See How They Run by Ally Carter

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Orchard Books 

Released: 14th of January 2016

Other Books in the Series: All Fall Down 

Grace thought finding her mother's killer would bring her peace. But the truth has only made her a target. on Embassy Row, trust is a luxury. Death is a very real threat. And a girl like Grace should be very careful about which secrets she brings to light..

What I Have to Say 

Ally Carter has fallen into this habit of ending her books a few pages too soon. It leaves me distressed and desperate for more, normally in public. It's something that only the best authors can achieve. 

I'm enjoying this series a lot. It's not Gallagher Girls, but it has enough danger and great characters, that I can enjoying without thinking wistfully of the other series. Grace is a strong character, dealing with a lot of mental health issues and guilt which makes her feel a lot more realistic than action characters often are. 

The story is developing really well. I like the depth that Ally Carter has put into the conspiracies and how every time something new is uncovered it shows that the secrets run deeper in the society than they thought, adding a new element of danger. 

I just need less of the cliff-hangers. I don't think my heart can take much more! 

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The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 294

Publisher: Little Tiger Group 

Released: 11th of February 2016

Alba loves her life just as it is. She loves living behind the bakery, and waking up in a cloud of sugar and cinnamon. She loves drawing comics and watching bad TV with her friends.

The only problem is she’s overlooked a few teeny details:

Like, the guy she thought long gone has unexpectedly reappeared.

And the boy who has been her best friend since forever has suddenly gone off the rails. 

And even her latest comic-book creation is misbehaving.

Also, the world might be ending – which is proving to be awkward.

As Doomsday enthusiasts flock to idyllic Eden Valley, Alba’s life is thrown into chaos. Whatever happens next, it’s the end of the world as she knows it. But when it comes to figuring out her heart, Armageddon might turn out to be the least of her problems.

What I Have to Say 

This is a book about comic-books! Well, not just about comic-books. It's also about art, the possible end of the world and the fear of leaving what's comfortable and safe in order to go out into the big wide world and do something with your life. But they had me at comic-books, everything else just made it extra awesome. 

I'm almost ashamed to say how confused I got with the setting of this book. I couldn't work out how it was the summer holidays and the end of school at the same time as it was coming up to Christmas. Luckily as soon as I realised it was Australian, it all fitted in. 

As I said, this book is about the scary part of life where you let go of your comfortable home life in order to go out into the big wide world. I think a lot of people know what this feels like. I know I do. It shows an very realistic look at how the need to make this decision and take the plunge can be paralyzing and watching your friends do it with relative ease can be the worst thing in the world. 

I think this is very relevant for the teenagers getting ready to go off to University as well as people in their 20s starting to head out into the workplace. 

Though to be honest, at any stage of life there are places where you may have to make this kind of decision. 

Also, comic- books!! 

The November Criminals by Sam Munson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 258

Publisher: Atom

Released: 5th of November 2015

For a high school senior, Addison Schacht has a lot of preoccupations. Like getting into college. Selling drugs to his classmates. His complicated relationship with his best friend (NOT his girlfriend) Digger. And he's just added another to the list: the murder of his classmate Kevin Broadus, and his own absurd, obsessive plan to investigate the death. When presented with an essay question on his application to the University of Chicago—What are your best and worst qualities?—Addison finds himself provoked into giving his final, unapologetic say about all of the above and more.

What I Have to Say 

This book wasn't really for me. It was a good story and I did like some of the philosophical musings that Addison went into, despite the fact that they were a little unnecessary. It was the voice, I think that I really liked. The educated feel of it, despite the way that he talked about things. Although, I don't normally like people who look down on people who aren't as educated as them, I just found it an easy voice to get into. It was easy to get into the character's head. 

It was one of those books that just went too far to be crass. It's like the author wants us to hate the character, which is fine... but in this case, what they were doing felt a bit obvious. 

If you like this kind of book, then that's okay, it just wasn't my kind of thing. 

Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Amulet Books

Released: 5th of January 2016

Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings find escape from their constrained lives via their rich imaginations. The glittering world of Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy world of Gondal literallycome to life under their pens, offering the sort of romance and intrigue missing from their isolated parsonage home. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as the characters they have created—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go.

What I Have to Say 

This book was a very slow start. I have to say, I spent most of the book wondering where it was going and how much knowledge the author had of the Brontës in order to write them. I don't have much knowledge of them other than their books, so I can't really say, but I would be interested to know what facts were real and what was made up.

As I said, it took a long time to pick up speed, but by the end I got into it quite a bit. I think at the start, it was so unclear where it was going. As it started to pick up, though I really got into it. I loved the ending, how their world began to change and the characters of the novels they eventually went on to write began to emerge from it.

I think I went into it thinking that I would see more of a world that I recognized, without realising that I wouldn't. As the novels I knew began to emerge, with characters such as Heathcliff starting to emerge from the story, it became much easier to enjoy.

I think this would be good for fans of the Brontës, though it may be better to read more than just a couple of books.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 496

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 27th of October 2015 

Josephine Montfort is from one of New York's oldest, most respected, and wealthiest families. Like most well-off girls of the era her future looks set—after a finishing school education, she will be favourably married off to a handsome wealthy gentleman. But Jo wants a more meaningful and exciting life: she wants to be an investigative journalist like her heroine Nellie Bly.

But when Jo's father dies after an alleged accident, she begins to investigate his death with the help of a young reporter, Eddie Gallagher. It quickly becomes clear he was murdered, and in their race against time to discover the culprit and his motive, Jo and Eddie find themselves not only battling dark characters of the violent and gritty streets of New York, but also their growing feelings for each other.

What I Have to See 

This was a wonderful read. I adored it, from the first page until the last, I loved it. Jo was a wonderful character, but then I am biased towards girls in period books that want to break from the confines of the expectations put upon them. Girls doing things such as visiting morgues without an escort,  that would be completely frowned upon in polite society is always a good concept for a story. 

Jo and Eddie were great together as well. Jo with her ambitions to become the new Nellie Bly and Eddie trying to persuade her out of doing all the dangerous things she does, but instead being forced to go along to look after her, because Jo is far, far too stubborn to let anyone talk her out of the things she wants to do. 

The book was also tense and mysterious, full of tension and suspense, but really Jo was the thing that did it for me. I really hope that the author writes more books about her, because I need to see more from her. 

How Not To Disappear by Clare Furniss

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 400
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Released:  31st of December 2015

Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to "find himself" and Kat's in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend. Meanwhile Hattie is stuck babysitting her twin siblings and dealing with endless drama around her mum's wedding.

Oh, and she's also just discovered that she's pregnant with Reuben's baby...

Then Gloria, Hattie's great-aunt who no one previously knew even existed comes crashing into her life. Gloria's fiercely independent, rather too fond of a gin sling and is in the early stages of dementia.

Together the two of them set out on a road trip of self-discovery – Gloria to finally confront the secrets of her past before they are wiped from her memory forever and Hattie to face the hard choices that will determine her future.

What I Have to Say 

This book had me sobbing. I loved it so much. I think that having two story lines, one past, one present, is one of my favourite styles of writing, because you get two interlocking stories that both have their own excitement and tension. There were so many mysteries and cliff hangers created by Gloria's telling of her story as well. It kept me wanting to read on and find out the whole story. 

I adored Gloria so much. She was just the kind of quirky, bad tempered old woman that you love to read about and are so glad not to have in your family. It didn't take me as long as Hattie to warm to her and her very specific way of living. 

Gloria's story was so sad, and drawing parallels between it and Hattie's story was a great way to show how hard it was for a young woman getting pregnant in the 50s compared to now. It showed how many more options, young mothers have these days and it was really nice to see Hattie's reaction to it. 

This book really touched me and I hope that you'll all read it and enjoy it as much as I did. 

Lily and the Christmas Wish by Keris Stainton

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 160 

Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Released: 5th of November 2015

When a town's Christmas wishes get mixed-up, can one little girl and her dog put them right? 

The little town of Pinewood can't wait for Christmas this year. They're going to celebrate by putting up a giant Christmas tree in the town square, and asking all the townspeople to hang a Christmas wish on its branches. Everyone is feeling very festive, including nine-year-old Lily - although she's not sure she believes in wishes. Then a very strange storm blows in, scattering all the wishes...and Lily wakes up the next morning to a bit of a surprise. Bug, her adorable pug puppy, can talk! It's magic - and a wish come true! But it's not Lily's wish...

Lily and her little brother James soon discover that something must have happened during the storm - the town's wishes have been granted, but to all the wrong people! Lily, James and Bug must work out which wish belongs to who, and sort everything out before Christmas Eve - otherwise no one will get what they want for Christmas. 

What I Have to Say 

This was such a cute story and was a really good read for the holiday season. It may be a little late for the Christmas season, but it'll still be great to curl up and read in front of the fire, especially if we get snow. 

Set against the backdrop of a struggling marriage, Lily and her family see a wide range of quirky wishes, from "I wish my dog could talk" to "I wish I didn't have to go to school". It's fun to see what kinds of wishes people have made and who they belong to, as Lily, her brother and her dog reunite the owners with their wishes. 

This book was a little young for me, but I think that's part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. It's nice to kick back and read a story about a girl and her talking dog, full of Christmas spirit. It still covers serious issues, but it does that in a more positive light than in a lot of older books. It was a very relaxing read. 

Even though Christmas is over, I still strongly recommend it for a cosy winter mood.