But her mum is getting better, that's the main thing, so Fliss can concentrate on being grouchy and not looking forward to meeting her grandmother Margot, who is so cold and always so unforgiving of Fliss's every mistake . . . But when the six months is up, Fliss consoles herself, she and her mum will go back to London and back to Real Life!

In the meantime Fliss needs to get used to her new school, not upset the scary girls, and just keep her head down (whilst still making sure that everybody knows she is from London, of course). Then Fliss discovers a diary at the back of her bookcase. It is from the 1940s and is set in World War II, and, Fliss realises, is actually Margot's diary from when she was a young woman during the Blitz. Intrigued, Fliss begins to read. There she discovers a whole new side to Margot, a wartime romance and also Margot's deepest, most buried secret. And it is then that Fliss discovers something terrible in her own life that she is going to have to come to terms with...

What I Have to Say 

This book has everything both in modern times and Margot's diaries. It looks into race, homosexuality and outsiders versus insiders in a little town in Wales and of course cancer. It deals with relationships crossing through three generations, the relationship between Fliss and her Mum and with Margot, showing the different relationships that can be had between family members. 

Margot and me was beautifully written and wonderfully constructed, with diary entries from Margot breaking up the modern day story of Fliss having to move in with the cranky modern day version of Margot. 

My only complaint would be that at one point it almost felt like Juno Dawson forgot about the war during part of the diaries. There was a part set in London in 1941 where there was no mention of the blitz. It felt odd that it was forgotten about, since the rest of the diaries were very accurate. As the rest of the book was so great though, I'm willing to put it down to Margot's memories of the time differing or artistic license on Dawson's part. 

All in all though, I think this is probably my favourite of Juno Dawson book so far. 

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384

Publisher: HQ

Released: 9th of February 2017 

Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory.

And it’s mostly about sex.

No, it isn’t that kind of theory. Aki already knows she’s bisexual–-even if, until now, it’s mostly been in the hypothetical sense.

Aki’s theory is that she’s only got one shot at living an interesting life–-and that means she’s got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It’s time for her to actually do something. Or at least try.

So when Aki and her friend Lori set off on a trip to a small Mexican town for the summer, and Aki meets Christa–-slightly-older, far-more-experienced–-it seems her theory is prime for the testing.

But something tells her its not going to be that easy… 

What I Have to Say 

This is both a wonderful guide book for having safe sex between two women and a beautiful story about two girls having to hide a relationship for fear of the reaction of those around them. Let's be honest here, schools and even a lot of youth health clinics don't exactly provide details on how to keep safe when having gay sex. At best, you have to ask for the information, at worst there's no information to be had. So having this book, which shows the realities of how to practice safe sex could be a life saver for many girls and women. 

What I liked most about it though, is the fact that from the start they used the word bisexual. We are finally starting to see a world where more and more bisexual characters are being written about and I am so happy to see such positive bisexual representation. 

I also really liked fact that it showed a relationship which, partly by it's need to be secret, consumed the life of the main character. It is a problem with a lot of first loves that it is easy to get carried away with your new partner and forget about the people in the life around you. It was nice to see this addressed with Aki and Lori. 

Whatever your sexuality, this book is thrilling, beautifully written and full of sneaking away to catch moments of romance, but it is also so incredibly important for lesbian and bisexual girls. 

My thanks go to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Take the Key and Lock Her Up Ally Carter

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Orchard Books 

Released: 26th January 2017 

THE PRINCESS IS DEAD.

LONG LIVE THE PRINCESS.

Centuries ago, the royal family of Adria was killed . . . or so everyone thought.

Now Grace Blakely knows the truth:

There was one survivor, and that survivor’s blood runs through her veins. This simple fact could cause a revolution — which is why some people will stop at nothing to keep it from coming to light.

There is only one way for Grace to save herself, save her family, and save the boy she loves. She must outmaneuver her foes, cut through the web of lies that has surrounded her for years, and go back to the source of all her troubles, despite the risk.

If she wins, she will inherit a throne.

And if she loses, she will inherit the fate of all the dead princesses who came before her.

What I Have to Say 

This was a great final book for the Embassy Row Trilogy. It had everything I've come to expect from Ally Carter. It had adventure, mystery and surprising twists and turns. Except for Grace's self-sacrifice. Even though she hadn't completely given up, it felt so out of character for her. Grace fights, always, from the start to the end of her life she has always been a fighter, whether it's fighting to keep up with her older brother, or fighting for her life. The lull of her acceptance of her fate just didn't feel right for her character at all. 

But the rest of the book was perfect. The ending felt completely right. With such a situation that seems so impossible to fix without bloodshed and destruction, it felt amazing that Carter managed to pull the perfect solution out of her hat, but she managed it and I really liked the way it turned out. 

I've always preferred the Gallagher Girls to this series, but I think that any book by Ally Carter is well worth reading, she always knows how to tell a thrilling and addictive story. 

 

My thanks go to Orchard Books and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review.