Fractured by Teri Terry

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 432

Publisher: Orchard Books

Released: 4th of April 2013

Other books in the series: Slated

How do you know where to go when you don't remember where you came from? 

Kyla's memory has been erased,

her personality wiped blank, 

her memories lost for ever. 

Or so she thought. 

Kyla shouldn't be able to remember anything. But she can - and she's beginning to realise that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life, she thinks she's on her way to finding the truth. But the more she learns about her history, the more confusing her future becomes... 

What I Have to Say 

I still loved this book and I still love Slated. But as with any second book in a trilogy, it didn't quite live up to the amazingness of the first. It just didn't have that same quality that Slated had. The desperation to read on, the emotion invested in the characters. It was just not the same. Though, like I said,  in my experience with most trilogies the second book is often the weaker of the three, so perhaps that's all it is. 

The characters have developed well within the two books. Kyla (or whatever we should call her now) is the obvious one. Her character now exists on so many different, interesting levels and we still have so much more to find out about her. But also characters such as her mother and Dr Lysander are showing much more depth than they originally had. 

All in all, I was slightly disappointed with this book. Especially because of how much I fell in love with Slated last year. But I have a lot of hope for the next book, especially seeing as the third book in a trilogy often turns out to be the best! 

Ink by Amanda Sun

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 377

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Released: 25th of June 2013

Other books in the series: SHADOW (optional prequel) 

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

What I Have To Say

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it a year ago and it really didn't disappoint. I loved the entire premise and Amanda Sun's writing didn't let it down. She gave a beautiful and vivid picture of Japan and interwove the supernatural elements seamlessly, diving into so much of Japanese culture to do so. 

I loved the way Katie's character was built. She was so strong without being unbelievable and without possessing any powers of her own. In a genre filled by girls of superpowers (which I love, don't get me wrong) it was refreshing to see one who didn't, but is just as strong a person. 

 I also loved how her integration into Japan paralleled her journey of recovery from her mother's death. It made an easy progression into the story and dealt with Katie's emotional trauma without detracting from the story at all. 

In all, I really, really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one in the series.    

Shadow by Amanda Sun

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 69 

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Released: 1st of June 2013

Katie Greene’s worst nightmare comes true when her mother dies, and she’s devastated to learn that she will have to leave the only home she’s ever known. Desperate to find where she belongs, she must decide if she has what it takes to start a new life across the ocean. 

For Yuu Tomohiro, every day is a nightmare. He struggles to control his strange ability, and keeps everyone at a distance so they won’t get hurt—even his girlfriend, Myu. At night, a shadow haunts his dreams, and a mysterious woman torments him with omens of death and destruction. But these haunting premonitions are only the beginning…

What I Have To Say 

This was a really great set up for Ink, reading it has made me really, really excited for the release date. 

It had a really emotional start, showing how hard it is for a teenager to lose the single parent who's raising them. The emotion cam through really well, both at the funeral scene and the time after between then and Katie moving to Japan. 

The feelings Katie has when reaching Japan are really interesting too and show well the cultural shock and disorientation of moving to an entirely different country. 

I've been looking forward to Ink for a while now and reading Shadow has made it so that I just can't wait for the release. 

Shadow is only available for ebook and is dirt cheap on Amazon, so I really recommend getting it. You don't need a reader, I downloaded kindle for desktop and read it there. Apparently it's free on for Nook but that seems to only be available in the States. 

Hiatus

Due to deadlines and general business, I'm not getting enough reading done to post a review a week. Therefore I'm going on hiatus/ sporadic posting for a little while. I'll return when I actually have something to review.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 290

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Released: 26th of February 2013
Other books in the Series: The Name of The Star

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance.

But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: She's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades - the city's secret ghost-fighting police - are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

What I Have to Say

I loved The Name of the Star so much, so obviously I was looking forward to this book a lot. It didn't disappoint me, but it didn't blow me away either. Although I didn't feel the sense of danger as much as I did with The Name of the Star. There was no point where I was generally worried about Rory. Which was what really built up the tension in The Name of the Star. 

What was really done well in this one was the emotion. There were moments that were really tragic, which is not something that you expect so much from Maureen Johnson. But she did it really, really well. 

Honestly I love this whole series. I want there to be another book, now! If you haven't read The Name of the Star yet, then what are you waiting for? And if you have, then read this one now! 

Legend by Marie Lu

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Penguin

Released: 2nd of February 2012 (first published: 29th of November 2011) 

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

What I Have To Say

Another book that I've heard so much about. But the stuff I heard was not wrong in the slightest. This book was incredible! And another one that had me physically gasping. NOT A BOOK TO READ IN PUBLIC. Believe me! I read most of it on a train!

I loved Day's character so much. I mean, sassy bad boy, I was always going to! But I also loved June a lot. Both had interesting qualities that made them really good viewpoints to read. 

Another thing that I really, really thought was done well about this book was the romance. Too many books have romance that you just can't see. Or a love at first sight moment with the characters going on and on about how they feel about the other person. I'm not quite sure what was done differently in this one, but it felt so much more real and believable. 

Seriously. Read this book. Just do it. 

Dead Romantic by CJ Skuse

 Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 328
Publisher: The Chicken House
Released: 4th of February 2013

Camille wants to find the perfect boy, with an athlete's body and a poet's brain. But when she's mocked at a college party, she knows there isn't a boy alive who'll ever measure up. Enter Zoe, her brilliant but strange best friend, who takes biology homework to a whole new level. She can create Camille's dream boy, Frankenstein-style. But can she make him love her?

What I Have To Say

I love CJ Skuse's ideas. They are so quirky and out there. And this one, she has so beautifully updated the Frankenstein story. Making it unique and different at the same time. The way it starts out and you think you know where it's going but it takes so many twists and turns in getting there. Even having finished the book, there is doubts and room for theories about what's going to happen. There had better be a sequel, that's all I'm saying. 

I loved Pee Wee. He was so cute and not a completely stereotypical zombie dog, it could have been taken too far and just been a cliché, but the fact that most of the time he was just a normal dog and the flesh eating monster bit just cropped up occasionally made it really effective. 

I also love the way she wove the details into the story. So many things cropped up at the start that seemed completely inconsequential that come to be really significant later in the book. It was so skillfully done. 

So read this book for quirkiness and a fair bit of gore.